Free time on Blue Danube River Cruise

lbholden

To all of you who have been on the Blue Danube river cruise:

My husband and I will be on the July 8th, 2015 westbound Blue Danube river cruise

We received our Tauck booklet with all the trip details a few weeks ago and after reviewing it and looking at the day to day itinerarys - it appears that we are going to have a bit more free time than I initially expected.

I was wondering if any of you who have been on this cruise can confirm the amount of free time there is. I want to make sure that I properly prepare for that free time we may have on the trip.

Thank you in advance for your assistance with my question.

Calaf1

I was on the westbound Blue Danube sailing last August. There was free time throughout the trip, as you've noted. I found no trouble staying occupied by visiting museums, taking wandering walks that would lead to "discoveries", bike riding around the smaller towns and villages (the ship carries bikes for use), eating the occasional meal and of course: settling in with a glass of wine at an outdoor cafe.

In the larger cities the challenge was often deciding among a plethora of choices.

If you have particular interests you would be well-served to read up in advance to make the best use of your time.

Alternatively, let each day take you where it might.

This was a great trip, you will enjoy no matter what path you choose.

Claudia Sails

I'm a "preparer" too and did lots of reading before our first cruise. Then when we were on the cruise many of the places I knew the least about I had the best time at. Tauck is so great at giving you information on each stop. It was like opening surprise presents everyday. The whole week just flew by in a happy blur.

PaulineM

lbholden wrote:

To all of you who have been on the Blue Danube river cruise:

My husband and I will be on the July 8th, 2015 westbound Blue Danube river cruise

We received our Tauck booklet with all the trip details a few weeks ago and after reviewing it and looking at the day to day itinerarys - it appears that we are going to have a bit more free time than I initially expected.

I was wondering if any of you who have been on this cruise can confirm the amount of free time there is. I want to make sure that I properly prepare for that free time we may have on the trip.

Thank you in advance for your assistance with my question.

It appears that we are going in the opposite direction, the week before! We also have found that there is free time - and although lunch would be served on the boat, if we want to see something special in town, rather than waste time on the shuttle buses (do not know yet what is going on with them) we will just pay for our own lunch, and stay in town later. I found a WONDERFUL app called ULMON - City Maps2Go. You can find this in the Apple App store (we have iPhones) - they also make individual city guides, but those duplicate what is in the BIG one. You make a folder for each destination, and add places in each folder - and they show up on the map. I found our hotels at each end of the trip, and then as I clicked on the special places NOT on the tours ( like the Vienna Secessionist Museum, some favorites in Prague and Budapest) we can see where they are in relation to our hotel - and have a nice walking map. I will also click on the where the BOAT is moored at the other places - so we can see if some places are too far away - and so we can find out way BACK! This ULMON app also has articles to download (some Wiki, some very superficial, some detailed) - we might not take any guide books, because between the Tauck folks and the online stuff we study ahead, we thing we will be well-prepared. This app takes some learning - and we are good at this stuff - because it has so many ways to find, sort, locate, etc. So for FREE time - we will use this to help us out. Adding *favorites* now - then we will delete some later, depending up on time - and EXHAUSTION level! Have been on other tours where special things were missed (can't do it ALL!), and not time on our own - so we think the free time on Tauck might be welcome.

Pauline

RGM2

I am not on these particular cruises, but am taking the Budapest to Amsterdam cruise. Then afterward I will spend a week in Berlin, Germany.

My solution is to bring my very light and thin Garmin Nuvi 3790 with a SD card installed with the Europe map.
I can set it for the "Pedestrian" mode for walking around a new to me city.
No data plan required and I can set wherever I am as a home favorite so I can find my way back to the hotel or ship.

Just another solution I suppose.

lbholden

Thank you Pauline - I am a new iphone owner so I am going to clunck my way through this - but I just downloaded the Ulmon app and I am now working on figuring it out and making plans for all the stops on the trip. That was a great suggestion.

Hope you have a great trip with great weather and great times - I know I am super exicted to be going on this tour.

Sealord

PaulineM wrote:

It appears that we are going in the opposite direction, the week before! We also have found that there is free time - and although lunch would be served on the boat, if we want to see something special in town, rather than waste time on the shuttle buses (do not know yet what is going on with them) we will just pay for our own lunch, and stay in town later. I found a WONDERFUL app called ULMON - City Maps2Go. You can find this in the Apple App store (we have iPhones) - they also make individual city guides, but those duplicate what is in the BIG one. You make a folder for each destination, and add places in each folder - and they show up on the map. I found our hotels at each end of the trip, and then as I clicked on the special places NOT on the tours ( like the Vienna Secessionist Museum, some favorites in Prague and Budapest) we can see where they are in relation to our hotel - and have a nice walking map. I will also click on the where the BOAT is moored at the other places - so we can see if some places are too far away - and so we can find out way BACK! This ULMON app also has articles to download (some Wiki, some very superficial, some detailed) - we might not take any guide books, because between the Tauck folks and the online stuff we study ahead, we thing we will be well-prepared. This app takes some learning - and we are good at this stuff - because it has so many ways to find, sort, locate, etc. So for FREE time - we will use this to help us out. Adding *favorites* now - then we will delete some later, depending up on time - and EXHAUSTION level! Have been on other tours where special things were missed (can't do it ALL!), and not time on our own - so we think the free time on Tauck might be welcome.

Pauline

Do you need a data plan for Europe to use this app on your iPhone?

British

I cannot answer for certain Sealord because I am not a phone geek, but assuming you have to be on wifi to get any app like this as I understand things, I am assuming you will need a data plan once you are out in the street away from the free hotel wifi. I just came back from England and Spain and used my new iPhone 6 there. We each got a one month data, text, phone plan by calling our regular AT and T before we left. It cost $30 each and I was able to call and text and use Google maps to find my way around on my own in Madrid while my husband was working. He could also locate me by using the Find my iPhone app and every time I used my Amex card he got a text telling him there had been a foreign transaction on the card. So I pretty much had to behave myself! You don't have to let Amex know you are traveling, but we did call Mastercard to tell them when and where we would be away. He got a text warning that that card was being used fraudulently because I had used it for two cheap purchases, a sandwich lunch and a small souvenir. When your card is stolen, or the number stolen, thieves quite often start with small purchases to see if you notice. My husband had to quickly call MasterCard to tell them it was me on my own in the big city and not to leave me with a none working card since I only carry that and Amex. I clearly had been behaving myself too much. So hopefully someone else will confirm my general answer to your inquiry.

PaulineM

Sealord wrote:

Do you need a data plan for Europe to use this app on your iPhone?

We have ATT , and iPhone 6 phones - and yes, we purchased a data plan - the smallest one of 128 MB, at $30 EACH - which cannot be shared, like our domestic data. We also have apps (I do - DH follows my lead with things digital) and can find various hotpots (ATT Passport app). We also have another independent hotspot finder. and we have Skype - the ATT data plan *allows* you to pay $1 a minute for phone calls home, so we will use Skype - and I added a few bucks to Skype, since it also says "Skype WiFi" - do not know yet how that works, but the $ gets you to landlines and non-Skype users, too. I have read on all the reviews of the Prague hotel that the WiFi is AWFUL - I am hoping that this is from business traveler who wanted hi-speed or a lot of data transfer - but I fear that even hotel WiFi is going to be iffy. I also have an app that will let me find all the Starbucks, for example - free WiFi there - and so is MacDonald's if we see one (not my plan to seek one out . . .). We will mainly text - only 2 people at home to reach - but we were in London on July 7, 2005 (our anniversary) when terrorists blew up the buses and subway, and people at home were frantic to not be able to reach us. I was also going to meet an online colleague who lives in London - when she could not reach us, either, she had her daughter - a Police dispatcher - and her husband - and ER physician - look for us, too. Even when we got home to NY, we got calls from the London Police - it seems that awful people will steal cellphones from the injured and dying, and when their FAMILIES call to check on them, will text back "I'm fine - i will call you later . . ". So now wherever we go, the FIRST thing we do is to let them hear our voices, or text a code word that will tell them it is US, and we are fine. Sad that we all have to think like this now - but the world has changed, and we need to keep up. I thought that MAYBE I could get away with using free WiFi and ONLY my domestic data plan - but I guess you get charged for ROAMING anyway - so had to pay the $30 each for the less than 2 weeks. Hey - compared to other highers costs, and other BARGAINS - it all comes out even.

Pauline and Peter- on the eastbound Danube cruise - 6/30.

Sealord

Actually, I have studied the app and the reviews that indicate the Ulmon app works without a data plan. It uses the gps and the map which you download to the phone or ipad. It is not an online map like Google maps. You do have to download the maps you need when you have a good wifi connection or a big data plan. I have been working with Budapest, and Edinburgh (our next trip) locating our hotels and visit sites. Still learning the app, and it is a process!

British

Ah , I see what you mean, it's just like a map but without phone connection will it show where you actually are on the map like google maps? That's what i need when I have a map but still can't figure out where I am and it can talk to me and tell me where to go.

Sealord

British wrote:

Ah , I see what you mean, it's just like a map but without phone connection will it show where you actually are on the map like google maps? That's what i need when I have a map but still can't figure out where I am and it can talk to me and tell me where to go.

It will show where you are on the map. While using it for Edinburgh or Budapest, it keeps giving me a message that says I'm not in the area. But I don't think it will talk to you and give directions. I have not found that feature.

RGM2

Sealord wrote:

Actually, I have studied the app and the reviews that indicate the Ulmon app works without a data plan. It uses the gps and the map which you download to the phone or ipad. It is not an online map like Google maps. You do have to download the maps you need when you have a good wifi connection or a big data plan. I have been working with Budapest, and Edinburgh (our next trip) locating our hotels and visit sites. Still learning the app, and it is a process!

I too have downloaded this APP, its name is actually CityMap2Go by Ulman. Available for iPad/iPhone or Android devices. Have not had occasion to use it yet, but I have downloaded the city maps for Budapest, Vienna, Munich and Berlin. For each map there is information about tours & activities, hotels and attractions. You bring them up by clicking on the "Globe" icon.

Before my cruise I'll be 2 days in Budapest, apparently we'll have some spare time in Vienna too. I'll have a few hours layover in Munich twice and will be 6 days in Berlin.

This app works totally without an internet connection, you only require internet to download the maps that you desire. After that it works OFFLINE!

Whether there is any audio guidance, I doubt it.

A good GPS with Europe maps or other maps on an SD card installed in the GPS will do that.

Hampton

RGM2 wrote:

I am not on these particular cruises, but am taking the Budapest to Amsterdam cruise. Then afterward I will spend a week in Berlin, Germany.

My solution is to bring my very light and thin Garmin Nuvi 3790 with a SD card installed with the Europe map.
I can set it for the "Pedestrian" mode for walking around a new to me city.
No data plan required and I can set wherever I am as a home favorite so I can find my way back to the hotel or ship.

Just another solution I suppose.

I have also purchased the SD Europe map for my Garmin Nuvi 3590. Glad to hear others have also thought this to be a good idea. Hope it works as well as it appears it will.

Hampton

RGM2 wrote:

I am not on these particular cruises, but am taking the Budapest to Amsterdam cruise. Then afterward I will spend a week in Berlin, Germany.

My solution is to bring my very light and thin Garmin Nuvi 3790 with a SD card installed with the Europe map.
I can set it for the "Pedestrian" mode for walking around a new to me city.
No data plan required and I can set wherever I am as a home favorite so I can find my way back to the hotel or ship.

Just another solution I suppose.

I have also purchased the SD Europe map for my Garmin Nuvi 3590. Glad to hear others have also thought this to be a good idea. Hope it works as well as it appears it will.