Has anyone done this Cruise? We booked the Amsterdam to Vienna Cruise - summer 2008. How much are the drinks on the ship? Already starting to worry about my bar tab.

Hi Lummy,
I have done this cruise with another company and in fact, I doing it for a second time this October. It is a wonderful itinerary and should be great in the summer. On our ship I think the bar drinks were between $3-4. Possibly they have gone up since I was on that cruise, since the American $ is so weak against the euro. I promise you that you'll love river boat touring so much that you go on more!! It is a great way to travel.

NYJudy,

Thanks for the response. Since you are going this fall, let me know how bad the prices are since the dollar keeps going down. It's almost $1.43 now. I noticed hotels in Amsterdam are also a little pricey.

Lummy; I am looking forward to seeing how high the prices are in Europe. Fortunately we hardly have any out-of-pocket expenses since all our meals and touring are included. However, there is one very big exception and that is in Cologne, not far from where the ship docks, is a chocolate factory/museum. That was the first time that I had ever seen chocolate being sold based on the % of cacao. Now I have seen this here in the United States.Yum!!!!

Judy & here was I thinking Cologne only had that magnificent Cathedral & a bridge like Sydney Harbour Bridge. Now if I had know about the chocolate well!!!!!! I would have found the way there very quickly

Judy what standard are the meals on the river cruises & is there wine included???

I look forward to your report on your next adventure.

Cheers
Spooky

Hi Spooky,
My husband and I found the meals to be quite good. Breakfast is usually a huge buffet which included fruits, bread, pasteries and cereals of all kinds and generally there was a chef making custom made omlets. Lunch occasionally was a buffet but more often a served meal...soup, salad, main course, dessert...a whole lot more than I usually eat at lunch. Dinner was always served, usually with a choice of main course.Wine was served, free, with dinner. You would think that with all the food that we consumed over a two week period that we would have gained weight...but no, and that is I believe because of portion control.

quote:

Originally posted by NYJudy:
Hi Spooky,
My husband and I found the meals to be quite good. Breakfast is usually a huge buffet which included fruits, bread, pasteries and cereals of all kinds and generally there was a chef making custom made omlets. Lunch occasionally was a buffet but more often a served meal...soup, salad, main course, dessert...a whole lot more than I usually eat at lunch. Dinner was always served, usually with a choice of main course.Wine was served, free, with dinner. You would think that with all the food that we consumed over a two week period that we would have gained weight...but no, and that is I believe because of portion control.

Oh I am pleased no weight gain LOL!

I did noticed in the brochure that the tours are all walking tours from the boat which sounds an excellent way to work off all of that food. I didn't realise lunch was also included, you must get sick of the sight of food by the end of the cruise???

I think a river cruise is an excellent way to see Europe & you only have to unpack once bliss poor bliss!!!!!

Cheers
Spooky

Hi Spooky,
Each stop on the river cruise...the one that Lummy and I are doing (not together!) has very interesting walking tours usually in the morning, right from the boat. Optionals are usually taken after lunch or if it is a whole day type thing, lunch would be included. Also, you are free to go off the boat to sample sample some local cooking, if you wish. However IMO, to pay extra for food by not eating on the boat offends my budget!!!
And, Miss Spooky, you are 100% correct when you say that the river boat is an excellent way to see Europe...remember the rivers were the first highways of Europe, so the most important towns were located on the rivers.

NYJudy,

I read that wine is included with your dinner each evening. As far as drinking water, it says that the bottled water in your room will be charged to your account if consumed. Then I read somewhere that water is available at the coffee counter and it was free. This is not bottled water, is it? I also noticed that they said you could drink the tap water if you wanted. That it was purified by an onboard filtration system. I guess the question here is, where would you recommend getting your drinking water?

Hi Lummy,
During all the meals a pitcher of water is on the table. You're correct...if you consume the bottled water in the rooms, you are charged for it. The water on the ship of the company with which I sailed can be drunk. The ship takes on fresh water every couple of days and the water in the countries through which the ship sails have very drinkable water. There is water available near the 24 hour tea/coffee machines.

Hi Judy

Thank you for your quick response to my questions. I have another, so there are optionals as well as the included walking tours?? Can you remember the cost of these? just a ball park figure would be great thanks.

Oh just thought of another do they have happy hours/afternoon tea of an afternoon. I have found this to be a great way to meet & chat with others while on holiday.

Thanks in advance.
Spooky

Judy: Do the River boats have self laundry facilities (laundry room with washing machines and dryers).

Missie and Spooky,
1. On the boats that I have been on there are no laundry facilities that a passenger could use. I do believe that you can have laundry done, but as I remember, it is pretty pricey.
2. There is usually time, prior to dinner, when the TD gives a port talk about where we will be the next stop. People generally socialize prior to that.
3. Optionals are fairly expensive...depending on length - half day or full, ranging from $65-95 USD.

Judy: Am I to presume that the boats always dock in a town, so if you didn't want to do a particular optional you could wander around and explore on your own.

Thanks Judy.

Missie I always feel that the better option is to do the optionls if you have never been there before or if one of the locals hasn't already arranged to met you as the boat/bus arrives.

I have done both & just feel that the way for me is to do the optionls, unless I have no interest in what the optional is.