jklc123

Thanks, Remydiva. I will email Viking asking to be removed from their mailing list.

We get them, too, but have never sailed with them. Same for Oceania, but they are a sister company of a line we have sailed, which sends almost as many brochures as Viking.

Actually, Schloss Vollrads and the chair lift are out of Rudesheim. The Schloss was sort of interesting to us, but we found the explanation of the three wines we tasted, one in each of three different rooms, was way too long. We did like 2 of the 3 wines. Looking back on it, I probably would have enjoyed more the chair lift over the vineyards and the walk back to town, which is quaint with lots of shops, where we did buy a few things. It has an interesting wine museum; we just looked at the very old wine presses & other equipment on display outside.

Boppard is another pleasant small town with a nice esplanade along the Rhine between the town the river boat docks. We had no excursions offered from there but had a pleasant afternoon looking around and were docked there overnight. There is also a bike path for anyone so inclined.

I just received an e-mail from Uniworld, asking if we'd like electronic or mailed brochures for the next season. Something I wish Regent, Oceania and Viking would consider. And Uniworld sends very few brochures anyway, unless requested. Sure would save a lot of trees!

Same on Uniworld. Always more basic alternates for dinner. Buffet lunch provides a variety of salads and sandwiches besides the heavier entrees. Sometimes burgers on top deck of the larger boats. I've only ordered the alternate once (salmon) and it was very good.

This is definitely the funniest thread I've read on CC.

We'll be doing the TGV from Paris to Lyon in March, but that's because we're only doing half of your cruise. We will fly into Paris for a short pre-cruise stay, and then we will take the train to Lyon on our own to catch the boat for the Rhone portion of your trip.

 

I don't mind lugging our luggage on the trains. It forces us to pack light! :)

I just immersed myself in your wonderful August report, which I had missed. The farthest north into Scotland we've been is the Isle of Skye but we'd love to explore more. Also were inspired by your jaunts around London as we'd like to return and wouldn't feel the need to hit the tourist highlights.

So we look forward to your Burgundy and Provence report!

When we did a similar trip with Tauck they sent our luggage including carry-ons if you wished on to Lyon by truck and all we carried on board the train was a small bag for the pair of us. I would assume that most cruise companies would do a similar thing but perhaps you should contact them to get all the facts.

Uniworld does do the same thing. I should have called them in the first place.

By the way, on our Rhine cruise, two of our favorite dining companions were a retired judge and his wife from Perth.

On the train trip from Paris to Lyon, do I assume correctly that you must take your luggage with you on the train? I'm thinking we'll want to limit our luggage to be able to handle this as easily as possible. Did it seem safe to leave luggage in the storage space at the end of your section of the train?

So what you're saying is that Uniworld is not really all-inclusive but it was all-inclusive enough for you?

Yes, it was. And we did know up front what wasn't included. I totally get your not quite pregnant analogy.

Our last two cruises have been all-inclusive, on Regent Seven Seas and Uniworld. We did wonder if included tips would affect the attitude of the crew and especially the guides in port. On both cruises, on lines that pride themselves (justifiably) on service, we experienced a uniformly high quality of sevice. We did tip our cabin attendants a little at the end of each trip but there was certainly no pressure to do so. We don't mind a charge for the optional special tours. The included tours offered enough choice that we so far have taken only one optional tour. Previously, it seemed we were among the few pax who tipped guides and drivers in port, and at first it seemed strange not to do so, but we got used to it quickly! It was nice not to have to try to have local currency available for the tips.

Never happened to me, but that could be VERY upsetting...did they wait for everyone to be on board before leaving?

As far as I know, everyone was on board. We left the dock as dinner was being served. We were watching vacationers who had been camping onshore move out in their travel trailers.

We also thoroughly enjoy exploring on our own and often regret not having more time in some ports. Still, we are fans of river cruising for the itineraries, the quality of the tour guides and having the same room each night. There is usually a nice amount of free time, at least at most stops. However, once we were going to stay ashore for dinner but luckily didn't because the water was rising on the Danube and the boat left a couple hours earlier than originally announced so we could get under the next bridges. Just something to be aware of.

We're also from Los Angeles area, where we never take public transportation. However, with a day pass for the trams, we found them easy to use. We did miss the stop for our hotel, but got off at the next stop and walked back.

We used ( and paid for) only a portion of the Hop on Hop Off boats for our canal cruise around scenic canals and out into the harbor as it was closer to our hotel in the Rembrandtplein area. The trams pass by more frequently than to HOHO boats, in our experience.

We enjoyed 3 days in Amsterdam a month ago. It is definitely easy to see on your own, but it would be pushing it to see as much as you want to in one morning. The trams are easy to use to save some time between some of the sights you want to see. It would be hard to really enjoy so much in such a short time. Definitely book your Anne Frank House tickets ahead of time or you'll waste 2 hours standing on line. I doubt you could cover everything you wish to see if you include really appreciating one of the wonderful museums.

For the countryside, it is easy to take a train or bus from Centraal Station to Zaanse Shans as it is a short ride away, but I am sure it will be filled with tourists from all over the world in July. It was peaceful in November. We used the bus and spent about an hour and a half there.

Best wishes for a busy but fun visit!

Our OBC was also from American Express.

We were left with OBC on our last Uniworld trip. Used some at the boutique for things we didn't really need. So we're also interested in the optional excursions. We even have a complimentary massage on each leg of the trip so won't spend on that, probably.

I, too, appreciate you giving up time from enjoying the Voyager to post. We are especially interested in the excursions - how long are the bus rides, how much time "on safari", quality of the guides, etc. We will likely be into our 70's before we could take such a trip, but the itinerary seems so interesting. Not sure if we'd be physically up to such a trip.

We were about to book with Uniworld when Arab Spring exploded. We'll be considering it again.

We were docked in Koblenz yesterday. I noticed passengers from another ship exiting with their hand luggage and now wonder if it was the end of their cruise or if they had to be bused past the problem. Didn't catch which ship they were on.

This doesn't directly answer your question, but we're presently on the Rhine. The weather has been colder than the forecasts we read before we left. Luckily we've brought enough layers to cope. Too cold to enjoy our balcony so far. My point is to be ready for cold weather in November, even though you will be south of us, of course. Still pleasant at our excursion stops because there are way fewer tourists than in the warmer months, of course.

Bon voyage!

Now enjoying the sweet life on the Antoinette. DH brought one of those three way gizmos, so that plus a connection in the bathroom to recharge my camera battery takes care of our needs. I can only access wi fi in the public areas, but that's no problem.

As far as entertainment goes, Uniworld, and I assume other lines, have an evening performance or two by local entertainers and sometimes food preparation and sampling events (e.g. Blintzes in Russia), as well as a piano player in the lounge at night for listening or dancing. On some itineraries an evening concert or ballet can be enjoyed at the port city. Certainly not on a par with ocean going ships. The atmosphere is more relaxed. Depending on the time of year, we've enjoyed watching the scenery go by as we cruised after dinner.

In the Uniworld SS Antoinette suites, how many electrical outlets (110 and 220) are available and where are they? I seem to have read one 110 and several 220 but can't find where I read that. Pending the Lufthansa pilot strike (oh oh), we are to fly out Oct. 24 for Basel so we're getting together what we want to pack and are thinking about converters.

Thanks to anyone who can answer this question.

Such a wonderful journey for modern day peregrinos.

DH decided on a collapsible Leki cane for the comparatively little bit of walking we'll do on future cruises.