glutenfreegoddess

What a great Trip report! We will be on this same cruise, Budapest to Nuremberg, beginning Oct. 5. It will be our first river cruise; we got a great deal on a Panoramic Balcony and decided to give it a try! We will be in the UK and Prague the week the cruise before so our bodies will have recovered from the long flight and time difference when we embark. It's tough to find many Emerald reviews so I really appreciate yours.

Thanks everyone for your input. I always pack meal bars when I travel so I know I will have something to eat. Cruise lines have always been very accommodating regarding my dietary restrictions so my logic is that for a least the time on the ship I will be able to eat real food :). I also really do want a Yangtze River Cruise to be at least a small portion of the trip. I'm still researching, but I'm really leaning towards the booking the Uniworld trip and just bringing my travel meal survival kit.

On a side note, all of this research got me really wanting to try river cruising so I very spontaneously booked an 8 day Danube River Cruise with Emerald for early October I chose that specific cruise and company because the timing worked out; we will already be in London visiting family just before the cruise so we will just hop a flight to Budapest from there. I got what I think is a really great rate, with upgraded room and premium beverage package. Reviews seem very positive. I booked directly with the cruise line and they seem to be very accommodating to dietary needs.

The adventure begins, sooner than I thought!

I live in Vancouver WA. Both Lyft and Uber are easy to get here. I use both for airport trips on a regular basis.

Hello! I am planning a big anniversary/bucket list trip for next year (Aug. 2018.) We have always wanted to visit China, and would also love to try a river cruise, so we are looking at Uniworld's Highlights of China and the Yangtze. The cruise portion of the trip would be on the Century Legend.

I read the stickies regarding choosing the right cruise line and Uniworld seems to match our tastes and traveling style. However, I have a couple of questions/concerns. I have combed the boards and the Uniworld site. I am also trying to find a river cruise travel agent but not having much luck yet; I've called and emailed three different agencies with not a single call back, so questions I have are:

1. I'm thinking we will fit in well age wise; he will be mid 60's, I am early 50's. We are healthy and physically active. Will there be an option for tours for more active guests? It's not a deal breaker, but we are usually independent travelers and go our own speed. I'm not a fan of bus tours but ok with it as a means of transportation.

2. Dietary needs. I have celiac disease and am allergic to soy and dairy. Needless to say, I eat a lot of salad.;) I have been on ocean cruises and for the most part the cruise lines have been very accommodating. When I travel to foreign countries I carry little cards in the local language that list my allergies but I'm thinking China might be an issue? Soy and gluten are present in most Chinese dishes. I have a very extreme reaction to even trace amounts of gluten so I'm really nervous about the possibility of being "glutened" so far from home.

3. Short time on the river; will that give us a taste for river cruising? And I want to extend our time in Hong Kong; there is an option to add three days at the end of the trip but I'm thinking it would be smart to add an extra day on the front end as well? We travel to Europe every year and I always try to have one day to adjust our body clocks before we do any major sightseeing.

Thanks for any advice/input; I'm really excited to start planning!