Post River Cruise - Vantage

[Two from Virginia]

Hello

 

Has anyone done the Majestic Rivers cruise with Vantage (Cologne to Budapest)? Did you book the post cruise in Prague and Bratislavia? If so, please provide pros/cons. Any other information would be appreciated.

[bobpatj]

That is a very popular cruise, with Vantage. We've booked it 15 months in advance! I can't tell you anything about it at this time, but if you're interested, book soon. Our itinerary is in reverse and we are taking the pre-stay in Budapest.

[Hydrokitty]

Hello

 

Has anyone done the Majestic Rivers cruise with Vantage (Cologne to Budapest)? Did you book the post cruise in Prague and Bratislavia? If so, please provide pros/cons. Any other information would be appreciated.

 

Good eveninb Virginia! I took Vantage Castles on the Rhine from Budapest to Amsterdam and just returned 7/6 from gateway to the black sea, Budapest to Constanta with pre-trip to Prague and Bratislava. I can tell you that Prague and Bratislava were wonderful and we enjoyed them immensely. Our city host, Sandor, was very good although don't believe him when he tells you "it's just a quick 10 minute walk"! :D The Old town Square, Jewish Quarter and Prague Castle are outstanding. The hotel in Bratislava is right on the Danube with a promenade along the river that is literally one restaurant after another...You will also have a little train pick you up at the hotel and take you to the Castle in Bratislava (every town has one) and then to the Town Square, which is lovely and delightful. On the way from Budapest to Bratislava you will probably stop in Brno, which is very nice as well. If you have any other questions, you can contact me directly at chydro564@yahoo.com

 

Will you be on the River Navigator?

[Two from Virginia]

Good eveninb Virginia! I took Vantage Castles on the Rhine from Budapest to Amsterdam and just returned 7/6 from gateway to the black sea, Budapest to Constanta with pre-trip to Prague and Bratislava. I can tell you that Prague and Bratislava were wonderful and we enjoyed them immensely. Our city host, Sandor, was very good although don't believe him when he tells you "it's just a quick 10 minute walk"! :D The Old town Square, Jewish Quarter and Prague Castle are outstanding. The hotel in Bratislava is right on the Danube with a promenade along the river that is literally one restaurant after another...You will also have a little train pick you up at the hotel and take you to the Castle in Bratislava (every town has one) and then to the Town Square, which is lovely and delightful. On the way from Budapest to Bratislava you will probably stop in Brno, which is very nice as well. If you have any other questions, you can contact me directly at chydro564@yahoo.com

 

Will you be on the River Navigator?

 

Thanks for the info. Did you hire a private guide for Budapest. Are we transported by bus from Prague to Bratislava? We will be on the Ms River Splendor.

[Two from Virginia]

That is a very popular cruise, with Vantage. We've booked it 15 months in advance! I can't tell you anything about it at this time, but if you're interested, book soon. Our itinerary is in reverse and we are taking the pre-stay in Budapest.

 

Hi We are booked on the July 19, 2015 sailing. Looking forward to it.

[Hydrokitty]

Thanks for the info. Did you hire a private guide for Budapest. Are we transported by bus from Prague to Bratislava? We will be on the Ms River Splendor.

 

Splendor is one of the new boats...I haven't been on it (yet) but it looks beautiful! Like I said, you're doing a little different cruise than we did, but I can't imagine your post-trip Prague/Bratislava would be any different than ours, so Yes, you will be transported by bus from Prague to Bratislava, which is less than three hours and you'll stop at Brno for a short walking tour and lunch. From Budapest to Bratislava is about the same or less, and you'll stop for a community hosted lunch, where you'll have the opportunity to make bread and streudel, which you will eat for lunch! It was very nice, the food was good, the wine was delicious and it was a sheltered outdoor setting.

 

In Budapest since we had been there before and wanted to tour the Parliament building, we did hire a driver. We took the included tour in the morning....which is an orientation drive and stop at the fisherman's bastion (not to be missed). I had the concierge arrange the driver after we were on board. It was a young college student who picked us up at the ship and took us to the Parliament, waited for us and then was supposed to take us to St. Stephen's but I have walking issues and I was DONE, so we went back to the ship. If you want to tour Parliament (tours are about 45 minutes) you have to buy them on line, with a credit card and choose your date, time and language. They generally have two listed tours in English but we discovered a third tour was added. I think they add tours as the need becomes available. TMK, you CANNOT by tickets for same day entry because they ask for your passport information and check you out before they issue your tickets. If you're interested, contact me directly because while it wasn't hard it was complicated! Budapest is one of my favorite cities and it really needs several short visits or one for several days.

 

Where does your ship port? I might be able to help you with some of them, since we went from Amsterdam to Budapest.

[rljan]

Hello Two from Virginia. We are booked on the Majestic Rivers cruise on July 19th also. We will be adding the Prague extension. We look forward to meeting you on the cruise.

 

P.S. We are headed to Richmond & Williamsburg next week. Hopefully the weather will be good.

 

Rich & Linda

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We did the Grand last year 27 days North to the Black Sea .

[Two from Virginia]

Where does your ship port? I might be able to help you with some of them, since we went from Amsterdam to Budapest.

 

Thanks for the info; Below is our itinerary - would appreciate any information you can provide. Thanks.

 

Cologne, Germany

ms River Splendor

 

Rüdesheim

 

Frankfurt (Heidelberg)

 

Freudenberg / Marktheidenfeld

 

Marktheidenfeld

 

Würzburg (Rothenburg ob der Tauber)

 

Bamberg

 

Bamberg

 

Nuremberg

 

Regensburg

 

Passau

 

Wachau Valley / Vienna, Austria

 

Vienna

 

Budapest, Hungary

(D)

[Two from Virginia]

Hello Two from Virginia. We are booked on the Majestic Rivers cruise on July 19th also. We will be adding the Prague extension. We look forward to meeting you on the cruise.

 

P.S. We are headed to Richmond & Williamsburg next week. Hopefully the weather will be good.

 

Rich & Linda

 

Hi. Looking forward to meeting you also. We have not yet committed to the extension but are leaning towards doing it. We are near Quantico Marine Base.

 

This is our first river cruise? Have you river cruised before?

[donnasworld]

We are on the August 31 2015 sailing which starts in Budapest. This will be our first trip with Vantage and first river cruise. Considered the pre and post cruise options but decided to do some independent travel. We are flying into Krakow for a few days then taking the night train to Budapest where we will stay for a few days before starting the cruise.

 

When we get to Bonn we plan on renting a car and exploring the Mosel River area and perhaps other nearby places. We had considered the pre-trip extension to Prague but decided against it partially because in researching we found that Prague can be very crowded in the summer. Also looked at the post trip extension to Amsterdam and decided that we like the idea of driving around in southern Germany more than a package tour to Amsterdam. We hope to visit Prague in the coming years but probably in the Spring or late Fall in order to avoid the crowds.

[rljan]

Two from Virginia

 

We have taken 2 river cruises. A Rhine River cruise on Uniworld, several years ago, and French Waterways last year on Vantage. It is a wonderful way to travel.

We haven't booked the extension yet, but we definitely will.

[jc foster]

We will be sailing on the River Splendor soon and have booked the post cruise extension in Prague. Vantage will try to use the Hilton (Old Town) in Prague, but I have heard that sometimes they must use a similar rated hotel due to booking problems. We are flying in a couple of days early to Budapest and will be staying at the Sofitel near chain bridge. I hope this will be close to where the ship docks. I have heard good things about Vantage's pre and post extension and think you will really enjoy them. The tours in the pre and post extensions are supposed to be by local and well informed guides .

[Hydrokitty]

We will be sailing on the River Splendor soon and have booked the post cruise extension in Prague. Vantage will try to use the Hilton (Old Town) in Prague, but I have heard that sometimes they must use a similar rated hotel due to booking problems. We are flying in a couple of days early to Budapest and will be staying at the Sofitel near chain bridge. I hope this will be close to where the ship docks. I have heard good things about Vantage's pre and post extension and think you will really enjoy them. The tours in the pre and post extensions are supposed to be by local and well informed guides .

 

Hi jcfoster: We were in Prague with Vantage in June and stayed at the Hilton Old Town. It was lovely and well located. One thing I can say with Vantage is that in the event of a hotel change they will notify you through your personal portfolio page so check it every so often to see what's going on. As for the Sofitel in Budapest, it's a beautiful hotel, but unless you're a really heavy walker, might be too far to walk. The ship usually docks further upriver where the buses can get close to the gangway to load and off load luggage and passengers. Usually right after dinner the ship will reposition to a more central location. This is one of my favorite parts about sailing from Budapest because you get a free river cruise and are usually under way and perfectly positioned for the lights on the chain (and all the other bridges and the Parliament and other buildings going on for the night! Take you camera and you should get some spectacular photos of the Chain and Parliament....they really are beautiful!

[Talisker92]

Cologne, Germany The cathedral-If you are up to it climb the tower

 

Rüdesheim Wine tasting, cable car to the top of the mountain

 

Frankfurt (Heidelberg) great city

 

Freudenberg / Marktheidenfeld

 

Marktheidenfeld

 

Würzburg (Rothenburg ob der Tauber) great place for lunch-st joseph's cathedral upstairs for the wooden altarpiece

 

Bamberg the Bamberg horseman,. and Rauchbier

 

Bamberg

 

Nuremberg the museum

 

Regensburg The oldest wurst kitchen in Germany right by the old roman bridge

 

Passau Organ concert in the cathedral and glass museum

 

Wachau Valley / Vienna, Austria

 

Vienna ring road st stephensplatz spanish riding academy

 

Budapest, Hungary St Stephens and St Mathais and the fisherman's bastion

If you go to our website, http://www.stevekathytravels there are stories and pictures of our 2 river cruises.

Edited August 9, 2014 by Talisker92

[Hydrokitty]

Cologne, Germany The cathedral-If you are up to it climb the tower

 

Rüdesheim Wine tasting, cable car to the top of the mountain

 

Frankfurt (Heidelberg) great city

 

Freudenberg / Marktheidenfeld

 

Marktheidenfeld

 

Würzburg (Rothenburg ob der Tauber) great place for lunch-st joseph's cathedral upstairs for the wooden altarpiece

 

Bamberg the Bamberg horseman,. and Rauchbier

 

Bamberg

 

Nuremberg the museum

 

Regensburg The oldest wurst kitchen in Germany right by the old roman bridge

 

Passau Organ concert in the cathedral and glass museum

 

Wachau Valley / Vienna, Austria

 

Vienna ring road st stephensplatz spanish riding academy

 

Budapest, Hungary St Stephens and St Mathais and the fisherman's bastion

If you go to our website, http://www.stevekathytravels there are stories and pictures of our 2 river cruises.[/Q

 

 

Passau was one if my favs too. Organ concert was fantastic! I could feel it on my bones!

 

Rothenburg: we were lucky to be there during a medieval festival....

 

Bamburg....one of the loveliest cities in Germany..just walking around.

 

Vienna: start park and gold status of Strauss and Schoenbrun.

 

Heidelburg...another beautiful town and if you're a cat person don't miss the statue on the bridge!

[Two from Virginia]

Thanks everyone for the info. It is really helpful. Please continue to post if you think of other things that would be of interest. Do you have a lot of "free" time after the morning excursions? If so, in which ports?

[Two from Virginia]

Cologne, Germany The cathedral-If you are up to it climb the tower

 

Rüdesheim Wine tasting, cable car to the top of the mountain

 

Würzburg (Rothenburg ob der Tauber) great place for lunch-st joseph's cathedral upstairs for the wooden altarpiece

 

Bamberg the Bamberg horseman,. and Rauchbier

 

 

If you go to our website, http://www.stevekathytravels there are stories and pictures of our 2 river cruises.

 

Thanks for the information. I have viewed your "travels" on your website and found them to be full of information.

 

I was reading that the climb to the cathedral tower in Cologne is quite a trek up on a narrow staircase. Is it doable for the average person?

 

Was the Spanish Riding Academy included as a tour or was it at an additional cost? We have been to Vienna and are looking for ideas of things to do.

[Two from Virginia]

Two from Virginia

 

We have taken 2 river cruises. A Rhine River cruise on Uniworld, several years ago, and French Waterways last year on Vantage. It is a wonderful way to travel.

We haven't booked the extension yet, but we definitely will.

 

It's official - we booked the cruise post extension this weekend.

[Hydrokitty]

Thanks everyone for the info. It is really helpful. Please continue to post if you think of other things that would be of interest. Do you have a lot of "free" time after the morning excursions? If so, in which ports?

Hello again....haven't been on CC in several days....as to free time, as I recall we had several hours in most ports to do as we pleased. There were a few where we were on an excursion for most of the day, and had very little free time but they were mostly ports where there really wasn't much to see or do and of course, you always have the option not to take any walking tour or other excursion. I will share this experience I had on our latest vantage river cruise, gateway to the black sea: one morning I woke up with sharp pain in my back and since I have a a history of back problems, didn't want to risk going on the walking tour so I stayed behind on the ship. After everyone left I told the purser that I was staying behind and went up to the sun deck with my book....a few minutes later the purser came up to tell me they were moving the ship to take on stores and I shouldn't panic! I found it fascinating to watch the trucks unload at the dock and then a call went out for "all hands to report to the loading dock"....everyone I was used to seeing in uniforms ran up the gangway in jeans and t-shirts and formed a huge line from the truck to the galley door (which I hadn't even noticed before) and boxes and boxes of food and supplies were thrown from person to person. Then the captain came up and we started talking about the ship and mostly what was being loaded. I had a hundred questions, and he answered all of them.... it was really interesting...and I felt like it was MY boat for the day!!!:D

[Host Jazzbeau]

Hello again....haven't been on CC in several days...

 

What's with that??? You think that LIFE is more important than CC?

[Hydrokitty]

What's with that??? You think that LIFE is more important than CC?

 

I know beat me with a stick...but there was the family visiting and the jury duty and the grandchildren....Were you able to leave your house today? We're in the town that got 13+" of rain in 8 hours today (a NYS record!) DH couldn't get to work because all roads connecting Suffolk to Queens were closed...LIRR suspended service ....and my pool is overflowing! But lights are on..I has internets and the Yankees are winning! :D

[Talisker92]

Thanks for the information. I have viewed your "travels" on your website and found them to be full of information.

 

I was reading that the climb to the cathedral tower in Cologne is quite a trek up on a narrow staircase. Is it doable for the average person?

 

Was the Spanish Riding Academy included as a tour or was it at an additional cost? We have been to Vienna and are looking for ideas of things to do.

 

I was in my 60's when I did the Cologne climb. The Spanish riding academy was part of the tour.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I has internets and the Yankees are winning! :D

 

Hopefully your internet went out before the 8th inning. sigh...

 

But, having grown up on Long Island, I'm amazed that you have power after all that rain. The one constant with LILCO was losing power...

Edited August 14, 2014 by Host Jazzbeau

[Hydrokitty]

Hopefully your internet went out before the 8th inning. sigh...

 

But, having grown up on Long Island, I'm amazed that you have power after all that rain. The one constant with LILCO was losing power...

 

Ahh but LILCO is no more!!! I think the real Yankees left early and 8th inning was imposters...You'd think living in a city with two football teams and two baseball teams and two basketball teams and two hockey teams we'd win just a little more often!!