polabear

I've flown United Business class in the 2-2-2 configuration with the forward and backward seat. Unless you are at the bulkhead, you'll end up making stray eye contact with folks diagonally to you across the aisle. However, its tolerable.

The old 777 configuration 2-4-2 is awful, and I would happily pay 300 a person to avoid it. I few it with my husband, and even with the wider seats, I found myself leaning towards my husband most of the flight to avoid making contact with my neighbor.

Here in Düsseldorf, it has been unseasonably cool this week - the heater in my bathroom came on this morning! This is not standard end of July, early August weather. The high for next week should be in the low to mid 20s (70 to 76 degrees).

Last year, I was in the same area in mid August, and the temps were well over 30 (90+ degrees). That was miserable, since few areas have air conditioning.

Going to a brew house is a ton of fun with a big group of people. It's meant to be a communal environment. With more people, there's more beer going around, lots of fun teasing by staff.

Thanks everyone!

 

I did investigate them a little bit more on youtube last night and found that they offer several levels of ticketing.

The ticket that I am considering would get me in an exit row seat for under $400. Too bad they only offer flights to Munich on the weekends as I would definitely consider them. Hopefully, that will change soon.

 

That would get me round trip out of Toronto for about $800 which is much cheaper than my own airport. I am still 11 months out so will wait just a little longer.

FYI, my home airport in Buffalo has cost of 2K. Well worth the 1 1/2 driving.

 

We probably will stay the extra night as I don't picture us going to Europe for a while. I will have to look into things to do in Amsterdam.

It's a good idea to wait to book. You'll definitely want to be booked at three months out, but at 11 months, too many things can change, like airline schedules, fuel costs, etc.

I've posted this on other threads, but you will generally pay the same amount, or even more, for soda or water in an European restaurant than for the house wine or draft German beer. I would consider the dining room on a cruise the same as a restaurant. Tap water is not drunk in restaurants. So the alcohol offered during meals is not inflating your cruise cost much at all.

Not all business class is equal, that is for sure. I'm shocked though that Delta would have an international flight without lie flats, however! But, yes, you have to check. For example, Icelandic Air has standard business seats. However, do not discount some of the cheaper fares on LOT (the polish airline) or Turkish Airlines. While they aren't as great as perhaps Lufthansa, Swiss or Austrian business classes, they do have lie flat seats. Also, you can take advantage of shopping in an airport (Warsaw or Istanbul) that you may not normally go through. (I love airport shopping!)

My 94 year old grandmother, my mom and stepdad are all coming to visit me this summer, and we booked two business class seats and one economy plus. That way, grandma has a business class seat, and a companion. I've warned my mom that they may not let them switch mid flight from the business and economy plus seats

I also agree that one long flight is much easier than multiple stops, unless you plan to stay somewhere for a few days. When you fly back to the US, you should avoid a stop over in the US before your final destination, if at all possible. Unlike pretty much everywhere else in the world, you have to collect your luggage after customs in the first US airport, and then recheck it in to your final destination.

As an american living without air conditioning in these temps for the first time since I was a kid, it has not been fun. Luckily, I have a ceiling fan in my bedroom (According my my jealous american colleagues, I'm "rich"), and good German insulation/construction does keep the heat out if you can cool down the apartment overnight and then shut everything else back up.

(For non-Germans, very few private homes or apartments have air conditioning. My colleagues keep insisting its only needed a "few times a year". I told them that they are 3 days over that already for the year :) )

However, for lounging out on a river boat or touring, its probably very nice weather indeed :)

 

As an aside, we were enjoying a beer outdoors at a small restaurant in Germany -- we all chuckled to note beer was less expensive than the one soda a friend ordered.

This is totally typical. When my husband visits me, his diet coke and water bill can be more than both our entrees. Restaurants will also usually have non alcoholic beer which is also very affordable, especially if you are comparing volume wise.

I took this picture on April 11th of this year in Herrenhausen Gardens, in Hannover. It won't be by where you are, but you can get an idea of what will be blooming. Plus, the sun came out for like 3 seconds that day, which was very exciting for my husband :)

I'm not sure about tulips in Amsterdam, but it'll be on point for Germany along the Rhine . In fact, daffodil season will be on its last legs.

Don't expect much sun at all, unfortunately. It doesn't mean non stop rain, but it does mean a lot of overcast skies. You'll be lucky to have a day or even an afternoon of sunshine.

I was wondering if the cost of the beverage package is worth it. It averages out to about $30. per day, per person. Unaware of how long we are in ports, it is difficult to say if a person will be on the ship to enjoy the lounge. I also do not know the hours that the lounge/bar is open.

 

If you opt for the house wine/beer available with lunch or dinner--are you limited to one glass? Europe is expensive--so I don't know how much of a buy you get buying wine or beer in port. I believe that I read that there is not a corkage fee at dinner. What makes the easy decisions so difficult??

 

I am booked on the Viking Ageir in September (Grand European). Looking forward to the trip!!

Alcohol and (most) food prices are very reasonable in Europe. Where I live in Germany (Düsseldorf), you can get a reasonable bottle of wine in the 5 to 7 euro range at pretty much any grocery store or kiosk. If you go to a discount grocery store (Like Aldi (I work for them), Hofer, or even *gasp* Lidl), you'll find even better deals. At Aldi Süd, you'll find these wines in a .75 liter (25.4 ounces) bottle in their regular assortment, and this includes tax:

Lugana DOC 5.99

2016 Pinot Noir Rose Pays d'Oc IGP 2.59 (This scored 87 out of 100 points at falstaff.de)

Vinho Verde DOC 2.59

Rioja DOCa Rosado 2.59

2016 Sauvignon Blanc Südafrika 2.29 (This scored 88 out of 100 points at falstaff.de)

You won't have sunrise until 7am, but it will stay light until after 8pm, which is nice.

I've found that other than the odd thunderstorm, rain along the Rhine is more drizzly than full on downpour. A good water resistant coat is a must.

Me, too. It's Friday; we got home Monday and I still feel like I have lead boots on. I am on the west coast so it is a 9-hour time difference. We traveled with another couple; two of us came down with whopper coughs and general ickiness so that could be part of our sloggy feeling.

Ugh. I only have to fly to Chicago. I did do a quick four day trip to Denver and back (I'm based in Düsseldorf for work) for a family event, and it was pretty torturous while I was there, and took me a bit longer to adjust when I got back than normal.

I have found that either direction, my stomach always knows what time it is in my home time zone, and behaves accordingly. There's a lot of late night snacking :)

Jet lag wise, everyone is different. I rarely have a problem flying to Europe from the US, but I'm in the minority. I just do as dogsarepeopletoo suggested - get out in the sun and do some walking! I have found that taking a short nap of an hour mid day helps as well - but no more than that! Being on a schedule will help as well to get you out of bed in the morning. Plus, in the summer time, its so light out early that its easy to get up and going.

I have found that I've had the worst time sleeping on the second night - I just accept it, and eventually nod off.

I have a horrible time flying back to US, and usually end up with brain fog for a good two to three days.

In early June, the sun is out until 10pm, so a lot of those low temps won't happen until 11pm or later. My husband, who gets warm very easily, wore shorts the entire month of April when he visited me, and was perfectly comfortable. I was in jeans, no jacket. Germans were still in their winter coats.

Definitely bring a rain jacket. Public places will be much warmer than most Americans are used to - most won't have air conditioning, including restaurants.

Also, depending on your size, you may have problems running out and finding shorts or a jacket if you decide you need it. It's easier to find larger (more than size 12-14) clothes in europe than it used to be, but its still not in your usual stores.

:') How ever do we survive over here?

My German friends have done an analysis of US expats, and apparently if you are a "wadder", you hate European toilet paper. If you are a folder, you think its the best thing in the entire world. It's pretty much the first thing they ask newcomers.

It is going to be 35 Celsius (95 F) in Düsseldorf today, but happily the temps will go back down into the 20s (70s) the rest of the week. Finding air conditioning in Germany is pretty much impossible, other than in some office buildings. Which is why I'm very happy I'm at work today and not in my sweltering apartment :)

Thanks! My husband selected the Danube Waltz in spring of next year on Viking Legend. It's an older boat, but that means the rooms are a little bigger and will have slightly fewer passengers. I'm sure I can find plenty of local beer in the afternoons. :)

The KTN is on the application when making application. One cannot use it until final approval is received.

 

bon voyage

That's right - I managed to forget to bring my application where she would have pointed out the number, so that's why she had to write down for me.

My GE application experience was/is:

 

Application Date: 8 May 2016

Conditional Approval: 19 May 2016

Interview Date (PHL): 22 May 2016 (Today)...

 

Will see how long it takes for approval notification, been told it is a matter of hours, then a week or so before card arrives in mail.

 

 

Will update once complete.

 

bon voyage

I had my approval via email before I made it home from the airport. They wrote my known traveler number on my paperwork at the end of the interview.

For TSA preCheck to apply, your airline also has to participate in the program. Many of the budget lines do not participate - I've stopped flying Frontier because the cheaper price isn't worth the long line at the Denver airport when visiting my family. Global Entry only applies when clearing immigration when coming back into the country.

Even if you do have the TSA preCheck on your boarding pass, you may still have extra screening. For example, I was wearing a pair of baggy jeans that must have bunched up in an interesting way, and got quite the search. I've also gotten the dreaded SSSS, the random pull out of a line, and every time I've flown back into the US via the pre-clearance in Vancouver, I've had to sit in secondary while they do whatever they do and re-xray my bags. (Which is only twice, but still.)

However, life is still much better with PreCheck and Global Entry. Most of the time its smooth sailing, and not having to take out all 90 million electronic items I always seem to have on me from my bag is heaven. My husband doesn't have Global Entry, and I made it through immigration and to the baggage claim in about 5 minutes. His wait was about 25 minutes. (This is at O'Hare, which isn't bad as immigration goes.)

Thanks for the feedback! The cruise is a splurge to reward my husband for living without me for two years while I live in Germany. :) He still has his heart set on Viking - I think I accidentally scared him off Avalon by sending him the info for one of the active cruises first. Either way, I'm sure it'll be great.

Hello!

I tried searching the forum on this topic, but failed to find much. But, if there is a thread, please point me in that direction. :D

My husband and I are looking at a 2018 spring time river cruise on the Danube. My husband's first instinct was to go with Viking, in part because his aunt just returned from one of their cruises on the Danube cruise where they had a lovely time.

On the other hand, I found a cruise for beer enthusiasts on Avalon that looks interesting. The cost with the current discount is about the same price as we were quoted for viking by a local travel agent. She also said that she had just done a wine tour with them, and wasn't particularly impressed.

Has anyone done of those their special interest tours? I believe the beer one is new this year, but the wine one has been around for a bit.

Just last year I bought a large capacity external battery to charge things like my phone or tablet. I'm sure this ban will affect these batteries as well?

What's crazy is that is that I also have a large capacity external battery, and its absolutely too large to be checked in luggage.

It's explicitly against the rules at my workplace to check our laptops - I'm not even allowed to leave it in my car unsupervised. I have no idea what this will do to our international travel to and from europe.

Thanks Mark. Are all the checked bags screened as well?

 

 

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Checked bags are screened as well. Different countries have different requirements in terms of what has to come out of the bag.

In the US, if you have TSA precheck or Global Entry, nothing comes out of your checked bag at all. Otherwise, for regular security, you only need to remove your laptop.

For example, in the UK, pretty much all electronics need to come out of your bag, including your kindle and small tablets. I always take my phone out as well, because why not. I learned the hard way in Birmingham after I didn't remove my fire tablet once, and they explosive tested everything. Which, of course, came up positive (probably from an ingredient in my hair gel). Then, I had to go through extra screening (which I don't blame them for!), and I had extra screening in Brussels as well before flying home to Chicago.

In Brussels, they completely emptied my carry on bags, and asked me very probing questions with a LOT of eye contact. I was actually impressed - much better than the typical TSA motions.

In Europe (other than the UK), I believe kindles and phones are usually fine in my bag, but honestly, I just pull it all out since I'm usually in there anyways to get out my laptops (work and personal, ugh), and that way I don't have to worry about it.

Also, if you are flying through a country with "lax" security, you'll often get an extra search before you board. When I flew threw Thailand on my way to Australia, my carry on bags again were completely rechecked by hand (everyone's was).