River Cruising Late March Early April

[martylup]

We are a group of educators/teachers (4 to 6 couples) who are looking at River Cruising during the Spring/Easter Break next year. We would depart the US March 26, 2010 and return April 5, 2010.

 

I'm concerned about the weather travel conditions at that time of year.

 

We were looking at either the Danube or the Seine (Paris & the Heart of Normandy).

 

What will the weather and river conditions be like that time of year?

 

Any recommendations on cruises would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

Marty

[tiggypooo]

I was on a Tulips and Windmills cruise starting April 16th last year.

We spent 5 nights first in Paris and then headed to Antwerp for the cruise to Amsterdam

The weather was horrible. It rained near every day and it was cool and windy.

Sorry, I hope that I didn't put a damper on your plans.......

[letsgo39]

For weather information try this link. www.weatherbase.com

 

From the home page go to Europe and than link to the cities where you will be.It will give you 12 month weather averages.

[oneadam12]

We went on the Danube, Passau to Budapest, the 1st week in April and had great weather (60-70 degrees everyday, one quick rain shower). The crew on board ship said that the week before, it rained 4 of the 7 days with a high of 50 degrees. If you sail this time of year its a trade off, much cheaper rates and less crowded tourist areas versus a greater chance of poor weather.

[CPT Trips]

As others have mentioned, expect any and all kinds of weather. We did a "Springtime in Holland and Belgium" (GCT) in March 2008 and had snow in Brussels at the start, then some rain, then sun and warmth- all in the 14 days. In spite of this, I do recommend this itinerary for the "springtime."

 

If you're considering the Rhine/Danube/Main stretch, make sure you timing will not be affected by the scheduled lock closures. Although the current info posted on CC shows the closures beginning after your dates, verify this before you book.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=986622&highlight=lock+closures

[npphotog]

Weather on deck could be quite cool. We did the Amsterdam to Budapest river cruise in August 2005 and wife had to wear coat on deck during some of the days. Also not sure but the rivers might be rather high that time of the year. Read that somewhere on this site. Maybe others reading this have more info on that. A bummer if you have to get off the ship and be bussed around for a day or two. Willard

[RoupMom]

We're nearly ready to sign up for the Viking Southern France cruise to start March 28. That would be on the Rhone, and then we'd spend a few days in Paris. Does the Rhone have the same issues referred to other places of high water turning the trip into a bus trip? And what about lock closures there?

Also, it turns out that is Holy Week (Palm Sunday to Easter). How is that likely to affect the tours? Is Easter Monday a time when lots more than usual are closed in Paris?

We figure the weather is likely to be similar to what we experience here in Seattle at that time --- cool and possibly rainy, but unpredictable. We learned when we first moved to the Pacific Northwest 20 plus years ago that you can't let a little rain change your plans! Just bring a smile and an umbrella. : -)

A deluge, on the other hand, could put a damper on the spirits.