Danube Cruise or Central Europe or Baltic DCL?

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

I'm not 100% certain about this but I'm going to guess that ABD most likely uses the Greyline Sound of Music Tour while in Salzburg as it is the original tour offered. Here is a link to their tour page and a description of what their tour offers. http://www.salzburg-sightseeingtours.at/sound-of-music.php?lang=2

Sound of Music

Origin of our Tour
Our bus company (Albus) was involved in the making of the movie back in 1964. Our buses were used by the film crew and our limousines carried the stars. As you will see in the movie Julie Andrews, who played Maria von Trapp, took our bus to drive to the von Trapp mansion!

After the release of the film, more and more fans came to Salzburg asking about the original sites and of course our drivers could guide them. So we developed a special tour to show guests from around the world where this famous movie was filmed. After a prosperous launch in 1966 we started - as the FIRST TOUR COMPANY - regular Sound of Music Tours in June 1967. Thanks to the exceptional demand and our existing background knowledge we have been able to offer, with outstanding success, Salzburg's most requested tour for nearly 50 years!

The Original Sound of Music Tour since 1967!
This tour is an ideal opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Maria von Trapp whilst taking in local historical sights both from the city of Salzburg and also the picturesque Lakes and Mountains region along the way. Our experienced guides will accompany you throughout the tour giving you all the information you need to really appreciate this magical movie. Find out with us whether the hills of Salzburg truly are alive with the Sound of Music as you listen to the original movie Soundtrack along the way.

The route:
1. Mirabell Gardens: Shown in many scenes including where Maria and the children were seen dancing around the statue of Pegasus, the winged horse and throughout the gardens singing 'Do-Re-Mi'.

2. The Gazebo (Hellbrunn Palace): Where Rolf and Liesl sang 'Sixteen Going on Seventeen' and Maria and the Baron sang 'Something Good'. The Gazebo gives you a chance to recreate one of the movies famous scenes!

3. Palace of Leopoldskron: This historical 18th Century palace and its grounds provided many locations for the movie including the lake where the boating scene took place. The terrace was also where Uncle Max drank 'Pink Lemonade' with the Baroness Schröder plus many other scenes.

4. Nonnberg Abbey: This historical abbey founded in the year 714 was used both in the movie and the true story. In the movie the Abbey was seen many times including when the children came to the gate to ask Maria to return to their home and from where the family tried to escape at the end of the movie. In real life Maria and the Baron were married here in 1927.

5. Lakes Fuschl and Wolfgang: This picturesque area was featured in the opening sequence of the movie. The village of St Gilgen (Mozart's mother was born here) on the northwest side of the Lake Wolfgang is situated directly across from the famous Schafberg mountain – also seen in the movie!

6. Church of Mondsee: The Sound of Music Wedding Church. This historical church of Mondsee was the location of the movie wedding between Maria and the Baron. Inside this wonderful church Maria walked down the aisle to meet the Baron at the altar.


I know on my ABD itinerary that our day in Salzburg starts out at Mirabell Gardens, which is where this tour starts and then after the tour we are supposed to have lunch at Hellbrunn Palace before having time on our own back in Salzburg. As I said in an earlier post, my party won't be taking part in this tour and instead just touring Salzburg on our own once we're dropped off at Mirabell Gardens.

 

[travelinglibrarian]

I'm not 100% certain about this but I'm going to guess that ABD most likely uses the Greyline Sound of Music Tour while in Salzburg as it is the original tour offered. Here is a link to their tour page and a description of what their tour offers. http://www.salzburg-sightseeingtours.at/sound-of-music.php?lang=2

Sound of Music

Origin of our Tour
Our bus company (Albus) was involved in the making of the movie back in 1964. Our buses were used by the film crew and our limousines carried the stars. As you will see in the movie Julie Andrews, who played Maria von Trapp, took our bus to drive to the von Trapp mansion!

After the release of the film, more and more fans came to Salzburg asking about the original sites and of course our drivers could guide them. So we developed a special tour to show guests from around the world where this famous movie was filmed. After a prosperous launch in 1966 we started - as the FIRST TOUR COMPANY - regular Sound of Music Tours in June 1967. Thanks to the exceptional demand and our existing background knowledge we have been able to offer, with outstanding success, Salzburg's most requested tour for nearly 50 years!

The Original Sound of Music Tour since 1967!
This tour is an ideal opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Maria von Trapp whilst taking in local historical sights both from the city of Salzburg and also the picturesque Lakes and Mountains region along the way. Our experienced guides will accompany you throughout the tour giving you all the information you need to really appreciate this magical movie. Find out with us whether the hills of Salzburg truly are alive with the Sound of Music as you listen to the original movie Soundtrack along the way.

The route:
1. Mirabell Gardens: Shown in many scenes including where Maria and the children were seen dancing around the statue of Pegasus, the winged horse and throughout the gardens singing 'Do-Re-Mi'.

2. The Gazebo (Hellbrunn Palace): Where Rolf and Liesl sang 'Sixteen Going on Seventeen' and Maria and the Baron sang 'Something Good'. The Gazebo gives you a chance to recreate one of the movies famous scenes!

3. Palace of Leopoldskron: This historical 18th Century palace and its grounds provided many locations for the movie including the lake where the boating scene took place. The terrace was also where Uncle Max drank 'Pink Lemonade' with the Baroness Schröder plus many other scenes.

4. Nonnberg Abbey: This historical abbey founded in the year 714 was used both in the movie and the true story. In the movie the Abbey was seen many times including when the children came to the gate to ask Maria to return to their home and from where the family tried to escape at the end of the movie. In real life Maria and the Baron were married here in 1927.

5. Lakes Fuschl and Wolfgang: This picturesque area was featured in the opening sequence of the movie. The village of St Gilgen (Mozart's mother was born here) on the northwest side of the Lake Wolfgang is situated directly across from the famous Schafberg mountain – also seen in the movie!

6. Church of Mondsee: The Sound of Music Wedding Church. This historical church of Mondsee was the location of the movie wedding between Maria and the Baron. Inside this wonderful church Maria walked down the aisle to meet the Baron at the altar.


I know on my ABD itinerary that our day in Salzburg starts out at Mirabell Gardens, which is where this tour starts and then after the tour we are supposed to have lunch at Hellbrunn Palace before having time on our own back in Salzburg. As I said in an earlier post, my party won't be taking part in this tour and instead just touring Salzburg on our own once we're dropped off at Mirabell Gardens.

Thank you - this is helpful

 

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

Thank you - this is helpful

Welcome. Like I said, not sure if that's the actual tour but that's just my educated guess based on my own itinerary, which is as follows:

PRIVATELY GUIDED TOUR OF LOCATIONS FROM THE FILM THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Begin a privately guided tour at Mirabell Gardens and finish at Hellbrunn Castle—all the while seeing what inspired this classic movie as well as some of the actual locations featured in it!

LUNCH AT HELLBRUNN CASTLE
Imagine yourself in days of yore as you lunch amid the scenic surroundings of the castle grounds.

We have lunch in Mondsee the following day on the way to Vienna. I'm doing Central Europe in September with ABD. We're planning to do a different tour with Greyline on the day in Salzburg and will meet back up with the group for dinner after being dropped off at Mirabell Gardens.

 

[Calfan]

I am back from China and wanted to chime in as we have done both the Central Europe ABD and the DCL Baltics cruise (with the ABD add-on). In trying to choose between Central Europe (either the Central Europe ABD or the Danube River Cruise) and the DCL Baltics cruise, I guess you really need to decide what geographical area you are most interested in and go from there. I really enjoyed both trips, but would probably tip in favor of the Baltics if I was choosing between the two. That being said, we absolutely loved Prague and definitely plan to go back there, and the Central Europe ABD was a great trip, so I don't think you can go wrong choosing that one. Here is a link to the trip report I did for our July 2014 Central Europe ABD:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3304874

I have never been on a river cruise, so I can't really comment on that experience. I suspect that the land-based ABD might give you a more immersive experience, but that could be wrong. From looking at the descriptions of the excursion options for the river cruise on the ABD website, it looks like the vast majority of the activities in areas that the Central Europe ABD covers were lifted wholesale from the Central Europe ABD, so I think there would be quite a bit of overlap/duplication. I think the issue might be having to choose among several options on the river cruise that might all be included in the actual ABD. For that reason, it does look like the Central Europe ABD might cover the Sound of Music sites more comprehensively than the river cruise.

I don't recall the ABD using the actual GreyLine tour. We definitely did the Mirabell Gardens, Hellbrunn Palace (with the gazebo) and Leopoldskron (viewed from across the lake). We did the Church at Mondsee on a different day. On our Salzburg day, we had some free time in the afternoon and had dinner at the Peterskeller restaurant.

Hope that helps. I'm happy to answer any specific questions you have about the Central Europe ABD or the Baltics cruise.

 

[BluesTraveler]

I am back from China and wanted to chime in as we have done both the Central Europe ABD and the DCL Baltics cruise (with the ABD add-on). In trying to choose between Central Europe (either the Central Europe ABD or the Danube River Cruise) and the DCL Baltics cruise, I guess you really need to decide what geographical area you are most interested in and go from there. I really enjoyed both trips, but would probably tip in favor of the Baltics if I was choosing between the two. That being said, we absolutely loved Prague and definitely plan to go back there, and the Central Europe ABD was a great trip, so I don't think you can go wrong choosing that one. Here is a link to the trip report I did for our July 2014 Central Europe ABD:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3304874

I have never been on a river cruise, so I can't really comment on that experience. I suspect that the land-based ABD might give you a more immersive experience, but that could be wrong. From looking at the descriptions of the excursion options for the river cruise on the ABD website, it looks like the vast majority of the activities in areas that the Central Europe ABD covers were lifted wholesale from the Central Europe ABD, so I think there would be quite a bit of overlap/duplication. I think the issue might be having to choose among several options on the river cruise that might all be included in the actual ABD. For that reason, it does look like the Central Europe ABD might cover the Sound of Music sites more comprehensively than the river cruise.

I don't recall the ABD using the actual GreyLine tour. We definitely did the Mirabell Gardens, Hellbrunn Palace (with the gazebo) and Leopoldskron (viewed from across the lake). We did the Church at Mondsee on a different day. On our Salzburg day, we had some free time in the afternoon and had dinner at the Peterskeller restaurant.

Hope that helps. I'm happy to answer any specific questions you have about the Central Europe ABD or the Baltics cruise.

OOH - PLEASE write a trip report of China!! I loved Cousin Orville's last year and would love to read your perspective on it. That trip is very high on our list as well.

 

[travelinglibrarian]

I am back from China and wanted to chime in as we have done both the Central Europe ABD and the DCL Baltics cruise (with the ABD add-on). In trying to choose between Central Europe (either the Central Europe ABD or the Danube River Cruise) and the DCL Baltics cruise, I guess you really need to decide what geographical area you are most interested in and go from there. I really enjoyed both trips, but would probably tip in favor of the Baltics if I was choosing between the two. That being said, we absolutely loved Prague and definitely plan to go back there, and the Central Europe ABD was a great trip, so I don't think you can go wrong choosing that one. Here is a link to the trip report I did for our July 2014 Central Europe ABD:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3304874

I have never been on a river cruise, so I can't really comment on that experience. I suspect that the land-based ABD might give you a more immersive experience, but that could be wrong. From looking at the descriptions of the excursion options for the river cruise on the ABD website, it looks like the vast majority of the activities in areas that the Central Europe ABD covers were lifted wholesale from the Central Europe ABD, so I think there would be quite a bit of overlap/duplication. I think the issue might be having to choose among several options on the river cruise that might all be included in the actual ABD. For that reason, it does look like the Central Europe ABD might cover the Sound of Music sites more comprehensively than the river cruise.

I don't recall the ABD using the actual GreyLine tour. We definitely did the Mirabell Gardens, Hellbrunn Palace (with the gazebo) and Leopoldskron (viewed from across the lake). We did the Church at Mondsee on a different day. On our Salzburg day, we had some free time in the afternoon and had dinner at the Peterskeller restaurant.

Hope that helps. I'm happy to answer any specific questions you have about the Central Europe ABD or the Baltics cruise.

Thank you for all the info! Can I ask - what made the Baltic (and the ABD add on) such a great trip? Several people have told me how much they liked it. I'm not a huge cruiser - I normally like to spend a at least a few days in one location. Typical cruise stops leave me feeling rushed, or wanting more - more food, more shopping, more history. But we just got back from ABD South Africa - which was wonderful - and I think I might like to try a slightly slower pace next time. The idea of moving into one room for the week really appeals right now.
I've not been to any of the stops on the Baltic cruise, and I would love to see Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Berlin & St. Petersburg. I'm wondering if I will feel like I don't have enough time in each, though. Although a day at sea can be nice, I would rather have more time in port. That may be a reason why I'm interested in the River Cruise - it sounds like a nice compromise between cruising & land trips. All the locations on the Danube / Central Europe trip are new to me as well, and all high on my list.
And of course, China sounds fabulous, too
So many choices, so little time (and money)!

 

[Calfan]

OOH - PLEASE write a trip report of China!! I loved Cousin Orville's last year and would love to read your perspective on it. That trip is very high on our list as well.

Our China trip was actually with Thomson Family Adventures, so probably not appropriate to write a trip report here. I will say that it was fantastic. I am working on a post for the Other Options thread here that provides a comparison of Thomson and ABD in general and also some specific comparisons on the China itineraries. Hopefully I'll get that up in the next few days.

 

[Calfan]

Thank you for all the info! Can I ask - what made the Baltic (and the ABD add on) such a great trip? Several people have told me how much they liked it. I'm not a huge cruiser - I normally like to spend a at least a few days in one location. Typical cruise stops leave me feeling rushed, or wanting more - more food, more shopping, more history. But we just got back from ABD South Africa - which was wonderful - and I think I might like to try a slightly slower pace next time. The idea of moving into one room for the week really appeals right now.
I've not been to any of the stops on the Baltic cruise, and I would love to see Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Berlin & St. Petersburg. I'm wondering if I will feel like I don't have enough time in each, though. Although a day at sea can be nice, I would rather have more time in port. That may be a reason why I'm interested in the River Cruise - it sounds like a nice compromise between cruising & land trips. All the locations on the Danube / Central Europe trip are new to me as well, and all high on my list.
And of course, China sounds fabulous, too
So many choices, so little time (and money)!

Other than Copenhagen, the Baltics ports were all new for me, and I really loved seeing parts of Scandinavia, St. Petersburg, Berlin, etc. (I will say that the ABD add-on wasn't the best part of the cruise experience.) So I guess I just took to the ports on the Baltics cruise a bit more than I took to Central Europe, other than Prague which I absolutely loved. I wasn't as taken with Vienna as some, for example. But I do agree that a cruise only lets you see a snippet of a place and often leaves you wanting more time in a particular port. So based on that, the Baltics cruise might not be the best option for you. I'm not sure how much better a river cruise is than an ocean cruise from that perspective, however.

 

[travelinglibrarian]

Other than Copenhagen, the Baltics ports were all new for me, and I really loved seeing parts of Scandinavia, St. Petersburg, Berlin, etc. (I will say that the ABD add-on wasn't the best part of the cruise experience.) So I guess I just took to the ports on the Baltics cruise a bit more than I took to Central Europe, other than Prague which I absolutely loved. I wasn't as taken with Vienna as some, for example. But I do agree that a cruise only lets you see a snippet of a place and often leaves you wanting more time in a particular port. So based on that, the Baltics cruise might not be the best option for you. I'm not sure how much better a river cruise is than an ocean cruise from that perspective, however.

Thank you, again. My husband and I did a river cruise 8 years ago for our anniversary and it really was a nice way to travel - much more intimate than a larger ship, with daily excursions that weren't far off the boat. It was on the Seine and we saw Paris, and several sights related to Van Gogh & Monet, as well as the Normandy WWII sights. It was definitely an adult trip though - we were probably the youngest people there. Because of the smaller size, it felt more relaxed than the larger ships, at least for me, with more personal attention (like ABD). I wasn't sure how the Disney river cruises would adapt for younger families, and we will have 13, 16 & 21 year olds next summer.
I noticed your England and Ireland trip on your post. Are those "active" trips? I have exploring those as well. I would love to do a hiking trip someday

 

[BluesTraveler]

Our China trip was actually with Thomson Family Adventures, so probably not appropriate to write a trip report here. I will say that it was fantastic. I am working on a post for the Other Options thread here that provides a comparison of Thomson and ABD in general and also some specific comparisons on the China itineraries. Hopefully I'll get that up in the next few days.

Got it. Will watch for your comments. Thanks!!

 

[Calfan]

Thank you, again. My husband and I did a river cruise 8 years ago for our anniversary and it really was a nice way to travel - much more intimate than a larger ship, with daily excursions that weren't far off the boat. It was on the Seine and we saw Paris, and several sights related to Van Gogh & Monet, as well as the Normandy WWII sights. It was definitely an adult trip though - we were probably the youngest people there. Because of the smaller size, it felt more relaxed than the larger ships, at least for me, with more personal attention (like ABD). I wasn't sure how the Disney river cruises would adapt for younger families, and we will have 13, 16 & 21 year olds next summer.
I noticed your England and Ireland trip on your post. Are those "active" trips? I have exploring those as well. I would love to do a hiking trip someday

Yes, the England and Ireland trips are both hiking trips with National Geographic Adventures. Very active.

 

[SingingMom]

I just have to throw my two-cents in, but the Sound of Music portion of Central Europe ABD last year was one of the best experiences of my life! I ADORED it!!
Salzburg and Vienna are now my two favorite places in the world!!

 

[sayhello]

On the Danube River Cruise right now. It's only the second day, so I can't tell you much yet, but I'm really liking the river cruise format. It's *really* nice to step off the ship and already be at your destination. This particular day, we didn't stay in port too long, but it looks like some of the days go well into the evenings, which you rarely get on an ocean cruise. We've also had local entertainers on the ship both days, which is fun. As I get more into the trip, I'll try & keep you posted of my thoughts on the trip.

One of the interresting things, we already had a group skip one of the excursions because they only arrived the day the cruise started, and didn't get to see Budapest. I agreed with them. The activity was fun, but given the choice between that & seeing Budapest, It's a no-brainer. I was talking to some folks, and agreed with *them* that the key is to not feel like you have to do *everything*. Because there's a lot of everything! They want people to always have options if they want/need them. But if it's too much, hang around on the ship, or just step off the ship & explore the town that's right there. There's no Sea Days to break up the speed of this trip, so you might need to do it yourself.

Sitting in my cabin, with the French balcony window open, listening to the River go by !

Sayhello

 

[carpenta]

Thanks for the check-in Sayhello. How did you like Budapest?

 

[sayhello]

Thanks for the check-in Sayhello. How did you like Budapest?

Beautiful!! Very friendly, wakkable, and great architecture. Definitely worth a visit!

 

[Cousin Orville]

Sounds wonderful! Enjoy Bratislava, Vienna and beyond!

 

[SingingMom]

Sayhello - make sure you have sachre tort in Vienna!!!!! And, visit Sisi's Museum if you can. One of the highlights of that trip!

 

[sayhello]

Sayhello - make sure you have sachre tort in Vienna!!!!! And, visit Sisi's Museum if you can. One of the highlights of that trip!

Where is Sisi's museum?

Sayhello

 

[SingingMom]

Where is Sisi's museum?

Sayhello

The Sisi Museum and Imperial Apartments are at Hofburg Palace in Vienna. Since we were enamored with all things Sisi on our Germany ABD, this was a must see on our Central Europe ABD. We loved it!

 

[travelinglibrarian]

On the Danube River Cruise right now. It's only the second day, so I can't tell you much yet, but I'm really liking the river cruise format. It's *really* nice to step off the ship and already be at your destination. This particular day, we didn't stay in port too long, but it looks like some of the days go well into the evenings, which you rarely get on an ocean cruise. We've also had local entertainers on the ship both days, which is fun. As I get more into the trip, I'll try & keep you posted of my thoughts on the trip.

One of the interresting things, we already had a group skip one of the excursions because they only arrived the day the cruise started, and didn't get to see Budapest. I agreed with them. The activity was fun, but given the choice between that & seeing Budapest, It's a no-brainer. I was talking to some folks, and agreed with *them* that the key is to not feel like you have to do *everything*. Because there's a lot of everything! They want people to always have options if they want/need them. But if it's too much, hang around on the ship, or just step off the ship & explore the town that's right there. There's no Sea Days to break up the speed of this trip, so you might need to do it yourself.

Sitting in my cabin, with the French balcony window open, listening to the River go by !

Sayhello

Thank you - I have wondered if a river cruise would feel more flexible than the traditional ABD trip. I loved our ABD trips, but the pace can be exhausting. I never mind it, because I want to see / do as much as possible, but it would also be nice to feel encouraged to choose our own pace / activities, based on what works for us. We have considered including my in-laws on this trip. My MIL could keep up with a traditional ABD trip, but not my FIL.
And I agree - I would want to spend time in Budapest! My daughter spent a few days there during her semester abroad, and it was one of her favorite spots. She is a graphic design major, so wanted to see all the art / monuments / architecture. She also did the baths - and loved it!
Hope the rest of the trip has gone well!