Rhein cruises
 

Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that
seem to race from Amsterdam to somewhere in Switzerland or vice versa,
stopping briefly in the wrong places. I'd really prefer one that covered
less river unless part of it was also along the Mosel. Beginning or ending
in Köln, Koblenz, or Mainz(or Frankfurt) would be even better. If
excursions were wheeled, it wouldn't matter if they were in German, because
I could translate for her, but if much walking is involved, they'd have to
be in English so she could go without me. I'd like suggestions of lines I
may have missed.
Note: I could be the tour guide if I could hike the way I could a few
years ago 8-/

Rhein cruises
 

On 8/27/2016 5:10 PM, Erilar wrote:

Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that
seem to race from Amsterdam to somewhere in Switzerland or vice versa,
stopping briefly in the wrong places. I'd really prefer one that covered
less river unless part of it was also along the Mosel. Beginning or ending
in Köln, Koblenz, or Mainz(or Frankfurt) would be even better. If
excursions were wheeled, it wouldn't matter if they were in German, because
I could translate for her, but if much walking is involved, they'd have to
be in English so she could go without me. I'd like suggestions of lines I
may have missed.
Note: I could be the tour guide if I could hike the way I could a few
years ago 8-/

I can't help you, but I will be following any responses with great interest.

Rhein cruises
 

"Martin" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 27 Aug 2016 16:10:51 -0500, Erilar
wrote:


Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that
seem to race from Amsterdam to somewhere in Switzerland or vice versa,
stopping briefly in the wrong places. I'd really prefer one that covered
less river unless part of it was also along the Mosel. Beginning or
ending
in Köln, Koblenz, or Mainz(or Frankfurt) would be even better. If
excursions were wheeled, it wouldn't matter if they were in German,
because
I could translate for her, but if much walking is involved, they'd have to
be in English so she could go without me. I'd like suggestions of lines I
may have missed.
Note: I could be the tour guide if I could hike the way I could a
few
years ago 8-/


I've done it by travelling with KD and staying in small hotels overnight.
http://www.kdrhine.com/
How can anybody charge you for a hike?

The same way that they can (justify) charging for a city centre walking
tour.

Someone is specifically making their living that way, they don't work for
nothing

tim

Rhein cruises
 

"Erilar" wrote in message
...

Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that
seem to race from Amsterdam to somewhere in Switzerland or vice versa,
stopping briefly in the wrong places. I'd really prefer one that covered
less river unless part of it was also along the Mosel. Beginning or
ending
in Köln, Koblenz, or Mainz(or Frankfurt) would be even better. If
excursions were wheeled, it wouldn't matter if they were in German,
because
I could translate for her, but if much walking is involved, they'd have to
be in English so she could go without me. I'd like suggestions of lines I
may have missed.
Note: I could be the tour guide if I could hike the way I could a few
years ago 8-/


You really want this one:
http://www.tauck.co.uk/tours/europe-...Page=Itinerary

--
JohnT

Rhein cruises
 

Martin wrote:
On Sat, 27 Aug 2016 16:10:51 -0500, Erilar wrote:


Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that
seem to race from Amsterdam to somewhere in Switzerland or vice versa,
stopping briefly in the wrong places. I'd really prefer one that covered
less river unless part of it was also along the Mosel. Beginning or ending
in Köln, Koblenz, or Mainz(or Frankfurt) would be even better. If
excursions were wheeled, it wouldn't matter if they were in German, because
I could translate for her, but if much walking is involved, they'd have to
be in English so she could go without me. I'd like suggestions of lines I
may have missed.
Note: I could be the tour guide if I could hike the way I could a few
years ago 8-/


I've done it by travelling with KD and staying in small hotels overnight.
http://www.kdrhine.com/
How can anybody charge you for a hike?

Viking requires all excursions be paid for along with the cruise price. It
took a mess of emailing to get all the details. There is no provision for
non- hikers.

--
biblioholic medievalist via iPad

Rhein cruises
 

On 08-27-2016 16:10, Erilar wrote:
Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that

I'd bicycle from port to port rather than pay cruise prices. And I'll
get there before my friends on ship.

As for Viking, I was very careful (as always) to say NO to advertising.
That didn't stop them from dropping an expensive 20-30 page full color
solicitation in my mailbox every week. Even if the cost were
reasonable, I do not do business with spammers.

Rhein cruises
 

"Erilar" wrote in message
...
Martin wrote:
On Sat, 27 Aug 2016 16:10:51 -0500, Erilar
wrote:


Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak
German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that
seem to race from Amsterdam to somewhere in Switzerland or vice versa,
stopping briefly in the wrong places. I'd really prefer one that covered
less river unless part of it was also along the Mosel. Beginning or
ending
in Köln, Koblenz, or Mainz(or Frankfurt) would be even better. If
excursions were wheeled, it wouldn't matter if they were in German,
because
I could translate for her, but if much walking is involved, they'd have
to
be in English so she could go without me. I'd like suggestions of lines
I
may have missed.
Note: I could be the tour guide if I could hike the way I could a few
years ago 8-/


I've done it by travelling with KD and staying in small hotels overnight.
http://www.kdrhine.com/
How can anybody charge you for a hike?

Viking requires all excursions be paid for along with the cruise price. It
took a mess of emailing to get all the details. There is no provision for
non- hikers.

Presumably that's a special "hiking cruise"

Viking have a list of weekly river cruises for "normal" tourism.

tim

Rhein cruises
 

"JohnT" wrote in message
...

"Erilar" wrote in message
...

Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that
seem to race from Amsterdam to somewhere in Switzerland or vice versa,
stopping briefly in the wrong places. I'd really prefer one that covered
less river unless part of it was also along the Mosel. Beginning or
ending
in Köln, Koblenz, or Mainz(or Frankfurt) would be even better. If
excursions were wheeled, it wouldn't matter if they were in German,
because
I could translate for her, but if much walking is involved, they'd have
to
be in English so she could go without me. I'd like suggestions of lines I
may have missed.
Note: I could be the tour guide if I could hike the way I could a
few
years ago 8-/


You really want this one:
http://www.tauck.co.uk/tours/europe-...Page=Itinerary


Am I alone in thinking that this company is somewhat pricey

e.g. 4 grand for a 14 day holiday in PL/CZ, not including air fares, looks
well OTT to me

tim

Rhein cruises
 

"Happy.Hobo" wrote in message
...
On 08-27-2016 16:10, Erilar wrote:
Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that

I'd bicycle from port to port rather than pay cruise prices. And I'll get
there before my friends on ship.


Unfortunately a large amount of the "value" of a cruise is seen to be the on
board activities and they are timed, and priced accordingly

Personally, I don't see any value in that at all, and as soon as someone
starts up cruises where the focus is on the on-shore attractions with no
need to pay for on board activities that I have no interest in, I will sign
up

but on the odd occasion when companies have tried that approach, they have
failed to be profitable

tim

Rhein cruises
 

Am Sat, 27 Aug 2016 16:10:51 -0500 schrieb Erilar:

Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I am.

If you speak German, then have a look at:

www.e-hoi.de

There you pick "Flusskreuzfahrten" and look what they have on offer. You
can narrow down your search regarding the river, time of the cruise and so
on.

It's basically a travel-agent specialized on cruises. I booked with them
three times before, they sometimes have good offers.

They often have short cruises from Köln down the Rhine in direction of
Basel, some of them also combine with the Mosel. You can also go North from
Köln to Amsterdam, but that part of th Rhine is not that scenic.

Regards,

Frank

Rhein cruises
 

On 8/28/16 1:57 PM, Erilar wrote:
Martin wrote:
On Sat, 27 Aug 2016 16:10:51 -0500, Erilar wrote:


Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that
seem to race from Amsterdam to somewhere in Switzerland or vice versa,
stopping briefly in the wrong places. I'd really prefer one that covered
less river unless part of it was also along the Mosel. Beginning or ending
in Köln, Koblenz, or Mainz(or Frankfurt) would be even better. If
excursions were wheeled, it wouldn't matter if they were in German, because
I could translate for her, but if much walking is involved, they'd have to
be in English so she could go without me. I'd like suggestions of lines I
may have missed.
Note: I could be the tour guide if I could hike the way I could a few
years ago 8-/


I've done it by travelling with KD and staying in small hotels overnight.
http://www.kdrhine.com/
How can anybody charge you for a hike?

Viking requires all excursions be paid for along with the cruise price. It
took a mess of emailing to get all the details. There is no provision for
non- hikers.


Are these guided hikes or hikes on your own at scheduled free time at
ports of call during the cruise?

The commercials make it seem like you get to see more of the cities than
you would on a regular cruise.

Well if you really want to see the cities, why not stay in some of them
for a few days each?

Rhein cruises
 

On 8/29/16 2:26 AM, tim... wrote:

"Happy.Hobo" wrote in message
...
On 08-27-2016 16:10, Erilar wrote:
Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak
German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that

I'd bicycle from port to port rather than pay cruise prices. And I'll
get there before my friends on ship.


Unfortunately a large amount of the "value" of a cruise is seen to be
the on board activities and they are timed, and priced accordingly

Personally, I don't see any value in that at all, and as soon as someone
starts up cruises where the focus is on the on-shore attractions with no
need to pay for on board activities that I have no interest in, I will
sign up

but on the odd occasion when companies have tried that approach, they
have failed to be profitable

tim


Some people have rationalized cruises, not river cruises, as being
cheaper if you consider that cost of accommodations and transportation
over a similar period, not to mention the included meals.


And those onboard activities sound hellish, forced participation in
activities when presumably your main interest is to tour the cities.

Not to mention, in this day and age, being cut off from Internet,
phones, etc. for swaths of time?

Rhein cruises
 

On 08-29-2016 13:54, poldy wrote:
Not to mention, in this day and age, being cut off from Internet,
phones, etc. for swaths of time?

Internet may be a bit slower if you use the ship's satellite connection.
But on a river cruise, you have at least as good a connection as you
would driving the roads that follow the river.

Besides, if you're addicted to internet, you should buy a house
and not leave it. But here's a tip: I've been off-line for more
than a week MANY times since I hit the road two years ago.
And believe it or not, I'm still breathing.

Rhein cruises
 

JohnT wrote:

"Erilar" wrote in message
...

Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that
seem to race from Amsterdam to somewhere in Switzerland or vice versa,
stopping briefly in the wrong places. I'd really prefer one that covered
less river unless part of it was also along the Mosel. Beginning or
ending
in Köln, Koblenz, or Mainz(or Frankfurt) would be even better. If
excursions were wheeled, it wouldn't matter if they were in German,
because
I could translate for her, but if much walking is involved, they'd have to
be in English so she could go without me. I'd like suggestions of lines I
may have missed.
Note: I could be the tour guide if I could hike the way I could a few
years ago 8-/


You really want this one:
http://www.tauck.co.uk/tours/europe-...Page=Itinerary


Not France! But I'll look again at Tauck.

--
biblioholic medievalist via iPad

Rhein cruises
 

Martin wrote:
On Sun, 28 Aug 2016 14:15:26 +0100, "JohnT" wrote:


"Erilar" wrote in message
...

Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that
seem to race from Amsterdam to somewhere in Switzerland or vice versa,
stopping briefly in the wrong places. I'd really prefer one that covered
less river unless part of it was also along the Mosel. Beginning or
ending
in Köln, Koblenz, or Mainz(or Frankfurt) would be even better. If
excursions were wheeled, it wouldn't matter if they were in German,
because
I could translate for her, but if much walking is involved, they'd have to
be in English so she could go without me. I'd like suggestions of lines I
may have missed.
Note: I could be the tour guide if I could hike the way I could a few
years ago 8-/


You really want this one:
http://www.tauck.co.uk/tours/europe-...Page=Itinerary

For Erilar the Francophile? :-)

They have Rhein cruises, too. But they don't seem to stay on the river,
and what I like about river cruises is that my hotel and restaurant travel
with me.

--
biblioholic medievalist via iPad

Rhein cruises
 

Happy.Hobo wrote:
On 08-27-2016 16:10, Erilar wrote:
Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that

I'd bicycle from port to port rather than pay cruise prices. And I'll
get there before my friends on ship.

As for Viking, I was very careful (as always) to say NO to advertising.
That didn't stop them from dropping an expensive 20-30 page full color
solicitation in my mailbox every week. Even if the cost were
reasonable, I do not do business with spammers.


There was a time when I traveled everywhere I went via public transport or
on foot, often staying in Youth Hostels, though never on a bike. My body,
unfortunately, eventually got old and now can't do such things. River
cruises are about all I can manage alone.

--
biblioholic medievalist via iPad

Rhein cruises
 

tim... wrote:

"Erilar" wrote in message
...
Martin wrote:
On Sat, 27 Aug 2016 16:10:51 -0500, Erilar
wrote:


Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak
German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that
seem to race from Amsterdam to somewhere in Switzerland or vice versa,
stopping briefly in the wrong places. I'd really prefer one that covered
less river unless part of it was also along the Mosel. Beginning or
ending
in Köln, Koblenz, or Mainz(or Frankfurt) would be even better. If
excursions were wheeled, it wouldn't matter if they were in German,
because
I could translate for her, but if much walking is involved, they'd have
to
be in English so she could go without me. I'd like suggestions of lines
I
may have missed.
Note: I could be the tour guide if I could hike the way I could a few
years ago 8-/


I've done it by travelling with KD and staying in small hotels overnight.
http://www.kdrhine.com/
How can anybody charge you for a hike?

Viking requires all excursions be paid for along with the cruise price. It
took a mess of emailing to get all the details. There is no provision for
non- hikers.

Presumably that's a special "hiking cruise"

Viking have a list of weekly river cruises for "normal" tourism.

tim





A long email exchange with Viking gave me the information that any river
cruise I might be interested in includes mandatory prepaid "excursions"
with no exceptions for non-hikers, just some groups that might hike slower
than others.

--
biblioholic medievalist via iPad

Rhein cruises
 

poldy wrote:
On 8/28/16 1:57 PM, Erilar wrote:
Martin wrote:
On Sat, 27 Aug 2016 16:10:51 -0500, Erilar wrote:


Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that
seem to race from Amsterdam to somewhere in Switzerland or vice versa,
stopping briefly in the wrong places. I'd really prefer one that covered
less river unless part of it was also along the Mosel. Beginning or ending
in Köln, Koblenz, or Mainz(or Frankfurt) would be even better. If
excursions were wheeled, it wouldn't matter if they were in German, because
I could translate for her, but if much walking is involved, they'd have to
be in English so she could go without me. I'd like suggestions of lines I
may have missed.
Note: I could be the tour guide if I could hike the way I could a few
years ago 8-/


I've done it by travelling with KD and staying in small hotels overnight.
http://www.kdrhine.com/
How can anybody charge you for a hike?

Viking requires all excursions be paid for along with the cruise price. It
took a mess of emailing to get all the details. There is no provision for
non- hikers.


Are these guided hikes or hikes on your own at scheduled free time at
ports of call during the cruise?

The commercials make it seem like you get to see more of the cities than
you would on a regular cruise.

Well if you really want to see the cities, why not stay in some of them
for a few days each?

The idea is NOT a series of two nights each in different hotels, but to
take the hotel along.

--
biblioholic medievalist via iPad

Rhein cruises
 

tim... wrote:

"Happy.Hobo" wrote in message
...
On 08-27-2016 16:10, Erilar wrote:
Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that

I'd bicycle from port to port rather than pay cruise prices. And I'll get
there before my friends on ship.


Unfortunately a large amount of the "value" of a cruise is seen to be the on
board activities and they are timed, and priced accordingly

Personally, I don't see any value in that at all, and as soon as someone
starts up cruises where the focus is on the on-shore attractions with no
need to pay for on board activities that I have no interest in, I will sign
up

but on the odd occasion when companies have tried that approach, they have
failed to be profitable

tim

Actually, I have taken a couple river cruises--one German, another an
English company-- that did NOT require prepaid required excursions, though
one COULD book and pay for them in advance. Both stopped in a number of
places for the excursions I did not join where I could just go ashore and
entertain myself at a pace I could set myself. I would like to find
something similar along the Rhein and possibly a bit of Mosel.

--
biblioholic medievalist via iPad

Rhein cruises
 

poldy wrote:


Some people have rationalized cruises, not river cruises, as being
cheaper if you consider that cost of accommodations and transportation
over a similar period, not to mention the included meals.

Convenience more than cost.


And those onboard activities sound hellish, forced participation in
activities when presumably your main interest is to tour the cities.

I'm very good at avoiding forced participation.

Not to mention, in this day and age, being cut off from Internet,
phones, etc. for swaths of time?

Not totally. There is often intermittent wi-fi availability. And I don't
have an international phone.


--
biblioholic medievalist via iPad

Rhein cruises
 

Happy.Hobo wrote:
On 08-29-2016 13:54, poldy wrote:
Not to mention, in this day and age, being cut off from Internet,
phones, etc. for swaths of time?

Internet may be a bit slower if you use the ship's satellite connection.
But on a river cruise, you have at least as good a connection as you
would driving the roads that follow the river.

Besides, if you're addicted to internet, you should buy a house
and not leave it. But here's a tip: I've been off-line for more
than a week MANY times since I hit the road two years ago.
And believe it or not, I'm still breathing.

Same here 8-). My iPad has a couple excellent off-line map apps and GPS, as
well as a varied library of books to read. I don't really need constant
internet availability, particularly when traveling.

--
biblioholic medievalist via iPad

Rhein cruises
 

On Sat, 27 Aug 2016 16:10:51 -0500, Erilar
wrote:


Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that
seem to race from Amsterdam to somewhere in Switzerland or vice versa,
stopping briefly in the wrong places. I'd really prefer one that covered
less river unless part of it was also along the Mosel. Beginning or ending
in Köln, Koblenz, or Mainz(or Frankfurt) would be even better. If
excursions were wheeled, it wouldn't matter if they were in German, because
I could translate for her, but if much walking is involved, they'd have to
be in English so she could go without me. I'd like suggestions of lines I
may have missed.
Note: I could be the tour guide if I could hike the way I could a few
years ago 8-/


I'm coming along late to this thread, but you might try Uniworld.

Rhein cruises
 

"poldy" wrote in message ...
On 8/29/16 2:26 AM, tim... wrote:

"Happy.Hobo" wrote in message
...
On 08-27-2016 16:10, Erilar wrote:
Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak
German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I
am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that

I'd bicycle from port to port rather than pay cruise prices. And I'll
get there before my friends on ship.


Unfortunately a large amount of the "value" of a cruise is seen to be
the on board activities and they are timed, and priced accordingly

Personally, I don't see any value in that at all, and as soon as someone
starts up cruises where the focus is on the on-shore attractions with no
need to pay for on board activities that I have no interest in, I will
sign up

but on the odd occasion when companies have tried that approach, they
have failed to be profitable

tim


Some people have rationalized cruises, not river cruises, as being cheaper
if you consider that cost of accommodations and transportation over a
similar period, not to mention the included meals.


I have one on my living room table right now

It talks of 130-150 per day for accommodation, meals and transport

but that's per person so it's 300 quid for a couple

Personally, I find that in the sort of location that cruises stop at 100
pounds per night, per room is more than adequate and certainly a lot better
than an inside 2 berth cabin)

As to the food, well I simply don't want three full meals a day and I
certainly don't want a 5 course banquet *every* night - that is part of the
entertainment, that I alluded to earlier that I didn't want to have to pay
for.

A coffee/juice/couple of croissants is fine for breakfast - for medical
reasons I'm no longer allowed the fry up (something which I probably share
with a large number of cruises target market) and I'm not a fan of muesli
and yogurt.

A quick sandwich lunch and a standard three course dinner is all I need (and
want).

And self services is fine. I don't need to have a troupe of penguins (that
I am forced to tip 300 quid) running after me, I am perfectly capable of
fending for myself. And NO, it isn't a necessary part of a THE holiday to
include this level of service, if I'm on a touring holiday then the
attraction is the places that it goes to, not a ridiculously OTT level of
service.

And then there's the extortionate price of the tours at the stop-overs, I've
seen cases of 4 times the cost of arranging the same thing locally.

And those onboard activities sound hellish, forced participation in
activities when presumably your main interest is to tour the cities.

I wasn't referring to any forced participation

Just the bar, disco and other evening attractions.

I don't need any of that, my holidays a Do the sights during the day,
have dinner, go back to room to sleep - rinse and repeat

tim

Rhein cruises
 

"Erilar" wrote in message
...
poldy wrote:


Some people have rationalized cruises, not river cruises, as being
cheaper if you consider that cost of accommodations and transportation
over a similar period, not to mention the included meals.

Convenience more than cost.

you can get that same convenience on a normal holiday just eating in the
Hotel restaurant each night (some hotels base their prices on expecting it),

But I personally don't do this, I like to go out and experience a different
restaurant each day, it adds rather than detracts from a holiday

And those onboard activities sound hellish, forced participation in
activities when presumably your main interest is to tour the cities.

I'm very good at avoiding forced participation.

but you will have already pre-paid for it, even if you don't use it

or in the case of the bar service that you aren't using, pay for it via the
compulsory tip

tim

Rhein cruises
 

"Erilar" wrote in message
...
tim... wrote:

"Happy.Hobo" wrote in message
...
On 08-27-2016 16:10, Erilar wrote:
Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak
German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I
am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that

I'd bicycle from port to port rather than pay cruise prices. And I'll
get
there before my friends on ship.


Unfortunately a large amount of the "value" of a cruise is seen to be the
on
board activities and they are timed, and priced accordingly

Personally, I don't see any value in that at all, and as soon as someone
starts up cruises where the focus is on the on-shore attractions with no
need to pay for on board activities that I have no interest in, I will
sign
up

but on the odd occasion when companies have tried that approach, they
have
failed to be profitable

tim

Actually, I have taken a couple river cruises--one German, another an
English company-- that did NOT require prepaid required excursions, though
one COULD book and pay for them in advance. Both stopped in a number of
places for the excursions I did not join where I could just go ashore and
entertain myself at a pace I could set myself. I would like to find
something similar along the Rhein and possibly a bit of Mosel.

I wasn't referring to whether or not the excursions were included in the
price

I was referring to the on-board activities being included in the price.

The disco, the all night bar, the ridiculous OTT amount of food served up,
and then there are the tips that you have to give the staff for providing
these things, even though you didn't want them in the first place.

And they STILL nickel and dime you by charging extra for water because what
comes out of the taps is undrinkable.

tim

Rhein cruises
 

"Erilar" wrote in message
...
tim... wrote:

"Erilar" wrote in message
...
Martin wrote:
On Sat, 27 Aug 2016 16:10:51 -0500, Erilar

wrote:


Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak
German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I
am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several
that
seem to race from Amsterdam to somewhere in Switzerland or vice versa,
stopping briefly in the wrong places. I'd really prefer one that
covered
less river unless part of it was also along the Mosel. Beginning or
ending
in Köln, Koblenz, or Mainz(or Frankfurt) would be even better. If
excursions were wheeled, it wouldn't matter if they were in German,
because
I could translate for her, but if much walking is involved, they'd
have
to
be in English so she could go without me. I'd like suggestions of
lines
I
may have missed.
Note: I could be the tour guide if I could hike the way I could a few
years ago 8-/


I've done it by travelling with KD and staying in small hotels
overnight.
http://www.kdrhine.com/
How can anybody charge you for a hike?

Viking requires all excursions be paid for along with the cruise price.
It
took a mess of emailing to get all the details. There is no provision
for
non- hikers.

Presumably that's a special "hiking cruise"

Viking have a list of weekly river cruises for "normal" tourism.

tim





A long email exchange with Viking gave me the information that any river
cruise I might be interested in includes mandatory prepaid "excursions"
with no exceptions for non-hikers, just some groups that might hike slower
than others.

Oh so you are referring to any city tour as a "hike"

I thought you were just using it in its normal, countryside, sense

tim

Rhein cruises
 

tim... wrote:

"Erilar" wrote in message
...
tim... wrote:

"Happy.Hobo" wrote in message
...
On 08-27-2016 16:10, Erilar wrote:
Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak
German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I
am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that

I'd bicycle from port to port rather than pay cruise prices. And I'll
get
there before my friends on ship.


Unfortunately a large amount of the "value" of a cruise is seen to be the
on
board activities and they are timed, and priced accordingly

Personally, I don't see any value in that at all, and as soon as someone
starts up cruises where the focus is on the on-shore attractions with no
need to pay for on board activities that I have no interest in, I will
sign
up

but on the odd occasion when companies have tried that approach, they
have
failed to be profitable

tim

Actually, I have taken a couple river cruises--one German, another an
English company-- that did NOT require prepaid required excursions, though
one COULD book and pay for them in advance. Both stopped in a number of
places for the excursions I did not join where I could just go ashore and
entertain myself at a pace I could set myself. I would like to find
something similar along the Rhein and possibly a bit of Mosel.

I wasn't referring to whether or not the excursions were included in the
price

I was referring to the on-board activities being included in the price.

The disco, the all night bar, the ridiculous OTT amount of food served up,
and then there are the tips that you have to give the staff for providing
these things, even though you didn't want them in the first place.

And they STILL nickel and dime you by charging extra for water because what
comes out of the taps is undrinkable.

I've only had to pay extra for charged water, and not always that. I don't
use the bar and avoid most ship- provided "music" except when it's a local
folk group.

And I'm a breakfast addict 8-)

--
biblioholic medievalist via iPad

Rhein cruises
 

tim... wrote:

"Erilar" wrote in message
...
tim... wrote:

"Erilar" wrote in message
...
Martin wrote:
On Sat, 27 Aug 2016 16:10:51 -0500, Erilar

wrote:


Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak
German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I
am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several
that
seem to race from Amsterdam to somewhere in Switzerland or vice versa,
stopping briefly in the wrong places. I'd really prefer one that
covered
less river unless part of it was also along the Mosel. Beginning or
ending
in Köln, Koblenz, or Mainz(or Frankfurt) would be even better. If
excursions were wheeled, it wouldn't matter if they were in German,
because
I could translate for her, but if much walking is involved, they'd
have
to
be in English so she could go without me. I'd like suggestions of
lines
I
may have missed.
Note: I could be the tour guide if I could hike the way I could a few
years ago 8-/


I've done it by travelling with KD and staying in small hotels
overnight.
http://www.kdrhine.com/
How can anybody charge you for a hike?

Viking requires all excursions be paid for along with the cruise price.
It
took a mess of emailing to get all the details. There is no provision
for
non- hikers.

Presumably that's a special "hiking cruise"

Viking have a list of weekly river cruises for "normal" tourism.

tim





A long email exchange with Viking gave me the information that any river
cruise I might be interested in includes mandatory prepaid "excursions"
with no exceptions for non-hikers, just some groups that might hike slower
than others.

Oh so you are referring to any city tour as a "hike"

I thought you were just using it in its normal, countryside, sense

tim

My walking ability has deteriorated drastically in the last few years. No
guide is slow enough for me.

--
biblioholic medievalist via iPad

Rhein cruises
 

Martin wrote:
On Mon, 29 Aug 2016 15:20:54 -0500, Erilar wrote:

Martin wrote:
On Sun, 28 Aug 2016 14:15:26 +0100, "JohnT" wrote:


"Erilar" wrote in message
...

Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several that
seem to race from Amsterdam to somewhere in Switzerland or vice versa,
stopping briefly in the wrong places. I'd really prefer one that covered
less river unless part of it was also along the Mosel. Beginning or
ending
in Köln, Koblenz, or Mainz(or Frankfurt) would be even better. If
excursions were wheeled, it wouldn't matter if they were in German,
because
I could translate for her, but if much walking is involved, they'd have to
be in English so she could go without me. I'd like suggestions of lines I
may have missed.
Note: I could be the tour guide if I could hike the way I could a few
years ago 8-/


You really want this one:
http://www.tauck.co.uk/tours/europe-...Page=Itinerary

For Erilar the Francophile? :-)

They have Rhein cruises, too. But they don't seem to stay on the river,
and what I like about river cruises is that my hotel and restaurant travel
with me.

What we liked about doing it with KD and staying in hotels is that we had a
different restaurant every night and that we could spend as long as we liked and
walk when ever we wanted at each stop.

When I could easily walk as far as I wanted to, my travel requirements were
similar.

--
biblioholic medievalist via iPad

Rhein cruises
 

On 8/29/16 12:54 PM, Happy.Hobo wrote:
On 08-29-2016 13:54, poldy wrote:
Not to mention, in this day and age, being cut off from Internet,
phones, etc. for swaths of time?

Internet may be a bit slower if you use the ship's satellite connection.
But on a river cruise, you have at least as good a connection as you
would driving the roads that follow the river.

Besides, if you're addicted to internet, you should buy a house
and not leave it. But here's a tip: I've been off-line for more
than a week MANY times since I hit the road two years ago.
And believe it or not, I'm still breathing.


You hit the road, on a horse and buggy?

Rhein cruises
 

"Erilar" wrote in message
...
tim... wrote:

"Erilar" wrote in message
...
tim... wrote:

"Erilar" wrote in message
...
Martin wrote:
On Sat, 27 Aug 2016 16:10:51 -0500, Erilar

wrote:


Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak
German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I
am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several
that
seem to race from Amsterdam to somewhere in Switzerland or vice
versa,
stopping briefly in the wrong places. I'd really prefer one that
covered
less river unless part of it was also along the Mosel. Beginning or
ending
in Köln, Koblenz, or Mainz(or Frankfurt) would be even better. If
excursions were wheeled, it wouldn't matter if they were in German,
because
I could translate for her, but if much walking is involved, they'd
have
to
be in English so she could go without me. I'd like suggestions of
lines
I
may have missed.
Note: I could be the tour guide if I could hike the way I could a
few
years ago 8-/


I've done it by travelling with KD and staying in small hotels
overnight.
http://www.kdrhine.com/
How can anybody charge you for a hike?

Viking requires all excursions be paid for along with the cruise
price.
It
took a mess of emailing to get all the details. There is no provision
for
non- hikers.

Presumably that's a special "hiking cruise"

Viking have a list of weekly river cruises for "normal" tourism.

tim





A long email exchange with Viking gave me the information that any river
cruise I might be interested in includes mandatory prepaid "excursions"
with no exceptions for non-hikers, just some groups that might hike
slower
than others.

Oh so you are referring to any city tour as a "hike"

I thought you were just using it in its normal, countryside, sense

tim

My walking ability has deteriorated drastically in the last few years. No
guide is slow enough for me.

I understand that, I had to keep on slowing down the guide on my recent
tours (and I don't believe that I was going too slowly for a leisure walk,
the guide was going to fast)

it was the use of the term "hike", in a place where it wouldn't normally be
used, I was commenting upon.

tim

Rhein cruises
 

"Erilar" wrote in message
...
tim... wrote:

"Erilar" wrote in message
...
tim... wrote:

"Happy.Hobo" wrote in message
...
On 08-27-2016 16:10, Erilar wrote:
Looking for suggestions. I've been playing around with river cruise
websites, for a future(2018?)trip with a friend who does not speak
German
along the river I know best, but she is a much better walker than I
am.
Viking requires everyone to pay in advance for all their hikes(aka
"walks"), so they're off my list automatically. I've found several
that

I'd bicycle from port to port rather than pay cruise prices. And I'll
get
there before my friends on ship.


Unfortunately a large amount of the "value" of a cruise is seen to be
the
on
board activities and they are timed, and priced accordingly

Personally, I don't see any value in that at all, and as soon as
someone
starts up cruises where the focus is on the on-shore attractions with
no
need to pay for on board activities that I have no interest in, I will
sign
up

but on the odd occasion when companies have tried that approach, they
have
failed to be profitable

tim

Actually, I have taken a couple river cruises--one German, another an
English company-- that did NOT require prepaid required excursions,
though
one COULD book and pay for them in advance. Both stopped in a number of
places for the excursions I did not join where I could just go ashore
and
entertain myself at a pace I could set myself. I would like to find
something similar along the Rhein and possibly a bit of Mosel.

I wasn't referring to whether or not the excursions were included in the
price

I was referring to the on-board activities being included in the price.

The disco, the all night bar, the ridiculous OTT amount of food served
up,
and then there are the tips that you have to give the staff for providing
these things, even though you didn't want them in the first place.

And they STILL nickel and dime you by charging extra for water because
what
comes out of the taps is undrinkable.

I've only had to pay extra for charged water, and not always that. I don't
use the bar and avoid most ship- provided "music" except when it's a local
folk group.

but you've paid for it, even if you don't use it

(either in the "room" price, or in the compulsory tips)

tim

Rhein cruises
 

On 08-30-2016 20:19, poldy wrote:
You hit the road, on a horse and buggy?

Mostly human-powred (foot and bicycle).
But not averse to a bus or train occasionally.
Or even a boat, but not at cruise ship prices.
Even rented a car once or twice.

Rhein cruises
 

On 08-30-2016 03:44, tim... wrote:
It talks of 130-150 per day for accommodation, meals and transport

but that's per person so it's 300 quid for a couple

It's nearly that for a single, since you pay for all the beds in the
cabin whether you use them or not. And the price you see first on the
advert is "From ____" meaning if you want leg room or a window, get
ready to shell out more.

Rhein cruises
 

On 08-30-2016 03:53, tim... wrote:
And they STILL nickel and dime you by charging extra for water because
what comes out of the taps is undrinkable.

http://thegrayl.com

is my solution. Refilled three times from irrigation ditches and
streams many times with no ill effects.

Rhein cruises
 

Martin wrote:
On Mon, 29 Aug 2016 15:36:55 -0500, Erilar wrote:


A long email exchange with Viking gave me the information that any river
cruise I might be interested in includes mandatory prepaid "excursions"
with no exceptions for non-hikers, just some groups that might hike slower
than others.

Luckily there are many other companies doing river cruises.

That's why I'm asking for suggestions here. I've found some great Danube
cruises in the past, but discovered last year that the same cruise
operators can offer much worse options on a different river. Furthermore, I
have a friend who's interested in the same things(such as medieval Germany,
particularly some places along the Rhein) but has never been there, and I'd
like to introduce her to my favorite European country. She's a lot better
walker than I now am , but doesn't speak German, which complicates being
her tour guide for me.



--
biblioholic medievalist via iPad

Rhein cruises
 

tim... wrote:

"Erilar" wrote in message
...

Oh so you are referring to any city tour as a "hike"

I thought you were just using it in its normal, countryside, sense

tim

My walking ability has deteriorated drastically in the last few years. No
guide is slow enough for me.

I understand that, I had to keep on slowing down the guide on my recent
tours (and I don't believe that I was going too slowly for a leisure walk,
the guide was going to fast)

it was the use of the term "hike", in a place where it wouldn't normally be
used, I was commenting upon.

tim


Keeping up with any guide leading a group now equals "hike" for me 8-)



--
biblioholic medievalist via iPad

Rhein cruises
 

tim... wrote:

"Erilar" wrote in message
..

I've only had to pay extra for charged water, and not always that. I don't
use the bar and avoid most ship- provided "music" except when it's a local
folk group.

but you've paid for it, even if you don't use it

(either in the "room" price, or in the compulsory tips)

tim

I've yet to find "bar" included. And music I refuse to hear(much less
listen to) will be ignored no matter what.

And the size of "tips" is seldom compulsory }8-} (evil grin)



--
biblioholic medievalist via iPad

Rhein cruises
 

Happy.Hobo wrote:
On 08-30-2016 20:19, poldy wrote:
You hit the road, on a horse and buggy?

Mostly human-powred (foot and bicycle).
But not averse to a bus or train occasionally.
Or even a boat, but not at cruise ship prices.
Even rented a car once or twice.


When I was young and tough(65-75) I operated on a similar agenda. Then my
evil body began to alter that agenda.

--
biblioholic medievalist via iPad

Rhein cruises
 

"Erilar" wrote in message
...
tim... wrote:

"Erilar" wrote in message
.

I've only had to pay extra for charged water, and not always that. I
don't
use the bar and avoid most ship- provided "music" except when it's a
local
folk group.

but you've paid for it, even if you don't use it

(either in the "room" price, or in the compulsory tips)

tim

I've yet to find "bar" included. And music I refuse to hear(much less
listen to) will be ignored no matter what.

i didn't mean the cost of these drink, I was referring to the cost of the
penguin serving them to you

Though you can sometimes get unlimited drinks add ons.


And the size of "tips" is seldom compulsory }8-} (evil grin)

I have no idea how many hoops you have to jump through not to pay the
"compulsory" tips


tim