Wertheim and Miltenberg are two charming towns in Germany that epitomize what we often think of when recalling previous river cruises or dreaming about future sailings. Ships dock very close to the center of town. Friendly locals are genuinely happy to see us. Sidewalk cafe’s are plentiful and the weather is cooperating. Culinary offerings, unique to the town, range from regional brews to signature sausages, bakery items and more. These are places travelers naturally want to linger at a while.
Typical of river cruising, we often stop two places in one day, as we talked about in a previous article. The logistics of that can often be a bit confusing though, so let’s use our visit to Wertheim and Miltenberg as an example.
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Ship arrives in Wertheim
Passengers going on tour get off ship
Ship immediately departs for Miltenberg
Passengers tour Wertheim
Passengers take bus to Miltenberg
Ship arrives in Miltenberg, picks up passengers
Ship immediately departs for Rudesheim, the next day’s port of call
Between the lines of this, someone wanting to get off the ship in either of those places, just to go ashore and do a little shopping or sight seeing, can’t. Its either all in for the day of touring or all out, staying on the ship. Not that staying on the ship is a bad thing, those onboard while we were touring saw amazing sights along the river, scenic cruising.
We chose to get off the ship and I am glad we did. Here is some of what we saw in these two enchanting towns:
Unlike ocean cruising, river cruises often feature two stops in one day. Its a rather unique feature of river cruising that begins by letting passengers disembarking at one port. Once there, a guided walking tour along with some free time to explore on their own is featured. But then, rather than returning to the same place to get back on the ship, river cruise passengers either walk or are bussed to a different port. That’s just what happened to us on Luftner Cruises’ Amadeus Brilliant, dropping us in Wurzbert, Germany but picking us up later in the day in Rothenberg, a place we would have liked to stay a bit longer.
First Stop Of The Day
Arriving in Wurzburg, we docked in an industrial area. Transportation somewhere would be needed for any activity other than walking along the riverbank, arguably not a bad way to spend a day and some passengers did just that. Others went a different direction, taking a motor coach to Kloster Bronnbach, a former Cistercian monastery dating back to the 12th century before retuning to Amadeus Brilliant for lunch.
Second Stop Of The Day
After lunch it was off to Rothenburg for a tour of a town referred to as Germany’s well-preserved ‘Jewel of the Middle Ages’, and rightfully so. Our local guide explained that what we were seeing was basically the same as it has always been, with the addition of running water, electricity and other modern conveniences as they were invented. Towers, city gates, walls and cobblestone streets have remained unchanged since the Thirty Years War. A bit of free time at the conclusion of the tour allowed us to look around at our leisure before the ride back to Amadeus Brilliant.
Dinner had us sailing away and off into the sunset, arguably one of the best parts of river cruising.
Traveling from Munich, Germany to Amsterdam with Abercrombie & Kent, we’re sailing on Luftner Cruises Amadeus Brilliant, a ship built in 2012 that offers transportation on the river, stopping at a number of places along the way. Once on location, what we do often defines the experience with some activities more meaningful than others. For those alive today who have a family history that might include some reference to World War II, stops we made on the way to Nuremburg to board our ship had special significance.
Living History
Visiting a World War II Art Bunker, we went through the cavernous space with a local guide who was alive and lived there during the time that bombs were dropped on the city, destroying much of it. At the the Nazi Documentation Center and Parade grounds, a multi-media walk through presentation told the story in a very personal way. These are experiences one just can’t get from a history book.
Like Monument Men, But Real
Warned in advance literature from A&K to bring a jacket or sweater as the bunker was chilly, even in the summer, proved accurate as well but added to the ambiance of the place. Walking through the cavernous spaces, it was easy enough to visualize the place when packed full of priceless art treasures. Still, an audio program with newsreel footage and actual recordings of bombers flying overhead and the sound of bombs being dropped and exploding, drove the feel home.
The intricate system of the art bunker was created 24 meters underground, with the ability to provide the best possible conditions for the art and guards who lived there to protect it. Heating, ventilation, locked vaults for the most priceless of works were added to what were beer cellars, directly below the Imperial Castle of Nuremberg which was pretty much leveled during air raids.
Being There Brings Real Meaning
On the way to Amadeus Brilliant, we stopped by the remains of buildings on the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds for a permanent exhibition ‘Fantasy and Terror’ that looked at the causes, the context and consequences of the National Socialist party reign of terror that led to World War II.
Focusing on topics linked to Nuremberg, the walk-through environmental exhibit has 19 different areas, to which visitors tag audio recordings on hand-held devices that bring a similarly eerie sensation, much like we experienced at the Art Bunker, earlier in the day.
Ending on the massive Rally Grounds, it was easy to visualize the 11 square meter area filled with Nazi’s and 50,000 spectators. Included on the walking tour is in-depth information on the Nuremberg Racial Laws of 1935, the famous Nuremberg Trials and follow-up trials as well as the issue of dealing with the National Socialist party after the war.
History Is A Big Part Of River Cruising
With an off-ship focus, river cruising is surely not for everyone. Not interested in history or global issues? This might not be for you. I think it’s a good idea to know that up front, rather than buying into something with the odds stacked against your enjoyment.
On board, there are few features compared to a large ocean cruising ship. No casino, theater, top deck features to speak of or endless list of activities from which to choose. Instead, these ships take passengers up close and personal with iconic destinations on land.
On the other hand, on this particular itinerary, a version of which most European river cruise lines do in one way or another, it’s a great introduction to history of the world and can put a lot of life’s experience into perspective.
We have reported here before about river cruises; who might like one, what they are all about and how to plan, book and go on one. In this series, we invite you to follow along as we go day by day on a river cruise typical of many being offered by a number of cruise lines. This one, with land-tour operator Abercrombie & Kent is a bit different than those we have talked about in the past, for a couple reasons.
River cruises are inclusive by nature, just like ocean cruises. All meals are part of the deal as is the idea of ‘unpack once, see multiple destinations’. In Europe that’s more significant because a nice hotel can be far more costly than, say, a few days at Atlantis in the Bahamas. A big feature of the Abercrombie & Kent (A&K) program is overnight stays in hotels on the front and back end of the itinerary. That’s helpful for a number of reasons.
Day One, Overnight In Munich
First, we get to see the iconic cities of Munich Germany and Amsterdam in the Netherlands at night as well as during the day, something few ocean ships do. It’s a big feature of small ship cruising that has a destination focus and means it. It is one thing to promote destination immersion and a focus on the off-ship offerings of a place and quite another for a cruise line or tour operator to put their money where their mouth is and buy overnights in nice hotels, located in the center of world-famous destinations. That is exactly what A&K did in Munich, overnighting us at the Hotel Torbrau.
The Sure Cure For Jet Lag
Overnighting in the embarkation city is also a great idea because adjusting to the new time zone is eventually accomplished by resetting our sleep clocks, the internal timepiece that tells us we are sleepy or refreshed. There are a number of ways to help that along but in the end, catching up on sleep is the answer and can be hard to do when time does not allow it. With A&K we had that time and were able to adjust quickly and move along.
Orientation To The Area
The defining element of a river cruise that either interests travelers or turns them off of the experience is the focus on the destinations ships visit along the river. Sailing from Nuremberg to Amsterdam, a recurring theme would be the effect of World War II on what we were seeing. Few places along the river escaped the bombing raids of the allied forces and the enduring legacy of Germany’s socialist party; the Nazis.
Appropriately, we began our adventure through time in Nuremberg, touring a World War II Art Bunker and discovered the first element of what A&K calls “The Abercrombie & Kent Difference’; our guide was a native of the area who had lived through the air raids. Taking us through the bunker and verifying that the film Monument Men was indeed generally accurate (minus George Clooney and a cavalcade of stars) brought the experience home; we were in Germany where much of the war unfolded and were about to experience something truly unique.
Details on that tour, other stops on the way to our river cruise ship and more tomorrow as we continue our adventure.
To many people, traveling is a joy, something to look forward to, plan for and have fun with. Those who travel frequently have their routine down pat and often keep luggage packed, ready for the next trip. Those who do not travel often, probably might not because they don’t like the whole business of traveling. Still, aside from people with challenging handicaps or celebrities, most of us should not have a lot of trouble with traveling.
Lets take a look at some travel tips aimed to make the process as stress-free as possible.
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Get a passport. Unless your trip finds you walking through a National Park, you need a passport. Cruise travelers that are U.S. citizens slide under the law by booking closed-loop cruises that begin and end in the U.S. The problem is that the birth certificate they use for identification to get on the ship it technically not enough to let them fly back into the United States, should an emergency arise. A U.S. passport is simply the best identification you can have. Like paying more for a well-made tool, the confidence travelers have when using a passport totally elminates this stress factor.
Buy the largest carry-on sized luggage you can find and keep all the most important things you need with you on the plane, train or bus. To arrive at your destination wondering if your luggage made it is probably one of the biggest stress-inducing moments of any trip.
Have a backup plan on flights that includes airlines, flight numbers and times in case your flight is late/canceled/diverted.You will be the prepared person at the airline ticket counter with complete information, asking good questions that require a direct answer.
Buy travel protection of some sort. You may not need travel insurance but travel assistance that provides emergency evacuation might be the ticket for you. A cheap policy with only basic medical coverage will keep you from kicking yourself later. Accidents happen.
Line it all out in an itinerary you make for yourself. I mean type up every detail of your itinerary on your computer with your own hands, not something you get from a travel agent or the cruise line. The physical act of organizing it all in a document you have created organizes it in your mind as well. Knowledge is power and knowing your itinerary without looking is a huge stress releiver.
Do everything ahead of time that you can. Boarding passes, luggage tags, joining frequent flyer clubs, anything that can be done ahead of time online do that. While you are on line, copy important information you might need down the road like emergency numbers, baggage weight and size requirements and the like.
Be prepared for security checks. You know they are coming at various times throughout your journey. Wear a travel vest or use a carry-on bag with outside pockets that are easy to quickly stuff with the contents of pants pockets.
Go early to critical places like airports before flights. You want to be seated close to the gate (the door people walk through to get on the plane) and close to the gate’s ticket counter (the place people go when there is a problem) so that you can respond to airline announcements quickly and efficiently. Procrastinators lose big time on this one.
Be alert by doing whatever it takes to stay that way. If traveling with others, take turns being alert OR being plugged in to whatever devices amuse you. You can’t do both effectively. Banking sleep the week before traveling helps more mentally than physically but find someone who knows about stress reduction and “sleep” will be a hot topic with them.
Finally, think about your previous travels; when someone dragged you kicking and screaming but in the end it was a good experience. Isolate those elements of that particular trip that you found most disruptive and make plans in advance to head them off before they start. Odds are that if some part of travel bothered you before, it will again, if you let it. Don’t.
One of the most appealing parts of a cruise vacation is that all meals are included in the price. Comparing to land vacation options, that’s huge and takes one great big unknown expense off the table. That’s the way it is. That’s the way it’s always been. Until now as Royal Caribbean prepares to roll out Dynamic Dining, a new focus that will totally reinvent how we eat at sea.
How We Got Here
Tweaking the experience over the years, cruise lines added alternative dining options, initially offering a choice of cuisine and service a step above what was included in the price. Making a clear distinction between the main dining room experience, a cavernous space filled with huge banquet tables and alternative dining, more of an intimate steakhouse-like experience an additional fee was charged and cruise travelers voiced their opinions. Some liked the idea, celebrating special occasions in a space more suited for such events. Some did not care for it at all and just ignored the idea, happy with the main dining experience. Still others were radically against the notion, saying “why should I have to pay for the good stuff?”
And The Focus Continued
Regardless of which team we cheered, the evolving cruise industry continued to develop the concept of alternative dining, rolling out an open seating concept that provided more flexibility, as opposed to a fixed dining time with the same people at the same table every night. Some cruise travelers loved the idea and liked meeting new people every night. Others did not care for it at all, choosing the early or late seating and scheduling their days around it. All along, the culinary experts at Royal Caribbean International rolled out new products to their family of brands, all aimed to satisfy their target audience. It worked. It worked so well that more alternative dining options were introduced to the point that the main dining room experience became second, third or fourth choice for many cruise travelers.
When new Quantum of the Seas debuts, on board will be no main dining room experience whatsoever. Not an option. Gone will be the same table with the same people at the same time every night, as assigned by the cruise line based on availability. Like the idea that your waiter knows you drink iced tea and has it waiting when you arrive on time to ‘your’ table in the dining room? Not going to happen.
Instead, Royal Caribbean is taking its rich history of pleasing people at sea with outstanding culinary offerings and giving us a choice. A number of restaurants will be included in the price of the cruise, focusing culinary efforts intensely on that one style of cuisine. As opposed to being ‘something for everyone’, Royal Caribbean will take the specialty focus and bring it mainstream, at no additional cost to us.
Yes, there will be up-charge options for dining, nothing new or scary to any one who has sailed on a major cruise line in the last decade. But looked at for what it is; specialty dining for no additional charge, the new Royal Caribbean Dynamic Dining program is a clear win for cruise travelers.
The Included Options Have A Familiar Ring To Them
Choosing among five complementary main dining restaurants, each will offer a basic menu, available on request with steak, chicken, salmon and a simple pasta for guests who prefer to eat something other than what is on the menu. Still, the choices at each different venue look to have wide appeal and it would not surprise me if one or two become favorites, based on our individual tastes.
American Icon Grill will offer a take on the classic American road trip, pulling together best-loved regional favorites into one comfort-style menu. American Icon Grill will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Chic is where you’ll find contemporary cuisine made with the freshest ingredients that are evolved for a modern pallet for dinner. The décor in Chic is glamorous and sophisticated.
Silk offers an exotic Pan-Asian menu that is inspired by the spice trade route to India and the Far East. Silk is open for dinner.
The Grande is where every night is formal night. This main restaurant is inspired by the classic European ocean liners and featuring classic dishes for dinner.
Coastal Kitchen fuses Mediterranean influences with the riches of California’s bountiful farmlands. Coastal Kitchen is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and is exclusive to suite guests
Easier To Rate, On The Horizon
In the past, rating ‘the food’ has been a difficult task for anyone. What one person likes, another might hate. For me, that’s sushi. You could not pay me enough to try it but others I travel with love it. With Royal Caribbean’s Dynamic Dining, rating and recommending (or not) dining options takes on a new perspective. With each venue focused on one particular style of cuisine, as opposed to one main dining room that does it all, the results should be (and better be) spectacular. It’s a tall order to fill and you can bet we’ll be watching this closely to see how the results work out in real life. This is as yet an unknown.
But one thing is for sure: if any one cruise line can pull it off, Royal Caribbean, the cruise line that has made ‘delivering the wow’ just what they do, is a good bet.
Junk mail; nobody wants it and everyone tries to avoid it. Still, there are some offerings that are worth our time to read and bring news of reduced fares, bonus values and upcoming promotions. Unlike the junk mail that clogged the postal mailboxes of yesterday, today we have newsletters that can bring no advertising at all or select offers, customizable just for us. Here are some newsletters of particular interest to cruise travelers.
JohnnyJet offers daily tips for air travelers along with a newsletter that alerts buyers to great deals, as they happen. This one is especially important for those who do not fly frequently. Johnny cuts through the red tape, bringing current, usable information both through his daily tips and occasional newsletter.
Conde Nast Traveler has a daily newsletter featuring the best travel tips, secrets and news that won’t wait about the best things to do, see, eat and drink around the world. The Conde Nast Traveler newsletter also features updates from contributors on assignment worldwide
Porthole Cruise Magazineis a print publication that should be on every cruise travelers coffee table, loaded with full color photos, stories and more. Their digital version is an easy way to access current and past issues ($19.99 for two years) and free current cruise news and blog posts offer usable information from writers we can trust.
CruiseCompete.com has a newsletter that is mostly offers from Internet cruise brokers. Look beyond that to a dynamic search engine that allows us to find interesting information like all ships that sail from a certain port, when they do and what to expect for pricing.
Cruise Line Loyalty Newsletters for past-guests of most cruise lines can deliver the first notice of upcoming sales, bargains and discount offers, often available only to members. A common mistake: That you are automatically signed up as a past guest after sailing one time. Not so with all cruise lines, some require enrollment.
Cruise Line Special Offers – visit every cruise line you might possibly want to sail ever in your lifetime and sign up for their early notification of special offers and news.
Easy Newsletter Tips And Tricks
While all of the above offer real value to cruise travelers, there is a good way to go about it and a bad way. Here are some tips to make it work and get the most out of your efforts.
Don’t Clog Up Your Email InBox– A good way to keep these things sorted out is to create a unique email address to use when subscribing. Something Like MyCruiseInformation@Gmail.com would be a good choice, funneling all of the above to one place that can be visited at your convenience.
Keep Looking- Like continuing to look for a better value between booking and making final payment, it’s a good idea to revisit the idea of newsletters from time to time, seeing and subscribing to new ones that match your current travel goals.
Adjust Your Focus– Heading to Europe? There are newsletters specifically for that. Looking for luggage? The huge travel products industry has you covered there as well, catching us up on the latest products while we briefly enter the buying arena.
Don’t Like That Newsletter After All? No problem there too, simply click on the unsubscribe link most frequently found at the very top and bottom of email correspondence.
Not all that long ago, crime in Mexico had cruise ships on the run, skipping ports of call they had visited for decades. For tourism in Mexico, that hurt and hurt bad. Set up to handle thousands of cruise ship passengers with ease, shops were boarded up, excursion buses mothballed and the reality set in; something had to be done. Now, through a concentrated effort by the Mexican government and a grassroots effort by those who live in those affected destinations, Mexico is back. In addition to being a viable, safe place for cruise travelers to visit, they can do so and enjoy bargain pricing.
The Food
Mexico’s Pacific coast is home to multiple cruise travel destinations, all of which feature unique fresh seafood options not found elsewhere. In Mazatlan, don’t miss lunch at Al Aqua, on the beach, where you can watch them catch your shrimp, bring it ashore and cook it before your eyes.
The Culture
From Chichen Itza, the UNESCO World Heritage worthy of an all day tour to see to beautiful hand crafted blankets and other textiles country-wide, Mexico has a lot to offer. Notably one of the richest archeological finds in the world, the Mexican artisans of today offer transportable works sure to be a treasure of tomorrow.
Recreation
As your ship pulls in to any Mexican port of call, you will see magnificent resort hotels with beachfront access. Most of them allow day visitors for a reasonable fee where cruise travelers find an inclusive experience, often more generous than what they left behind on the ship.
Short Sailings From Long Beach
All along, during the height of the crime scare, Carnival Cruise Lines continued to operate short sailings from Long Beach, California to the Baja area of Mexico. Sailings to the Mexican Riviera to the East stop at ports that line the Gulf Of Mexico from Galveston, Texas; becoming one of North America’s most popular embarkation ports.
Carnival Imagination does a 4-night sailing that stops off the coast at Catalina Island then spends a long day in Ensenada before a day at sea on the way back. A 3-day version does the same itinerary minus the stop at Catalina Island.
Carnival Triumphsails 4 nights from Galveston with a day at sea bookending a call in Cozumel, Mexico
Longer Sailings Include Mazatlan While Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta get a lot of attention from guide books, Mazatlan, Mexico was hit hard by the crime problems of several years ago. The really unfortunate part of that tourism depression is that reported crime was happening far away from Mazatlan, causing the friendly people there undo harm.
Today, more ships are stopping in Mazatlan, Mexico with even greater numbers scheduled for 2015. Currently scheduled as far into the future as 2016:
Carnival Miracle will resume year-round weeklong itineraries with stops at Cabo San Lucas,Puerto Vallarta and a full day at Mazatlan.
Princess Cruises will celebrate its 50th Anniversary where it began, including an overnight stop in Puerto Vallarta and calls in Mazatlan and Manzanillo, La Paz and Loreto.
Princess Cruises commitment to Mexico goes beyond that 50th anniversary sailing too. Ruby Princess and Grand Princess with both sail itineraries that include Mazatlan in 2015
Holland America Line will send Veendam and Westerdam south to Mazatlan this year for an assortment of select sailings, ranging from 7- to 24-nights/
Norwegian Cruise Line‘s Norwegian Star will do a series of Mexico-focused sailings this year and next with stops in Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta.
Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Jewel will sail to Mazatlan in 2015 and have already committed to sailing there in 2016 as well.
That’s good news to the friendly people who live and work in Mazatlan, truly a dream destination worthy of cruise ship calls at the new, modern Port of Mazatlan.
Better news: Compared to sailings from the East Coast, Mexico-focused itineraries cost less, even for longer sailings. Princess Cruises Crown Princess does a 7 day that hits Mazatlan along with Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas with prices starting at $549 per person + tax.
Today we begin a new feature, profiling a number of popular cruise ships. Cruise Addicts members know that matching the right ship with the right traveler is important to get the most out of a cruise vacation. In addition to the facts and features, we’ll tap member reviews and comments for first-hand accounts of the actual experience of sailing. In the end, we’ll help you make the right choice, one that will bring lifetime quality cruise memories.
Insiders of any mode of travel have tips and suggestions to offer based on their intense knowledge that most people don’t share. Climb to the top of Kilimanjaro and simply going through the process of preparation teaches those adventure travelers a lot. Stay in hotels, navigate airports and eat on the road as part of a job and business travelers learn quickly how to make doing so easy. Those who sail on cruise ships frequently also have tips to offer; some learned the hard way, which we can benefit from.
Travel Insurance- At Least Medical Only Is A Must
I’ll just get this out of the way right up front since no one really wants to talk about this topic. Cruise travelers commonly think or say ‘If I skip buying travel insurance on enough cruises I can save enough to pay for one’, and they are absolutely correct. Odds are in the travel insurance company’s favor that we will never use the cancellation element of their product. But the medical coverage, the other important part of what is included in travel insurance, we might very well use. Regardless of age, physical condition of financial status, accidents happen and are often not covered by health care coverage outside of the continental United States.
The medical coverage aspect of travel insurance, though, is cheap and an easy add on that we can get from a number of third-party sources. TravelGuard Insurance, for example, offers a Medical program for as little as $10 per person, per trip. That’s cheap coverage for something that can cost tens of $thousands.
Emergency evacuation coverage can pay to transport you to the hospital of your choice or home, plus cover any qualified accompanying medical expenses you may incur. I learned this one the hard way after a trip to a ship’s medical center resulted in a $1500 bill. Few cruise lines sell travel protection this way so finding a source will take a little work but the benefits are worth the time spent investigating.
Go To School
In numbers that really amaze me, first-timers as well as seasoned cruisers often fail to do some basic homework that would make for a far better travel experience. Simply going through the process of online registration with the cruise line, immediately after booking, can open up a whole new world of information handy to have in advance of boarding.
Check in with most major cruise lines after booking and the benefit train leaves the station. Once registered, booked guests of most major cruise lines can browse and book shore excursions, spa treatments and other activities that may sell out or not be available later. This is a great idea not only for planning purposes, insuring that your bucket list dream of swimming with dolphins, riding a horse on a beach of flightseeing over a mountain in Alaska happen but is a huge factor in defining your travel budget; what is spent while actually traveling.
Studying, if not memorizing, the ship’s deck plans too is probably one of the single most important activities we can do before boarding. Once on the ship, odds are it will still take some time to feel comfortable navigating the ship. Still, those who have studied the deck plans know where features of the ship are in relation to other features. A good idea is to locate your stateroom and know, for example, that you need to take a right turn out of the cabin to reach the pool or a left turn to reach the showroom or other major venues on board.
There are all sorts of list of tips around, some with many bullet point must-do items that we might or might not remember once on the ship. Seriously considering these two tips can add real value to your cruise experience for very little, if any, cost. In fact, either of the above might actually end up saving you $thousands.
Wertheim and Miltenberg are two charming towns in Germany that epitomize what we often think of when recalling previous river cruises or dreaming about future sailings. Ships dock very close to the center of town. Friendly locals are genuinely happy to see us. Sidewalk cafe’s are plentiful and the weather is cooperating. Culinary offerings, unique to the town, range from regional brews to signature sausages, bakery items and more. These are places travelers naturally want to linger at a while.