Best Time of Year for an Amsterdam to Budapest Cruise

[2Canucks]

I wish to book an Amsterdam to Budapest riverboat cruise for 2017.

 

What is the Best time of year for the above cruise?

 

Thank You in advance for any info you can share with me. :)

 

Hoping for some feedback from anyone who has done this cruise.

 

Pat

[Hydrokitty]

I wish to book an Amsterdam to Budapest riverboat cruise for 2017.

 

What is the Best time of year for the above cruise?

 

Thank You in advance for any info you can share with me. :)

 

Hoping for some feedback from anyone who has done this cruise.

 

Pat

 

If you plan to spend time in Amsterdam to see the tulips, then book for mid to late April. If not, then I would book late May to early October. We went in late August and it was perfect but if there's been a very dry summer, like this past one, you could have problems with water levels on the Danube. Of course if you're interested in the Christmas markets, you would book November-December. This was our first river cruise and it's a wonderful choice....scenery is gorgeous and the ports you stop in have interesting things to see and wonderful shopping.

Edited February 27, 2016 by Hydrokitty

[notamermaid]

On such a long trip you could get the "full experience" of autumn in Europe. Highly recommended. For that it is best to start around 28 September. The only times I would not choose are: 1. the first in the season if it starts before 1 April. Too cool and still likelyhood of flooding. 2. a cruise that takes place in the first two weeks of November. It should run into the last week of November to see the first Christmas markets.

 

May/June is great to avoid the Summer heat and crowds, so is September.

 

notamermaid

[SCHappilyRetired]

We went the first 2 weeks of June. Perfection! You need to determine if you want to "see" specific things (blooms, foliage etc)

[MERLOTCHAMPAGNE]

Hi Pat,

 

Too bad you aren't looking to do Amsterdam - Budapest in 2016, you could join us late Aug-Mid September[emoji3]

 

Pam

[2Canucks]

Hi Pat,

 

Too bad you aren't looking to do Amsterdam - Budapest in 2016, you could join us late Aug-Mid September[emoji3]

 

Pam

 

Hi Pam!! Great Minds think alike! :)

 

I'm doing my first 2 riverboat cruises in April 2016...Southern Holland and Belgium then Northern Holland. Doing a B2B on 2 different lines...first one with AMA Waterways then second one with Avalon Waterways. It would have been great doing a Aug/Sept 2016 riverboat cruise together... but I'm booked for another Med/TA cruise with Mary Lou...Chris...Ginny and possibly Sarah (Aussie cruise friend) too in Nov/Dec. Therefore the AMS to BUD for me has to wait until 2017.

 

Which riverboat company are you doing the AMS to BUD with?

 

Since I'm a solo cruiser now...I'm doing the ...whoever gives me the Best Price routine. AMA and Avalon have great reviews and they offered me the Best Options for 2016.

 

This solo supplement business really hurts the pocketbook! For those who don't know ...a solo cruiser whether it's riverboat or ocean cruising... a solo has to pay for 2...unless you get a solo supplement discount break...not the usual...depends on how the cruise is selling. I'm now looking for the best "Solo" offers for a AMS to BUD riverboat cruise in 2017.

 

Happy cruising and let me know how you liked your riverboat experience.

 

Pat

[notamermaid]

Hello 2Canucks,

 

the single traveller supplement is a bit of a pain, I agree. Often it is not a supplement but the price for two travellers or almost as much. There was a thread on CC last year about a company waiving the single traveller supplement on some river cruises...

 

It might not be for you in the end, but you could have a look at Arosa. They are relatively new to the North American market. The river cruises catering for German travellers (the company is German) have nice-price offers for solo travellers.

 

notamermaid

[eyeu]

Taking the May cruise gives you the opportunity of the tulip festival at Keuchenhof gardens near Amsterdam. Breathtaking! The weather is on the cool side but it is definitely worth it. Festival only last about 6 weeks with the height of color about the beginning of May.

On the other hand the October cruises offers a dazzling display of colors along the river as you cruise. Tourism seems to be less during the spring and fall, so that is a plus.

We have taken both cruises and highly recommend each of them. Though we have gone with Uniworld and loved it, sure there are many optiions out there.

hope that helps..

rick

[tamsno]

Tauck offers NO single supplement on all European river cruises and a surprisingly small charge for all their tours. As well, it is truly all inclusive. Worth a comparison look. Enjoy your travels.

[CJcruzer]

We did this itinerary mid to end October, we had wonderful brisk weather with sunshine, only one day of rain....The autumn colors in the hillsides were a phenomenal backdrop to the castles along the Rhine. Some of the town squares were decorated with pumpkins around their fountains.

 

Carol

Edited February 29, 2016 by CJcruzer

[MERLOTCHAMPAGNE]

Hi Pam!! Great Minds think alike! :)

 

I'm doing my first 2 riverboat cruises in April 2016...Southern Holland and Belgium then Northern Holland. Doing a B2B on 2 different lines...first one with AMA Waterways then second one with Avalon Waterways. It would have been great doing a Aug/Sept 2016 riverboat cruise together... but I'm booked for another Med/TA cruise with Mary Lou...Chris...Ginny and possibly Sarah (Aussie cruise friend) too in Nov/Dec. Therefore the AMS to BUD for me has to wait until 2017.

 

Which riverboat company are you doing the AMS to BUD with?

 

Since I'm a solo cruiser now...I'm doing the ...whoever gives me the Best Price routine. AMA and Avalon have great reviews and they offered me the Best Options for 2016.

 

This solo supplement business really hurts the pocketbook! For those who don't know ...a solo cruiser whether it's riverboat or ocean cruising... a solo has to pay for 2...unless you get a solo supplement discount break...not the usual...depends on how the cruise is selling. I'm now looking for the best "Solo" offers for a AMS to BUD riverboat cruise in 2017.

 

Happy cruising and let me know how you liked your riverboat experience.

 

Pat

 

We will have to compare notes as assuming we love River cruising, Christmas markets and Holland/Belgium are on our list. We are doing Viking this time so we'll see how that works out.

 

Sounds like a fun group for your TA.... I know Sarah as well. Hope Ginny will be able to join you. No TA's for us this year with a 2 week family Alaska cruise tour and fall river cruise plus extended post cruise trip. Haven't planned 2017 as of yet as it looks like we may have some family weddings coming up;)

[Marlster]

I wish to book an Amsterdam to Budapest riverboat cruise for 2017.

 

What is the Best time of year for the above cruise?

 

Thank You in advance for any info you can share with me. :)

 

Hoping for some feedback from anyone who has done this cruise.

 

Pat

 

I just booked with Scenic yesterday for May 15/2017 cruise Amsterdam to Budapest. I dont like touring around in hot weather, so figured mid May would be good for us. Apparently the weather is similar to ours, we live in Victoria, B.C. If you go in April it might be too cool to sit out on the balcony. I checked into every river cruise company out there and I got the best bet with Scenic. They have so much to offer. Dont know if you have booked anything yet, but really check into what is included and what is not. They all offer free excursions, but there are some excursions that are better than others and you have to pay for them, so be careful. Scenic offers high end excursions free.

Marlster

[Bodger]

Hi Pam!! Great Minds think alike! :)

 

Since I'm a solo cruiser now...I'm doing the ...whoever gives me the Best Price routine. AMA and Avalon have great reviews and they offered me the Best Options for 2016.

 

This solo supplement business really hurts the pocketbook! For those who don't know ...a solo cruiser whether it's riverboat or ocean cruising... a solo has to pay for 2...unless you get a solo supplement discount break...not the usual...depends on how the cruise is selling. I'm now looking for the best "Solo" offers for a AMS to BUD riverboat cruise in 2017.

 

 

Pat

 

We just booked Scenic for 2017, and I noticed that many of their ships have a single balcony (#224), that might work for you.

 

John

[Marlster]

We are also booked for 2017 Scenic on the PEARL #226, right next door to the single cabin.

Marlster

[rosebuds]

On such a long trip you could get the "full experience" of autumn in Europe. Highly recommended. For that it is best to start around 28 September. The only times I would not choose are: 1. the first in the season if it starts before 1 April. Too cool and still likelyhood of flooding. 2. a cruise that takes place in the first two weeks of November. It should run into the last week of November to see the first Christmas markets.

 

I was wondering about the first two weeks of November. Why is it best avoided? I'm not especially concerned about visiting Christmas markets. Thanks for your help.

[notamermaid]

Hello rosebuds,

 

please do not get me wrong, a river cruise can be great any time of year. I do not recommend the first two weeks of November because: 1. the weather becomes unsettled and cool, with grey skies and sometimes the first snow of the season in Bavaria. This can easily turn into sleet and is the type of weather I very much dislike.

2. It is the low season with some attractions closed or open at reduced hours or only on specific days of the week. 3. The autumn foliage has gone and the Christmas lights are not up yet, there is enough daylight to see lots of grey skies. The sunsets are not as impressive as in December, I find. 4. It is generally seen as the month of mourning with 1 November being a public holiday in lots of places, meaning shops are shut. You can check the public holiday dates online on several websites.

 

Other than that it is fine.

 

notamermaid

[rosebuds]

Hello rosebuds,

 

please do not get me wrong, a river cruise can be great any time of year. I do not recommend the first two weeks of November because: 1. the weather becomes unsettled and cool, with grey skies and sometimes the first snow of the season in Bavaria. This can easily turn into sleet and is the type of weather I very much dislike.

2. It is the low season with some attractions closed or open at reduced hours or only on specific days of the week. 3. The autumn foliage has gone and the Christmas lights are not up yet, there is enough daylight to see lots of grey skies. The sunsets are not as impressive as in December, I find. 4. It is generally seen as the month of mourning with 1 November being a public holiday in lots of places, meaning shops are shut. You can check the public holiday dates online on several websites.

 

Other than that it is fine.

 

notamermaid

 

Thanks a lot for your reply. I was curious why there is a drastic drop in price for these two weeks. All things considered, I think I'd rather pay a premium for the blue skies, longer days and sunshine.

[Roz]

Depends on your definition of "best". I did my first river cruise last November - Budapest to Passau. Because it was the end of the season, I got a great price (no single supplement), the boat was not fully booked, there were no hoards of tourists, and the cool weather was conducive to doing a lot of walking/touring.

 

I was warned on this board to expect cold, wet weather and to pack lots of woolens and fleece, but fortunately the weather was outstanding for that time of year, IMO. It does get dark early, but that really didn't deter me from doing what I wanted do. I will say we got little use out of the upper open deck.

 

Roz

[Hydrokitty]

Hello rosebuds,

 

please do not get me wrong, a river cruise can be great any time of year. I do not recommend the first two weeks of November because: 1. the weather becomes unsettled and cool, with grey skies and sometimes the first snow of the season in Bavaria. This can easily turn into sleet and is the type of weather I very much dislike.

2. It is the low season with some attractions closed or open at reduced hours or only on specific days of the week. 3. The autumn foliage has gone and the Christmas lights are not up yet, there is enough daylight to see lots of grey skies. The sunsets are not as impressive as in December, I find. 4. It is generally seen as the month of mourning with 1 November being a public holiday in lots of places, meaning shops are shut. You can check the public holiday dates online on several websites.

 

Other than that it is fine.

 

notamermaid

 

Sounds just like here!!! :D Fall color is gone....too early for holiday decorations (although you couldn't tell from the stores) weather can be gorgeous one day and horrid the next...and all the flowers are gone. Only thing really good about early November is the beach.....surf is high and nobody's there. :D

[OnTheJourney]

Hydrokitty....I took your advice (from a few months ago) and decided to do the Amsterdam to Bucharest in separate segments...so I booked the AMS to BUD with Tauck for next year (early October). Thanks again for your advice. I think it is probably the best way to do it. Then some other time I'll have to do Budapest to Bucharest. The full journey just seemed a bit long, especially having never done a river cruise before.

Edited April 11, 2016 by three4rd