Grand Circle-The Great Rivers of Europe

[Texas1938]

I want to take the Grand Circle, The Great Rivers of Europe in Spring/Summer of 2008.

 

Questions:

1) Is there an advantage of Amsterdam to Vienna over Vienna to Amsterdam?

 

2)Best Time to Go--I am looking at May-Any suggestions of early May or even late April over late May? Are the flowers better earlier in the season? I could go anytime but was trying to avoid the crowded summer season. The other option is early September.

 

3)Which ship is better or are they pretty much equal so pick date rather than ship? For example M/s River Converto is only April 27th and River Melody only April 26th

[CPT Trips]

I want to take the Grand Circle, The Great Rivers of Europe in Spring/Summer of 2008.

 

Questions:

1) Is there an advantage of Amsterdam to Vienna over Vienna to Amsterdam?

 

We started in Vienna . . . we only had the remainder of that trans-atlantic travel day to explore and decided that for just a few hours it wasn't worth it. Others did explore Vienna and enjoyed it. We had a full day in Amsterdam and a very convenient docking location for exploring.

 

2)Best Time to Go--I am looking at May-Any suggestions of early May or even late April over late May? Are the flowers better earlier in the season? I could go anytime but was trying to avoid the crowded summer season. The other option is early September.

 

We went in mid August on a last minute deal. Yes, there were other tourists in each stop, but it really wasn't a problem. It was nice to be able to sit out on deck.

 

3)Which ship is better or are they pretty much equal so pick date rather than ship? For example M/s River Converto is only April 27th and River Melody only April 26th

 

The two you are considering have the same deck plan. We were moored up with other GCT boats at several stops and they were essentially identical.

 

Check out this post - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=623311

 

Hopefully others will post with their experience on the timing and direction. If you have decent weather, it probably makes no difference.

[lddam]

My wife and I did this itinerary (Vienna to Amsterdam) in the fall 2 years ago on GCT's Adagio. We considered taking the trip in the spring, but were concerned about the possibility of high water and flooding which traditionally occurs in the spring. On the other hand, one of the problems encountered during the late summer and fall is the possibility of low water which means you are bussed to ports of call. We were lucky in that water levels were high enough for passage, the weather was warm enough to enjoy the top deck, and still had plenty of daylight for evening events.

 

We did the pre-cruise extension in Vienna which helped eliminate jet lag and gave us a few more days in that beautiful city. Also, we figured a longer flight at the beginning of our vacation was more tolerable.

 

Bottom line...it's pretty much a cr** shoot whenever you choose to travel the rivers of Europe, but an experience not worth missing. The scenery is magnificent and the pace is leisurely. Enjoy.

 

Dave

[rogerdawhip]

I have done this trip with GCT 3 times. Vienna to Amsterdam in June, Amsterdam to Vienna in September and November. I am planning on going again this August from Vienna to Amsterdam.

 

1) I prefer the Vienna to Amsterdam route with the pre-trip in Vienna. I can't say exactly why but it seemed to give more time in some of the cities/villages.

 

2) I've never traveled the river in May but I think it would be a great time if the rivers are not too high.

 

3) All the ships are great. I have been on 5 different GCT ships and prefer the ones with only 2 decks. They have fewer passangers (only 120) an dmore balcony cabins (which I recommend). The 2 deck ships doing the Great Rivers are Debussy and Ravel.

[don_ken]

I would do Vienna to Amsterdam. The flight home is longer so starting home from Amsterdam will make the trip seem shorter. Flying to Vienna will likely involve a change of planes and since you will arrive in Vienna later in the day you will not have to wait as long to transfer to the boat. Most of the time you cannot board until 2:00 P.M. or later.

I would also try to book a cabin that faces North (port if Amsterdam to Vienna/ starboard if Vienna to Amsterdam). Most of the vinyards are on the north side of the river (Danube/Main).

Don

[CPT Trips]

I would do Vienna to Amsterdam. The flight home is longer so starting home from Amsterdam will make the trip seem shorter. Flying to Vienna will likely involve a change of planes and since you will arrive in Vienna later in the day you will not have to wait as long to transfer to the boat. Most of the time you cannot board until 2:00 P.M. or later.

I would also try to book a cabin that faces North (port if Amsterdam to Vienna/ starboard if Vienna to Amsterdam). Most of the vinyards are on the north side of the river (Danube/Main).

Don

 

I have a somewhat different take than this based on our experiences . . . YMMV.

 

If you do air with GCT, they will fly you US to a European "gateway" (Heathrow, Paris, or Frankfurt) then on to Vienna . . . return will be Amsterdam to the gateway then to US. The total travel time was only about an hour difference going over and returning home. That held true for everyone we spoke with on the ship (50% or more of the travellers). No trans-atlantic flight is fun. Any way you cut it it's a long day with little sleep.

 

IIRC, GCT gives a $600 credit if you arrange your own air. If you have FF miles or some other airline connection, you may be better off arranging your own travel. But we were unable to get flights for the amount GCT would cut our fare, so it was easier to let them arrange things.

 

Also, if you plan on doing your own air be sure to check with GCT about whether they will do transfers for you. We were met in the baggage claim area by a GCT rep who then assisted us thru customs (no big deal) and on to the bus to the ship. As one piece of luggage did not arrive with us, the assistance in making the claim there was helpful and comforting.

 

We spent little time in our cabin . . . there was too much to see on both sides of the ship that we spent most of our time either topside or in the forward lounge. For that reason, either side of the ship seems OK to me.

 

We got to the ship in Vienna 1ish . . . had about an hour remaining to get lunch on board. It seemed as though many people were already on board and off taking in the sights in town. according to our program director, there were not many people who had not arrived.

[Ine]

Talking about flowers. if you mean when tulips, hyacinths, flowerfields etc. in The Netherlands are the best, in general that is end of April/Beginning of May.

It all depends what kind of weather spring brings.

In 2006 spring was warmer then ever before and flowers bloomed about 2 weeks earlier. But I also remember years that flowers bloomed later due a cold spring.

Of course at that time of the year you must visit Keukenhof.

http://www.keukenhof.nl/nm/english.html

[librarian]

We will be doing the Grand European tour in May even with post trip to Romania. Will be gone about a month. Laundry does concern me. Even if I have basic colors some laundry will be needed to be done. Aboard cruise ships they have affordable laundry facilities which has a decent turnaround time of about 24 hours. Aboard the ships of Grand Circle do they have afforadable laundry . I am not talking about self service because I know that won't be there. I think we are on the River Rhapsody May 3 to June 2. Thanks in advance

[CPT Trips]

I know they had laundry service which we did not use. IIRC it was a bit expensive. No DIY available other than the sink in the bathroom.

[neepawa]

We were the Avalon Artistry in September/October for two weeks on the Danube. We used the laundry service twice. The items were picked up at 8:00 AM and returned before dinner. While the prices may have been a little higher than at home, we rationalized that since we were not paying for wine at dinner, we were ahead. I sure you will find the same on your cruise. Enjoy.

 

Don

[rogerdawhip]

I used GCT's laundry service on the Melody in July. It is a little expensive but the service was very good. I left my laundry on the hall when I went to bed and it was returned the next afternoon.

[suec12]

I am reading this because I am considering a GCT cruise too so I don't have much expertise but I would suggest if at all possible to plan your trip to see the tulips in Amsterdam / Holland. We were in Amsterdam at the end of April last spring and the tulips at Kuekenhuf were just glorious. I think early May would work too - we had just wonderful weather I think it was actually record-breaking hot! Enjoy your trip!

[TIMAS]

We had a very bad experience with GCT last August. We booked a River boat cruise in France. Paris to Nice. The literature stated the boat, The Chardonnay went into service in 2002. Upon boarding the ship, the literature given us said the boat was built in 1956. They did a beautiful job decorating this old tub. The air conditioning unit in our cabin was infected with mold and mildew. We could not use it. The hotel manager got us to fans, but that did not provide much relief in France during August.

The two previous passengers of this cabin registered complaints and they knowingly assigned us to this cabin that was detrimental to our health. There were no other vacant cabins. I spent the nights in the public lounge, my wife stayed in the cabin with the balcony window open and all the river bugs and mesquitos.

When we complained to GCT in Boston upon arriving home, they just appologized and did not offer any satisfactory compensation.

We have been on 34 cruises. Things happen, but this was known by GCT that this 50 year old boat had problems.

[Carhut]

I have a somewhat different take than this based on our experiences . . . YMMV.

 

If you do air with GCT, they will fly you US to a European "gateway" (Heathrow, Paris, or Frankfurt) then on to Vienna . . . return will be Amsterdam to the gateway then to US. The total travel time was only about an hour difference going over and returning home. That held true for everyone we spoke with on the ship (50% or more of the travellers). No trans-atlantic flight is fun. Any way you cut it it's a long day with little sleep.

 

IIRC, GCT gives a $600 credit if you arrange your own air. If you have FF miles or some other airline connection, you may be better off arranging your own travel. But we were unable to get flights for the amount GCT would cut our fare, so it was easier to let them arrange things.

 

Also, if you plan on doing your own air be sure to check with GCT about whether they will do transfers for you. We were met in the baggage claim area by a GCT rep who then assisted us thru customs (no big deal) and on to the bus to the ship. As one piece of luggage did not arrive with us, the assistance in making the claim there was helpful and comforting.

 

We spent little time in our cabin . . . there was too much to see on both sides of the ship that we spent most of our time either topside or in the forward lounge. For that reason, either side of the ship seems OK to me.

 

We got to the ship in Vienna 1ish . . . had about an hour remaining to get lunch on board. It seemed as though many people were already on board and off taking in the sights in town. according to our program director, there were not many people who had not arrived.

 

When we did this trip, we started in Vienna and our flight was to Amsterdam, then Vienna. I suppose it depends what part of the US you are starting from and which airline you are traveling on, as to where you land in Europe. Twice our gateway was Detroit to Amsterdam and last year it was Washington D.C. to Munich. We start in Cleveland which isn't a gateway to Europe on GCT.

[Carhut]

We had a very bad experience with GCT last August. We booked a River boat cruise in France. Paris to Nice. The literature stated the boat, The Chardonnay went into service in 2002. Upon boarding the ship, the literature given us said the boat was built in 1956. They did a beautiful job decorating this old tub. The air conditioning unit in our cabin was infected with mold and mildew. We could not use it. The hotel manager got us to fans, but that did not provide much relief in France during August.

The two previous passengers of this cabin registered complaints and they knowingly assigned us to this cabin that was detrimental to our health. There were no other vacant cabins. I spent the nights in the public lounge, my wife stayed in the cabin with the balcony window open and all the river bugs and mesquitos.

When we complained to GCT in Boston upon arriving home, they just appologized and did not offer any satisfactory compensation.

We have been on 34 cruises. Things happen, but this was known by GCT that this 50 year old boat had problems.

 

You sound like a broken record. That's at least the 4th time you've posted about this trip. The first was back in Oct. and I agreed with you then that the Chardonnay was an old tub that should be retired. But all in all we still had a wonderful trip on the Rhone and Soane Rivers and the personel on the boat was just outstanding and my friends and I had a wonderful time, met some lovely people and have some great memories. I don't dwell on the negatives. More fun remembering the good things.

[p598738]

Enjoyed the Chardonnay in 2006. Wonderful food and great people.