DVC exclusive Danube River Cruise

[tgeorge]

Calypso....i just had to say that I loved your pic of the slide that Ramsey Bolton built ;-)

I'm going to use the Mercedes Benz and Porsche museum as an enticement to get my DH onboard the Rhine cruise. If you go next year and can work in any more GoT references, it may seal the deal . HA!

 

[bearsgirl]

bears girl....my DH (who I may add does NOT like much anything Disney) and I have done 5 out of our six DCL cruises sans children....2007 we had our daughter and 6 yo granddaughter with us. We have always enjoyed all of our Disney cruises, except part of one, which is another story, to the hilt and we both look forward to this cruise with eager anticipation! He does love Disney cruises and we're already reserved on the transatlantic next year.



Calypso, thank you so much for your TR. It has helped greatly in furthering our decision making process. One day is still a conundrum, but we'll get there. Again, thank you!!!!

Princess Running Slow (Genius Name!)--We are platinum DCLers--just the DH and me. Somehow the ABD River Cruise struck me as a much smaller vessel than a ship (which is true) that would be focused solely on children and their activities (not true). Thankfully, Calypso has cleared up that misconception. And I am cheering![/QUOTE]

 

[calypso726]

Calypso, You must dread the last sentence of your ABD letter you posted. It really is a "magical" river cruise, wasn't it?

It was a fantastic River cruise and magical too!

I'm a little depressed it's ending, too, as I've loved your trip report! Thank you for taking the time to do it. These trip reports people write make it so helpful to evaluate different trips. Motivates me to write one for our upcoming Alaska trip.

You are welcome and I am glad you enjoyed it. Other people's trip reports have been very helpful to me so it is my way of giving back.

Please do write one, if you have time! I know how much work and time they take,but it really does help when trying to decide which Adventure to take. The itineraries are one thing,but seeing and hearing from others who are experiencing the Adventure is priceless.

And, I'm sad it is over too. I've enjoyed reading about your trip Calypso. Thanks for sharing. I'm now trying to figure out if I can fit the Rhine cruise into my 2018 plans

You are welcome. The cruise part is over in the morning. At lest we have the Prague add on to look forward to. I know what you mean. I'm trying to see if I can squeeze the Rhine into 2017!

Great trip report! River cruises sound like a great option. We may look at doing one when my kids get a little bit older. It's great they're offering the Rhine as well. Hopefully they'll prove to be very popular and keep expanding.

Thank you! They certainly are a great option. It is a nice blend of cruise and ABD. I was surprised to find I loved it as much as I did. I hope they become popular too. I am looking forward to doing more River cruises with ABD.

Thank you for taking the time to write this TR, Calypso! When I saw the literature for the ABD River Cruises they featured pictures of groups of kids and since only my husband and I travel, I wasn't interested. It seemed liked it was geared toward families with children and Junior Adventurers were the main focus. After reading your TR, I want to go on the Rhine in 2017!! I don't think 2 adults would feel out of place and I think ABD should pay you for the fabulous publicity!
Thanks again!!

You are very welcome! I think they are actively trying to market the River cruises to families with kids since that is not the typical River cruise guest. The vast majority of the other River cruise guests I saw this week on other ships are retirees. This can easily be a niche market for them. Thus the literature with pictures of kids. Having experienced land based ABDs with kids in the group and adult only trips we knew that it would be fine for adults like us that have no kids. I would say most of the people on board had no kids and I think everyone enjoyed the trip. I wouldn't hesitate to do another one.

Calypso, did you get Mozart chocolates in Salzburg? Those are yummy and pricey! Looks like a lovely trip! Thanks for the trip report!!

Yes we did!!! Awesome stuff!!!! You are very welcome. Thank you for following along.

bears girl....my DH (who I may add does NOT like much anything Disney) and I have done 5 out of our six DCL cruises sans children....2007 we had our daughter and 6 yo granddaughter with us. We have always enjoyed all of our Disney cruises, except part of one, which is another story, to the hilt and we both look forward to this cruise with eager anticipation! He does love Disney cruises and we're already reserved on the transatlantic next year.

Calypso, thank you so much for your TR. It has helped greatly in furthering our decision making process. One day is still a conundrum, but we'll get there. Again, thank you!!!!

You are very welcome. Thank you for following along One day was a conundrum for us too for a few years and then "one day" finally came along.

Calypso....i just had to say that I loved your pic of the slide that Ramsey Bolton built ;-)

I'm going to use the Mercedes Benz and Porsche museum as an enticement to get my DH onboard the Rhine cruise. If you go next year and can work in any more GoT references, it may seal the deal . HA!

Hahahaha!!! Believe me if I could I would. Next year is pretty packed with vacation getaways though.

Princess Running Slow (Genius Name!)--We are platinum DCLers--just the DH and me. Somehow the ABD River Cruise struck me as a much smaller vessel than a ship (which is true) that would be focused solely on children and their activities (not true). Thankfully, Calypso has cleared up that misconception. And I am cheering!

[/QUOTE]

Platinum DCLers here too and no kids either! There are activities on board just for the kids but they are whisked off to ... I have no idea where ... with the guides while the adults enjoy dinner, entertainment and what not.

 

[tgeorge]

Okay, sorry...one last question (at least for today)

Did the boat (ship??) feel crowded?

 

[tink1970]

Thanks so much for your TR. We're scheduled for the holiday cruise over Christmas so it's nice to get a feel of what to expect, even if there are a couple of differences in itineraries. I appreciated your info on the cabin, sounds like I don't have to pack every single converter we have

 

[calypso726]

Okay, sorry...one last question (at least for today)

Did the boat (ship??) feel crowded?

No, not at all. But we really didn't spend a whole lot of time on the ship. We were mostly out on excursions. I spent some of my onboard time enjoying the balcony and the views.

Thanks so much for your TR. We're scheduled for the holiday cruise over Christmas so it's nice to get a feel of what to expect, even if there are a couple of differences in itineraries. I appreciated your info on the cabin, sounds like I don't have to pack every single converter we have

You are welcome! We did bring and use some converters and extensions. But it was nice to have a 110 V outlet and some USB ones.

 

[sayhello]

You are welcome. The cruise part is over in the morning. At lest we have the Prague add on to look forward to. I know what you mean. I'm trying to see if I can squeeze the Rhine into 2017!

Wait until you see who I think *may* be doing the Prague add-on!

Sayhello

 

[calypso726]

Wait until you see who I think *may* be doing the Prague add-on!

Sayhello

Our guides are Stefi and Dean. They are fabulous! However, we were able to meet up briefly with both Hanni and Zoe in Cesky Krumlov (BONUS!) who are doing the pre-Prague tour for the next cruisers.

 

[tgeorge]

No, not at all. But we really didn't spend a whole lot of time on the ship. We were mostly out on excursions. I spent some of my onboard time enjoying the balcony and the views.

Thanks for the info. DH doesn't really like crowds (some of the larger cruise ships he doesn't care for and even Disney Fantasy (at times) was too crowded for him). But, it sounds like it is a good compromise. I'm still hoping I can talk him into it. I'm sure a lot of time in the ship would be spent in the same manner... watching the amazing views from the balcony.

 

[carpenta]

Calypso....i just had to say that I loved your pic of the slide that Ramsey Bolton built ;-)

I'm going to use the Mercedes Benz and Porsche museum as an enticement to get my DH onboard the Rhine cruise. If you go next year and can work in any more GoT references, it may seal the deal . HA!

The Rhine cruise would be perfect to go to the headquarters. He should rent a car and drive on the autoban. No speed limit and it was great to see all those German sports cars zipping bye us at 125 + MPH. The autos have a little horn separate from the car horn they activate when they wish to pass you. I found the best views from the river boat were from the top deck seating. We had a suite with two French balconies but because the river sits in the valley a lot of the older buildings are located higher than the banks and flood zone of the river. It was far easier to see everything than craning your neck looking up. So IMO having a balcony is no big deal.

 

[tgeorge]

The Rhine cruise would be perfect to go to the headquarters. He should rent a car and drive on the autoban. No speed limit and it was great to see all those German sports cars zipping bye us at 125 + MPH. The autos have a little horn separate from the car horn they activate when they wish to pass you. I found the best views from the river boat were from the top deck seating. We had a suite with two French balconies but because the river sits in the valley a lot of the older buildings are located higher than the banks and flood zone of the river. It was far easier to see everything than craning your neck looking up. So IMO having a balcony is no big deal.

That is great information! Thank you so much. I think he would actually enjoy it and the cars are definitely going to help. If he will go, then it probably will get pushed to 2019 since we already have a big 2018 anniversary trip planned with some other couples. However, that means I can do China in 2018 (since that is definitely a solo trip) and the Rhine in 2019. I know, I know, obsessive planner here. But, I'm in good company on this board so you all understand ;-)

 

[PrincessRunningSlow]

We leave on the Danube cruise in 5 days. Thanks for everything, Calypso and followers. It has been interesting to hear about the trip and read the great questions and answers. Now, can these next 5 days get on with it. I want to leave NOW!!!!

 

[PrincessRunningSlow]

Princess Running Slow (Genius Name!)--We are platinum DCLers--just the DH and me. Somehow the ABD River Cruise struck me as a much smaller vessel than a ship (which is true) that would be focused solely on children and their activities (not true). Thankfully, Calypso has cleared up that misconception. And I am cheering!

[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the compliment on the name. I may not be fast, but I do cross the finish line!!!

 

[tgeorge]

Thanks for the compliment on the name. I may not be fast, but I do cross the finish line!!![/QUOTE]

Crossing the finish line is all that matters! Have a fantastic trip. If you guys do the bike ride, come back and post about it. Would love to hear about it

 

[calypso726]

Part 3 of this adventure which is the post Prague River cruise trip begins here:

http://www.disboards.com/threads/prague-add-on-post-danube-river-cruise.3527060/

 

[Theta]

Calyspso, do you recall seeing any Amawaterways incentives for booking a future river cruise through them while still onboard like ocean cruises offer? We want to book AmaWaterways Southeast Asia river cruise on the Mekong and hope to get some status through this cruise.

 

[SCFamily4]

Thanks SO much for this information - I trust Disney and when we went to WDW last year, our friends were so impressed with their handling of allergies. They were delighted that some Disney restaurants were completely nut free and they were able to order anything they wanted. The chef coming out to check on us is always reassuring. I've traveled with them enough to completely understand the frustration when you get someone who just doesn't "get it" how serious allergies can be. Thanks!!

All - we are on the current sailing, and have a son with a nut/peanut allergy. The crew has been very attentive, and everything is labeled with the codes that were posted earlier. HOWEVER - you have to be vigalent - just as we would be at home. "Safe items" may be right next to or touching items with nuts. One night, my son's"safe" dessert was brought to the table with almond topping (evidently is considered not a nut here?) and tonight's hazelnut ice cream wasn't tagged with a nut code. That said - I feel perfectly fine with how everything is going. We are also trying to get the same table for dinner nightly (open seating) so we have the same waiter. Ama is really working to help all of us (@9 on board with nut allergies, from what i heard).

 

[bearsgirl]

Thanks for the update, SCFamily4. Enjoy your Danube Adventure!!

 

[calypso726]

Calyspso, do you recall seeing any Amawaterways incentives for booking a future river cruise through them while still onboard like ocean cruises offer? We want to book AmaWaterways Southeast Asia river cruise on the Mekong and hope to get some status through this cruise.

No I did not. There is a desk that looks like it would be the logical place to do that. However, at no point did I see anyone selling or booking future cruises.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Calyspso, do you recall seeing any Amawaterways incentives for booking a future river cruise through them while still onboard like ocean cruises offer? We want to book AmaWaterways Southeast Asia river cruise on the Mekong and hope to get some status through this cruise.

I know it's a long shot, but a Mekong ABD River Cruise would be amazing.