Grüetzi, Grüetzi! That's Amoré!: A 2015 Italy/Switzerland Trip Report - Complete!

[mare1203]

Was there an alternative activity to the bike riding? Not sure at all that I want to attempt a bike after 40 years. Yes, I know that once you learn you never forget....

I don't believe everyone in our group did bike riding, but I don't think there was a set alternative? I believe it was just one or two of our adventurers and they may have kept themselves occupied while we were out. However, if more than a couple people didn't want to go, I'm sure the guides would come up with something, or they'd have a conversation about alternative options during the ride time.

 

[OKW Lover]

Thanks. We will be on this trip in late August and I know of at least 5 people in our group who will pass on the bike riding.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Thanks. We will be on this trip in late August and I know of at least 5 people in our group who will pass on the bike riding.

Is there an optional LV shopping excursion? I may be on that one...

 

[bearsgirl]

Is there an optional LV shopping excursion? I may be on that one...

During our June 2016 trip there were several people who opted out of biking and chose to spend time sitting at the outdoor snack/coffee/drinks bar area nearby.
The bar definitely does not resemble a Louis Vuitton store.
Our biking experience was almost painfully slow so don't expect to be setting any speed records.

 

[Cousin Orville]

During our June 2016 trip there were several people who opted out of biking and chose to spend time sitting at the outdoor snack/coffee/drinks bar area nearby. Our biking experience was almost painfully slow so don't expect to be setting any speed records.

Just teasing. I actually enjoyed our bike ride in Ireland. It was the first time back on bike for me in years. However, this August I'll be on this Italy/Switzerland ABD without kids, so just relaxing with some coffee/drinks sounds pretty nice. It will probably be a last minute decision whether to bike or not. We'll be on the Germany ABD next month and from what others have said about the Germany bike ride, we'll probably pass on that.

 

[skunkvette]

Thanks. We will be on this trip in late August and I know of at least 5 people in our group who will pass on the bike riding.

That will be seven non riders, not sure if you counted us in your five.

In Ireland, we opted for the jaunty horse cart rather than bike ride, I am sure we will find something to keep us entertained.

Mare 1203, thank you for your wonderful trip report, we are starting to get excited for our late August adventure!

Frank

 

[tgeorge]

I love Italy and this trip (along with the Amalfi coast trip) look amazing. I'm sure those of you on the upcoming tour will have an amazing time.

The bike ride would be fantastic, however, an LV shopping excursion is usually not something I would pass up

 

[mare1203]

During our June 2016 trip there were several people who opted out of biking and chose to spend time sitting at the outdoor snack/coffee/drinks bar area nearby.
The bar definitely does not resemble a Louis Vuitton store.
Our biking experience was almost painfully slow so don't expect to be setting any speed records.

Thanks for the info, bearsgirl! I do recall that outdoor snack/coffee bar nearby and I believe it's where our non-riders hung out while we were out. It's definitely "quaint", if I remember correctly.

Our bike ride was fairly slow as well. Jessica took the helm with Steph bringing up the rear and we had a couple riders who were less than comfortable on the ride. We stopped quite a few times for the group to catch up, but once we left the picture spot on the lake, they pretty much let us spread out without too much stopping and I was able to glide a bit without feeling like I was in stop-and-go traffic. Ever gone horseback riding and having a young rider, so they tie all the horses together and you go through the whole thing at a walking pace? Yeah, bike riding is something like that, haha! But still fun.

 

[mare1203]

First of all, y'all are cracking me up with the LV excursion talk!

Is there an optional LV shopping excursion? I may be on that one...

That will be seven non riders, not sure if you counted us in your five.

In Ireland, we opted for the jaunty horse cart rather than bike ride, I am sure we will find something to keep us entertained.

Mare 1203, thank you for your wonderful trip report, we are starting to get excited for our late August adventure!

Frank

I love Italy and this trip (along with the Amalfi coast trip) look amazing. I'm sure those of you on the upcoming tour will have an amazing time.

The bike ride would be fantastic, however, an LV shopping excursion is usually not something I would pass up

There might not be an LV shopping excursion, but Bucherer, a famous Swiss watch store, is less than 30 minutes away from bike riding and within walking distance of the Lucerne hotel! And across the street from there is Laderach, one of the best chocolate shops I've ever been in. There might be a few "excursions" while on your walking tour of Lucerne. I could imagine a few shouts of 'hey, we lost Pete!...where did he wander into?' ... 'hold up...and now we've "lost" Kevin!'

 

[christannj]

We're up to 9 non riders next month....I have a feeling that the biking will end up being the "alternative"option for our group

 

[tgeorge]

There might not be an LV shopping excursion, but Bucherer, a famous Swiss watch store, is less than 30 minutes away from bike riding and within walking distance of the Lucerne hotel! And across the street from there is Laderach, one of the best chocolate shops I've ever been in. There might be a few "excursions" while on your walking tour of Lucerne. I could imagine a few shouts of 'hey, we lost Pete!...where did he wander into?' ... 'hold up...and now we've "lost" Kevin!'

Well, watches are my other weakness My DH makes fun of me. He says I'm probably one of few women to walk into a jewelry store, by pass all the jewelry and head straight for the watch cases. I told him that they are shiny too Watches and chocolate....I'd say that is a winner

 

[carpenta]

Maybe the watch store will offer you free chocolate and you browse? Now that would be a home run tgeorge....LOL.....

 

[tgeorge]

Maybe the watch store will offer you free chocolate and you browse? Now that would be a home run tgeorge....LOL.....

It doesn't get much better than that (and beautiful scenery as an added bonus)

 

[OKW Lover]

That will be seven non riders, not sure if you counted us in your five.

I hadn't Frank. So seven non-riders out of about 20. Hmm. Sounds like we will have lots of company on that bench. Or, more likely, in the shops.

Edited to add:
Now I see we have 9 non-riders!

 

[mare1203]

Well, watches are my other weakness My DH makes fun of me. He says I'm probably one of few women to walk into a jewelry store, by pass all the jewelry and head straight for the watch cases. I told him that they are shiny too Watches and chocolate....I'd say that is a winner

Watches and chocolate are DEFINITELY a winning combination. Watches are my weakness as well. They're one of the few jewelry pieces I also find it easy to buy for myself...and there are so many pretty options!!

 

[mare1203]

Exploring Lucerne




Once we were back on the bus we finished up our bus Olympics and were quickly arriving in Lucerne. It is the largest city in the canton of Lucerne with just over 80,000 residents. Also easily the largest city we were in throughout the adventure.


Its location Lake Lucerne is part of the draw for many tourists, who also use this as a landing spot for skiing, hiking, and other activities in the nearby mountains. Jessica joked that she thought the swans who make their home on the already gorgeous lake were really a bit much. It made me giggle to myself.


The guides gave us some information regarding the area, especially Old Lucerne where more of the shopping is located. German is the official language here. It’s also the only location with a Starbucks, which the guides mentioned more than once. Adventurers really tend to miss their mediocre coffee drinks while on vacation, or perhaps they’re just collecting those location-based Starbucks mugs? Either way, I’m not a Starbucks fan, so I didn’t care, but it might be of use to future adventurers.
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Jessica also told us we were welcome to buy her a watch at Bucherer, the famous watch store just down the street, but only if it was the most expensive one there. Okay Jessica, we’ll get right on that.


For our 2 nights in Lucerne, we were put up at the Hotel Schweitzerhof Luzern, located in a central location with beautiful views of the lake. The family-owned hotel has a guest list dating back to 1845, and each room is dedicated to one of the famous and/or illustrious guests of the past.


We quickly arrived at the hotel and were welcomed with a drink (it was some sort of juice, but I’m not sure what kind exactly) and given our keys. Jessica said these were the most comfortable beds of the trip. And there was A/C, whoo! This was especially welcome because Lucerne was approaching record heat while we were there.​

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I thought the rooms were well appointed.
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The view of Lake Lucerne from our room. ​

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Once given our room keys we were free until dinner. We decided to go out and look around for a bit. Going through Lucerne was very different from the other locations in our tour, mostly owing to the fact that Lucerne is a relatively large city and we had been in quaint towns up until that point. It was busy while we were there, with a lot of tourists. I’ve heard past adventurers on the Germay trip say arriving in Munich is like, ‘whoa! People!’. I would think this is similar. Everything is pretty much within walking distance from the hotel. The city is beautiful, with lots of Old World European charm and definitely a bit of a mix of the modernity you might expect from Switzerland combined with the history of a centuries old city. There were plenty of chocolates, knives, and watches to be had!​

 

[tgeorge]

I see the watch store .

 

[Cousin Orville]

It’s also the only location with a Starbucks, which the guides mentioned more than once. ...or perhaps they’re just collecting those location-based Starbucks mugs?

That would be me. Isn't admitting to an your addiction the first step?

 

[mare1203]

That would be me. Isn't admitting to an your addiction the first step?

And the second step is knowing you aren't alone

 

[mare1203]

Dinner in Lucerne




After exploring the city a bit, we returned to the hotel for dinner. If I remember correctly, we chose the time we would be eating for dinner that night. It ranged from 5:30 - 7:30 maybe? At this point, used to eating later, we chose a later time.


This was also the only disappointing meal of the trip.


We each started with a glass of wine.


The salad was a caesar with parmesan. It was good, but nothing to write home about and definitely not flavor explosion from the night before.


For my entree I went with the pork with gorgonzola cream sauce, potato gnocchi, and veggies. Sounds delightful, right? Especially with the gorgonzola cream sauce, which I am a sucker for and will likely order if it’s an ingredient. Sadly, it fell flat.
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Kathy andBob both went with the roasted salmon with lemon sauce and basmati rice. They had the same sentiment for the salmon that I had with the pork. It wasn’t bad, it just fell flat.


We ended with a panna cotta with a raspberry sauce.


Disney will often pick restaurants with “safe” menu options so everyone has an opportunity to find something, but many times they’ll slip in an option that is a little more adventurous or a cultural/country specialty. I would compare both the meal and the menu here to be “wedding reception” as it was a choice of chicken, salmon, or pork, and none of it wowed in the flavor category. One of our guides happened to stop by and asked about the meal and when we were just ‘meh’ about it, they said they’d pass it on. I think I would have preferred an OYO meal this day, or the idea I read about in CaliforniaGirl09’s Greece report where you can choose 1 of 4 or 5 restaurants and it’s on ABD. I feel it would have given us a chance to explore Lucerne a little further, as well. Okay, and I also just enjoy finding good places to eat.


Also, a side story because there is a pic to attach. One poor family on our trip started with something no one ever wants to experience while traveling: lost luggage. Luggage issues are never fun and always stressful, but in this case, Stresa is not what you would ever call a shopping mecca. In fact, there was very little shopping to be had for clothes. They had a chance to do some shopping in Lake Como and Zermatt, but those were still a few days into our adventure. Plus, the son who lost his bag was about 6’4” and well, that height is not so common in Italy… When the luggage didn’t arrive before we moved from Stresa to Zermatt, everyone was pretty bummed, to say the least. The family was stuck on the phone for more time than they cared trying to figure out where their bags were and how they could get to them. Our guides also worked tirelessly to help find their bags. Finally, two nights before we were scheduled to finish our adventure, their bags arrived!!!


In true Disney form, we weren’t about to reunite them with their bags without a little fanfare. The guides were eating nearby when they got the call that the bags arrived. When we saw them get up, they informed us and another adventure family eating that the family’s bags had arrived. When Jessica, Stephanie, and the bags made their grand entrance we all started applauding and whooping for the reunion.​

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I can’t remember, but I think they were going elsewhere for a few days after, so at least their bags made it in time for that? Although it was a happy ending, it doesn’t discount that the lost luggage was a major frustration for that family. ​

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Funny enough, a year later this story came back into my life via my Facebook feed. Right before the inaugural Danube River Cruise, ABD did a “dry run” training cruise from Prague to Budapest. A family from our adventure was on the Tauck Danube River Cruise at the same time and ended up running into Steph and another adventurer and they posted a pic of the reunion on Facebook. The comment stream that followed was epic for many reasons, but mostly because someone mentioned that poor family who had lost their luggage on our adventure. Steph’s comment was literally: God, that moment when the luggage of the New York family finally arrived - I will never forget that! And she’s been guiding for 9 years. One of the adventurers then commented that, due to that family, their entire family split up their clothes into each of their suitcases so that if any pieces of luggage were lost everyone would at least have an extra outfit or two. I always try to pack a full change of clothes in my carry-on, especially on a trip like this.
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