My Cruise Adventure boils down to one word……YES!
I have been on over 75 ocean cruises and have never come back as relaxed as I did from this River Cruise. As many of you know, I went on this cruise as a prelude to our European River Journey next March. I was not able to cruise on our ship, the Symphony, but was able to do so on her twin sister, the Royal.
It is true that there is not much to do on a River Cruise and the entertainment tends to be mediocre, but I found that this gave me more time to chat and get to know the people that were on board. However, the glass blowing demo and the beer tasting was worthwhile. Now keep in mind that this cruise was not a gay cruise, and, as it turned out, I was the only gay passenger on board. I never hide the fact that I am gay and often offer this up voluntarily, and it did not seem to matter to anyone. I met people from Australia, Israel, Austria, Switzerland and the good old USA, and enjoyed the time I had with all of them.
As for the ship itself, she is a beauty. The beds were comfortable, except for the fact that the twin beds pushed together seemed to separate a lot, and I found myself in the crack more than once. Yes I am referring to the crack between the beds. The rooms are spacious and I never lacked hot water when I needed it. My first 3 days of cruising we experienced unusually cold weather, and, therefore, unable to use the sundeck, but the ship has plenty of floor to ceiling windows in the lounge to observe the fantastic scenery.
The dining room has an open seating policy, but I found that I had no problem finding a seat, and was often invited to join tables. The food was very good, but to some it was a little light on the portion size. I found by the time I had the appetizer, soup or salad, main course and desert, I walked away satisfied and comfortable. Of course, the unlimited wine or beer at dinner really was a highlight of the cruise and helped to keep my total bar bill under $150.00 for the week. Compared to what I usually spend on ocean liners, this was a welcome relief.
One suggestion I would give to anyone joining us on this cruise, is to fly into Nuremberg the day before the cruise departs. This not only gives you the opportunity to visit the street markets, but it also gives you a rest before you depart on your cruise. Nuremberg is located in Bavaria, which is heavily Catholic, and therefore the city is basically a ghost town on Sunday. So, if you can, fly in the day before, do so. I also recommend the Sheraton Carlton, which is only one block from the train station and one block from the old city walls and city.
As for the daily shore excursions, I enjoyed all but one, and that was Bamberg. This is a great little town and provides some fantastic photo ops, but I found the local guide to be long winded and boring. It was the consensus of the group that this is a town better seen on your own. As for the optional shore excursion package we will be offering, I do recommend them. I found the medieval town of Rothenberg a jewel, and for those who love Christmas, there is a shop here not to be missed. But, my favorite was Wurzburg and the visit to the Residenz, the palace of the Bishop Princes who ruled this municipality. This palace is breathtaking and has to be one of the most opulent royal residences that I have ever scene, and the gardens are not to be missed. The Mirrored Reception Hall puts Versailles to shame in my opinion. The palace was under renovations when we visited, but I am happy to say that renovations are supposed to be finalized by the time we visit in March. Of course, one of the highlights of the tour was the visit to the wine cellars of the palace, and of course wine tasting. Be prepared to step back in time here.
I know this is long, but there was so much to see and do everywhere we went. So at this point I will skip to Amsterdam, and what can I say about this city. It is a gay haven, it is friendly, it is historic, and it is Amsterdam! I had a fantastic time the two additional days I spent here. I am not known to be a penny pincher when it comes to dining, but I decided to give it a try in Amsterdam and succeeded quite well. No, I didn’t visit Mickey D’s, the King, or the Colonel, even though they were plentiful. But I did visit a few of the Wok cafes, and found their fresh meals to be filling, reasonably priced, and very good. I love just wandering about in Amsterdam and must have averaged at least 10 miles each day I was there. I usually don’t do that much walking, but maybe it was the smell in the air that kept me going. It was a stitch listening to the older tourists when they would walk by a coffee shop and get a whiff of the 420 permeating from them.
Well, what more can I say than to ask you to join us this March for what will be a wonderful Adventure. I hope to see you on board.
Terry
I have been on over 75 ocean cruises and have never come back as relaxed as I did from this River Cruise. As many of you know, I went on this cruise as a prelude to our European River Journey next March. I was not able to cruise on our ship, the Symphony, but was able to do so on her twin sister, the Royal.
It is true that there is not much to do on a River Cruise and the entertainment tends to be mediocre, but I found that this gave me more time to chat and get to know the people that were on board. However, the glass blowing demo and the beer tasting was worthwhile. Now keep in mind that this cruise was not a gay cruise, and, as it turned out, I was the only gay passenger on board. I never hide the fact that I am gay and often offer this up voluntarily, and it did not seem to matter to anyone. I met people from Australia, Israel, Austria, Switzerland and the good old USA, and enjoyed the time I had with all of them.
As for the ship itself, she is a beauty. The beds were comfortable, except for the fact that the twin beds pushed together seemed to separate a lot, and I found myself in the crack more than once. Yes I am referring to the crack between the beds. The rooms are spacious and I never lacked hot water when I needed it. My first 3 days of cruising we experienced unusually cold weather, and, therefore, unable to use the sundeck, but the ship has plenty of floor to ceiling windows in the lounge to observe the fantastic scenery.
The dining room has an open seating policy, but I found that I had no problem finding a seat, and was often invited to join tables. The food was very good, but to some it was a little light on the portion size. I found by the time I had the appetizer, soup or salad, main course and desert, I walked away satisfied and comfortable. Of course, the unlimited wine or beer at dinner really was a highlight of the cruise and helped to keep my total bar bill under $150.00 for the week. Compared to what I usually spend on ocean liners, this was a welcome relief.
One suggestion I would give to anyone joining us on this cruise, is to fly into Nuremberg the day before the cruise departs. This not only gives you the opportunity to visit the street markets, but it also gives you a rest before you depart on your cruise. Nuremberg is located in Bavaria, which is heavily Catholic, and therefore the city is basically a ghost town on Sunday. So, if you can, fly in the day before, do so. I also recommend the Sheraton Carlton, which is only one block from the train station and one block from the old city walls and city.
As for the daily shore excursions, I enjoyed all but one, and that was Bamberg. This is a great little town and provides some fantastic photo ops, but I found the local guide to be long winded and boring. It was the consensus of the group that this is a town better seen on your own. As for the optional shore excursion package we will be offering, I do recommend them. I found the medieval town of Rothenberg a jewel, and for those who love Christmas, there is a shop here not to be missed. But, my favorite was Wurzburg and the visit to the Residenz, the palace of the Bishop Princes who ruled this municipality. This palace is breathtaking and has to be one of the most opulent royal residences that I have ever scene, and the gardens are not to be missed. The Mirrored Reception Hall puts Versailles to shame in my opinion. The palace was under renovations when we visited, but I am happy to say that renovations are supposed to be finalized by the time we visit in March. Of course, one of the highlights of the tour was the visit to the wine cellars of the palace, and of course wine tasting. Be prepared to step back in time here.
I know this is long, but there was so much to see and do everywhere we went. So at this point I will skip to Amsterdam, and what can I say about this city. It is a gay haven, it is friendly, it is historic, and it is Amsterdam! I had a fantastic time the two additional days I spent here. I am not known to be a penny pincher when it comes to dining, but I decided to give it a try in Amsterdam and succeeded quite well. No, I didn’t visit Mickey D’s, the King, or the Colonel, even though they were plentiful. But I did visit a few of the Wok cafes, and found their fresh meals to be filling, reasonably priced, and very good. I love just wandering about in Amsterdam and must have averaged at least 10 miles each day I was there. I usually don’t do that much walking, but maybe it was the smell in the air that kept me going. It was a stitch listening to the older tourists when they would walk by a coffee shop and get a whiff of the 420 permeating from them.
Well, what more can I say than to ask you to join us this March for what will be a wonderful Adventure. I hope to see you on board.
Terry
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