Basel to Frankfurt

[mtebor]

Curious,

Why is it that I see many cruises ending in Basel but not many starting there?

 

I thought the cruise joint went from point A to point B and then back again. Yet when I search Basil to Frankfurt I have a hard time finding some.

[gnome12]

Most routes are Basel - Amsterdam and reverse, which is the Rhine cruise.

 

You are looking at the Main and Rhine. I did it with Uniworld in 2011; at the time it was split into Vienna to Nuremburg and Nuremburg to Basel.

 

I don't think many cruises stop in Frankfurt.

[mtebor]

I am looking at an Emerald that goes from Frankfurt to Basel. Just wondering how they get the boat back to Franfurt?

[notamermaid]

They might not go back to Frankfurt. Basel to Frankfurt is an unusal itinerary and possibly only available a few times per season. From Basel they could offer next a week-long cruise to Amsterdam. From Basel they could sail empty to Frankfurt of course but in general cruise companies will avoid this as it is like an empty taxi driving - using fuel but not generating money.

 

A long look at their website might reveal the answer.

 

notamermaid

[gnome12]

I tried to explore the Emerald website. They only run Basel - Frankfurt 3 times in 2018, July 27 on Sky, August 26 on Star, and Sept 30 on Star. I was trying to find a Danube cruise that began somewhere near there at the end of these cruises, but I couldn't.

[gnome12]

I wonder whether the ships are being chartered beginning in Frankfurt, so they modified the previous itinerary to end it there. That might explain why there are so few Basel - Frankfurt trips, and only in 2018.

[Floridiana]

I was trying to find a Danube cruise that began somewhere near there at the end of these cruises, but I couldn't.

 

Danube cruises will probably start in Nuremberg or Passau or in close-by smaller towns. The part of the Danube with issues in low water is located between Nuremberg and Passau.

 

If you found a good price on flights to Frankfurt, you may just opt to do your own thing in the Main Valley and reach Passau by train. Arosa river cruises markets mainly to Germans and offers pick-ups at Passau train station. I even found a 2 week cruise that returns to Passau. They don't repeat their ports going down and up the Danube.

[gnome12]

Danube cruises will probably start in Nuremberg or Passau or in close-by smaller towns. The part of the Danube with issues in low water is located between Nuremberg and Passau.

 

If you found a good price on flights to Frankfurt, you may just opt to do your own thing in the Main Valley and reach Passau by train. Arosa river cruises markets mainly to Germans and offers pick-ups at Passau train station. I even found a 2 week cruise that returns to Passau. They don't repeat their ports going down and up the Danube.

 

I'm not the OP, but I think I've been looking at this backwards. I should be trying to find a cruise that ENDS somewhere near Frankfurt BEFORE the Frankfurt - Basel cruises. I still hold to my position that there might be charters before that want to end in Frankfurt and so Emerald has modified an itinerary to begin there.

[Floridiana]

I see. Could be a charter in between the 'normal' itineraries.

[gnome12]

Actually, I found what they are doing. They are splitting Amsterdam to Basel itineraries by diverting to Frankfurt, breaking it up as Amsterdam to Frankfurt, followed by Frankfurt to Amsterdam.

[notamermaid]

Aah, thanks, gnome12, that explains it!

 

Arosa does some nice itineraries, but two years ago an Arosa representative told me that for organizational reasons they had got rid of Frankfurt as an embarkation port.

 

I have not looked recently, but perhaps CroisiEurope has some offers.

 

I also recall reading that Erlangen will be used as an embarkation port, Viking had started that last year. Erlangen is Northwest of Nuremberg.

 

It is always possible to take a train from a major town to another town in Germany, good train service allround. I went from Koblenz to Passau for my river cruise.

 

notamermaid

[mtebor]

thanks for the explanation.