A-Rosa River Cruise Line tips and tricks?

[LRed]

I have booked a 9 day A-Rosa River cruise on the Rhine and Main in early July for my parents,  my husband, my two boys (12 & 10) and myself. We will be departing from Cologne and I was wondering if anyone has cruised with them and has any tips to make this trip magical?

My husband speaks German and the rest of us are learning even though this is an international sailing to include English speaking support.

Our itinerary looks amazing and I am trying to book private tours in each city so that my Mom can enjoy the sights. (She cannot walk long distances)

Anytips would be greatly appreciated!

Also, does anyone know if we can start a Roll Call for a cruise line that isn't already listed on CruiseCritic?

 

Thanks!

Lisa

[Coral]

I would be hesitant to book any private tours right now. I wonder if this cruise is actually going to happen. Make sure everything is refundable.

[notamermaid]

At this point in time it is very difficult to say what your cruise will look like. I assume the cruise will run, should be feasible, but if you can be on it as a North-American we cannot be sure. Prepare yourself for that.

 

Have you booked the basic product or excursions included? The excursions will be good, but they may be too much for your mother, only her and you can judge that.

 

I would not book private excursions at this point, but you and your husband especially could go through websites of the towns you will see and phone places for info on accessibility and options for chauffeured tours in English. Perhaps your mother has special interests, sometimes just one photo is enough to say "I want to see this" and make it special.

 

One tip: in Cologne and Koblenz there are rikshas, the service in Cologne can be a guided tour, not sure about Koblenz.

 

Beer gardens along the riverside are great for relaxation and just enjoying being away from home, watching people and the ships sailing past.

 

Have fun planning.

 

notamermaid

 

[gnome12]

12 hours ago, LRed said:

Also, does anyone know if we can start a Roll Call for a cruise line that isn't already listed on CruiseCritic?

Your chances of finding anyone on your particular cruise is minuscule. Even on ships with thousands of passengers not many are on Cruise Critic. With ships that hold fewer than 200 passengers, it is very unlikely. In addition, because A-Rosa isn't a line that generally caters to the English-speaking market, your chances become even smaller.

 

If you do want to try river cruising roll calls for all lines except Viking go here.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/546-all-other-river-cruise-roll-calls/

You have to browse to see if your cruise is there; if not you can start a new topic. Good luck.

[sharkster77]

Also, given that docking times are extremely fluid, booking independent excursions on a river cruise is very difficult.  Docking and departure times are often not assigned by rivermasters until last minute, and often ship is navigating locks while folks are on an excursion.  So you could return to the ship and it may not be where you left it.

 

As many have said, ocean and river cruising are similar only in that there is a ship floating on water.  

[notamermaid]

Important point @sharkster77

During a river cruise, know of a scheduled "dock here, go on excursion, we will pick you up elsewhere" and be prepared for any kind of last minute change to schedule.

 

One minor thing that can be a disappointment to many I have just remembered. Depending on ship, the sun deck is closed for much of the Main river sailing. A-ROSA are likely to have this info somewhere on the website, if not, I reckon it will be in your info folder if you are sent one.

 

This is our thread on the Main river:

 

 

 

notamermaid

 

Edited April 6, 2021 by notamermaid
Added link

[steamboats]

Hi Lisa,

 

so far, US citizens can´t travel to Germany or Europe (EU). Nobody can tell you what´s going on in July right now. Itineraries on river cruises can change - low or high water can change the route. So booking individual tours is not really easy. Keep an eye on the cancellation rules.

 

I´ve cruised once with A-Rosa but on the Douro river in Portugal. There aren´t many secrets to share. Just enjoy your trip! Watch the scenery, enjoy the cities and towns along the rivers.

 

We can tell you more if you can let us know the exact itinerary.

 

steamboats