Just returned- GCT's Great Rivers (Concerto)

[JerseyGem]

DH and I just returned from a delightful cruise on GCT's MS River Concerto (their Great Rivers of Europe cruise from Vienna to Amsterdam). We had a wonderful time and highly recommend this cruise. We were able to get a great price as a last minute cruise (a little hectic, but worth the savings), and I notice that GCT is currently offering some deals on this same cruise in the Fall. (Go to their Home page and look for Last Minute specials.) We'll post a longer review later (when the laundry is finished). Briefly, the ship is lovely, the cabins were fine (larger than we expected), itinerary was great, cruise members were friendly and helpful, food was very good to excellent (and very plentiful). The only negatives were the flights to and from the US. We took GCT's flight package (last minute- we had to!). I hope I never have to fly Air France again or go through Paris's Charles De Gaulle again!

 

If anyone has questions- we look at Cruise Critic almost every day!

[jrowland]

Hi,

I would be interested in hearing more about your experiences with your flight arrangements. I'm hoping to be able to schedule a River Cruise in Late Fall 2008 or 2009 and continuously reading reviews to pick up information that I can use when finializing my plans. I'm still up in the air about trying to arrange my own flights or going with the suppliers flight packages.

 

Regards,

 

Jeff

[CPT Trips]

I'm Jersey Gem's DH . . . we flew PHL to CDG (Paris) to VIE (Vienna) on Air France. Over night to CDG about a 2 hour layover then on to Vienna arriving about 2 p.m. local time.

Return was AMS (Amsterdam) to CDG to PHL 8:30 a.m. local time (2:30 a.m. EDT) departure arriving in PHL 4 p.m. EDT (half hour late).

Both trans Atlantic flights on Airbus 340 . . . terrible ventilation, no individual ventilation and the inside of the metal tube got very hot. CDG is sprawling, disconnected and also poorly ventilated. Some of the gates require a bus ride (no option to walk) to "islands." Security at CDG is worse than anything I experienced with TSA, and that's saying something!

The only good thing about the air part of the trip was free wine.

Just an aside - the people who flew through Heathrow also had problems with security. A lot of it was the British "one carry on" rule, but also long security lines and impolite officials. Whatever happened to the old British manners?

We booked very late and on short notice I could not get flights for the amount that GCT would credit us.

A few people flew from the States to AMS then on to VIE the just AMS to the States on return. We heard good thing about their AMS experiences.

Hope this helps.

[emmylou]

Jersey Gem,

I noticed you went Air France and I am thinking by your name you are from New Jersey,am wondering where you flew out of.We are going out of Philly and GCT has us booked on British Air.What happened on your flight with Air France my sister flew with them last November and she said never again.I am wondering if you experienced what she did.

emmy

[JerseyGem]

Jeff and Emmy- DH (CPT Trips) mentioned a few issues, but imagine Phila airport at 5PM when it's 96 degrees outside- and you're in a metal tube, in the sun, with NO air conditioning while you're on the ground! Add to that Phila's infamous taxi lines. After quite a hot wait, the captain announced that, due to traffic, we'd be another 30 to 45 minutes until it was our turn. At that point, several of us left our seats, asked for ice and water and air conditioning (and bathrooms). Only to be told that they couldn't open the ice until they were in the air, they didn't have a/c (only climate control that turned on when we were airborne), etc. I was able to get a cup of warm water. Several people started shouting (I was too weak by then), and within minutes, the pilot announced that he'd been given clearance to take off immediately. The temp did improve a little, but the plane didn't have individual airflow nozzles like most USA based planes. Still very warm the whole flight (as well as the return flight).

 

As DH said, CDG airport was a confusing mess (and we read a little French, so we were leading others at one point). So, yes, Jeff- please continue to pursue doing your own air. There are direct flights to Amsterdam from the USA. (And then, depending on the direction of your river cruise, you'd fly to Vienna- use Austria Air - they were wonderful on our flight from CDG to Vienna). Also, Amsterdam's airport was quite nice- lots of helpful signs in multiple languages, modern, clean, etc. We booked so late (did I mention 8 days prior to leaving?) that we didn't have any other option than to take GCT's air arrangements.

 

And after all that, one of our suitcases was "missing" for two days- the PD's (Program Directors) said not to worry- this was normal with Air France (!) and that we'd eventually get it. When it did arrive, it had been opened and at least one item (a pair of small sewing scissors) was removed. I had been under the impression that you could take small scissors (nail clippers, etc) in your checked baggage. Not on Air France.

 

If you do your own air, discuss with GCT about transfers from the airport. We were met by a representative in the baggage area (who, thankfully, helped us do all the paperwoek for the missing bag). We were bused to the ship (this was our only view of Vienna- the pretour was full when we booked). At the other end, we were bused to Amsterdam airport in groups based on flight times. You must carry your own bags within the secure areas (GCT reps can not do this for you because that's a security risk), although Amsterdam did have free dollys for luggage. GCT requested one suitcase plus one carry-on plus one personal item (purse, etc); this was fine with us, since you can do a little laundry in your room or pay for them to do it. Returning to the USA, we checked the carry-on. Empty suitcases fit under the sofas.

 

Emmy- Several in our tour did fly through Heathrow and complained about long lines (as in Paris) and that you can only carry on one item. So if you want to bring a seperate purse, put it into your carry-on bag for the flight. Also, the UK doesn't use the Euro, so you'd need pounds to buy anything (to eat, etc). Credit cards are not as widely used as they are in the USA (so you can't just charge a cup of coffee). I always carry an empty water bottle through security, then fill it up in the waiting area, plus I bring snacks. At least they speak a similar language in the UK LOL!

 

After rereading the above, I want to emphasize that I do not blame GCT for the terrible flight experiences! GCT reps were always very helpful, courteous and friendly. I'll write soon about the actual cruise. Virtually everything will be positive! Several passengers were complainers (as if it was GCT's fault that the old cities still had cobblestones and that the old castles didn't have elevators- yes, these were real complaints!)

[tban]

I almost think it does not matter which airline you are flying. You may have a bad flight on any of them. On our Christmas Time cruise last december we flew British Airways from LAX to Budapest via Heathrow. This flight was simply a nightmare. The flight was completely booked. The airplane's interior was extremely worn (and therefore looked dirty), the leg room was minimal and to top it off about 50 muslims were among the passengers, constantly running up and down the aisle to comunicate with each other. At sunrise they all performed their morning prayers in the aisle and it was impossible to get to the lavatories. In Heathrow you have to pass again through a security check. The lines are long, the process is slow and the security personel is extremely unpolite. Then you have to take a bus to your European flight departure terminal (brand new), which should run every 5 minutes or so, but in our case did not show up for half an hour. By then the small waiting area was overflowing and passengers got very concerned missing their flights. When the bus arrived people with tight connections were jumping the line and trying to get on. People with enough time did not trust the bus any more and wanted to get on too. It was a mess and a helpless attendant, assigned to keep order, was ready to quit. We finally made it to the terminal and I needed a drink. The bar took US$ and Euros and of course pounds, which we did not have. Prices are exorbitant ! - 8 GBP or 16 US$ for a glass of wine !!! The cruise was great and relaxing. On the return, the flight from Prague to London was OK. The transatlantic flight was again totally full, however we lucked out - the only two empty seats on the whole plane were next to us - somebody must have missed a connection - and we felt like having hit a Las Vegas Jack-Pot. It seems the "friendly skies" are not so friendly any more - no matter whether you fly domestic or international it is an unavoidable inconvenience, testing your patience and tolerance.

[emmylou]

Jersey Gem/(CPT trips)

WOW sounds like you had quite an ordeal.Have heard that France isn't very cordial to U.S citizens.Sorry for your problems on plane and in Paris and will be looking for your review as far as the trip and what you thought of GCT personel and the tour itself. Welcome home:D

emmy