Skipping a night onboard

[SpidermanInky]

I'm planning a cruise on Avalon on the Rhine next December, and I'm curious if it's generally possible to skip a night on board the boat, for example to stay in a local town overnight, and make your way to the next port of call the next day to meet the boat without causing tremendous chaos and consternation with the crew.

[sparks1093]

I wouldn't do it without first clearing it with the crew and I would abide by what they say.

[jsn55]

I can't imagine your Cruise Director having a problem with this ... might make you sign a release that you're totally responsible for yourself.  I wouldn't try to deal with Avalon's back office, just discuss it with your CD.  

[Daisi]

Just a suggestion to make things easier, is it possible to add your own post cruise visit, and take a train from Basel or Amsterdam to whatever town you wist to spend overnight at? We took a train from Basel to Amsterdam, we stayed right along the river until we hit Cologne, passing through all the towns we had stopped at. Trains are an easy way to travel around. 

 

This way you could probably spend as long as you wish visiting.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Welcome of to Cruise Critic and particularly to River Cruising!  I see that your thread was moved here, which is the best place for info on river cruising.  You should look at the 'Sticky' threads at the top of the forum; they contain tons of great information about all aspects of river cruising.  Then skim the thread topics, and do a search [in 'This Forum'] for Avalon – be sure to read the thread All Things Avalon.

[CPT Trips]

Yes it is definitely doable. But as others have noted it’s necessary to discuss your plans with the ship's staff. Personally, I would only do this if I had cell and data service with WhatsApp loaded on my phone. 
 

[ural guy]

Quick answer:  Yes, just let the CD on board know.

 

Low water cruise 2019, we stayed in Basel for 5 nights, as boat was stuck in Koblenz.  We bussed to the sites every day, with the drive getting longer each day.  When they told us we were going to bus to Strasbourg, head back to Basel for the night, then bus to Koblenz the next day, stopping in Heidelburg enroute to ship, I started planning.

 

I booked a cheap room in Strasbourg, and took the train to Koblenz.  This allowed me to get some great night pictures in Strasbourg, and visit a museum in Koblenz that I wouldn't have had time for.  The cruise bus was supposed to make it to the ship by 1700, due to Autobahn issues they didn't make it until 2100.  

 

In Koblenz I stumbled across a CD I had sailed with previously, and she pointed me towards the docking location.  She told me she thought it was 'cool' that I had jumped ship. 

 

Both CD and spouse blessed off on plan, and I had an adventure.

This is your cruise, enjoy it as you choose!

 

(*My spouse may be atypical, 20 year's Army active duty.  She understands ya gotta zig sometimes when everyone else zags.  No plan survives initial contact with the enemy.  Flexibility is key.)

 

 

[ljandgb]

If this is the OP's first river cruise, I'd add the caveat that where and when the ship docks is sometimes fluid (no pun intended) - unlike ocean cruising, where the docks are almost always in one location and the times set a year in advance.  I'd want to make sure I had a good, reliable way to communicate with the ship when and where it will be the next day.

[notamermaid]

In short: doable certainly, a couple on my river cruise did it.

 

In long and with the caveat added by previous posters: I would say it is advisable to inform the ship before you start cruising, there may be logistics you are not aware of when you book beyond the fact that on the Rhine an itinerary often involves a move of the ship to the next port during the day, i.e. during an excursion . If you miss the vessel due to issues like docking, low/high water, etc. you could face a problem. No ship waits or docks for you specially as far as I know. River cruising may seem laid back but the details of schedule and docking are more intricate than they appear (think locks, rafting, organizing docking location and change at short notice).

52 minutes ago, ljandgb said:

I'd want to make sure I had a good, reliable way to communicate with the ship when and where it will be the next day.

Fully agree. It is also important not to rely on a taxi driver to know or find the docking location straight away.

 

notamermaid