River Cruising

Blog #82

I was not sure as to whether I would want to do a river cruise in Europe. I had done one in Asia on the Mekong Delta and one in Brazil on the Amazon.  Although they were nice, they did not register with me as falling into the category of “fabulous.” In fairness to them, both were completed in hot climates and the presence of mosquitoes at dawn and dusk when we were docked, always drove me inside to my cabin. When the entire purpose of a trip to a foreign country is to see that country, being driven inside was not an ideal situation. The pictures of river cruises I had seen in glossy magazine advertisements showing people lazing on the decks, enjoying the passing scenery, had not been my reality. Accordingly, it was with some trepidation that I decided to do a Wine on the Rhine river cruise through Expedia Cruises (ottawa@expediacruises.com), with the charter only, Transcend cruise line. 

The cruise was to commence in Mainz, Germany a place I knew nothing about and end in Amsterdam, a place I knew a lot about from previous visits.

I soon found out that Mainz was located very near Frankfurt, an air transportation hub that I often use as a jumping off point to other locations in Europe and Africa.  Consequently, I have visited the city of Frankfurt from time to time while in transit. Knowing that there is a train station at the airport, I checked on trains to Mainz and much to my delight, I found  that there were a number of trains that depart the airport for Mainz. The journey would take about 30 minutes depending on which stop in Mainz was closest to my hotel. The train cost was around 8 euros per person. Most reasonable.

Having made my decision to fly into Frankfurt and take the train to Mainz, I set about locating the airport train station hoping that it would be in my arrival terminal.  Upon landing and clearing immigration and customs, I found the train station immediately outside the baggage collection area for flights from North America. Very easy to find and use. I bought my ticket from the ticket office onsite and took the escalator down to the departure platform. The entire process was very easy and if anyone has mobility issues, they will not find this a difficult distance to walk and there were both an elevator and escalator to assist people in getting down to their departure platform.

Arriving in Mainz, I booked into a local hotel that was in the heart of the old town and convenient to everything. Since I have written a separate blog about Mainz, I am moving directly on to the subject of this blog: the river cruise with Transcend.

At 12:30 on boarding day, I arrived at the pier where the ship Advance by Transcend was docked. I had not intended to arrive early as boarding time was set for 1pm, but the rather efficient hotel desk attendant called for a taxi at 12:22 and it arrived at 12:25. By 12:37 we were at the pier in front of the ship. Despite arriving early, we were graciously welcomed aboard and offered a buffet lunch. 

The first thing I noticed was the friendliness of all the staff and how quickly they learned our names. Having just completed a Mediterranean cruise last month (September), and an Alaskan cruise this past June, on larger ships with the Celebrity and Cunard lines respectively, I know that staff are always welcoming as you board any ship. But this seemed a step up from the standard “Welcome Aboard - Enjoy your cruise.” expected rhetoric. 

The buffet was not as comprehensive as that found on larger ships but it seems to cover a range of items from the usual salad fixings to cold cuts, cheeses and hot foods. I passed on the pasta and opted for a salad before heading out to explore the ship.

A river boat does not take long to explore. On the Advance, there is the upper deck which is open to the elements. Comfy loungers and patio sofas with cushions are readily available. You can sit in the sun or in the shade under a canopy, depending on your preference. There is a bar area as well that they kept referring to as a pop-up bar as it can be lowered into the deck. Every time I was up on this deck, the bar was in the raised position and manned. 

One flight down on deck three, there are cabins mid ship leading to the stern, and a small swimming pool at the back end of the ship. There is an entrance in the middle section. This is where we boarded and throughout our cruise, this is where we could always find the gang plank. Right beside the entrance I found the Bistro where there was always food and drink on hand. I learned that we could get hamburgers, hotdogs and French fries there (Oh and they do make the BEST French fries), and pair your order with a drink of your choice. There is always a well stocked cheese tray, sweets and some type of cake. I was delighted to find a Black Forest cake there one day and threw calorie counting out the window so I could help myself to a rather generous piece. 

There is a meeting room on this deck and the Skylight lounge with a well-equipped bar with very attentive bar staff. Unlike the larger ships where you may have to search high and low for seating, no matter where I went on the ship there was plenty of seating. There was also shelving on the mid starboard side of the ship that contained books and games. I brazenly left a copy of my latest book on the bookshelf in a shameless act of self promotion.

Deck two brought me down to the location of my cabin which I will describe in a moment. This deck has another entrance, the Reception desk (which is manned 24 hours a day), and a pantry shelf with well stocked cookie jars for those who might feel a little peckish in the wee hours of the morning. As I moved forward, I came to the restaurant that always had available tables, NEVER a line up, and very attentive staff.  

Deck one (which I kept referring to as the lower deck, had the Charter Hub, Fitness Center and Guest Laundry. Yes, I did a load of laundry while on the ship. The machines were available for use, free, and the cruise line supplies the detergent. By doing my own laundry, I was also able to choose which items I wanted in the dryer and which items I wanted to hang to dry in the cabin. A nice change from some large cruise lines that basically throw everything in the dryer, unless you want to pay for the rather expensive dry-cleaning service. 

Since I have just mentioned my cabin, this is a good time to segway into a description of cabin #201 which was larger than either of the two balcony cabins I recently enjoyed on the Cunard or Celebrity ships. The bathroom was large with double sinks and the sizable shower was a treat giving me plenty of room. I also had a desk with a makeup mirror so I could check on the progress of my wrinkles, and a little walk-in closet which was a pleasant surprise. The safe and drawers were in the closet and provided loads of space  to put everything away and keep the room in good order.

The window was large and in two sections. I had the ability, with the push of a button, to drop half the window down, creating an open-air balcony feel to the room. There was also the option of bringing down a screen as well, which was effective in keeping bugs and birds out. This was a so-so option for me and reminded me of Celebrity’s “infinity” balconies. I am not a fan. I enjoy a balcony and I love sitting out on a private balcony. Consequently, I missed having one. If I lowered the window, the air conditioning or heating would stop, so the cabin would become either hot or cold depending on the outside temperature. Plus, the cabins are lower, closer to the water and the views generally were somewhat limited and often restricted.

A related issue with the cabin windows is that if your cabin is located on the side of the ship that is adjacent to the pier/dock, you might find yourself staring at a concrete wall. Conversely, if you are on the opposite side from the dock, you might be staring at the side of another ship. When we arrived at one location, we were berthed at a dock and another ship was “docked” against our ship. As such, when I opened the curtains in my cabin, I found myself looking directly into another cabin of the ship tied to our ship. This is not something I have ever experienced on a large ocean-going ship and is an issue inherent with river cruises, particularly during busy periods when there are a number of river cruises ongoing and therefore more ships tied to each other. I have included a photo of two river cruise ships tied together so you can see what it looks like. If you are on the furthest from the dock ship, you must walk across the ship you are tied to when going ashore.

Overall, I enjoyed the cabin, the size, layout and general look was great. I also liked that I was able to experience a greater range of television channels. Although I don't cruise to watch TV, I do like to keep up with the news and this cruise had a greater selection.

My cabin attendant was superb. Professional and congenial, he kept the cabin spotless with cleanings twice a day. Some cruise lines have moved away from twice a day cabin servicing and that is unfortunate. I believe that these little touches elevate one’s cruising experience.

Moving on to the restaurant, I have to confess that I was not as impressed with the food offerings found onboard. Before touching on the food, I will address the ambiance and staff. I have already covered the ready availability of tables and space. No hunting for a breakfast or lunch table, there was always plenty of space and staff on hand to direct you to an open table. Additionally, the presence of fewer guests, resulted in a more personal interactive experience with the staff and I really felt that they got to know me and my fellow cruisers. The atmosphere and décor were nice but not exceptional.   

So this leaves the food. There were fewer choices for the buffets and I admit that the salad bar did not offer up as many options as I would like. Although there were always options, I felt the breakfast and lunch buffets were limited and the pasta always seemed to be dry.

Dinner for the first three days was hit and miss. There were three daily specials per day that changed each day along with three standard items for the entrees. I opted for the pasta specials for the first two days and both times it was dry (as if it had been cooked and placed under a heat lamp), the third day I chose the beef with a hollandaise sauce and it was excellent. My husband ordered from the standard fare each day and stated that his meals were excellent.

The fourth day the cruise line brought on a chef who prepared a specific menu. Food paired with wines to complement the meal. No alternative food choices were available unless one wanted to go upstairs for a hotdog, hamburger or French fries. It was definitely not a successful night and of the nine people sitting at our table, only one was satisfied with the meal. The rest of us traded plates when one or the other did not like the option or in my case, passed entirely on some of the dishes. The next day, although the same chef prepared a specific meal, the diners had the option to order one of the standard entrees if they so chose. I ordered the chicken and it was excellent. Overall, the food was generally good. There definitely was a variety (beef, chicken, pork and vegetarian options). There were also non-standard items such as venison. Some of the dishes I experienced were exceptional, others unremarkable or bland.

Relaxing on any cruise is always a goal and this river cruise certainly met that goal. For example, we left Rudesheim at 3pm and sailed north along the Rhine. Relaxing on the top deck, I found myself enjoying the view of numerous castles, quaint villages and interesting buildings. I will be covering some of these in subsequent blogs so I will not speak in any detail on that now. Suffice to say that being on a river, as opposed to an ocean, gives one a closer view of the countryside and the local offerings. The presence of staff that were always ready to assist with anything you need made it an enjoyable experience.  

When the river boat arrived at each stop, we were generally in, or very near, the center of the old town. I was able to walk to most attractions without having to pre-arrange shore excursions. The ship’s staff had downloadable maps with walking tours and they were able to provide information on local tours and offerings.  I used their maps a few times and also booked a few shore excursions which were fun. We also had the option to use bikes made available by staff on the ship or use walking poles. I did not use either, preferring to get in my 10,000+ steps by unassisted walking.

I want to talk about meeting people on a river cruise. I, and my husband, have met people on every single cruise we have taken and we remain friends with most of those people. So, we held the expectation that we would meet, and chat with people on this cruise. However, in this case, we lucked in by quickly meeting interesting and fun people. It started within the first couple of hours when we met Amanda, an effervescent and bubbly person from Winnipeg, Manitoba. I hold the opinion that if we could bottle her enthusiasm and cheerfulness, we would make a fortune. Later, that afternoon, we attended the safety briefing and we were invited to join two sisters who were sitting at a table of four. Ann and Ilene are from Arizona and their open invitation to join them was welcome as it afforded us the opportunity to chat about travel, Arizona and cruising in general. Both ended up being funny and delightful company.

That evening, at dinner, we met a mother and daughter combination with Joyce (the mother), delighting us with her southern accent and travel stories. Joyce operates a travel agency while her, daughter, Valerie, is in the video conferencing business. Although I have previously been to Tennessee, it was wonderful to talk to them about their home state and the area in which they live.

The next day we dined with them again and Ilene and Ann joined us. We were up to a party of six. The following day, Ilene and Ann introduced us to Carroll and Dalia, both travel agents from Utah. These six women allowed us to dine and hang around with them and I personally believe that they were instrumental in our enjoyment of the cruise. Our table expanded to eight and when Amanda joined us, we were up to nine. The chemistry of the group worked to make our gatherings fun and entertaining.

I learned from others that friendships are easily formed on river cruises, as opposed to ocean cruises, partly due to the small number of cruisers and the propensity to run into the same people quite often. Regardless of the reason, we consider ourselves lucky to have met the people in our little group, and have the opportunity to enjoy their company for the duration of the cruise.

Before I close out this blog, I want to note that Transcend is a charter river cruise line, so a group can charter a ship, plan an itinerary and dictate the stops. For example, if I, and people with whom I share a love of art, want to do a river cruise, we can select the cruise duration, stops, food and other details. I could select our starting and finishing ports and dictate which stops we would have along the cruise. I could ensure that we had afternoons free to relax on the upper deck and watch the countryside slowly pass by or, conversely, I could decide on a port intensive itinerary, wherein we would stop at a different location everyday so people could visit points of interests such as art museums. Policing, firefighting or other first responder themes would also be possible, as would teachers, historians or those who love architectural detailing. The possible themes of a river cruise are limitless. I was contacted by one person who asked me if it was possible to organize a cruise that passed through as many locks as possible as he, and fellow lock enthusiasts, would be interested in visited various locks and canals.

I am currently putting together draft itineraries for a firefighting themed cruise along with a first responders themed cruise. It is important to remember that I don’t sell travel, I talk and write about travel. As such, when I draft itineraries or trips, it is for the enjoyment of those who want to participate, not for personal gain. As such I work in partnership with a registered travel agent and agency.

In conclusion, I would say that additional river cruises are in my future, and I look forward to enjoying more trips up, or down, the Rhine, Danube or other waterways. 

As always, if you have any comments or information you feel is relevant to this blog, please feel free to contact me and I will add them.