JanRich,
You'll find the cruise to be an absolutely wonderful experience. We took the Rhine Christmas cruise last year and enjoyed every moment that's why we are going on the December 6 cruise on the Danube this year. Although we have been on several Christmas cruises with other lines, the Tauck cruise always had a surprise around every corner. I can pretty much guarantee that you will be amazed at the sights, sounds and the aromas of each Christmas market we will visit. Look forward to meeting you!
Best, Bill Clayton
A lot depends on what you buy. We've taken two Christmas Market tours--one on the Rhine and one on the Danube. Both were fantastic! We bought Black Forrest Smokers on both and brought them home with us. I wanted to buy a Christmas Pyramid on the Rhine cruise in '08, but because it was too large to carry and because it would be January of '09 before it would reach me if shipped, I didn't buy it. When we went on the Danube cruise in '10, I did buy one, even though I knew I wouldn't be able to use it till '11. Even so, I've now enjoyed using it in '11, '12 and '13, so I wish I'd bought one in '08 and had been able to use it even longer. Lots of other wonderful items are small so you should be able to carry them home with you. It just all depends on what strikes your fancy and what you want to buy, as well as how much room you have in your suitcase or carryons.
It's hard to predict what the weather will be ahead of time, although you can most certainly expect it to be fairly cold. On both the '08 and '10 cruises the daytime temps pretty much stayed in the low to mid 30s. You'll need warm coats, head coverings, warm gloves, and possibly long underwear when you're out and about. Wool socks helped keep my feet from getting too cold. Part of what you need may depend on what winter temps you're used to at home. I live in NC, so though we have cold weather here, it's not as bitterly cold as it is in many of our northern states. As far as boots are concerned, that's something you can't predict ahead of time. In '08 I took them and never needed them since there was no snow. It was completely different in '10. Since there was snow at times, I wore them every time we were off the boat. As for me, I'd much rather be safe than sorry, so I'd suggest you take them.
Well, having recently given myself a "Love, Actually" fix, Rowen Atkinson's version of "quite" quickly wrapping that sneaky Christmas present comes to mind.
It sounds as if Tony is excited about the forthcoming trip. Indeed, he's quite excited ... but not to the point of being over the moon excited. At least not yet. For the present, Tony is one notch up from being merely excited. ))
Comments
You'll find the cruise to be an absolutely wonderful experience. We took the Rhine Christmas cruise last year and enjoyed every moment that's why we are going on the December 6 cruise on the Danube this year. Although we have been on several Christmas cruises with other lines, the Tauck cruise always had a surprise around every corner. I can pretty much guarantee that you will be amazed at the sights, sounds and the aromas of each Christmas market we will visit. Look forward to meeting you!
Best, Bill Clayton
A lot depends on what you buy. We've taken two Christmas Market tours--one on the Rhine and one on the Danube. Both were fantastic! We bought Black Forrest Smokers on both and brought them home with us. I wanted to buy a Christmas Pyramid on the Rhine cruise in '08, but because it was too large to carry and because it would be January of '09 before it would reach me if shipped, I didn't buy it. When we went on the Danube cruise in '10, I did buy one, even though I knew I wouldn't be able to use it till '11. Even so, I've now enjoyed using it in '11, '12 and '13, so I wish I'd bought one in '08 and had been able to use it even longer. Lots of other wonderful items are small so you should be able to carry them home with you. It just all depends on what strikes your fancy and what you want to buy, as well as how much room you have in your suitcase or carryons.
It sounds as if Tony is excited about the forthcoming trip. Indeed, he's quite excited ... but not to the point of being over the moon excited. At least not yet. For the present, Tony is one notch up from being merely excited.
Cheers,
Jan