CPT Trips

Not always for sure. We had very high water on the Upper Danube in August for our first cruise 15 years ago. Ships after us were unable to make it under the low bridge.

Now I need to do a search. We cruised on the River Concerto a couple times. I’m interested to see how she looks after refurbishment. Search finished. https://valueworldcruises.com/cruise-ships/ms-vivienne/ She is definitely a different ship. Previously, no suites, now it has a few. The top two decks now have French balconies, previously top deck had real balconies with space deducted from cabin and the next deck down had sealed windows. Much more modern look.

Also consider Rotterdam. I really enjoyed the architecture, quite modern. And a second to the Bruges recommendation. .

Amen! Make it easy for me to get a printed menu and schedule. Don’t force me to carry my phone everywhere.

We got back to cruising large ships from US ports in late ‘21 and again earlier this year. We’re hesitant to book more now that there is no pre-cruise testing and no vaccination requirements.

Be careful how much you bet on that.😉🤫

There were overnight passenger cruises in the Rhein in 1972. My parents took a river cruise (KD?) Köln to Aschaffenburg. I don’t recall the itinerary, only that it was several nights; perhaps it also cruised the Mosel.

And in that scenario cash won’t work either

This thread made me think of our first ever river cruise exactly . We had just the opposite problem, too much water. That’s long enough ago that I don’t recall the details other that one morning the Captain announced that the days schedule was being changed in order to leave (Regensburg?) early to beat the rising water heading our way. If we left on schedule we wouldn’t make it under a very low bridge bridge up stream (Kelheim?). As it turned out we cleared with centimeters to spare. Ship happens on water regardless of the time of year.

Some ticket kiosks (in France and Italy) accept contactless cards with out requiring a PIN.

Not knowing your interests here is something for Speyer - https://speyer.technik-museum.de/en/ I really enjoyed it, and it was an easy walk from where we were docked.

No, no, no! Don’t even think about that green dreck. Wheat beer generally is the quantity as it tends towards lower abv. The brewer can rev it up, but imo that defeats the purpose.

You answered my question. Save the time for river conditions 👍

Friends of Overseas Adventure Travel/Grand Circle Travel might have some info. It tends to be more OAT oriented, but check it out on the Zuckerberg site.

What is the primary type of cargo transported by ship/barge. Is it bulk (coal, grain, chemicals)?

Sounds like they sell bridges on the side. To paraphrase COL Potter, that person is playing horse hockey with road apples.

I’m glad you mentioned the CD/tour director/trip leader. They are the key to the trip; particularly when “bad things” happen. And, like a good concierge, they can make things happen. Grand Circle/OAT trip leaders contact past travelers about two weeks before the trip by email in order to arrange a telephone call time. We generally send a reply email with some details of what we hope to DIY on the trip. On time I couldn’t get timed tickets for a museum as the web site wasn’t in English and I included that in my email. In our call, the trip leader told me that there would be tickets waiting for me at the museum . . . she provided great service throughout the trip.

Wow, you must “rest” a lot. 😎 I have to disagree with spending cash at the airport. Take it home with you. Then you will have to return to spend it on “resting.”

There is an App for that . . . but, based on just a cursory look, it’s not the best. Puzzling over a real map in public often leads to getting assistance in finding the way. Paper maps and digital (GPS) compliment each other very well. I find a paper roadmap or atlas far superior to digital for route planning. For a multi stop road trip, a paper map and some pins allows me to sequence my itinerary rather quickly and easily. GPS is far superior for route execution. Get from point to point while enjoying the scenery rather than having a nose stuck in a map.

@notamermaid Es tut mir lied . . . the quintessential beer river is the Scheldt.

You will be there Good Friday, Easter, and Easter Monday. It’s probably a good idea to check what will be open/closed those days. Don’t worry about packing and unpacking for the hotel nights. Using either carry ons, or packing cubes set up a couple days worth of clothes for the first stay and just leave the remainder of your clothes in the suitcase. We typically put clothing in our carry on in order to be good for a couple days should our checked luggage go astray. Do the same thing when you are repacking to get off the ship.

Threads on the river cruise board tend to wander all over the world.

Not always . . . it’s not a given. See HIV, hepatitis, several strains of flu, West Nile, Ebola, and Zika. One of many articles pointing out that “the model” isn’t universally as you assert. . https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-011488089270 A literature search would lead to tons of articles the hows and whys tip-off viruses evolving to be more or less lethal to their hosts (both human and not human).

So why does Delta, and perhaps other airlines, say they can’t be used plugged in if the aircraft has 110v power available at the seat? When I search online, I find: “Also worth noting: ResMed CPAP devices are able to run on the 400Hz power supply found on aircrafts…” https://www.resmed.com/en-us/sleep-apnea/sleep-blog/cpap-air-travel-what-you-should-know/ A letter from manufacturer indicating their CPAP can be used with no modification. Whttps://document.resmed.com/documents/articles/travel-compliance-letter_amer_eng.pdf

Too recent. Too much smoke on deck then. It all went downhill after February 3, 1959.