Ritabob

Your cabin will not be ready for you until around 3pm, but you can board the ship any time prior to that, especially if you have to vacate your hotel early. The crew will store your bags and you are then able to continue out and about sightseeing or explore the ship and hang out in the lounge. A light lunch will be provided for those embarking early and for those who are disembarking late.

RB

I suspect the OP shouldn't have a problem with the gentle walkers guided groups, however one thing not yet mentioned is the likely hood of being rafted at some point.

Rafting is when there is limited docking space so ships have to 'dock' onto another ship making access to the dock a bit of an obstacle course through or over the ship next to land.

If you have difficulty with steep -ish stairs that can be wet and slippery in the rain, and gang planks at sometimes a bit steep angles...be forewarned. Usually there are staff members assisting the passengers, but it is nice to be aware ahead of time.

River cruising is an investment of hard earned $, so it is best to ask lots of questions before booking a trip.

RB

Hi,

 

I just booked this Uniworld cruise on River Ambassador going from Brussels to Amsterdam. Has anyone done this Tulip Time cruise and have information and ideas to share? Thanks.

We did the Uniworld 'Tulips and Windmills' cruise beginning on the 27th of March last year. Although this is not the same itinerary, there are some stops that are the same...ie, Keukenhof gardens, which we visited on the 3rd of April, 2015. The gardens were lovely, although not at their prime. The shuttle bus to the gardens from the ship drove past fields of colours that were amazing.

Weather at that time of year will have you tested on mixing and matching layers of clothing . Bring a raincoat . The ship does provide umbrellas, but on a windy day there were more turned inside out umbrellas and wet people. And while wearing a raincoat you have both hands free.

The River Ambassador is one of our favourite ships. Be forewarned, unless you booked a suite, your cabin will be cozy. (tiny) However, the bed will be sooo comfortable, the towels plush, and when someone else cleans your cabin twice a day, you can overlook the squishyness for a week.

Feel free to ask specific questions,

RB

If you can, add a few days at both ends. At the beginning you can start to deal with getting your body adjusted to the time difference while exploring on your own at your own pace. The river cruise is going to keep you hopping and jet lag might get the better of you. It also gives you a cushion of time in case of missed connections or lost luggage.

RB

Rebel, one word comes to mind...Bummer. Sorry to hear about the downer after such a high from your well planned trip. I hope hubby enjoyed his birthday dinner. ;)

Good luck on the securing the new job and relocating. And here, we'd like to relocate to Waimanalo...go figure!

RB

Thank you for taking the time to write your review. Looking forward to reading about the rest of your vacation.

RB

Tough call... The Rhine has the castles which can be viewed from the top deck...no walking required....and the Danube has Vienna for the classics...plus all the other stops on both rivers. If both cruise companies have similar family friendly options then my recommendation is do what the 'older' generation wants....the younger generations have more years ahead of them.

RB

Same goes for their breakfasts. Every morning there is a 'special'. And if you want eggs bennie every morning - you shall have eggs bennie every morning. :)

On one of our cruises we had to disembark at a crazy time like 4 am. The chef gave us little boxed meals with a roll and some meat and cheese to tide us over.

RB

Do you have a no fee bank account? You might be able to order your forint ahead of time and avoid the extra fees.

Quite a few merchants do accept Euros, but if you do the calculations you'll find it may be convenient, but costly for you.

And if you do end up with a few extra forint at the end of your trip, I find they (and other foreign) currency make interesting souvenirs for children. It teaches them about other countries and give them something to start collecting for fun.

RB

Rebel, we miss you...are you having too much fun in Paris?

RB

where does avalon fit into to the list from top to bottom ??

It depends on who's list. Many have perceived lists after reading complaints and accolades on CC, and my guess is there are very few who have travelled with more than 2 or 3 different lines with actual experiences. The 'sticky' at the top of the page will probably help you see a rating for Avalon.

RB

Don't know for sure about AMA, but suspect they will have a light lunch available for you as well as for those who are disembarking that day, but have late flights.

We have travelled with other cruise companies and they do provide a light meal in the lounge. Enough to take the edge off, for sure! The bar will be open :)

RB

Out of curiosity, does anyone know the highest lock on the Rhine? One of the ones close to us is 3 locks that raise 20 metres, then another is a lift lock that also raises the same amount.

Daisi,

Welland? St Lawrence? Rideau? Trent-Severn?

Just wondering, RB

Corpkid,

Are there particular cities, countries or rivers you want to see / explore / experience? Start there. Then sit down with as many of the cruise company books you can get and narrow down the itinerary that appeals to you.( Much easier to fold down pages for cross referencing than searching the websites :)).

Don't worry about who else is going to be on board or how old they are.

Not all cruise lines spend the same amount of time docked in any city / town / village. Once you've started to narrow down an area, check with a good TA or the cruise company for more specific info about overnights or late evening departures. Even if departure time is 11pm, you still have time to pop into a local pub to get to know the locals.

And chances are the overnighters will be at larger cities.

On our most recent cruise we found the direction you are sailing may also influence the departure times. Cruise down river and you may leave later because the ship will travel easier going with the flow.

Clear as mud? RB

WE have not done the exact same cruise as the one you are looking for information about, but I did do a report on...Uniworld River Ambassador Danube discovery and Prague. If you scroll about 4 or 5 pages back on the list and about the last week of May you'll find it.

And we have cruised the Danube between Nuremberg and Budapest a couple of times, as well as the Main Rhine and Moselle, so ask away.

RB

Wow, I didn't know about the good luck if you saw the tongue. I saw it twice on the same day.

Taking the cable car up over the river was one of our highlights. We had the car to ourselves both up and down, so were able to take lots of pictures.

Am loving your photos...they bring back wonderful memories.!

RB

If a particular sailing is not fully booked ie, the first or last of the season, some lines will waive the single supplement on any category other than suites. Check the Uniworld website, there are quite a few listed.

RB

Hungary uses Euros. You will need 50cent or 1coins for public bathrooms (if there is an attendant in the bathroom they can change your 1 Euro coins for 2 x 50cents at the time). Depending on your travel plans, you might also need euros maybe notes in 5 or 10s to tip taxi drivers, bellmen or even leave tips in restaurants etc. as not all small family restaurants might take credit cards.

 

Please do not give dollars. Ask yourself if you would find it helpful to be given any small payment in euros or yen or other currency when you were in the USA? It is both hugely inconvenient and expensive for the recipient to change small amounts. Banks often have minimum amounts they will change which your tip will not meet anyway.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruising in all currencies and all destinations!:)

Hungary still uses Forint, but in many places they will accept Euros with a little extra added in for their S&H. ;)

Great pictures! I always wondered about the A rosas.

I see you are from Ontario and yet the company you dealt with was American...more details, please. Thanks

RB

What is included in the tours for the next day in Nuremberg?. Perhaps the courthouse is part of the tour? or and optional tour? It was an option with Uniworld, although you did not really have enough time to do the displays justice. (punny?)

We were in Nuremberg on our own a number of years ago and spent many hours reading the displays and watching the videos, so rushing to get there for an hour would really be wasted.

Public transit from the docking area would involve a couple of transfers, and a cab ride about 20 minutes with no traffic.

RB

I, too, find the decor to be over the top, but no one is asking me to redecorate my house to look like a Uniworld ship, so I can live with it for a few weeks!

What I have found on the seven cruises we have taken with the company, a comfortable bed, delightful staff and crew, fabulous food, never going thirsty, seeing parts of the world with educated and engaging guides, someone who cleans my bathroom, clean laundry in a matter of hours, etc.

It's a tough life, but I'll live it gladly!

RB

The part I don't understand is why Scenic does not have some general idea on how the transfers for that date might work. Maybe I will try again and see if I can get someone different. I might also have my travel agent work on it. I never thought that they might use a morning to transport people whom might be ending in Prague. NancyEvans what you mention could be an alternative. At least I will have a couple days in Prague prior for them to help with arrangements and perhaps as comments have seen that they are very willing to help. This is our first river cruise but have travel Europe so could easily get down to Nuremberg on our own. But If I knew we could make it by 3 PM with Scenic we still could do it.

You will not have enough time to see the courthouse and displays if you hope to get there using the transfer bus from Prague to your ship and then cab it.

Also, the courthouse is still being used for day to day events, so you never know if you will be able to get into room (600?) until you get there. The displays are very well laid out, many things to see and read, so give yourself enough time.

I am trying to find out the timing that Scenic gets there passengers transferred to the ship in Nuremberg from Prague. As we are to do our touring on Tuesday in Nuremberg which is closed on Tuesday. Will try to get to the courthouse before it closes on Monday the day of our transfer. We have to be in the courthouse by 5 pm and exit by 6 pm. Anyone out there that is able to answer I would appreciate it.

I can only speak from experience with Uniworld, but chances are most cruise companies will have similar timetables.

Assuming there will be passengers at the end of their cruise in Nuremberg being bussed to Prague to continue their itinerary... the bus will unload those passengers and then reload with you and your travel mates and then drive back to Germany.

With Uniworld we departed Prague around 1 in the afternoon with one pit stop just before driving into Germany. Ther trip was between 3 and 4 hours, depending on the traffic and how long the pit stop is. We have done this route twice and the first time it was closer to 4 hours and the second time closer to 3 1/2 hours.

It is advisable to pack a snack and beverage to take with you from Prague, rather than standing in line with people from upwards of 6 busses at a Mickey D's or glorified gas station. Also make sure you have some tissues in your pocket for the loo.:)

RB

Waimanalo. It has one of the nicest beaches. This time bringing friends who have never been to the islands. One has registered to run the Honolulu marathon.

Start checking the weather forecasts for your destination.

Get all prescriptions filled. Make a list of all the cords and adapters and rechargers you might want to take with you. Break in that pair of shoes. And the old one....lay out all the clothes you want to bring....put half back in your closest and bring twice as much spending money!! :D

Rebel, you've only got a month to go, but how am I suppose to get through the next 5 1/2 months before we get to your neck of the ocean?

RB