Uniworld - Castles on the Rhine

[jpalbny]

Traveling the trains in Europe are so easy and nice. We loved the fact that you can just show up when you are ready to leave and hop on the next available departure.

 

The luggage is cumbersome, but they have areas to store them and we managed just fine.

 

The one thing we both agree that we did wrong was making our flight reservations to return out of Basel. We should have just taken the train to Frankfurt and left from there since that is where we were making our connection back to the states from anyways. We had to take the train to Basel Tuesday afternoon and then get a cab to a hotel near the airport and then arrange travel from the hotel to the airport at 4:30 Wednesday morning. We could have made that part of the trip a little bit easier.

 

I wouldn't have wanted to miss Lucerne but you are right - it was expensive.

 

That matches our experience to a T. FRA is extremely convenient for train connections. Over the past 2-3 years we've learned that a combination of flights to a European hub, followed by a relaxing train ride to our final destination, often works best for us. Our 2-week jaunt through Bavaria last year, where we took trains from Frankfurt to Nuremburg to Vienna to Salzburg was enough to convince us that it's the way to go.

 

And you will most certainly not be the only one hauling luggage along for the ride. We have ridden the Paris RER from CDG to Versailles with 2 large and 2 carry-on suitcases in tow, though, and lived to tell the tale... Coincidentally, we have started packing much lighter. :) But, as long as we have the strength and energy, we will keep doing it. Too cheap and convenient to do otherwise!

 

Glad that you enjoyed Lucerne. It is gorgeous - and at those prices, it better be...

[sjoantwe]

Has anyone stayed in a catgory 3 cabin on this ship and if so, was it nosiy? It seems like most of the category 3 cabins are in the front or rear of the ship. They are idental to category 2 but much less expensive.

 

Also: is there a preferred direction from Amsterdam to Basel?

 

Last: is it better to fly out of Zurich or Frankfurt back to the states.

[bunnybear]

We were up on the 4th floor but some of the people we met on the cruise were in the category 3 rooms and they were very pleased. There was absolutely no noise on this trip. I never heard an engine sound or even felt vibrations in any part of the vessel. We never felt any movement either. It was one of the best cruising experiences I have had.

 

Having cruised from Amsterdam to Basel - I am biased for that direction. The trip just kept getting better and better each day. Cologne was not my favorite stop but it just kept getting better after that. I would hate for Cologne to be my last stop. But I have read quite a difference of opinion on the boards so you will just have to choose for yourself.

 

As far as what city to fly out/of or into - it would depend on your airline. In the future, I will research better to make the most of my time. We were using Lufthansa and since their main hub was Frankfurt that would have worked better. But I understand you can make arrangements out of Zurich with direct flights to the US on other airlines. Since we are in Houston - we try to fly non-stop out of Europe whenever possible.

 

I can't wait to book another Uniworld cruise.

Edited September 30, 2014 by bunnybear