Germany Sept 2010

[Skatetigger]

Is anyone here going on the Adults only Once Upon a Fairtale tour in Sept 2010. DH and I just booked a couple weeks ago and are very excited after reading some of the trip reports.

[healthrn]

Yes I just finished booking it. Took over 1 1/2 hrs and still not finished (airfare still needs booked). My husband and I are sooo excited.:banana:
Please feel free to email me to talk more!
I can not post my email since this is my first post:guilty:
Angela

[Skatetigger]

Oh cool that will be great, I'll definitely drop you a message. We haven't booked our airfare yet but are looking to do so soon.

Oh wow sorry to hear your reservation took so long, we called when were were at WDW and i think it took maybe 15 minutes if that.

We are probalby going a day early and saty a day late but will probably do on our own as the pricing is crazy and we couldn't get the pre day with ABD.

[healthrn]

7 more post and then I can give you my home email address.
We did book an extra day at the beginning of the trip. We will be there on 9/16 @ 1015 am. I did book it with Disney so I could get the insurance on all of it. The airfare is a lot less then what I priced out. I priced $2800 for both of us they got $1930.60. That was this afternoon. That took another 45 mins.
Angela:banana:

[Skatetigger]

I may call them again as we couldn't get the day before which would be the 16th. I do have Priority Points though so it would be free aside from taking the Lufthansa shuttle to the hotel.

[healthrn]

I am trying to get the countdown to appear.

I have been looking at You Tube for all the hotels, cities and Octoberfest ( will be going on at the end of the vacation). Having so much fun planning this trip!

[MagicalKingdom]

Yah, maybe somewhere in October but haven't book yet...

[TaiTai1]

Hello! YES . . . we just completed booking this trip with ABD. I asked the agent how many were going, and she said we were numbers #29 and #30! That will make a great group. I'm still working on airline flights and a few other details. We hope to come in a day early also....and are hoping to arrange a 4-day visit to Paris on the tail end. Lots of details to come together. Didn't take me too long to book the ABD part, may 20-30 minutes.

[healthrn]

So glad to meet another couple!
I don't understand why it took me so long to book all of it. I did let them do the airfare and the extra day at the beginning of the trip. I did get wrong prices for the trip so when I called the insurance they gave me that price and had to call back with the correct price. May be it is just me(LOL).

I have been doing so much research (books, internet, and I work with someone raised in Germany).Lots of You tube videos.

I love the journey as much as the destination.

Angela:banana:

[mesabravo]

I'm booked too. Taking my son for graduation without the rest of the family. Looks like we have a good chance not to get the trip cancelled with our early bookings. :banana:

[Skatetigger]

This is cool to find others who will be on this trip and definitely sounds like we'll have enough people.

[healthrn]

Sounds like we are all going to have a great trip!:banana:

[mesabravo]

Well it has taken forever, but I finally just booked our airline for this trip. Goodness. Delta sure was being stingy on using my miles, but being persistant works sometimes. Staying 3 days pre and 3 days post. Anyone know how much a taxi will be as they won't pick up and take us back to the airport if it is outside the 2 pre and 2 post dates? Anyone else doing the BMW plant tour and museum in Munich? Just wondering what anyone has found as extras. Thanks!!!:confused3

[mesabravo]

Just wanted you all to know that I just got off the phone with ABD and they said that our trip is at 90%. YEA! She says she was fairly certain that at that booking rate we were safe not to get cancelled. Also wanted to tell anyone that post nights at the Munich hotel is down to EUR 334. We booked them ourselves and saved over half per night. Now we can have more spending money for the wonderful food!:cool1:

[bopper]

I now live in Germany so if you have any questions let me know!

[mesabravo]

Hi everyone. Just thought I would let everyone know that this am I checked rates again at the Munich hotel for post nights and it went down again. I rebooked my room from the eur 334 to eur 270 now. It is the city deal which includes breakfast every day (my last resv did not) and a 4 course dinner too. Very happy I'm not changing hotels!! Happy days :yay:

[Skatetigger]

Mesabravo-

Could I ask which site you are booking that? We're trying to book the night of the 25th and I can only see 370 Euro on the hotel website.

[mesabravo]

I go right to the hotel website www.kempinski.com I booked the City Deal for 9/25-9/28. I don't know if that makes a difference. :confused3

[WeLoveABD]

That hotel is in a great spot--we did two add on nights there and were glad we did (you can take the light rail near the front of the hotel to the train station and head to Salzburg, for example--or cross the street to the Old Town area--or walk to the Deutsches Museum in the Isar River). We had friends meet up with us at the Kempinski for breakfast--too expensive, so they had coffee only--so a great deal if you get the lower price and breakfast!

[Skatetigger]

I checked for the one night we want to stay and they aren't offering that rate, if I did the dates you had it came up with the good rate. :( Must be cause we're only staying one night. We might just book through ABD even though it's just a bit more. It does include the transfer and breakfast so when I figured it all out it wasn't that much difference

[mesabravo]

That's a bummer. For one night you are probably right. I think they increased the one night to a little over $800 us for each night. At 3 nights this was breaking my budget. But for one I would do it just so I wouldn't have to pack up again:thumbsup2. I would keep checking though. They have had their rates as low as eur 255 since oct of last year. You might still get a good deal and then can cancel the ABD day. Good luck!!

[mesabravo]

Hi everyone. Just saw that the Munich hotel has dropped the rates again to EU 255 per night. I thought I would let everyone know as this is the lowest I have seen since Oct 2009. It doesn't come with the breakfast or dinner, but this is a great rate. Hope it works for you all...:thumbsup2

[Skatetigger]

Mesabravo, thanks for posting the update, I am sorry it took me so long to get back to you. Everything has been a bit crazy for me.

I did check and it's still pretty expensive for just the one night :(. We did go ahead and pay for it through ABD, it wasn't as expensive as we were originally told so it wasn't bad.

I have read so many good things about the hotel that I think we're getting a good deal especially since it is Oktoberfest.

The hotel was actually rated like #4 in Europe in my recent travel and leisure magazine.

[healthrn]

I now live in Germany so if you have any questions let me know!

Thank you for the offer to answer questions!

We are arriving 1 day early I was wondering if the zoo is good to go to. I was wondering if you have any recomendations for places to eat at the 3 destinations on our free time.

Thank you again

[marcemch]

My daughter (then 8) and I went to the zoo when we did the ABD Germany trip in July 2008. I remember at the time that the guides seemed surprised that we did - guess not that many people do it. I remember that it was an expensive cab ride there and back - I think it was about $50 total. Made for an expensive zoo trip! There was perhaps a way to get there by negotiating the bus routes, but we weren't up for that on our first day there and VERY limited German. The zoo was rather small and just okay, in my opinion - I wouldn't rave about it. It definitely was off the tourist beaten path, and some signs weren't in English. If you have young kids, it might be fun as there's a nice little playground there and seems to be geared towards younger kids.
Although you have time to do things in town after the castle tour on the first day of your ABD trip, there's enough to do in town that you might enjoy a river cruise or something like that instead.

[mesabravo]

I now live in Germany so if you have any questions let me know!

I want to take you up on your offer about questions. Since I'm leaving my other 3 children and husband at home, I wanted to send postcards throughout the trip. How much is a post card stamp, and are they available at the Franfurt airport or hotels? Also, any idea on the time it takes to get from Germany to the US? Thanks a bunch for your insight!!:worship:

[bopper]

I want to take you up on your offer about questions. Since I'm leaving my other 3 children and husband at home, I wanted to send postcards throughout the trip. How much is a post card stamp, and are they available at the Franfurt airport or hotels? Also, any idea on the time it takes to get from Germany to the US? Thanks a bunch for your insight!!:worship:

An International Post card stamp is 1 Euro.
I don't know for sure, bu I would imagine they are available at the airport or hotels. I would say they would get to the US in a week or so.

[Diskidatheart]

Also, any idea on the time it takes to get from Germany to the US?

It took about 2-3 weeks for our post card to get to the states from Italy. I'm guessing it will take about that long as well.

[mesabravo]

Thanks for the info. I know my twins will be excited to see postcards as it will be difficult to call due to prices. Thanks again!

[healthrn]

My daughter (then 8) and I went to the zoo when we did the ABD Germany trip in July 2008. I remember at the time that the guides seemed surprised that we did - guess not that many people do it. I remember that it was an expensive cab ride there and back - I think it was about $50 total. Made for an expensive zoo trip! There was perhaps a way to get there by negotiating the bus routes, but we weren't up for that on our first day there and VERY limited German. The zoo was rather small and just okay, in my opinion - I wouldn't rave about it. It definitely was off the tourist beaten path, and some signs weren't in English. If you have young kids, it might be fun as there's a nice little playground there and seems to be geared towards younger kids.
Although you have time to do things in town after the castle tour on the first day of your ABD trip, there's enough to do in town that you might enjoy a river cruise or something like that instead.



Thank you.

[healthrn]

I now live in Germany so if you have any questions let me know!

How much Euro's should we bring with us?

Someone mentioned a river cruise since we are coming a day early. Any Suggestions?

[Noel22]

How much Euro's should we bring with us?

Someone mentioned a river cruise since we are coming a day early. Any Suggestions?

Which city are you going to visit?

[mesabravo]

We are staying a night in Frankfurt to see the sights, then, once we get to Heidelberg, we are going to take a train ride to Koln one day. Also going to Salzburg after ABD tour.

[healthrn]

The Adventure starts in 3 weeks!

Does anyone have any suggestions on:

1. bring Euros with us or exchange there (atm?) Are there better rates to do home or in Germany?

2. Someone mentioned a river cruise. Is that in Heidleberg?

Thank you:yay:

[mesabravo]

We are brining some euros, as the ATM's can eat your cards I've heard. Although, some credit cards seem to be a better deal if they don't have transaction fees. I would suggest to call on one you want to take. As to the river cruise, I was looking into it, but we decided to hop a train and go to Cologne instead. I had googled Heidelberg and was searching through there for info. Good luck!! See you in 3 weeks.:cool1:

[Skatetigger]

We're planning on exchanging some before hand and also bringing some travelers checks.

I can't beleive it's so close.

I got a new suitcase for the occasion.

NOt sure what we're goign to do in Heidleberg quite yet but we're still reading up on things :)

[Liberator]

Hey folks,

very nice to welcome you here in Germany in September!
I live between Cologne and Frankfurt, so I can give you some advice.

In Cologne you can do very nice and cheap river cruises.
Cologne is always crowded, please don't wonder. Especially on Saturdays the "Shopping Streets" (Schildergasse and Hohe Straße) are totally crowded. Just a few steps behind the Dome Cologne there is the Rhine and the Main Rail Station. There's a lot to see an do in cologne. Don't forget to get up the stairs of the Dome.

For those who are going to Frankfurt: Frankfurt is a very nice town. There's a nice shopping center called "Zeil Galerie". The rest of the main city is full of shops, Restaurants and Bars. Very nice.
For those who want to go to a discotheque, you should go to the "Club Cocoon" - very famous. The skyline of Frankfurt is very nice. In the evenings you should take a walk at the Main. :thumbsup2

ATM's in Germany: We have a lot of them. Better have a Visa Card or a Master Card. In most shops you can pay with them. American Express or Diner's Club is not that common over here.
If you see a "Sparkasse" or a "Volksbank", I don't think that you will have any problems getting money there. :cool2:

Deutsche Bahn (Railway): Don't get confused by the pricing system of the Bahn. Make sure to go to the ticket office and ask them for special conditions like "ticket valid for 2 hours" or a "weekend ticket". If you don't ask for any special offers, they will give you the most expensive ticket they have. Please note that you can't use ICE or IC-trains with all tickets. That are the fastest trains, but often you have to change the train on different stations. So ask the person in the ticket office for the easiest way to get from one point to the other. If you don't, they won't tell you. That's what the Deutsche Bahn is :headache:

[TaiTai1]

Liberator, thanks for the great info. Tell us about the weather around the end of September. What to wear? What to bring? Are jeans appropriate for all days of our trip? Will we need shorts?

[healthrn]

Hey folks,

very nice to welcome you here in Germany in September!
I live between Cologne and Frankfurt, so I can give you some advice.

In Cologne you can do very nice and cheap river cruises.
Cologne is always crowded, please don't wonder. Especially on Saturdays the "Shopping Streets" (Schildergasse and Hohe Straße) are totally crowded. Just a few steps behind the Dome Cologne there is the Rhine and the Main Rail Station. There's a lot to see an do in cologne. Don't forget to get up the stairs of the Dome.

For those who are going to Frankfurt: Frankfurt is a very nice town. There's a nice shopping center called "Zeil Galerie". The rest of the main city is full of shops, Restaurants and Bars. Very nice.
For those who want to go to a discotheque, you should go to the "Club Cocoon" - very famous. The skyline of Frankfurt is very nice. In the evenings you should take a walk at the Main. :thumbsup2

ATM's in Germany: We have a lot of them. Better have a Visa Card or a Master Card. In most shops you can pay with them. American Express or Diner's Club is not that common over here.
If you see a "Sparkasse" or a "Volksbank", I don't think that you will have any problems getting money there. :cool2:

Deutsche Bahn (Railway): Don't get confused by the pricing system of the Bahn. Make sure to go to the ticket office and ask them for special conditions like "ticket valid for 2 hours" or a "weekend ticket". If you don't ask for any special offers, they will give you the most expensive ticket they have. Please note that you can't use ICE or IC-trains with all tickets. That are the fastest trains, but often you have to change the train on different stations. So ask the person in the ticket office for the easiest way to get from one point to the other. If you don't, they won't tell you. That's what the Deutsche Bahn is :headache:

thank you for all the great info! Looking forward to visiting!

[Liberator]

The weather in September here is not easy to explain.
It still can get very hot, but it can also can get very cold, especially in the nights. In every week there will be 1 or 2 days of rain, thats normal. But it depends on where you are. I live in Siegen, its the 2nd rainiest city in Germany.

Jeans will be perfect for any weather in September. Shorts for warmer days are ok, too. You will need some sweatshirts for the evenings and something like a jacket for the wet-days. Hope you won't have any rain!

And the rain here is not that strong like in Florida for example. Everytime when it was raining in Disney World i was like :scared1: until it stopped.

At the moment the weather is VERY bad here, so it only can get better! Its just raining and raining and raining.

Things you should do when you are over here:
- drink a Coke, it tastes totally different
- drink a glass of fresh water, you will be surprised how fresh it tastes
- rent a car and hit the Autobahn, you know, there are not much speed limits :cool1:
- take a walk on an official way in the woods (signs on the trees will lead you), very nice landscaping in Germany
- go to a small village and look for a restaurant, often they have typical German food for low prices
- drink enough beer, you will miss the taste and the low prices :-)

We don't have much tourists from the USA, so we are very happy when you visit us. Everyone 12 years or older should be able to tell you a direction or other easy things, because almost everyone learns English in school.

If you have enough time and you want to visit a theme park:
- Europapark, it's in the south of Germany, I think not too far from Heidelberg
- Phantasialand, it about 15 minutes from cologne
- Movie Park Germany (ex Warner Bros. Movie World), it's in Bottrop, in the north of the "Ruhrgebiet"


Hope you will have fun over here!

Ah I forgot something very important: If you want to use a taxi, I would prefer walking or taking the bus, because: It's very very expensive!

[healthrn]

The weather in September here is not easy to explain.
It still can get very hot, but it can also can get very cold, especially in the nights. In every week there will be 1 or 2 days of rain, thats normal. But it depends on where you are. I live in Siegen, its the 2nd rainiest city in Germany.

Jeans will be perfect for any weather in September. Shorts for warmer days are ok, too. You will need some sweatshirts for the evenings and something like a jacket for the wet-days. Hope you won't have any rain!

And the rain here is not that strong like in Florida for example. Everytime when it was raining in Disney World i was like :scared1: until it stopped.

At the moment the weather is VERY bad here, so it only can get better! Its just raining and raining and raining.



Things you should do when you are over here:
- drink a Coke, it tastes totally different
- drink a glass of fresh water, you will be surprised how fresh it tastes
- rent a car and hit the Autobahn, you know, there are not much speed limits :cool1:
- take a walk on an official way in the woods (signs on the trees will lead you), very nice landscaping in Germany
- go to a small village and look for a restaurant, often they have typical German food for low prices
- drink enough beer, you will miss the taste and the low prices :-)

We don't have much tourists from the USA, so we are very happy when you visit us. Everyone 12 years or older should be able to tell you a direction or other easy things, because almost everyone learns English in school.

If you have enough time and you want to visit a theme park:
- Europapark, it's in the south of Germany, I think not too far from Heidelberg
- Phantasialand, it about 15 minutes from cologne
- Movie Park Germany (ex Warner Bros. Movie World), it's in Bottrop, in the north of the "Ruhrgebiet"


Hope you will have fun over here!

Ah I forgot something very important: If you want to use a taxi, I would prefer walking or taking the bus, because: It's very very expensive!

Thank you for your time and information. I am getting so excited and I hope it doesn't rain to much too.:yay:

[bopper]

We went to Europa Park...we went at Halloween time because we were desperately trying to find anything decorated for Halloween in Germany and boy do they decorate!
It's kind of like a cross between Disney and a regular theme park. There was a "Dschungel" ride (Jungle ride) not unlike Disney and a similar Pirates in Batavia that was like Pirates of the Carribean.
There was a big ball like Epcot (covered to look like a pumpkin) with a roller coaster inside. There was also a most excellent ride that went through something like the seven dwarf's mine...but you could also explore it on foot.

[healthrn]

We went to Europa Park...we went at Halloween time because we were desperately trying to find anything decorated for Halloween in Germany and boy do they decorate!
It's kind of like a cross between Disney and a regular theme park. There was a "Dschungel" ride (Jungle ride) not unlike Disney and a similar Pirates in Batavia that was like Pirates of the Carribean.
There was a big ball like Epcot (covered to look like a pumpkin) with a roller coaster inside. There was also a most excellent ride that went through something like the seven dwarf's mine...but you could also explore it on foot.
How far away is it from Heidelberg? Did you rent a car to go there?
Thank you!

[TaiTai1]

Hey... this is a Shout Out to MesaBravo, HealthRN, and SkateTigger, . . . and anyone else I met on the recent Germany ABD trip, but didn't get your Disboard name. How are you all doing? Is anyone doing a trip report? If so, let me know where it is located.

I noticed on next year's Germany ABD trip itinerary, that they will not be staying at the Trendelburg Castle. Instead, the Hotel Schloss Waldeck is mentioned. It must be in the same location, as the bike ride in Stammen and all else is still the same.

Welcome Home. It was a Great Adventure!
:yay:

[sayhello]

Hey... this is a Shout Out to MesaBravo, HealthRN, and SkateTigger, . . . and anyone else I met on the recent Germany ABD trip, but didn't get your Disboard name. How are you all doing? Is anyone doing a trip report? If so, let me know where it is located.

I noticed on next year's Germany ABD trip itinerary, that they will not be staying at the Trendelburg Castle. Instead, the Hotel Schloss Waldeck is mentioned. It must be in the same location, as the bike ride in Stammen and all else is still the same.

Welcome Home. It was a Great Adventure!
:yay:Welcome Back! Why don't you do a Trip Report? We'd love to hear about it! :cool1:

Sayhello

[Skatetigger]

Adventurerssssss.....oh how I miss hearing that.

Hi there-

Hope you had a great time in Paris. The trip was great wasn't it. I sooo did not want to come back. I honestly can't wait to go back.

I did have every intention of starting a trip report but haven't seem to found the time. Mine iwll probably be a "mini" report though as I am not so good uploading pics.

We were talking to Marc and Steph on the trip about the change to the hotel. We were the last group to stay in Trendelberg. The new hotel is actually about 15 minutes away from the bike riding facility. They said it would be harder to separate the group like we were able to do.


We put a slide show together of our pictures and it takes about 2 hours and 2 CD's:eek: