notamermaid

I agree. Only eat really fresh. A bit too heavy for my liking. Hope the cruise does your health a lot of good. Just sailing and wandering around places without feeling the need to join in with excursions sounds great. notamermaid

Good to read you are sailing. The S.S. Catherine is a splendid ship judging from photos. And she even looks good upside down. Not sure why CC software does the upside down trick occasionally. notamermaid

Oh dear, would be very annoying if you could not. The Rhine should be fine I think but Pfelling is more tricky. I thought we had got through the problems but with little to no rain falling I was proven wrong. Still, all ships may just be able to get through. We will find out tomorrow evening I guess. Weather forecast for Regensburg for the next four days: Have a great trip. Are you going to Rothenburg ob der Tauber? notamermaid

I guess it is not much different from building a house as regards the banks. I have seen the publicly available info on the Viking ships being built with a bank loan to be paid back per contract over a period of eight years. I do not remember which ships they were but I calculated at the time that they would be paid off by 2021. Of course, you can choose to pay back faster. It is standard to have a bank in the background and/or an investor (group) for financing. The individual contracts will differ. Crystal (Genting) were very enthusiastic about the share they could get in the river cruises market with their newbuilds (saw an interview), unfortunately, together with the idea that the Mozart would do well on the Chinese market, they got it wrong. Granted, very much connected with the pandemic, but not entirely. I agree with the interviewee that the Mozart can give the luxury the new venture wants to provide but the smaller, minimally scaled-down other ships, cannot - especially with the loan in the background causing financing worries. For now, I see the future of the remaining ships a bit bleak. notamermaid

Clearly, rain that had been forecast did not arrive in enough quantities in the Danube basin so the computer modelling got it wrong. I was a bit skeptical about the figures for today so yesterday only gave the low of 305cm, rather than the more positive high. Even the low was too high. The adjusted forecast now sees the river taking a turn for the worse. At Pfelling it is currently at 297cm and could well reach 290cm. Which is a little worrying for tomorrow. No rain of note in the Danube valley in Germany before Wednesday. notamermaid

It is the same along the Rhine really - and it tends to be that one or two degrees warmer on a lot of days. Snow in December is not a big deal. We may get an inch that stays on the ground for 24 hours. The Black Forest excursion may give you more snow if you are lucky. January tends to be colder with more snow than December. I do not even own snow boots. Waterproof with a thick sole, something you can get from outdoor activities shops or a quality local retailer, should do it on muddy paths and wet cobblestones. Nothing too heavy, not mountain hiking shoes. Perhaps someone from the US can share a brand or online retailer. notamermaid

Was a bit confused about this as I thought Karst and Schreiner are the bosses of Amawaterways and have been since founding the company. Just a short note as the article is behind a register-to-read wall: https://www.ttgmedia.com/news/ex-amawaterways-boss-stuart-perl-set-to-return-with-new-river-line-36911 Apparently Stuart Pearl was managing director for the UK and left in 2020 (as stated in another online article). notamermaid

Pfelling gauge is at 295cm, running a bit below the figures forecast. For tomorrow a slight uptick is anticipated, so 305cm could happen. notamermaid

It was a rocky, delayed start for the Travelmarvel Polaris and it could have been worse, had it not been for the German company 1AVista Reisen - and also Phoenix Reisen - stepping in. I wrote about it here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2811445-what-and-how-are-apt-and-travelmarvel-doing/#comment-62093504 This year the ship launched as the MS Polaris and sailed for the German market throughout Spring. I am not sure when Travelmarvel was able to operate a sailing for the first time this year of their ship but she is clearly now where she belongs. In September APT's boss gave an interview from onboard the Travelmarvel Polaris: https://www.ttgmedia.com/news/apt-boss-were-not-playing-for-the-short-term-but-the-next-100-years-36722 Now that we have our friends from Down Under travelling in Europe again, the companies are back operating ships in their own name. Question is how many Australians and New Zealanders will be on board yet? I have seen the MS Polaris on the Rhine where she sailed for Phoenix Reisen. A nice design, really like the hull and modern livery. I hope you have a great time on the Danube and fun conversations with hopefully a lovely mix of people having travelled from afar. notamermaid

My pleasure. Plenty of time to look around then. Düsseldorf is quite different from Cologne. No Roman remains and a bit more "sophistication" in my opinion. notamermaid

An unusual set of circumstances over the last two years may contribute to the offer. The ship has had "foster parents" this year... All good, it will get back to this with more info. notamermaid

A big occasion in some places. Does your Christmas tree have a special place of origin, like a twin town in Scandinavia or is it from the regional forest? Tons of fir trees not far from you of course. Ours are either plain regional - and not that big - or from Denmark perhaps. It was a bit too warm here along the Rhine but today it is a bit cooler and the wind has increased. We had a downpour last night. Düsseldorf is a good place for some luxurious shopping. Never been there in winter I wonder what the "Kö" (the famous street) looks like all decorated? Here is some info on Düsseldorf: https://www.duesseldorf-tourismus.de/en/experience/events/christmas-market Do you fly in from London or take the Eurostar? Erzgebirge is the region where they come from, that is correct. They may be manufactured elsewhere now in similar styles. Chinese ones are available, do check, they should be labelled or ask the vendor. The original handicraft from the Ore Mountains is really expensive. The pyramids are an investment and can become an heirloom. Here is some info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_pyramid The odd large shop in a touristy place may even ship overseas. There certainly are a few online shops, here is one: https://www.seiffener-weihnachtsland.de/weihnachtsdeko/weihnachtspyramiden.html I think this one is not international. International big shops are the Käthe Wohlfahrt ones. Here is the list of their stalls at Christmas markets: https://www.kaethe-wohlfahrt.com/en/openinghours/marketlist/ notamermaid

Welcome to Cruisecritic! And thank you for joining the conversation. The time frame should enable you to see many Christmas markets open. I hope you have a great time. A bit of info on the graph you posted. It is the info that I use when I look further into the future than the regular forecast, just like I did in the post above. For those who do not know it, it is updated every morning and is a probability computer calculation (what the German name implies). Naturally the margin of error becomes greater with every day. Would the 18th of November make me nervous? Not yet. But then I do not need to travel potentially thousands of miles to get to the river cruise. 100cm is still a good-ish level and in the absence of heat the river does not loose volume as quickly as it would in August. We could have a look again at that graph and see how it develops. Would you like to post the graph again, say on Sunday, for perspective? notamermaid

So far, the forecast is correct. Pfelling gauge really steady, currently at 301cm. notamermaid

Hello newcomers to river cruising - and both Basel to Amsterdam! Well, it is probably the most frequent route in Europe and very popular for a first river cruise. Weather and clothes, very important. Not much different from home then I would say. The Rhine has a mild climate so really cold days below freezing do not happen all the time, but it can be icy and wet. Yes, that should work really well. Scarf for the windy sundeck and gloves for early morning excursions are good to have. Overall, the temperature range is usually minus 5 Celsius in the hills, especially Switzerland, on cold days to plus 12 Celsius on a day when during a warm spell the sun brings the temperature up in the afternoon. Nights can sometimes be colder and days occasionally a little warmer in sheltered areas and towns close to the river. This year November has started with mild temperatures and it is currently 12 to 13 Celsius in the valley. One thing you may want to note, those that are leaving early in the season: Sunday of the Dead (this year on 20 November) is traditionally a "quiet day" and by law Christmas markets are restricted in their opening hours. If a Christmas market starts before that day it may be closed or open late on the Sunday. notamermaid

Will do, thanks. Saw the "HO"... Was a bit surprised that for me it was not a "no" as in the avatar name but part of my real name so I rushed to find a replacement photo. The new login pop-up still looks odd to me but is working fine. notamermaid

It is time to get ready, the gingerbread has been in the shops for weeks, it gets dark much earlier with the clocks back on normal time and the temperatures are very slowly going down. While I have no specific plans for this season I know many of you have booked a river cruise. I thought perhaps we could throw info and tips into this thread. Excitement guaranteed and fun shared is doubled! Where are you going? First time during winter? Have you been in the past, any favourite places? Tips for those who are thinking of a last minute (or for 2023) booking? I live in "Christmas market country" so here is some trivia surrounding our traditions: the first mention of a proper Christmas tree in historical data comes not from within the modern borders of Germany but from Alsace: https://www.christmas.alsace/symbols-and-traditions/the-christmas-tree-reigns-in-alsace/ Over to you. notamermaid

It is always good to see Rachel Stewart of Deutsche Welle doing another video of her adopted country. In September she started a road trip through Germany in four parts. The first leg took her to the North, a region you may not be so familiar with. Great fun and I have learnt some new things, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-AbtBU3WzE notamermaid

Thank you for the link and cheers to Mr. Neumeier for the very informative interview. Very nice interior I must say. The last photo of the lounge/bar is leaning towards Art Deco. Really classy. notamermaid

Short update. Kaub gauge is at 124cm. The forecast has been adjusted downwards and now shows figures below 120cm for tomorrow. But the most likely scenario is that the level will stay above 110cm and looking further into November we see the level staying low but at a level that can be expected in autumn. For the first half of the month the probability for the level at Kaub to stay above 100cm is very high. Good news, so time to return to Königswinter. notamermaid

@Nosdrachir Thanks for saying hello and the info about your cruise. I hope you had a great time. Short update. Pfelling gauge is at 298cm and is most likely - if the forecast turns out to be correct - going to stay between 300cm and 295cm Friday and into Saturday. Hopefully the rain that is forecast will keep the level steady on Saturday and into Sunday. notamermaid

The Siebengebirge, or rather the wider Lower Middle Rhine valley, is more often than not sailed at night. Mucha is definitely one of the great artists of "flowing lines and curves" (my words). I have an Art Nouveau calendar in my living room and the October page showed an Alphonse Mucha poster from the United States (!). Jugendstil buildings abound in Germany, the nearest one from is only about 100m away. Usually they are not sticking out that much, but there are some real gems to be seen if you know where to look for them. This is the famous head in the old town in Koblenz: https://www.fotocommunity.de/photo/jugendstil-haus-olaf-d-hennig/27377761 Address is Firmungsstrasse 11. A regional newspaper tells me (online) that there is now a plaque in the pavement saying "Stop. Nach oben schauen." so that more people know about this architectural attraction. In the 20th century there was a (dispensing) chemist in the building. This is one of my favourite places in Koblenz, called Im Paradies (mural spanning over the street): https://www.flickr.com/photos/hen-magonza/26969633153/in/photostream/ Looking further afield, Brussels is considered a haven for Art Nouveau enthusiasts. There, Victor Horta was the great architect and you can visit a museum dedicated to his work. Would love to see those buildings. notamermaid

I am playing catch-up with the news and a bit belated can to my surprise and relief say that our panic health minister in Berlin has decided to drop the panic. Talking about covid and protecting yourself in winter is not to be done with fear but on an "educational basis". In Rhineland-Palatinate here a politician has even gone as far saying we should treat covid like any other illness, which I suppose is another way of saying it is like seasonal flu. It makes me hopeful that we will not see any specific measures to control the illness in the wider public. Well, we have the energy problems to deal with predominantly anyway. I have read that the first hotels are specifically adding an amount to the guests' bills to pay for rising energy prices. I do wonder what river cruise companies will do? They have to pay more for diesel but also potentially for electricity supplied by the authorities on land, which they are obliged to use when docking. Edit: forgot to mention that the river level is falling but there is no real change to the forecast. Kaub should not go below 120cm and is likely to rise again on Sunday. notamermaid

Time to have a look at what Pfelling is doing. In these dry conditions the river levels have fallen and the gauge shows only 301cm. A problem? Not sure. The river being a bit more unpredictable than the Rhine it is difficult to judge but we may see the level drop to a critical level for the largest of river cruise ships before rain comes. It is forecast to rain on Friday all over Germany in varying amounts. The level forecast suggests 293cm at Pfelling tomorrow evening, which makes Friday a day that could see the level drop to 290cm and potentially below. I think we need to keep an eye on this. notamermaid

Thank you. Perhaps a temporary thing then. For the time being I am content with looking at the river in Rhinau but may try and get that photo of Koblenz back. I now also get a new login field, i.e. the pop-up looks different, but it works fine. notamermaid