?? Visiting prague??

[pacmom]

We visited Prague 2 years ago at the end of our Elbe River cruise. Found a wonderful guide book and want to share its name with those going in the future. It is "Timeout Shortlist"--Prague. It cost about US $12.00. It is small and easy to carry--really good maps. We highly recommend it.

Pat

[jcrandle]

Thanks for your recommendation. DW made lots of copies of Rick Steves guide and we were happy with it, both because it was comprehensive, as well as included maps.

[akai]

The Prague and Budapest Eyewitness books are great, color pictures, good maps and well organized.

[eldercruser]

We have the Rick Steves book - thanks for the tips on the others.

[pacmom]

The maps in the time out book are real maps not line drawings. It is also small enough to fit in a jacket pocket. Pat

[sandalou]

We will being sailing on the Viking (hope all the kinks are out) next August from Amsterdam to Budapest and doing the after cruise in Prague. COuld someone tell me what the mode of transportation is from Budapest to Prague that Viking provides?

[Jesterscourt]

What kinks do they need to work out? Are you talking about Viking or the Elegant Elbe cruise?

[Little Toot2]

We will being sailing on the Viking (hope all the kinks are out) next August from Amsterdam to Budapest and doing the after cruise in Prague. COuld someone tell me what the mode of transportation is from Budapest to Prague that Viking provides?

 

Little Toot Legend Cruise

We are scheduled to take the Legend August 2010. Hope you will update when you return from your trip. I have seen 2 reviews with problems with the ship and one positive. Hope yours goes well.

 

Returned a week ago Wednesday, but am just now settling back into my routine again.... Travel is always an adventure and we certainly experienced our fair share in the past month on our Amsterdam to Budapest cruise with Viking aboard the Legend. If you've been following the boards, you're probably aware that many riverboat cruises turned into bus tours throughout Germany in early October, ours included once we arrived at Regensburg on Day 9. The following morning we were bused to Passau where we kept to the scheduled itinerary with local guides followed by lunch at a local beer garden and shopping time before returning by bus to the boat. The next day found us back on the bus headed to an alternative field trip to Munich with lunch at the Hofbrauhaus and the tab again being picked up by Viking. Missed seeing Linz, Durnstein, and scenic cruising through the Wachau Valley but enjoyed the farewell Captain's Dinner that evening back onboard the Legend. The following morning we said our goodbye's to the Legend and then boarded a bus for Vienna by way of the Melk Abbey where we settled in at the Renaissance Wien Hotel for two nights. As the roadtrip took most of the day, the optional tour of the Schonburnn Palace and the evening concert were rescheduled for the following day. Day #13 was a busy one filled with tough choices as Viking staff attempted to compact two days of activities into one. A morning tour of Central Vienna followed freetime and lunch at the Bierhof was chosen by most. That afternoon we opted to tour the Schonburnn Palace, therefore missing the optional roadtrip to Bratislava. That evening we attended the Mozart/Strauss optional concert which proved to be disappointing as it was a crowded tour bus event held in a small former palace rather than in a Viennese concert hall with locals as I had envisioned. Day 14 saw us on the road again to Budapest where we again stopped for lunch enroute, arriving at our hotel late in the afternoon after electing to stay onboard for the city bus tour with stops at the Matthias Church and hilltop castle complex. Our hotel accommodation in Budapest for the last evening of our tour was indeed grand...... The Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal, a facility that was chosen to impress and leave us with a positive last impression before heading out the following morning.

 

While I realize that all of the above probably falls into the catagory of 'too much information', I felt that I should include a detailed account of our alternative field trips in order to give you a good picture of what to expect should your cruise next year encounter similar problems. While I do believe that Viking made a good effort to keep us informed while the receeding water levels threatened our cruise, there also remains a sense of loss. I recognize that Viking went to great expense in attempting to replicate the land portion of our itinerary, yet I also realize that we missed out on some very scenic portions of the Daunbe..... It is frustrating to know that passengers on the Viking Danube, which was docked next to us in Regensburg, were able to continue their river cruise by switching boats with passengers on another Viking vessel further downstream while we had no such option available to us on the Legend. It is my hope that Viking may indeed contact us within the next few weeks with a discount offer for a future cruise as it did when we missed most of the cruise portion of our Marco Polo tour in China through the Three Gorges Dam area back in 2004. I understand, however, that any such offer would be made as a return client good will gesture only as Viking has themselves well covered legally in their contract of passage agreement.

 

In summary, the Legend is a lovely boat that is now 'ship shape', the crew is quickly growing into their jobs, and the journey along the waterways is memorable. You will not regret your decision....... LT

 

Almost forgot... transport from Budapest to Prague is by tour bus with onboard bathroom; a seven hour roadtrip with 3 stops that gives a good overview of the countryside. Enjoyable if one had not spent the previous few days on the above mentioned alternative field trips!

[no fuss travel]

Make sure you have some Hungarian money before you leave Budapest for the toilets at the first rest stop. The bus trip was long but went through beautiful countryside. We went by Bratislava and got a completely different view of the city from the bus. My spouse got a great picture of the castle from the bus. :You stop in the second largest city in Slovakia for lunch. We ate at McDonalds because it was fast and this way we got to wander around and see something of the city. Those that ate at a restaurant had no time to look around. Your choice but it was nice to walk around before you had to sit on the bus again.

[pmm0724]

Was the river level normal for this time of year or was this an unusual situation? Or was it the Legend's draft? I have a trip scheduled for 10/2010 is why I am asking.

 

Thanks.

[Little Toot2]

Was the river level normal for this time of year or was this an unusual situation? Or was it the Legend's draft? I have a trip scheduled for 10/2010 is why I am asking.

 

Definately very unusual for October, which was supposed to be a 'safe' month from the research I'd done prior to booking. However, most of Europe experienced drought conditions this summer including 7 weeks without rain prior to our sailing date of 9/27. River cruises are always a bit of a gamble as too much rain can also endanger your cruise IF sailing through a waterway with low bridges or through a dam spillway which caused cancelation of our cruise in China in '04. What can I say, my husband and I have been on three river cruises and experienced problems twice....