Two from Virginia

Thanks everyone for the info. It is really helpful. Please continue to post if you think of other things that would be of interest. Do you have a lot of "free" time after the morning excursions? If so, in which ports?

Hello Two from Virginia. We are booked on the Majestic Rivers cruise on July 19th also. We will be adding the Prague extension. We look forward to meeting you on the cruise.

 

P.S. We are headed to Richmond & Williamsburg next week. Hopefully the weather will be good.

 

Rich & Linda

Hi. Looking forward to meeting you also. We have not yet committed to the extension but are leaning towards doing it. We are near Quantico Marine Base.

This is our first river cruise? Have you river cruised before?

Where does your ship port? I might be able to help you with some of them, since we went from Amsterdam to Budapest.

Thanks for the info; Below is our itinerary - would appreciate any information you can provide. Thanks.

Cologne, Germany

ms River Splendor

Rüdesheim

Frankfurt (Heidelberg)

Freudenberg / Marktheidenfeld

Marktheidenfeld

Würzburg (Rothenburg ob der Tauber)

Bamberg

Bamberg

Nuremberg

Regensburg

Passau

Wachau Valley / Vienna, Austria

Vienna

Budapest, Hungary

(D)

That is a very popular cruise, with Vantage. We've booked it 15 months in advance! I can't tell you anything about it at this time, but if you're interested, book soon. Our itinerary is in reverse and we are taking the pre-stay in Budapest.

Hi We are booked on the July 19, 2015 sailing. Looking forward to it.

Good eveninb Virginia! I took Vantage Castles on the Rhine from Budapest to Amsterdam and just returned 7/6 from gateway to the black sea, Budapest to Constanta with pre-trip to Prague and Bratislava. I can tell you that Prague and Bratislava were wonderful and we enjoyed them immensely. Our city host, Sandor, was very good although don't believe him when he tells you "it's just a quick 10 minute walk"! :D The Old town Square, Jewish Quarter and Prague Castle are outstanding. The hotel in Bratislava is right on the Danube with a promenade along the river that is literally one restaurant after another...You will also have a little train pick you up at the hotel and take you to the Castle in Bratislava (every town has one) and then to the Town Square, which is lovely and delightful. On the way from Budapest to Bratislava you will probably stop in Brno, which is very nice as well. If you have any other questions, you can contact me directly at chydro564@yahoo.com

 

Will you be on the River Navigator?

Thanks for the info. Did you hire a private guide for Budapest. Are we transported by bus from Prague to Bratislava? We will be on the Ms River Splendor.

Hello

Has anyone done the Majestic Rivers cruise with Vantage (Cologne to Budapest)? Did you book the post cruise in Prague and Bratislavia? If so, please provide pros/cons. Any other information would be appreciated.

DH and I have done two Vantage cruises, both of them "President's River Cruises" (meaning a few more items are added to the itinerary. We first cruised from Budapest north on the Danube to Passau, Germany, and then on to three days in Prague. The next year we went south -- three land days in Zagreb, Croatia, then to Budapest, south to Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania -- to the Black Sea. We were on two different ships, and loved both experiences. The crew was wonderful, the meals were fine for us, and the cabins were comfy. Like so many trips, the most discord came from demanding or arrogant passengers. You quickly learn who you want to avoid!

 

To me, a highlight with Vantage are the "cultural connections." The dance groups and performers who come aborad in different locales, on shore lectures, waltz lessons in Vienna -- and the opportunity to eat in the homes of local folks -- enhanced our experiences greatly.

 

Perhaps the best indicator of our satisfaction is that we have booked another President's cruise next May! We want to try out the new ship, the River Discovery.

 

Donna

How do you sign up for the "President Cruises"?

We will be on the Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas and will be in Nassau on July 28, 2014, arriving at 1:30 PM and departing just before midnight.

My husband, myself, my daughter and grandson are planning on taking a 3 hour tour with Mario in Nassau in the afternoon of July 28th. He has room for 5 more. All tours include sightseeing, shopping,photos on the Beach, John Watlins Distillery,& Atlantis. A 3hr City tour $30pp showing 40% of the island. Anyone interested in joining us?

We took our very first river cruise last August. It was this itinerary with Vantage. We couldn't have been more pleased. The ship was new and the cabins were very nice. We were used to ocean cruising and were concerned that the cabins may be too small. But, they were perfectly laid out and met our every need. The showers were better than any we have had on an ocean cruise. The ports were wonderful and the guides extremely knowledgeable. We plan on doing another Vantage cruise next year.

Hi - DId you do any private tours in BUdapest?

Anyone booked on the Majestic Rivers cruise departing from Budapest on July 3rd? Has anyone done this cruise before with Vantage? Pros and cons?

A one-way to meet a bus is $81 - you can see all the train options and prices at http://wpyr.com/schedule.html Note that you can take the train company's bus back to Skagway for only an additional $26.

I was thinking of combining a train ride with a tour by Dyea Dave. What do you think of this arrangement? What are "musts" to see?

The reason for the price difference is that Dyea Dave does NOT include the cost of the train in his tour price, whereas Chilkoot DOES include the price of the train. The train ticket alone is over $110.

Thanks for the info. Is that the cost for one-way or round trip on the train?

We used Dyea Dave last year for a very personalized tour from Skagway to Dyea to see and learn more about the gold rush. We highly recommend him. He is very accomodating and knows the history of the area. We had a great time and learned a lot even though this was our 6th time to Skagway.

Since this was your 6th visit to Skagway, how would you recommend Dyea Dave on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best? Did you tour with anyone else? Would you recommend this tour group?

The cost of tours by Chilkook Tours and Dyea Dave are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Has anyone used both of them and how would you rate them? Are they comparable? From what I have read, Dyea has not set "do this, see this" whereas with the other tour company they specifically spell out what and how long you will be doing various things.

Someone mentioned taking a tour with Dyea and then meeting up with the train. Is this train part of a tour too?

Has anyone booked the Ykon Rail & Bus Excursion (7 hours) by Chilkook Tours? THey also offer a Skagway/Carcross Rail & BUs Excursion for 9 hours but I think this one would be pushing getting back to the ship on time.

Has anyone used Dyea Dave for a tour in Skagway? His fees are considerably less than Chilkoot (spelling?). I would like the pros and cons of this tour operator.