River Cruise In December Question???

[TikiIslandGirl]

Hello All, just returned from my first river cruise and I am hooked!!! We went on the Uniworld Rhine-Main Discovery & Munich and had the best time. I went with my mother (left my dad and hubby home). My dad has been to Europe once and said he will never do that long of a flight again. My husband doesn't share my love of travel and long flights and being away from home stress him. My mom can't leave my dad every time so I thinking about going it alone.

 

I'm thinking about going during the first 2 weeks in December. I know its Christmas market time and I have been wanting to experience them but not everyday of the cruise. We had the perfect weather in May but I'm concerned about going in December and doing the non Christmas tours. I know weather is unpredictable but was just wondering what has been peoples experience. The reason for December is because I do want to see the Christmas markets and it is much easier for me to take off work. Thanks

[notamermaid]

Hello TikiIslandGirl,

 

great to hear you had such a lovely time. I remember you asking questions here on CC prior to your cruise. Another one hooked, welcome to the club! :D

 

Although I must admit that due to work, family commitments and health reasons I have been unsuccessfully planning my second river cruise for nearly four years. But that is beside the point.

 

You ask about Christmas market cruises. The first two weeks in December are a good idea, but you could leave any time after the 25th November to experience them. You can certainly go alone, I am sure it will be fun. Some companies have reduced single supplements or waive them on some dates altogether. Just look around. Perhaps Uniworld makes you an offer for repeat cruisers.

 

For the markets themselves Danube, Main, Rhine and Moselle are recommended. The Seine could work, not sure - perhaps a past cruisers can help here - and the Elbe would be nice but there are few cruises during that time.

 

There is a threat somewhere that gave many ideas... But I am sure others will be happy to tell you of their experiences.

 

notamermaid

[papa B me]

We took a Christmas market cruise on the Danube with Uniworld in 2015 on the Maria Theresa. It was wonderful. There were a number of solo travelers on our cruise.

 

Every port of the itinerary offers excursions that may or may not include Christmas markets. There are plenty of things to do and see other then the markets. They are always just a small part of the overall excursion. It is certainly colder then other times of year but it really adds to the atmosphere of the season. Don't forget it is also dark by about 4:30. We are about to go on our third Uniworld cruise in two weeks. We absolutely love them and Uniworld.

 

Happy to answer any specific questions about our Budapest to Passau December cruise

[TikiIslandGirl]

Our cruise had 7 solo females and we ended eating meals and going on tours with with 4 of them. We had the best time so I am hoping if I decide to go alone that there will be other people to mingle with. We ate together every night and our table of 6 became know as the lively fun table. I also want to thank everyone who answered all my questions before my cruise. It went smoothly and everything was spot on

[xmaser]

The weeks after US Thanksgiving until mid December are best for Christmas Markets - especially if you want to shop before the merchandise is too picked over. You can ignore the Christmas markets, but they are in the middle of the towns so they are hard to avoid - why on earth would you want to ignore them after all the trouble and expense of going on a Christmas Market Cruise? Certainly all of the regular sites would be available to you. The excursions make the markets available in addition to the standard experiences.

 

I have had some of the best European weather for photos (chilly and sunny) at that time. You can see snow and ice that early but it is more common after mid-December. I relish the temps in the 35F-45F range at Christmas time.

 

You might find an Amsterdam-Budapest trip for maximum Christmas market exposure or choose one of Rhine Basel-Amsterdam or Budapest-Regensburg for about a week long trip. Those rivers have the major markets - except the grandest of all, Dresden.

 

Dress warmly and enjoy the sausage and hot drinks! Oh, and don't be afraid of the Lebkuchken, they are molasses/spice cookies not gingerbread in the American sense. Who knows how that mistranslation started.

 

As you might guess from my name, I love Christmas markets. Have done them for the last several years.

 

Viking is the worst in prices for single travelers; AMA and Avalon have much friendlier pricing for singles.

 

You might not want to wait too long to book. Until this year the Christmas markets book up by the end of summer. Of course, who knows now?

[TikiIslandGirl]

Xmaser-I'm sorry if my post was confusing-I do want to see the Christmas markets but I also want to experience other parts of the cities that we are visiting also. I have read a lot about the Christmas markets and I'm ready to drink and eat my way through them :D I guess I'm wondering if the weather will affect the enjoyment of the other tours but as I know weather is unpredictable.

[JohnKen3]

It is difficult to comment without knowing you.

Are you OK if you do not see the sun shining for a week, having to wrap up warming before heading outdoors, not sitting on the top deck taking in the scenery, putting up with rain/drizzle all day long and possibly walking in snow? On my winter Danube cruise, they even had to spread salt/grit on the decks.

 

This is winter in central and eastern Europe. It will be like the mid-America at the same time of year. If you are fine with that then Europe has lots to offer.

 

I could not believe a fellow passenger complain that he had not seen the sunshine for several days and it was cold and wet. It is winter! What do you expect? Some people's expectations are just weird.

[ewizabeff]

I've traveled to Germany twice during the Christmas market season (not on a river cruise) and done plenty of normal touring in addition to the markets. As long as you dress appropriately, you'll be fine. In my experience it was never bitterly cold (I'm from Wisconsin - I know what that is) and often I didn't even need a hat or gloves. You can definitely experience the area in November or December - the Christmas markets are an added bonus!

[notamermaid]

It is difficult to comment without knowing you.

Are you OK if you do not see the sun shining for a week, having to wrap up warming before heading outdoors, not sitting on the top deck taking in the scenery, putting up with rain/drizzle all day long and possibly walking in snow? On my winter Danube cruise, they even had to spread salt/grit on the decks.

 

This is winter in central and eastern Europe. It will be like the mid-America at the same time of year. If you are fine with that then Europe has lots to offer.

 

I could not believe a fellow passenger complain that he had not seen the sunshine for several days and it was cold and wet. It is winter! What do you expect? Some people's expectations are just weird.

 

Very much agree, JonKen3. The Rhine valley can be anything of what you have described. But it could be nicer, with sunshine for three to four hours a day. I tend to say we get the weather from the British isles, but we have it two degrees colder in winter then. 6 degree in London, 4 degrees with us. If that weather makes it to the Danube, then it will be two degrees less again, so 2.

 

Bavaria (and Austria) is normally always colder than the Rhine valley, they get snow before us and more of it!

 

notamermaid

[papa B me]

I should have elaborated in my first reply but the weather the first week of December in 2015 on our cruise started out the week around 40 degrees while we were touring but by the end of the week was near 50. The common recommendation of layering is really important. Obviously it can be colder but I agree that the weather would be similar to the Midwest.

 

Some of the types of tours we experienced that would have the markets sprinkled in:

 

Budapest: Walking tour of Fishermans Bastian, Cathedral, etc... Bus tour and walking tour of Pest side. Lots of free time to go to the central market as well as numerous Christmas Markets

 

Vienna: Mozart/Straus concert in the evening, Tour of Schonbrun palace, walking tour of the old city

 

Bratislava: Walking tour of the city that ended at the Christmas Market in the Square

 

Dursnstein: Abbey tour with organ concert or spend the day in Durnstein on you own

 

Linz: Full day tour to Salzburg or stay in Linz and go to two a Medieval market and the Christmas post office

 

Passau: Walking tour that included a Gingerbread making exhibition.

 

Again there were always visits built in for the Christmas Markets. Frequently they were at the end of the tour. Many of them were in walking distance of the ship or there was a shuttle provided. We didn't experience one day where all there was to do was a Christmas Market.

 

As I mentioned in my previous post there were a number of women traveling solo either because their husbands had no interest or they were single. We commonly sat at tables or walked and talked with solo travelers. I don't believe you will have any negative issues traveling solo with Uniworld. You may want to check their website to see which of their Christmas cruises waive the solo supplement.

 

Finally the only negative we found comparing our December cruise on the Danube to our July cruise on the Rhine was the early darkness kept us from our normal bike riding along the river or long walks prior to or after dinner. I may very well plan this save itinerary for 2018 in the summer so we can enjoy the daylight hours and take more active tours hiking and biking. They do not offer these type of tours on the Christmas market cruises.

 

Hope this helps.

[Ritabob]

We have travelled with Uniworld on their Christmas-new years cruise, so experienced colder darker days. Loved it.

Gloves, hats, scarves, waterproof shoes / boots, knee socks, and layers are a must. A water resistant coat is helpful if it gets a bit drizzly or the snow is wet.

And now that the OP has travelled with Uniworld she gets a bag of laundry done for free if she chooses to travel with them again.

 

As for riding bikes in the winter...we rode a bit almost every day....Christmas morning in Regensberg and new years day in Vienna...it can be done :D

RB

[caviargal]

We have been to Europe for the Christmas market and holiday season a dozen or so times, and weather has varied wildly.

 

This is our favorite time to be in Europe and we completely embrace and enjoy the magical markets. We don't shop but we love the festive ambiance, food, music, skating and local festivities. We pack for the weather and deal with it as it comes.

 

We had had everything from 60 degree days to 22 inches of snowfall on our trips.

 

About 6 of these have been a combo of river cruise and land trip, with the rest being DIY land trips. Generally we base in 3 different cities/countries for 3-4 days each and do day trips from there, based on the markets we want to visit as well as the weather that day.

 

We have found that river cruises at this time of year have a higher percentage of women travelers than at others. And the ship's decorations are gorgeous!

 

Our preference is AMA overall.

[TikiIslandGirl]

Thanks everyone for your input. I have to decide the pros vs cons on sailing this time of year and the cost. I also have come across some tours with globus called globus escapes during the same time frame that would be significantly cheaper but it would be a bus tour instead of a river cruise. Decisions to make.

[gnome12]

To me there is a HUGE advantage to not having to pack up every day (or almost everyday) to get on a bus. I used to do cycling tours in Europe, and that is what eventually got to me. You are always living out of a suitcase, and it is time consuming, especially if there is someone who is habitually late.

 

I have done bus tours in both South Africa and in Spain, because to see what I wanted to see I needed to be mobile. But if I can avoid it, I will.

[caviargal]

To me there is a HUGE advantage to not having to pack up every day (or almost everyday) to get on a bus. I used to do cycling tours in Europe, and that is what eventually got to me. You are always living out of a suitcase, and it is time consuming, especially if there is someone who is habitually late.

 

I have done bus tours in both South Africa and in Spain, because to see what I wanted to see I needed to be mobile. But if I can avoid it, I will.

 

A bus tour is my idea of hell. Even on a river cruise, we choose itineraries that have us docking in or very close to city centers. The Douro had too many long bus rides for me.

[Hoyaheel]

I would go to one place, rent an apartment, and do day trips. That's my general preference for travel anyway (and without the day trips, even - depending on the size of the place and purpose of the trip) I love Christmas Markets and I find river cruises an overpriced way to visit them (on the other hand, visiting the Markets was the only way my husband could get me on any river cruise;p)

[Cruiseskier]

Tikiislandgirl, I am doing the same cruise (Aug) that you just completed. Can you let me know the pro's and con's of your trip? Thanks.

[TikiIslandGirl]

Cruiseskier-this was my first river cruise so I have nothing to compare it to but will share my thoughts (this was both mine and my mothers best vacation ever :D I will also share some thoughts from fellow cruisers. Also we aren't Jewish but had several choices of tours. You will get a email that says you have to sign up for any of the Jewish heritage tours 30 days in advance and your name on the reservation must match exactly the name on the passport. But once there I think we could have signed up for any of the Jewish tours. We only did the dachau concentration camp

 

Pre cruise hotel in Munich was Le Meridan. Very nice hotel and breakfast. Convenient to the Marienplatz area. The host for the land tour was Eva and she did a great job.

 

We were on the very first sailing and signing up for tours was a little confusing/disorganized so hopefully the kinks have been worked out. The CD was great and hard working.

 

The one thing I would want people to know if you have mobility issues I would think twice about this itinerary. Even though they have a gentle/slow walker option I wouldn't have considered would they did as slow. We hung out with a lady who was 80 with some leg issues and she said this wasn't like her other tours on river cruises. We did ALOT of walking up and down and uneven paths

 

We loved every one of the tour guides and all did a great job. Love love love the audio boxes

 

Now the ship. Yes the rooms are small but we had zero issues with them. Several solos were complaining about how small they were but there was plenty of storage and room for the 2 of us. The ship doesn't have a elevator but has a chair that will take you down via the rail.

 

Food was excellent and the wines every night were great (I drank them all lol) I can honestly say all the crew deserve a a+. The only negative thing I can think of was they offered a dinner on the top deck 2 different nights (limited to 20 people) that was supposed to be el fresco but actually inside a closed up room. It echoed so loudly that it was impossible to have a conversation. The food was very good but not any better or different than in the dining room. So I would skip it next time.

 

We ended in cologne and needed to get to the train station to fly from Frankfurt. No problem. The CD arranged for a pick up at the pier and dropped us off at the train station.

 

If you have more specific questions let me know. I would do this itinerary again in a heart beat. The only people I would possibility discourage from going if you have mobility issues. And maybe they have worked out that isuus by now.

[Cruiseskier]

TikiIslandgirl, Thanks for the information. We are not Jewish either and have been looking at the tours that are offered. A couple of questions.

1. In Miltenberg. The tour time show 3/4 of a day including Village day. But it also shows lunch included. Is there a lunch (included) during Village day or do you head back to the ship?

 

2. In Cologne. Does the walking tour include the Cathedral, And one of the other options, museum, Jewish heritage, or beer tastings, or are they separate tours?

 

This will be our second Uniworld cruise. We did Castles on the Rhine last Sept. and loved it.

[TikiIslandGirl]

We did the Miltenburg tour (it was a holiday the day we were there so they walked us around and than we had to wait to go on the optional tour that we picked because everything was closed.) We did the vineyard tour and they had snacks but not a full lunch. We went back to ship for lunch. I don't know about lunch on the Jewish tour.

 

Cologne-everyone does the tour to the Cathedral than you pick the option you wanted. We chose the beer tasting and it really was sit down in the restaurant and have a beer. I thought it was a brewery tour. But had a great time anyway.

[Cruiseskier]

Thanks for the info.