possibly silly newbie question

[island lady]

14 minutes ago, CastleCritic said:

Ok let’s go for the virtual cruise on that route (this was 3 different cruises to cover that distance)

 

First we get to Cologne, a "youre in port all day and can walk there (though they had a bus if you really wanted it) port.

Next we get to the Main, and things get a bit more relaxed, we. were dropped off, did

one excursion, were bused to the next city and then did ANOTHER and then got back on the ship.

 

 

Here's a strange one, we were dropped off, the ship left, we went on a bus BACK up the river where the ship already had gone through (there was another AMA ship docked there), did an excursion then met the ship (the low bridge shot I posted yesterday) for a short evening excursion and the ship stayed there until late

 

 

 

 

 

All day/half day excursions from LINZ

 

 

a full day in Vienna, 3 possible excursions and a shuttle bus running to and from the ship (and the metro wasnt far)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whew...that schedule would really require a nap!!  😮   Don't see any 13 minute time slot scheduled for one in there anywhere.  😉 

[CastleCritic]

1 minute ago, island lady said:

 

Whew...that schedule would really require a nap!!  😮   Don't see any 13 minute time slot scheduled for one in there anywhere.  😉 

If you think you need a nap doing that, I should have posted the one from the day before the Main really started where a decent group size biked from Rudesheim to Mainz to meet the ship there when it (mostly) changed rivers...we were late leaving because they were late getting there 🙂

 

I took the bus to Mainz instead......

[Canal archive]

Not brilliant I know but one of these was always put up in reception each morning just an idea.

 

[CastleCritic]

interesting to see how the different lines handle it

looks like when I did (with AMA)  Roen we arrived about 10pm the night before and then left about 1:45 (ship mostly went without us we were bused to a Chateau as soon as it left and then met it at Caudebec).

 

I read that scenic schedule as being a full day in Roen and probably some time the next day.

[Kristelle]

thank you for those examples.

 

does Scenic have similar to Castle Critics example from AMA of excercise classes on board?  - I would enjoy doing them

 

I'm not into bike riding but  I see where you could make it more active by, in one example, walking 20 minutes to the ship instead of going on the bus after the excursion.

 

less than 5 weeks till we depart now...... ⛵

 

 

[Canal archive]

I’ve never seen an actual list but every morning on our last cruise they had a stretching class and I know they offered Pilates and yoga. If they had offered Tia Chi I just might have had a go. I believe it could change throughout the fleet depending on the fitness expert on board, not all are qualified in all disciplines.

There is a walking track on the top deck for use between 8am & 8pm and even on Scenic Gem a small gymnasium. Talk to the reception crew they will have all the details of what is available or bend the ear of your butler who will be able to find out what’s on offer.

Edited July 28, 2023 by Canal archive

[CastleCritic]

15 hours ago, Kristelle said:

thank you for those examples.

 

does Scenic have similar to Castle Critics example from AMA of excercise classes on board?  - I would enjoy doing them

 

I'm not into bike riding but  I see where you could make it more active by, in one example, walking 20 minutes to the ship instead of going on the bus after the excursion.

 

less than 5 weeks till we depart now...... ⛵

 

 

Well...usually if its a 20minute walk to the ship its too convoluted to really walk.  I think Ive had a few exceptions  though.  But thats DEFINITELY not to say even in places where the excursions are (unless you are in the gentle walking group where they will generally make some kind of arrangement) a fairly short walk back to the ship either on your own or in the group, you can definitely get your steps in.  Again if youre docked somewhere and you want to go look around on your own, no one is going to stop you (they'll probably offer you a water on the way out the door in fact), just pay attention to the "all aboard" time...thats all they really care about.

 

Last cruise, in Vidin we had a PRETTY long walk around, and I decided I didn't get enough pictures of the castle/fortress so I walked all the way back over there from the ship and then back...I should have borrowed a bike...something I realized when I saw other passengers riding them on the way back..My legs hated me that day. 

 

but I got my pictures.

 

[Kristelle]

15 minutes ago, CastleCritic said:

Well...usually if its a 20minute walk to the ship its too convoluted to really walk.

 

Sorry I don't understand what this sentence means.

 

PS- great photo! 

[CastleCritic]

1 hour ago, Kristelle said:

 

Sorry I don't understand what this sentence means.

 

PS- great photo! 

It means that European streets can be windy and end in a dead end which can be an issue if you are trying to walk back on your own. And even though you know you generally need to get to the river it’s possible to get pretty lost real quick. Happened to me in Prague. I ended up on the riverbank about a half mile from where I intended to. (Not that Prague is a city you get to by ship). 
 

helps to have a smartphone for sure though. 
 

 

 

[franski]

Hi - just my thoughts on a few things that have been mentioned...

 

Toilets: They will usually build in a bathroom stop somewhere on the tour.  And, it will usually be free as the guides will have sourced these out.  Any tour I have been on that included pay toilets resulted in the guide paying.  They either pay individually, or pay a group amount to the person manning the doorway so that all of the tour can use the facilities. Of course, if you are wandering on your own, the cost is yours.

 

Wheelhouse tours:  I have been on a few cruises where this has been offered. On one tour, the captain indicated they liked to keep a semi-open door for guests.  Just knock on the door - if it wasn't a good time, they would let you know to come back.  On other trips, there was a sign up sheet with set times (same as galley tours). 

 

Down time: As others have said, read the day-to-day closely.  They won't give specific times - but will usually say things such as morning sailing, set sail over lunch, cruising over dinner, in port overnight. If you know you have down time coming up - and will be docked - ask the cruise director for some suggestions.  Often the optional or added (ie: not included, pay to play) excursions are in the afternoon.   A lot will depend on where your boat has docked - easy to wander if you are docked close to the city centre.  But, you may not be.  We have been to Regensburg twice - once docked just down from the Sausage kitchen (so did lunch on our own that day...) and once we were a bus ride away.

 

Also - if you do not think you would be interested in the included tour, you can travel with the group and then branch out on your own.  Just make sure you know when and how to return to the boat.  When we visited Rouen for the 2nd time, we had no interest in doing another walking tour.  (Other stops on that cruise had options - so, same river, different excursions...). One of the staff recommended the Joan of Arc museum that had just opened.  It was a great experience!!  So, sometimes the crew can help out...

 

Enjoy!!

 

Fran

 

[CastleCritic]

11 minutes ago, franski said:

 

 

Also - if you do not think you would be interested in the included tour, you can travel with the group and then branch out on your own.  Just make sure you know when and how to return to the boat.  When we visited Rouen for the 2nd time, we had no interest in doing another walking tour.  (Other stops on that cruise had options - so, same river, different excursions...). One of the staff recommended the Joan of Arc museum that had just opened.  It was a great experience!!  So, sometimes the crew can help out...

 

Enjoy!!

 

Fran

 

Yep yep, but know that some times this could be harder than others.  If you get off the bus and ask the guide where to meet it may be "right here" but it also might be something more generic like "in the city center" .  Ive more seen the branch offs after the group reaches (or sees) the meeting point as the guide will usually either just say "we will be meeting here later" or ever branch the tour themselves by saying  "if anyone wants to go with me to see X otherwise see us back here at 1pm or just let me know that youre going back to the ship on your own (obviously in cases where walking back is possible)".

 

Know that in some cities the buses arent allowed near the excursion target and in some cases the pickup and drop-offs wont be the same place. Hell in May even the guide didnt know where the bus intended to go and we ended up waiting awhile before she called to find out where he was.

 

But the guides wouldn't be getting repeat hirings if they were losing passengers so they tend to be very verbose with making sure people know about the meeting arrangements.

Edited July 28, 2023 by CastleCritic

[pontac]

17 hours ago, Kristelle said:

Scenic have similar to Castle Critics example from AMA of excercise classes on board?  - I would enjoy doing them

 

I'm not into bike riding but  I see where you could make it more active

 

I've looked at the daily schedules for the Scenic cruise I did last October. There was 'morning exercises' from 07:30 - 08:00 (don't ask me what they were like - I didn't go near them)

 

The bikes are electric; they're big and heavy and the battery didn't obviate the need for pedalling up hill. Some riders found them too much work.

 

Walking back to the boat in most towns is easy, even if you can't see river. Keep heading down hill, the river will be at the lowest point.

 

While some other cruise lines give out bottles of water to guests leaving the boat, Scenic supply a water bottle in the room and it's your responsibility to fill it and take it with you.

[Kristelle]

I will probably do 'morning excercises' at least sometimes.

 

Re walking back to ship on your own - if I have a smart phone will google maps work overseas?

 

if so, we shouldn't be able to get lost.

[gnome12]

43 minutes ago, Kristelle said:

Re walking back to ship on your own - if I have a smart phone will google maps work overseas?

 

if so, we shouldn't be able to get lost.

If you download maps in advance, you don’t need data to use them. 

[CastleCritic]

45 minutes ago, Kristelle said:

I will probably do 'morning excercises' at least sometimes.

 

Re walking back to ship on your own - if I have a smart phone will google maps work overseas?

 

if so, we shouldn't be able to get lost.

As long as you have a way to load the map yes.

 

I have AT&T and other than say...Serbia I haven't had much issue with data working off the ship.

 

But you have to pay for that data somehow or preload the maps (Ive never done that).

 

(AT&Ts plan is $10 a day up to like a $100 per month cap or something similar, there are other ways to do it like prepaid SIMs)

[hoosier2017]

AMA often has maps at the reception desk that you can take with you when walking to town in different ports and then back to the ship.  

[ljandgb]

I've preloaded maps before.  You even get a blue dot where you are.  What you don't get is directions to a certain place, etc.

[CPT Trips]

13 hours ago, pontac said:

Walking back to the boat in most towns is easy, even if you can't see river. Keep heading down hill, the river will be at the lowest point.

This was my preferred method of land navigation before I switched service to T-Mobile. Downhill, stop at river, look left and right, spot ship, and walk that way. 

 

6 hours ago, CastleCritic said:

(AT&Ts plan is $10 a day up to like a $100 per month cap or something similar, there are other ways to do it like prepaid SIMs)

Data is free on T-Mobile. Voice is billed by the minutes used, $0.25 per minute iirc. We use WhatsApp for local voice. A high percentage of people in the tourism industry and even many businesses serving tourists use it. 

[Canal archive]

When you’re on board and you’ve downloaded the Scenic app you will have the opportunity to download the different town maps you’ll be travelling through. Very useful when on guided tours or going off on your own.

[Daisi]

21 hours ago, CastleCritic said:

It means that European streets can be windy and end in a dead end which can be an issue if you are trying to walk back on your own. And even though you know you generally need to get to the river it’s possible to get pretty lost real quick. Happened to me in Prague. I ended up on the riverbank about a half mile from where I intended to. (Not that Prague is a city you get to by ship). 
 

helps to have a smartphone for sure though. 
 

 

 

 

Ahh.. I think I understand... you were wandering without a map and got a little "lost" (we never get lost, just discover new things to see 🙂). One of our favourite things to do is drop a pin on our map for where we wish to go, and just wander, so yeah, you can discover a lot of interesting things on your way back.

[Second seating]

Google maps on my phone (Verizon) worked well in Brugge's until it didn't!  At that time we were glad we had a paper map!!!

 

Second seating

[Daisi]

We download the maps to use offline, so they are usually OK. We use them a lot for touring by car as well as wandering around when travelling.

[Canal archive]

You don’t need to with the Scenic App download whilst on board using the Scenic Wi-Fi  then grab the town tours using the on board Wi-Fi again.

[2012_Alaska_bound]

On 7/27/2023 at 12:49 PM, Kristelle said:

Thanks so much for your answers everyone.

 

Am getting excited now, our trip is only 5 weeks away 

 

The paperwork itinerary doesn't go into detail so  would appreciate seeing any examples of day sheets along the route we travelling, doesn't have to be Scenic's

 

 

 

Have you downloaded the Scenic app? I believe it has a more detailed itinerary. 

[Kristelle]

no - can  I do that now, at home, 5 weeks before our trip?