 Last month I had the opportunity to travel on the Rhine river with Riverside Cruises on a FAM (familiarization) trip. This was invite only, for travel advisors. I have sailed on many river cruises in Europe and although I've sent my clients on the Rhine dozens of times, I had not been on the Rhine myself yet so this was very exciting! Typically for new river cruise clients I suggest starting with the Rhine or the Danube because they are the most popular and the best ‘starter’ cruises to understand the style of travel. A lot of people choose the Rhine first because you can make it ‘short’ with the 7 day cruise and then adding at least one extra day in Amsterdam and have a fabulous experience without it being too long. The Danube is best done with 2 or 3 nights in Prague on one end and at least 1, but better yet 2 nights in Budapest on the other end. That makes it closer to a 2 week trip and of course then a higher total trip cost but that is really the best experience. A little bit about Riverside, they are a new cruise line and they purchased some of the Crystal ships after the company was bought out and/or went through some re-organization after the pandemic. I don’t really know all the details but it is my understanding that the parent company who started Riverside owns many hotels so is in a good & stable position to embark on this new venture! What’s also fun is that the CEO is a former colleague of mine from Avalon Waterways & the Globus family of brands and worked together for many years. So I had been in touch with her a bit about this new enterprise and was eager to experience & learn more since I specialize in European river cruising! Riverside is quite a bit different than my preferred river cruise lines like Avalon Waterways and AmaWaterways. Here are some key things that sets them apart and what I would like my clients to know so they can consider this cruise line in the future:
A big differentiator between ocean and river cruises is the experience on the ship; river cruises are more like a floating hotel to get from point a to point b whereas ocean ships are a destination in and of themselves with the pools, casinos, shopping, activities etc. However, it was interesting that my experience with Riverside was that there were times I found that I kind of wanted to just stay on the ship instead of always doing excursions! They have a lovely pool, spa treatments, a top deck bar and lounge area and gym. They even have self-service laundry! Which obviously I wouldn’t skip an excursion to do laundry but maybe throw in a load and then go get a massage! That point is important for folks who maybe have done the Rhine or Danube before, they could go again and have a totally different experience. Spend a little time relaxing and enjoying the ship and then do some different excursions in port. The only really minor constructive criticism I had on this cruise was the operation of some of the excursions. I come from the world of the Globus family of brands which has been operating for close to 100 years I think! They are the best in the business. Excursions are handled meticulously. Riverside had some really fabulous and different excursions, but some of the timings and the way they fit into the days could use some work in my opinion. However, overall still excellent. They will work the kinks out over time. When my clients book, we will sit down together and go over the excursion options in detail so we can try to understand the best choices for their desired experience. I will also clarify some of the timings in advance. If for some reason the excursion doesn’t work or not what the client is wanting, I can arrange other tours independently of the cruise line. Also at this time, Riverside does not offer pre & post extensions and hotel nights like the other cruise lines. This is my specialty and I can arrange all of this for my clients. Dining was out of this world on this cruise, just exceptional. We did a galley tour with the chef and it was amazing. Aside from the buffets, they cook everything to order which is very different from other lines. So for their evening dining it’s not ideal for everyone to sit down at the same time, they need guests to stagger in for the best service. I would mention to guests if they have any strong preferences I would make a request with the staff up front. For example, I absolutely love upscale, elevated cuisine but there were a few raw things that were served that were beyond my decidedly distinguished palate! I love fois gras pate but RAW fois gras? No, that is way too Euro for me! LOL Some other notes and highlights to mention:
Please contact me for quotes, there is still space on some of the 2024 cruises like the Christmastime cruises! Other cruise lines are already sold out, and even selling out already for 2025. The pricing is increasing in January so please contact me to book THIS YEAR! And of course we can book 2025 now! Thanks for reading! Happy Travels!
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 Disclaimer: this blog is still under construction! Please excuse grammatical errors. I will be adding photos to the body of the blog soon but please refer to Facebook and Shutterfly albums for accompanying photos. Working on adding more captions.
Photos: FACEBOOK LINK HERE SHUTTERFLY LINK HERE I traveled to Portugal on a Douro river cruise with Avalon Waterways in April, 2024. It was fabulous! We had some snags but overall it was SUCH an amazing trip! First of all, the scenery and ambiance was absolutely spectacular. Green, lush, rolling hills of vineyards everywhere. Someone told one of my clients, it’s like if the Moselle valley and Tuscany had a baby. Stunningly gorgeous. I was surprised how developed most of the land is, again with vineyards everywhere in patterned in all different directions. The roads and highways were very impressive to be able to get everywhere quickly. I escorted a group of friends and friends of friends. I usually travel with groups about 20 or more to make sure everyone is well taken care of, gets from point A to point B and to handle any issues if they arise. I do get to enjoy the trip but it can be a lot of work. I typically handle everyone’s airfare, insurance and pre & post cruise arrangements. Many extend their trip to other places in Europe so I help with all the logistics. I also get to learn about the destination and products so I can better help my future clients. On this trip, my awesome sister-in-law Amy joined me. She had never been to Europe so this was super exciting! We started off by spending 3 nights in Lisbon. Our hotel booked through Avalon Waterways was the Hotel Tivoli Avenida Liberdade Lisboa. It is a wonderful hotel, in a good location in the on the Avenida da Liberdade which is a bit outside the historic center, but just a 10 min walk. However, there is a lot of shopping along the way. Not to far across the street (maybe a block or so) and underground Aldi for bottled water and groceries. I love grocery shopping in foreign countries! Lisbon is a big, bustling city. I will say that it isn’t the most pristine of European cities, which is to be expected. Portugal is pretty average as far as their economy not super wealthy compared to other parts of Europe. However, overall a gorgeous place to visit with lovely monuments and history abound. It is the city of 7 hills. Expect lots of walking, uneven cobblestone streets and again, hills! Also expect to see a lot of graffiti. It seems a reality of life here. The weather was interesting this trip. It was windy and rainy when we first arrived in Lisbon. The previous week had been very rainy so that was the forecast. However as the trip progressed, it got sunnier and hotter! You just never know. We did a couple of tours in Lisbon. The city tour with Avalon was great, we had a city tour to the Monument to the Discoveries, Jeronimos Monastery and Belem Tower. Then I booked a private foodie tour for our group. We walked from the hotel with a lovely local guide. We stopped for presunto (similar to prosciutto), cheese, port wine, the local cherry liquor ginjinha (which is really yummy but super sweet) and the famous pastry, pastel de nata. Then we continued to the food hall: Time Out Market for cod and meat croquettes, vihno verde and more pastries. The pastries were ubiquitous in Portugal the entire trip. I got sick of them pretty fast! Very rich and sweet. The guides kept telling us the story, because of Portugal’s conquests, they ended up with a lot of sugar from Brazil. Then, the nuns and the clergy used egg whites to process their outfits and had lots of leftover egg yolks. So they started making pastries to sell and raise money for the church. The famous Pastel de Nata (cream tart) are undeniably delicious but I was over them after about 3 days. I do like sweets, but mostly chocolate. Give me chocolate. Or I’ll prefer to take my calories in Europe from cheese, bread and wine obrigata! We also ate dinner at this tiny wonderful spot in Lisbon for pestiscos (that’s small plates or Tapas, to you Espana!) https://www.restaurantepicapau.pt/en We had: olives, caldo verde (cabbage soup), octopus salad, “pica-pau” sautéed beef loin with pickles, and “peixinhos da Horta” fried breaded green beans. It was affordable and excellent! Another adventure in Lisbon is that we wanted to take famous the yellow tram car (28) that only costs a few euros. However, it is so popular that you have to get there super early to queue up. We got there mid morning and it was already an 1-2 hour wait. No thanks! We were sold on a tuk-tuk ride with a charming local, who turned out not to be a local, he was from Chile but adorable and fun nonetheless. Not cheap but totally worth it to get toted around up and down the hills for all the great photo ops and vantage points. Next up, an excursion to Sintra and the 1,000 year old, UNESCO Palace which was fascinating and wonderful! Check out my photos! A lovely visit! During our free time we tried to hike up to the top of the hill but it just kept going and going and we ran out of time! Got some great shots of the palace through the trees. We also stopped at Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe! We were excited to pack up and get to our Avalon ship! On day 4, it was time to depart. Avalon includes a stop in Coimbra for a guided tour to the University which was really wonderful! One of my favorite clients, friends and fellow travelers is a Doctor and we ran into some Medical students for some meaningful photos and greetings! It was pretty special. There is a whole story about their uniform and cape which was fascinating. The library and cathedral here was really spectacular and different from a lot of things I’ve seen in Europe. Getting to the ship is always such a blessing. It’s lovely to get into your cabin and settle in for one whole week! Its your own little oasis - close to all the amenities on the ship, super convenient and a spot on a floating hotel taking you where you need to go! Here is a quick recap of the excursions I participated in from the cruise:
Avalon was fabulous. I mentioned snags, the water levels were too high to sail all the way up the river. They had just received a ton of rain and we were also informed that Spain controls the dam release of water up river and they have no control over when they release back up. Avalon had to move around much of the excursions and sightseeing. One thing very important to know, is that the Douro river cruise is a bit different than other river cruises in Europe. On other rivers like the Rhine and Danube, the towns and excursions are right off of the docking points. Sometimes you can walk right into town from the ship. However, most of the towns the ship docks on the Douro are not the highlights of the area and you have to be bussed to them. It seriously surprised me how many people on the ship were surprised by this fact. And it surprised me that so many were frustrated about the changes and water levels. This is a reality of river cruising in general and can happen at any time, on any river. If you are not able to be flexible and enjoy the trip with unexpected changes, I wouldn’t recommend river cruising. Since we were stuck on one end of the river, the excursions on the planned itinerary were a bit further. Not a lot, maybe added 15-45 minutes longer drives each way. Which really wasn’t too big of a deal. However, most days we returned back to the ship late afternoon. I did miss having a couple of hours downtime on the ship in the afternoons but it was ok. We were just always rushing to happy hour. There was one stop that we did not visit due to the changes, I believe it was Freixo de Espada à Cinta. However, amazingly Avalon still offered the day trip to Salamanca, Spain. Amy really wanted to go to Spain but I think it was a 3 hour drive each way from the ship’s docking location. That would have been on 4/14 so we wouldn’t have been able to go to Viseu (with wine tasting) and they also offered Pinhao that day. I told Amy she should go if she wanted to but declined because of the bus ride. There were 12 people on the ship that opted to go, a couple from our group. It was a long day for them but they were glad they went. Their photos were really great! Finally I also want to mention our cruise director, Mihai was PHENOMENAL. He was the consummate professional. He handled the changes and hiccups with ease and incredible emotional intelligence. He was also jolly, funny and personable. Not only did he have to deal with the massive itinerary changes but some medical situations of passengers (they were OK), some issues with the guides, and the freaking Viking ship literally hit our ship! It was damaged but the Avalon Alegria was not. Crazy. Thank you thank you Mihai! Would go back 10 out of 10 recommend! Ps Porto has a surprisingly big International airport! Traveling soon? This post was originally written for traveling to Europe but most of this can be applied to worldwide travel! Packing and planning can get a little overwhelming but don't worry because here are some great tips, lists and packing advice! Here is a handy checklist too, CLICK HERE! Packing Tips!
For cash you can bring US dollars and exchange at a money exchange office OR bring local currency from your bank. However, the most convenient option (and best exchange rates) is to bring a debit card and take out cash from ATM machines at your destination. Usually you will find an ATM machine at the airport when you arrive or right near your first hotel. Some people prefer to have a little bit of local currency prior to arrival but please note that most European airport money exchange counters are notorious for having horrendous exchange rates. When you use your debit card to withdraw cash from the ATM there will be fees (usually 1-2% for international transactions plus outside bank ATM fees, check with your bank). Even with the fees, the exchange rates are so good that it ends up being a better deal than exchanging money at a bank or a money exchange office. Try to estimate how much money you'll need for a few days, perhaps withdraw $100-$200 each time. You do not want to be carrying too much cash at one time but you do want to minimize the number of ATM withdrawals so you don't end up with a lot of fees. Always bring at least two cards and keep them in separate places in case you lose one. Credit cards are great too for larger purchases like shopping, excursions and nice dinners. Make sure your cards have chip technology. Be sure to know what is expected as far as tipping and gratuities on your trip. IMPORTANT!!! PLEASE BE AWARE OF THE ATM MACHINES YOU USE AND PAY ATTENTION TO THE EXCHANGE RATE - THIS IS LEGITIMATE: Comment from a reader from an earlier blog post:
Excellent tips. Here's a few more ideas: 1. Hats and sunglasses are always good to have, as is sunblock. 2. Pack a back-up set of glasses in case yours get lost. 3. It may not be for everyone, but consider packing light for the way over so you do not have to check a bag. You can check one for the return if you need to. 4. Many times we have said that we wished we had packed a selfie stick and compact binoculars--so now we try to remember to take them along. J. S. Kline 8/16/2021 08:54:07 am |
AuthorAmber is a luxury travel & European River Cruise expert Archives
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