cruisr Posted November 18, 2021 #76 Share Posted November 18, 2021 I am tripled vaxxed now and have no qualms at all going to Europe and visiting the markets that are open. Leaving after Thanksgiving. Covid will be with us forever in one form or another. I choose to travel and enjoy life rather than stay home. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted November 18, 2021 Author #77 Share Posted November 18, 2021 @cruisr Good to hear you are relaxed about it and happy to come. Whatever happens with the markets, the lights will be great. You may get some snow, who knows... It may well snow in Würzburg on 25th and 26th November. Along the Rhine it is a little too warm, but it could snow above 600m above sea level, which you would climb to in an excursion to the Black Forest. Are you coming on a river cruise or land trip this time? notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare steamboats Posted November 19, 2021 #78 Share Posted November 19, 2021 Austria will announce a full lockdown for the whole country later today. It will be a full lockdown for 10 days starting by Monday (including closure of schools). There´s an option to extend the lockdown for another 10 days. steamboats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malcliz Posted November 19, 2021 #79 Share Posted November 19, 2021 33 minutes ago, steamboats said: Austria will announce a full lockdown for the whole country later today. It will be a full lockdown for 10 days starting by Monday (including closure of schools). There´s an option to extend the lockdown for another 10 days. steamboats What will the river boats do that are sailing in Austria now like the Crystal Ravel that we were on last week? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted November 19, 2021 Author #80 Share Posted November 19, 2021 (edited) 5 hours ago, malcliz said: What will the river boats do that are sailing in Austria now like the Crystal Ravel that we were on last week? That is a good question for CC people to find the answer to by asking the companies directly. As public life will be shut, I reckon it is either "go for a walk in Vienna past closed shops" or "sail through the country without stopping". The latter would be the more logical one as river cruise ships are hotels essentially, i.e. the hospitality trade. One would need to look at the exact wording in the regulations. As a side note, a very important one: a sad day for democracy as a Western democratic country, or seen politically a "Rechtsstaat" in German, has turned to the measure of compulsory vaccination for all its eligible citizens. A desperate move that the Austrian government is well aware of that it should be the last resort. notamermaid Edited November 19, 2021 by notamermaid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare steamboats Posted November 19, 2021 #81 Share Posted November 19, 2021 More bad news for you (and me): Bavaria will go into a lockdown starting Nov 24th til Dec 15th. All Christmas markets are cancelled!!! In those counties which have a 7 day number over 1,000 there will be a complete lockdown (except for schools which stay open). But shops, restaurants, sports, culture... has to close. Currently along the Danube river it´s just the county of Passau (not the city itself!) which is over 1,000. But Vilshofen is located in the county of Passau. In the rest of Bavaria there are quite a few restrictions like bars, clubs, discos have to close. Regular restaurants have a curfew at 10 pm. Almost all other venues have 2G (but you all need to be vaccinated anyway). Limited numbers of spectators for sports events and more which won´t affect you as tourists. steamboats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Second seating Posted November 19, 2021 #82 Share Posted November 19, 2021 I think our land trip to Belgium for Christmas Markets is biting the dust! Second seating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLRDUKS Posted November 19, 2021 #83 Share Posted November 19, 2021 If Austria goes into "full lockdown", what does that mean for trains? We will be going from Budapest, through Austria, to Switzerland for our 2nd of Back to Back cruises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted November 19, 2021 Author #84 Share Posted November 19, 2021 2 minutes ago, Second seating said: I think our land trip to Belgium for Christmas Markets is biting the dust! Second seating Not yet. Brussels wants to go ahead with the Christmas market: https://www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/194264/brussels-christmas-market-plans-to-go-ahead-despite-new-measures/ I guess the states of Hesse and Baden-Wurttemberg will see a high number of Bavarian number plates next week... Please do not bring Covid to Rhineland-Palatinate, we are still doing okay (not really, but just compared to Bavaria and Austria). notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted November 19, 2021 Author #85 Share Posted November 19, 2021 3 minutes ago, KLRDUKS said: If Austria goes into "full lockdown", what does that mean for trains? We will be going from Budapest, through Austria, to Switzerland for our 2nd of Back to Back cruises. Public transport is hardly affected by this generally speaking but to make sure of regulations and whether your train may be the odd one cancelled, do keep an eye on this and see what ÖBB announces. If this is part of your cruise package I would speak to the cruise line. notamermaid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare steamboats Posted November 19, 2021 #86 Share Posted November 19, 2021 Public transport shouldn´t be affected. Here in Germany they just implemented the 3G rule for public transportation. But as you´re all vaccinated this won´t be a problem. Slight correction, shops don´t close in Bavaria. Just a limitation of the number of people which are allowed in a shop (depending on the size of the shop). steamboats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoneyJan Posted November 19, 2021 #87 Share Posted November 19, 2021 I need to be clear on the Bavarian Markets being closed. Is Regensburg Thun & Taxis closing? Nurnemburg? I am in Budapest today and have a river cruise that departs from Regensburg on Nov. 27. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted November 19, 2021 Author #88 Share Posted November 19, 2021 Nuremberg: https://www.christkindlesmarkt.de/en/ notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted November 19, 2021 Author #89 Share Posted November 19, 2021 The last word has not been spoken on Thurn und Taxis, as Regensburg district authorities need to impose a ban (they actually gave the go-ahead earlier today) and the fact that it is private grounds may play to the organizers' advantage. German newspaper: https://www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de/bayern/trotz-söders-ansage-weihnachtsmarkt-bei-thurn-und-taxis-soll-öffnen_arid-347959 notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare steamboats Posted November 19, 2021 #90 Share Posted November 19, 2021 Thurn und Taxis said they do open at least until Nov 24th. And they might file a lawsuit. They are waiting for an official "no go" by the local authorities. steamboats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funky Fusion FoodsJ Posted November 19, 2021 #91 Share Posted November 19, 2021 Looks like we have our answer, no more Christmas river cruises in 2021..... https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/6611/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjde Posted November 19, 2021 #92 Share Posted November 19, 2021 Only Avalon so far and only on the Danube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted November 19, 2021 Author #93 Share Posted November 19, 2021 Lawsuit - I kind of expect them too. Interesting move and understandable. They certainly have the money to do it. But there is the revenue from the stalls and the turnover for the market vendors to think of. One may rightly ask: why can supermarkets that are indoors stay open but an outdoor market of stalls cannot? notamermaid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted November 19, 2021 Author #94 Share Posted November 19, 2021 Saxony more or less follows the example of Bavaria and closes venues. It has also cancelled Christmas markets. But in top of that tourists are not allowed in hotels, etc. Does that put and end to river cruises? Not sure. They are hotels. notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgatc Posted November 19, 2021 #95 Share Posted November 19, 2021 We are on the Crystal Debussy on December 8th down the Rhine, from AtoB. Waiting to see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted November 19, 2021 Author #96 Share Posted November 19, 2021 Koblenz Christmas market has opened today. Perhaps I will make a quick dash there in the next three days before it has a chance to close, seeing that things are not going too well in Rhineland-Palatinate either. notamermaid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjde Posted November 19, 2021 #97 Share Posted November 19, 2021 Do you think they'll actually close once they've opened? Forgive my geographic stupidity, but are there any major towns on the Rhine or Danube in Saxony? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare notamermaid Posted November 19, 2021 Author #98 Share Posted November 19, 2021 4 minutes ago, sjde said: Do you think they'll actually close once they've opened? Forgive my geographic stupidity, but are there any major towns on the Rhine or Danube in Saxony? Not stupid, believe me, I would be challenged to put Colorado on a North American map. The only river for cruising in Saxony is the Elbe. Along the Elbe, the city that has the greatest draw for tourists is Dresden. It has one of the oldest Christmas markets in Germany, many say the oldest. Federal and state level give framework and regulations but it is up to lower administration to enforce rules. The rules can be challenged by the public and institutions in a kind of "deal with this fast at short notice" court hearing. I guess this is what Thurn and Taxis in Regensburg will do with their market. If the authorities say so, a market can be closed once it has been opened. A hygiene plan is drawn up for every major event, if this does not find approval, an event is not allowed. I can see this happening in several places potentially. Several small markets have already been cancelled not because of high infection rates but because the organizers could not meet the demands of the authorities for a "safe event". notamermaid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted November 20, 2021 #99 Share Posted November 20, 2021 I heard Ama cancelled Danube also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmomoftwo Posted November 20, 2021 #100 Share Posted November 20, 2021 Notamermaid, I am glad you forgive geography questions. I am from Texas 🙂 So you probably could pick out my great state on a map... but maybe not. Anyway, what do you think the chances of the Rhine Christmas Market cruises going in early- mid December? We are scheduled Dec 10 to fly to Switzerland....and then hop on the Rhine for Christmas Markets. Would love your input Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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