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Yes, VIVA IS the only German river cruise line including beverages. I didn't want to make my answer too complicated. But VIVA is also catering the English speaking market. With A-Rosa it depends on the fare you have chosen. Basic doesn't include beverages. BTW currently there's a media group of the UK onboard A-Rosa Sena. A-Rosa had several attempts to go more international. steamboats

We continue with part 3 and all restaurants including the menus. steamboats

Almost all German river cruise line do not include any beverages or shore tours. steamboats

Part 2 covering the decks 9 to 12 is online now. Enjoy! steamboats

@scubacruiserx2 I have the Same photo from Huatulco 😉. It will appear in the day by day review. steamboats

I´m known for my lengthy reviews with lots of photos. So in April we´ve been on Eurodam for the Panamal Canal transit from Port Everglades to San Diego. My review is in German but automatic translation usually works pretty well. And as mentioned... there are tons of photos. Part 1 starts with the ship description from deck A to 8 (except restaurants, bars and lounges - those get an extra entry). We´ve done all shore tours with HAL so this might be interesting too on what to expect from a certain tour. This will be my longest review ever (I fear) and I just started working on my almost 4 K files (photos, videos, pdf-menus). Hope you enjoy reading and following along! steamboats

That's a small helicopter. The big ones can't land. They are too heavy. Those small ones can't fly far distances. The big Coast Guards ones have a wider range. steamboats

None of the helipads on larger cruise ships is for landing. They won´t be able to stand the weight of modern rescue helicopters. All those helipads are winch areas only. It´s just an unobstructed area where you can more or less easily winch a person up to the helicopter. steamboats

It depends on the staff. Sometimes I had to remove my glasses. Sometimes I was allowed to keep them but with a strap around my head (the ones you use for water activities). Sometimes they even provided a strap. I don´t remember I had to take my rings off but I usually only have my wedding ring. I know they want to have the rings off on the water slides. steamboats

Besides of getting rid of a competitor you pretty much nailed it down. All 3 don't fit into ACL's business model. Duchess and Countess are new boats but way too luxury. The AQ is twice as big as their boats and it needs more money to operate her. steamboats

The helicopter can´t land onboard anyway. The patient is winched up in a stretcher. So with a bit of wind, that might be too dangerous. steamboats

No definite answer to that yet, seems like she´s heading to a shipyard and might go into service again. American Countess and Duchess are already in the Houma area for being scrapped. The American Queen is still sitting in New Orleans. steamboats

Unfortunately rumors are that all three Mississippi river boats will be scrapped - American Duchess, American Countess and American Queen. steamboats

Actually they ask whether your card should be charged in USD or in your local currency. If you opt for local currency X is charging you another 3% conversion fee. So if your card has a 2.5 % conversion fee USD is the better option. Actually with my German card I would have to pay the 3 % charged by X plus the conversion fee of my credit card (as the credit card doesn´t mind which currency the charge is made but that it´s made by a non Euro bank). steamboats

Not the first company which tries to operate on the Spanish speaking market. So far they all failed. And this ship is not suited for warm weather destinations. steamboats