Chloesmom1

Thanks, Ritabob. The rain jacket you describe sounds like the one I have been thinking about getting.

Theresa, I hope you are able to find a sailing that fits your schedule. Hopefully you'll find something over the weekend- and you won't get as much snow as they are predicting. As always, I really appreciate all of the details and information about the Mozart. I am really starting to get excited!

I bet that is what happened. Anyone looking at the day's excursion for our sailing through the Wacchau Valley would see options for the Melk Abbey that afternoon or a second choice of Going to a castle and seeing where the Archduke is internned and meeting a member of the family, but it doesn't show any option of biking from Weissenkirchin to Melk so I'm sure there will be people surprised when the bikes get pulled out,

Hopefully you'll be able to go on another river cruise and get access to the bikes which are supposed to be nice. My challenge will be to try to not be too lazy and just use the e-assist the entire time! 

On other random off topic question: I know we'll be there during different times and weather will not be similar, but what types of outerwear did you bring? I have an LLBean jacket that works with a pretty wide range of weather. It isn't beautiful or anything, but it works and it packs away easily into a little bag If I don't need it, I figure a rain jacket is a necessity and have a decent one I got for work so it looks ok, but it still casual. It doesn't fold down, pack very small, or pack into a self-contained pocket like some do. I'm trying to keep expenses low and not buy more than I need, but I am wondering if a packable rain jacket that I could throw in a bag or even clip to whatever coat I'm wearing might be useful, especially since Spring can be rainy.

Any thoughts? And yeah, I obsess about stupid stuff. It's an illness, 🙂 You should see me already obsessions about a trip we may or may not take in 2 years, My husband thinks about sending me to an institution all the time but then realizes he needs me here to plan his trips and tell him what he needs to pack! So he's stuck with me ❤️

I wonder if a group requested to use them? Or if it was a nice day someone requested one and they anticipated others being interested?

There are a couple biking excursions on our cruise. The one we are on is no longer on the list of possible excursions but still on our personal schedule, so I assume there aren't even spaces  left on the wait list. The other I was looking at but didn't sign up for is full, but still has spots on the wait list. They did say to sign up early because it was limited to the number of bikes they have. When there isn't a bike excursion offered I think passengers can just take them out on their own, if I recall correctly.

Now we just have to hope for good weather- and water levels.

Racr- yes, I was thinking that very same thing!

Theresa- I will definitely write a review. We actually received our docs in the mail today so it is starting to feel more "real". Thank you so much for all your help with our planning!

And Epixx, thank you so much for letting me know- I feel much more reassured. 🙂 I've always wanted to do a trip like yours which is why the excursion sounded so nice.

Thanks, everyone!!

capriccio, that is exactly why I have been wondering. Though even with only seeing one side I'm not sure I can pass up biking along the Danube. I suppose there are no bad choices here so I should stop worrying!

Where in the Shenadoah Valley are you? I went to school there and now live over the mountain. Hope you aren't getting too much ice right now!

Thanks, acwmom and Ritabob. I appreciate the feedback. Ritabob, our ship carries bikes with it and they are all ebikes. I've never been on one so it will be a new experience for me.

jmcmo, I hope you have a wonderful trip!

Hi, all. We're going on our first river cruise in mid-April and I'm second guessing all of the excursions we've pre-booked. 🙂 The ship is stopping one morning in Weissenkirchen to let people off so they can (e)bike to Melk where they will meet the ship a few hours later. My husband and I signed up for the biking excursion. 

For those of you who have biked along this portion of the Danube, do you get to enjoy the scenery or should we reconsider and stay on-board? The timing makes me think it will be a relaxed trip with plenty of time built in (we have 3 1/2 hrs). Based on the itinerary I think we'll be able to get up early and enjoy the scenery that and the following morning, but like most river cruises the rest of the sailing will be done at night.

I know this is a personal choice, but I'd appreciate hearing about anyone else's experiences or opinions.

Thank you!!

I used to have to travel with a medication that was legal, but likely to be questioned for a neurological disease I have. I carried the med in the original bottle, as has already been suggested, but my doctor also wrote a note on her Rx pad stating when I had started taking it and for what condition. I never needed it because the few times I was stopped and searched they saw my meds in their bottles after checking for my name on them, but it made me feel a bit better having the note just in case. 

I always checked the gov't site for any country or area I was planning to travel to usually starting with a google search, probably something like, "Is x medication legal in Hungary?", or wherever, which was an easy way of finding the right page. Just be sure that the result is an official site from that country and not a general travel page since laws change and third party sources can be inaccurate. We sometimes planned our vacations around the med because it was illegal in several Asian countries. I also check certain OTC medication, like pseudoephedrine, which is illegal in certain countries where it is considered a controlled substance. 

Thank you so much (again!). All your help in planning has made such a difference. I had the feeling the apps would be much more useful on an ocean voyage than river cruise, but figured I'd ask.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

We're going on a Crystal river cruise in a couple months (on the Mozart) and I have been looking at the Crystal board in addition to this one while doing research. I have seen several posts about the apps to access newspapers, menus, etc. on Ocean cruises and was wondering if we should download the same apps for a river cruise. I'm not sure we'll have time to read newspapers and such, but better to be prepared just in case than not!

Thanks so much for your help!

Hi! My husband and I will be on the April 13th Mozart sailing from Budapest to Vienna. When we booked they had a full day excursion to Cesky Krumlov from (I believe) Linz listed. It's now not on the excursion options for the sailing. I totally get that excursions change due to popularity and other issues, but I was wondering if anyone had been on a Crystal River Cruise where an excursion like this wasn't listed prior to sailing but was added closer to sailing date or at the last minute? I'm hoping there is still a chance since it was one of the things I was most excited about for our trip.

Thanks so much!

We were looking at those two lines for a trip next year- I've always wanted to do a river cruise but my husband wasn't as excited but he couldn't veto my 50th b-day trip. :-) Anyway, after comparing the lines and inclusions we chose a cruise on the Crystal Mozart. They were running a deal that could not be beat and the timing and itinerary were ideal. I think the special is still on because we just received an additional cost reduction because prices dropped even lower. We did get the lowest cabin, but we tend to spend very little time in our cabins and the cabins on the Mozart are larger than cabins on most other ships, even the least expensive ones. It might be worth looking at Crystal, especially with the rates the are offering right now.

Happy anniversary and I hope you have a wonderful trip!!

Yes! We were very happy with the deal we got. :D

YWW,

Thank you so much for all of the tips. I really appreciate it! I have been reading about the ebikes and am really interested in going on at least one of those excursions. If you think of any other hints or tidbits of information I would love to hear them. Again, thanks, and I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Stephanie

Thank you again for all of your comments. I spent the last couple weeks pouring over reviews and blogs and travel sites and we booked the Crystal cruise from Budapest to Vienna. YYW, thank you so much for reminding me about the potential itinerary issues; we start in Budapest so even if something goes terribly wrong we'll fly into that airport and see it before the cruise. Psoque, we'll be on the same sailing and I look forward to meeting you!!

I've read everything Crystal I can find, but if you happen to have any advice on how to prepare or other Crystal specifics, please let me know!

Stephanie

Texas Tillie,

Thank you so much!! I think we're going to do it. I sent a "friend request" so I can hopefully ask you a couple other questions if you don't mind. Though I'm not sure if this site works like TA where you can message people.

Again, thanks!! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Stephanie

We have only been on a couple ocean cruises and have never done a river cruise but in looking at options for my 50th birthday next year I've become very intrigued with river cruises. We've been to Europe a couple times but have done it on our own and have never been to Austria, Germany, or Hungary, though Budapest has always been on my list of places I would love to go.

Anyhow, we would book a standard cabin since we hope to not be in our cabin much and that way we can use the money we would spend on the cabin to extend the trip and explore more of the city. The cruise we are looking at is in April on the Mozart. We have considered a Christmas Market cruise but while the markets look beautiful, we aren't big shoppers and think we'd be more likely to be able to bike and or hike in April than late November. The cruise in November would be on the Mahler.

Thoughts? Most of the reviews and other information I've found make it sound like the facilities and food are very good. Will we miss out on things that we may experience if we choose Uniworld instead? Or some other line? Also, I know we can't mention travel agents or companies, but is it better to book through an agent vs doing it ourselves?

Any feedback or insights would be greatly appreciated as we are pretty clueless when it comes to cruises in general and especially river cruises.

RE: Irons... We use the shower steam and Downy wrinkle release. It's not ideal, but better than nothing. And cheaper than sending everything out to be pressed!

Once she is 18 it's no longer needed. We used to have to do this too.

Dependingon what you decide to do, we did a tour of the Vatican with "Through Eternity Tours" which was absolutely wonderful. The guide was knowledgable and we still use what he taught us when visiting museums. He also knew the best ways of seeing both the museum and Sistine Chapel with the smallest crowds possible which was a challenge the day we visited because the Mayor of Rome was visiting with the Pope and they were closing different areas from time to time. We were able to see everything because of the guide. That same day we were able to get tickets to the Scavi/ underground crypt beneath St. Peters. They only allow a couple hundred people each day and it's luck of the draw- if you write them they may have tickets available for the day you visit. We planned our tour around the time slot we were given by the Vatican- you get tickets through them. It was absolutely astounding and one of the most amazing things I have ever done.

The other tour we did which wasn't through a company but rather through the Colosseum itself was the underground tour of the Colosseum. It also was very special.

Doing both on the same day would be very difficult but either would be wonderful in case you are still looking at things to do.

If I only expect to take one or two trips outside the country I look at insuremytrip or squaremouth and compare plans. If it looks like I'm doing more traveling or the trips are particularly long I look at a yearly plan.

BTW, if you don't have insurance that covers you outside the US, or no medical insurance at all, you don't necessarily have to get "primary" coverage. I suggest you do your own research since I could be wrong, but based on my reading the secondary will cover you. You may have to submit a claim and have it denied by medicare, but unless there are specific requirements for primary coverage in the secondary plan you purchase, it should cover expenses. IE:

https://www.squaremouth.com/press-room/top-three-misconceptions-travelers-have-when-buying-travel-insurance-advises-squaremouth/

http://www.travelinsurancereview.net/tips-and-advice/understanding-travel-insurance/primary-vs-secondary/

https://www.insuremytrip.com/travel-insurance-policies-and-claims/secondary-vs-primary/

We use this: https://safego.us/

It is big enough to hold our camera, phone, and wallet/ credit cards and a few other random items. We've been happy with it thus far. It attaches to a chair or table or any other object with a bar or loop or anything to put the cord through. When we purchased it several years ago there were fewer choices; there are all sorts of bags, safes, etc. that lock now.

That said, if someone REALLY wanted to break into it they could, so we don't tend to go far. It does keep away the "opportunists", though, which is usually the issue for us since we may go in the water or for a quick walk, but if we are going far or for a long period of time we take valuables with us (and try not to bring irreplaceable items at all).

I just wanted to add that you might want to try to have bills in better condition. While staying in PDC we were talking with some local friends who said that as a Mexican it is difficult to cash in US money that is on poor shape. Not sure why, but I have seen people not be able to use really worn bills so it must be true.

I booked with the free Classic Beverage Package, so if I upgrade on board, it still just $70 total? I would think so, but just want to make sure. I have some OBC that would cover that. I wouldn't mind some of those more pricey libations.;)

There is the gratuity in addition to the upgrade amount so it is $70 + 18%.

PATH is definitely the easiest. You can get it at the Newark Penn Station, Jersey City, or Hoboken. Be sure you get on the one to the WTC as it also goes to 33rd St. After you visit the memorial you can then take the subway to wherever else you are going in the city. The PATH and subways are both safe though, as with anywhere, be aware and don't keep valuables in easy to access pockets.

As far as staying in the city vs. NJ. there are pros and cons to both. You can get more for your money in NJ and there are some nice hotels in Jersey City and Hoboken. It is easy to get into the city from both of them via PATH or NJ Transit or ferry. If you can find a good deal and can stay in the city it is wonderful. Having worked there for many years I try to avoid Times Square, though it is one of those places that is cool to see at night at least once. Just don't eat there as it is mostly WAY overpriced chain restaurants and there are so many other amazing places. I hope you have a wonderful trip!