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