Roll Call - Christmas Markets 2008 - all lines, all dates

[kkbay]

Hi Key of Sea! Please post trip notes if you are able. We will be embarking in Nuremberg when you get off! We are not packed yet. I am anxious to get your tips and "favorite" buys. Have fun and stay warm.

Regards,

KK:)

[pacmom]

The bags are packed--leave for the airport in a few hours!!!!!!! It will be lovely to have a direct flight to Frankfurt. We even packed an empty duffel in one of our bags--for the goodies coming home with us.

 

Pam, Steamboats et al, Thanks so much for all the info. Steamboats, enjoy your warm weather cruise during the holidays.

 

To all still waiting to pack and leave--your time will come, probabley just as I touch down in Cincinnati airport on Dec. 10th Pat

[steamboats]

Pat,

 

Have a wonderful cruise and time in Europe!!

 

steamboats

 

who hopes that there is some warm weather in the Med over the Holidays :) (o.k., I´m pretty sure it´s warmer than in Munich and Cincinnati).

[skertso]

Have a great time everyone who is on their way! We will be leaving on Friday to fly to Atlanta then on to Amsterdam. I've got things laid out but nothing packed yet. That's on my list for tomorrow. I'm still having to scale back, I have too much stuff! I usually don't have this much problem cutting back but being this is our first trip to Europe I'm thinking I need these things. :rolleyes:

 

I'm sure it'll all work out!

:) Cherie

[WIT]

Have a great time everyone who is on their way! We will be leaving on Friday to fly to Atlanta then on to Amsterdam. I've got things laid out but nothing packed yet. That's on my list for tomorrow. I'm still having to scale back, I have too much stuff! I usually don't have this much problem cutting back but being this is our first trip to Europe I'm thinking I need these things. :rolleyes:

 

I'm sure it'll all work out!

:) Cherie

Cherie - We are arriving in Amsterdam Thursday to allow time for museum visits and to get comfortable with the city.

 

I suggest having a change of clothes in your carry-on because the last two times we have transferred through Heathrow our bags have failed to make the connection. Fortunately they arrived on later flights and were brought to our hotel within a day.

 

Paris has the 'Picasso and his Masters' show going on with lines a few hours long. The concierge at the Pullman Bercy was able get us 'no waiting in line' tickets.

 

WIT

[betsey]

We will be on the Viking Spirit going from Nuremberg to Vienna beginning on December 7 and ending in Vienna on December 14. This is our first river cruise. I absolutely LOVE Christmas! We are blessed to live in Military City USA (San Antonio) and I have picked up exquisite German Christmas pyramids at estate sales for literally a few dollars. Also have smokers and beautiful angels.I also collect nativities. Hubby has always wanted to go to Germany and I can get my Christmas "fix", so off we go! I will probably buy souvenir ornaments for friends and family. We are so excited. I agree, this is such a great thread with everyone being in the Christmas spirit! Thanks for starting this.:)

Hi Kkbay,

We'll be on the Viking Spirit 12/07 as well. This will be my 2nd time on the same ship for the Christmas Markets, this time I'm bringing 7 other folks with me.

We leave on Wed for a pre-cruise stay in Prague.

See you on the ship!

Betsey

[betsey]

Have you been on Viking or a river trip before ? It will be our first, Do you know if we need to bring shampoo?

Kris

Hi Kris,

I'll be on the same sailing as you. I went last year as well on the Viking Spirt. Not to worry - there is shampoo, lotion, etc. in the room.

Here's some photos from last year: http://kiddscruises.googlepages.com/vikingrivercruiseschristmasmarkets

See you on the ship!

Betsey

[skertso]

Cherie - We are arriving in Amsterdam Thursday to allow time for museum visits and to get comfortable with the city.

 

I suggest having a change of clothes in your carry-on because the last two times we have transferred through Heathrow our bags have failed to make the connection. Fortunately they arrived on later flights and were brought to our hotel within a day.

 

Paris has the 'Picasso and his Masters' show going on with lines a few hours long. The concierge at the Pullman Bercy was able get us 'no waiting in line' tickets.

 

WIT

 

Hello WIT,

 

We are indeed going to bring a carryon with a set of clothes for ourselves just in case. We will arrive in Amsterdam on Friday and will be staying at the Eden Amsterdam American Hotel. Lucky you to be able to get those no waiting in line tickets for the Picasso & his Masters show. I'm hoping to be able to recover from jet lag, visit the city and be ready for the river cruise activities. Can't wait!

 

:) Cherie

[a5150mom]

Hi Kris,

I'll be on the same sailing as you. I went last year as well on the Viking Spirt. Not to worry - there is shampoo, lotion, etc. in the room.

Here's some photos from last year: http://kiddscruises.googlepages.com/vikingrivercruiseschristmasmarkets

See you on the ship!

Betsey

Betsey , Thanks for info and the photos ! We are starting to get excited. Clothes mostly laid out to be packed, last bits of organizing for housesitters dog sitters and sons scheduals still need to be done . We leave for the airport on Thursday. Straight thru to Zurich then a hopper to Neuremberg. We may take a ride to Rothenberg on Saturday for a Night Watchman walking tour and we will see you on the 7th KKbay is also on the same cruise. Looking forward to meeting you both. Have safe flights

Kris

[skyview851]

We leave for the airport in 3 hours. We connect in DC & then on to Amsterdam..Hopefully our planes will be on time, our luggage will get there, and we will be onboard by this time tomorrow. DH has promised to do an in depth review when we get back so stay tuned for our experiences on our first river cruise.

 

Lisa

[fred111]

We are just finishing the third day of our cruise. Sunday and Monday in Budapest and today in Bratislava. The cruise is great. Uniworld is even better than the high expectations that we had. Cabins are good, staff is outstanding and food is superb. Wine flows like water at dinner and they just started free internet and free wifi. So far we have been on two of the ships excursions and have enjoyed both. Only problem so far is TOO MUCH good food, both on board the ship and in the Christmas Markets.

 

We have been tasting Glugwein in all our stops for the past week and a half. I have to say the best has been in Budapest and on board the ship.

 

Could not have asked for better weather. We are leaving later this evening for Vienna. Since so many people have been there before, they have added a special excursion (free) instead of the normal city tour for anyone who wants to go. Four Christmas Markets!

 

Hope everyone has as good a trip as we are having.

[CruiseLiz]

My mom and Husband and I are taking the holiday market cruise from Prague to Budpest Dec 8 and we cant wait! With 3 days in Prague prior to the cruise on Uniworld. Its our second Uniworld cruise.

 

Your cruise is actually from Passau to Budapest, yes? I believe we are on the same cruise. My and my husband will be there, we are probably some of the younger passengers...

My name is Liz and I'm a petite blonde, my husband is dark and could be a football player ;) please say "hi" if you see us! It's always great to meet other CC'ers onboard.

[catkoe1]

Fred111,

Please oh Please leave some of those ornaments for us to buy and that wine!!!

Also, leave some of the good weather in the port when you leave...all it is showing is snow, rain, more snow on the danube from Vienna to Passau on the 9th when we board!

I bet you are having an awesome time and thanks again for posting your updates... I can hardly wait to get the computer on to read when you have posted.

Happy Holidays to All!

[chaea]

Hi,

Sounds like I've picked a winner for a Christmas market cruise; everyone sounds like they are (or have) enjoying themselves.

 

I am scheduled for the Uniworld cruise from Basel to Cologne on 21 Dec.

 

My only concern: two ships (including the one I'll be on) have been hit with the norovirus. The Uniworld incident was in July, so I am hoping all is ok for that. The second one was just a week or two ago (Not a Uniworld cruise), and that ship was (still is?) quarantined.

 

>>>>>Would you worry about this if you were following a similar river itinerary? Or should I just keep my hands washed and try not to worry?

 

I am glad to read all the positive comments about the food and service on Uniworld cruises.

 

Thanks for any input,

Kristi

:confused:

[newnanna]

Just returned from my river cruise and bought home many delicious treats for xmas. I love the smokers and look out for the limited edition ones, only 5000 are produced. This year it is by Swaroski. Bought it in Rothenberg. Have a great time at the markets.

[fred111]

We just arrived in Linz and are heading for Salzburg in an hour. Couple of comments:

 

Don't believe the long term weather forcasts. Ours were for rain, snow, etc. and the weather has been absolutely beautiful. We only go about 1/2 hour of rain in Budapest and none since. Bright sun with some clouds on occasion. Warmer than we thought.

 

Uniworld runs a great cruise line. No problem with Norovirus on the Duchess. All the Uniworld ships have a machine that dispenses some chemical for cleaning your hands. The boat is spotless and the crew is great. Food is well above expectations and our expectations were high. It is a very informal passenger group. People go to dinner in jeans or dressed better - whatever they fell comfortable in. Tours have been outstanding so far. We couldn't have asked for a better cruise line.

 

Now for the markets. Budapest had 95% handmade crafts and was very nice. Not really expensive and had a lot of items not in other markets.

Bratislava was best for the food. They had a grilled pork and onion sandwich that was addictive. Vienna is Vienna. High quality and friendly. We'll see about Salzburg today.

 

Great trip so far.

[steamboats]

My only concern: two ships (including the one I'll be on) have been hit with the norovirus. The Uniworld incident was in July, so I am hoping all is ok for that. The second one was just a week or two ago (Not a Uniworld cruise), and that ship was (still is?) quarantined.

 

>>>>>Would you worry about this if you were following a similar river itinerary? Or should I just keep my hands washed and try not to worry?

 

Kristi,

 

Norovirus has to be reported to the Federal Health Authorities in Germany but any there´s no statistics where you can see how many cruise ships have been hit. Those are definitely single news reports.

 

Anyway winter time is also Norovirus time. So keep you hands washed!! Hand sanitizers are nice but not helpful. Washing your hands is much more efficent. Yes, we had warnings over here regarding a possible Norovirus outbreak. So far I never heard anything about a major outbreak.

 

Yes, river cruise ships have a good risk of an outbreak as they are "cramped" areas like hospitals, nursing homes, schools, kindergartens or day care. Usually the virus is brought aboard by a sick passenger (who might not know by the time he´s boarding that he´s already infected).

 

In case there is an outbreak, wash your hands frequently (hot water and lots of soap, try to avoid touching your face with your hands), do not use public restrooms on the ship, do not use any kind of "tools" on the buffet.

 

That´s a way how you can try to avoid getting infected yourself.

 

steamboats

[Huntster]

Hi everyone. My name is Huntster and I am a friend of ChefPeg. She is currently sailing her little heart out, lol, but she asked me to let everyone know that she hasn't forgotten them. She is unable to post on CC from her ship, but she asked me to wish everyone well and that she is having a great time.

[jdbirch]

Took the Viking Europe from Vienna to Passau starting 11/25, and loved every minute of it. Best market was Salzburg over Bratislava/Budapest tied for second. Salzburg for the wooden ornaments, the Bs for handicrafts. Best cities: Cesky Krumlov hands down (but shopping is poor, avoid gypsy shops), Durnstein (buy the chocolate and Mekille apricot liquor). Melk abbey is on my "top churches list" but the museum is poor. Hero Monument in Budapest is top of the line. Everyone takes euros, don't bother with korunas/forints. Don't use the ATMs in Hungary/Czech, they give korunas/forints.

Ship was great, food superb from Chef Ronny, had to buy the drinks. Norovirus free. Got 21 birds for my life list from the comfort of the lounge and while on the tours - loved the frequent swans!

Beware! The ship and tours are not handicapped friendly - if you can't walk a half mile and climb a couple of flights, you're in trouble...

[CruiseLiz]

Thanks to everyone for posting to this great thread. We leave in less than 12 hours for Passau. Our itinerary includes Passau, Salzburg, Krems, Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest. Afterwards we are taking the train back to Vienna for an extra day there before returning home.

 

We are so excited!! Looking forward to reading everyone's reviews of their cruises when we return.

 

Liz

[catkoe1]

Hello All,

Well after all of this planning we leave for the airport in one hour. Happy Cruisin' To All. See you in Vienna when we board our ship for the "shopping experience of a lifetime"!

 

Happy Holidays to all and see you there.

[steamboats]

KeyofSea has finished her cruise today. We´ve visited the VIKING SPIRIT yesterday in Nuremberg. Unfortunately the weather wasn´t very friendly. We arrived with bright sunshine and I was able to take some photos of the ship. But in the afternoon when we were at the market it started to rain. We had a wonderful dinner aboard (Captain´s Dinner with Baked Alaska Parade). Unfortunately the internet connection was poor and so we didn´t receive the email which should have warned us about the Captain´s Dinner. We were slightly underdressed for that event.

 

steamboats

[fred111]

Just got off the cruise in Regensburg and we are now in Munich. Going to Nurnburg tomorrow then home on Thursday.

 

Uniworld is an unbelievable cruise line. Everything was perfect from the ship to the crew to the meals to the tours. Couldn't have been better. Weather was better than expected on every stop.

 

We will write a long evaluation of the River Duchess in a few days. It will be outstanding!!!

[Yaya&Papu]

We were on Uniworld's River Queen Christmas Markets on the Rhine cruise which ended Sun., Dec. 7 in Basel Switzerland. It was a fabulous cruise. Everything that Fred said about his Uniworld cruise goes ditto for us. The only bad part was the weather. We had rain on most days:(. But that did not dampen our spirits. We were able to see and do most of what we wanted. Markets were good - some better than others. My favorite was the old one in Strassbourg, Alsace, France. After the cruise, we took the train to Bern for 1 night and then on to Munich via Zurich for 2 nights. We love Munich and its Christmas Markets. There was even a Market in the Zurich train station!!! Will write more later as I am jet-lagged. Flying weather across the Atlantic to Atlanta was very, very bumpy.

[pacmom]

We returned yesterday from a truly wonderful cruise. Nuremberg to Cologne with Vantage--food, staff and crew superb. The markets were really good. The brats even better, including the 1/2 meter ones. Am in withdrawal from the brats and the 24/7 hot chocolate on the River Odessey. More about the trip tomorrow. Pat