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Such a long flight to get to a Danube cruise! Any suggestions on how to break this up


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I am supposed to make a decision tomorrow between 3 Danube cruises with Ama Waterways. I came home from the AAA office and started looking at possible airfares to see if that would impact my decision on the cruise and now reality is setting in and I'm wondering if it would be just too much/risky to have my 81 yr old mom on an 11 hour flight.

 

This idea of a river cruise all started after my mom was told she probably had a cancerous spot on her spine in addition to her managed leukemia. I told her we needed to check some things off her bucket list, but my husband cast some doubt on her ability to handle a land vacation with lots of walking. I read an article in the LA times about a Danube river cruise and had my mom who is adamant about avoiding ocean cruises read it and much to my surprise she thought it sounded like fun. (She later told me that the spot is not as suspicious for cancer.)

Ok, now I have nervously told my story and need to make some decisions tomorrow on this expensive venture I suggested to my mom. This will be the first time for my daughter and I to be out of the U.S. and I admit I am nervous, especially when I see one flight stopping in Moscow and wondering what else will be going on in the world. There are so many places I would like to see and I am wondering if there is a stop along the way to either Budapest or Prague that others have made and suggest to make that long flight more manageable?

Thanks in advance.

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Tricky one. It sounds as if it might be best not to make a hasty decision. One thing you need to know about a river cruise is that you do not always dock right in a town from where you can go sightseeing. Sometimes you are bussed in or take public transport. A river cruise can also be strenuous, it really depends on how much activity you want to pack into your day. You can of course stay on the ship ifr you do not feel like joining the group. In general, a river cruise is a great way to see a country (or several) and Budapest is a city I would highly recommend.

 

Breaking up the journey: you could fly into Munich and stay there for a day to recover than fly on. There are trains but for such a long distance to cover to Budapest I do not recommend it. But in general train travel in Europe is very convenient. How about a flight to Paris or Frankfurt, might that be an option, I mean increasing your overall length of holiday? You can fly into Vienna as another international airport but it would not shorten your flight time I guess.

 

I highly recommend getting a good insurance for your trip. If you know a good travel agent, I suggest you contact them.

 

There is great information about river cruises in general in the stickies on top of the page.

 

If you remain hesitant about a Danube cruise and the flight to Budapest you could opt for the Rhine instead or fly into Paris and do the Seine.

 

Many options.

 

And keep asking questions, there are many people here happy to help. I am sure you will soon get a good suggestion for a flight option from experienced cruisers. :)

 

notamermaid

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However you break it up, you'll have the long leg across the pond. The shortest options are if you include Reykjavik, this gives you a leg to the East coast, such as Boston, then just a 5-ish hour leg over to Iceland, then just a couple of hours to your cruise departure city. IcelandAir will even let you stay a few days as a "stopover" on your way over or back, or both. An easy to fly in and out of airport in Europe for connections is AMS (Amsterdam); and most of the airports in Germany also do an awesome job. As it's your first trip out of the US I'd avoid confusing and chaotic airports such as Paris CDG and Moscow for connections. My Mom is 77 with Parkinson's and I take her to Europe at least once a year. I generally select the most direct and simple routing, rather than trying to break it up too much, but it's up to you.

I also agree to take your time on the cruise selection, and not be swayed by current promotional pushes. Hopefully, you are working with a river cruise specialist.

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I would seriously consider an alternative to doing a river cruise. We are taking our fifth river cruise this August and I have my doubts. We are both in early 70's healthy and active but the traveling is exhausting. The airports alone are such a hassle.. We purchased an excellent travel insurance and we have been on trips where people had major medical issues... Being a daughter worrying the entire time about your mom would be a difficult for me.. Just my two cents!

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A few questions. What originating and terminating cities on the cruise? Are you originating in LAX? Why the Danube? I have cruised the Danube in 4 separate years, but the Rhine is closer and arguably more scenic. What month are you planning? I find it more pleasant walking in cooler months, and it is generally less expensive.

 

I assume that your mother is relatively mobile. River cruises are NOT easy for people with mobility issues. I love river cruises but they are not cheap and they are not for everyone. Good luck with your planning.

 

Thom

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A few questions. What originating and terminating cities on the cruise? Are you originating in LAX? Why the Danube? I have cruised the Danube in 4 separate years, but the Rhine is closer and arguably more scenic. What month are you planning? I find it more pleasant walking in cooler months, and it is generally less expensive.

 

 

 

I assume that your mother is relatively mobile. River cruises are NOT easy for people with mobility issues. I love river cruises but they are not cheap and they are not for everyone. Good luck with your planning.

 

 

 

Thom

 

 

 

Paris to Normandy might also be an option. The flights to Paris are a little shorter and the Seine offers some beautiful scenery.

 

The French foods and wines are another plus.

 

If you do decide to fly through Frankfurt pre arrange for an electric cart to get from one gate to another and allow youself plenty of time for the connection.

 

 

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As others have said, it's a long way across the pond no matter what you do. You can break up the trip by stopping somewhere on the east coast (NYC, Boston, etc) or maybe in Iceland.

Other options to make the trip more bearable are to fly business class which can be expensive but maybe the cruise line offers a discount

Or....take a trans atlantic cruise to Europe....you still have to fly back to the US but that cuts out one leg :)

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There have been a few posts on this board from people who've combined a trans-Atlantic cruise with a river cruise. This makes for a very long vacation, but it would avoid a single long flight and offer a restful journey for crossing the ocean.

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Is there a particular reason your mom does t want an ocean cruise? They can be way more relaxing than a river cruise. A nice cruise to Alaska is ran easy and short flight from Los Angeles area and most Alaska cruises go through the inside passage which translates to very calm waters. Plus, the scenery is amazing.

 

 

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I just returned from an AMA Danube cruise. My suggestions would be: book at least economy comfort for the longest portion of the flight and request assistance for changing planes. One of the ladies in our group had a recent hip replacement and the airlines were most accommodating. She says she will always request assistance when she has to change planes. AMA is most accommodating also. We had a lady in a wheelchair on our trip and AMA took wonderful care of her. They also have the gentle tours walking tours which we also used. These tours provided more transportation than the other tours. We flew San Antonio to Minneapolis, Minneapolis to Amsterdam, and Amsterdam to Budapest. Good connections without long layovers but plenty of time to change planes. Hope some of this info is helpful to you......

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I just accompanied my Dad (81) on a river cruise on the Danube. We flew economy plus from the east coast with a stop in Frankfurt. River cruising is exhausting. There is a lot of walking. Many times he took the gentle walkers tour (we were on Scenic) towards the end he stayed on the boat. He said he found the ocean cruise easier for him. He has a knee replacement and the uneven roads and climbing became too much. If you decide to go make sure you have assistance in the airports. That helped especially in Frankfurt.

 

 

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If you think the travel and river cruise could be maxing out your mother you should do just the river cruise without adding an additional stop to reduce the additional schlepping, unpacking, etc. An alternative would be to add a couple of days to one end or the other of the cruise. Travel in the highest category you can afford and be sure to set up assistance through the airport. Beyond the obvious benefit of a wheelchair or cart is that your group will be whisked through immigration and possibly security. As for the day to day of the cruise, it is exhausting for anyone but if there is a slow walkers group it might be manageable depending upon your mother's fitness level.

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I would seriously consider an alternative to doing a river cruise. We are taking our fifth river cruise this August and I have my doubts. We are both in early 70's healthy and active but the traveling is exhausting. The airports alone are such a hassle.. We purchased an excellent travel insurance and we have been on trips where people had major medical issues... Being a daughter worrying the entire time about your mom would be a difficult for me.. Just my two cents!

 

Thank you. That is just one of the reasons the river cruise sounded like a great alternative as the review I read made it sound like a person could easily enjoy the scenery, sounds and smells just by opening their sliding door. I anticipate my mother doing some excursions, but I can also imagine there could be days she might not be up to it.

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..... Hopefully, you are working with a river cruise specialist.

Thank you so much for your recommendations which I am printing out. I am not working with a river cruise specialist; I walked into my local Automobile Club agency and have talked to one man in the travel department.

I'm sure there are recommendations for cruise specialists in the stickies somewhere. I have already jotted down travel insurance info from here and an airline search engine which is so awesome!

Yeah, I did not like how he only got prices for one cruise and the other I had mentioned was sold out. He had to call back because I pointed out to him there were half a dozen cruises on the Danube. I am getting more annoyed thinking about it.

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A few questions. What originating and terminating cities on the cruise? Are you originating in LAX? Why the Danube? I have cruised the Danube in 4 separate years, but the Rhine is closer and arguably more scenic. What month are you planning? I find it more pleasant walking in cooler months, and it is generally less expensive.

 

I assume that your mother is relatively mobile. River cruises are NOT easy for people with mobility issues. I love river cruises but they are not cheap and they are not for everyone. Good luck with your planning.

 

Thom

It's all started with the article I read about the Danube cruise. The thing that clinched it for me was the ability for her to experience it from her room if she wasn't up to an excursion. I don't have anything against the Rhine. My husband actually wanted to explore that area as he didn't get the chance to when he visited Europe some 20 years ago.

Would you say the experience on the Rhine could be enjoyed from the right room also?

 

Also, we are originating from Los Angeles. For the 3 cruises presented to me we are looking at Prague or Budapest. And my vacation time is coming up quick at the end of July and first 16 days of August. Yes, we are doing this at the last minute, but it wasn't real to me until we had all secured our passports.

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Is there a particular reason your mom does t want an ocean cruise? They can be way more relaxing than a river cruise. A nice cruise to Alaska is ran easy and short flight from Los Angeles area and most Alaska cruises go through the inside passage which translates to very calm waters. Plus, the scenery is amazing.

 

 

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My mom has her ideas and at 81 she doesn't have to explain to anyone, lol. I'm sure Norovirus is one reason. She is a retired RN. Her sister has done many cruises and has tried to get her to come along with no avail. My husband also expressed disinterest in ocean cruises in the past as he has had some real fun times on the oceans in the fishing business.

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I just returned from an AMA Danube cruise. My suggestions would be: book at least economy comfort for the longest portion of the flight and request assistance for changing planes. One of the ladies in our group had a recent hip replacement and the airlines were most accommodating. She says she will always request assistance when she has to change planes. AMA is most accommodating also. We had a lady in a wheelchair on our trip and AMA took wonderful care of her. They also have the gentle tours walking tours which we also used. These tours provided more transportation than the other tours. We flew San Antonio to Minneapolis, Minneapolis to Amsterdam, and Amsterdam to Budapest. Good connections without long layovers but plenty of time to change planes. Hope some of this info is helpful to you......

 

Yes, helpful. Thank you. Until my mom's sister died last year I took her every year to Alabama and we always utilize the wheelchair assistance.

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Wow, I am most thankful for all of the quick responses. I am not going to worry about getting back to the AAA rep. to make this decision before 2 pm. I want to research some stop overs on the East Coast as suggested and perhaps doing the Rhine instead. I am also thinking about looking for a real travel agent as I was not happy this rep. did not ask about availability on all of the Danube cruises even though I told him my only issue was my vacation time.

Can anyone else chime in on the Rhine and how enjoyable that would be from the room if my mom is not up to walking?

And to answer someone's question; I have a passport burning a hole in my pocket that I really want to use. My husband and I endured hours at the post office with screaming, unattended kids and then I had to arrange for the other two people in my party to get theirs at local libraries. It is also very rare for me to have 3 weeks off in a row. It may never happen again until I retire.

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Most of the cruising on a river cruise happens at night, unless there is a special scenic area (for the Rhine, it's the middle where the castles are). There is always the opportunity to sit in the room or Sunderland while the ship is in port, but most passengers will be off on tours at that time. A lot of times, when docked in port, the ship could be rafted with one or more ships, so the view may not be the best. Just something to think about.

 

 

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We did the Danube in 2016, and the Rhine a few months ago. We found the Danube to have more scenic sailing (with the exception of the 2 1/2 hour castle cruising section, on the Rhine).

 

In addition, if your mom wants to get off the ship, and walk around the ports, the ones on the Danube will be much more accessible than the ones on the Rhine. Many on the Rhine required a bus ride to get to (Strasbourg, Speyer, Heidelberg). Doing one on the Danube between Budapest to Nuremberg would offer even more small ports.

 

Another alternative would be to do a Moselle/Rhine cruise. Ama has one on the dates you are researching.

 

We had a gentleman on our Rhine cruise this year who brought his mother along. She had a walker. She did do some of the excursions, but also stayed behind on some.

 

Robin

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