sbjornda

1 hour ago, 2012_Alaska_bound said:

lunch with a local won me over

We got an email a while back that all "lunch with a local" programs had been halted due to COVID. Do you know for sure that yours is back on in May? Portugal's been having a tough time with Omicron the past couple of months; hopefully it will be back down to a dull roar by spring. 

While the ship is sailing, connections can be spotty and slow between ship and shore. Also, Wi-Fi by nature is shared amongst all users, dividing the bandwidth. On my last cruise (2019) I bought a SIM card from Orange - it seemed pretty good value; the only quirk was that within the borders of France one had to go to a brick-and-mortar store to renew it (shouldn't be a problem on the Danube, and they may have changed that policy in the COVID era). And of course cell towers can be out of reach on occasion as well, so you are not guaranteed 100% service no matter what. How far downstream are you going on the Danube? We didn't go further than Budapest; I don't know what coverage is like on the river once you get into Romania and Bulgaria but you'd want to choose a SIM carrier with good coverage. 

7 hours ago, Canal archive said:

who insisted on wearing shorts to dinner and would not desist however many times he was requested to, and yes he had been seen wearing trousers

We had one who dressed in a T-shirt and scruffy jeans. I think he had a chip on his shoulder and was hoping someone would knock it off and make an issue. I think he was on the cruise under protest, dragged along by DW. We just ignored him; with so many interesting things to look at why would we make him the centre of attention? 🙂

River cruising is, imo, a bit closer to a bus tour than to an ocean cruise. I find it more fun and far less hectic than a bus tour, since you're not packing & unpacking all the time, and of course it is far more comfortable than traveling by bus. But it does have the common downside of a fairly rigid schedule and limited opportunities to strike out on your own (even if you don't join the scheduled land excursion you still need to be back on board before she sails, though of course boarding takes next to no time at all compared to an ocean cruise ship). 

We're comfortable with the compromises involved in river cruising, but it's not our only way of taking a holiday. We always supplement our river cruise with some self-directed exploration before and/or after, and in hindsight find that a 14 day cruise zips by in the blink of an eye, leaving us wanting more. Arriving a few days early to start adjusting to the time zone is helpful for us. And for getaways back at home, we're still nimble enough to be able to sleep in a tent. From rustic tenting to Scenic's all-inclusive comfort, we're happy we can still have it all. Cross fingers for good health.

daytrip.com doesn't seem to exist

With Scenic you can literally forget about your wallet from the moment they pick you up at the arrival airport to the moment they drop you off at the departure airport. Tips are included. You only need money if you want to buy souvenirs and such, and occasionally you may need a bit of change for a toilet in town (it's a good idea to keep some coins handy for that). 

At your discretion: There may be a small surcharge added for some premium spirits, though I didn't need it; their normal bar Single Malts were things like Laphroig Quarter Cask that I would buy for myself as a treat anyway, and on board it was free. They often have some nice jewelry and clothing for sale in the shop on board; on our first cruise the DW splurged on a lovely necklace & earrings. You pay for any on-board purchases on the last day when you settle your account; on our most recent cruise that bill was truly 0$. 

The Douro cruise we're planning for 2022 (with Scenic) includes a "Freechoice" option of either a trip across the border to Salamanca, or a shorter excursion to Freixo de Espada à Cinta. Salamanca is 2 hours each way by bus plus 5 hours in the city. If I'm going to spend that much time on a bus I want a "wow" experience. I'm not particularly a Spanish history buff, though I do enjoy European history and culture in general. Pictures and videos I've seen of Salamanca are leaving me visually underwhelmed; the buildings look a bit monotonous on the outside and there didn't appear to be a lot of pleasant green spaces. Freixo de Espada à Cinta looks like a pretty little town nestled in pleasant countryside, and the tour includes a silk-making exhibit - but I'm not a textile buff either. I'd be interested in people's thoughts - what is it that makes 5 hours in Salamanca worth spending 4 hours on a bus? Clearly that's a choice a lot of people prefer and I'd be interested knowing why. Would I kick myself if I never visit Salamanca? (We're spending 3 days in Madrid after the cruise.) Has anyone here been to Freixo de Espada à Cinta and can comment on the experience?

Thanks,

Sterling

4 hours ago, TMLAalum said:

@sbjornda & @Daisi

Totally off topic, but we are firming up our travel plans to Canada for next September....3 nights at Patricia Lake Bungalows in Jasper and 4 nights in a VRBO in Canmore. Any suggestions on which Cruise Critic forum to ask advice about the Canadian Rockies? 

I'm not sure there are any CC forums that would be relevant. You might get better results on a site such as Trip Advisor. I'm sure you've figured out that in September at that altitude you can get some cold evenings, even a chance of snow in the town sites already, depending on the year. On the other hand, you could just as easily get a lovely warm snap. So pack accordingly. 🙂

Best wishes,

Sterling

The Mechanical Museum is fun to see once, unless you've already had your fill of mechanized musical instruments. It is astonishing to see how precisely the craft work was done, in the age before computers and computer controlled milling machines. The sheer variety, abundance, and opulence of the objects, large and small, is impressive.

That said, for us, once was enough. Our second time in Rüdesheim we decided to walk the trails up at the top of the hill, starting at the Niederwald Denkmal. As notamermaid wrote, there are some splendid views over the valley. There are also a number of old follies nestled in amongst the trees. If you enjoy a walk in the forest, this is worth it. We took the cable car up & back to maximize time in the forest at the top; climbing up the hill through vineyards, while good exercise, is not as picturesque. If I ever find myself in Rüdesheim for a third time, I will likely do this again. 

21 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

 

 

 

The Hotel Derlon's cellar in Maastricht contains Roman ruins and a café ("Museumkelder"). If you enjoy Roman ruins, this is not to be missed. 

Why does "domestic" have to mean "U.S."? There are river cruises in Canada and the U.K. that I know about; possibly in other English-speaking countries too (I haven't checked). For me, "domestic" means Canada.

@jpalbny I think you're right. There's an old meaning of "charnel-house" as a chapel connected to a mortuary, what we might more commonly call today a "funeral parlor", and maybe that's what the sign has in mind. I think nowadays, though, 'charnel' has a negative connotation - related to 'carnage' and 'carnal' (from Latin 'carnis' I think), probably referring to fresher corpses than just skeletons. The word 'ossuary' is, in my experience, a more neutral term, and might be a better translation in this instance since it looks like the room was used to store bones specifically. 

In terms of booking flights, Scenic told me the SOONEST one could book was about year prior to your RETURN flight. If you book early you may get a series of changes, as airlines re-jig their schedules periodically, but at least you've got a spot. If you leave it too late, your choices may have already been taken. 

For booking directly with Scenic vs. a travel agent, part of it depends on the complexity of your plans. If you're adding in stops in other cities, Scenic may suggest you get your own travel agent. If you're just adding a few hotel days in your starting and/or ending cities, Scenic can usually arrange that for you (though not necessarily the most economical option). I like to add a few days in advance, partly to get used to the time zone and partly so there's less chance I'll miss the sailing date if there's a significant flight disruption. 

In terms of booking "Free Choice" options, the first one or two days' worth are made available on the Trip Personalizer web site usually a couple of months before the sailing; the rest of the options are made on board as Canal Archive described. 

I know the feeling. My only advice: If you haven't received your package from them by two weeks prior to departure, you should give them a call. If I recall correctly, they don't promise it earlier than that, though last cruise (2019) it came a month prior to departure, which was a nice stress-reducer. 

Best wishes,
Sterling

We were on that stretch mid-September in 2015. The weather was fine, though there was low water that disrupted some river traffic. Not really any signs of leaves turning yet. There is less daylight than earlier in the season, but that didn't pose a problem for us.

Best wishes,

Sterling

I don't know if this will help, but here is a comparison of Emerald and Scenic (its parent company): Scenic Vs Emerald: Battle of the River Ships (cruise.co.uk)

Some small potatoes but worth noting: If you have Scenic loyalty points you can apply them to Emerald cruises, but not vice-versa, and you won't earn Scenic loyalty points on an Emerald cruise. 

In our two experiences with the Royal Balcony Suites, we were met at the airport by a limo driver holding a sign with our name on it. It felt really good after navigating airports for so many hours.

Don't forget to make good use of the butler. Technically all the cabins get butler service, but they are supposed to take more initiative with the Royal Suite passengers. I liked having coffee brought to the cabin as I was waking up in the morning. Daily laundry service. In-room dining on occasion, especially if one of us wasn't feeling 100% well. They are there to pamper you, so make the most of it. 🙂

Duplicate

1 hour ago, travelingman said:

 

Hi Sterling.  Could I ask what the name of your Scenic cruise was?  I could not find one with your itinerary on it.  Thanks.

 

Stan

It was the "Romantic Rhine & Moselle".

Best wishes,

Sterling

2 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Who did you sail with again?

 

We were with Scenic. That was our 2nd cruise with them, and we'll certainly do more. 

Sailing from Amsterdam, the stops were Antwerp, Veere, Arnhem, Maastricht, Xanten, Koblenz, Cochem, Bernkastel (with a day trip to Trier or Luxembourg), and then back up to the Rhine for Rüdesheim, Heidelberg (docked at Mannheim), Strasbourg, Breisach (for a walk in the Black Forest), and Basel. So quite a winding trip, especially at the start, but we certainly enjoyed it a lot. Veere was fun because my wife's Mennonite ancestors emigrated from there in the 16th century.

Looking forward to more of your updates!

Thanks,
Sterling

20 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Xanten is of some interest now

We were fortunate that our 2019 cruise stopped in Xanten. We always love Roman ruins and these were quite good, but the surprise of the stop was the Siegfriedmuseum which our guide barely mentioned. We only had enough time for a quick run-through, but were very impressed with the amount of detail, the thoroughness, and the very clear presentation. If you're interested in the intersection of history and myth that comes with the Nibelungen legend, I can highly recommend this museum. Other folks have found it a bit dry and academic, but that was not our experience; the museum has made a great effort to put the information together in a clear and organized way. 

13 hours ago, angela miller said:

We lose our deposit  no matter what if we do not rebook with Emerald.

That is usually how a "deposit" works. 

For those who may not be aware, it's still an Australian company. It's just the US headquarters that are moving. 

Sterling

Thanks - that brought back memories for me. Years ago I was working with some young people from Bamberg. They were quite proud to let us know that they were Franconian, not really Bavarian, and moreover, they were Upper Franconian. 🙂

Sterling

16 hours ago, sharkster77 said:

it was fun to have Google maps open on my tablet and watching the pin representing our position slowly creep upriver.

Other companies probably do this too but I've only cruised with Scenic. They offer a phone app called "Tailormade" that tracks your progress on a map as you sail along the river and offers audio descriptions of the sights and history you're passing on the banks. When on shore you can use it for self-guided touring if you choose not to follow the crowd.