jrose529

9 hours ago, acwmom said:

Judy,

 

The hike in Rudesheim is quite easy. You ride the cable car to the top of the hill, hike through the forsest (flat) and then traverse down hill through the vineyards. There is some downhill grade, but nothing steep. There are a few steps downhill, at the end, to get into town, but those are the only actual steps.

 

There was one organized bike ride in our direction (Boppard to Koblenz) and bikes were available for anyone every other day. Friends of ours took the bikes out in Breisach, and maybe Mannheim?

 

Robin

 

Thanks Robin! It's good to hear that the Rudesheim hike will work for me.

 

I'm sure my husband will borrow a bike whenever he can.

 

Judy

8 hours ago, acwmom said:

Judy,

Congrats on 40 yrs! We just hit 25 this year.

As to not miss, it's really personal preference. We aren't wine drinkers, so opted for the "hike" in Rudesheim. In Mannheim, we opted for the additional cost Heidelberg tour, and were glad that we did. In Koblenz, the cable cars weren't running to the fortress yet, but had they been, we probably would have done that excursion. We passed on the Cologne excursions and scaled the cathedral tower (because that's what we do:-) )

I'm glad you enjoyed the trip report! We need to plan another river cruise. We miss them.

Robin

 

Congratulations on 25 years!

 

I don't drink at all but my husband loves beer and wine. I'm fine going to a wine tasting with him. How difficult is the hike in Rudesheim? I have no problem walking, but too many steps are difficult. Scaling the cathedral tower is not for me!

 

My husband is a bike rider and is hoping to borrow a bike some of the days. I would like to ride, but not if it's too rough.

 

Thanks!

Judy

On ‎8‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 9:44 PM, gnome12 said:

Don't be worried about the direction. There are 2 sides to every discussion on the subject. You start in Amsterdam, and the sailing from there is mostly canals. Then you get onto the Rhine, and have the castles to view.

Thanks gnome12. That is good to know. We wanted to start in Amsterdam so we could do a pre-cruise stay. I've always wanted to visit there. The dates worked for our schedule. We then decided to add a post-cruise stay to see Basel/Lucerne. I'm so excited!

 

Judy

On ‎8‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 8:54 AM, acwmom said:

The Antoinette is a beautiful ship, and you have picked a fantastic itinerary. With the exception of the castle section, most of the cruising is at night. The section between Amsterdam and Cologne would be the only significant difference, to the best of my memory. If you have time at the end of your cruise, I would highly recommend a few days in Lucerne. It's a "quick" two hour train ride from Basel.

 

Enjoy!

 

Robin

Thanks Robin! We are actually doing a pre and post stay in Amsterdam and then Basel/Lucerne. This is a bucket list trip so we decided to go all out. It's also a celebration of our 40th anniversary.

 

Are there any excursions that shouldn't be missed? I noted the vinegar tasting as a must. Besides that, anything else?

 

Thanks for your detailed trip report. It was so helpful!

Judy

Hi Robin,

 

I know it has been a few years since your wonderful review, but I just came across it today. Thank you so much for all the pictures and details. We are booked for early May 2020 on this itinerary but are going in the opposite direction. I'm a bit concerned because it seems Basel to Amsterdam would have been a better choice. Oh well, we are very excited about our trip. We have been on many ocean cruises but this will be our first river cruise. Reading this has been so helpful and I can't wait until May!

 

Thanks!

Judy

I am having the same issue.

Jimmy, thank you so much for your wonderful review and fabulous pictures! DH and I cruise southbound on HAL in June 2014 and I can't wait! Your review and pictures have gotten me so excited. We are taking a 3 day pre- cruise land tour to Denali. I hope our trip is half as wonderful as yours was.

I also live in CT, probably not far from you. There is an eagle nesting and viewing area on the Housatonic River a few miles from my house.

Thanks for sharing your wonderful trip with us!

Judy

[SIZE=4]I'm still here too and enjoying your trip report very much! Thank you![/SIZE]
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[SIZE=4]I'm getting worried about our 2 night stay in Anchorage which I'm sure will be at the Westmark. We are flying in a day early and requested an extra night at whatever hotel HAL is using for the cruisetour. I'm rethinking that now! [/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4]Judy[/SIZE]

I'm enjoying this as much as your 2012 review and can't wait for more!

 

Judy

Thank you L.J.! What amazing photo's and wonderful review you have shared with us! I just stumbled upon this a few days ago and finished it tonight. I recently booked an Alaskan cruise tour on HAL for the end of May 2014. We have 2 days in Anchorage, 2 days in Denali, the cruise southbound from Seward to Vancouver and an extra night in Vancouver. After reading your review and viewing your breathtaking pictures, I am beyond excited!

I adore taking pictures, but have trouble handling anything but a point and shoot due to an elbow problem. I have only used Canon P & S camera's, but DH bought me a Nikon S9500 22x optical zoom for our anniversary last week in anticipation of our trip. I hope I can get some wonderful shots next year! I can't wait!

Judy

Fabulous pictures! Thanks for your wonderful review as well. We are taking a HAL cruisetour on the Oosterdam next May - June. We are only doing a 3 day land tour with 2 nights in Denali, but we are flying into Anchorage a day early and staying in Vancouver an extra night after the cruise. I am so looking forward to this trip, especially after seeing your beautiful pictures!

I'm loving your review and fabulous pictures. We go on an Alaskan cruisetour next May 29 and sail southbound on Oosterdam June 1 to Vancouver. I can't wait! Your review is getting me so excited! I also love taking pictures and am prepared to take thousands!

Thanks for sharing!

Judy

Hi Sarah,

 

You have truly inspired me to plan a trip to Alaska. I have thoroughly enjoyed your travelogue and beautiful photo's. I felt as if I were right along with you and your family on your cruise! Thank you for that. Travelling with my family is one of the greatest joys of my life. (We just returned from a fantastic family trip to Italy.)

 

Back to Alaska. Since you have sailed there on HAL, Celebrity and DCL, can you tell me which line is your favorite to cruise to Alaska? You had mentioned Celebrity earlier, but I see you are returning to Alaska on DCL. We have cruised DCL 3 times and it is by far our favorite line. Our children are 29 and 24 and our 24 year old loves DCL, Our 29 year old hasn't been able to join us on our 3 DCL cruises. In fact, neither of them will be able to join us on the trip to Alaska. :(

 

We are looking into a cruise tour so we can see Denali. Have you done that on any of your trips? (Anyone else done this on any lines?) We want to take a 3 or 4 day land tour and then a 7 day southbound cruise.

 

As far as cruise lines, as I mentioned, we love DCL. We have also cruised Celebrity, RCCL, NCL and Carnival. Out of those, we disliked Carnival and would not book them again. I have friends and family who have sailed Celebrity, Princess, RCCL and HAL to Alaska and all have been happy, so I just don't know what to do. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

I am so looking forward to seeing Vancouver on this trip. Last summer, DH, DD and I sailed DCL from NYC up the coast to Eastern Canada. It was beautiful! I have heard wonderful things about Vancouver as well.

 

Sarah, thank you again for your wonderful trip report and congratulations on your AP's. You seem like an extremely intelligent young lady!

 

Judy

Thank you so much for your wonderful review. I am in the process of trying to convince DH to take an Alaskan cruise tour. Your review of the Diamond Princess has me leaning toward this ship. We have cruised Celebrity, Disney, NCL, RCCL and Carnival and I wasn't sure which line to take to Alaska. The only line I would never cruise again is Carnival! We hated our two Carnival cruises! Disney was our favorite, but they don't have cruise tours and I don't want to plan the land part on my own. I want the cruise line to handle our luggage.

Thanks again!

Judy

From your review and other posts, it seems as if Princess is the way to go. My big concern is the lack of air conditioning in the lodges. DH has a really hard time sleeping if he's too hot.