Pre Danube Tips

[lpm23]

Hello

Does anyone have a hotel recommendation for a pre night on the Danube in Budapest?

Also any suggestions of what to do with an extra day in Budapest? Traveling with two kids 10 and 12

 

[sayhello]

I would find out what hotel ABD is doing it's pre-night at (assuming they are providing pre-nights). When I went, it was the Budapest Marriott Hotel. They not only did the pre-night there, but it was the gathering spot for transportation to the port. It's hard to know if things are running the same as they were pre-pandemic, but we met with the Adventure Guides in the morning at the Marriott, and chose our excursions, then they provided multiple bus runs to the ship It's very nicely located right on the Pest side of the Danube, and has wonderful views of the Palace on the Buda side of the river. It's walking distance to the Chain Bridge over to the Palace, which is not included on ABD, and could be a nice pre-day trip (there's also a funicular there to the top of the Palace hill). Personally, I did the pre-night, and was glad I did, but they can be pricey. I would ask ABD if you can use their transfers to the port if you don't book the pre-night with them.

If you are planning on getting yourself to the ship, you'd need to find out which port the ship will be at. There are 2 in Budapest, and one is near the Marriott (but was NOT the one the ship was boarding at!).

Budapest is a gorgeous, very walkable city. I highly recommend the Dohány Street Great Synagogue. It's the largest Synagogue in Europe, and is simply gorgeous, both inside and out. It's in a beautiful Moorish style. They do run wonderful tours, or you can get a pamphlet and walk it yourself.

Sayhello

 

[lpm23]

I would find out what hotel ABD is doing it's pre-night at (assuming they are providing pre-nights). When I went, it was the Budapest Marriott Hotel. They not only did the pre-night there, but it was the gathering spot for transportation to the port. It's hard to know if things are running the same as they were pre-pandemic, but we met with the Adventure Guides in the morning at the Marriott, and chose our excursions, then they provided multiple bus runs to the ship It's very nicely located right on the Pest side of the Danube, and has wonderful views of the Palace on the Buda side of the river. It's walking distance to the Chain Bridge over to the Palace, which is not included on ABD, and could be a nice pre-day trip (there's also a funicular there to the top of the Palace hill). Personally, I did the pre-night, and was glad I did, but they can be pricey. I would ask ABD if you can use their transfers to the port if you don't book the pre-night with them.

If you are planning on getting yourself to the ship, you'd need to find out which port the ship will be at. There are 2 in Budapest, and one is near the Marriott (but was NOT the one the ship was boarding at!).

Budapest is a gorgeous, very walkable city. I highly recommend the Dohány Street Great Synagogue. It's the largest Synagogue in Europe, and is simply gorgeous, both inside and out. It's in a beautiful Moorish style. They do run wonderful tours, or you can get a pamphlet and walk it yourself.

Sayhello

Great! thank you

 

[tink1970]

I echo everything @sayhello said We did 2 pre days and stayed at the Marriott pre cruise as well. I hired a guide who drove us around Buda and Pest (it was DM, DD and me) for half a day and the next day we did a "coffee and cafe tour" with the same guide (Gabriella).

I took a look and found my tripadvisor review from 2019 here...

Wonderful 2 days!
Prior to a river cruise, I booked 2 half day tours with Gabriella. The first, a driving overview tour, was a wonderful introduction for my mother and daughter, who had never been to the city. We explored both Buda and Pest, and between the beauty of the city and Gabriella's enthusiasm, they also fell in love with Budapest. The following day was a treat-a walking coffee and cafe tour and it was wonderful. While I'm sure we didn't walk off all of the calories, we truly enjoyed ourselves. Gabriella was professional, prompt, engaging, and conveyed the history of her city in an honest yet loving way. I can't wait to return and visit with her again!

My DD was a little older than your children but she enjoyed the trip so much--three years later she still says the river cruise was her favorite vacation ever AND she and my DM watched Black Widow with pleasure since our boat was docked next to where it was filming a scene-we saw some of the actors, craft services, etc. I hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[LuvTrvl2]

Hello

Does anyone have a hotel recommendation for a pre night on the Danube in Budapest?

Also any suggestions of what to do with an extra day in Budapest? Traveling with two kids 10 and 12

Hi, how are things looking for Covid for your trip? I am curious how it will work since you will visit a few different countries.

 

[OKW Lover]

Does anyone have a hotel recommendation for a pre night on the Danube in Budapest?

We stayed at the Sofitel Budapest Chain Bridge back in 2017. It was good. Located almost directly across the street from where our Viking Longboat docked for a Christmas Market cruise. The hotel was just around the corner from the Budapest Christmas Market so we got to do that the day before the cruise actually started.

 

[AquaDame]

We stayed at the Sofitel Budapest Chain Bridge back in 2017. It was good. Located almost directly across the street from where our Viking Longboat docked for a Christmas Market cruise. The hotel was just around the corner from the Budapest Christmas Market so we got to do that the day before the cruise actually started.

We arent sailing until '23 but I went to check this out and it says it is temporarily closed.... hopefully they are able to reopen soon!

 

[abdgeek]

Hi, how are things looking for Covid for your trip? I am curious how it will work since you will visit a few different countries.

Having booked the ABD Danube River Cruise for 2023 (third time may be the charm), I was wondering the same thing. I just checked AmaWaterways website yesterday to see if their summer River Cruises were sailing and was surprised to see the following information (the part in bold):

Until further notice, AmaWaterways will welcome guests fully vaccinated against Covid-19 on board our ships. This also applies to accompanied minors. The criteria for being considered "fully vaccinated" may differ from country to country and can impact your ability to enter the country as well as to access restaurants, trains or tourist sites. Travelers are responsible for ensuring they meet the travel entry requirements of each country visited during the river cruise. Please refer to the Travel Entry Requirements page for important details.

I believe I saw a discussion on the DCL thread saying this same language was being used for the European cruises. To AmaWaterway’s credit, their link does tell you what the current entry requirements are for the different countries. It appears most of them expect travelers to be fully vaxed and boosted to come ashore if their 2nd shot is between 180 and 270 days old. This isn’t a problem since I’m both, but I’m surprised they are leaving it up to the customer to determine if they can get off at any given port. Hopefully, things will be different by summer 2023. It will be interesting to see if the ABD River Cruises go this summer.

 

[Mathmagicland]

I believe I saw a discussion on the DCL thread saying this same language was being used for the European cruises.

Yes, DCL appears to expect travelers to know all Covid related requirements -

Guests are responsible for checking and meeting all requirements or restrictions that may be in place for travel to any homeport or port of call that is part of their cruise itinerary. Guests who do not meet the country-specific government entry requirements may be unable to reach their point of embarkation to board their cruise, or unable to debark the ship at certain ports of call or their final destination.

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/why-cruise-disney/experience-updates/europe-protocols/