mialeighs

On 4/10/2024 at 11:26 AM, BMoreE said:

Came across this as we are planning a July trip with an identical situation - @mialeighs what did you end up doing?

 

We are an "explore on our own" type and would have no problem hopping a train to Nuremberg, but definitely find value in having an experienced person telling you about what you're looking at. Perhaps there are guided tours available for purchase on site?

 

As an aside, does anyone know which, if any, of the stops on this cruise are closest/best for taking a tour of a concentration camp memorial?

Hello! Just making it through emails after our cruise.

We stayed in Regensburg, and although we're glad we didn't do the $300pp excursion to Munich or Nuremberg (partly b/c it turned out we were there on Easter Sunday, so lots of places were closed, or so we heard), we also didn't love Regensburg. In large part that was because the tour guide happened to be our least favorite of the cruise and partly bc we loved Prague so much, and Regensburg was a bit of a letdown.

If I could do it again, and if it weren't a Sunday (apparently lots of places are closed on all Sundays in Germany) or if we could guarantee the places we wanted to see were open on Sundays, I might take the train on my own to Munich and see some sites there or perhaps make arrangements to visit Dachau, which would be a way to visit a concentration camp memorial. 

There was another excursion to see a memorial from Prague, but we didn't want to give up one of our three days there.

Enjoy your cruise! We really loved it.

On 1/21/2024 at 8:48 PM, Kristelle said:

So do you go into the War Memorial where the trials took place? That was good and includes a short film ( ,maybe 20 minutes) of actual footage from the trials 

 

 

There's not enough details about the excursion so I'm not sure. I think we'll stay in Regensburg or take a train to Nuremberg to see what we want to see.

On 1/22/2024 at 11:08 AM, puppymama1 said:

We have booked the Nuremberg excursion for our Romantic Danube cruise in May.. I could not find another tour (not through Viking) that would get us from Regensburg to Nuremberg.  I am also more hesitant to book private tours on river cruises because you never know when the departure time or dock location will be changed due to river conditions.  

 

If anyone has done this excursion with Viking, do you know if it is possible to see the War Memorial on your "free time in the afternoon"?

There's so little detail about the excursion! Another reason we're hesitant to book. I don't want to just be wandering around all day. I think we'll stay in Regensburg or possibly take the train to Nuremberg as notamermaid mentions above.

On 1/22/2024 at 6:36 PM, notamermaid said:

Just for comparison. You can get to Nuremberg from Regensburg by train for less that 30 euros per person, so return for two is less than 120 euros. A taxi one way from Regensburg to Nürnberg is about 240 euros. You can also book what is called a Großraumtaxi, meaning an eight-seater together with other people. Several options but I agree about not booking private guides in advance.

 

Lunch is apparently included in your excursion but I still cannot see what justifies the 300 dollars when travelling in a large group.

 

notamermaid

 

Thanks again for your input!

Thanks for your thoughts! Since we haven't done a river cruise before, we weren't sure about the pricing. $300 pp sounded pretty pricey to us too, and we're glad to hear from others that that IS a lot off money for an excursion. I'm leaning toward staying in Regensburg.

1 hour ago, Roz said:

What exactly do you get for $300?

For Nuremberg: Full day excursion includes travel from Regensburg, but from there it's a little vague: "After you see the grounds on which *** rallies were staged and pass the Palace of Justice, admire the Imperial Palace, one of Europe’s most formidable fortresses. Then, stroll down the castle hill past half-timbered houses and browse the stalls at the Market Square." Lunch is included. Time to explore on your own in the afternoon.

For Munich: Full-day excursion includes travel and lunch. Again, it's a little vague. I guess you're mainly paying for travel, lunch, and a guide for the morning.

Interesting that this is considered expensive b/c I thought so too, but what do I know?! Since I've never been on a river cruise before. 

Should we just stay in Regensburg? Or would it be better to find our own travel to Nuremberg? We are not experienced travelers outside of the States.

2 hours ago, Kristelle said:

sorry, didnt realise that was a banned word - hope you can tell what I mean from context.

Yep, I got it. I thought you'd done it on purpose b/c you know these boards better than me! 😆

My husband and I are going on our first river cruise at the end of March, Regensburg to Budapest with a Prague add-on at the beginning. The Regensburg stop offers two excursions we're interested in: Historic Nuremberg or Munich Highlights. Any thoughts on each of these? They both cost about $300 per person. We tend to like museums and history, but we do also like the energy of a city. We like the structure that excursions offer but we are in our 50s and fairly mobile, and don't want to be held up too much by waiting for the group, if you know what I mean. $300 per person is an expensive addition, but I've read a lot of warnings about the challenges of booking a third-party tour, which might not be any cheaper anyway.

We've been pretty slow with our research, so I welcome any thoughts about Danube cruises and our stops in Regensburg, Passau, Krems, Vienna, and Budapest.

21 hours ago, JohninDC said:

You can check tours-plaza to see if they offer what you want.

 

Or taxi to the Money Bar for good snorkelling from the shore, and then taxi to Paradise Beach for water toys, beach, pool, etc.

Thanks! I'll check out Tours Plaza.

I'm interested in booking a local company to do some fun snorkeling, and then grab some lunch and hopefully chill on a beach. My 14-year-old son and my man-child husband would probably also appreciate it if the beach has some activities. Advice on how to make this happen or a company that books excursions on the island? We're cruising on RC during mid-March (spring break!), and I read that 6 ships will be in port. Yikes! No need for an AI.

Thank you all so much! I do feel much better, and I know we will have an amazing time!

My son can only have almond or coconut milk and we were able to get it at the MDR and through room service. We ordered it so much through room service on our last cruise they finally started sending the cartons to the room. They will have it but its limited to find. If you can't get it at the Windjammer or MDR its always available via room service.

Perfect. Thank you!

was able to get almond milk in the wind jammer. You just have to ask the guys pouring the tea and water. It was in the coolers behind the counter.

Thanks. I'll check there.

Much thanks to you all!

Does Harmony of the Seas carry almond milk as an option? Neither regular milk or soy works for me, but I didn't even think about, and now we're sailing in two days. I emailed RC about having an allergy, but I'm afraid I won't hear back in time. If I bring some unopened almond milk, do you think they will let it on?

Also, RC's instructions are to bring your two bottles of wine in a carry on so your luggage doesn't get tagged. Does that mean we have to carry our wine around until our room opens up?

Finally, I am a big baby about my drinking water. Is anyone having luck bringing bottled water onto the Harmony right now? We were able to last time, but that was 4 or 5 years ago.

Help! My husband and I are leaving for a cruise out of Port Lauderdale on the Harmony on Saturday. This is only my second cruise, the last one being on the Oasis about 5 years ago. Normally, I'm a pretty good vacation planner, but this year I haven't done ANYTHING. Or anything by my usual standards. We don't have any excursions planned (St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, and Labadee) or any dinner reservations (except picking a dining time of 8, which is late for us, but our options were limited b/c we WAITING SO LATE). I feel so unprepared. Please reassure me that we will still have a good time and that the whole thing won't be a disaster. I'm exaggerating, obviously, but I am nervous.:o

Also, a question. Our empty luggage stays in the room with us, right? Do most people stash it under the bed? Does that generally work fine, or do we need to worry about the size of our luggage and making sure it fits. I need to bring my pillow, so I think I'm looking at more luggage that I normally would. (We're flying on Southwest, so we get to check up to four bags.)

ItwillbefineItwillbefineItwillbefine...

Thanks very much! I'll definitely be bringing my own.

Hi! Inexperienced cruiser here. I assume the cruise ships provide toiletries. What is the brand used on the harmony of the seas? Is it name brand? If not, are they pretty high quality? Trying to decide if I need to bring my own shampoo/cond. thanks!

Mia:cool: