For those who want a low-key relaxing experience in Europe I highly recommend doing a River Cruise
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We arrived at our embarkation city Basel around 3:00. The ship's crew met us and cheerfully escorted us to the ship. We were immediately escorted to our Stateroom and instructions were given.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The ship's dining room was excellent buffet breakfast and lunches and a 4 course dinner every night
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
On board activities included a small fitness room, a well equipped spa, sightseeing experiences especially through the Rhine Gorge where Tomas our cruise director gave a talk regarding the Castles of the Rhine. In addition there were talks from the nautical crew and a baking demonstration when we were cruising and not in Port. There are not as many activities aboard a River Cruise as there is on an Ocean Cruise but that is not what we signed up for. The shore activities some were excellent some not so much. What stood out for us was the pre-cruise experience of Jungfraujoch in Switzerland that was a standout for us. Other experiences that stood out was visiting the oldest planetarium in the world in Frisia, Netherlands, visiting the Rijksmuseum and canal ride in Amsterdam.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
On the River Empress there was nightly entertainment with local bands. My husband and I enjoyed them all including the Opera Singer on the last night. Her voice gave me goose bumps. The highlight of course was the "70s" night where cruise members who most were not even born in the 70s attempted to recreate a disco night. It was rather a mash between 60's and 70's music but was so much more fun than I thought it would be. It was the highlight of our trip!
Children's Programs
No children
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The Staff was excellent Tomas our cruise director was the epitome of patience and good fun. Paulo one of our waiters both in the dining room and bar was just excellent. No matter the request he fulfilled it with a smile and good cheer. I was astounded at how many full glasses he could hold on one tray going up and down a staircase while we were cruising. He could give lessons on customer service. Another crew member Suzana was on housekeeping and she was just so cheerful and ready to meet our every need. There was the nautical crew member who did a little of everything on board I never caught his name but he reminded me of the character "Goose" from the Top Gun movies so I called him that throughout the cruise he seemed to take great delight that he reminded me of a movie star.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The layout was good. River boats are small but it made sense to us. My husband certainly appreciated that we were on the same level as the main dining room. All areas of the ship were clean and well-maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The bed was comfortable and it was kept clean and the jar next to my husband's side of the bed was kept full of chocolate which he appreciated. The cabin was a littles bit tiny and we were running into each other BUT we really weren't in the cabin all that much except to sleep.
Ship tip
Research the ports of call and do some exploring on your own. Most of the excursions are excellent but only give you a small taste of each port. What is nice is you don't have to stay with the group but can take off just make sure you are back in time before the ship leaves.
We did a walking tour and frankly our tour guide seemed to be having a bad day. She pretty much dropped us off in the middle of town and the tour did not cover some of the sights that were advertised. We ended up leaving the tour getting a coffee at a small barristo and making our own way back to the ship.
This is a beautiful little town that I wish we had done a walking tour of. Instead we went to the Black Forest and while the cuckoo clocks were spectacular I expected more. I was a little disappointed in the Black Forest excursion.
This is a charming little village. Our guide a student was just excellent. We went to Heidelberg in the afternoon which is a charming little university town with the remains of an old castle. It was crowded but our guide was delightful.
We didn't do a walking tour of Oberwesel and I'm sorry we didn't. We did go to Bacharach, Germany for some wine tasting of the Reislings that are grown in the area. That was the best part. The walking tour wasn't all that great.
Our walking tour guide was excellent another university student who seem to be the best guides in their knowledge and enthusiasm. The Cologne Cathedral is well worth seeing and the shopping around the cathedral was excellent.
This is an absolutely charming town. The movie A Bridge to Far was about the bridge in Arnhem during WWII. My husband decided to watch it after our visit. We went to see the
Het Loo palace and our tour guide was excellent. I wish we could have stayed a little longer
This was an absolutely charming town. Beware of the bakeries we did a walk while they were opening and describing the smells as wonderful is an understatement. The cheese and meat shops are also wonderful. We walked along the canals and watched a boat head out to see. The bridges are manned literally manned by men who manually open the gate and crank up and down the drawbridges. It felt like we had stepped back in time. Our shore excursion was to the planetarium and windmill. The Eise Eisinga planetarium we visited is the oldest working planetarium in the world. It was built by Eise Easinga over 250 years ago and frankly the man was a genius. Well-worth the visit. The windmill while interesting was not so much
Amsterdam is simply wonderful. Watch out for the bikes they are the main mode of transportation and have the right a way. We did the Rijkmuseium and canal cruise in the morning and I went to the Ann Frank House visit the afternoon. I do regret that we didn't get to see the Van Gogh museum which I have heard is also excellent.
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