franski

We did the Peruvian Amazon with Avalon... and it was spectacular. They use Delfin cruises for the cruise portion, and their naturalists on board were amazing. I swam in the Amazon - and a pink dolphin breached right in front of me!! A travel memory I will never forget... Fran

When we visited Neuschwanstein, we planned for extra days after getting off the boat in Basel. Friends met us and we did 7 days on land. We ended up staying 2 nights in Fussen so we could spend a whole day at Neuschwanstein and see both castles. We ended our trip with 3 nights in Munich. We stayed a bit outside of town and took the train in to do our sightseeing. Fran

We have done a number of cruises in Europe - and never needed bug repellant. The only places we needed it were in Vietnam/Cambodia, and when we cruised the Peruvian Amazon. Fran

I am someone who is not particularly brand loyal. We have travelled with most of the major players except Tauck (price point above what we want to spend) and Grand Circle (we live in Canada, and TICO - the travel industry council in our province - does not cover them so our TA does not sell that product). We love Avalon - but have found that other lines may have an itinerary that just meets our needs better. For context, we leave on our 18th river cruise in less than 2 weeks. We look for itinerary, then dates, then price. We almost always travel aquarium class. We have found that the 2 things that make the most impact (for us, at least) are the cruise manager and the kitchen staff... neither of which you have any control over. Our very best cruise manager EVER was on Scenic... but conversely, the worst one was also with them. Our best food was with Uniworld in Russia - even though I had prepared my husband for a less than gourmet experience. Food is so subjective that I would never make recommendations... same with the wine list. Try to pick a couple of "must see/do" items and see who has them included. Look at things like gratuities (some include them, some do not), airport transfers (most include them if you buy their air - some include them if you buy your own). size of rooms. etc. There are more similarities than differences IMHO - and ANY line can have situations arise that are beyond their control. Enjoy the planning - and your cruise!! Fran

You are about 17 months out from your cruise- and the optionals might change before then. If you look at the same cruise this year, it might have some more information for you. But, I suspect you won't get much in the way of info on optional excursions for October next year before the spring of 2025. And even if you can find some info, they always reserve the right to change things. If something on the cruise this year seems to be problematic - or a complete bust - they might opt to drop it and bring something else in. As mentioned above, you can always book on the boat. The optionals will be explained in more detail during the port briefing - and you can sign up then. It is a very different process than is on a big ship where you often need to sign up ahead or run the risk of the excursion being sold out. Fran

The biggest surprise for me when booking a trip to Munich (and trying to MISS Oktoberfest) was the fact that Octoberfest starts in September!! 😲 We were there mid-September and just missed the opening (and the increase in hotel rates...) Fran

For Bangkok - we stayed in the Theatre Residence. It is a bit further from the airport - and not easy to find for the average taxi driver - but we arranged arrival and departure transfers through the hotel so it worked out great. The restaurant (attached to the hotel) is across the road on the river -so great night time views of the palace. It has a great pool in the courtyard that we enjoyed on our last afternoon there (our friends went to get a massage...) The hotel is close to the palace - and we booked it for the proximity - but by the time we got to Bangkok we were completely templed out so decided to skip it. Instead, we booked a tour through Tours by Locals and went to the floating market & railway market. Our guide was Angela - and she was awesome. The markets are close to 2 hours out of town, but (IMHO) worth the trip. We also went to see the reclining Buddha while we were there. Bangkok was a great place to stop on the way home. BTW - not sure if you have your flights yet, but we booked Toronto to Taipei direct with EVA air and it was a great flight. We then went from Taipei to Hanoi - and the trip was quite seamless (although it was VERY long...) Fran

That surprised us when we were in Peru... Fran

We did this in the fall of 2022... and extended over into Poland. We did not feel any anxiety over travelling there (we were in both Krakow & Warsaw - so fairly close to the Ukraine...). It was interesting to speak with people living in Poland. The war has impacted tourism - so they were very happy to have us visit!! We did learn that there are many people who do support the Russian offensive, so we were careful when discussing the situation... Fran

We did Transylvania with Scenic about 18 months ago. We found some of the optionals more strenuous than expected. In fact, when I asked about one, I was assured it was a "gentle incline" - but there was nothing "gentle" about it!! Worth the climb, but I have learned that I need to expect the worst - and be happy if it isn't as rough as I feared it might be. Fran

We have travelled with AMA, Avalon, Uniworld, Scenic, Emerald and Viking. As I mentioned before, DH & I feel there are more similarities than differences. We have travelled some rivers twice (Seine, Rhine, Danube between Nuremburg & Bucharest...). We just love river cruising - and look for different experiences. For example, our 1st river cruise was with Uniworld on the Seine. We re-sailed the Seine with Avalon - and had different stops... so - same river, different vacation. The VERY best cruise director we ever had was on Scenic - when we did a Tulip Time cruise with them. Conversely, the worst one we had was also on Scenic. Local tours guides are usually quite good with all lines, but sometimes you get a dud. Again - no control over this. We have only done one AMA cruise. It was OK, but not phenomenal. We are booked on our 2nd with them this May --> on the Douro. I went looking for dates, then prices - and compared the 2 companies that had what I was looking for. AMA is a bit more money, but we are getting extra days on our pre & post-cruise portions. Just happy to be on the rivers... Fran

We have travelled with most of the main companies, and I do believe that there are more similarities than differences. You have no control over the cruise manager (and he/she can have a huge impact on the cruise) or on the kitchen staff. I would suggest you decide where you want to travel, then what time of year. Take a look at all of the different companies, and take a look at what your options are. Are specific dates important? Do you have any flexibility? Is cost important? Or, it is secondary to dates & itinerary? Is there something that you *really* want to see - that is not available on one of your short-listed cruises? If you can narrow it down to a couple of different cruises - and want opinions on those cruises - come back and ask specific questions. Hope that helps. Fran

We are actually doing the Paris extension pre-cruise - and then over to the Moselle and cruising up to Amsterdam. Will try to post pics. Fran

Daisi - a bit off topic, but notice you have booked the Canals, Vineyards & Castles itinerary next year. I have this booked with a girlfriend - going this June. Which direction are you travelling?? Fran

It may have been me that made that recommendation... It is our "go to" place anytime we are in Budapest. Traditional Hungarian food... So good. We make sure we eat there anytime we are in Budapest (have been there 4 times at start or end of river cruises.... and would love to go back again!!). You really do need reservations as it is quite busy. It is a small place - and the tables are quite close together - but we have met some interesting people since the tables are so close together. Fran