River cruise season is here again and if you’re still undecided on whether to do a river cruise, it’s not too late!  Before the world was turned topsy-turvy by this economic downturn, it would have been impossible to book a cruise at this time of year as many of the popular cruises are already booked a year in advance. The situation has changed.

These days, there are so many more river cruise tours available and what with all the discounts being thrown in at the moment, the choices are overwhelming.  Should you go for the offer of a free flight for the second person or is the offer of  $2,000 price reduction per couple for the cruise a better deal?  Mme, how does one go about deciding?

It would be a mistake to base your decision by discounts offered alone as you may end up going on a cruise that’s disappointing. If this is your first river cruise and you’re not likely to do too many cruises in the future, then it’s important that decisions are based on what will make your trip an enjoyable experience, one that exceeds your expectations and one that will give you many years of happy memories.

Which River?

M/S Poetry

There are so many different rivers that you can cruise on in Europe, the Rhine, Danube, Rhone, Elbe, Po and so on.  The essence of a river boat cruise is that you do make quite a lot of shore excursions.  Your river boat will be making several stops along the way and passengers will be able to do sightseeing in the towns and villages along the river.  So scrutinizing the itinerary and ensuring that the places visited are what you want to see is an important consideration.

Would you like a cruise that will take you through a few countries, like the very popular Amsterdam to Budapest cruise or would you prefer to immerse yourself in the culture of one country only and therefore do a river cruise within that country, for example the Rhone River cruise within France only.

Which company?

Which company should you travel with?  The major players in European river cruising include:

• Avalon Waterways (now part of the Globus Group)
• Uniworld
• Viking River Cruises
• Peter Deilmann Cruise
• Tauck World Discovery

The Europe river cruising market is very competitive which is good for ensuring quality for the customers.  Compare the brochures from a few of the above companies before deciding.  All the information are available on-line.

Which season?

Weather is another important consideration.  You can’t always predict the weather.  When we did our Amsterdam to Budapest river cruise in August, we had such magnificent weather that even the captain and tour director were amazed. They were amazed because the cruise before ours had two weeks of non-stop rain and the rivers were flooded.

However, if you choose a winter cruise, which is usually cheaper, then you can expect to be indoors a fair amount of the trip and it gets dark early.  So choosing the right location and time of year is important for river cruising as it’s preferable to be outdoors, on the sun-deck enjoying the beautiful scenery along the riverbanks rather than huddled indoors.  Some operators may offer you a free flight for a winter cruise, but the cost of the cruise itself is pegged at the high season fare.

How much can you afford?

What’s your travel budget and what length of cruise are you looking for?  The price range of cruises depends on a number of factors such as season, duration of cruise and your cabin type.

• the cabin type that you choose makes a big difference to the price.  Most river cruise boats are designed so that rooms on both sides of the boats have views, but on some boats the lowest deck and cheapest rooms are at water level.  The best cabins are those ‘staterooms‘ on the upper deck with French balconies.  These are great as you can relax, read or watch the passing scenery from the comfort of your suite if you didn’t feel like going on the sun-deck.
• check to see if the on-shore excursions are included in the price of the cruise or do you have to allow extra budget for some of the visits that you’re interested in.
• on many cruises, you have to pay for your wines and drinks at meal time, however there are cruises that provide complimentary wines as part of the package.  Look out for these!
• port charges and tips for the crew will all need to be considered in your budget.

So, as long as you’ve taken some of these main points into your decision making, you should be on your way to a pleasant cruise.  Bon voyage!

More comprehensive information on river cruising, click HERE
See our River Cruising photos HERE
More photos HERE

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It’s the time of year when would be travellers are planning and booking their holidays for the year and it’s not surprising to see an increase in travel ads, all beckoning you to drop down tools because you’d have so much more fun when you’re on holiday.  What’s surprising though is that some people have actually started booking their 2009 cruising holiday.  I did mention a while back that European river cruises have exploded in popularity and it appears that the ocean cruises are doing just as well.  European cruises are in great demand and the major cruise liners have already started to release their summer 2009 schedules.  The cruising community are prepared to book up to two years in advance in order to secure the cabin of their choice and within their price budget.  Of course booking early also rewards you with the early bird discounts, which can amount to a quite substantial sum of money, which is better off in your pocket for additional shopping budget.  I just spotted an ad by Trafalgar trying to entice customers to book for their 2009 river cruise with a promise of 25% discount if you book and pay by May 2007.

The major cruise liners like the P & O, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises are all gearing up for the increase in demand and basing a larger number of boats in Europe.  I must admit that I’m not a fan of ocean cruises, but there are some who absolutely love it.  I once met a lady who was in her mid-forties and she told me that she’d been on about 15 of these cruises.  I thought she would have visited some really exotic places, however she told me that she and a group of friends are happy to do the same Pacific cruise every year.  She, and her friends, love the relaxed mood on a cruise and you actually can choose to do nothing, apart from checking in for meals!

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Nick and Sandy provided instructions on how to fly to Carcassonne from London.  However, a more novel and stylish way to arrive could be on your own barge on the Canal du Midi.  You can charter a whole barge, but it doesn’t come cheap.  For a 6-passenger barge for 6 nights, the rate is about €20,000.

Canal cruising

However, if like most of us you don’t have that kind of spare change, the next option would be to join a cruise.  These barge cruises operate all over France, and Europe, and offer a more intimate and relaxing way of seeing the country. The barges generally carry from 6 to 12 people.

The Canal du Midi is a lovely and peaceful waterway that winds through the south-west of France.  Built in the 17th century, it is considered an engineering marvel and in 1999, it received recognition by UNESCO and was added to the list of World Heritage Sites.  The Canal du Midi starts from the shores of the Mediterranean and meanders inland through ancient villages and Roman fortifications towards the famed region of Bordeaux.  It is now used for pleasure boating between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean between Bordeaux and Sète.  Lined with shady trees and greenery, the tow paths are now used for cycling, jogging and leisurely walking.

The south-eastern part of the canal, between Toulouse and Marseillan and close to Sète, was called the Royal Languedoc Canal. The 200-km north-western portion, between Toulouse and Castets-en-Dorthe (near Bordeaux) was called the Garonne Lateral Canal, as it tracks the Garonne river. Originally called the Canal des Deux Mers (the canal of two seas), it was later renamed as the Canal du Midi.

I’ve checked out a couple of these cruises and they promise delicious regional specialities and lots of French wine. If you need a holiday to really wind-down, this looks like it.   Trips like this would certainly require good weather as there’s not much else you could do during a wet day.  Friends of ours have been on a couple of the French ones and raved about them.  Another thing to add to our To Do List!

Helen

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River cruising is a very romantic and intimate way to travel and see the world and if you’ve been on a European river cruise, you’ll understand exactly what I mean.   Just a cruise down the Rhine will take you through five European countries and expose you to the most amazing scenery, medieval castles and fortresses, famous monasteries, baroque churches, ornate bell towers and picturesque villages.

On a 8-day Rhine Getaway with Viking River Cruise, this is what the itinerary looks like:

Day 1 – Amsterdam (embark)
Day 2 – Amsterdam: Visit Van Gogh Museum and then followed by a cruise on the canal
Day 3 – Cologne: A walk around the Old Town, Cologne’s modern plazas and then of course a visit to Cologne’s Dom
Day 4 – Koblenz & Rudesheim :
Day 5 – Heidelberg: Includes a walking tour of Germany’s oldest university town
Day 6 – Strasbourg: Includes guided tour of this multicultural city with its French and German influences
Day 7 – Breisach: Visit the towering Cathedral of St. Stephanus and then for a tour of Germany’s famour Black Forest
Day 8 – Basel: Disembark

These are all delightful towns to visit.  For more about Europe river cruising see our River Cruises blog HERE >

Helen

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River cruises are fast overtaking coach tours as a travel choice for those travellers wishing to go on organized tours.  This part of the travel industry is growing phenomenally as indicated in my previous blog.  So what are the key attractions?

-  No packing and unpacking.  Hooray cheers everyone!
-  Your beautiful stateroom (if that’s what you booked) is yours for the whole journey, so no bad hotel room experiences.  I still remember the time when at one of our destinations, we walked into our room and it was quite tiny.  We thought if we drew the curtains, the view outwards will add a sense of space.  Only problem was that when we drew the curtains, we were faced with a solid brick wall.  This obviously was one of their irregular shaped end rooms that wasn’t big enough to accommodate their proper windows.  Tony insisted that they moved us as there was no way we could have spent a couple of nights in this little shoebox.
-  You have the freedom to move around or stretch out in your room during the cruise.  This really beats being confined to your coach seat for hours.
-  Enjoy a drink or snack with your fellow travellers as you’re cruising the river.
-  Suntan or enjoy the fresh air on the sundeck as you’re cruising
-  The boats normally dock next to the city centre and you can stroll into town and return to the boat whenever it suits you.
-  The crew get to know you well by the end of the journey and they become your friends.
-  The boats that we have been on were very comfortable, however the newer generation boats are geared to provide even more luxuries.

I can’t wait for our next our next river adventure in summer when we’ll be exploring the Dnieper river.  For the cruise itinerary, check the river cruise section of our site.

Helen

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If anyone needs convincing that the popularity of European river cruises is spreading like wildfire, just see some of the news releases:

Tauck World Discovery, a U.S. family owned business, has expanded its portfolio of European river cruises in 2008 by introducing two new itineraries this spring. Along with the new cruises, Tauck is also increasing its total number of published river departures by 36 percent for 2008 and will take delivery of its second brand-new riverboat in two years.

The two new river cruise itineraries are the 13-day “Rhine And Moselle” and 20-day “Prague to The Black Sea”.  “The Rhine And Moselle” will be on Tauck’s MS Swiss Diamond, whereas the “Prague to The Black Sea” will be on either the MS Swiss Emerald or the very new MS Swiss Sapphire.

Scenic Tours River Cruising of Australia will launch two luxury river ships in Europe. Scenic’s new vessels are more spacious and promises passengers luxurious five-star accommodation while cruising along Europe’s magnificent Rhine and Danube rivers. Scenic claims that their staterooms are the largest in the market and that 82 percent of all cabins have private balconies.

For those who need a lot of space, and can afford to pay for it, there are two full decks of Balcony suites that are 24 percent larger than the average European river cruise cabins. Scenic has introduced private butler service for guests in the Balcony, Junior and Royal suites on the superior Danube Deck. Services provided by private butlers include complimentary tea and coffee services in guests’ suites, garment pressing, shoe shining, serving pre-dinner canapés and drawing baths for guests in the Royal suites! Looks like Scenic is trying to up the ante by introducing some luxuries that you would normally associate with ocean liner cruises.

Jewel River Cruise Line debuts in 2008 with six ships sailing in some of the most attractive waterways in Europe.  Their mission is to provide a collection of river cruise companies featuring independent brands to provide the highest quality river cruise experience.  Jewel aims to create distinct categories that include Jewel River Cruises, a new boutique-luxury level of river cruising, as well as a premium line and a contemporary line.   

Trafalgar has launched its 2008 Uniworld Luxury 5 star river cruise programme. The 2008 Trafalgar Uniworld River Cruise Book, is the latest offering in its portfolio of luxury European river cruises, exploring some of the Europe’s greatest rivers.  Trafalgar has even launched a dedicated website with detailed information regarding the program.

So what’s causing this new interest in river cruising.  Tune in tomorrow to my next blog.

Helen

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It’s always very sad when a holiday comes to an end and you have to bid farewell to the nice people you met on the cruise, the ship’s crew included. 

Tonight was our farewell dinner and the crew turned on a spectacle for us, with musicians serenading the diners and all the chefs delivering a parade of special meals.  As mentioned previously, we got to know some of these guys very well and they are really swell people, working very hard to make the trip as pleasurable as possible for the passengers.  

This is a fabulous cruise because you got to see and do so much and yet enjoyed the relaxed luxury of the boat. I’d happily recommend it to anyone keen on trying a different form of travel.

Helen 

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A stop at the Fishermen’s Bastion is considered an absolute must and so this was the first stop of our city tour. From here, you’ll have a panoramic view of the whole city and if you felt energetic, you could climb the Bastion walls.  Fishermen’s Bastion also appears to be a favourite spot for wedding photo shoots.  During our short stay here we saw several couples arriving in their elegant horse and carriage, keen to use the romantic setting as a backdrop. Unfortunately for the wedding couples and us, the skies were a bit grey. This happened to us during our last trip as well.  If you want a quiet time to enjoy the views, the cafe is the place to be.

Budapest straddles the Danube (Hungarian: Duna) River and consists of two parts, Buda and Pest, which are situated on opposite sides of the river and connected by a total of seven bridges. The famous Chain Bridge was the first permanent bridge connecting until then, two completely different towns: Buda and Pest. It was built by Count Szechneyi only in 1849 and was immediately accepted as one of the city’s prime landmarks. The Castle District, the River Danube embankments and the whole of Andrássy út have been officially recognized as UNESCO World Heritage and are highly recommended as places to visit.  We didn’t have the time to visit the neo-Gothic Parliament however it is said to have a beautiful interior, and the Hungarian Crown Jewels would have been worth seeing.

Helen

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It’s Saturday morning and we arrived at Budapest at about 10 a.m.  The natives were getting a bit restless for shopping and we were told that the Central Market is opened up till lunch time only.  So the program had to be changed to allow shopaholics to head to the market to look for souvenirs and gifts for friends and family back home. The embankment where the boat was moored was within walking distance of the vast Central Market, a huge undercover bazaar. If you’ve not been here before, you’d be impressed at the size of this place! The ground floor of the building contains the market area where fresh and dried foods and spices can be bought, including the famous Hungarian salamis and paprika. Meat eaters will be happy here but beware, if you’re the queasy type, it might be an idea not to look too hard at some of the meat stalls which are decorated with heads of animals. Look out for the caviar stalls too.

The upper levels were filled with shops selling Hungarian lace napkins, table cloths, etc, wood carvings and clothing. If you’re in the market for embroidered napkins and table cloths, do some research before you leave home as they weren’t particularly cheap in the market. You may find shops back home that sell them for cheaper.  In the middle level, there is a food area where you could try Hungarian goulash and other dishes, if you were game.

Even if you weren’t into souvenir shopping, the bazaar is very colourful and interesting to stroll through. I particularly love the spice stalls and the red displays of paprikas.  One of the stallholders proudly displays a poster of former British Prime Minister Maggie Thatcher visiting his stall. You’ll recognize the stall owner in the picture too, even though he’s acquired a few grey hairs.

Helen

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This was a new destination for us and we didn’t quite know what to expect.  Our first visit this morning was at Bratislava Castle which locals call the ”upside down table” due to the four towers. The castle now serves as the seat of the Slovak National Council and it also houses collections of the Slovak National Museum, including exhibits of ancient treasures and historical artifacts. Unfortunately, we only had access to the castle courtyard (and toilets!), and there was really nothing of interest to see – a bit disappointing. Being up on a hill, it was a bit chilly in the morning and most of us were ready to head for our next destination.

The old city centre was much more interesting.  An important historical monument is St. Martin’s Cathedral which was consecrated in 1452. In this cathedral 19 coronations took place. During your tour, you’ll see little golden crowns in the pavement. These mark the route that was taken by kings and queens during the coronation procession which starts at St. Martin Dom. Another claim to fame for the cathedral was that Beethoven‘s Missa Solemnis was played for the first time in this church on 13th November 1835.  

At No. 10 Panska Street is Mozart House (Palffy Palace) . Mozart was only 6 years old when he was invited to give a concert here in 1762. This building is now the Austrian embassy. In Venturska Ulica you’ll also see a plaque commemorating Franz Liszt. He too gave a concert in Bratislava, at age 9.

Around the city centre, you’ll see a number of interesting bronze sculptures, one of whom Tony got really friendly with.  This one appropriately stands near the Cafe Paparazzi where we stopped for lunch.

Helen

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