Mfrancis, thank you for the detailed review of your trip. It helps tremendously with our planning especially our extra days in Amsterdam. This will be our third attempt to take this trip, originally booked in early 2019 for 2020. There are 6 of us traveling from South Georgia. We’ve done the Rhine and Danube market trips and loved them both. I’m sad Tauck no longer stops in Colmar as it was one of my favorite places. If you’re doing the Nuremberg stop, I’d not take the German mathematician trip and go straight to the market on my own. It was long and boring and we did not have nearly enough time at the market…just our opinion. You don’t always have to do the planned excursions. Thanks to everyone else for your hints and suggestions. I’ve written them all down in my planner….
DMPLMP…Would you recommend taking a canal boat trip on your own rather than the offered trip by Tauck…they seem awfully tempting and we were looking forward to seeing the canals all light up at night….thanks
I just received the electronic "green book" for our adventure. I saw conflicting information regarding day two (2) when reviewing the website quite some time ago, but today's e-mail confirms that after the Rijksmuseum (our selected option) in the morning, we will also attend a concert at the Royal Concertgebouw in the afternoon. I never tire of the museum(s), but the concert, especially during the holiday season, is an added treat.
Getting excited and also looking forward to those delicious soups!
mfrancis - It was by reading your review that made me somewhat disappointed because our trip didn't offer that concert (at the time I looked anyway.) Now it does. I read that the concert hall has the third best acoustics in the world. What a day of culture -- magnificent art in the morning and a concert in the afternoon. Can't wait. Thanks again.
Kfnknfzk…I don’t believe the concert we attended was in the concert hall you’re referencing, more in a large auditorium near where we were docked. But it’s still a great concert.
I double checked my documents to see if I was mistaken. Here is an excerpt.....'go ashore for a mini concert at the Royal Concertgebouw, renowned for its world-famous orchestra and unparalleled acoustics.' Even if they meant to say 'by' instead of 'at', I doubt we will be disappointed.
I’ve been watching the weather in Belgium for the past 8 weeks. Rain was practically every day in the forecast and in the future as well. Those who have been in Belgium in December, any suggestions for clothing. I’ve been living in Georgia until recently so I may need to buy some new garments. Should I bring my waterproof hiking boots? How heavy a coat? Any ideas will be helpful Thanks very much.
Thomas - I will leave in a few weeks for this cruise and have also been watching the relentless rain in the region. Most of the precipitation has been light rain/drizzle so I am not too concerned other than it being an inconvenience. Tauck will make adjustments as need be.
Dressing warmly will be my priority -- sweaters, wool coat, scarves, hat and gloves. I don't think you need hiking boots, but if you plan on wearing them frequently take them. With heavy socks they should certainly keep your feet warm. Enjoy your trip.
Thomas, I did this trip last year. We had quite a bit of rain and sleet. It really was kind of nice, because it seemed to get us into the season. I would recommend any clothing and shoes/boots that are waterproof. Also make sure that you have foot ware that is better on ice. Gaiters are a must if you are like me and my neck gets really cold. Some had heaters for their gloves. Please make sure your foot ware has good transaction for ice. We had a couple of ladies fall in the "black ice". It was a great trip! The Tauck directors were great as usual.
Thank you for your kind responses! It’s very helpful to know what people have experienced on previous cruises. I did buy a warm raincoat, and I will get some Hot Hands warmers for my gloves. And shoes/boots with traction. That did not occur to me amazingly, so thank you for mentioning it. I figured it would be wet, but I didn’t think of the possibility of ice. I’ll have to bring a few pairs of shoes to see what works best. I really appreciate y’all’s input which is super helpful. Thanks again. Sally
We leave tomorrow for the Danube Christmas cruise and I've given up looking at the weather as the forecast keeps bouncing from rain to snow to maybe partly cloudy. Prepared for all with several packs of Warm Hands. I checked TSA to make sure ok in checked and carryon.
Oh excellent thought. I have the hot hands warmers but i think I’ve seen them for feet too. Which I assume is what you have, or something similar. I’d better get some because my feet are often cold. Thank you for the good idea.
I was worried about the weather but it really was not bad. I had brought the right clothes so that helped. Very little rain until the last day which was super wet. But the rest was fine. On the second day I had lunch on the Grande Place and I sat outside to watch the scene. It was cold but very pleasant. I think we were quite lucky, but I agree you always must make the best of whatever weathers you encounter. Especially now in the climate change era when everything seems to be more intense.
Comments
I remember reading about that experience of yours. Tauck is truly amazing. Thanks again.
Mfrancis, thank you for the detailed review of your trip. It helps tremendously with our planning especially our extra days in Amsterdam. This will be our third attempt to take this trip, originally booked in early 2019 for 2020. There are 6 of us traveling from South Georgia. We’ve done the Rhine and Danube market trips and loved them both. I’m sad Tauck no longer stops in Colmar as it was one of my favorite places. If you’re doing the Nuremberg stop, I’d not take the German mathematician trip and go straight to the market on my own. It was long and boring and we did not have nearly enough time at the market…just our opinion. You don’t always have to do the planned excursions. Thanks to everyone else for your hints and suggestions. I’ve written them all down in my planner….
DMPLMP…Would you recommend taking a canal boat trip on your own rather than the offered trip by Tauck…they seem awfully tempting and we were looking forward to seeing the canals all light up at night….thanks
I just received the electronic "green book" for our adventure. I saw conflicting information regarding day two (2) when reviewing the website quite some time ago, but today's e-mail confirms that after the Rijksmuseum (our selected option) in the morning, we will also attend a concert at the Royal Concertgebouw in the afternoon. I never tire of the museum(s), but the concert, especially during the holiday season, is an added treat.
Getting excited and also looking forward to those delicious soups!
Kfnknfzk - that concert is lovely. It’s a small group of very talented musicians from the symphony.
mfrancis - It was by reading your review that made me somewhat disappointed because our trip didn't offer that concert (at the time I looked anyway.) Now it does. I read that the concert hall has the third best acoustics in the world. What a day of culture -- magnificent art in the morning and a concert in the afternoon. Can't wait. Thanks again.
Kfnknfzk…I don’t believe the concert we attended was in the concert hall you’re referencing, more in a large auditorium near where we were docked. But it’s still a great concert.
mfrancis,
I double checked my documents to see if I was mistaken. Here is an excerpt.....'go ashore for a mini concert at the Royal Concertgebouw, renowned for its world-famous orchestra and unparalleled acoustics.' Even if they meant to say 'by' instead of 'at', I doubt we will be disappointed.
Thanks again for always providing great feedback.
I’ve been watching the weather in Belgium for the past 8 weeks. Rain was practically every day in the forecast and in the future as well. Those who have been in Belgium in December, any suggestions for clothing. I’ve been living in Georgia until recently so I may need to buy some new garments. Should I bring my waterproof hiking boots? How heavy a coat? Any ideas will be helpful Thanks very much.
Thomas - I will leave in a few weeks for this cruise and have also been watching the relentless rain in the region. Most of the precipitation has been light rain/drizzle so I am not too concerned other than it being an inconvenience. Tauck will make adjustments as need be.
Dressing warmly will be my priority -- sweaters, wool coat, scarves, hat and gloves. I don't think you need hiking boots, but if you plan on wearing them frequently take them. With heavy socks they should certainly keep your feet warm. Enjoy your trip.
Thomas, I did this trip last year. We had quite a bit of rain and sleet. It really was kind of nice, because it seemed to get us into the season. I would recommend any clothing and shoes/boots that are waterproof. Also make sure that you have foot ware that is better on ice. Gaiters are a must if you are like me and my neck gets really cold. Some had heaters for their gloves. Please make sure your foot ware has good transaction for ice. We had a couple of ladies fall in the "black ice". It was a great trip! The Tauck directors were great as usual.
Thank you for your kind responses! It’s very helpful to know what people have experienced on previous cruises. I did buy a warm raincoat, and I will get some Hot Hands warmers for my gloves. And shoes/boots with traction. That did not occur to me amazingly, so thank you for mentioning it. I figured it would be wet, but I didn’t think of the possibility of ice. I’ll have to bring a few pairs of shoes to see what works best. I really appreciate y’all’s input which is super helpful. Thanks again. Sally
We leave tomorrow for the Danube Christmas cruise and I've given up looking at the weather as the forecast keeps bouncing from rain to snow to maybe partly cloudy. Prepared for all with several packs of Warm Hands. I checked TSA to make sure ok in checked and carryon.
Oh golly! That’s another thing that didn’t occur to me. So it’s ok for Hot Hands checked or carryon eh? Thanks for that!
I have purchased heated insoles for my shoes for different winter trips.
Oh excellent thought. I have the hot hands warmers but i think I’ve seen them for feet too. Which I assume is what you have, or something similar. I’d better get some because my feet are often cold. Thank you for the good idea.
I recently returned from the Yuletide cruise and will document my experiences in a few days.
I returned on December 20 from this cruise and it was fantastic! Looking forward to your review. Thanks in advance!
Thomas - Hope your weather was better than ours. We made the most of it nonetheless. It will be nice to compare notes!
I was worried about the weather but it really was not bad. I had brought the right clothes so that helped. Very little rain until the last day which was super wet. But the rest was fine. On the second day I had lunch on the Grande Place and I sat outside to watch the scene. It was cold but very pleasant. I think we were quite lucky, but I agree you always must make the best of whatever weathers you encounter. Especially now in the climate change era when everything seems to be more intense.