Blue Danube- Weather, Cesky, Lippizaners
Questions for prior Blue Danube travelers. (Claudia?)
We are on the 12 April Eastbound departure. I'm not a Tauck newby (9 and counting) but this will be our first river cruise. I've read the archives, too.
1. I've checked "Before You Go" Wx and it appears we should expect daytime temps in the 45° - 55° range but would like some first hand weather reporting. I can't seem to find a source for good weather (narrative); heck none will say when spring begins and when things green up! All I found was that it appears the Appricot and other fruit tree orchards will be in bloom in mid-April.
2. I know in the past there was the opportunity to see the Lippizaners at the Spanish Riding School, but it doesn't seem to be listed in the online itinerary. Was this in previous itineraries or was it one of the Tauck "surprises?" Or is it something the CD/TD's can assist us in arranging so we can do it on our own time & dime?
3. Another Cesky Krumlov vs Salzburg question, again. We have been to Salzburg during Tauck's Ultimate Alps several years ago, but still might want to go back. I would also like to see Cesky which gets great reviews (as does the local guide(s)), some even said it was the highlight of their cruise.
Since we arrive in Prague in the morning, a day early, we were thinking of chillin' and staying local the remainder of that day, but hiring driver/guide to take us to Cesky the next morning and return in time for the welcome dinner. According to Google maps, it appears to be about a 1+45 drive. This 2012 archived post mentioned doing exactly that but they never posted a follow-up.
So my questions are, has anyone done this recently? How was the drive. How long did you spend in Cesky? What tips can you provide?
We are on the 12 April Eastbound departure. I'm not a Tauck newby (9 and counting) but this will be our first river cruise. I've read the archives, too.
1. I've checked "Before You Go" Wx and it appears we should expect daytime temps in the 45° - 55° range but would like some first hand weather reporting. I can't seem to find a source for good weather (narrative); heck none will say when spring begins and when things green up! All I found was that it appears the Appricot and other fruit tree orchards will be in bloom in mid-April.
2. I know in the past there was the opportunity to see the Lippizaners at the Spanish Riding School, but it doesn't seem to be listed in the online itinerary. Was this in previous itineraries or was it one of the Tauck "surprises?" Or is it something the CD/TD's can assist us in arranging so we can do it on our own time & dime?
3. Another Cesky Krumlov vs Salzburg question, again. We have been to Salzburg during Tauck's Ultimate Alps several years ago, but still might want to go back. I would also like to see Cesky which gets great reviews (as does the local guide(s)), some even said it was the highlight of their cruise.
Since we arrive in Prague in the morning, a day early, we were thinking of chillin' and staying local the remainder of that day, but hiring driver/guide to take us to Cesky the next morning and return in time for the welcome dinner. According to Google maps, it appears to be about a 1+45 drive. This 2012 archived post mentioned doing exactly that but they never posted a follow-up.
So my questions are, has anyone done this recently? How was the drive. How long did you spend in Cesky? What tips can you provide?
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Comments
The TDs or Cruise Director (CD) are pretty helpful if you're in a port long enough to do something on your own.
Weather? I don't think anyone can do much to predict it these days. Especially in the spring and fall months. We did the Rhine/Moselle in Oct hoping for Indian Summer and mostly just had cold, overcast days. Thankfully we had packed clothes that could layer - thin long sleeve tshirts, a sweater/fleece layer and a jacket with a hood that went over it all. Plus hat and gloves. Dress was fairly casual on that cruise - sweaters and slacks in the evening. Nary a dress or sport coat in site. It got really cool in the evening if you were sitting next to a window in the lounge or dining room so plan accordingly. Also it was a surprise to me how short the days were. In order to have breakfast before the day's touring started you had to get up before the sun and dinner was always after sunset. Very different from summer cruises.
Do you remember long the Tauck excursion to Cesky Krumlov lasted? What did you see (Castle, Castle Theater, etc., etc.)? How long did you stay in town? Did Tauck provide a guide and for how much of the excursion? What time did you arrive back at the ship? According to Google, it takes only a little over and hour to get to Cesky Krumlov from Linz.
It takes two hours each way to get there from Prague, so if we booked a private tour on Day 1 with PragueWalker tours (recommended in the forum post at the link in my post above), left Prague at 0800 and wanted to be back by 1630 for the 1730 reception and Welcome Dinner, we would only have 4 hours in Cesky Krumlov. That would only give us enough time to take the 55 min Castle tour, the 40 min. Castle Theater tour (if pre-booked), about 1-1/2 hours to walk around town, and 30 min. for a quick lunch- is that enough time or would we be a bit rushed?
One more question- how were the crowds at the big attractions at that time of year?
It sure seems as though it might be easier to chose Cesky over Salzburg since we have been to Salzburg- too many things to see and not enough time!
Ed, thanks for the weather site. Are you from Asheville, NC? We are "not from here" : ) but have lived in Little Washington since '04
Alan. We have lived in Asheville since 2001, and moved here from Southlake, TX. We love this area as we grew up in New England and it is very similar with four seasons and no real extremes. Ed
Thanks!! That fills in a few holes in the info I learned earlier today.
How many people took the Cesky Krumlov excursion? Was the town crowded at all?
Thanks for the Jakub suggestion, FYI, here is a link to their website.
I'm really on a roll now. Earlier this year, I reached out to our 2014 Ultimate Alps TD. She is a great TD and was a big help finding and providing answers to questions I had about the Romantic Germany tour we took this summer. She has worked some Tauck river cruises also, so I reached out to her again yesterday. She replied that she has worked the Blue Danube cruise and will be working some 2018 departures. She hasn't received her schedule yet, but may even be working our departure! You can't get a much better source than that!! Talk about serendipity!
Thanks all!
2. Lippizaners -- this was not on our published itinerary, but it turned out to be one of the options for a morning in Vienna, which we took. It was fantastic! I think they don't publish it because the horses are not always in town. You can probably Google to find out their annual schedule.
3. Cesky Krumlov -- we chose it as the full-day option vs. Salzburg and loved it. I think we had about 40 from the MS Savor on this excursion. We left the boat around 8-9am and returned by 4pm in plenty of time for dinner. The drive was about an hour. Guided tour of castle and grounds and then free time for lunch and other exploring. Not particularly crowded, which was delightful. It was indeed one of our top highlights of the trip.
Thanks!
If it turns out it is not offered to our tour as an option, I learned from my research, it is possible to observe the Lippizaner morning practice sessions that run from 10:00 - 12:00, weekdays, at the Spanish Riding School. There won't be any of the jumping they are known for or show routines, just basic exercises and drills. Some of the horses may be younger (gray vs white) and some of the riders may be rookies as well. There is an admission fee and tickets must be purchased at the door. One reviewer said two hours is a bit much, and recommended showing up at 11:00 when there is no in line to get tickets like there is if you show up at 10:00. A tour of the facility is not offered. We will see if we can tack it on at the end of one of our two morning excursions in Vienna and walk or get dropped off there.
I think Cesky Krumlov is doable from Prague. We can rest up for the welcome dinner during the 2 hour ride back to Prague.
Yes, that is what we saw, a morning training session. Tauck gave us tickets and we only waited a few minutes for entry. The training was quite enjoyable to watch and the space is beautiful. You are not allow to take photos. Also, you can leave any time if you've had enough. I think we left after 90 minutes. They only do shows on the weekends.
Thanks! Great that Tauck provides tickets. I noticed that photography is not allowed. Darn!
Did they run shuttle buses from the Innere Stadt or anywhere near the riding school to the boat? I'm sure boat locations change slightly, but it looks like once you get out of the Innere Stadt and use the Marienbrucke to cross the canal, it is a fairly straight shot down Praterstrasse to the Danube to the area where the boats dock, but Google maps say it is a 50 min. walk! How late do they serve lunch on the boat (I noticed there is a Mickey D's along that route : ) )