mysusie45

Friend did not mention specific bus journeys but did mention plural coaches and hotels. So apparently more than just to Cologne. From following trip on marine traffic.com I know they did not make it to Budapest on a boat. Bussed from Vienna. Also seems to have been a boat swap at one point. Good luck.

Friends returned today from Avalon Vista Amsterdam to Budapest cruise that departed July 31. I had asked if they would do it again. Texted answer: "We would. It was an adventure for us . But it was hard for some people. Avalon is giving refunds for the days we were scheduled to be on the river and weren't. They paid for lunches, hotel rooms and meals for those days too."

I had warned them early this summer that the cruise could become a bus tour and Avalon had let them know just before they left that they would be bussed from Amsterdam to Cologne. So they were somewhat prepared.

Friend messaged me this morning that their Avalon Amsterdam to Budapest cruise leaving on 7/31 will begin as a bus trip. 2 days in Amsterdam then bus to Cologne. Looking at water levels throughout Europe I have a feeling that more of the trip will also be on a bus.

If you really want to save money do as we did before our Viking cruise. From airport took bus to train station and then took train to within a block of the Ibis hotel and walked to hotel. Spent two days walking and riding busses in Budapest. We like adventure on our trips. A good travel book on Budapest is a must for being on your own.

Got email today about entertainment on upcoming cruise. Listed 2 movies. Will they each be shown several times on the cruise?

Also wondering how they decide which NFL games to show.

Any info will be greatly appreciated.

We did the Baltic cruise on Royal Princess. Were going to rent a motorhome and travel Germany after the cruise. Had two large kitchen knives in one of our bags. Was told here that they would probably be confiscated. Nothing of the sort. Had them for the whole cruise in the suitcase under the bed. So guess it just depends on who is on the x-ray machine.

Okay, now I am confused. Tip, no tip, tip through app? Arrgh!!!

Need a little help as Uber novice.

Will arrive early in the morning at World Cruise Center after Canal cruise. Want to Uber to LGB for flight home in the early afternoon.

When do I call for the Uber? I assume after leaving ship and collecting luggage? Where do they pick up at WCC?

Any info and tips would be greatly appreciated. Husband is somewhat mobility limited and does not want to walk all over the cruise port if I get this wrong. I have managed to get us from the Budapest airport to city center on public transportation without speaking the language but Uber in Long Beach may be my undoing. :confused: TIA

Oh, those wonderful German Christmas treats.

Mentioned a while back we had spent time in a rented motorhome twice discovering France and Germany. On our last trip in 2014 we met a young woman named Jana at a campground on the North Sea. We have corresponded ever since that summer. The first Christmas she sent us a wonderful assortment of home made cookies(biscuits) and candy. What a sweet surprise. Last year it was tea and Halloren chocolates. We had toured the candy factory and had shared chocolates with her while camped next to each other.

I envy your ability to go to the local baker this time of year. Enjoy!

Someone in a post the last few days said that there was a place in the personalizer that gave dates of formal nights on your cruise. Can't find the post with search.

Can't find place in personalizer with that info. We are less than a month from sailing and everything else seems to be there.

Any ideas? Curious as we are sailing over Christmas and New Years. Thought formal nights might change because of holidays.

19 day out of LA to Canal.

Sorry, having trouble finding answer by searching.

Is at least one dining room open for lunch on port days?

Will be on the Island soon.

Thanks

Will be on Island in December. Do the balcony chair backs recline? Photos seem to show that they might. Thought I'd check.

I can't seem to find the "personalizer" I can find my account but nothing about messages. Am I doing something incorrectly?

Chiapas apparently has been taken off the list as a Mexican port. It seems that Puerto Vallarta is the substitute. Our cruise in December still lists Chiapas.

Will Princess notify us of port changes before we sail or not until we are under way?

Anyone have any ideas as to what the plans for this dry dock are? We will be on board soon after.

We always use ATM in airport to get Euros and use ATMs whenever we need money. Best exchange rate. Have never had a problem.

While on an actual "bus tour" we were told that lack of places to dump waste was why we shouldn't use the facilities.

I am finding this discussion to be very interesting. We took our first river cruise with Viking in 2008. Budapest to Amsterdam in October. We had done one ocean cruise and did not particularly care for the crowds so the river cruise with only 90 or so passengers was a treat. We did another trip with Viking in China the next year and had a wonderful time.

But we had seen something very interesting while cruising the Rhine. A campground along the river. It opened a whole new world of European travel for us. In 2012 we rented a motorhome and spent April traveling around France and Germany to WW2 sites and camped in the same place we had seen on the river cruise. In 2014 we did a Baltic Cruise with Princess and again disliked the crowds. After the cruise we then rented an RV again and did northern Germany for a month. Loved every minute of it.

My point being that the river cruise opened up new possibilities. But we have hesitated to take another river cruise because of the changes to bigger and bigger boats and the attempts to make river cruising like ocean cruising. It is sad that the more intimate river cruises of the past have given way to ocean cruise types of amenities and activities. For us the river cruises were a learning experience not a "vacation" . But to each his own.

I've been looking at pix of this pool area. Is this area completely closed in? No sea air? Hot and humid? Can't tell from photos.

Any info will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks all. Especially Pam who has helped me out several times in the past few years.

Thanks for the info. I did check my dates and it is 2 days. Arrive Dec. 30 depart Dec. 31. So again looks like 30 some hours in the Canal. Guess I will find out when I get there.

Cruise in December has us "Panama Canal Scenic Cruising" from 6 am to 2 pm the next day. What does this mean? This is not a complete transit cruise so I assume we are turning around in a lake and heading back to LA but what does the ship do for those 32 hours? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Have never ordered off room service menu. But may on upcoming cruise. Tip guidelines please.

Thanks

Will be cruising in December of this year. Since we cruised last my husband has had serious surgery. Even though it was 3 years ago he has some lasting after effects. The one I am concerned most about is extreme fatigue. This doesn't happen every day but when he has a "tired" day he will take a very long nap, three to four hours. Because of this we will have some days where we may not leave the cabin for any length of time.

I appreciate how hard the room stewards work and hate to mess with how they plan their time to work in the cabins. Should I attempt to explain our "problem" or just put out the do not disturb sign and hope for the best. I certainly won't be unhappy with the service if we are the ones who mess it up. No change in gratuities.

Thanks for any insight.

Cruised the Baltic in late May 2014 on the Royal. Very warm and sunny. Low 90's in St. P. Not much cooler in other ports. Locals were so happy to see the warm weather so early in the year. Goes to show weather can be a surprise. Be prepared.