Daisi

Wow...this is really sad. Just read a report on the Hungarian paper that the missing are the boat's owner, his sister, their 19 yr. old neighbour and her boyfriend (who had proposed on the boat according to his friend), and friends. So tragic.

Actually, the Envision and the Aegir are both 443 feet long (135 meters), it's just that the cabins in the Envision are larger than those in the Aegir to enable a larger # of passengers. We are more used to sailing on the Avalon ships that are 361 feet (110 meters), and when we sailed on the Envision in September found it 'huge"! It took us a while to get used to the larger top deck, but that was the only difference. The AMA Magma is really the only ship that is really larger as it's a double wide. All ships have to be the same length or shorter to fit the locks. I believe the max is 135 meters.

While we've never sailed with AMA, I've heard a lot of good about it. We have only cruised on our own, and have no problems meeting new friends. You will meet friends on tours, at meals etc. A lot of times, we've eaten breakfast, lunch and dinners with different passengers. As long as you are willing to "mix" you will be fine. There are times where you can be alone if you wish, but part of river sailing is the social aspect. As to being Celiac, you should be able to notify AMA before boarding (I know with our line we are asked for dietary requirements when filling in all our contact info) and they should announce at the first meeting on the ship (usually during the briefing) that there is a meeting with the chef prior to dinner to go over the various requirements. I know Avalon (whom we sail with) is really good, as I'm sure AMA is as well. I was surprised to see Avalon preparing GF croissants for breakfast - a real treat for a fellow passenger. I would also suggest when checking in to mention it, and they will be able to let you know when to meet with the Chef.

@martyap, I would suggest talking to a TA to discuss what you are looking for. There are several types of cruising, some more active than others (although you can still go on an "active" one and do the regular walking tours), some include all most everything, others are partially inclusive. We sail with Avalon, it "fits" us. We like the multiple choices of included excursions - you can hike, bike, kayak etc., or do a general historical walk, or some discovery tours where you can go on "taste" tours, cooking or art (painting) tours. We like the French balconies, where our cabin (when we are in it) can turn into a balcony with the sliding windows that open almost the whole width of the cabin. We like the smaller passenger #, you can meet most of your fellow passengers, and the tour groups tend to max out about 15 or so, so your guides can get you through places quicker (think touring Schönbrunn Palace with a group of 15 vs 30, every gets a good chance to view the rooms, and you aren't waiting forever for people to catch up). We like the fresh local foods served - on our first cruise the White Asparagus had just came out and our Chef prepared a whole meal (with other options) around it. There is so much more we love about Avalon, but that's us, not necessarily what you would be looking for. Everyone has their favourite line, and will push for that. Since you are looking at your first, a TA who has been on different lines will be able to assist you in finding one that "fits" you.

Not sure if the American's can access that link, but as a Canadian, it's "unavailable". Hopefully Ural Guy can access it. Thanks for trying.

The only one I found on YouTube is a 1.26 second bit. However I did see the Canadian Smithsonian channel is re-broadcasting the series, and after a lot of searching found it being shown next week. We saw it already, but I'm recording it again to see what to expect. Thanks for the mention, I had forgotten he did a show on it.

It's not looking good, they are still searching for the missing. I do see that the captain of the river boat is in custody for failure to render assistance. According to the police, he didn't notify his crew of the accident. https://index.hu/belfold/2024/05/20/verocei-hajobaleset-orizet-kapitany-rendorseg-brfk/ @notamermaid the video I saw was the police searching at night, you didn't see much as it was dark and they only had a smallish spotlight and flashlights. They spotted a life jacket in the river.

Longer trips like the one you are on :Rhone & Seine combined or the Rhine & Moselle combined. There are lots of shorter cruises of 8-14 days or so. Newer cruises are always popping up. You don't say whom you are sailing with, but glance through their itineraries, and google "x river cruise". Don't take the sponsored links at the top, that's just picking up on "river cruise". Look at the lines that offer the name of the river in it's link. So many rivers, and every time I think we are down to 4-5 left to see, they bring out new itineraries.......

One of the benefits of the new apps for cruising - you get menus so know what will be served for lunch so you can plan if there is something you wish to try onboard or eat local. Growing up with a lot of European food, we do either, eat local or onboard....just make sure we get back in time for our next excursion. We've just told guides that we know the area so would like to wander on our own and ask where to meet. Pop the location into my phone on Google Maps, and off we go. We've done this a couple of times.

@notamermaid, was just looking at the videos. Very sad to see the search at night, and the empty life jacket. Sounds as if most of those on the smaller boat were younger, which is sad.

Further update, it looks like it was a Nicko cruise ship - MS Heidelberg according to Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/two-dead-five-missing-after-suspected-boat-collision-danube-2024-05-19/

Sounds like a smaller personal boat with 8 adults - 1 recovered with head wounds that speaks Italian, 2 confirmed deceased, and 5 still missing - collided with a river ship. Not sure who hit who. This is the Hungarian news article, not much more info than what was in the German article that @notamermaid shared, but could possibly be updated quicker as more info comes out. https://index.hu/belfold/2024/05/19/hajobaleset-veroce-szallodahajo-halalos-serultek-eltuntek/

Thanks for that link @Wombat706, just checked our cruise and see we will be safe for next year. I wondered why the dates were so spread out in the spring...guess I know why now, Avalon books to the schedule!

CrosiEurope has some interesting cruises, they do the Loire, the Garonne, Gironde, Guadalquiver, Guidana, and also one that sails on the Vltava.

Avalon (and probably a lot others) have tables for 2, however as seen by the photo I "borrowed" from their virtual tour, you are still pretty close to your neighbours. There is also a lighter meal (same menu, but more tapas style) in the lounge where you would probably have no problems selecting seating for a more private table. The picture of the lounge is mostly the areas that will be set for eating (the white chairs) however I'm sure no one will complain if you choose to sit closer to the bar. I believe in the lounge it's more a self serve whereas in the dining room, you will be served if that matters.

We did the Blue Danube Discovery starting with a Budapest pre-cruise in September. We started with a bus ride to the Castle district, a walk along the streets and a viewing of St. Matthias (stood on the corner across while the guide described the Church). No viewing of Fisherman's Bastien although if we had walked around the corner we would have been there. Then back to stand and view "scenic" country side just over where the bus dropped us off. Not sure if that was because we were a little early and had to wait for the bus to come pick us up, but was very disappointed with that bit as I would have loved to see across the river from the Castle district. Once back on the bus, we drove along the river to see the Parliament Buildings, then across to drive around them and (as we were sitting on the right side of the bus) a drive by view of the Shoes on the Danube. Then it was off to St. Peter's Square where the guide gave us a good description of what the statues meant and then wander over to a park across from the Zoo to get a Chimney Cake and drink - cake was free, it was quite hot so we purchased the water. Then back through the town to the Marriott where we were staying, with the guide showing us sites from the various revolutions held in Budapest. Our cruise left at 5:30 or so, so since we knew ahead, we booked our own night cruise on the Danube and I was so glad we did....not something to miss. We also went to see the Basilica, and it was impressive. Would have loved to go back across to the Castle District, but ran out of time. Hope that helps, I would ask about the evening cruise upon boarding, the tour boats aren't that far and it was well worth seeing.

@RobInMN is correct about only having 1 CD. Avalon is the same, you have 1 CD, however depending on the number of guests wanting tours, they will bring in as many local guides as required. If there are only 4 on one tour, you get 1 guide. Most groups are kept at 15 or less, so it's easier to move through areas without having to wait for everyone to catch up, as you would in a larger group. Don't make that your main choice for choosing one. I'm another Avalon fan, we just love how everything is just right for what we like. Casual, but still first class.

We did this in August, however we never made it to Nuremberg due to low water levels. I am not sure where the ship docks, but I don't believe it's in town. Doing a quick google search, it looks like about 17 minutes from the train station to the dock. When we did our Rhine cruise we had the CD call a cab for us when they were doing the departure arrangements the night before, as we were taking a train back to Amsterdam. I'm sure they will do the same for you.

Seeing that GTC is an US based company, I would assume the term "American" is literally that - American citizens. Canadians may be part of North America, however so is Mexico, St Pierre & Miquelon (which is part of France) and Greenland (which is part of Denmark). In fact there are 23 different countries in North America. The continent is called North America, American refers to being part of the United States of America.

@Canal archive, I'm not in Ottawa, just saw he was there. We do get some info in our local online papers from Ottawa, but mostly it's federal stuff.

Sorry, I can't help much. I find Emerald & their parent company Scenic's websites so bad I rarely look at them. We sail with Avalon, so I can't really help you much more than what you can find online.

I'm out today, but if you post what cruise you are on, and your date, I can try if I get home tomorrow. Sorry, spending a lot of time away from home so it may be Saturday before I can help. This is the basic info for the CDN site, it also has a brochure you can d/l. https://www.emeraldcruises.ca/river/river-experience/discover-more

Thanks @pontac, I had seen the article yesterday, didn't open it, but was pretty sure they gave a gentleman's name. Was wondering why 2 people would choose to consume the same amount of wine while running. I hear the Mayor of Ottawa was in London for the marathon, not sure how he placed. Smart guy, he is apparently also drumming up tourism at the same time...gets the flight over & place to stay paid for by tax payers, just had to pay to run!

@CDNPolar you beat me to it. Server is what we use up here as well.

My sister is still moaning over the loss of her blackberry.