Food on Rhine River cruises

we are planning our first river cruise. Interested in a Rhine cruise. The only thing holding us back is the food. I have found a number of sample menus for Viking, AMA, Avalon. We have fairly simple North American taste in food and unfortunately we are not very adventurous to try new foods, all of the dinners on these cruises seem very gourmet and many items we have never eaten. We would obviously need to have our meals in the ports......is this feasible?......when the ships dock at towns, are they generally within easy distance of restaurants?......or would we be able to request simpler meals.....e.g. Chicken & Vegetables.....Pasta?.....any advice would be appreciated.....thank you

we are planning our first river cruise. Interested in a Rhine cruise. The only thing holding us back is the food. I have found a number of sample menus for Viking, AMA, Avalon. We have fairly simple North American taste in food and unfortunately we are not very adventurous to try new foods, all of the dinners on these cruises seem very gourmet and many items we have never eaten. We would obviously need to have our meals in the ports......is this feasible?......when the ships dock at towns, are they generally within easy distance of restaurants?......or would we be able to request simpler meals.....e.g. Chicken & Vegetables.....Pasta?.....any advice would be appreciated.....thank you

We've taken 6 river cruises with Vantage including the Rhine. I really don't think you'll have a problem with the food. All of the cruise lines will provide chicken and some steak if asked. A typical menu for dinner would be a choice of appetizer (one more exotic than the other) and a choice of entree (one fish, one meat and one vegetarian). If you don't like anything on the menu you tell your waiter and they will prepare a plain meal for you. I understand comletely about your feeling, but food on a Rhine cruise is better described as gourmet, not exotic, I think you will be surprised to find out that when a the entree is described with french or german words, it's still fish, chicken or beef! What's different is the sauces they put on it and you can ALWAYS ask your waiter how is it made; what is it; what's in it; and can I have it without the sauce/gravy, etc. No one will laugh at you or question your asking. Personally, I would go hungry before I ate any fish and prefer a plant based diet. I tell you this because I have NEVER left the table without having had a wonderful meal, even if it was prepared just for me.

there is steak, chicken, salmon, pasta available every night. a couple of nights I oidered the main meal and then asked for an alternate meal. ceasar said is always available, the dining in the ports is expensive and menus not often in English.

Avalon always had burgers available to order at lunch, and at dinner, you could get steak or salmon (and possibly chicken)....Quite honestly I never ordered off that menu so I don't know what it has - but the online menus you've seen should show this information somewhere, eg "Always Available".

I'm not sure how food on land would be any more what you are used to than the meals served on the boat would be, but no, eating ashore every night is likely not going to be feasible. Depends on the unique itinerary, of course.

ETA actual specifics -at the bottom - Always available - Caesar salad, chicken breast, salmon filet, rump steak

http://www.avalonwaterways.com/user/images/menus/Avalon_Sample_Menu-Dinner.pdf

Same on Uniworld. Always more basic alternates for dinner. Buffet lunch provides a variety of salads and sandwiches besides the heavier entrees. Sometimes burgers on top deck of the larger boats. I've only ordered the alternate once (salmon) and it was very good.

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I'm not sure how food on land would be any more what you are used to than the meals served on the boat would be, but no, eating ashore every night is likely not going to be feasible. Depends on the unique itinerary, of course.

 

Good point, I think you would be more likely to find "exotic" or "gourmet" food on land than on the ship! One thing we found was the ship menu, while it might look gourmet, is really well prepared and attractively plated beef, chicken and fish. There were nights when something was more local, but as we've all said, all of the cruise lines will offer alternatives for people who can't/won't eat what's on the menu. Most of the time we sailed around dinner time so Hoyaheel is spot on about the feasibility of eating dinner on shore. Lunch on Vantage was usually a huge salad bar from which you could make sandwiches, salads and desserts. There would be a soup choice (usually hot or cold and you HAVE to try the chilled fruit soups if you've never had them) and a hot entree so lunch shouldn't be a problem for you. Same for breakfast, which is full buffet with all kinds of fruits, cheeses, meats, breads, danish, cereal and eggs cooked to order with a daily "special" like pancakes or french toast.

We took the Castles on the Rhine on Uniworld's SS Antoinette this past July. We are not fans of real fancy food. Uniworld always had Salmon, steak and chicken available at every dinner. They always has a normal garden salad if you didn't like what was offered for salad choices. In addition, if we wanted something that wasn't on the menu they would prepare it as long as it was in the kitchen. For instance my wife several times just wanted some broccoli to go with her meal for a normal vegetable and they made it for her. We only had one dinner where we ordered the standard alternative. There was always wonderful choices most nights including Filet's, Lobster tail, different pastas, etc...

Breakfast and lunch was very normal. The food was so good we didn't eat one meal off the ship but you can in many places if you choose. I'm assuming most of the other lines are accommodating as well but the food went from being a concern to a highlight of the trip.

Highly recommend the SS Antoinette from Uniworld for your Rhine cruise. We did Amsterdam to Basal and glad we did. Thought it got better each day as we went.

Good luck!

On a Rhine cruise the shore restaurants will not be serving Americanized food. These are small villages serving authentic regional specialties. Perhaps Cologne or Amsterdam you might find a fast food chain but I wasn't looking so I didn't notice any.

We did the "Rhine Getaway" with Viking and the food was absolutely fantastic. They did have a lot of "region specific" choices depending on where we were at the time but there are lots of more "normal" dishes as well. Please don't worry, there are plenty of choices and you will have lots of memorable meals, whichever cruise line you choose!

Happy cruising!

thank you all for our responses.....I must admit we are very leery of the sample menus we have viewed......we don't eat any fish.....and have seen veal, lamb, duck....which we have never eaten.......many of you have advised that they usually will offer just a simpler meal if we ask......you have all been very helpful....thanks

We took the Castles on the Rhine on Uniworld's SS Antoinette this past July. We are not fans of real fancy food. Uniworld always had Salmon, steak and chicken available at every dinner. They always has a normal garden salad if you didn't like what was offered for salad choices. In addition, if we wanted something that wasn't on the menu they would prepare it as long as it was in the kitchen. For instance my wife several times just wanted some broccoli to go with her meal for a normal vegetable and they made it for her. We only had one dinner where we ordered the standard alternative. There was always wonderful choices most nights including Filet's, Lobster tail, different pastas, etc...

 

Breakfast and lunch was very normal. The food was so good we didn't eat one meal off the ship but you can in many places if you choose. I'm assuming most of the other lines are accommodating as well but the food went from being a concern to a highlight of the trip.

 

 

Highly recommend the SS Antoinette from Uniworld for your Rhine cruise. We did Amsterdam to Basal and glad we did. Thought it got better each day as we went.

 

Good luck!

Hi Papa: I'm doing Amsterdam to Basel with Vantage in August. Anything I should know about? Like weather, things not to be missed, excursions not to bother with, etc. would be appreciated.

Hydrokitty

If you are in Amsterdam for a day or two Anne Frank House is a must see. I would also recommend booking the 30 minute English presentation prior to touring. I know there is a thread now about ordering tickets in advance. They must have change their rules because I got mine 9 months in advance for last July. Great to avoid the line. We also went to a living museum to see windmills, wooden shoe making, etc... We found the Maritime museum interesting as well.

Marksburg Castle was definetly a high light for us. We really enjoyed it. If you have any mobility issues be aware quite a few steps and cobblestones.

We also really enjoyed Heidleburg. Lots of shopping if that interest you in addition to the castle tour.

Of course sailing past the castles down the Rhine is unbelievable. I ordered a small book on Amazon ahead of time called Castles on the Rhine which has pictures of all of them with their history. It was really fun having that as we sailed by. I actually drew a crowd with others coming to see the book and take pictures of the pages to go with the pictures they were taking of the castle.

When you get into France if one of your tour options is the Alsatian villages they were really special. Can't remember the name of the village but there are numerous storks that have built nests. I had never seen them before.

I think one of our tours was unique to Uniworld but was my favorite tour. It was a vinegar producing estate with vinegar tasting. Sounds awful but was amazing tasting all the different flavors and fascinating history. Worst part was my wife and I bought about $200 worth to bring home.(But it is already gone)

If you have bicycles available and the mobility to use them you will find virtually every port has paths along the river to to ride or walk. We did this virtually every evening after dinner before sailing.

We climbed the bell tower at Cologne Cathedral. Am only 50 and in pretty good shape but it wore me out. Amazing views though and quite a sense of accomplishment if you do it. I think only one other couple on our trip did it. Thought I would brag a little-ha

I would get a Rudesheim coffee if you stop there. Good shopping there as well.

My only regret was I believe in Koblenz. We went on the walking tour instead of the aerial tram across the river to the fort. That was a mistake. Should have skipped the tour. Nothing special compared to other stops we made.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. I appreciate your posts and learn alot.

Brian

thank you all for our responses.....I must admit we are very leery of the sample menus we have viewed......we don't eat any fish.....and have seen veal, lamb, duck....which we have never eaten.......many of you have advised that they usually will offer just a simpler meal if we ask......you have all been very helpful....thanks

Don't be leery. Look at this as a chance to try a bunch of new things - at no additional charge. Try all of these new strange foods. You may like them. If you don't, they will bring you something else that you do like.

We love to try different things; for us, it's part of the fun of traveling, and it's such an integral part of the experience of a foreign place that we look forward to it very much. I will draw the line at insects, though...

But, if you don't like trying new things that's OK too. You'll be taken care of great either way.

Here is some local food from Strasbourg, one of the cities you can visit on a Rhine cruise:

Delicious baked goods, and a very creative sandwich:

The local specialty, tarte flambée (Flammkuchen in German) - thin crust flatbread, spread with crème fraiche, thinly sliced onion, and bacon lardons. Incredibly delicious! And accompanied by local wine/beer:

Here in Koblenz, you can get fast food if you want. The local Pizza Hut, and the local "Kartoffel King" (Potato King):

Or other choices... Ice cream and beer sold at the same place makes for one happy tourist!

Now I am starving to death from looking at all of this food... And I have to exercise before cooking dinner. The timing of this post wasn't well thought out...

So - if you can bring yourself to do it, try to taste some different, new foods during your trip. Bring a few Euros ashore and sample the local fare. You may surprise yourself and find something that you love.

Above all, have a great time! We are eagerly awaiting the different local foods that we can sample aboard SS Catherine, coming up in just 2 months.

Viking has a selection of very bland food for dinner if you don't want to be fancy. I would just say as a true foodie, don't believe all that you read on the menus. On our recent Viking cruise in Sept., many of the menus were hyped up to be far more than they turned out to be. Example: They advertised Beef Wellington, but what one got was a tenderloin with a puff pasty sitting on top with absolutely no pate anywhere on the plate. Or, Beef Burgundy that in no way resembled the name sake, but was more of a beef tips with mushrooms. When you ask about a dish, one typically gets "Oh, this is the chef's interpretation of that dish". Just saying that you shouldn't be scared by what you read on the menu. The chef's interpretation of Steak Provence vis vie minute steak may not be that great!

Hydrokitty

If you are in Amsterdam for a day or two Anne Frank House is a must see. I would also recommend booking the 30 minute English presentation prior to touring. I know there is a thread now about ordering tickets in advance. They must have change their rules because I got mine 9 months in advance for last July. Great to avoid the line. We also went to a living museum to see windmills, wooden shoe making, etc... We found the Maritime museum interesting as well.

 

Marksburg Castle was definetly a high light for us. We really enjoyed it. If you have any mobility issues be aware quite a few steps and cobblestones.

 

We also really enjoyed Heidleburg. Lots of shopping if that interest you in addition to the castle tour.

 

Of course sailing past the castles down the Rhine is unbelievable. I ordered a small book on Amazon ahead of time called Castles on the Rhine which has pictures of all of them with their history. It was really fun having that as we sailed by. I actually drew a crowd with others coming to see the book and take pictures of the pages to go with the pictures they were taking of the castle.

 

When you get into France if one of your tour options is the Alsatian villages they were really special. Can't remember the name of the village but there are numerous storks that have built nests. I had never seen them before.

 

I think one of our tours was unique to Uniworld but was my favorite tour. It was a vinegar producing estate with vinegar tasting. Sounds awful but was amazing tasting all the different flavors and fascinating history. Worst part was my wife and I bought about $200 worth to bring home.(But it is already gone)

 

If you have bicycles available and the mobility to use them you will find virtually every port has paths along the river to to ride or walk. We did this virtually every evening after dinner before sailing.

 

We climbed the bell tower at Cologne Cathedral. Am only 50 and in pretty good shape but it wore me out. Amazing views though and quite a sense of accomplishment if you do it. I think only one other couple on our trip did it. Thought I would brag a little-ha

 

I would get a Rudesheim coffee if you stop there. Good shopping there as well.

 

My only regret was I believe in Koblenz. We went on the walking tour instead of the aerial tram across the river to the fort. That was a mistake. Should have skipped the tour. Nothing special compared to other stops we made.

 

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. I appreciate your posts and learn alot.

 

Brian

Thanks Brian....I think we have our trips mixed up. The one your describing sounds like Castles on the Rhine, which was our first river cruise and we went from Amsterdam to Budapest. This will be our third time in Amsterdam and I'm looking forward to finally going to the Rijks. Then it goes to Cologne, Cochem, Issel, Trier, Bernkastel, Boppard, Strasbourg, Breisach and Basel, so I'm looking for info about those ports, if you've done them. I do have mobility issues so I'm glad I already did Cologne, Heidelburg and Rudesheim. My DH will share your pain over the $200 worth of vinegar....I spent $75 for a bottle of Eis wine in Rudesheim and even HE doesn't know exactly what I paid for the cuckoo clock!! :D

I did the Rhine Getaway on Viking in August 2014. Every night except the captain's dinner they had an "always available" menu of chicken, steak or salmon. I think every lunch had pasta and if it was pasta mixed with something you didn't like, you could ask for pasta without, for example, smoked salmon. Sometimes pasta was one of the choices at dinner. And as someone mentioned, a lot of times something that sounded fancy was fairly plain when it came out. I don't think plain food would be a problem. I'd suggest sitting in the same waiter's area every time so he/she got to know your likes. They go out of there way to make you happy with your food.

We did go to Strasbourg, Breisach, and Boppard. We loved Strasbourg. We took a canal boat through Petite France district. We also really enjoyed the cathedral in Strasbourg. I don't know if it is there every day but there is a really nice farmers market/craft/flea market where my wife picked up several things not far from the old city.

Breisach was a nice village on the German side of the village. However most of the excursions were across the river in Colmar or this is where we took a bus ride to the Alsatian Villages of Kayersberg and Riquewihr One of these is where we saw the storks and the was a wonderful day.

In Bopard we went to Castle Volrad for a wine tasting. It was nice but not one of our favorites.

Have a wonderful time.

Viking has a selection of very bland food for dinner if you don't want to be fancy. I would just say as a true foodie, don't believe all that you read on the menus. On our recent Viking cruise in Sept., many of the menus were hyped up to be far more than they turned out to be. Example: They advertised Beef Wellington, but what one got was a tenderloin with a puff pasty sitting on top with absolutely no pate anywhere on the plate. Or, Beef Burgundy that in no way resembled the name sake, but was more of a beef tips with mushrooms. When you ask about a dish, one typically gets "Oh, this is the chef's interpretation of that dish". Just saying that you shouldn't be scared by what you read on the menu. The chef's interpretation of Steak Provence vis vie minute steak may not be that great!

I agree With you Pinotlover. To the OP, we all travel for many reasons...new sites, history, cultural experiences and yes for me..trying new foods or at least enjoying good tasty food prepared in new countries.

I found vikings food , over all , to be overstated and under performed.

And the desserts were all duds IMHO...oh sure they sounded great and even looked good but the flavours were bland...almost as if they were catering to a fussy bunch who didn t like flavour, spice or taste.

That being said, we are booked again and trust me...it was for the itinerary ---not for the "gourmet " meals.

And dont get me going on the "house wine" !:eek: ( another topic...another thread)

Avalon have a default menu every night over and about their 3 or 4 regional specials from each area each night.

From memory default meals are Steak, Chicken or fish all with potatoes and vegetables. All Dinner meals are 4 or 5 courses with various options for each course, they will also do tailored meals if required for special needs. There was 6 or 8 of us and 3 had various likes and dislikes, Avalon were very good in sorting out meals to suit and after a couple of nights wait staff would automatically ask if the same meal changes were needed each night.

I agree with the posters that suggest you try new foods. That way you can expand your horizons.

I have eaten the new herring in Amsterdam, bratwurst from a 13th century brathaus in Regensburg, haggis on a Scottish cruise, New Zealand mussels in Auckland, etc.

Although you don't mention Uniworld, they also have menus available. I will say this was a concern for my husband before our first cruise, but he saw steak and a potato were always available. Well, on the cruises we've taken, I think he may have requested the steak once. He never went hungry. And he is a picky eater. He doesn't eat salads (or any uncooked vegetable), his choice of vegetables is green breans, carrots, corn, lima beans and peas (if it's the regular mixed vegetable mix, he'll eat them). He's recently added zucchini & yellow squash to this short list since he grew so much in the garden. Do not try to put a mushroom anywhere near his plate, or visible onions. Forget any leafy greens. WHile on the cruises, I'd kind of suggest which appetizer he might like if he couldn't decifer it on his own ... and I will say he tasted a few new things including, I believe, a foie gras foam. He prefers sweet white wines over any red... and he always found wines to drink. Breakfast and lunches were no problem as they were buffetts and he could get what he wanted. The food & meals is always one of the best parts of river cruising (at least for me).

We did go to Strasbourg, Breisach, and Boppard. We loved Strasbourg. We took a canal boat through Petite France district. We also really enjoyed the cathedral in Strasbourg. I don't know if it is there every day but there is a really nice farmers market/craft/flea market where my wife picked up several things not far from the old city.

 

Breisach was a nice village on the German side of the village. However most of the excursions were across the river in Colmar or this is where we took a bus ride to the Alsatian Villages of Kayersberg and Riquewihr One of these is where we saw the storks and the was a wonderful day.

 

In Bopard we went to Castle Volrad for a wine tasting. It was nice but not one of our favorites.

 

Thanks Brian...I can't wait to see Strasbourg and the Black Forest! In Bopard was there an alternate excursion? I like wine, but not much into tastings, is there anything to see or do if we were to stay in town?

 

Hydrokitty

Thanks Brian...I can't wait to see Strasbourg and the Black Forest! In Bopard was there an alternate excursion? I like wine, but not much into tastings, is there anything to see or do if we were to stay in town?

There is a chair lift that takes you up for a nice view of the valley/river. A nice town to walk and shop. Wasn't one of my favorite stops but plenty to do I think. On our cruise the castle and wine tasting was the main event of the day with a guided walking tour of Boppard.

thank you all for our responses.....I must admit we are very leery of the sample menus we have viewed......we don't eat any fish.....and have seen veal, lamb, duck....which we have never eaten.......many of you have advised that they usually will offer just a simpler meal if we ask......you have all been very helpful....thanks

Almost all so-called American food is directly derived from foods from other countries. Most American recipes came from Europe. The biggest difference between American food and the European counterpart is that cooks used what was locally available to make the same dish. For example:

Macaroni and Cheese came from Italy where it is known as Cacio e Pepe and made with Parmesan Cheese instead of American Cheese.

Pizza (all types) came directly from Naples, Italy. Neopolitan pizza is about the highest quality of ingredients. Americans added more ingredients and lower quality.

Meatloaf is actually from 5th Century Rome.

French Fries likely came to France and then the US by way of Spain and then Belgium.

Pasta came to America via China and then Italy.

Pot Roast is essentially and Americanized recipe for French braised beef or Daube de Bouef.

Chicken pot pie's origin began in ancient Egypt and Greece, then spread all over the Roman Empire before making its way to Medieval Europe. In the early days, the crust was used more as a pot lid or to preserve the food than something people would eat. In Europe the pastry was refined by the Italians and French and then crossed over to Britain and finally was brought to North America by English Pilgrims.

Probably you already are eating all kinds of European classic dishes ALL the time and don't even know it. So do go on this lovely river cruise and enjoy the wonderful food they have onboard. Perhaps you can take advantage of the lunch buffet to try small amounts of foods which are new to you. After all, they are included in the price of the cruise anyway. You may find a new favorite or two.

pappa b me

I think that you would find Schloss Volrads much more interesting if you read this first:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-erwein-matuschkagreiffenclau-1247985.html

What a visionary the Count was.