Blogging from the Rhine River

We depart tomorrow on our Rhine River Christmas Market Cruise with four other couples. It is my intent to blog daily if time and WIFI permitting.



Follow along at the link above, and feel free to comment or ask questions here on TTOL or in the blog comment section.

Bon Voyage Tom! Have a wonderful time. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" /> Looking forward to your blog. Wish I were going.

Very cool! Looking forward to it!

Well the first leg is done. Now in CLT waiting on flight to Heathrow. Then onto Basel. Yeah, I know that is a lot of connections but for 35000 frequent flyer miles and $26 per ticket roundtrip- I can drink a beer and wait for the next leg.

Pictures tomorrow hopefully

Wow! I normally spend 35K for a trip to the Caribbean!

Wednesday & Thursday
morning has broken...

What a great start. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> Anxiously waiting for more!

Great! Looking forward to the rest of the story!

it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas



We are no on the boat and the real adventure has begun.

Special trip, thanks for the blog. I was wondering where I was going this week.

Well we are underway. 0600 We did a slow turn in Basel and headed North (down river). <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/circle.gif" alt="" />

Amawaterways is amazing! More later!

Tom, I’ve been off line a while....Great blog reports!! What a wonderful time to take this trip, feels like Christmas is in the air!! Cheers!!

After having too much fun and a IT issue the blog has finally been updated Anticipation

Just got home yesterday after a 10 day trip to the Christmas Markets in Dusseldorf, Cologne, Bruges & Brussels-I see you will be passing through Cologne-loved that city & the Cathedral-drank a "few" gluhweins!! Enjoy your trip. Waiting for more entries on your blog.

So glad you brought me along, lov'n every minute of it!!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Finding time to do the blog has been hard! Getting ready to head off for a gondola ride over vineyards to a castle. Hope to another update today. Thanks for following

Hey, just take good notes and pictures, and we'll catch up with you when you can! Enjoy!

Thanks Carol, I will just keep working through the story as time permits. I definitely need to do a trip report when I get back. Lots of lessons learned. Good ones!

But for now the latest entry is up and we are on the road again....

We have arrived safely back in the US, but due to a snow storm in Europe we got an extra day in Amsterdam that added a few adventures that will be retold in coming updates.
The blog is not real time, but hope you enjoy Monday Dec 4 – singing in the rain...

Thanks for taking us along!! Being the wimpy Floridian I am these days, I enjoy watching OTHER people dressed up warmly, looking at snow! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> Looking forward to the rest of the story!

It wasn't too cold... but the weather was definitely not for a Florida girl

Any time I see people dressed up in winter coats and hats, it's too cold for me!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Today's update takes us to Heidelberg and Rüdesheim!
Castles, Wine, Christmas Markets and a dose of reality.

Although the title mentions rain, Bob Dylan fans probably now these lyrics have a much deeper meaning.

Oh yeah - on the lighter side we go swimming!

Enjoy - its a hard rain's a-gonna fall...

Absolutely love your blog - can't wait to read more!

Thank you BerneandGary for following along.

Next post is up come fly with me...

Today is the day that we run the Rhine River Gorge.
Absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

Can't wait to read your blog on Cologne & see your photos - I was in Cologne, Dusseldorf & Aachen for the Christmas Markets the week before you.

Thanks for an amazing experience! I would love to go on that cruise just for the food!! And I wouldn't mind do the cruise in general, but in the SUMMER!!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Great reports and photos Tom!

Well with the days counting down to Christmas, I have found less and less time to update. However tonight I have added a new update, and today we head to Cologne. Where one of the most amazing works of architecture can be seen almost anywhere in the city. coming in from the cold... in Cologne

Thanks for the journey! I do wish you would post some of the food pictures though, as I love food pictures! And it sounds like the food was fabulous!

Carol I will put some food pics in the trip report
But the food is much better than it will be shown.
Thanks for hanging in there. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

Thanks! Looking forward to it!

Absolutely love your reports - your pictures from Cologne are much better then the ones I took with my phone!!

Thank you,
Cameras cannot make a phone call very well either. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

Hey, Tom, you're falling down on the job!!!

Meantime, I saw this and wondered whether you cruised through this area or not. Yikes!!

Well........... It is Christmas.....
And with 3 Grand Children and their parents visiting free time has not been at a commodity.
Having said that... the house is now quiet again (but I already miss the noise) so I have no excuses.
Promise to add the last day and trip report VERY Soon.

And I like the new format.

Happy new year

OK, looking very much forward to seeing the rest of the story!

What about that accident with that ship? Not sure how such a thing happens..

Have I missed a boat crash? Link Please

It was in my post above, under the Yikes! The links don't really show up as well as they used to. Anyway, here it is again. Link

Swiss Boat Crash

Yes we did - probably as we were eating dinner after leaving Cologne on Thursday night. (Last blog entry)
I do not remember seeing the town or the bridge. However, I can say:
a) There is a ton of traffic on the Rhine.
b) The river is extremely narrow at some locations.
c) Unbelievable strong currents

Not surprising!

Thanks

OK, very scary this happened to these folks!! Glad it didn't happen to you!

Amsterdam today! The blog has been updated follow the link as we go - beyond on the yellow brick road...

Sorry for the delay!

Thanks for another lovely segment!! Sorry this story will end soon!

Breathtaking view!

Awesome post! I just checked your blog too and it is pretty interesting!

Dang I was hoping this was a new one.

Thanks for a great report & blog. Sounds like you had a great time. Sorry that I am so slow in responding to your post. We are considering a similar trip but during early summer 2020. AMA appears to be one of the best providers of river cruises in Europe. How were they to work with in planning excursions and transfers? How strenuous were the walking tours? We have great endurance but our speed is an issue and we are afraid of not keeping up with the tour groups.

Having done this cruise last year and about to set off on a Danube cruise, I must stress to you to do your research thoroughly as to provider. There are many out there and the quality of vessels (and their clientele) vary greatly. I recall crossing over several different vessels last year when docked, this is inevitable sometimes and some were not at all pleasant. I may be wrong, but AMA didn’t impress me. Some have many American customers, some do not. Check carefully.

So, which river cruise line do you recommend for a Danube cruise? and why?

I would recommend Amawaterways for any trip. Some of our group that went up the Rhine are doing the Danube in the fall.

- Crew and care are excellent
- They use local guides and all excursions are covered in your booking. Lots of choices.
- food & wine wonderful

Not a cruiser but would use Ama again in a heart beat.

Thanks. Our TA, Bonnie Buchanan, thinks very highly of AMA.

On the Danube right now using Uniworld and just returned to the ship from a fabulous day trip that only Uniworld visit. It was very special and in an area inundated with tourists, that means a tremendous amount to me. I’ve had the opportunity to talk to some fellow travelers who are American or Canadian and they all say they prefer Uniworld over other lines as they have the best tour guides (certainly so far we have had experienced absolutely amazing guides), all inclusive pricing, excellent tours, quality food and wines and no tipping, which makes life easier for them due to all the different currencies that would be required on this trip in particular.
I agree, but as I said in an earlier post, do your own research and discover which line is right for you. Think of your priorities, listen to lots of opinions, not just one. I’ve certainly seen a few ships that I wouldn’t go on if you paid me, but here is not the place to name and shame. Each to their own.

salica--would appreciate hearing more about your trip upon your return!