Typical River cruise day

[lpslps]

My guess is that a typical day is

 

Morning bus tour 930 to 1130

lunch

PM bus tour 2 to 430

cocktails

dinner

possible evening entertainment

 

Is that about right?

 

Can you leave the boat in the morning and rejoin it later at the next stop?

Is it usually docked during tours or moving?

[Hydrokitty]

Just returned from my 6th river cruise and you just about nailed it, although it's more fun than that! On Vantage breakfast was 7:00 to 9:30. Bus tours left between 8 and 10 depending on where they were going. Walking tours usually began quite a bit later. Lunch was usually from 12-2:30 with afternoon bus tours leaving around 2 p.m and returning between 4 and 6 p.m. again depending on where they were going. Dinner was from 7-9ish, with entertainment beginning around 9:30 and ending by 1030. As for leaving the ship in one port and joining it in another, why would you do that? You would have to pay for transportation, hotel and meals that you've already paid for on the cruise. Unless of course you have family or friends you want to visit and then I would ask your tour company, some might help you with logistics and some might say "no way" but you'll never know if you don't ask!

[lpslps]

Thanks.

 

Was the ship usually docked during each of these tours?

 

We are thinking of either the Danube for a week, or starting in Amsterdam and continuing onto the Danube for two weeks. Did you have an opinion of when is the best time to go?

[Shebely]

My guess is that a typical day is

 

Morning bus tour 930 to 1130

lunch

PM bus tour 2 to 430

cocktails

dinner

possible evening entertainment

 

Is that about right?

 

Can you leave the boat in the morning and rejoin it later at the next stop?

Is it usually docked during tours or moving?

 

We have been on 2 Avalon cruises and it seems the morning tours are scheduled to start at 8:30 so our groups get a jump on popular sites. Depending on the itinerary, it is common to dock near the town center and then walk into town. This is our favorite part of the European river cruise. We have maybe a 1 hour walk with a tour guide and then we either continue walking aound or if you want you can return to the ship.

If it is a longer distance to the local attraction, then there are buses.

For afternoon tours, it was generally a 1:30 start unless we were sailing and had not reached the afternoon tour site yet.

On the last cruise we took, many people adjoined to the sky deck after dinner whether we were sailing or not. On our recent Rhine cruise sunset was after 10:00 pm.

Some nights there will be special entertainment and if course, there will be an on ship musician playing favorite songs.

[CPT Trips]

Here's my response to your other post . . .

 

Your times seem pretty much on target with our experiences with a couple exceptions.

Many days just had a morning tour, afternoon on your own. You can maximize your time, and sample local specialities, by skipping lunch on board. Head off on you own, grab a meal in town and tour.

Similarly, you can stay on shore past the "cocktail hour." Just be certain of the all aboard time.

The boat rarely drops you one place and pick you up in another. When it does, you are free to make your way on your own. If you decide to do this, be certain of the times (on one of our trips the pick up stop was a very short one to pick up bus trippers) docking location and have the ship's telephone number. I recommend you talk to your cruise staff before doing this, you want to be certain your plan is doable.

You probably will spend closer to two hours at dinner.

 

We tend to head off on our own and skip lunch on board. We let our Program Director know our plans, sometimes you get great hints, and verify the time we need to be back.

[caviargal]

We have been on 7 so far.

 

Most tours start about 8:30 and breakfast starts around 7am. We generally do not come back from our day until time to shower and change for dinner.

 

We also prefer itineraries with overnights in port so we can enjoy the local area after dinner.

 

We have definitely left the ship and met up with it at the next port. Just let the CM know.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

My guess is that a typical day is

 

Morning bus tour 930 to 1130

lunch

PM bus tour 2 to 430

cocktails

dinner

possible evening entertainment

 

Is that about right?

 

Can you leave the boat in the morning and rejoin it later at the next stop?

Is it usually docked during tours or moving?

 

You got it ...

[Hydrokitty]

Thanks.

 

Was the ship usually docked during each of these tours?

 

We are thinking of either the Danube for a week, or starting in Amsterdam and continuing onto the Danube for two weeks. Did you have an opinion of when is the best time to go?

 

99% of the time the ship remained docked while we were touring. There was one instance I recall when the ship sailed while we were ashore and we left from one place and rejoined the ship in another. I think it was Castles on the Rhine and we went to a local monastery/beergarten followed by a boat trip through a very narrow gorge. Other than that, (and I just finished #6) we didn't sail until everyone was on board. Most of the time we sailed either before, during or after dinner or around 10 p.m. after local entertainment.

[pinotlover]

A couple of items up front so as no confusion:

 

1. the meals on the ships are good;

2. We are foodies and love great food, especially local food of areas visited;

3. As the name applies, we love great wines, particularly those paired with the food.

 

OK, with that said: we rarely return to the boat when docked in harbor for lunch. We prefer to eat the local specialties along with the local wine or beer, in lieu of the often generic Americanized lunches served on ship. As an example, on our upcoming cruise, we are having lunch at one of the renown vineyards serving a six course meal with each course paired with one of their world class wines. We'll pass on the salad and soup bar on the boat. Does it cost extra, yes, but we didn't fly for 12 hours to be served a lunch we could have in Appleby. Many people like and prefer safe and dependable, and the boat delivers in good quality, it's just not our thing. Same goes for evenings. We're visiting Lyon, on this trip. Lyon is one of the gastronomical centers of the world. We have made reservations for both of the evenings we're docked in Lyon to eat in a couple of their renown restaurants. We'll return to the ship, after touring, to change clothes and set off again for dinner. I'm sure the boat will serve a nice meal, they always do, but we're not talking about a nice meal at Brouchards (for example), we're talking about the exception, why not take advantage of the time and the place?! One has paid a lot of money to get there!

 

Also, the transports to and from the boat, with lunch thrown end, can be a three hour excursion. We can have a marvelous 1.5-2 hour lunch, eating great local food, and have the extra time to wander around the wonderful towns we are paying to visit, not sitting around waiting on the slowest common denominator.

 

River cruising allows one to take advantage of many options and capture many great moments. My Advice is to :Throw typical to the wind, and get out and "Seize the Day"! Typical is for the boring, and those lacking imagination!

[Host Jazzbeau]

We are foodies and love great food, especially local food of areas visited ...

 

We prefer to eat the local specialties along with the local wine or beer, in lieu of the often generic Americanized lunches served on ship... We'll pass on the salad and soup bar on the boat. Does it cost extra, yes, but we didn't fly for 12 hours to be served a lunch we could have in Appleby.

 

You might want to consider a different river cruise line. The food on AMA was not at all "generic Americanized" food, even at lunch. And certainly way better than Appleby's.

Edited July 12, 2014 by Host Jazzbeau

[lpslps]

Thanks.

 

Are there any outstanding food opportunities along this route that we should be aware of?

 

Is there an easy way to investigate these?

[caviargal]

Agree with Jazzbeau that the food on AMA is very good and reflects the local culture.

 

Also agree with pinotlover that we take advantage of every opportunity to enjoy the local cuisine and wines. We rarely head back to the boat for lunch and often depart after dinner to find a local wine bar or walk the city we are in. The food and wine of a region are a big part of why we travel and we try and take full advantage of wherever we are to experience as much as possible of what the area has to offer.

[rudeman]

We are on Avalon right now and they always have food with a local flair. American-iced food seekers would be greatly disappointed.

 

 

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[beesKate]

I'd like to chime in that the food on Uniworld is fantastic and they usually bring in local specialties for both lunches and dinners. It's definitely NOT Appleby's! Lunches are much more casual and we'd pop in for a quick lunch if the ship were docked in town, and we'd be out exploring again within the hour.

 

If you're going to be on the Danube, for some ports you'll be right in town, others you may need to bus to a destination. Vienna is a good example. Although the dock is in Vienna, it's not in the heart of the city and you'll need to take the ship-provided transportation or use the subway. That's a good place to decide to spend the entire day in town (however, in our case, the weather turned and we went back to the ship for a warm lunch and to pick up umbrellas and a warmer jacket). Other ports, like Budapest, you're generally right in the middle of town and can pop in and out if needed.

[lpslps]

Do you just get off the boat and wander or are there resources to help find the best local places?

 

Do you need to reserve in advance?

[Hydrokitty]

Thanks.

 

Was the ship usually docked during each of these tours?

 

We are thinking of either the Danube for a week, or starting in Amsterdam and continuing onto the Danube for two weeks. Did you have an opinion of when is the best time to go?

 

Sorry I missed the second question! We did Castles on the Rhine (Amsterdam to Budapest) in late August and the weather was wonderful. We just returned from Gateway to the Black Sea (Budapest to Constanta) on July 6 and again the weather was wonderful. Both times, by wonderful I mean, not too hot, not too humid and very little rain.:D

 

PS: No problems either time with water levels, but no cruise company can control that.

[jnjcruz]

Do you just get off the boat and wander or are there resources to help find the best local places?

 

Do you need to reserve in advance?

 

We did the two week Danube with Viking in mid October. Weather was great and the cities weren't crowded with tourists. Lots of great food on that trip and the boat staff will help if you need it. But I don't think you can get a bad meal in Vienna or Budapest. Goulash - I'm hungry just thinking about it.

(And the boat food was great too)

Jay

[beesKate]

This is where the benefit of the guided city or village tour comes in. After your walking tour, ask your guide where they recommend. They are local and know the best places. :)

[caviargal]

Do you just get off the boat and wander or are there resources to help find the best local places?

 

Do you need to reserve in advance?

 

I research in advance on Fodors.com message boards, Chowhound, Trip Advisor forums, etc. In a major foodie city, we sometimes opt for the special prix fixe lunch and in that case, we do reserve in advance. For us, travel is very much about experiencing local food and wine and not just visiting the popular tourist sites.

 

I do not rely on guides from the ship's tours to make recommendations as IMO they tend to recommend more touristy restaurants that appeal to tourists and not locals. I do rely on my private guides though as they get to know us and realize that we are truly looking for local options.

 

JMO.

Edited July 12, 2014 by caviargal

[crm911]

We just came back from an Amsterdam to Budapest cruise with Emerald Waterways (Evergreen Tours in Oz). My blog link below has a detailed account of the daily routine, which is similar to the other posts, but each company has slight variations. We usually ran parallel to 3-4 ships that often docked next to us, but some moved on and we stayed back, or vice versa.

 

We did not do many overnights in the same port and did a few where we were dropped off at a port and picked up at the next, e.g. Miltenberg-Wertheim, Kelheim-Regensburg, Passau-Linz, Melk-Durnstein. Other companies have a slightly different pattern.

 

The only stop where it was possible for us to skip lunch on the ship and stay in town was Vienna.

[annabell.4006]

Unless you had the misfortune to be on viking Aigar , it has long trip. Even getting off buses late in the evening and waiting for an hour for the ship to turn up. We are still on it sailing to Bucharest , still on edge. Every odd sound makes me jump.

 

 

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