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Emerald Dawn Danube Delights 1st time river cruiser


ChosenOne
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Just returned from my first river cruise, Danube Delights on Emerald Waterways Emerald Dawn. I traveled with my sister and we are both in our 50's.

Here are a few of my impressions and "tips".

The Emerald Dawn is beautifully simple & contemporary. The common areas are all kept immaculately clean. The reception staff, cruise director and all other staff were all extremely friendly & helpful. I was very impressed with the Panoramic Balcony room we had ( #325). The room had plenty of storage space. A closet with walking sticks, umbrellas, slippers and robes provided for your use. 2 large drawers. A mini bar/fridge, a safe with 2 small shelves under it, a long open shelf above the TV, 2 open shelves in the bathroom and a deep drawer underneath the sink as well as a small open shelf in each nightstand. Bonus was all drawers and cabinets are "quiet closing" so no slamming drawer noise from the neighbors.

A table and 2 chairs placed in front of the full floor to ceiling window that opens about half way down giving you an open air "balcony" including a screen you can place over the open window if need be. We thoroughly enjoyed this feature & used it fairly often.

The bathroom has an ample shower with a glass door and a clothes line. Small shampoo, conditioner & body wash provided. There is a small blue night light that stays on during the night.

There is a vanity in the room with a small hassock to sit on. The house phone sits in the vanity. 4 outlets are next to the vanity...don't forget your 2 prong European electrical adapters for cell phone charging, curling irons etc. A hair dryer is provided in the room. One outlet is used by the Quiet vox system- wireless receivers you wear around your neck with an ear bud so you can hear your tour guide on each Emerald provided tour in each port. It is your responsibility to charge the receivers each night for use the next day. This was a very beneficial item as you could be at the back of your group and still hear the guide.

Our stateroom was near the aft of the ship on the top floor so we were really close to the pool area which was quite lovely. My sister & I used the pool several times for a quick dip. There are towels, bottled water, a coffee machine & jar of cookies and bar service is also available by using the house phone to call to the Horizon lounge for cocktails. Also a shower room and a public toilet. The pool area is also transformed to a cinema one night complete with popcorn. A spiral staircase here leads up to the sun deck and down to the wellness area. I did have a massage while on board and the masseuse was excellent and I thought reasonably priced for a ship board service. (We have been ocean cruising or Caribbean cruising for years so I can only compare it to their pricing)

TIPS:

Bring a few clothes pins for hanging items on the shower clothes line....especially if you are washing out t shirts or underwear

Use a magnetic clip to hold the daily itinerary on the wall above the vanity (& don't forget to look on the back as the dinner menu is printed there)

Carry a pen & paper to write down the name of towns or items you want to remember

Hot chocolate is available 24/7 in the Horizon lounge coffee station. It is called Milk Chocolate on the menu

If you are going to wear open toes shoes or sandals, be aware that places like Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna or Melk Abby have huge gravel areas you have to walk across so you may get stones in your shoes!

Ask the cruise director for the super detailed map of Vienna before she runs out of them. It would have helped us a great deal if we had one to use during our free time there.

If you are playing trivia on the ship, sit close to the video screens so you can see the questions & pictures

The bus tour portion of each tour in Vienna will drive past some great sights but you will have to take photos through the bus window. My sister and I split up and each sat on a different side of the bus (on a fairly empty bus tour to Schoenbrunn palace) so we could take photos of things on our respective side of the bus.

I do not now if this holds true on every stop in Bratislava but we got off the ship just before the departure time for the "spend an Afternoon with a local family" optional free experience & got in group 1 on the dock. Our bus was the "wine" bus with a stop at a local vintner's home for tea, coffee, homemade plum cake and a tasting of 4 different wines he produces. Best part of our stop in Bratislava!

I will post more shortly on the actual ports and other thoughts I had on my first river cruise experience

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Lessons learned: we should have traveled at least one extra day early as our flight was delayed and we did not get to do our half day of sightseeing in Budapest that we planned on. A group of fellow passengers from all different flights gathered in the arrival hall with our Emerald representative and were sent off on a bus to the ship. *Tip...try to get some small bills in HUF (Forints) before your journey in case you need a bottle of water, etc when you arrive at the airport. I also got some Euros for Slovakia, Austria, Germany for small items like Linzer cookies in Austria or ice cream on a hot day. Most gift shops take credit cards but I hate to put the cost of a few postcards or magnets on a card.

Check in was a breeze. Your luggage is taken to your room for you. A staff person takes you to the room. I wished she would have explained a few things like the fact there was a huge drawer under the sink because we didn't discover it until the next day.

That evening we had a buffet for dinner. I found the food to be delicious and a good variety of cold foods, salads, a carving station and a hot side to the buffet with soup & hot dishes. Deserts on the buffet are 2 varieties , 2 kinds of home made ice cream (Yum!) and a cheese station. Mostly blue cheese, brie, pepper cheese. The dining area is open seating every night. Some round tables of 6, long tables for 8, along the sides tables for 2 up close to the windows with a 4 top next to that. The table for 2 is only 4'' from the 4 top so don't think you will have a private conversation if you sit there but you will have good views. We purposely joined a different group of people every night. My sister and I are from Chicago in the good old USA. We met people from Canada, New Zealand, Scotland, the UK, Thailand, Spain and Australia. Emerald's parent company Scenic river cruises is an Australian company and is marketed heavily there.

 

 

I would say the average passenger was a married couple age 65-75 although we had one young couple in their 30's, a man who was 90 and his 70 year old wife, a woman in her late 70's who walked with a cane & was traveling on her own, an man in his 60's on his own. My sister & I and 2 other woman traveling as friends (but also with a married couple) were the only woman roommates but we never felt out of place. A few couples in their 50's as well.

 

 

The evening sail in Budapest is spectacular. We headed up to the Sun deck after dinner, grabbed some chairs and staked out a place at the bow of the ship. A surprise treat was a fireworks display along the banks that none of the ship's staff even knew was going to happen. They serve everyone a cocktail called the Blue Danube while we were sailing that night.

 

 

BUDAPEST 9:15 to 1PM

 

 

In Budapest the included tour is an air conditioned coach (thankfully because it was 100 degrees both days we were there) You will only get 3 stops. First: Gellert's Hill /the Liberty statue. I did not feel like making the entire journey up the slope to see the statue so my sister went up to take photos. There are several small souvenirs shacks there where I got postcards & magnets. I also purchased a "chimney cake" filled with ice cream.

Stop 2 was at Heroes Square. We were limited to 15 mins because of the extreme heat. Since I had no interest in the statues I high tailed it across the bridge to see the Fairy tale castle & took a few photos. Now I will say that when the contract reads that you should be in reasonable shape to go on this cruise, they mean it. Of course the heat didn't help matters either but there are many slopes, cobblestones, stairs to deal with in all the ports.

 

Stop 3 - toilets...have your $1 euro coin ready for the matron!!! This stop in Budapest was Fisherman's Bastion/St Mattyas church/Plague column. Very picturesque with fabulous views of the city. We had about an hour there. expect stairs . A very popular place to take a photo with the city in the background. Unfortunately it was Sunday and we could not get in the church.

When we returned to the boat, the Scenic Ruby was parked alongside which means you must climb up stairs to their sun deck, across the deck to our boat & down the stairs. You will receive a small tag on a lanyard with your first name and a bar code printed on it. each time you leave the ship or get back on board you are responsible for scanning your card.

2:30 was the muster drill which was completed in a bout 15 mins. Note: the wifi is pretty spotty. We learned the best time is when you are in port, the best location is the Horizon lounge. No wifi while in a lock or a deep valley area. But it was sufficient for facebook checks and emailing back home.

Dinner was delicious. Typically there is a meat, fish & vegetarian main dish. Tonight was Veal, Halibut or Asparagus in mille feurille parcel. Lunch & dinner include beer, which was one choice Bitburger, and a different white & red wine each night (listed at the end of the menu) they are not shy on keeping your wine glass filled as many times as you like. If you don't have the extra drink package, get a wine refill right before desert so you can take it with you to the lounge.

TIP: Americans tend to eat quickly so 2 hours for dinner seems long. We figured out their system. If you sit at the first table when you come in or the 5th table from the rear of the dining room, these tables get served first. The servers always go in order of their section's tables so the first table in the section always gets served first This cut dinner down to 1.5 hours if you just can't sit for 2 hours to eat. If you skip ordering appetizer and soup you will not get served any faster. Each thing comes out all at once!

Entertainment : tonight was timelines trivia (guess the year a world event took place)

After that Amel played keyboard & sang. For one guy in a confined space, he was great!

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BRATISLAVA

Guided walking tour of Bratislava 9:30-11

We had a nice college girl doing our tour. The center of town is really right there when you get off the ship. Some of the other ports were a 10-15 min walk to get to town but more on that later. The town is interesting and very compact with only a few main streets. The tour was about an hour and then we had free time. Again we were docked next to a ship and had to climb up to their sun deck, across & down stairs to our ship. We very much enjoyed this town!

Lunch 12;30-2

Optional experience: Afternoon tea & cake with a local family. 2-5:30. We exited the ship before 2 and got into the first tour guide's group. As soon as they had about 30 people we were loaded on a bus for the 25 min drive into the countryside. Our guides informed us we were on the "wine" bus which means we were the lucky groups that got to visit a vintner's home. We arrived and were split in 2 groups, each visiting a home across the street from each other. We got to see their beautiful gardens and our group were led to an cellar type area very nicely decorated with a big wood table. We all got home made plum cake and tea or coffee but the best part was we all sampled all 4 of the wines this man's family produced. A wonderful afternoon you should take advantage of doing.

DINNER Each night 15 minutes before dinner, the cruise director gave a port talk about what would be coming up the next day. Dinner at 7, as always open seating so go early if you want to sit near the window. We had a lovely sunset that night visible from the dining room. Lamb, Perch & Mushroom & Tofu tempura for main courses. But for the less adventurous, Beef, chicken, salmon & caesar salad also available.

ENTERTAINMENT: Amel in the Horizon lounge or a movie out in the cinema (pool area) We went to the movie (Me before you) but my only issue was you can still hear the water from the pool sloshing and they had the 2 side doors propped open for air circulation which also caused noise I found it hard to hear the movie some times. Bonus: POPCORN. Tip: just because there is a cappuccino machine in that area doesn't mean 2 cappuccinos before bedtime is a good idea!

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VIENNA

8:30-1:30PM My sister & I signed up for the optional Schoenbrunn palace tour (50 euro per person) I notice next year they are not offering this tour on their stops in Vienna. Our bus was not very full for this tour. Nice thing was we had a ride around the Ringstrausse where many important buildings are before heading to the palace. Expect a lot of walking, initially across a gravel area. There are pay toilets (I think .50 euro) at the entrance gift shop. Don't be fooled, there are 2 sections of toilets so don't be afraid to head straight back for more toilets. There are free toilets when you first enter the palace but the lines are pretty long.

Our guide got our tickets. There are stairs to get up to the first floor. An older lady with the cane was offered to go to the elevator and she hesitated so I said I would go with her. I think she thought she might get separated from the group. We got to go through the children's museum which is adorable and has wardrobes full of period costumes kids can try on. We rejoined our group upstairs & off we went.

TIP: we knew it was going to be warm the whole trip so prior to leaving I purchased some O2Cool personal fans that you wear on a lanyard (I got mine at Menard's hardware store) and it blows air up at your face. It is about the size of a small digital camera. A life saver as none of the churches, palaces, abbys etc have any air conditioning. Many people asked where we got them, including our cruise director!

TIP 2: I found for me it was easier to place my Quiet vox receiver inside my shirt/bra to relieve the weight on my neck as I was also wearing the fan around my neck at the same time

We toured many rooms and then had about an hour free time. It is not enough time to see everything there. The gardens are expansive and a trip up the hill for the view was not practical for me in the time we had. Outside there is a garden area you have to pay to get in to. If you are limited for time I would skip it as the regular gardens were beautiful. Statues and benches along the span of the walk up to Neptunes fountain. there is a gift shop as you exit the palace. If it is not over run I would suggest buying items here. The same items are available at the gift shop near the front gate but when we left there was a hug queue to buy tickets which are purchased in that git shop. There is also a small souvenir stand with many of those items outside where the bus lanes are and one at the back of the palace underneath the balcony area.

On the way back to the boat you can get out at the Schwendenplatz bus area. From there is it about a 10 min walk to the center of town. Shuttles run from the Schendenplatz to the ship every half hour from 2 with the last pick up back at 5pm. We walked around, had a "hot dog" at the Weiner Wurstel shack, and saw the Plague column. We tried desperately to find Kaputz where the crypts of the Hapsburg Emperors & empresses are and even after asking 4 shop keepers and a hotel front desk, we never found it. Here is where the more detailed map of Vienna that some people were able to get from the cruise director would have been helpful.

DINNER: tonight was buffet from 6-8pm due to the fact people who bought tickets to the Viennese concert had to be ready by 7:15. We did not do the concert. We heard from others it was lovely but again, no a/c so quite warm & stuffy in the room.

We sailed at about 10PM. Our intentions were to go to the Prater & ride the old ferris wheel but after scoping out the way on our bus trip back to the ship we realized it would only be possible for us if we got a cab from the ship & one back to the ship as we were not comfortable with the distance or path we would have to take. So we reluctantly decided to just chill that night.

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DURNSTEIN-MELK,, AUSTRIA

We docked approximately 6AM. Breakfast buffet early so we could head out as we only had a few hours in Durnstein before sailing to Melk.

Free time in Durnstein was only until 10:45. The walk to town was about 10 minutes and an uphill street climb (no railings available either) to the main street. Very quaint town in an area known for apricots. Cute shops and lots of photo ops. I was thrilled to stop in a bakery called Schmidl where I purchased a Linzer cookie (my favorite since childhood) but with apricot filling instead of the traditional raspberry! My sister had their apricot ice cream & it was delicious. There are many shops selling apricot schnapps & liquers as well as a shop where I bought apricot gummy hearts and apricot soap. Lovely.

There is an active tour which is a 30 min hike up to the castle ruins where Richard the Lion Heart was held ransom on his way back from the crusades that started at 9am. Also a bike trip from 10:30-2pm to meet the ship in Melk.

At 11 am there is a jam & schnapps tasting in the lounge which we skipped. We sat up on the sun deck for the sail through the Wachau valley. You could wear your quiet vox receiver and it would give commentary when you passed interesting things. Bring your drink up to the deck because there is minimal bar service up stairs. We started out sitting in the sun but being August, it soon became too hot and we tried to find a spot in a shaded area which were mostly taken up already by smarter people than me!

1:30 we arrived in Melk. On to buses for a short trip to the Abby. Again no a/c in these buildings in the summer so dress appropriately. The monastery was lovely but you are not allowed to take photos inside. But there is a gift shop at the end with many postcards & other items. If you are looking for a nice souvenir for a boss or mom, Mozart balls are the way to go. Chocolate balls surrounding a pistachio nougat center. The ones I brought back were big hits. Available in Austria & Passau Germany.

DINNER: Beef rump/perch/spinach cannelloni and the stand by salmon.steak.chicken.

ENTERTAINMENT: General trivia or Live concert in the cinema "Elvis"

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PASSAU Germany

Passengers who paid for trips to Salzburg, Austria or Cesky Krumlov in the Czech republic were let off in Brandstatt to get their buses at 8am

Those left on board had a leisurely morning and lovely lunch buffet before the scenic sail into Passau, where 3 rivers meet. From 2:30-3:30 we had a walking tour. NOTE: all cobblestones and on slopes so watch your ankles and wear good walking shoes. Interesting to hear about the high flood waters they sometimes get. Pretty buildings. The big attraction here is St Stephen's church with the largest pipe organ in Europe with 17,000 pipes. We did not get to hear it being played though. I guess some times they catch a free concert here. Free time and back on board at 5:30. No climbing over another bot to get on board as we were the last ship in port now.

We ended up being delayed leaving because the bus from Salzburg had not returned. Heard through the grapevine that one couple got lost getting back to the bus. The police were involved trying to find them. If you have a cell phone, one of you should carry it because the ship has your phone #. Would have solved the issue. We sailed slowly away, had dinner and the bus finally caught up to us and we stopped to pick up the 38 souls who endured 12 + hours on their tour.

DINNER:

Duck/fillet of sole/baked fennel

ENTERTAINMENT: Disco Night

this was the most action we saw on board this trip. First they had Juke Box Jury where 10 songs are displayed on the screen. You choose which song will be most danced to, 2nd & 3rd. Let me tell you some of the "older folks" could sure boogie! Really fun night with our cruise director Nina van Loon, Amel the keyboard player & the bar staff dressing Disco style & dancing with the passengers. Amel manned the music and took requests.

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First I must interject a bit of frustration. My sister had called Emerald's office in the U.S. to find out what time we would dock in Nuremburg. They insisted no later then 9am. So prior to leaving, we purchased bus tickets on Flixbus to go from Nuremburg to Prague. Emerald had given us a paper to fill out with what kind of transportation we would need and I wrote a taxi at 9am to go to the bus station. The cruise director tells us that we don't dock until 1:30!! So I had to get on line and change the bus tickets to a later time. Just about ready to complete the change & we enter a lock & I lose connection! I did get it changed but instead of arriving in Prague at 2 and having time to sight see we did not arrive until almost 9PM. We were not the only people who were told the wrong docking time. A couple from Canada were given the same info we were and had to scramble to cancel their private tour in Nuremburg before they lost their money paid for the tour.

REGENSBURG

Because of our delay picking up the passengers on the very late Salzburg tour, the ship spent time in line at the locks so were arrived late for the scheduled 10:30 arrival. Walking tour which was supposed to be 10:30-11:30 was now delayed and cut to 45 minutes because we ended up docking way outside of town & being bused about 25 mins to Regensburg. This was the only day we had that was rainy. We used out Emerald umbrellas which are nice and big but also a pain because some streets were very narrow and you would have to rise or lower your umbrella to pass people. The streets were wet and cobblestone so a slower paced walking tour group was offered. We chose the regular tour but being cut short 15 min we really were booking it to get everything in.

If you are a Johnny Depp fan, the hat shop in town is the one that created his hats for the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland movies.

The oldest sausage shop in Germany is under the Stone Bridge. Worth the wait in the take out line. Small sausage on a rye roll with Bavarian sauerkraut (if you want) and sweet mustard. DELICIOUS About 2.80 euro each

Our ship was now docked in Regensburg but a good walk away down the docks.

DINNER: Pork loin/fillet of cod/Celeriac medallion

ENTERTAINMENT: ship stopped to pick up an uhm-pa band who performed after dinner Some audience participation. If you are not shy, sit near the front and volunteer. the "reward" for participating is schnapps made by one of the band members.

More thoughts later

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NUREMBURG/DEBARKATION

Since we were leaving mid-cruise (on day 8 out of 15) debarkation was easy There was a champagne toast/farewell party for the small group leaving in Nuremburg in the pool area 2 days before. We were given hors d'oeuvres and champagne. A toast by the Captain & cruise director and some paperwork to fill out as to what kind of transportation assistance we needed, This is when we found out we were not docking until 1:30PM.

The morning of debarkation we settled our on board account which was 50 euro each for the Schoembrunn palace tour and 44 Euro for my massage.

We ate breakfast and had to have our luggage out in the hall by 11AM with special tags on them. We went to the 10:30 "Learn to speak German" class in the lounge. Lunch was the Bavarian Buffet with sausages & sauerkraut and dumplings Yum!

Since we had to be out of our room so they could clean it for the next guests, we sat in the lounge drinking hot chocolate and surfing the web until our taxi came at 3PM to take us to the bus station for our journey to Prague. BTW, we took Flixbus and I would NOT recommend them. The DB Bahn & Regio buses looked much nicer and had outlets & wifi on board. We were hoping we could walk around Nuremburg for a bit but the ship was docked about 4 miles out of town. None the less we were sad to leave our beautiful Emerald Dawn and the friendly crew & passengers.

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Filling in the Blanks: As stated earlier my sister and I are in our late 50's, from Chicago, Illinois USA. Combined we have sailed big cruise lines to the Northern Baltic, Mediterranean, but mostly in the Caribbean with multiple cruise lines. This was our first river cruise and we were not certain how we would like it. We had discussed taking this trip with our boyfriends but neither one was interested in going so we decided to travel on our own. With some internet searching we found a very good deal on Emerald for a cruise from Budapest to Nuremburg. Unknown to us was that this cruise actually was Budapest to Amsterdam and that in order to fill the space they offered an 8 day cruise portion to Nuremburg. About 10 couples were only on board for this shortened version and they had passengers coming on in Nuremburg to sail to Amsterdam.. My sister and I wished we could have stayed on board because we were enjoying it so much and had made some friends of fellow passengers.

Emerald cruises are not well known in the U.S. but we met a man on board who just started working for Emerald's US office and he was on board to get people's impressions, suggestions etc so he could learn how to market to the USA. This was a very relaxing journey as there are no loud colors, casinos, Vegas style shows, sky rides, race tracks, rock climbing walls, etc. You can keep to yourself or enjoy meeting people from all over the world!

Emerald states you should be in reasonably good shape to take this cruise. I myself have a leg weaken by many surgeries and removal of muscle & nerves and worried I would not be able to handle it. I surprised myself with how well I did. Yes, I was tired and sore some times from stairs or uphill slopes but some ibuprofin each day helped....and a dip in the pool. One woman who walked with a cane who was in her late 70's moved very slowly yet managed to go on every tour! So I am saying don't be afraid to go if you have some mobility issues. Just be prepared with medication or whatever you may need. There is no where on board to buy OTC meds etc....but they can direct you to the pharmacy in each port. With having to climb stairs to cross over other boats to get to port there is no way a wheelchair could do this tour. There is an elevator on the Emerald Dawn if you really need it.

Emerald gives you 2 large bottles of water in your cabin. They are "sparkling" carbonated water. Since we do not like the carbonation, we took a bottle of "still" water from the pool area and threw it in the mini fridge so we had water to take pills, etc.

Being near the aft of the ship, when you are coming down the hallway, about midway is a threshold. It is marked and lighted but I still saw people trip on it so be wary. My sister & I made a point of warning whoever was behind the other of making a sweeping motion with our arm or some other signal when approaching the "speed bump" as we dubbed it.

I forgot to mention: in Durnstein, on the main street you will see a stairway leading up to some heavy wrought iron gates. Since I tried to avoid stairs, my lovely sister climbed them to see what was there while I ducked into a shop. When I came out she signaled me to come up. She said I wouldn't make you climb unless it was a cemetery! I love cemeteries and this one was small but had beautiful wrought iron cross grave markers & lovely flowers. Worth a peek!

In Melk, at the Abby there are free WCs(toilets) at the end of your tour. Also, if you don't want to climb the stairs at the entrance, there is an elevator.

On our Durnstein/Melk day the lunch buffet had Wild Boar in the carving station! My sister who is less adventerous than I when it comes to food tried it and liked it. It was not gamey tasting at all.

When our documents arrived we also received Emerald Waterways backpacks. Nicely constructed and fairly roomy. We both used ours as our carry on on the plane. While waiting for our connecting flight in Toronto to Budapest, we met fellow passengers who saw our backpacks and struck up a conversation. Making friends before we even got on the Dawn! Some guests used the backpacks in port but I always think this screams "tourist" to the locals. We used a simple nylon string backpack for our extra stuff.

I never felt unsafe any where we went. They do warn you to beware of pickpockets and we carried cash & our id's in a zipped pocket or in hand, not in our purse. I even had a Running Buddy to wear that holds on to waistband with heavy duty magnets. (google it)

Try and use up all the coins you get as change during your trip as the banks will not take them back when you get back to the states. Our cab driver in Nuremburg got $15 euro worth of coins as payment

If and when we do a trip like this again we certainly will leave at least one extra day at the beginning o the trip and the end. Due to travel delays we lost our half day of sight seeing in Budapest and half day in Prague and would have loved to have more time to see things in both those places.

We took Air Canada from Chicago to Toronto for a non stop flight on Air Canada Rouge (their economy line) to Budapest. Figured we'd avoid Heathrow or another European airport this way. I will not recommend Air Canada Rouge. NO entertainment systems at all on a 9 hour fiight. Older planes. You can rent an iPad from them for $10 to see movies ( of which they have a very limited number of devices) or download their app on your own device before boarding the plane...which must be an iPad or android based tablet. I couldn't even get the app to load on my phone so I gave up. Seats were slammed together and paper thin. Not comfy at all. The meal was horrible. Good thing we had some snacks and protein bars with us.

I CAN DEFINITELY SAY I WOULD DO A RIVER CRUISE AGAIN IN A HEARTBEAT! As the winner of Jukebox Jury on Disco night I won a gift certificate for a $ off a future cruise to be taken within a year (I wish...I doubt I will have the funds to go again so soon.) We got a great deal on the cruise because we booked less than 3 months out but the airfare was crazy!

I wrote about the things that were important to me or impressed me. Things like clotheslines, etc are things I wish I knew before hand just because that's the way I am. Everyone's experience is what they make of it. There is not much about Emerald Waterways on Cruise Critic and I can say give them a try before everyone in the U.S. finds out about them! .

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One point is that Australians generally travel for much longer periods of time than North Americans. (They also get much more vacation time than we do.) So Emerald could be marketing the 2 week cruise in Australia/New Zealand and emphasizing the 1 week portions in North America. When I travelled with Voyages to Antiquity in 2015, they marketed 2 week cruises in North America (although Grand Voyages of 4 weeks were also shown in the brochure). When I talked to the Australians, they marketed 4 week cruises to them, and most of them were staying on board when I disembarked.

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Thanks so much for this detailed review. It was a really fabulous read. I had to laugh because some of the tips you gave that were exactly the types of information I would like, and I kept thinking " must remember that " or "never would have thought of it". Again thanks especially for menu options, as an 80 per cent vegetarian I get tired of pasta and rice so good to know there are clever chefs out there. So glad you both enjoyed your first river cruise! Safe cruising.

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Well balanced review. Well done. Can you elaborate a bit more of your cabin's roll down windows/shades, bed size & comfort, nighttime lighting, TV programs, coffee/hot water device, room steward service, etc.

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In a Panoramic Balcony cabin on Emerald ships , you have a window that fills the entire ceiling to floor, side to side area. There is a button that controls a motor to lower the top half of your window so you have an open air "Balcony". The bottom portion remains as your railing area and is about 40'' high. You have a small area with 2 chairs and a small table where you can sit and enjoy the fresh air/view. The air conditioning in the cabin will automatically shut off when the window is opened. There is a chain to lower a semi-opaque screen, necessary if you are not moving as bugs may come in your cabin. You still have fresh air though! When the boat is cruising you can leave the shade up for a great view and fresh air. We used it quite a bit. Even when sailing at night to see the shoreline . Another chain lowers a room darkening shade. Use it to keep light out or when docked next to another river boat for privacy.

Since I was sailing with my sister, the beds were separated into 2 twin sized beds with the small nightstand placed between them. together they are probably equivalent to a queen sized bed. The beds were pretty comfy with white sheets and a white duvet. They are on the firmer side and I like softer but I slept very well on them.

In the cabin you have 3 light switches on the wall when you enter. One is for an overall cabin lighting for brightest light. The second is for the headboard wall which cleverly has 3 rows of LED lights hidden behind a fabric paneled wall for a more subliminal lighting. The third switch is actually a clever "Do not Disturb" signal. It lights a small red light outside your cabin to indicate to staff you do not wish to be disturbed. Brilliant and subtle. Also there is a goose neck style light on each nightstand. On the wall next to the bathroom is the switch for the light over the mirror in the bathroom which lights up the entire loo. Also In the bathroom there is a small blue light that remains on all night. It is like moonlight and is enough light to see where you are going in the cabins at night. If it bothers you you can always close the sliding bathroom door closed part or all the way.

TV there is a ship station that shows on a map the position the ship is in along the river. A station with the days weather forecast and one with the daily activities. A forward facing camera from the bridge. In English there is CNN, Bloomberg report and TNT Movie channel. Although it was amusing to watch "Knight Rider" and M*A*S*H in German!

Coffee machines are located in back by the pool (small machine with less choices and no hot chocolate) but tea is available there also . the larger 24/7 coffee station is in the Horizons lounge on the top level. Coffee, Americano(?), Cappuccino, Mochaccino, espresso, Milk Chocolate (Hot chocolate) and hot water with about 6 different teas available from English breakfast, Earl Grey, decaf & herbal green tea. There are appropriate sized ceramic cups and also to go paper cups with lids.

FYI: there is always a pitcher of iced tea and ice water on the bar in Horizons lounge that you pour for yourself.

Our room cabin steward's name was on a card in our cabin. He never formally introduced himself to us and we only passed him a few times in the hallway and exchanged pleasantries. The cabin was made up in the mornings and again in the evening with a small square of chocolate left on the pillow at turn down service. They replace your towels if you leave them on the bathroom floor under the sink. If you hang them up that means you will use them again. A bath towel, medium sized towel & wash cloth are provided for each person. Small bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash and body lotion plus a small bar of soap are also provided.

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One point is that Australians generally travel for much longer periods of time than North Americans. (They also get much more vacation time than we do.) So Emerald could be marketing the 2 week cruise in Australia/New Zealand and emphasizing the 1 week portions in North America. When I travelled with Voyages to Antiquity in 2015, they marketed 2 week cruises in North America (although Grand Voyages of 4 weeks were also shown in the brochure). When I talked to the Australians, they marketed 4 week cruises to them, and most of them were staying on board when I disembarked.

I know Americans are the worst for getting vacation time. I am in a situation where I get NO paid time off so going on a trip like this really puts a dent in my finances. The cruise director Nina told me that this was new to her that some people were only on for half the tour so I am guessing maybe Emerald was trying something new to fill their ships. And even at that we only had 169 passengers on a 180 passenger boat. Which was really nice because after a few days you can recognize most of your fellow passengers as opposed to the mega ships with 3,000+ passengers. Dang, I wish I had 4 weeks vacation!

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What a great Trip report! We will be on this same cruise, Budapest to Nuremberg, beginning Oct. 5. It will be our first river cruise; we got a great deal on a Panoramic Balcony and decided to give it a try! We will be in the UK and Prague the week the cruise before so our bodies will have recovered from the long flight and time difference when we embark. It's tough to find many Emerald reviews so I really appreciate yours.

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Thank you very much. We are hoping to do this cruise on Emerald in 2018. Did you hear of anyone taking the train from Nuremburg to Prague? DH is a train buff and would like to do this. I seems from you information that we should plan to stay one night in Nuremburg and take the train the next day.

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Thank you very much. We are hoping to do this cruise on Emerald in 2018. Did you hear of anyone taking the train from Nuremburg to Prague? DH is a train buff and would like to do this. I seems from you information that we should plan to stay one night in Nuremburg and take the train the next day.

 

You won't get to see any of Nuremburg unless you stay there one night. We looked at doing the train but you have to keep all your luggage with you at your seat as opposed to the bus storing your luggage underneath the bus. I don't know of anyone who took the train so I can't verify how nice it is or isn't. Do yourself a favor and stay in Prague at least 2 full days. And if you do research ahead of time, keep good notes. We walked across Charles bridge & up to the castle (230 steps) and back down later across the bridge only to discover we had the info for the bus up to the castle (would have saved all those steps!) and that the John Lennon wall is indeed on the castle's side of the Charles bridge. We ended up retracing our steps to go back and see it.

In Prague we stayed at Hotel Rott which is right around the corner from the Astronomical clock in an old building. Quaint old building set on a "triangle" which has several restaurants with outside patios in the triangle. The rooms have very high ceilings and windows that open onto the triangle. Not the fanciest place but the location was great! Close to the clock, restaurants, souvenir shops. 5 min walk to the Jewish quarter and about 8-10 min walk to Charles bridge. Best advice: get up early. We ate at the free breakfast buffet in our hotel & were out the door before 8. Streets are practically empty. We saw the clock & headed across Charles bridge. Less than a dozen people on the bridge as compared to noon when hundreds were on the bridge! If you like taking photos, this is the time to go...before 9AM. The castle complex opens early but the ticket booth and actual church & buildings don't open until 9.

If you get a chance, check out the series of You Tube videos called "Honest Guide in Prague" with Janek. Tons of info!

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I think if my DW needs to boil water in our regular cabin nightly, we should bring our own device (unless the ship allows to bring her the hot water kettle nightly).

 

Most ships will not let you have a hot plate or kettle in your cabin. Talk to your cruise line. If it is for medical purposes I'm sure they could accommodate you and bring you boiling water.

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Thanks for taking the time and doing a review. We are doing Basel to Amsterdam next year. I will make a note not to fly Air Canada out of Toronto, We are flying into Munich a few days ahead of time.

I hope the discounted cruise was worth with the more expensive airfare. Current airfare prices I see are about 700 round trip (Tor-Munich, Amersterdam to Toronto)

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Thanks for taking the time and doing a review. We are doing Basel to Amsterdam next year. I will make a note not to fly Air Canada out of Toronto, We are flying into Munich a few days ahead of time.

I hope the discounted cruise was worth with the more expensive airfare. Current airfare prices I see are about 700 round trip (Tor-Munich, Amersterdam to Toronto)

Air Canada is not the problem (at least not so much). It is their leisure airline Air Canada Rouge. Coming back from Seville last year (on points) I really needed to get home in one day, and my only option was TAP to Lisbon and Rouge home. It was not wonderful even in premium economy. (Since then TAP is now flying Lisbon to Toronto so it might be better.)

You won't get to see any of Nuremburg unless you stay there one night. We looked at doing the train but you have to keep all your luggage with you at your seat as opposed to the bus storing your luggage underneath the bus. I don't know of anyone who took the train so I can't verify how nice it is or isn't. Do yourself a favor and stay in Prague at least 2 full days. And if you do research ahead of time, keep good notes. We walked across Charles bridge & up to the castle (230 steps) and back down later across the bridge only to discover we had the info for the bus up to the castle (would have saved all those steps!) and that the John Lennon wall is indeed on the castle's side of the Charles bridge. We ended up retracing our steps to go back and see it.

In Prague we stayed at Hotel Rott which is right around the corner from the Astronomical clock in an old building. Quaint old building set on a "triangle" which has several restaurants with outside patios in the triangle. The rooms have very high ceilings and windows that open onto the triangle. Not the fanciest place but the location was great! Close to the clock, restaurants, souvenir shops. 5 min walk to the Jewish quarter and about 8-10 min walk to Charles bridge. Best advice: get up early. We ate at the free breakfast buffet in our hotel & were out the door before 8. Streets are practically empty. We saw the clock & headed across Charles bridge. Less than a dozen people on the bridge as compared to noon when hundreds were on the bridge! If you like taking photos, this is the time to go...before 9AM. The castle complex opens early but the ticket booth and actual church & buildings don't open until 9.

If you get a chance, check out the series of You Tube videos called "Honest Guide in Prague" with Janek. Tons of info!

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