Which "Optional" Excursions for the Amadeus "Danube Discovery" in August???

[needshelp]

We are taking the Amadeus (Amadagio) "Danube Discovery" tour from Budapest to Prague

starting Aug 7th. The cruiseline offers several "optional tours" in addition to their daily itinerary.

This is already a pretty pricey vacation but I don't want to do all this and then miss something

wonderful. We'll only do this once. So my question to you folks is - Which of the following

optional items are well worth it?? and which are not all that meaningful??

 

In Hungary: 1/2 day in Szentendre $47, And Puszta @ $99/pp

 

In Austria: Schonvrunn palace tour $63/pp, Mozart/Strauss Concert in Vienna $79/pp and

a full day in Salzburg for $94.

 

In Czeck Repubic: 1/2 day to Terezin $57 and a folk lore Dinner show @ $69/pp

 

In Germany 1/2 day Rothenburg $75, and the Danube Gorge & Weltenburg Abbey for $79/pp

 

Which are must do, which are don't bother?

Thanks in advance.

[MSEm]

I was on the Avalon Artistry June 2008 for the Budapest to Prague.

 

We really enjoyed going to Esztergom much better than Szentendre. The Catherdral is in Esztergom. Szentendre was nice, but very touristy. Szentendre has lots of tourist and lots of shops. We flew in 2 days early and did a Danube Bend tour to Eszergom and Szentendre with return by boat to Budapest.

 

Terezin was very interesting. Glad I went. We would have liked more time in the meusum.

 

Will you have a tour to Rottenburg or Regensburg? We really liked Regensburg. Nice and walkable. Be sure to eat at the oldest cafe in Regensburg.

 

If you have more questions, please e-mail.

msem2 at cableone dot net

 

MSEm

[newnanna]

Can you please advise if you did the optional to Salzburg?

I am just wondering if it is worth it?

Thanks

[ToniBruce]

My wife and I will be on your cruise and we arrive Budapest on 8/6. So far, we decided to go to Salzburg.

 

Bruce

[ToniBruce]

Newnanna:

 

Sorry for the confusion, but we are sailing onboard the Amacello that sails on 8/9.

[ToniBruce]

I don't have any advise about whether to go to Salzburg or not. I'm still trying to decide myself. Once my husband and I get to Salzburg we could always go off on our own at some point during the tour. That makes me sound like more of an experienced traveler than I am.

 

 

Anyway, I requested more information on the excursion from my TA and have this to share. A two hour bus ride which drive through the lake district and a photo op in Monci (spelling could be wrong because it doesn't come up on Google). Once in Salzburg, a 2 hr walking tour concentrated in old town near Mozart's birthplace. A visit to the church where Sound of Music was filmed. Time for lunch which I believe is with the tour group but not part of the excursion cost. Next, 2 hr of free time. Then the 2 hr drive back to the ship.

 

I should mention that this is information for Amadeus/Amacello.

 

Nothing is mentioned about the Fortress/Castle or the Mirabeli Gardens - sites that I've read are must sees.

 

Toni

[tban]

ToniBruce,

the correct spelling is MONDSEE (moon-lake) and if you google it you find plenty of info about the town and lake

[WIT]

Can you please advise if you did the optional to Salzburg?

I am just wondering if it is worth it?

Thanks

newnanna - Whether to stay on the boat or take the optional tour to Salzburg has been discussed frequently on this forum. Here is a link to a few threads which cover pros & cons:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=649920&highlight=Salzburg

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=417384&highlight=Salzburg

 

 

Here is the link for the entire Search Result when asking for Salzburg:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=10641437

 

WIT

[Phoenix cruiser]

We have been to Vienna numerous times. Schonbrunn Palace is an easy ride on the metro and can be done incredibly less expensive on your own. For a Mozart Concert you can't walk down the street near the Opera House or any of the palaces without someone offering tickets to the concert- again you can save a lot by doing it on your own. You can also order tickets in advance on the web. I will add my 2 cents for what it is worth- if you have never been to Salzburg it is worth the trip.

[hcross888]

Just my 2 cents.... We chose not to go to Salzburg because we didn't want to sit on the bus for all that time and we ended up enjoying the most wonderful scenery on that cruising day. Just to tell you it is a win win situation!

 

As far as Vienna, the morning tour takes you to Ringstrasse which is where many historical places are. You could stay and go to the Imperial Palace, which similar to Shoenbrun but for much less money. Then you could take the subway back to the ship.

[Chesie]

We are taking the Amadeus (Amadagio) "Danube Discovery" tour from Budapest to Prague

starting Aug 7th. The cruiseline offers several "optional tours" in addition to their daily itinerary.

This is already a pretty pricey vacation but I don't want to do all this and then miss something

wonderful. We'll only do this once. So my question to you folks is - Which of the following

optional items are well worth it?? and which are not all that meaningful??

 

In Hungary: 1/2 day in Szentendre $47, And Puszta @ $99/pp

 

In Austria: Schonvrunn palace tour $63/pp, Mozart/Strauss Concert in Vienna $79/pp and

a full day in Salzburg for $94.

 

In Czeck Repubic: 1/2 day to Terezin $57 and a folk lore Dinner show @ $69/pp

 

In Germany 1/2 day Rothenburg $75, and the Danube Gorge & Weltenburg Abbey for $79/pp

 

Which are must do, which are don't bother?

Thanks in advance.

 

We were on the Amadagio last June Amsterdam to Budapest. Our first rivercruise and we can't wait to do another one.

 

We did the concert in Vienna. Beautiful recital hall and the singers were wonderfully pleasing.

 

We also took a tour to Rothenburg. LOVED it! I spent way too much money in the Christmas shop. But I wanted a handmade nutcracker and was told that was the town to go.

 

While we did not go to Salzberg, my two cousins did. They enjoyed the town but said it was really exhausting back and forth on the bus. My husband and I opted to go into Passau (the organ concert is a must!) and sail the river. We went on this cruise to unwind and relax. The last thing we wanted was an all day bus ride. But that was just us! I was told Salzberg was beautiful but not enough time.

 

You'll love the ship. We had Lilo as our cruise director/guide and she was wonder. Victor our captain was alittle stern but we got him to crack a smile a few times!!

 

Whatever you do, enjoy the river. It is absolutely breathtaking.

 

Chesie

[WIT]

Reuters reports that the second oldest Von Trapp daughter, Maria, now elderly, is returning to Salzburg for the first time. Here is a link to the story:

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSL2493081020080724?sp=true

 

WIT

[TwoFortwo]

We took the Amacello on the reverse route (Prague to Budapest) in May, and went on all the optional tours except Salzburg and the Schoenbrun Palace.

 

The Vienna evening concert was very enjoyable, and our group wound up on the first row. The musicians and dancers were first class and the ballerina was a little doll -- all the guys fell in love with her. The only negative was the lack of good A/C -- the hall got pretty warm. This was perhaps our favorite of the optional events.

 

We're glad we went to Terezin, and thought it was well worth it. It's not a long drive and the route is pretty. The Czech folklore dinner was fun. The food was better than we expected and the folk musicians and dancers were a lot of fun. The Czech wine they served was awful, however. If you have things remaining to see in Prague it's one you could miss, though.

 

The Weltenburg Abbey tour was a bust. The Danube Gorge was pretty tame by US standards. The abbey church was spectacular, and by far the best part of the tour. The beer (included) was good. In fairness I have to say that we were there on a German holiday and the place was swarming with Germans enjoying the beer, which is likely to be the case in August. Overall, I wouldn't recommend it.

 

We didn't go on the Salzburg tour because we didn't want to spend two hours on a bus each way, but the folks who did thought it was worth it. Instead we spent an extremely pleasant afternoon enjoying a beautiful stretch of the river. We didn't go on the Schoenbrun tour because we met an Austrian friend and walked around the city with her.

 

I posted a link to almost 400 photos of our cruise at

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=783649

 

You will find photos from Terezin and the Weltenberg Abbey there, as well as many from Budapest, Vienna, Prague, Regensburg, Passau, the Melk Abbey, the Wachau Valley, and others.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Randy

[TwoFortwo]

I'd also like to reinforce what Chesie said -- if you stop in Passau, the half-hour organ concert in the cathedral at noon is a must. The organ is one of the largest in the world and the concerts subsidize the cathedral's expenses. The organist is outstanding. You may have to hurry back to the ship if it leaves at 1PM, but it's not far. Cost was 4 Euros per person, and the concert was one of the highlights of our whole cruise. Your cruise director will probably mention in his/her talk the evening before.

 

Randy