Recommendations for free time

We are booked on the June 1 southbound cruise and would appreciate receiving any recommendations for things to do during our free time on this cruise.
Thanks
Bill N Syl

Comments

  • Hi,

    The only free time is if you arrive early in Amsterdam or stay late in Basel. We went last summer from Basel to Amsterdam and there wasn't any free time while we were on the rivers. All the tours are included so if you want to stay in a port a little longer and not go back for lunch, you can do so. The sailing times are posted. It is a pretty full schedule and sometimes our friend rode one of the bikes after lunch. It was a really positive experience with Tauck!!

    Sheila
  • We are booked to go on the Basel to Amsterdam cruise mid June. Can u you tell me about the weather you experienced when u went last summer, please? And, was there anything that you found surprising about your trip?
  • Hi,
    I would strongly suggest you check weather.com the week before you go. We went around July 10th and we had 95 degrees when we arrived in Basel. The hotel will give you a free ticket to ride the electric trolley which will take you all around Basel. There is a city tour before you go to the ship. Basel is lovely and we went in several days before so we could relax before the ship left. I don't know if you have traveled with Tauck before, but they do a great job! When we stopped in Luxenbourg to visit the American cemetery where Patton and his troops are buried, they gave us long stem white roses to place on the graves. For those of us who are Jewish, we were given little stones.

    If you have any other questions, please post again.

    Sheila
  • Hi Sheila,

    Thanks for responding to my post. I do have some additional questions that I hope you don't mind me asking.

    Do the guides move at a moderate pace during land tours?

    Did you use any of the laundering or ironing services on board the boat? I understand, for example, that I can't use a travel iron, so I'm wondering about alternatives if necessary.

    Now, for a really trivial question - can I use a flat iron with an adaptor?

    With the cruise approaching, I find myself thinking about small issues that til now had not cropped up. I appreciate that you may have some answers.

    Trudy
  • Hi Trudy,

    There were three groups -- somedays, there were four! Each day, one person in our group picked out a color and we went with the Cruise Director that had that color that day. We usually alternated colors. The last group was always "Mellow Yellow" for people who had some difficulty keeping up with a faster group. One day, they were short of local guides (it only happened once) so, we went into the Mellow Yellow group and I loved it. We had a great tour. They use the new system of audio equipment whereby you can move around and take photos and still hear your guide.

    I don't know about the laundry service on the ship, but if you call Tauck, they would tell you.

    If you have any other questions, I will check this board every day or so.

    Sheila
  • Trudy,

    Check with Tauck for exact prices on Laundry Service. We did the Black Sea to Prague Cruise in 2009. The Laundry Service prices are similar to hotel rates. The boat does not have self-service laundry.

    Gary
  • Sheila,

    We are taking the Rhine to Moselle River Cruise in Sept. We are arriving a day early. We are in the planning stage for our free time in Basel for our early arrival and the free time on the second dayof the cruise. Do you remember what Tauck covers in their Basel city tour? We don't want to duplicate what they are including.

    Gary
  • Gary,

    We just returned from the Rhine Moselle river cruise. It was wonderful! During the Tauck tour of Basel we visited no museums, but had a walking tour of "old town." The hotel will give you a free tram ticket to use which is great. There are nice stores etc to visit in old town also. On our tour, Tauck also offered a day bus trip to Lucern for that day which was a nice choice for folks who had already visited Basel. We had been to Lucern so we didn't do that, but I'd urge anyone who hadn't been there to take advantage of that day trip. I think Tauck should be able to tell you if that tour will be available when you go. Any more questions? Ask away.
    Sue
  • edited June 2011
    Hi Gary,

    Sue is correct! The tour included in Basel is the old town. On our tour last summer there wasn't an offer to go to Lucerne. There is a department store called Manor in old town that has a great food court in the basement -- somewhat like a small Harrods in London. We bought turkey and Swiss cheese sandwiches or a very small amount and sat with the town people eating. The restaurants were very expensive since Switzerland is on the Swiss Franc and Euros were not accepted. We used credit cards even for a iced drink at Starbucks. Someone mentioned a great ice cream place in the center of town. We missed it. I will try to find out the name. Everyone was so friendly and we used the free transit card to go all around Basel. We didn't go to any museums, but the concierge at the hotel has a brochure listing them.

    Have a good time!

    Sheila
  • We will be on the August 25th departure from Basel. Have enjoyed reading all your posts. The weather and packing is always a concern. Also, does the riverboat have wifi so I can bring my ipad?
  • Jaxnana,
    Check the weather along the Rhine before the tour...and pack in "layers". I'd always have a rain jacket along just in case. I think you'll be cruising on the "new" Tauck boat...which should have wifi available. On the Swiss Emerald we had it but found the reception could be iffy. It seemed to work best early in the morning. It was a great cruise!
    Sue
  • ScorpioS wrote:
    Hi Gary,

    Sue is correct! The tour included in Basel is the old town. On our tour last summer there wasn't an offer to go to Lucerne. There is a department store called Manor in old town that has a great food court in the basement -- somewhat like a small Harrods in London. We bought turkey and Swiss cheese sandwiches or a very small amount and sat with the town people eating. The restaurants were very expensive since Switzerland is on the Swiss Franc and Euros were not accepted. We used credit cards even for a iced drink at Starbucks. Someone mentioned a great ice cream place in the center of town. We missed it. I will try to find out the name. Everyone was so friendly and we used the free transit card to go all around Basel. We didn't go to any museums, but the concierge at the hotel has a brochure listing them.

    Have a good time!

    Sheila
    One place we went to for great ice cream is Movenpic(?) It is right in the town center.

  • Hi TravelGuy,

    Yep! That was it -- right outside the hotel.

    Sheila
This discussion has been closed.