Amsterdam -> Budapest - Port or Starboard?

[Bodger]

We are undertaking our first river cruise next year and are about to make our booking on one of the Scenic ships.

 

I am wondering if there is one side of the ship that has a particular advantage over the other, when traveling from Amsterdam towards Budapest?

 

TIA,

 

John

[LoneStarCruisinCouple]

We are undertaking our first river cruise next year and are about to make our booking on one of the Scenic ships.

 

I am wondering if there is one side of the ship that has a particular advantage over the other, when traveling from Amsterdam towards Budapest?

 

TIA,

 

John

Morning John,

Lisa and I did the same itinerary on The Jasper last September in a Royal Panorama Suite and we were in cabin 337. It seemed that we were facing out into the river most of the time in port but not always as it is probably 60 - 40 %. The thing that was so very nice that you shall find at least in our case as being in the very back of the ship was that of the Private Butlers. Bringing Coffee and Orange juice and every once and awhile setting up Breakfast out on the balcony.

If I had to say you have certainly made a GREAT choice in choosing to cruise with Scenic. Simply Impecable, from having Limo transfers between the Airports and Hotels to Ship , To The The Private Butlers , The Mini Bars Stocked Daily, The Private Concerts, The Glasses never going empty, and just the overall experience of ALL Inclusive, no nickle and dimming you for this and or for that like some of the other cruise lines do.

Have you already arranged for your hotels or are you going to be staying in the hotels provided by the cruise line? We stayed in The Toren in Amsterdam and at The Four Seasons Gresham Palace Hotel in Budapest. Both Rated number one by TripAdvisor. Have you made any sort of plans for your cruise as to possibly private tours and or restaurants? Just full of questions aren't I.

Yes was such a wonderful experience as with cruising with about in our case 100 Aussies,40 Canadians, and the rest of us were a mix. Myself I grew up my younger years in Melbourne so I was at home with all.

Yes we have gotten hooked as we ourselves are booked for two more at present one being next year like you on The Sapphire doing The Spectacular South Of France ( Wine Country ) with Paris and we are adding at the end Nice and Monte Carlo and lucky as the folks that were in the other Panorama Suite are again cruising with us and also we both are booked into The Panorama Suites and we are both booked on The New Eclipse for 2018 and doing Cuba in Depth.

If you may have any questions as to Tour guides and or restaurants just holler.

Would recommend in Amsterdam doing a Dinner River cruise on the canals in the evening and we used Jewels and in Budapest for sure take your lovely wife to The Fisherman's Bastion as the sun is setting. It is located up on Castle Hill and the view oh my the city is at your feet.

Take Care

Smooth Sailings

LoneStarCtruisinCouple

Lisa and Gary

[nancyevans]

Gary, we went the opposite direction last year. When you docked in Budapest which side of the ship faced Parliament. Was the ship docked overnight so you could enjoy the parliament all lit up at night? IMo get a cabin wth a view of the Hungarian Parliament building.

[TravelerThom]

Riverboats almost always dock face upstream (so that the water can flow around the bow). Going from Amsterdam to Budapest you will be going upstream on the Rhine and the Main, but downstream on the Danube. In some cities (eg Cologne) almost every river cruise docks on one side of the river (in Cologne the West [Cathedral] side), but in Budapest river boats dock on both the Buda side and the Pest side, but generally downstream from the Parliament. So Parliament should be on the Starboard side of the vessel when docked in Budapest, but not likely to have a particularly good view of the building since it will probably be at an angle (or even so far away not to be seen at all from your cabin). Do make the "journey" up to the sun deck where views are likely to be better. IMO make an effort to view Parliament from the Fisherman's Bastion, preferably both during the day and at night. Most river cruises includes at least one of these opportunities in their tours, and some provide both day and night visits.

 

enjoy

Thom

[nancyevans]

Last fall the Scenic dock was directly across the river from Parliament.

[Starlaker]

You all have responded to the original question with answers about docking. As you are cruising, is either side preferable?

Edited March 26, 2016 by Starlaker

[TravelerThom]

You all have responded to the original question with answers about docking. As you are cruising, is either side preferable?

Assuming the weather is decent, my strongly preferred side is topside. There will be awnings erected over part of the deck for those who wish less direct sun. You can see left, right, fore and aft, enjoy the breezes AND mingle with new friends. If the Sun Deck is closed due to low bridges or the weather is a little too hot, cool or rainy, then my preferred location is the observation lounge.

 

If you really want to stay in your cabin while cruising, while it is certainly true that some places the main sights will be on one side, overall there is no preferred side.

 

Thom

[Starlaker]

Thank you Thom. No, I don't prefer to stay in my cabin. However, I do plan to spend some time on my balcony in the AM in my jammies with my coffee. :) Just wondered if there was a preferred side of the ship.

[jeb_bud]

We cruised from Budapest to Nuremberg last August on the Opal so I can only comment on that part of the cruise. We were in room 320 which I think is on the port side, which was the south facing side most of the time since the Danube basically runs from west to east.

 

It was hot in August last year and the afternoon sun beating into our balcony made it impossible to sit out. If we cruise the Danube again in the summer time we will definitely ask for a room on the shady side. If we had been cruising in Spring or Fall the sunny side might be preferred for the extra warmth. I don't think it is possible to specify a "best" side of the boat from a scenic standpoint. There are great sights to see on both sides of the river.

 

As was stated earlier the ships always dock facing into the current. In the Danube stretch of the cruise our even numbered room almost always faced the shore. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing because sometimes the shore-side activities were interesting to watch. In Budapest, though, I wish we had been facing the river. As Nancyevans said we were docked right across the river from the Parliament building and I would have liked to have that view.

[JVilleGal]

I was going to say to stay away from the hot side if sailing in the summer!

[danielrhall]

It may be common knowledge, but one theory on the origin of the word posh has to do with which side of the ship on which to sail. On sea voyages from England to India, around the southern tip of Africa, it was highly desirous and almost certainly more expensive to be berthed on the side of the ship away from the sun. Thus more well-to-do passengers demanded to be Port Out, Starboard Home.

[Host Jazzbeau]

It may be common knowledge, but one theory on the origin of the word posh has to do with which side of the ship on which to sail. On sea voyages from England to India, around the southern tip of Africa, it was highly desirous and almost certainly more expensive to be berthed on the side of the ship away from the sun. Thus more well-to-do passengers demanded to be Port Out, Starboard Home.

 

There are some who pooh-pooh this origin story, but I say it goes in the old newspaper category of a "fact too good to check" :)

[notamermaid]

Amsterdam to Budapest is a long journey with direction change. South-East, East, South-East South-South-East, East, South-East, South. General direction, roughly calculated. As regards the sun you might choose a preference, but speaking of ports, they alternate so much, for cabin view, there you cannot go wrong either side of the ship.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

notamermaid

[Bodger]

We cruised from Budapest to Nuremberg last August on the Opal so I can only comment on that part of the cruise. We were in room 320 which I think is on the port side, which was the south facing side most of the time since the Danube basically runs from west to east.

 

Thanks for all of the responses. In the end our TA chose, and we ended up with cabin 325 on the Scenic Pearl.

 

As we are going the opposite direction, and are on the opposite side, we will be on the sunny side. We are going in the latter part of June, so hope to miss the worst of the summer heat.

 

Thanks,

 

John