SS Antoinette - Castles Along the Rhine 2013

[hbscouter]

My husband and I are looking at the Castles in June or July 2013. I'm a teacher so we can only do summer. The early book option is also getting us to plan early. I can't wait to go. Our son is going to help us as he just finished a semester in Germany. We went on Uniworld's Paris/Normandy last summer and are hooked.

[Buck1949]

hbscouter, are you planning any other trips around Germany while there?

[atcken]

Great insights on this thread. My wife and I (she is an educator so limited cruise dates also for us) are booked on the S.S. Antoinette for Castles on the Rhine for the 7/1/12 cruise. After some research on this site and consulting with our travel agent, we booked a french balcony cabin (#322) as this seemed to be the best "bang for the buck", at least when we reserved.

 

We're doing a couple of nights pre-cruise in Amsterdam and then several nights post cruise in Grindelwald (still trying to figure out the trains from Basel) before flying back to Texas from Zurich.

 

I'm planning on putting up a post cruise review when we get back.

 

Ken

[Buck1949]

Great insights on this thread. My wife and I (she is an educator so limited cruise dates also for us) are booked on the S.S. Antoinette for Castles on the Rhine for the 7/1/12 cruise. After some research on this site and consulting with our travel agent, we booked a french balcony cabin (#322) as this seemed to be the best "bang for the buck", at least when we reserved.

 

We're doing a couple of nights pre-cruise in Amsterdam and then several nights post cruise in Grindelwald (still trying to figure out the trains from Basel) before flying back to Texas from Zurich.

 

I'm planning on putting up a post cruise review when we get back.

 

Ken

 

Ken, I am looking forward to your "re-cap" of your trip. I would also like to hear your train experience.

 

My wife and I are planning on a few days in Berlin, Munich, Regensburg, and Nuremberg before we head to Basel to begin our cruise. We are looking at a tour package that takes us from Munich to Berlin..but then we have to get back down to Regensburg/Nuremberg before Basel. If we don't do that then we are thinking the reverse and doing the train on our own between Berlin and Munich.

 

Our original thought was to tour Germany by bus for 11 days before the cruise but not any longer... just too many days... and don't want to be dragging before the river cruise.

[barrierislandgirl]

For those who will be on an upcoming (or have been on a past) S.S. Antoinette cruise, be sure to get the August 2012 issue of Conde Nast magazine! We just returned from the May 13th Basel to Amsterdam sailing during which photographers and models came aboard one day to shoot photos for an article on this incredibly beautiful ship! Some of the S.S. Antoinette's crew would give the models a run for their money! :)

 

Suffering jet lag, but will definitely post later and answer any questions for those on the upcoming Castles Along the Rhine itinerary. I would also suggest that any of you which are on Facebook and haved not "friended" Uniworld, do so. Lots of photos and comments which you might enjoy.

 

Those of you who have reservations on the S.S. Antoinette during 2012, CONGRATULATIONS! During the farewell dinner Saturday night the captain told us they are sold out for the entire year. For those who have reservations during 2013, you are the smart ones.

[bree28]

barrierislandgirl....thanks for heads up about the Conde Nast magazine. I sailed on the S.S. Antoinette last November and it is an amazing ship. One of the pics I took on that cruise was a fan photo on Uniworld's facebook page! Jorg and Julie are a great team...I am not surprised they are sold out for the year. Look forward to your review of the cruise :)

[Buck1949]

For those who will be on an upcoming (or have been on a past) S.S. Antoinette cruise, be sure to get the August 2012 issue of Conde Nast magazine! We just returned from the May 13th Basel to Amsterdam sailing during which photographers and models came aboard one day to shoot photos for an article on this incredibly beautiful ship! Some of the S.S. Antoinette's crew would give the models a run for their money! :)

 

Suffering jet lag, but will definitely post later and answer any questions for those on the upcoming Castles Along the Rhine itinerary. I would also suggest that any of you which are on Facebook and haved not "friended" Uniworld, do so. Lots of photos and comments which you might enjoy.

 

Those of you who have reservations on the S.S. Antoinette during 2012, CONGRATULATIONS! During the farewell dinner Saturday night the captain told us they are sold out for the entire year. For those who have reservations during 2013, you are the smart ones.

 

Thanks for all the information.... I have marked my calendar to try and locate the Conde Nast August issue when it becomes available.

 

I am all ready to 'pull the trigger' and book the Basel/Amsterdam cruise for next Sept 15th (2013)... but am just waiting on a return email from a friend who lives in Regensberg to try and make sure he will be around at that time so that we can visit. If he is not available then - we may change our date to accomodate his schedule .... We are really flexible in that regard.

 

Finalizing plans for our Alaska Cruise in July.... but do want to get this portion of the Germany trip tied down soon also!!!

 

BTW... I did 'like' Uniworld on FB...thanks for the tip there also.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I am all ready to 'pull the trigger' and book the Basel/Amsterdam cruise for next Sept 15th (2013)... but am just waiting on a return email from a friend who lives in Regensberg to try and make sure he will be around at that time so that we can visit. If he is not available then - we may change our date to accomodate his schedule .... We are really flexible in that regard.

 

The Basel/Amsterdam cruise does not appear to go through Regensburg, as far as I can see. Did you mean Rudesheim?

[Buck1949]

The Basel/Amsterdam cruise does not appear to go through Regensburg, as far as I can see. Did you mean Rudesheim?

 

Hi Wendy,

 

Our plan is to spend a couple of weeks Before the river cruise to tour various towns in Germany. We are at the least trying to do Berlin, Nuremberg, Munich and Regensberg (where my friend lives) which we will do beforehand. I have not seen my friend since the mid 80's and while he is NOT the biggest emailer in the world we do communicate that way.

 

Hopefully he will be checking his emails soon so I can determine if we can plan to meet there before our cruise.

[swamp1sg]

We did this cruise a few years ago on Uniworld. Both Heidelberg and Strasbourg were included tours, although you could of course skip them. Heidelberg is worth the short drive. The view from the castle is stunning. We enjoyed Strasbourg and the boat cruise through La Petite France a great deal. It was glass enclosed but I still got a lot of great pictures. Some did have a blue tint but most of them were fine. Maybe it was because we were there in December and it was overcast.

[Buck1949]

We did this cruise a few years ago on Uniworld. Both Heidelberg and Strasbourg were included tours, although you could of course skip them. Heidelberg is worth the short drive. The view from the castle is stunning. We enjoyed Strasbourg and the boat cruise through La Petite France a great deal. It was glass enclosed but I still got a lot of great pictures. Some did have a blue tint but most of them were fine. Maybe it was because we were there in December and it was overcast.

 

Thanks for the information.... I am filing all of this away for our trip.

 

Great stuff !!!!

[Buck1949]

I am still looking for anyone that may be on this river cruise (Basel - Amsterdam on 9/15/2013) that may be travelling in Germany beforehand or has done something similar to what we are wanting to do.

 

My wife and I are trying to figure out the best way to get around without renting a car.

 

There is a semi-guided tour that starts in Munich for 4 days then travels by train to Berlin with 4 days stay there. The tour company will only go the one direction and not the reverse. We really want to do Berlin then Munich as we also want to spend some time in Nuremberg and with our friend and his family in the Regensberg area before going to Basel for the cruise.

 

We could do this on our own, but would be missing out on the 'semi' guided tour package including hotels that are discounted by doing the Munich-Berlin trip. We have been contemplating doing the 'arranged' tour and taking the train back to Nuremberg if necessary but were trying to avoid a rather long ride back in the same direction we started.

 

Anyone with experience or thoughts about how to make this happen without a lot of hassles?

 

Thanks in advance for ideas...

[Buck1949]

Guess this board went dead....... or everyone is out taking other vacations. :eek: Hopefully someone taking this river cruise (not necessarily at the same time as me) has some thoughts about other things to do while in Germany.

[Palm City Cruiser]

We're on board the Antoinette departing 15 July 2012 from Amsterdam. Will be flying into and out of Paris. Have booked trains to get us to Amsterdam and out of Basel. Will share that experience upon our return. Can anyone please share their experiences with "Formal" night. Can a man dress acceptably with a sport jacket & tie. I'm trying to pack lightly and want to avoid packing a suit or tux.

 

Thanks,

John

[Los Angeles Native]

You must be getting ready for your July cruise - just around the corner! Congratulations!

 

My husband and I also plan to experience the rail system in Switzerland. We leave for the same cruise in early September. Please do offer any suggestions regarding Swiss trains and also what not to miss in Germany.

[Buck1949]

You must be getting ready for your July cruise - just around the corner! Congratulations!

 

My husband and I also plan to experience the rail system in Switzerland. We leave for the same cruise in early September. Please do offer any suggestions regarding Swiss trains and also what not to miss in Germany.

 

My plan is to do the same trip (Basel to Amsterdam) in September of 2013. I would be interested to hear how your trip went.... Weather, crowds, sites you liked/disliked, and how your transportation worked out - especially during this time of the year.

 

Our initial plan is to fly from The US into Berlin where we spend about 4 days, then take the train to Munich where we spend 3(?) or so days..then visit in the Regensberg area with an old friend, after which we go to Nuremberg for a day or so. THEN we need to figure how to get from Nuremberg to Basil for the cruise.

 

This whole itinerary is kind of predicated on whether we can hook up with my friend in Regensberg - Parsberg.

 

Thanks for any thoughts...

Edited June 26, 2012 by Buck1949

[Palm City Cruiser]

You must be getting ready for your July cruise - just around the corner! Congratulations!

 

My husband and I also plan to experience the rail system in Switzerland. We leave for the same cruise in early September. Please do offer any suggestions regarding Swiss trains and also what not to miss in Germany.

We are just about ready. Everything in place on the European side. Train tickets, Normandy & Versailles tours in France, hotels, etc. Will share experiences upond our return later next month.

[hbscouter]

School finally got out on Friday, so I am catching up. We were on Uniworld's Paris-Normandy last summer: fantastic blend of history and art. On formal nights, my husband wore a sport coat, dress shirt, and khakis: no tie. There was an almost even mix of suits and jackets sans ties. Some wore just a dress shirt and pants while others added a tie. My husband was comfortable as he was right in the middle. On regular nights he wore khakis and a golf shirt. I hope this helps.

[Palm City Cruiser]

School finally got out on Friday, so I am catching up. We were on Uniworld's Paris-Normandy last summer: fantastic blend of history and art. On formal nights, my husband wore a sport coat, dress shirt, and khakis: no tie. There was an almost even mix of suits and jackets sans ties. Some wore just a dress shirt and pants while others added a tie. My husband was comfortable as he was right in the middle. On regular nights he wore khakis and a golf shirt. I hope this helps.

Very helpful indeed. Think I'll just pack one sport jacket; have a few dress shirts planned already so it sounds like I will fit in just perfectly.

 

Thanks,

John

[Buck1949]

Finally hooked up with my old Germany buddy so looks like our trip in September 2013 will be a go. He lives NW of Regensberg in a small area called Laaber, Germany.

 

One thing we are looking at is a tour of the Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria -south of Munich. A neighbor mentioned what a great place to see. This would take us a bit out of the planned area, and am wondering if it we did this 'side' trip if we might find train service into Basil, Switzerland from there so that we could begin our river cruise on the Rhine.

 

Any thoughts - either about the Castle tour itself or how to get to Basel from the Castle?

[bree28]

Finally hooked up with my old Germany buddy so looks like our trip in September 2013 will be a go. He lives NW of Regensberg in a small area called Laaber, Germany.

 

One thing we are looking at is a tour of the Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria -south of Munich. A neighbor mentioned what a great place to see. This would take us a bit out of the planned area, and am wondering if it we did this 'side' trip if we might find train service into Basil, Switzerland from there so that we could begin our river cruise on the Rhine.

 

Any thoughts - either about the Castle tour itself or how to get to Basel from the Castle?

 

You can get a train from Fussen which is the nearest city to the castle. The trip is 6 1/2 to 7 hrs long depending on time and number of connections...which seems to be a minimum of 2. You can check the train schedules by going to http://www.deutschebahn.com/en

 

It is a short taxi ride from Basel Bahnhof to where the S.S. Antoinette docks.

[Buck1949]

Thank you Bree28. I will check out all the information. We are thinking that since we may take a guided tour to the castle out of Munich, we may return to Munich and continue on to Nuremberg after visiting my friend - then - travel to Basel. Fun thing is we have plenty of time to plan all this.

 

Thanks once again for the link and info.

[bree28]

Thank you Bree28. I will check out all the information. We are thinking that since we may take a guided tour to the castle out of Munich, we may return to Munich and continue on to Nuremberg after visiting my friend - then - travel to Basel. Fun thing is we have plenty of time to plan all this.

 

Thanks once again for the link and info.

 

Bill have you given any thought to spending a day or two in Basel before embarking on your cruise? I did that and thoroughly enjoyed Basel. You get a mobility pass with your hotel reservation and that entitles you to free transport on all the buses and trams which makes getting around extremely easy! You will love the S.S. Antoinette and crew...they are the best! Have fun planning :)

[Buck1949]

Bill have you given any thought to spending a day or two in Basel before embarking on your cruise? I did that and thoroughly enjoyed Basel. You get a mobility pass with your hotel reservation and that entitles you to free transport on all the buses and trams which makes getting around extremely easy! You will love the S.S. Antoinette and crew...they are the best! Have fun planning :)

 

Hmmmmm, hadn't even thought about doing that. Do all the hotels offer the mobility passes? We are thinking that this trip is going to be about 3 weeks long so far. We just have not figured how long we are staying in each of these cities....Berlin, Munich, Nuremberg, and meeting our friend in Laaber before the cruise.

 

But may not be a bad idea to consider doing a little extra time there before the cruise....... Just to rest up! :D

[bree28]

Bill...all the hotels, hostels and B&B's give you the free mobility pass...it's a great deal in my book!