doverboy

My wife and I did the Danube in late August 2016 and had a blast.  European countries normally take countywide holidays in August so check your dates, you may find some things closed.  Don't know what 2020 will be like because of the shutdowns, they may figure the time off has already occurred.  We left US on August 16 and stayed through Labor Day (September) did not run into any difficulties.  After dealing with crowds in US at vacation spots, the places we visited weren't so bad (Vienna, London, Paris, Nuremberg, Budapest) Pretend it is Disney on a slow day

Did not see any where along the route for a bike rental.  Many ports are simply a place to tie up and get out the gang plank

Sailed on the Amber in 2016 on the Danube.  We never planked with another ship.  Their docking sites seemed to be out of the way of other ships on the river. I sat out many mornings on my balcony and never smelled anything but we were midship on the Sapphire deck.

Adding our children to our Hawaii cruise only "cost" 299.00 each, so we said Why Not?  Forgot to figure the airfare to get them to Hawaii, the added cost in tips, the extra money for everything they ate off the ship, the souvenirs they brought back.  I would do it again in a heartbeat even though the added cost was around 5 grand 

Regardless of what you pack or forgot to pack there are RACKS of clothing and rain gear to purchase at just about every port and the stuff is very inexpensive. Layers are great but I found that the 29.00 reversible vest I purchased worked wonders as did the hoodie I bought from Princess Wilderness resort.

6'5" here and had no difficulty with beds or showers on Scenic cruises. Chairs are fine also and I spent many mornings on the balcony with coffee as my wife slept. Don't get me started about airplanes and people who insist on reclining their seat.

We did a river cruise on the Danube and had a terrific time.  A set of cruisers decided not to take the bike ride offered because it would be too hard.  When we bikers returned to the ship the group who declined wanted the hotel manager to let them ride the bikes at the next stop.  He declined. On the staff entertaining us night the women demanded that their husbands be allowed to partake in a skip using a young woman and a tight robe but then got offended when the skit turned into the woman and just the rope.  We ALL laughed at the skit but the complaining wives would not speak to their husbands for the rest of the evening. We disembarked in a terrific rainstorm and Scenic had buses and umbrellas lined up so of course the same group had to complain about the rain and the very short walk to the bus. Laughed about them for the next week of our vacation and their antics often come up in conversation

Do you have a ticket for Eurostar yet?  The train leaves at 13 minutes past the hour and some extra trains leave at about 15 minutes to the hour, all day long.  You have a little over 2 hours on the train and it moves fast but a look out the window does not frighten.  You will clear some customs in Paris before you board the train.  You arrive at St Pancras station.

Germaphobes often seem to be the people getting sick. Your body can deal with germs and builds up protection against many. The constant and continuous wiping of handles and armrests and shopping cart handles is often doing a disservice to your body. Yes, I use the stations in ships and hospitals.  Yes I clean after using a restroom but I am saddened that our society has decided to throw discarded towels into the corner of restrooms or on the floor after they "cleanse" their area

Unless the weather doesn't cooperate it matters little which side your cabin is on.  Mornings may find you enjoying a coffee in your suite before you head down to the restaurant but once the day starts you will be on an excursion or up on the sun deck.  I think it is Day 1 or Day 2 which is a full cruise day, lots of sights to see along the riverbank but other than that you are "engaged" in an activity most other days and evenings. We NEVER rafted while on the Amber for the same trip

See if you can find a rollator which folds side to side which will make it easier to navigate

Go online to their gift selection and order a few bottles of booze for your cabin. A bottle of Scotch (375 ml) is less than $30 so buy a few or a set. Then mix your own and carry a travel mug

6 minutes ago, fastpitchdad said:

 

Beagles search for food not drugs. 

I owned a labrador who was trained to locate drugs. He was employed by RCCL and walked the hallways when people were on excursions and met every passenger when they returned.  If he sat down you were busted.  Many different types of dogs are used to locate drugs, and many of those are beagles since they are light and can climb over bags more easily. I think if drugs are found you will not be able to use the excuse that a beagle found them. Many dogs are also used to locate food and cash being carried in luggage. 

Local television reports showed a traveler going through Houston airport and one of the beagles alerted.  He was removed from the airport to the police station because Houston, Texas, and the Federal Gov't do not recognize the drug as legal. I would not want a drug dog ratting out my luggage and ruining my plans

Not trying to be snarky but really? A 10 gallon pail of liquid soap takes up far less room than the equivalent number of soap bars. As far as the shampoo and conditioner in the cabin, get travel sizes at home or pour some from your econo sized Costco bottle into something smaller. Travel Bar soaps are readily available in the travel section of any Target and carrying a large bar won't tip the scales against you.  You might also find out that liquid soaps and conditioners are more environmentally friendly.

Packing could depend on how long your trip is and how long you will be away from home. My wife and I were gone 2 weeks with an 8 day river cruise on Scenic. I had them launder all of my socks, underwear and a few crew necks for a total of 26 Euro which allowed me to be fresh for week two. Remember that the people on the ship are not keeping track of what you wear day to day and you will never see the majority of them again.  I know I packed 1/2 of what my wife had. I pair of casual shoes, 1 pair of dress shoes.Jeans, khakis (2 colors), dress slacks. 1 dress shirt. 1 week's worth of essentials.  Good to go

We traveled with Scenic, Budapest to Nuremberg, but I wanted to see Burchtesgaden more than Salzburg so arranged a Tours By Locals in advance. tour company contacted Scenic prior to cruise and was given wrong drop off point for us to begin our tour hence over an hour late. We completed our tour but a few traffic accidents had us very worried about reconnecting to ship. We skidded to a stop in Passau as they were lifting the gang plank. some cruisers were not exactly happy with the small delay we caused but most wanted to see the pictures of Berchtesgaden and the Eagles Nest

8 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Sure, no reason to ban phone conversations during a show in the Princess theater.

Some people seem to look for reasons to be upset. Phone in the theater?  Ask the attendant to address the situation.

It bothers you, so keep it to yourself.  there is no need for cruiseships to ban phone use in a dining room or anyplace else unless taking pictures invades someone's privacy.  We used to be a civil society where we were able to converse with other people but we also kept our mouths shut about what we didn't like.  Now we are uncivil in just about all aspects of life.

15 hours ago, salty dingo said:

Let me start by saying how much I despise chair hogs.

the Escape holds approximately 4300 people and she has a limited supply of deck chairs.  Unfortunately you felt a need to leave the area and returned later. should the other 4300 passengers be left waiting, besides your towel left on the chair, for your return? sometimes you just have to accept that it isn't "all about me". I don't mean to be swarmy but 4300 is a small city 

55 minutes ago, hpeabody said:

It looks like renewing is the thing to do.  I would happily go to the Los Angeles Passport Office, but they only accept in person visits if your international travel is within 2 weeks.  Time to get a new passport photo, UGH!

Costco does passport pictures in a jiffy, like next! that will be a few dollars. Can't mean more than 10 minutes total

Hey People, lighten up already.  I have been on many cruises with my wife and made it through the entire set of trips with enough clothing.  If the OP is headed to Alaska then she needs to pack some rain gear or look to purchase it once aboard. Other than that you pack for a trip of whatever duration you choose.  My wife just surprised me with a trip to Scotland and did not tell me until we checked our bags with British Air.  Would I have packed different?  Maybe but who cares when you are going on VACATION!  I will never see any of the people we sat with, flew with, shared a hotel with, ate in the restaurant with again.  No one will know if I wore the same socks 2 days in a row. No one will rat me out if I did not brush my teeth. the people in the restaurants did not know I wore the same tie with 3 different shirts and the same blazer.  And neither will the people on the cruise ship they sail on.

3 hours ago, Aapreciate said:

I found the alcohol extremely sub standard. We were in the Royal suite so we got the fancy red wine. We looked it up - $11.99 a bottle. The whiskey selection was ridiculous. Jim Beam?  Really?  Yes they serve Moët but ONLY at breakfast because no one drinks it then. You can’t get it any other time, I asked. And all the mixers were Schweppes. Nothing nicer.

 

The food quality was equally mid-market. All the salmon was farmed. Limited fresh fruits and veggies with nothing ever light ot organic. And much of the food was cold, it was a consistent pattern. Room service food was even less warm. Just not a luxury experience at all. 

There was an alcohol MENU in the lounge.  Our first night onboard I asked for a flight of the different Scotchs offered, there were 7 if I remember correctly. I settled on Glenmorangie and asked for a full glass each time I ordered, the staff came through and would hand me a full glass as I entered the lounge.  I think you might have shortchanged yourself.

Could not disagree more. Food was local or you could opt for standard meals. Alcohol had a menu to choose from at no additional cost. There was no steak house on board so I am not sure what you opted for off ship

Look up the "Gifts" section on NCL with your reservation and find the wine list.  A bottle is marked up a bit but you can order and it will be waiting in your cabin. Be careful of trying to get a corkscrew through TSA.  I traveled with one so often I forgot it was in my toiletries bag.  New Orleans TSA confiscated my $3.00 corkscrew and broke up the set because of the 1/2 inch blade and the screw itself.

I have purchased wine and liquor in this manner and always felt that I was ahead on the deal