Kristelle

I've watched various cruise videos - things like packing suggestions,dress codes, how not to get scammed, comparison of lines, what to expect on a river cruise (general not company specific) Not so much for the decor, I don't really care about that - or looks at the cabins, can do that on the company websites.

and bring your own toiletries if you think re-fillable shampoo/soap dispensers are a risk ( I don't) I would much rather, on environmental grounds, that hotels/ships use these than individual plastic bottles every day. Sure it is cheaper for them too but thats ok by me.

For me these things come under - things that are a risk in theory but have no practical relevance to real life A ship or hotel is not an operating theatre - yes, it should have reasonable hygiene measures but it is not neccesary to be sterile.

Scenic Jade is the ship we are booked on for September (unless the reverse happens to us and we end up on Jewel ☺️) on same trip Amsterdam t o Budapest. Would love to hear any feedback along your tip - about the ship, the excursions,the food, anything.

Are we not allowed to? oops I didnt know that. why not? - they are not TA's

My council rates don't change - I get a bill at beginning of year and option to pay quarterly. Each quarterly payment is a quarter of the total and due 3 months later. I still get a bill each time it is due. My view is that OP has some responsibility but it is also poor service from the TA and I would not be using them again. and I hope you keep posting OP and I hope you enjoy your cruise.

That is the Gary Bembridge mentioned above I really like his Youtubes and his style of presentation YMMV

MY understanding is that APT - Australia's arm of AMA - does trips inclusive of tipping although this might just be for Australian bookings, given we are not used to a tipping culture and therefore often prefer to do it this way as I did with Scenic

or bringing the side up 😉

I've occasionally bought things direct from sites in my FB feed but I still do so using PayPal so they don't have my credit card details themselves, can't charge any more than I know I paid

Thank you. Yes ,am going with Scenic - but I imagine itiniaries with most of these companies are very similar on same routes - and issues affecting ships, locks etc apply to all river cruise companies on same routes. its good to hear everything - the good the bad and the ugly (the gastro part sounds very ugly 🤢)

Are we talking about Youtubers like Gary Bembridge? I have followed his youtubes and found them very helpful and objective - he lists pros and cons and objective comparisons ( if you like organised pre paid all inclusive trips x is for you, if you prefer to pay as you go and have more option to do your own thing y is for you) I guess even if he is not paid for his trips, there is possiblilty staff recognise him and treat him better on account of that - but I cant see where that would change his advice usefulness to me I find his youtubes much more informative than, say, a celebrity purely spouting the virtues of x company and obviously paid to do just that

Thanks for your detailed post Vilhelm - and sorry your trip did not go as planned. Swapping ships is one thing and I get that it is sometimes unavoidable - but one would expect similar attitude of staff, food etc on second ship, disappointing that was not so. and outbreak of illness sounds horrible I would be very angry if my flight seats were changed - have paid for certain seats and I am not good at flying and my partner is good at calming me - not possible of course if one is separated. and anyway your seats are already allocated - weird that they got changed. and even worse for your friends - almost not getting on flight at all 😲 I know there are lots of locks - I am expecting them to be an interesting novelty at first - which probably wears thin after so many of them. My cruise is in early September (with Scenic) - hopefully water levels good by then - or if not, at least better handled than Viking did for you.

Hi there - you are doing same trip as us, Amsterdam to Budapest, we are going about a week after you, starting in Amsterdam on 6th Sept, with Scenic which company are you travelling with?

thanks for the photos - enjoying seeing your trip as it unfolds.

Thanks, I have downloaded the app now - doesn't tell me any more about itiniaries until I connect to ship's WIFI, but does give maps and info about each place we stop at.

so, people can,on request, have their ashes scattered at sea on a cruise. Obviously one wouldn't have to actually die on the cruise for that to be done though

I think he would of been 'encouraged to retire' at end of season anyway and this injury has just brought it forward

I love flip flops (thongs in Australia) and wear them whenever possible - which means most of summer except to work and evening going out and even then I have some blingy wedge heel ones that are dressy enough for most occasions

no - can I do that now, at home, 5 weeks before our trip?

I will probably do 'morning excercises' at least sometimes. Re walking back to ship on your own - if I have a smart phone will google maps work overseas? if so, we shouldn't be able to get lost.

Sorry I don't understand what this sentence means. PS- great photo!

thank you for those examples. does Scenic have similar to Castle Critics example from AMA of excercise classes on board? - I would enjoy doing them I'm not into bike riding but I see where you could make it more active by, in one example, walking 20 minutes to the ship instead of going on the bus after the excursion. less than 5 weeks till we depart now...... ⛵

so you just download this Scenic app onto your phone when you get on the ship?

Thanks so much for your answers everyone. Am getting excited now, our trip is only 5 weeks away The paperwork itinerary doesn't go into detail so would appreciate seeing any examples of day sheets along the route we travelling, doesn't have to be Scenic's