100 River Cruise Blogs--Comprehensive and Accurate River Cruise Content That is Ad Free

100 River Cruise Blogs—Comprehensive and Accurate River Cruise Content That is Ad Free

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

Here is a bold statement—we have the best river cruise blog for 3 reasons—it is accurate: comprehensive; and ad free.

After writing our blog for over five and half years, I started to reflect on why we write about travel.  I think it is a fair question to ask—why should you read our blog?  Most of you are very busy and often are overwhelmed by emails and online information about travel.

So, why should you take the time to read our blog—especially about river cruising in Europe?  Let’s explore this thought together and decide if you should or should not read our blog!

Some Stunning Statistics

A lot of folks these past 2 years year have visited our website.  Here are the totals from our Squarespace Analytics Report from 2022 and 2023:

• ·                                      2022                2023               

• ·Visits                           46,148             63,950            

• Unique Visitors        40,025             58,837            

• Pageviews                  55,860            75,201           

So, a lot of folks have visited our website and most come from search engines.  Why are they coming to our website?  The answer is our blogs and content on our website, and almost all is about Europe River Cruising (100 blogs) and Europe Travel (106 blogs), our 2 specialties. 

The Starting Point—What is the Purpose of Our Blog?

For me this is a simple answer—our purpose is to make you a better-informed traveler who may need our services.  Sounds simple but it really is much more complex in my mind.

I think there are 4 parts of making you a better-informed traveler. 

First, we want to teach about what good value travel is. 

Second, we want to inspire you and help you visualize your next trip.

Third, we want to provide objective advice, so you can make wise travel choices. 

Forth, we want to help you decide if you should trust Visit Dream Destinations, LLC to plan your trip?

So, let’s evaluate our blog and see if it is worthwhile for you to read our blog and if we deliver on the 4 parts of making you a better-informed traveler.

Our Role as Teachers About Good Value Travel

Good value travel is making the most of your travel dollars.  It is about memorable experiences.  It is about reduced hassles on the trip.  We write often about these topics.  The blog has 7 subtopics.  We write about Ocean Cruising, Europe River Cruising, Europe Travel, Europe Destinations, Best Value Travel, Travel Planning, and Veterans.  By far, the river cruise and Europe travel blogs are the best blogs, but our blogs about Veterans and the history of American soldiers rank very high in Google searches.

The River Cruise Blog Archives (this is blog 100) on our website is an excellent place to learn if river cruising is the right trip for your vacation.  The topics in this section are Our River Cruise Services, River Cruise Line Comparisons, River Cruise Routes, River Cruise Advice and River Cruise Reviews.  Our comparisons of river cruise companies and Europe River Cruise route Guides are especially strong—we are number 1 on Google (or close to number 1) for both topics.  Just remember to skip the ads (sponsored content) to get to the real content.

Most blogs are 2000 words or more and even have as many as 40 pictures taken by us.  This is off the charts content!

On our website we have all our blogs under these categories, so you can find travel or destination advice easily.  We try and write about the advantages and disadvantages of travel to help understand about the suppliers and their benefits to help you achieve your travel goals and how we can guide you to make wise choices.

There is one common theme in each topic –We try to write with the viewpoint of:  Do they care about me and what I need as a traveler? 

In our blogs, we try and establish what we consider as a good relationship with our readers.  We want our readers to think of us as friends who may become clients and help them decide if they need our services.

If we take the next step in our relationship to client and travel consultant, we still maintain the friend’s mantra.  We treat each of our clients as friends, because we don’t sell travel to clients—we sell travel to friends.  There is a big difference—how your trip goes makes a world of difference to us. 

We like to say we are small enough to deliver personalize service but big and experience enough to get you just the right trip.  We try to match you to just the right experience and make it logical, realistic, and affordable in your price range.

Don’t get us wrong—we do not sell on price—we sell on value.  We try to demonstrate how valuable you are to us in many ways but how many other travel professionals have a Traveler Hall of Fame?  We are proud we could help you travel, and we want to share with others your joy and satisfaction. 

Our Gems of SE Europe River Cruise Group on the AmaVerde April 2024.

St. Patrick’s Day during the 2023 River Cruise Expo in Budapest. From left to right. Diane, Jasmine, Hank, Anne Kristin Karst (Executive VP and co-owner of AmaWaterways and a Hotel manager from AmaWaterways.

Inspiration

We try in our blogs to help you visualize your next trip.  We often talk about our experiences during our travels so you can see if that trip would fit into a trip you might like to take.  There are many pictures in our blogs, most taken by us, to help you visualize the trip in your mind.  Many of you recognize the great pictures Anne takes to document our travels and that is perhaps the best feature of our blogs.  She really makes the places come alive!

Budapest Parliament at Night

Schönbühel castle is 40 meters above the Danube River. Its nickname is the “Watchman of the Wachau Valley. It is over 1000 years old.

The Entrance to Berg Eltz

Pfalzgrafenstein Castle by Kaub. It originally was a toll station. In the background is Gutenfels Castle. These are 2 of the 40 castles built on the Rhine Gorge and always a highlight of a Rhine River Cruise.

We have a truly unique feature on our website—121 Day-by-Day River Cruise Route Itineraries from the 7 different river cruise lines we follow.  If we have been to the port, there are our pictures, not stock pictures. Here are the 7 Links to Our 7 River Cruise Lines Routes:

Our emphasis is always the best possible experience within your price range, and we hope that these pictures will help inspire you to visit a new place or experience a new culture, help celebrate a milestone in your life, or have a bucket list trip you have always dreamed about—especially on a river cruise.

Objective Advice

I recently read that 88% of business bloggers outsource their blog (Source Findstack)!  I was stunned—their blog(s) may have good content but what that tells me is that they are too busy to provide first-hand information or worse don’t have the content to write a decent blog. 

How reliable and objective is that?  Trust me, we write our own blog and the only guest writers are our clients.  It’s funny to me that we get requests and offers from others to write about subjects that have nothing to do with travel to post on our blog—it is crazy that we would even consider this, but the pitches will continue.

Yep, I’m going to spend $10,000 to $20,000 dollars with an advisor who outsources their blog.  We have been on 24 River Cruises—whose advice are you going to trust?

On statistic reported is that most content DYI bloggers spend 6 hours or more writing their blog—we spend at least that or more.  We have several blogs and website first page rankings on Google and our 2000-word blog is slightly above the 1,447 words average (source 20 Business Blogging Statistics That Will Blow your Mind May 28, 2023).

We are about great, accurate content and we don’t use the constant annoying pop-up ads, or any ads which are almost insulting to intelligent readers.  Never fear--we are not like travel writers or even agents that get paid for ad clicks.  We are not desperate for money from our blog—we want to help you understand the confusing world of river cruising.

With over 29 years of experience selling travel to many satisfied clients, we know both what you need to make your travel experience better and the knowledge of what is available to match you with just the right vacation.  Although some authors, pundits and influencers believe that 16 posts are the correct number each month, we steadfastly believe that is massive overkill—Who wants a constant stream of information 4 times a week?  We prefer once a week with great content, as it is best for you and us—it shows our respect for your time.

We have extensive first-hand knowledge and do comprehensive research on trips.  We have planned hundreds of successful trips to delighted clients and we are eager to plan yours.  Would you like a little proof? 

Ask for one of our 50 Europe City travel guides—we wrote them, not some other person or company—just go to our website, click on the region of Europe you want to visit and then click on the city, and we will send you the guide (if you are not a current client there is a limit of 1 guide).  We have visited 45 of 50 cities we write about and have awesome pictures to go with these guides.

Or click on one of our many PowerPoint presentations on our web site or visit our Resource Section of our website to get travel tips (www.dreamdestinations.com).

We also have 51 river cruise port guides available on our website—they are also free only if you are current client.

There is one common thread here—almost 98% is our own pictures or written by us—in truth, it would be hard to find many travel professionals who have been to so many of the places we sell.  If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know we know our stuff.  As I used to say as a coach, when evaluating good football players, “he is the real deal!”  Well folks, we are the real deal!

Should I trust Dream Destinations LLC to Plan My trip?

Trust and integrity are valuable traits and, in my judgement, in short supply in our country.  Too many make promises they can’t or won’t keep. 

My whole life has been devoted to service after graduating from West Point—20 years as a US Army Officer, 20 years as a coach and teacher and 28 years helping others travel to the right location. 

Anne is equally dedicated to trust and integrity—she always thinks about what is best for our clients, every single time.  We think trust is the cornerstone of our relationship with you.

We try to under promise and over deliver a great travel experience for you.  We strive to make your travel experience better by helping you make wise choices, eliminate hassles, and help you get the best value for your money.  You are never on your own when you trust us to help you and ever year, we solve complex problems in the planning phase and during the trip.  I like to say we are just an email, text, or phone call away.

In short, while working with us, we want to provide a trip that will exceed your expectations.  I guess the best thing we can provide you is some comments by some of our clients.  All over the website is testimonials from our friends who we have helped travel through the years.

We are proud to have helped them and look forward to helping as many as possible in the future.

We don’t charge fees—we feel we are adequately compensated by our vendors and since the price is already built in, you basically get our services for free,

One final point—we expect you to be reasonable when you contact us—we have set procedures to ensure that you are properly advised about a potential trip, but some expect instantaneous responses, which is just impossible.  It will be a correct response but not hurried.  Great trips require time to properly plan and unless it is truly urgent, we will take the time necessary to do it right.

Our Final Thoughts

We hope our blog is worth your time to read.  As you can see, there is much more than these brief thoughts to describe the value of our blogs—especially for river cruising.

I think we help you become a more informed traveler by being good teachers, providing inspiration, providing objective information, and developing trust.  If our blog has helped get more knowledge about travel, then we have done our job and the blog is worth your time to read.

Thanks to the many who take time out of their busy lives to read the blog—we love you folks!

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And you want someone who can help you with the decision-making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 51 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Some Internet Articles Spread Confusion About Europe River Cruises

Some Internet Articles Spread Confusion About Europe River Cruises

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

We almost exclusively specialize in European River Cruises and European travel.  It often has us researching every aspect of river cruising.

Lately some press articles published just are not effective in helping you decide which river cruise to take, or even if you should use our services.

I guess I’m going to call out some really smart and good intended authors, but in my humble opinion, their focus is either misguided or misses the crucial reasons to take a Europe River cruise.

Let me be clear—it is excursions first and last.  I’m going to shout it out-- Focus on Excursions to Decide Which Europe River Cruises is Right for You!!

A Professor Tells You Travel Agents Are No Longer Needed

In an article published on 23 March 2024 in Fortune, Andrew C. Spieler, a distinguished professor in business and finance at Hofstra University, compares real estate agents to travel agents.  He said, “You just don’t need them”.  His reasoning—the internet provides all you need.

Perhaps he is right for simple trips but let me counter this with facts from our 50 clients booked on Europe River cruises in 2024—35 have never been on a river cruise, and all told us the same thing—the information about river cruises in Europe was so confusing, they wanted help to decide how to get the best value for a trip that costs at least $10,000 to $20,000.  And when they learned we don’t charge any fees, as the commission we receive is already built into the price, they are getting our unbiased advice basically for free.

So, Mr. Spieler, the 35 first-time cruisers and our 15 long-term clients, disagree with your bold statement as to our value, as do we.  Great Headline but a disservice to professionals who do add value. 

Dr. Spieler, you are a distinguished real estate expert, and I only graduated from West Point and also have two master’s degrees, but I learned critical thinking skills in these schools, and your flippant statement is not worthy of a man of your stature and academic skills—in the real world many folks need our expertise and help.

The Points Guy

In an article yesterday (2 April 2024) from Gene Sloan, on a free trip from Avalon Waterways, extolled the virtues of Avalon Alegria (their new ship in Portugal) for their bed facing view, spacious showers, and different colored towels in the staterooms (his and hers).  While I totally agree with their lovely staterooms (all their ships in Europe have the same bed facing view), he avoids the critical decision point for taking a river cruise—the excursions.

Perhaps in fairness, since this is a 4 day PR cruise event, the excursions experiences were not his subject matter. However, read on—you will learn more about my thoughts on this bed placement room arrangement.

A great example of an Avalon Panoramic Suite with the large glass window.

Actually, the hype about the bed facing the view is part of Avalon’s key selling points.  I cannot support this point of view.  First, the amount of time spent lying in bed, watching the river scenes go by is minimal at best or should be minimal.  Second, a slight turn of your head on different river cruise ships provides the same view, perhaps not as comfortable as the Avalon stateroom, but even that is a stretch.  Mr. Sloan writes constantly about these staterooms, and I respect his opinion and 30 years of experience writing about cruises, but I differ in their overall value in selecting a river cruise line.

I should also point out that an opposing river cruise line told travel advisors in the 2023 River Cruise Expo that their line did not use the window view concept used by Avalon because it makes the guest feel the river more than other bed placement options.  Having sailed on a ship with the bed facing the balcony window (the AmaMagna), I promise you this is a myth, as the stateroom ride was similar to our other 22 Europe River Cruises.

If stateroom is the only criteria, I’d still be torn between several lines, but my guess is that Avalon and Uniworld would fare better than we rate them overall.

An Interesting Interview with the President of Avalon Waterways

I just finished reading an interview in Travel Market Report about Avalon’s Pam Hoffee today on 3 April 2024.  She is the president of Avalon Waterways.  I got a chance to meet her briefly last year and found her very warm and personable.  What caught my eye about this interview was her advice to travel advisors about who to target as potential clients.  She said, “River Cruisers, when they pick a brand, tend to stick with that brand.”  “There are very few that switch between brands, but most are very much entrenched in the brand they love.”

I realize this is just another reason we are so valuable to our clients—we match them to their preference as first-time river cruisers by knowing which line will probably be best for them.  It just further reinforces our thoughts that all river cruise lines deliver a great vacation, probably the best trip most folks can take as part of a Europe vacation, but the initial choice may be more important than many feel it is.

So, what should you focus on after reading these 3 points of view?  Excursions during the Cruise!

Destination and Itinerary of the Cruise—You First Consideration

With good route options available to our clients, the most important factor we find is what they will see and experience during their river cruise.

River cruising is all about the destinations.  Even though I have been traveling to Europe for over 52 years and we have led several group tours, I could not do what the river cruise companies do in one week—these folks are experts in showing you the best sights in the least amount of time.

It is truly a unique way to see the interior of a country.  It is different from a land-based tour and different from an ocean cruise.

You usually dock very near or right at the destination of the day and there is a tour or place to see every day—no sea days like on a big ocean cruise ship.  Being near or in the center of the city, town, or village you are about to explore is a big advantage.  In five minutes, all guests are off the boat and seeing the sights. 

Most lines also offer different groups during the tours—regular, active walkers or gentle walkers, so your desired way to see the destination is matched with your tour.

So, now you know what route appeals to you, what should you also consider?  Extra Charges for Excursions!!

Excursion Extra Charges—A Real Negative for River Cruisers

To me, this is a charge that should be included in the fare, although some charges are understandable and reasonable, in my humble opinion. 

Only Scenic and Tauck do not charge for any tours available to their guests. 

AmaWaterways only charges for the Vienna concert in their Europe cruise routes (I was told that they were losing money by making reservations for the nighttime concert when too many folks decided not to attend after signing up to go either from being too tired or having a bit too much to drink with dinner).  To me that is reasonable.  These 3 companies get our best rating for quality and quantity of excursions.

The quality of the excursions offered and the quantity at each port is also a key factor in selecting your river cruise company and is also as important as the price.  When you see charges that seem high for more exciting tours, it causes one to muse that the price is not what it seems to be on the advertised cruise fare.

We have now completed 122 different day-by-day route descriptions with our pictures on our website for the 7 different lines we follow, so you can really evaluate the differences between lines. You will see some of the sample slides as images in this blog. Many have over 50 to 100 slides in the day-by-day descriptions along with our pictures—we use the cruise lines descriptions to provide an balanced, comprehensive description of the route.

Uniworld and Viking make my worst offenders list. 

Uniworld, which promotes itself as an all-inclusive line, has some significant charges on its Rhine Route for example, but at least they are up front and specify the amount of charges online.  On another route in Holland and Belgium, they actually charge extra to go to Kuekenhof Gardens to the tune of $81.00 per person, which is the highlight of most Holland cruises during the 6 weeks in Spring the gardens are open.  To me this is just a charge that gouges clients. 

Uniworld Extra Charge to see Kuekenhof Gardens—should be included in our opinion

They also sometimes describe a feature on a tour, that it is impossible to determine what you will actually see (like some proof—in Brussels on one tour they emphasize waffles over and over, you will drive by 3 sights, but it never mentions if you will go into the square of guild houses, that most consider the prettiest in all Europe, or if you will visit Manneken Pis, the child fountain statute who wears constantly changing costumes). Here is the slide:

After reading this, do you have any idea what you will actually see? We don’t!

Part of what you could to see in the main square in Brussels

Manneken Pis, the child fountain statute who wears constantly changing costumes—here he is as a patient. Photo Anne Schrader

Viking, however, is the worst offender in my opinion—for example, on each cruise they include only 6 excursions on an 8-day cruise and the rest result in extra charges.  To make matters worse, it is extremely difficult to ferret out these charges—most guests receive a printed sheet in their stateroom of the optional charges which can add as much as 500 to 1000 euros to a fare.

Here is an example from their Rhine cruise:

This is a sample of what you would see on a Viking port stop in Strasbourg. Note there is one included tour and two optional tours.

This is a sample of what might be charged to a guest on a Rhine Cruise. Usually we don’t know how much they charge for an optional tour.

The Flammkuchen for 2 with beers costs us 32 Euros which we did on our own—makes the price of the limited tour seem excessive! It’s true we didn’t make it, but many recipes are available to learn how to make this simple dish.

All 16 of the sailing day-by-day sailing routes provided by Viking on our website have extra charges.  Usually, it is 2 or 3 every day that have extra charges.  Unless you like the one included excursion, or can wander on your own, it is going to cost you extra to take these optional excursions.  I have been told by some in our industry that this is a huge money maker for Viking, so it is unlikely that they will change this practice.

Here is probably my favorite example of how Viking uses optional excursion to the max extent possible. On Viking’s Grand Europe Tour in Vienna with a 2 day stop, they offer 8 excursions and there is an extra charge for 7 of these tours. It is quite possible to do some of these tours on your own, since Vienna has a great subway system which allows visitors to get to most of these places on there own. We do it all the time during our river cruise stops. The point of this is exactly the shore excursion mentality of Viking—on their most popular route they work hard to get extra money for tours.

On the first day in Vienna on their Grand Tour route, they offer 1 included tour and 4 optional tours.

On the second day in Vienna, all excursions are extra cost.

Here is the day 13 shore excursions—all extra cost.

Avalon and Emerald do charge extra for some tours, but most seem reasonable if you accept the fact that they will charge extra instead of including them in the fare. 

On Avalon for example, I read an article in Travel Weekly that there were 31 options and 23 were included on a Rhone River Cruise and they were priced between $58-$69 per person.  They seem very strong in Active and Discovery tour offerings and also have classic excursions in each port stop. 

For example, they charge extra to go to Kuekenhof Gardens on one route and for some bike excursions on their Holland and Belgium routes.  At least they are clear about extra expenses on their website, without prices, but some like the two above examples just seem excessive and should be included in my opinion.

Here is another example of how you will find out about tours at a port stop and which optional tours have an extra cost.

On the best of the Rhine Route, here is an example of the optional tours offered during this port stop on an Avalon Cruise..

There are 3 optional tours for extra costs—we think the bike tour should be included.

On all of the 22 day-by-day cruise sailing routes provided by Avalon we have completed on our website, all have some extra charges for some excursions.

Emerald charges extra for their DiscoverMore program.  Some may have to be pre-booked prior to departure on the cruise.  Examples are a beer festival in Passau, a guided tour to Pont du Gard or a concert in Vienna. 

To help you determine what costs extra, we have clearly indicated which tours include an extra charges on 14 of the day-by-day sailing routes on our website from the Emerald Brand.

It is clear the 2 DiscoverMore are extra charges on this Emerald Cruise. We just don’t how much they charge

Combined Land Vacations of Pre or Post Land Excursions

The option of adding to their vacation either a pre- or post-excursion is also a key motivating factor for our clients.  Almost all involve an extra fee, but sometimes there are promotions that include complementary pre or post options.

We find that most of our clients want a more in-depth look at some destinations and the land excursions options provide just that.  There are some great places to extend the river cruise experience and it often makes sense to stay for at least a week either before or after a 7-day cruise or both, which most of our clients choose to do.  Long haul flights and flying expenses make a longer stay a better overall value to most of our clients.

Maybe Paris, Budapest, Prague, Lucerne, Zurich, Lake Como, or the Lorie Valley—already you can see the great options directly added by including a tour extension with the river cruise lines or we can help tailor a trip for the more adventurous.

Our Final Thoughts

Wow—some strong opinions here, but I hope we have backed them up with facts.  Please don’t fall into the trap of amenities over excursions—you will miss out on the real reason to go and what you will see and experience.

We also hope the extra costs for excursions is a real eye opener. Excursions should be the focus and perhaps this will help you select the line that best fits your travel expectations.

We hope you enjoyed this report, and it helps you to understand why we enjoy helping folks experience river cruising—it packs so much in so little time yet in a relaxed and fun trip that is hassle free.

Don’t you think it is time you went on a river cruise—we would love to help you get the trip you desire!

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 52 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

The 4 Types of River Cruise Staterooms on 135 Meter Longships

The 4 Types of River Cruise Staterooms on 135 Meter Longships

by Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

Most river cruise companies have 4 types of staterooms on their long ships.  They usually are identified by these terms:  Riverview (fixed window); French Balcony (sliding glass window); balcony; and suites. 

One feature that sometimes surprises folks new to river cruising is there are no inside staterooms—most river cruise ships only have room for 2 staterooms and a hallways on the deck levels.  This is a result of lock restrictions which can accommodate 135 meters long (443 feet) and 11.58 meters (38 feet) wide. 

It can sometimes be very confusing trying to figure out the different approaches to staterooms by various river cruise lines.

Balconies or lack of balconies is often one of the keys defining differences between river cruise lines in stateroom cabin accommodations.  This blog should help you understand each line’s approach to staterooms and should help you evaluate whether a fixed window, a balcony, and what type of balcony, or a suite would be best for your river cruise.

On river cruise ships, there are 6 possible views from your river cruise cabin stateroom.  They are: 1) a small window, 2) a large window, 3) a French balcony (a sliding glass door), 4) a balcony with a window that opens halfway, 5) an outside balcony, and 6) a twin balcony.  Suites can be a combination of balconies, with walk-out access, just larger French balconies or balconies and fixed windows combined.

Deck Designs of a River Cruise Ship

River cruise ships have 4 decks, but the upper deck, often called the sun or sky deck, is just a roof.  There are guest cabins on the remaining 3 decks. 

Deck 1 (the lowest deck) is for crew, with some guest staterooms and may have some public areas.  Decks 2 and 3 have guest cabins and other public areas.  Balcony cabins are only allowed on the upper two decks (2 & 3) of a river cruise ship. 

Balcony cabins are always more expensive than window cabins. On the first deck, nearest to the river line, all cabins only have small or large windows, but most only have the small windows.  There is a very good safety reason that only windows are allowed on Deck 1, as the windows are just a few feet from the water line.  The cabins with only small windows are usually the least expensive cabins on each ship. 

Suites, with their larger space, are always the most expensive staterooms on a rivership.

My best guess is that it costs at least 32 million dollars to build a 135-meter river cruise ship today. The costs really vary depending upon the interior design and features. The trend is toward more elegant staterooms and higher costs..

I also have read that the Viking ships that sail on the Mississippi cost from 90 to 100 million dollars to build but these ships do not have the height and length restrictions as do European 135-meter ships.

So, with that background, let’s explore river cruise cabin staterooms on the 135-meter cruise ships that are the most common ships in Europe.

AmaCerto 2014 Twin Balcony Stateroom

What are the 7 Major River Cruise Companies that Market to US Travelers?

There are currently 7 companies who are the primary suppliers of river cruises to the US market.  They are 1) AmaWaterways, 2) Avalon, 3) Emerald, 4) Scenic, 5) Tauck, 6) Uniworld, and 7) Viking.  Each of these companies usually have different approaches to their staterooms on their river cruise ships. 

AmaWaterways (78--81 Cabins)

AmaWaterways has 15 fixed windows staterooms on their long ships.  They vary between 160 square feet to 170 square feet in size.  Here are some pictures of these staterooms:

Fixed Windows StateroomPhoto AmaWaterways

Fixed Windows Diagram AmaWaterways

Since 2009, when we took our first cruise on AmaWaterways, we have watched balcony cabins evolve on our favorite river cruise line.  At first, they only had French balconies on all cabins in the upper two decks.

In 2010, starting with the AmaBella, they introduced the concept of twin balconies— ½ French balcony inside and ½ balcony outside.  Since that time, all 135 m river ships on AmaWaterways use the twin balcony concept.  No other river cruise line at present uses this concept for most of their upper deck cabins, although Viking does use twin balconies on a limited number of their suites.

Outside view Twin Balconies Stateroom

Inside View Twin Balcony Stateroom Photo Anne Schrader

Twin balconies really are the best of both worlds—outside when the weather is good or inside with the sliding glass doors of the French balcony at other times.  While there are a few French balconies on the upper two decks of their 135 m longships (they call them Cat C cabins), all the remaining 49 have the twin balconies.  65 of the 81 cabins on the 135 m long ships have balconies.  Here are some pictures of the twin balconies and French balconies we have taken on various cruises:

Twin Balcony Stateroom

Twin Balcony Bathroom Photo Anne Schrader

Suites are 2 rooms in one cabin on the 135-meter ships.  There are either 3 or 4 suites on the 135-meter ships and they are either 300 sq feet or 350 sq. feet.  Enjoy our pictures here:

Suite Diagram from AmaWaterways

AmaSiena Cruise Ship

AmaSiena Suite Bedroom Photo Anne Schrader

AmaSeina Suite Bathroom Photo Anne Schrader

This suite has a bathtub—a rare luxury on a River Cruise ship Photo Anne Schrader

AmaKristina Sitting Area

AmaKristina Suite Bedroom Area

AmaKristina Bathroom

Avalon (83 Cabins)

The Avalon Impression

Avalon has 16 fixed window staterooms that are 172 sq. feet.  Each has two small windows.

Avalon uses French Balconies only.  They call their concept an Open-Air Balcony.  This concept is that the whole stateroom is the balcony, with the bed facing the window and it has larger windows of 11 feet in the Panorama suites.  They heavily promote the “wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling” windows of their staterooms.  68 of the 84 cabins on their longships have the Open-Air Balcony concept. 

Panorama Suite

Panorama Suite

An important part of their Open-Air concept is that this preserves cabin space, as an actual walk out balcony takes living space from the cabin.

A good view of the total 11 foot balcony stateroom

There are 2 suites on their longships at 300 sq. feet.

Suite Bedroom

Suite Sitting Area

Emerald (91 Cabins)

Emerald Sun

Emerald has 19 fixed window staterooms on the first deck.  They are 162 square feet.

Fixed window stateroom Photo Anne Schrader

All Emerald ships on the 2 upper levels have balconies.  They call their balconies an open-air system and it uses a button to lower the window horizontally halfway down from the closed position.  72 of their 91 cabins on their 135 m longships have the open-air system.  Here are some pictures of the Emerald Sun balconies from a ship inspection we did in 2015:

Panorama Balcony Stateroom between 160 square feet and 180 square feet Photo Anne Schrader

Emerald has staterooms that they call suites that range from 180 square feet (23 cabins) and 210 square feet (7 cabins) and 4 true suites at 315 square feet (using comparable suite classifications used by most river cruise lines).  They are on the top deck called the Horizon Deck.

Grand Balcony Suite 210 sq feet Photo Anne Schrader

Scenic (80-82 Cabins)

Scenic Opal Photo Anne Schrader

There are 11 fixed window staterooms on the 3 types of Scenic 135-m ships.  They are all 160 square feet.

Scenic features a balcony they call the Sun Lounge—at a push of a button, the glass enclosed lounge converts to an open-air balcony by going horizontally down halfway—it is awesome!  All cabin categories on the upper two decks have full balconies with the Sun Lounge.  68 of the 81 cabins on their 135 m longships have the Sun Lounge (the suites may have a slightly different set up).  Here are some pictures of the Sun Lounge from our 2015 Scenic Opal cruise:

Sundowner Balcony Photo Anne Schrader

Balcony Stateroom Photo Anne Schrader

There is one Royal Owner’s suites midship at a whopping 520 square feet.  There other large suites include the Royal Panorama Suite, most of which are 325 square feet (2 are 475 square feet) and a Royal Balcony Suite at 315 square feet (5 ships have one stateroom this size; 3 ships have 3 staterooms this size).

Tauck (67 Cabins)

Tauck Emerald Photo Anne Schrader

The Tauck Treasures Rivership. It is clear from this photo there are no outside balconies on this ship Photo Hank Schrader

The some of the fixed window cabins on Tauck are different and unique than other river cruise lines.  It has 8 cabins that are called loft cabins—they have a sitting area loft that is raised up from the rest of the cabin area and extends from the first deck to the second deck (they are 225 square feet and listed as category 3).  There are 6 fixed windows at 150 square feet that are the more traditional fixed windows without the loft concept.  All of these are on deck 1, called the Emerald deck.

Tauck river cruise ships have only French Balconies.  55 of the 67 cabins on their 135 m long ships have balconies.  23 of these cabins are on deck 2, which they call the Ruby deck, and most are 225 square feet.

22 of the 67 cabins are 300 sq feet (they call them category 7 staterooms)—they are on deck 3 which they call the Diamond deck and have 2 French Balconies.  8 of the 10 category 5 are 225 square feet (the other 2 are 190 square feet). 

Uniworld (75 or 76 or 79 cabins on the true 443 ft ships; 64 on the 410 ft ship)

The stern of the Uniworld River Royale

Uniworld, with its elaborately decorated boutique river ships, really has different staterooms sizes on each ship.  Each stateroom is different.

Uniworld also has made 2 significant changes to its fleet. They have sold their 2 black A and B riverboats which were designed to appeal to a younger crowd.

Uniworld has sold their A and B Black ships Photo Anne Schrader

They also have leased 2 of the elegant former Crystal riverships from Riverside. It is my understanding that one will be in service this year (2024)with minimal changes from the Crystal brand and I just don’t have enough information to properly tell you about this 135-meter ship.

The fixed window cabins measure 162 or 163 square feet and there are 9 or 10 on most ships.

There are 4 ships that are longships—4 at 443 feet and 1 at 410 feet.  The larger 135 m longships have French balconies on the second deck and the upper deck. On their 135 m ships 62 (68 if you count the suites) of the 77 staterooms have French balconies only (sliding door that must be opened manually).   

The 6 suites include one at 415 square feet (the Grand Suite) and 5 suites at 305 square feet on the SS Catherine; two Grand Suites.  The suites have a system similar to Avalon, that can open the French Balcony with a button control.

Viking (95 cabins)

Front view of a Viking Ship in port in Cologne.

A good view of the Balcony Staterooms on a Viking Longship. The bottom row of fixed windows on deck 1 are the fixed window staterooms. Photo Anne Schrader

The Viking Jarl. This shows clearly the French Balcony side of the Viking Longship Design Photo Anne Schrader

Viking on its 70 longships in Europe at present (they have total fleet of over 100 river and ocean cruise ships) use a patented off-center deck on their upper two decks of their riverboats. This allows for one side of the ship to have verandas (outside balconies) and the opposite side has French balconies.

Not to be satisfied with their numbers of longships, I understand they plan to add 5 more in 2025 and another 5 more in 2026 in Europe. This will just expand their dominance on the rivers, as they now have at least 25% of all river cruise ships in Europe. Currently there are over 350 river cruise ships in Europe operated by 27 different companies, according to CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association)—I got this from taking their new online class about river cruising.

There are 25 standard cabins with fixed windows on the main deck that are 150 square feet.

39 state rooms (205 sq ft) have outside verandas. 

39 staterooms have 205 sq ft outside verandas Diagram from Viking River Cruises

22 staterooms (135 sq ft) have French balconies. 

135 square foot French Balcony

70 of the 95 staterooms have balconies.  The outside balconies have 2 mesh chairs and a small drink table.

There are 2 large Explorer suites (445 sq ft) at the aft end of the ship that have wrap around balconies and 7 veranda suites (275 sq ft) with an outside balcony and a French balcony on the upper deck. 

Varanda Suite Diagram from Viking River Cruises.

Veranda Suite Bedroom

Explorer Suite Diagram

How To Decide If a Balcony is Important for your Cruise Experience.

Most river cruise guests spend most of their waking hours outside their cabins either in the main lounge or on the top deck, when they are not eating, or on tour.  While a private balcony of any type is cool and a great luxury, we have seldom spent more than an hour on any of our balconies during any cruising day (24 river cruises).

 I will admit, though, it is tough to beat having a bottle of wine together on your private balcony—a great escape and some quality together time.  That alone, makes a balcony important to us—it really doesn’t matter if it is a French Balcony or an outside veranda or a twin balcony—it all is good (but we lean to the outside balcony)! 

It is important to realize due to limited docking space, river ships often raft, or tie up next to each other, so your wonderful view now becomes a view into someone else’s cabin.  Also, in some ports, the docking location has walls that may obscure views.  There is also no view during time in a lock except to look at the concrete lock walls. 

3 AmaWaterways Ships rafted in Vienna Photo Anne Schrader

A final point to consider is that sailing often is done at night (except in Portugal where sailing is only during daylight hours), so tours can take advantage of daylight hours, and this limits what you are able to see from your balcony during some sailing times.  Even with these limitations, we always prefer a balcony of some type. 

Our Final Thoughts--Should you get a Stateroom with a Balcony?

In my opinion yes!  One of the best things about river cruising is the constant views along the banks of the river and the more you get to see, the better!  We always recommend a cabin on the upper 2 decks for that reason. Another point to consider is that cabins on the river line deck with small windows often only are accessible by stairs and can feel cramped with the limited light from the small window. 

We hope this has helped understand more about fixed window staterooms, and balconies that are offered on the various river cruise lines.  With these interesting, ever changing views, it is easy to see what a great way a river cruise is to explore Europe! 

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50+ years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

The Benefits of Group and Family Travel

The Benefit of Group & Family Travel

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

We have a guest blogger today—our fearless leader of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC—my lovely wife Anne!  So here are Anne’s thoughts:

I know this week’s blog is starting a bit differently and hope you’ll bear with me before I turn it over to the usual, intellectual, and proficient author (this is a bold overstatement of my writing skills—Hank). But I had an idea and wanted to steal a moment of your time.

Anne’s Inspiration for this Blog

Hello!

One thing captured my thoughts today, for a lot of different reasons.  Maybe because it’s the first day of Spring; maybe it’s because we’re planning so many wonderful trips for clients who have become friends through the years (they usually start contact over the phone and through e-mails and have grown into close relationships); and thankfully, so many new people who have taken their desires to travel and have chosen us to assist them when their planning and letting us make their trips to Dream Destinations a reality!

 (See what I did there? I like to think I am the clever one – hahaha!)

Traveling With Clients

Sorry, back to why I’m sharing my thoughts . . .

It has not only been our business, and a tremendous amount of pleasure working with people, but one of the biggest highlights throughout our years, especially since 2009 when we started river cruising, has been traveling with clients. We’ve gone on numerous trips: ocean cruises, river cruises, land tours with people we already knew and some who joined us are no longer strangers. They have become amazing friends, and we continue to have the opportunity of spending time together, exploring Europe.

The Benefits of Europe Group Travel

I’m going to tie this thought of Spring and a new beginning with a look at the past and hope it will encourage you to try something a little different.

How about getting a group of your friends and/or family together to take a trip together in Europe?

I know how difficult it is to arrange schedules, believe me, my sister has been trying to get the 4 of us brothers and sisters, along with our spouses together for years, just for lunch!  Not to mention she’s hoping grandchildren could get time to join us.

But when you make a trip decision that has so much to offer for everyone (perhaps a river or ocean cruise) and no one would have to worry about the headaches that often accompany a group getting-together, like the host finding enough beds for sleeping arrangements, grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning for a group for multiple days, definitely makes the agreement to meet and travel somewhere “neutral” with most obstacles eliminated look pretty enticing!

The additional fact that there is no worry about what to serve for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, doing the dishes, making the beds, making sure there’s plenty of snacks, having enough towels (not to mention keeping bathroom products in stock), the advantage of having options that would provide individual interests and entertainment during the trip removes the thorns and leaves just the rose on the bush!

We’re here to assist you in planning and booking your group trip. As always, we have photos to prove how much fun traveling with others has enhanced our lives and hope you’ll consider it for your travels.

Please enjoy these photos of some of our past groups:

2015 River Cruise Group

2018 River Cruise—Jeff and Hank

2019 River Cruise Group

Part of the 33 Folks on our 2019 75th Anniversary of D Day Group

2014 70th Anniversary of D Day Group

2015 River Cruise Group

2016 River Cruise Group

Alaska Adventure Group 2012

Boin Family Cruise

Emerald River Cruise

Fowler Family in Vience

2013 Cruising for the Cause

Tave Ocean Cruise Group

Paris post river cruise group

2015 River Cruise Group

Schrader Family Ocean Cruise Group

Doyno River Cruise Group

2018 River Cruise with the Thomas Clan

Part of the 2014 D Day Group in London

2016 River Cruise Group

2022 River Cruise—the Howard Family

2022 Part of the River Cruise Group

Our Final Thoughts

Thanks to all of you for letting me sneak in this week and to all of you who have shared your time with us. A big thank you to those in the photos with whom we have made memories.

We’d love to do it again, just give us a call!

Great job Anne—I think we should invite back as a guest blogger soon!

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@visitdd.com .  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 52 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Cool German Water Fountains

Cool German Water Fountains

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

We all know the importance of water to live.  I have read that without water you can survive about 3 days.

It is this vital element of water necessary for survival, that I believe caused humans to decorate their water sources in the medieval towns, to reinforce that access to water in towns and villages was a critical need to sustain life.

So, let’s look at some interesting fountains we have had the privilege of seeing in our travels to Europe in Germany—more than any other country in Europe, I’ve spent over 8 months here, some on temporary duty in the Army and some traveling with Anne.

Along with being beautiful and useful, many times these water features served a dual purpose, especially during the Middle Ages when many could not read. Some of these purposes include: as reminder of their duty to God, requesting protection from their patron saint, and upholding the tenants the Christian Religion; or for political reasons to glorify the rulers of an area; or to emphasize how to live properly (justice fountains); denoting historical events or the primal forces of water; and just to use water as a way to poke fun at life.

Most of these sights are in my favorite parts of Europe—the Old Town Centers or in German, the Altstadt.

I decided to organize these by how and when I saw these fountains. Without really realizing at the time, it helps makes these German fountains more important, as I learned the symbolism behind these water structures..

My First Trip to Europe.

In the summer of 1971, I spent 6 weeks traveling in Europe. I got to visit Germany, Denmark, Austria, Italy, France, Spain and England. Travel was much different then in Europe—my friend and I used traveler checks which we converted into cash for each countries’ currency, we used Europe on 5 Dollars A Day as our guide book, and had a rail pass to travel in between countries.

The first place I visited was Frankfurt, Germany. Due to the division of Germany into East and West Germany after WW II, as a newly commissioned US Army officer, we were not allowed to visit Eastern Germany.

Here is the Frankfurt Old Town Area I first visited in 1971. I loved the Market Square area, its half-timbered buildings, the church and the Justice Fountain. I’m not really sure, I recognized the meaning behind the statue on the column on the first visit, but I did when I finally got to visit again in 2021. Here are our photos of the second visit (all taken by Anne, of course as are all photos that are not watermarked).

Justice Fountain Frankfurt

Old Town Square Frankfurt

Old Town Square St. Nicolas Church

Great tavern in Old town Frankfurt that was once the City Hall (Romer)

Two Castle Fountains During our 2013 Land Visit

With its tall towers, you would guess that Burg Eltz would have a dramatic water feature.  Sadly, this is not the case. It does have a functional system but one would not call it elegant like the other portions of the castle complex. This small spout could be easily overlooked, until you see the detail on the metal water spicket.

The entrance to Berg Eltz

A wonderful picture of the courtyard tunnel to enter Berg Eltz.

This small water feature in the courtyard of Berg Eltz is not very interensting at first glance.

Dragon Faucet in Berg Eltz—this is more like you would expect from this fairy-tale castle.

More in keeping with what one would expect from a castle, this fountain and its gardens of Stolzenfels Castle are just what we crave in well landscaped castle grounds.

Stolzenfels Castle

Stolzenfels Castle taken during a visit to Lanech Castle which is directly across the Rhine

The moat entrance to Stolzenfels Castle

Stolzenfels Castle Gardens and fountain area

Perhaps Germany’s Most Famous Fountain We Have Enjoyed During River Cruises and Land Extensions

The Schoner Brunnen (the Beautiful Fountain) is probably the most famous and unique water fountain in Germany.  The fountain is 19 meters high, was built in the 14th century, and is in the shape of a Gothic spire. There are 40 colorful figures on this fountain and represents important ideas and people of the Holy Roman Empire.

Schoner Brunnen in Nuremberg’s market square.

Another picture of the beautiful fountain in Nuremberg.

Larger City Fountains We Saw During River Cruises and land Extensions

In Frieberg, there are 2 fountains that caught our eye.    The first is really no more than one faucet, but it is so colorful and unique, it deserves a place on this blog.

A small but unique water fountain in Frieberg

The monkey water spout

The large fountain with the lady carrying 2 water pails with her 3 children pops up in the middle of a very modern part of the city.

Woman with two pails and children in Frieberg

Close up of this water fountain in Frieberg

In Koblenz, there are 2 interesting fountains.  The first is very large one, depicting the history of the city.  It is called Historiensaule Fountain.  The fountain in the middle of the square with its 10 meter high historical columns is worth seeing. The artist Jürgen Weber tells the story of the town of Koblenz in 10 overlapping scenes presented three-dimensionally for its 2000 year history.  It is very modern, being constructed in 1992.

Historic Water feature covering the 2000 year history of Koblenz

Base of the History Fountain—wine merchants before the Roman Era

The second is called Schangel Fountain--The Schängel fountain is a monument to the city’s eternal “bad boy” who spits water from his mouth, sometimes getting surprised folks who stopped to admire the water feature wet.  Designed by Carl Burger in 1941, the fountain stands between the Renaissance and Baroque structures of the present Town Hall and the former Jesuit monastery.

The spitting boy water feature.

In Mainz, the ornate Marktbrunnen is large and fancy.  It was donated by the prince elector of Mainz of the Holy Roman Empire, and it is in part a celebration of the military defeat of a rebellion, known as the German Peasant’s Uprising.  This renaissance red sandstone fountain was one of the first in this architectural style in Germany.  Madonna tops this fountain today, holding the baby Jesus—this part was added in 1890.

The Market Fountain of Mainz reminds the peasants about the ruling class power in Mainz

In Munich, we found 2 interesting fountains.  The first is the Wittelsbacher (the sculptor) Brunnen located in the Lenbach Platz.  It was created between 1893 and 1895.  The fountain depicts the primal forces of water.

The Wittelsbach Fountain is dedicated to the rulers of Bavaria. The two mounted figures are allegorical figures, representing the positive and negative aspects of water. On the left, a young man on a seahorse throws a stone—it represents the destructive power of water, The woman water nymph, riding a bull and holding a goblet, is the positive power of water.

The last one is near the Karlstor gate on the city side inside what used to be the walled city. The decorations on the gate reflect a snub to the rulers of the day, and I speculate this fountain is part of that spirit.  It is probably, an extension of the artist creators idea, “if you got it, flaunt it!”

This fountain of a naked boy throwing water on a Satyr, who spits water on the boy, was considered scandalous when it was first displayed in 1895. The naked boy was never covered up.

Quaint Village Fountains Almost Only From River Cruises

In Bamburg the Gabelmann (fork man) is a statue above a water well.  It is a statue of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea, holding his 3-pronged fork or trident.  He is located in the pedestrian part of Bamburg, at the Gruner Markt ( or Green Market in English). Locals use him as a good meeting place.  Here is a photo of this good meeting place:

Neptune Fountain Bamburg

In Bernkastel, a favorite fountain is the Bear Fountain.  This is a newer fountain erected in 1968 and pays homage to the heraldic symbol of city, the bear.

Bear Fountain Bernkastel

In Cochem there are 2 interesting fountains.  In the town square, the St. Martin fountain (Martinsbrunnen) shows St. Martin on horseback, using his sword to cut his cloak in half to give to the shivering man.  St Martin is the patron saint of Cochem.

St. Martin Fountain in Cochem

Goat Fountain, Cochem, Germany. The story of this fountain is a goat was accused of eating grapes just before harvest time which was illegal. So, to find the truth, they placed the goat in a winepress and instead of white blood, the goat bled red—it was found not guilty but paid with its life. Poor idea from medieval times.  Here is a photo of the unfortunate creature:

Goat Fountain in Cochem

In Miltenberg, there is an excellent fountain in what some call the most beautiful square in all of Germany.  It is made of red sandstone and constructed around 1583.  At the top of the column is a figure that represents justice.  In one hand is the sword and the other the scales of justice.

Market Square Miltenberg

Justice Fountain Miltenberg

Passau

Here is a fountain we found in front of the Bishop New Residence in Pasau. Mary is on top of the column and at her feet are 3 Angels. The Angels symbolize the meeting of the 3 rivers at Passau—the Danube Angel wears ears of wheat in her hair; the Ilz Angel wears pearls; and the Inn Angel wears a Tyrolean hat.

A second Wittelsbach Fountain, It was built in 1903 to commemorate Passau being part of Bavaria for 100 years

It should come as no surprise that Rothenburg ober der Tauber (land and river cruise) makes the list with several fountains, as it is the best-preserved medieval town in Germany due to the intact walls protecting the city. Since it was high above the Tauber River, this geographical location resulted in over 40 wells dug in the city to make water more accessible to the town.

In market square, the St. George Fountain is impressive.  It was built in 1608.  The legend behind the slaying of the dragon by St. George is that the dragon was terrorizing the folks of Rothenburg and to distract the dragon and get water, the citizens offered up a human sacrifice each day.  When the kingdom’s princess became the chosen one for the offering, St. George attacked and slayed the dragon to free the people of this torment.  That is why his heroism is celebrated in many places in Europe.  The fountain is the largest in Rothenburg. 

St. George’s Fountain Rothenburg

St. George’s Fountain with Meat and Dance Hall building in the background

Perhaps the most famous fountain in Rothenburg is in this picture, but the small fountain is not the key sight in this picture—it is the background surrounding this fountain.  It is the Plönlein, the small square and fountain, in front of the colorful, crooked building.  With 2 impressive towers, and two diverging roads in the background, it has become the iconic picture of Rothenburg.

One of the most iconic views of Rothenburg

The Plönlein, the small square and fountain

Here is another fountain that we liked.

St. John’s Fountain.. In the background, the Siebers Tower is visible.

. The Herrn Fountain (Gentry Fountain) in Rothenburg.

A Rothenburg Fountain

In Trier (land and river cruise) the elegant St. Peter’s Fountain was constructed in 1595.  St Peter is the patron saint of Trier.  Around the columns are the cardinal virtues—justice with the sword and the scales; strength, with a broken column; moderation with wine and water; and wisdom with a mirror and a snake.

Market Square Trier. In the background is St. Peter’s Fountain on the left.

St. Peter’s Fountain Trier. You can see 2 of the large figures near the basin that represent the virtues. On the left is Temperance and on the right is Prudence.

St. Peter’s Fountain in Treir

In Wertheim, the Angel Fountain is a well-known landmark.  Built in 1574, the red sandstone fountain features 2 angels that carry the coat of arms of Wertheim.  The other 8 figures are important people from the past that were responsible for the building of this well. It is in an awesome setting with the half-timbered buildings framing the fountain sculpture.

One view of the Angel Fountain Wertheim. This photo shows the pulley system used to get the water by townsfolk.

Another view of the Angel Fountain Wertheim

Angel Fountain Wertheim. On top from this view the Coat of Arms of Wertheim is easy to see.

Wurzburg

There are 2 great fountains in this city. The first is the Vierrohrenbrunnen. At each corner of the obelisk column, are 4 women representing the 4 virtues—Justice, Fortitude, Temperance and Prudence. On top of the fountain is a Franconian man.

This fountain is sometimes called the 4 tubes fountain, as water-spouting dolphins help fill the water basin. It is in Wurzburg.

The next fountain is outside the front entrance of the Residenz Palace. This is known as the Franconian Fountain and it was designed to symbolize Franconia.

This water feature is outside the Residenz Palace in Wurzburg. It was created to symbolize Franconia. The figure on top of the column is holding the Franconian flag in one hand and a laurel wreath in the other hand. The 3 other figures at the base of the sculpture are 3 prominent middle ages artists—a painter, a poet, and a sculptor.

Our Final Thoughts

Germany has some great sights and I’m sure these fountains didn’t disappoint!  We hope you learned a little bit about these water features and the message they conveyed to those who used them.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And you want someone who can help you with the decision-making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you with high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Relationships Matter

Relationships Matter

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

Relationships matter.  It is the foundation of our business.  In simple terms, we try to create a partnership that benefits us both.

We are fortunate to help over 100 folks this year on curated trips that we have planned to help our clients have great vacations.  This is very important to us that we get them the best possible trip that they desire along with their budget and time constraints.

So, let’s explore what relationships we desire to make with the folks we are lucky enough to help in the past, this year and on to the future.

Our Core Principles

We want to be your trusted travel advisor.  For me, a trusted travel advisor puts the client first.

We spent a lot of time thinking about who we wanted to be in the business world.  It first started with our mission statement.

Our mission is: Anne & Hank Schrader, of Visit Dream Destinations LLC, are certified travel professionals who will provide you with the highest quality, expertly planned domestic and foreign leisure travel with a focus on cruises, European river cruises and European vacations for discriminating travelers.

Our Tag Line—Savor life . . . make memories . . . Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey starts here!

I think it really sums us up—we are all about creating trips that are exceptional; that will help you enjoy life better; make unforgettable memories by traveling to great places; and it all starts with us.

But what does this mean for you? 

I think it means we have to develop a way to work with you to achieve our mutual goals of a great trip.

For us, it boils down to the core values of trust, knowledge, and care.

Our Services

It is no secret that our primary business is European River Cruises.  We believe that for many of our clients, this is a great opportunity to see a lot of Europe in an efficient and luxury style.  It is also a style of travel where we can add significant value to our clients. 

We are really educators to teach our clients about what is possible and how they can enjoy these travel opportunities.  I like to call them educated travelers.

I think there are 4 characteristics of an educated traveler.  They are: 1) They look for engaging travel experiences; 2) They look for enriching travel experiences; 3) They look for transforming experiences and 4) They like to collaborate with locals at their destinations.  Maybe not on every aspect of their trip, but on at least part of their trip.

Here some picture examples of what an educated travel can learn and experience:

Anne and I in front of the famous step pyramid in Egypt. This structure is over 4,700 years old and is among the oldest remaining intact structure in the world.

The entrance to the great Temple of Karnak. The sheer size of the Temple with 134 columns is overwhelming. I could only imagine an ancient peasant coming to worship and feeling the awe and power of their gods and the pharaoh Ramses II.

A model of the ship from the Red Star line that brought immigrants from Europe to the New World. This museum documents the entire journey from Europe, what the folks who bought tickets went through, and how difficult the who process was for them. This museum in in Antwerp Belgium.

The Pont du Gard Aqueduct crosses the Gardon River in France. The Roman aqueducts were amazing feats on engineering, figuring out a small gradient drop to bring fresh water from a source to another place. The precision required to get the flow just right is stunning—in the 31 miles the change in gradient is only 12 meters (a little over 36 feet). This aqueduct was part of a system that brought fresh water 31 miles to the city of Nimes.

Sometimes just trying different foods, or traditional dress helps you learn about new cultures. We have learned a lot about our Scottish roots by attending festivals and wearing traditional dress

Hank in his kilt

Anne in her kilt

When you look at travel in this manner, it becomes clear that the reason for your travel to a new destination or an old destination, is that you are looking for experiences. 

To get those experiences for you, we rely on our core values of care, knowledge, and trust.

So, do we care about you, have enough knowledge to help you and do you trust us?

I don’t think a good educator can be effective without excellent knowledge (I would also add experience) and being able to match you to the right trip for your travel style.  The last part is the care and trust part—is it right for you?

I honestly don’t think you will find many who are in our industry as advisors, who know as much about Europe River cruises and travel to Europe as we do.  We have taken 24 river cruise, traveled to Europe between the two of us for 52 years and we love developing excellent relationships to enhance our value to you.

On our website, we have about 115 day-by-day cruise itineraries for 7 different cruise lines we follow.  There is no other resource like this I can find on the web that includes personal pictures of the port stops.  We speak from firsthand knowledge.

The next part of this blog addresses the care and trust portion of our relationship.

Why Bother to Use us—What are the Benefits to You?

We strive to make your travel experience better by helping you make wise choices, eliminate hassles, and help you get the best value for your money. 

We treat each of our clients as friends, because we don’t sell travel to clients—we sell travel to friends.  There is a big difference—how your trip goes makes a world of difference to us.

Our 2019 Cruise group in the Chef’s Table on a AmaWaterways cruise—they are friends, not clients

We often say we are small enough to deliver personalized service but big and experience enough to get you just the right trip.  With almost 30 years of experience as travel advisors, it is always a pleasure to help folks.

We try to match you to just the right experience and make it logical, realistic, and affordable in your price range.  We do not sell on price—we sell on value.

We are excited to help but know the boundaries—the truth is we want to form a partnership with you—not sell you something.

It is as simple as this—we inform, you decide.

We also realize you are busy, and we respect your time by trying to contact you in the form (phone, text, email or written) that works the best for you at the time that is the best for you.  

In short, we respect you!

Care and trust develop by how we treat you, so we can earn your trust to help you get a better trip.

We hope that knowing how we operate, you will choose us as your trusted travel advisors.

Industry Relationships

Our vendors and travel advisors like us need each other—the more we know about their products and travel services they offer, the better we can help you get a great vacation.  Then we have to make judgements about their products and how they will treat you during the trip.

As with any business relationship, some vendors are more eager to work with us than others.  Business relationships sometimes are about production (how much we sell) but the best relationships are how well they deliver to our guests and treat us in conjunction with our sales.

Do they nurture us, help us grow our business, or are we so small we are seen as just a transaction.  Do they really care about our clients, or have inflexible policies that preclude them going to the top of our preferred list?

Just like you, if they earn our trust, we sing their praises within reason.  It is a constantly changing dynamic all small business must navigate.  The fortunate thing for us is that most of the vacations we help clients with fall in the luxury category, and most vendors do a great job for our clients.

It is a narrow path we navigate—we don’t deliver any travel services as advisors, yet the experience of the clients is also our responsibility—did they get the trip they desired or was our advice wrong?

St. Patrick’s Day 2023 in Budapest with some of the members of AmaWaterways who particiapated in the River Cruise Expo.

Our Final Thoughts

Relationships matter.  We hope we reach out to you often enough to keep good relationships intact.  We also want to know how we can improve.  Don’t be shy about reaching out to us—we want to hear from you.

After thinking about this topic, I’m sure we will try to be more proactive and try to reach out respectfully. Only good things can happen while we work on our business relationship—Relationships do Matter!

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And you want someone who can help you with the decision-making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you with high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Bern, Switzerland

Bern, Switzerland

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

This is a look at Bern as a great destination to explore but it is also included as a post cruise destination for a Tauck cruise.  You also might consider it as an alternative to the very popular visits to Lucerne and Zurich that are the 2 most common land extensions for Rhine River cruises that either start or end in Basel Switzerland.

So, let’s explore it together and learn about Bern as a base for a couple of days or just for a land extension on a river cruise.

Overview

Bern is the capital of Switzerland and built around a crook of the Aare River.  It first was a fort site, as the land peninsula was surrounded on 3 sides by the river and was an excellent barrier to defend a castle.  It slowly developed into a city that was quite prominent in the Middle Ages.  In the late 1800’s, its central location was a key reason it was chosen as the confederation capital of Switzerland.  This German speaking region has a population of only 133,315 (2017) according to Wikipedia, quite small for a capital city.

It is the small-town charm, relatively small number of inhabitants, and important political and cultural position that makes it quite different when compared to most European capital cities.  For most visitors, the easily walkable old town is the most interesting area to explore.  The old town has covered areas that offer boutique shopping stores, and cafes that used the old cellars of the medieval-style homes to create an unusual travel experience.  These covered arcades, led one person to say you never get wet in Bern even in a heavy rain—sounds like music to the ears of the many shoppers who read our blog!

The Swiss also love their museums, and there are 3 good ones and 2 art museums that also might interest you.

So, let’s learn about the key sites in Bern.

Old Town Bern In the distance you can see the Bern Cathedral Steeple Tower.

Key Sights in Bern

The Federal Palace (Bundeshaus or Parliament Building)

This is the national parliament of Switzerland.  The building is crowned by an imposing 64-meter-high green dome, decorated with stained glass windows depicting the coats of arms of Switzerland's cantons and a central mosaic of the Federal coat of arms with the motto “One for all and all for one”.  There is huge statue of the three confederates, Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, the founders of modern Switzerland.   The building can be toured when parliament is not in session.

Model of the Capital Building

One part of the huge parliament building

One view of the 64-meter high green dome of parliament building

The Old Town

The medieval old town is a UNESCO world heritage site.  It is surrounded on three sides by the Aare River. 

There are some cool public fountains, topped by statues.  The water is safe and the Swiss love to decorate their fountains—we have seen them throughout Switzerland, but there seems to be more in Bern than other Swiss cities (one source I read said there are 11 but can’t attest this is totally accurate) .  Here are a few fountains that Anne got pictures of during our visit:

The Simsonbrunnen (depicting Samson killing a lion),

Samson Fountain

Another view of the Sampson Fountain

 The Zahringerbrunnen (a bear in full armor)

Bear in armor Fountain . This fountain commemorates the Zahringer Duke who founded Bern. In the background is the clock tower

Justice Fountain

Close up of the Lady of Justice. Note she is blindfolded, holds a sword in her right hand and the scales of justice are in her left hand. At the bottom of her feet are an emperor, a king and a sultan—none is above the law.

Orge Fountain Granary Square. This monster fountain was believed as a warning for children to behave.

Bagpipe Fountain

Anna Seiler Fountain who founded Bern’s first Hospital

A close up of the Anna Seiler Fountain

A picture of mural facade of the historic pharmacy on the Barenplatz square

The Clock Tower (or Zytglogge), dating from 1220, is one of Bern’s iconic symbols.  Found above the Old Town’s western gate tower, this 75-foot structure displays a large astronomical clock was made between 1527 and 1530.  This was the main gate entrance into Bern and in an age when most of the population did not have clocks, these huge clocks helped the citizens know what time it was during the day. 

An unusual fact about this clock system is that this huge clock must be wound by hand for 20 minutes each day.

The huge clock that must be wound by hand

Mechanical Figures. Right before the clock strikes the hour, a crowing rooster starts the show. Bears dance, a jester signals the hour too early, and Chronos, the god of time, turns his hour glass over. On the left is the astronomical display clock

A troupe of mechanical figures—including a rooster, Chronos (the Roman god of time), jesters, knights, and a piper—put on a dance show at four minutes to the hour.  Visitors can climb the 130 worn steps to the Zytglogge’s observation platform for great views of the city and the Alps.

This is a good view of Kramgasse Street. On both sides you can see the covered arcades..

Part of the charm of the old town is the shops that are covered in arcades.  It is the largest in Europe (covers 3.7 miles) and they are adorned with flags and flowers.  The main shopping streets are Marktgasse, Kramgasse and Gerechtigkeitgasse.

Swiss Flag and Bern Bear Flag

Einstein House no 49 where he wrote his paper “The Theory of Relativity”. It now has a small museum inside.

Here is a picture of the Old Town Hall

The Old Town Hall

Banneret Fountain Statue in Town Hall Square

Bern's Bear Park (Bärenpark)

Bern's first Bear Park opened in 1857. It is located at the far end of the Nydeggbrucke Bridge, next to the Aare River.  The original bear pit is listed as an object of national cultural significance as the bear is the symbol of Bern and is on its coat of arms.  The bear pit has 6,000 square meters of interconnected enclosures that house four brown bears.

Part of the Bear Park

Close up of the bear

Bern Münster (Bern Cathedral and Cathedral of St Vincent)

The Münster is 276 feet long, 110 feet wide, and 330 feet tall at the apex of its tower.  The bell tower is open to those prepared to climb the 254 steps to its upper viewing gallery. The views over Bern and to the Swiss Alps make the effort worthwhile.  It is located in the heart of the Old Town next to the Aare River.

The Rose Garden-- Located at the top of a steep hill (a ten-minute walk from the Bear Garden), and occupying four acres, the Rosengarten was a cemetery between 1765 and 1877 and has been a public park since 1913.  It contains formal and walled gardens (with 223 varieties of roses, together with 200 iris and 28 Rhododendron species), ponds, fountains, lawns and a number of impressive sculptures.  The Rose Garden also offers stunning views over the Old Town and to the Alps and Jura.

In front the Aare River. The large hill is the Rose Garden Park

Roses

Roses

3 Good Museums

Einstein Museum and Historical Museum of Bern

This is the second largest museum in Switzerland.  The Historical Museum displays 500,000 objects dating from the Stone Age, arranged into eight galleries such as ‘Stone Age, Celts, and Romans', 'From the Middle Ages to the Ancient Regime', ‘Bern’s Silver Treasure’, ‘Captured Treasure—Court Art in Bern’ and ‘Bern and the 20th Century’.  The Einstein Museum is devoted to the life of the world's most famous modern scientist.  Admission charge; closed on Mondays.

Bern Communications Museum

The Museum’s permanent collection comprises three exhibitions.  The first, So Near and Yet So Far: People and Their Media, charts how people have communicated over history.  The second, As Time Goes Byte: Computing and Digital Culture, takes a look at the first computers.  The final exhibition, Imagery that Sticks: The World of Stamps, is the museum’s smallest.  It is devoted to Swiss stamps.  Admission charge; closed on Mondays.

The Natural History Museum

Exhibits include Barry, a preserved Great St Bernard alpine rescue dog who lived between 1800 to 1814 and was responsible for saving over 40 lives; the Stones of the Earth collection, which exhibits alpine minerals, the Planggenstock giant crystals, gold mined in the Swiss Alps, and a number of meteorites; and .220 dioramas.  Admission charge.

2 Art Gallery Museums

The Kunstmuseum (the Museum of Fine Arts) holds over 4,000 paintings in its permanent collection and is Switzerland’s oldest and premier fine arts gallery.  Admission charge; closed on Mondays.

Paul Klee Center—Klee is a famous modern art painter.   His unique style transcended surrealism, abstraction, cubism, and expressionism, and is particularly well-known for combining different media into the same work (ie, paint, ink, pencil, pastel etc.).  There is a rotating display of his works.  Admission charge; closed on Mondays.

Getting Around

The old town center is the main tourist attraction. It is compact and can easily be explored on foot from the rail station. There is free public transport across the entire town.

The Rail Station.

The main rail station is simply called 'Bern' and is situated in the heart of the city, at the edge of the historical town center. The station offers a shopping center that is opened 7 days a week, and many train services to towns all over Switzerland.

Our Final Thoughts

Bern is a good destination to visit.  I believe it is worth a couple of days.  We hope you enjoyed this report.  Please enjoy Bern—we did! We plan to visit this Spring on our next trip to Europe.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And you want someone who can help you with the decision-making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you with high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Comparing Day-by-Day Itineraries on 7 River Cruise Lines--Over 100 Routes

Comparing Day-By-Day Itineraries on 7 River Cruise Lines—Over 100 Routes!

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

For the past year or so, I have been adding to our website dozens of day-by-day itineraries of the 7 cruise lines we follow.  To say the least, this is a massive undertaking, as at each port stop, we add our pictures of what you should see at that stop.

This is truly unique resource, as most digital posts use the vendor pictures or cover only a few itineraries.  In the brochures, you might see 3 or 4 pictures along with the written descriptions.

By my count, we will have over 100 itineraries currently posted on our website (the actual number is 103) and by the time you read this, we will continue to add new cruise routes as time allows until we have every route completed.

The lines covered are (in alphabetical order) AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways. Emerald Waterways, Scenic Waterways, Tauck River Cruises, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, and Viking.

While is really hard to determine the exact number of itineraries offered, since many lines take the same route, add a feature or two or include the land extensions, my best guess is that are about 191 various itineraries. So, our main effort is to catch the most important routes first and add other routes later on.  It is also not uncommon for lines to combine two routes, to make an extended route and give it a new title.  We may have the 2 separate routes completed but not yet combined the two or three routes yet.

So, why should you care about this? —we believe this is the most honest way to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of the destinations you may want to see by rivership and what exactly the port stops and excursions are for each line.  It also is all together in one source and doesn’t require you to visit 7 different vendor websites to learn about their cruise routes.

Also, we believe it is unbiased as possible, as we always say, every river cruise vacation is an excellent vacation, there are no bad river cruises in Europe,  but there are important distinctions between lines and these day-by-day routes offer you a wealth of information that is difficult to find at best.  By using the vendor’s description of their routes, enhanced by our pictures, it should provide a complete picture of the best option for your voyage and trip.

How the Pages Are Set Up

Each page on site covers some brief information about what each line considers the most important characteristics of their product and their philosophy about river cruising. 

Then there is information about their fleet and on 5 of the 7 lines, we have a presentation with our pictures of the ship on-board facilities and staterooms.

Next, the route itineraries offered by each river cruise company are listed by the major river systems.  These are day-by-day excursions and experiences.  Many of these presentations have over 50 slides and are very helpful to get an exact summary of the cruise and land experience. 

I am unaware of any other single site that covers these lines in depth and such a way that you can determine which would be best for your vacation on the rivers.

Since these are so detailed, sometimes they are slow to load but trust me, it will be worth this small annoying factor.

AmaWaterways

It is probably no surprise that this is the most complete page of the 7 cruises lines we have posted on our website, as it is our preferred line. 

AmaWaterways has 26 total ships and 20 sail in Europe by our count.  13 are longships of 135-meters.  4 are 110-meter ships.  2 ships are available for cruising on the Douro.  AmaWaterways is unique, as it has one of the two double wide ships on the Danube, the spectacular AmaMagna.  The remaining ships sail in Africa (3), the Mekong and two new ships in Columbia.  Here are 2 tours of these ships:

There are 33 different cruise routes on our page, and we have presentations on 29 of these.  Some routes will not begin until 2025 and have not been completed yet.  Here is a good sample of one of my favorite routes offered by AmaWaterways.

If you would like to see other AmaWaterways Routes, here is the link to our website

AmaWaterways

Avalon Waterways

Avalon has 14 ships sailing in Europe.  Eight are 135-meter ships and five are 110-meter ships.  In 2024, the Avalon Alegria will start sailing on the Douro River.  Here is a tour of one of their 135-meter ships.

By our count there are 36 routes available to choose from this company.  Many routes include their normal offerings and then they provide special Active and Discovery Options to the same routes with special dates.  At present we have 7 routes up on the website with the day-to-day itineraries.  Here is a sample route:

If you would like to see any of the other route guides, here is our website page

Avalon Waterways River Cruises

Emerald Waterways

With only 8 ships and 7 that sail in Europe, this line delivers a quality product.  We have an excellent ship tour of the Emerald Sun, one of their five 135-meter longships.  Here is the tour if you would like to learn more about one of their longships:

By my count, Emerald offers 22 cruise itineraries in Europe.  On our website, we have 14 of the 22 cruises day-by-day routes completed. 

6 of the remaining routes are on the Douro (2 routes) and their Christmas Markets cruises (4 routes).  The other 2 routes are their long 15 Day Discover the Rivers of France and Portugal, which is a combination of the Secrets of the Douro and Sensations of Lyon and Provence and their 15 Day Rhine and Rhone routes which combines their Jewels of the Rhine and Sensations of Lyon and Provence.

Here is a good sample route for you to see quality of these presentations:

To Learn about other routes on Emerald Waterways, here is the link to our website page

Emerald Waterways River Cruises

Scenic River Cruises

Scenic has an exceptional product and cruise line.  It is an all-inclusive line.  They have 11 ships in their river cruise fleet and 9 are 135-meter class ships.  The other 2 are specialized ships—The Gem sails on the Seine River and the Azure sails on the Douro.  Here is a good look at the Scenic Opal, one of their 135-meter ships.

By our count, there are 22 different sailing routes offered by Scenic.  We have route information on 16 of these 22.  The 6 presentations not completed yet are the 2 Douro routes and the 4 Christmas cruises.  He is a good sample of what you could expect on a Scenic River cruise:

You can see other Scenic River Cruises on this link in our Website

Scenic River Cruises

Tauck River Cruises

Also, an all-inclusive river cruise line, Tauck has some very interesting additions to the traditional port stops of most lines.  Tauck has 9 ships sailing in Europe.  Four are 135-meter ships and another four are 110-meter class ships.  In 2024 they have added sailing on the Douro with their newest ship, the Andorinha. 

Tauck offers 30 cruises by our count.  We have not yet completed their 2 cruises on the Douro, their 3 cruises during the holiday seasons and 6 family cruises.  We still have to do 3 of the 5 French River cruises, the longer 25-day Grand Europe Cruise and the specialized Autumn Along the Rhine: Munich’s Oktoberfest.  We have 15 routes completed.  Here is a good sample of their cruise routes:

You can visit more Tauck River Cruises using this link

Tauck River Cruises

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises

With each ship having a different design and proper English Butlers, a lot of the Uniworld river cruise experience is about the on-board ship experience.  Uniworld is a mostly all-inclusive line, but still manages to charge extra for some cruise excursions, much to our displeasure! 

The Uniworld fleet has 12 ships that sail in Europe.  There are five that are considered 135-meters ships, and five that are in the 110-meter class.  The two remaining ships sail on specialized routes—the Po (which we do not recommend for the short cruise time on the water and constant bus tours) and one ship on the Douro.

There are 23 sailing routes in Europe offered by Uniworld.  We only have 6 of the 23 completed at this time.  Here is a sample route:

Here is the link to learn about other Uniworld River Cruise Routes

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises

Viking River Cruises

With 64 ships sailing in Europe, Viking is the Big Boy on the Block.  54 are longships (135 meters).  In addition to their longships, they have 4 ships sailing on the Douro, 2 ships on the Elbe and 4 ships on the Seine.  To learn more about their longships (the pride themselves on identical ships, so there is very little difference between their longships), here is a tour of one of them:

Viking has 18 sailing routes and 6 Christmas Cruises, excluding their Elbe route (we do not recommend this route due to almost constant low water situations).  We have route information on 16 of the 18 regular routes.  As with all lines we cover, the Christmas themed routes will be added in the future.  Here is the most popular route on Viking:

Here is the link to view our presentations about the Viking River Cruise Routes

Viking River Cruises

Our Final Thoughts

This is truly a labor of love and a unique resource available for you.  It really would not be possible to attempt this type of information and then post it on our website without our extensive knowledge and experience by taking 24 different river cruises. 

It has always been our goal to match you with the best line for your vacation, and now you can have the benefit of our specialized knowledge.  We hope you appreciate this opportunity to learn about the wonders of river cruising in Europe and after reading this, place your trust in us to help you find the perfect cruise just for you.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@visitdd.com .  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 52 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

The Majestic Capitals of the Danube on AmaWaterways

The Majestic Capitals of the Danube on AmaWaterways

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

If you are looking for a shorter cruise of 5 nights on AmaWaterways, there are a few sailing dates in December 2024 on The Majestic Capitals of the Danube, that just might be the right choice for you..

As most of you know, most river cruises are 7 nights or more and there is a trend for longer cruises in 2024, but with 2 land extensions, this becomes a good alternative to see the best capitals on the Danube on a luxurious river cruise.

So, let’s learn about a short-term cruise offering with a big bang and a little about the optional land extensions.

Route Map from AmaWaterways

4 AmaWaterways Ships Sail this Route

3 135-meter ships (the AmaRenina, AmaSonata and AmaLea) and the AmaMagna (double wide, best ship on the Danube) sail this route in December.  The cruise sometimes starts in Budapest (4 departures) or the reserve in Vienna (3 departures).  This route only sails in December and there are 7 possible dates to sail on these 4 ships.

Cruise Overview

•      Delight in the Old-World grandeur of Europe’s most spectacular capital cities along the Danube River during this special 5-night cruise.

•      From Budapest, Hungary to Vienna, Austria, follow the paths of kings and queens (Habsburg royalty among them) on up to 5 included excursions each day.

•      Enjoy a guided hike to the hilltop castle of Bratislava’s gleaming fortress, and bike tours to beautiful sites like Kosterneuburg Abbey.

•      Enjoy tastings of local delights, such as the cake that started a national holiday in Austria Sacher torte.

•      Enjoy the local nightlife as each capital and its architecture wonders illuminate after sunset.   

•      Whether you are sailing the Danube River for the first time or returning to venture deeper into the cities that inspired you the most, we invite you to celebrate this spectacular journey with us as we treat you like the royalty you are.

The 3 Ports of the Cruise

Budapest

Budapest offers an unmatched combination of culture and tradition. 

 In Budapest, you will have 3 choices of tours.

Option 1 Your city tour begins with a visit to the Great Market Hall before going to both the Buda (hilly) and the Pest (flat) sides of the river.

Great Market Hall Budapest

Spices in the Great Market Hall

The Great Market Hall Budapest

   You’ll see Heroes’ Square and Castle Hill, home to the Fisherman’s Bastion and Mattias Church. 

Part of the Fisherman’s Bastion

Plague Column

Matthis Church

The wonderful tile work on the roof of the church

Option 2 Venture off the beaten path or if are returning to the city for a repeat visit, join our “Hidden Budapest” tour to discover some fascinating sites lesser-­known to the average traveler.

Option 3 As an alternative, you can hike up to Castle Hill for breathtaking views of the city below. 

Buda Castle Complex—it is a good hike up to top

In the afternoon, spend free time at your leisure to explore the city. 

Bratislava

Take in the breathtaking scenery as we glide along the Danube River into Bratislava.  In Bratislava, you will have 4 choices of tours.

Option 1 Host to the crowning ceremonies of 11 Hungarian kings and queens between 1536 and 1830, Bratislava certainly has earned the title “Coronation City of Kings,” as you’ll discover during your walking tour

Town Hall

Primate’s Palace was originally built for an Archbishop and later became the mayor’s office

Michael’s Gate—the only remaining gate from the old city walls.

St Martin’s Cathedral Bratislava—this is the coronation site of Hungarian rulers between 1563 and 1830

Bratislava has a whimsical side—these statues are a testament to their humor,

Man at Work—Cumil—which roughly translates to watcher

The Napoleonic Army Soldier

The Greeter tells the real life story of Ignac Lamar, who lost his fiancée who was deported to a Nazi concentration camp and every day, he would dress up and greet folks who came to the old town square.

Option 2 join a special “Tastes of Slovakia” tour.

Option 3 For a more active adventure, hike up to Bratislava Castle, offering magnificent views of the city. 

Bratislava Castle—it is a good hike up to the Castle

Option 4 enjoy a guided biking tour in the evening

Vienna

In Vienna, you will have 2 choices of tours and free time to explore.

Option 1 Visit Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens, the main summer residence of the Habsburg rulers.   Built in the 18th century as an imperial summer residence, this magnificent 1,441-room Baroque palace is one of the most important architectural. Cultural and historical monuments in Austria.

Schönbrunn Palace

Schönbrunn Palace

Parade Ground Fountain Schönbrunn Palace

At the rear of the palace, the massive garden area includes the Neptune fountain in the foreground and the Glorjette Hill. The structure is a variation of the triumphal arch, to remind visitors of the military victories and power of the imperial Habsburg dynasty

A parade ground fountain

Option 2 Pedal along the scenic Danube River and through charming neighborhoods to the nearby town of Klosterneuberg and its majestic 12th­century Augustinian monastery overlooking the Danube River.

During the afternoon, enjoy leisure time to further explore this iconic city. 

Sacher Torte

The opera house in Vienna

St. Stephens Church

The 2 Eagle side of the roof.  These are the Coat of Arms for Austria and the coat of arms of Vienna. There are 230,000 tiles on the roof of St. Stephen’s Cathedral

Hofburg Palace

Land Extension Prague

In Prague, you will either transfer to the ship or to the airport depending on the cruise direction.  In the 3 nights in Prague, you will visit on a morning tour called “Golden City of a Hundred Spires”

or take a hike up to the Castle. 

Prague Castle—it is a good hike up from the old town area

St. Vitus Cathedral Prague. It is the coronation site of Czech kings and queens. It is inside the Prague Castle complex.

While in Prague on one AmaWaterways cruises, we got the chance to take the “Golden City of a hundred Spires Tour” and it was excellent!  Here are some pictures of what you will probably see:

Charles Bridge

Astronomicial Clock on the side of the old town hall

Old town Hall

Old Town Square with the Tyne Cathedral in the background

On the next day, there is a Czech beer tasting.

Then off to the ship or to the airport on the final day.

Land Extension Krakow

In Krakow, Poland, your first day is a check into the hotel.  On day 2, you will have a tour called “Historical Highlights and Wawel Royal Castle” with a free afternoon.  The next day is the gloomy tour called “Preserving the Holocaust History tour with Auschwitz visit.”  You will then transfer to the ship or to the airport.

Our Final Thoughts

This compact tour has a lot going for it.  While it is true it is limited to only December, the chance to see so much of the major cities of the Danube and get the opportunity to visit 2 other very important cities in Central Europe, make it a good choice for folks with limited time who want maximum visits to the most important cities on the Danube.

With the emphasis on nightlife, it also should appeal to younger cruisers.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@visitdd.com .  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 52 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

The Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan Egypt

The Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan, Egypt

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

If you like Agatha Christie, the famous writer of intrigue and mystery, you probably have heard of her novel, Death on the Nile.  The novel is part of the series of Hercule Poirot, the clever detective who must solve a challenging murder plot in a complex web of lies, love, money and betrayal while on a steam powered river ship cruising the Nile.

So, let’s visit the Old Cataract, as we did, on an AmaWaterways 10-day Secrets of the Nile River Cruise and learn about the exotic place where she wrote this great novel.

A Little History of the Old Cataact Hotel

Built in 1899 in Aswan Egypt it is an excellent example of British colonial architecture.  It is a five-star property and is full of old-world charm and elegance.  If you are looking for glamor, and luxury that preserves the past indulgences of the rich, this is the place.

Built with great views of the Nile from most venues and rooms, it is just a stunning place.

We got to visit on an optional tour to take high tea here during our 10-day cruise tour..

Agatha Christie’s Stay Here

Ms. Christie stayed here in 1933 in room 1201 with her archaeologist husband Max Mallowan.  He was the second husband of Agatha Christie, as her first marriage ended in divorce in 1928. Agatha was a world traveler and the story of how she became married again was a result of meeting her second husband on one of her trips.

In 1928, she took the Orient Express to Istanbul and then later on traveled to Baghdad, where she met her husband Max.

She spent several months in the Middle East with her husband on his digs and often used this knowledge in her novels.

Her novel Death on the Nile was published in 1937 and has become the favorite of many of her fans world-wide.  Guiness World Records lists Agatha Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, as her books have sold over 2 billion copies.

Folks who stay at the Old Cataract can join a tour of her room conducted daily at 1700 hours, but the important furniture is on display in the lobby area.  Here is a picture of the desk she used to write most of the novel:

Agatha Christie’s Writing Desk from room 1201

Abu Simbel

She also used an important Egyptian site in the novel—Abu Simbel.

Abu Simbel are 2 rock-cut temples which are dedicated to Ramesses II and his wife Nefertari. The hieroglyphics inside the temple commemorate the victories won at the Battle of Kadesh under Ramesses’ II leadership and other important Egyptian gods. The message was clear—Ramessess and his wife Nefertari were gods and should be worshiped by Egyptians..

In the novel, Death on the Nile, one of the characters narrowly escapes death from a falling stone pushed by one of the other characters in the novel, in an attempted muder.

Here are some pictures on the site, which was moved in 1968 to protect it during the building of the Aswan Dam.:

Abu Simbel with 4 statues of Ramesses II seated on the throne. The second sculpture was damaged during an earthquake and when relocated left as it was discovered. The statue on the left showes Ramessess II wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt.

Abu Simbel with a close up view of one of the sculptures. His wife Nefetari and their children are the smaller statues.

Abu Simbel—this picture gives you some perspective on how large these statues are.

Nefertari’s Temple. It is unique in Egyptian History as only the second temple dedicated to a wife of a ruling pharaoh..

Pictures of the Hotel

Before our tea, we got a chance to wander around this historic hotel. Here are some pictures

Entrance Gardens

Hotel Entrance Door

Some of the lobby area with an sign about a romantic dinner available

The terrace area with the Nile in the background

Boats on the Nile

The Palm trees are illuminated at night

Tea at the Cataract Hotel in Aswan, Egypt

This was a English tea in perhaps one of the most stunning settings in the world.  Here are some pictures of this unique experience:

Our Tea food

With our travel chums, left to right Mark, Denise, Anne and Hank

Our Final Thoughts

Sometimes, it is plain cool to visit sites that are important to you and try and imagine what it was like during that era.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@visitdd.com .  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 52 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Jimmy's Restaurant on the AmaMagna

Jimmy’s Restaurant on the AmaMagna

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

Our 2023 trip on the AmaMagna was an amazing experience.

There are 4 restaurants on this double wide ship, and we ate at 3 of them—we missed the Chef’s Table but have eaten in this wonderful venue numerous times on other AmaWaterways ships, so we didn’t take advantage of this option on our cruise.

Since we have already written about the Al Fresco Restaurant and told you about the Chef’s Table, the only missing restaurant is Jimmy’s.

So, let’s explore together and learn about Jimmy’s Restaurant on the AmaMagna.

Overview

Jimmy’s Wine Bar and Restaurant is located on the Deck 1 of the AmaMagna.  It is a unique small restaurant.  The concept here is a family style meal served at long tables family style.  It is open only for dinner.  For dinner, you need reservations. 

The concept of Jimmy’s is a testament to the late Jimmy Murphy’s love of family.  He was a co-founder of AmaWaterways, and the restaurant was named in his honor.  Jimmy’s offers a family-style restaurant experience designed to bring everyone together at one table, as if you were dining at Jimmy’s home.

So, get ready to enjoy a variety of shared dishes delivered right to your table on self-serve platters—you get to eat, drink and be merry here with your fellow AmaWaterways travelers—Jimmy’s is a venue the Irishman Jimmy Murphy would be proud of—family is the heart of the travel experience for him, and this continues his 50-year ethos –nothing is more important than family!

Here are some pictures of this cool venue:

A wonderful way to remember one of the co-owners of AmaWaterways—Jimmy’s Wine Bar and Restaurant

The long, family style tables

Another picture of the venue

One of the great waitstaff with Anne

These photos are a wonderful tribute to the Murphy family

The wine cellar area

Another view of Jimmy’s

Dinner

Reservations are necessary to eat a night due to the limited space.

Here is the Menu we experienced:

Appetizers

We had 3 choices.  They were:

“Raifart Panana Cotta a la Truite Fumee”. 

This was a smoked trout rillette, horseradish panna cotta, cucumber-macha Coulis, tomato chips and micro-herbs dish.

“Salad Nicoise Nouveau”

This was lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, string beans, potatoes cubes, boiled eggs, olives, and a crispy tuna spring roll.

Our other choice was “Classic Caesar Salad”, with crispy bacon, garlic croutons and parmesan cheese.

Each of us got to select our appetizers and they were served individually to us by the great waitstaff.

Our Main Courses

All of these were served family-style on large platters, so we could pass them around and enjoy each other as we selected our food.  Here is the 3 choices for the meal:

“Fillet de Fletan Breton”

This was pan-fried halibut filet, tomato beurre blanc, braised fennel, and Parisienne potatoes.

“Medaillons D’Agnneau en Croute Moutarde”

This was mustard crusted medallions of Lamb, thyme sauce, ratatouille, artichokes puree and potatoes gratin.

“Tomato Tarte Provencal” which was served with wild broccoli, pumpkin mousse, and ricotta cress.  AmaWaterways always serves an excellent vegetarian choice during meals.

Wines

There were 2 good wine selections from France.

The white wine was a Louis Eschanauer Chardonnay from the Pays d’Oc vineyards  (the Rhone River area)  Grape: Chardonnay.

It was very good with young fruits, a light, soft taste, and noticeable acidity.

The red wine was a Louis Eschanauer Bordeaux, from the Bordeaux region and the grape was Bordeaux.  This was my favorite wine, as it had an intense, and elegant taste, had a wonderful deep ruby color, you could taste blackcurrants and dark cherries and had a great nose that made you realize it was going to be an excellent wine.

Both wines paired well—the chardonnay went well with the fish course and the Bordeaux was a good choice for the lamb dish.

If either of these two wines did not appeal, there were 2 California wines also available.

Desserts

Our fun, lively evening ended with “Crepe Suzette”—the well-known thin pancake topped with orange-Cointreau, caramel, vanilla ice cream and fresh seasonal fruits.

They also served a selection of European Cheeses and biscuits.

A Few Photos to Share About our Experience

We are lucky to be part of the AmaWaterways family. Here are 3 photos about the wonderful folks at AmaWaterways

The radiant Kristin Karst, on of the co-owners of AmaWaterways. In the background our two traveling friends—Lenny the Leopard and Little Bear

Alex Pinelo, Senior VP of Sales with Lenny and Little Bear

St. Patrick’s Day on the AmaMagna in 2023. From left to right Diane, Jasmine,, Hank, Anne Kristin, and Cesario.

Our Final Thoughts

We really enjoyed the lively atmosphere of the restaurant, and the food was excellent.  I think you can see how this restaurant could capture your taste buds and you will get to meet some fellow travelers. It is a great place to go with new or old friends but not a romantic, quiet place to dine.

We hope you enjoyed this report.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@visitdd.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 52+ years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Scenic Squares You Can Visit on an AmaWaterways Cruise

Scenic Squares You Can Visit on an AmaWaterways Cruise

By Hank Schrader, USMA ’71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

In almost every town in Europe, there is a square.  Squares have always been important to cities and their citizens.

AmaWaterways is running a free land extension promotion on new bookings made by 31 March 2024 on select cruises, and instead of telling you about all the sights of a city, I decided to provide a good look at the central hub of some of these destinations—their squares.

So, I thought you might enjoy hearing my thoughts and seeing some pictures about some of the most scenic squares in Europe you can visit on an AmaWaterways cruise.  There are so many, I will be sure to not be able to report on all of them, but this is a good start.

Are you ready for our personal square tour?

Why Squares Are Important

Town squares are a unique Europe innovation.

They go by many names, such as:  agora, forum, piazza, plaza, Platz, or market place

These town squares often are the most important place in a city.  Many have town halls located on them and are ringed by other buildings.  Most have restricted entrances, and are enclosed spaces which, in essence, makes it an outdoor building.

They helped cities develop a sense of community, often display culture items, important business buildings and foster democracy as a meeting place.  Most also have at least one important religious building, sometimes more. 

Perhaps more importantly, this gathering place is an ideal venue to exchange ideas and viewpoints.  This area serves so many functions—people watching, political discussions, all sorts of markets, and fosters a sense of belonging because of these interactions.

Austria

Our first look at squares is in Vienna.  There are 3 important squares in this capital city.

The best-known square is St. Steven’s Plaza in Vienna.  It is a large square in the start of a pedestrian only zone in the heart of Vienna.  The soring church is one of the most iconic sights in all of Europe.  St. Stephen’s Cathedral is the symbol of Vienna—the amazing roof tiles proudly display the crests of the rulers and the Empire of Austro-Hungary.  The tower is 136 meters high and is the tallest church in Austria.

Maria Theresa Platz is a huge open area in the museum district.  It often hosts festivals and has a large Christmas Market area.  This area used to be the royal stables.  In the center of the Platz is the Maria Theresia Memorial statue.  Two great museums are here—the Kunsthistorisches is an art museum of world renown.  The Naturhistorisches displays examples of wildlife and insects of the world.

The Rathaus Square is another Christmas Markets favorite.  It is a magical place at night to visit among the crowded but friendly festival time.  During the summer, they often have outdoor movies for folks to enjoy.

10 of the 11 Danube cruises on the Danube visit Vienna, so there is ample opportunity to see some or all of these squares.

Linz has an important square that is very large.  The Hauptplatz (main square) is an impressive sight with a Trinty Column that is 20 meters high.  Trinty columns are an important symbol of gratitude for surviving disasters of fire, war, and plague.  Twice a week it becomes a lively food market and is another great Christmas marketplace.

Belgium

There are 3 great squares in this small country you can visit on an AmaWaterways cruises on the two northern cruise offered by AmaWaterways. 

Antwerp is our first stop.  The Grote Markt square has an impressive town hall and the wonderful statue of Barbo.

Barbo statue.  According to the legend, a terrible giant, called Druoon Antigoon, lived on the banks of the river Scheldt.  He demand tolls, when refused he cut off the hands of offending sailors.  A Roman soldier, Silvius Brabo, killed the giant and by cutting his hand off, he ended his reign of terror.

With a legend like this, great place to visit!

Brugge is next up.  

The best place to start are the two squares—Market square and Burg Square.  Markt (Flemish) or Market Square is a UNESCO World Heritage site due to the well preserved medieval buildings and famous belfry.  You can climb the 366 or so stairs for awesome views of the city but we prefer to listen to the bells from the ground of the square.

Burg Square houses the city hall and the Basilica of the Holy Blood (built by a Crusader to store drops of the blood of Jesus he brought back from Jerusalem).  You can easily see the wealth of this city at one time by studying the opulent, gilded buildings.  The city hall is a Gothic structure that was built in the late 1300s, making it the oldest town hall in Belgium.  Don't miss the upstairs Gotische Zaal (Gothic Room) with its ornate decor and wall murals depicting highlights from Bruges's history.  Most spectacular of all is the vaulted oak ceiling, dating from 1402, which features scenes from the New Testament.  Here are some photos of Burg Square:

Brussels is the 3rd square in Belgium.  The Grand Place (Grote Markt)—a fine medieval square—considered to be one of the most beautiful squares in Europe.  It is a pedestrian only zone, North West of Central Train Station.  The square has a daily flower market and a weekly bird market.  From April through September, there is a music and light show.

One of the buildings on the square is the Gothic Town Hall—the town hall was the only building left intact when the Grand Place was destroyed by the French in 1695.  On top of the slim tower on the hall, St. Michael, the patron saint of Brussels, protects the town.  Limited English tours (40 minute).  Admission charge for the tour.

My favorite building on the square is the Municipal Museum in King’s House—this is not a royal residence, but a civic museum.  It is located opposite the Town Hall across from the Grand Place.  Among its collections are 18th and 19th century ceramics and tapestries.  It also holds the collection of the costumes for Manneken Pis—that’s why I like this museum so much!

Czech Republic

In Prague, the wonderful Old Town Square is fun to visit.

Old Town Square-- famous for its historical monuments, Old Town Square is a Prague must-visit.  Climb to the top of the 660-year-old Old Town Hall Tower for spectacular views of the Baroque-style St. Nicholas Church (north corner of the square, it has a fine interior),

Gothic-style Church of Our Lady Before Tyn (twin towers) and Old Town itself. 

The Astronomical Clock (Orloj)--on the side of the Tower--consists of an astronomical dial embellished with zodiac symbols, a calendar dial and colorful, moving sculptures.  As the clock chimes, biblical figurines come out, and spectators may watch the "Walk of the Apostles."  An hourly bell toll features a figurine representing death.  The clock comes to life from 0900 to 2100.

On the square is the Church of St. Nicholas--There are plenty of impressive Baroque churches in Prague, but the St. Nicholas church at the Old Town Square is one of the most beautiful thanks to the colorful frescoes, intricate ironwork and stucco that decorate the interior.

Old Town Hall--Prague's old Town Hall was built in 1364. The astronomical clock in the town hall's tower is one of the city's most popular tourist attractions.  Originally the building served only as the city hall of the old town, but later became the city hall for all of Prague.  It is now only used for ceremonial functions.  Hopefully the renovations are complete now, as it was covered up on my last visit.

We have visited several times, and led tours here at all times of the year.  It never gets old—especially during the Christmas markets.

France has many important squares, but I’d thought I would just highlight a few.

Paris has many important squares but perhaps the most impactful is the Place de la Concorde.  It is the largest square in France.  It does have a dark history—it was the site of many public executions during the French Revolution.  Actually, the name of the square changed to Place de la Revolution during this period of unrest and rebellion.  Among the notables executed were —King Louis XIV. Marie Antoinette and Maximillien Robespierre.  According to Wikipedia, 1,119 were guillotined in this square.

Bordeaux has a large square with a very large fountain.  The name of the square is Place des Quincoces.  It has two 21-meter rostral columns which symbolize commerce and navigation. 

A magnificent sculpture in the square is the Girondists monument, in memory of the Girondists who were killed during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution.  Today it is an important transportation hub in Bordeaux.

Strasbourg on the Rhine River cruises has a large square around the massive cathedral.  Cathedral Square is an important area in the old town area and always an interesting stop for shopping, eating, and visiting the massive cathedral. 

Germany

4 great squares make my list in Germany you can visit during many cruises on the Rhine and Main Rivers.  While there are squares, I want to highlight 4.

Let’s begin with Freiburg. 

Münsterplatz is a cobblestone square in front of the Freiburg Münster (Cathedral of Freiburg). This quaint churchyard has plenty of colorful buildings, most of which were reconstructed following the end of WW II.  Besides the church, the Historical Merchants' Hall and Wentzinger House are some of the many historical buildings within the square.

Münstermarkt Freiburg is an open-air farmer’s market that takes over most of Münsterplatz.  Normally, there are about 65 stalls selling fresh flowers, fruits and vegetables, and food items such as pastries, wines, and sausages.  There are vendors selling woven baskets and other items.  We bought some wonderful wooden utensils during one of our visits.

Next up is Munich. 

Marien Platz—old town square, since 1158, is the place to gather in Munich.  It is host to many festivals, and markets, especially the Christmas markets.  It has a famous glockenspiel (1908), which performs at 1100 and 1200 all year.  The story is of a 1500 wedding, of a Bavarian Duke (blue & white) and his French bride (red & white), knights and celebrations.  The inspiration for this unique device is that jousting tournaments used to be held in the square.

In the center of the square is a statue dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Nuremberg also ranks high with me.  The Market Square is a place of constant activity.  It is home to one of the best Christmas market in all of Germany.

If not being renovated, the Schoner Brunnen--the Beautiful 19 meter Fountain on the edge of Market Square is quite impressive.  There are two rings on the fence that are some popular legends about the power of the fountain.  One is that if you turn the “golden ring” and make a wish, it will come true. The black ring, is said to bless women with children. 

The market also has an impressive church on the square.  Church of Our Lady constructed as an imperial royal chapel.  Every day at noon the "Männleinlaufen" (mechanical clock and glockenspiel) chime to the delight of watchers below.

I can’t miss one of my personal favorites—the town square in the walled city of Rothenberg.

The picturesque buildings surround the square, and the highlight is the Town Hall and its astronomical clock.  The legend here is the mayor who saved the town from destruction by Swiss by Imperial General Tilly—Master Draught—he drank a3 ¼ litters of wine in one gulp (ok, he chugged it) and won the bet to save the city in October 1631.

Hungary

In Budapest, there are 2 important squares to visit near the Danube. 

The first is the Holy Trinty Square on the Buda side that is protected by the Fisherman’s Bastion.  The square has an important Trinty Column in tribute to the people who died from the Black Plague—some estimates claim from 30% to 60% of all European died during the plague from 1691 to 1709.  Matthias Church with is ornate roof is also located here.

Heroes Square--The monumental square at the end of Andrássy Avenue sums up the history of Hungary by displaying statues that honor Hungary’s heroes.  The millennium memorial commemorates the 1000th anniversary of the arrival of the Hungarians in the Carpathian Basin.  The Museum of Fine Arts and the Palace of Fine Arts are also located on this square.  It is the entrance to the City Park.  It is on the Pest side. 

While not as important as these other two squares, the Jozsef Nador Square is one of the important Christmas Markets stop and we have visited them several times.

Vorosmarty Square has an important landmark in Budapest—the Gerbeaud Café is famous for its handmade desserts and is an elegant old-world coffee and dessert café.  It opened in 1858 and has been a favorite of Budapest ever since then.

You can visit most of these place on a post or pre tour if you have not seen them during your cruise.

Romania

The city of Brasov in Romania is square that I really enjoyed.  The main square of Brasov is a great place to see people, eat and enjoy the buildings around this area.  Town Hall Square has colorfully painted and ornately trimmed baroque structures.  Perhaps the most famous sight is the Black Church, the largest gothic church in Romania.  Its name comes from damage caused by the Great Fire of 1689, when flames and smoke blackened the walls of the church.  The interior of the church is well kept and houses one of the largest organs in Eastern Europe.

You can visit Brasov as a pre/post land excursion on any AmaWaterways lower Danube cruises.

Our Final Thoughts

Wow—I hope you enjoyed this tour as much as I enjoyed writing it! 

This is an amazing collection of squares but by no means the only one’s worth seeing in Europe.  The hardest part of writing this was whittling down to a manageable number.  AmaWaterways offers many great options to see these squares and their current promotion is an excellent value you might want to consider,

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise experts, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 52 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

How We Protect Your Trip When You Choose to Use Us as Your Agents

How We Protect Your Trip When You Choose to Use Us as Your Agents

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

Sometimes in our role helping you get the best possible trip; it is often not apparent about the way we handle your requests in a professional manner to protect you.

There are really 8 ways we add a layer of protection to help ensure your trip is an excellent experience and to help avoid the pitfalls that can happen during travel.

So, let’s learn together about our best practices and it should help you realize why our policies and practices help protect you when you decide to use us,

1.      We Emphasize Terms and Conditions so there is no Confusion about our Policies and the Suppliers’ Policies.

No one really likes to read the fine print, but it is essential to know what you agree to when you make a deposit to a travel vendor.

In a typical offer we provide you, we explain the included invoice, to emphasize the dates of travel, the trip booked, the deposit amount (including any non-refundable portion of that amount), and final money due dates.  It is a double check for both of us to avoid any possible mistakes or misunderstandings.

We also emphasize the key points of the contract and clearly advise you to read these carefully.  Here is an example of this in an offer email we send to clients:

“Please also understand this is a binding contract and once you make the deposit, you agree to accept the terms and conditions listed in the 8 pages of this offer.  Please read them carefully.  This is really no different than any other travel company, but we want to point this out, so there are no surprises, and you understand what terms you are agreeing to, if you accept the offer.” 

We also clearly explain our roles and responsibilities as your agent.  Here is a typical example that we use in most offers:

“One last point--we are not providing any travel services; we are acting as your agents to help you make the best possible decisions for your wonderful trip, but we accept no liability if the services are not properly delivered.  Please rest assured this is a great company and we expect they will exceed your expectations.  Again, this is to point out the scope of our services.”

While you might think this is legalese for us to avoid liability, it is just the opposite—we are providing you an objective criteria to determine if our services are proper for you to use.  We offer many benefits to you based on our expertise and vast experiences, but the vendor delivers the travel services, sets the prices and is the responsible party.  We often need to remind you that they control your travel experience, not us.  It also put the onus on us to only use the best suppliers, which benefits us both—there is no way the average consumer can determine which company can best fit their desired travel style.  We can and vdo ett them and help increase the chances your trip will happen without major problems.

2.      We Inform and Update You to Changes in Your Trip,

Our expertise benefits you to the changing conditions that could affect your travel experience if we have been notified by the vendor or from other sources.   As travel industry experts, we can help you learn about changes in the trip, both minor and major, that will affect the quality of your travel experience.

Most conditions are minor—maybe a switch in hotel due to renovations that have only a minor effect on your travel experience, but sometimes it is quite a change, such as a last-minute change of a sailing vessel with less stateroom space than the original ship.  Sometimes, these details are not properly reported to you the traveler, and that is where we spring into action. 

No one likes surprises that change the quality of the trip, but we can help you be informed and help you gain a refund for lesser services if possible.  We recently just had that happen to a client and we successful in resolving the refund issue quickly, despite our previous experience with a much slower process from the same company.

3.      We Vett Our Suppliers and Explain the Key Points of Their Contract During the Offer Stage

It is amazing that many do not understand contracts of carriage (the legal term for the binding contract you are entering into with the supplier) and we work to help understand these finer points that are most likely to affect your travel experience.

Some areas are penalties based when a traveler decides to cancel their trip, responsibility to have proper travel documents, and the right of the company to change itineraries due to weather or circumstances beyond their control such as low/high water on rivers, damaged locks, restrictions by port authorities and other factors.  These can really change the quality of the trip and we look for companies that have plans to minimize these travel situations.

We can’t prevent these problems, but we can tell you which suppliers handle these problems better than others.  Quality comes in here—does the company recklessly schedule a trip in a known problem area on a river cruise at the most likely problem time, or do they modify their schedule to avoid these possible problem areas?  Are their tour/cruise managers skilled enough and empowered to make wise decisions to keep the promised quality of the trip or do they accept the problem or are not empowered to make changes?

4.      We always offer travel insurance and explain vendor provided insurance.

Travel Insurance is a confusing subject.  Some think it is too expensive and a waste of money, but we feel it is essential protection.  I often ask folks if they can roll down their car window and throw out $10,000 to $15,000 dollars then it may not be necessary for them, but we can’t!  No one wants to lose money, but the point we make crystal clear is that we offer you trip insurance, and you must decide what risk you want to take or cover or not to cover for your trip.  Also, we advise of the possibility of current coverage with a credit card.

Another confusing part of this is exactly what is covered by the companies.  While we are both licensed to represent travel insurance companies, we cannot and will not try to tell you what is covered or not covered—only the insurance company can explain this based on your specific questions.  It is another safeguard for you and part of our responsibility to you.  For example, many are surprised to learn that Medicare usually can’t be used outside of the United States to cover health care issues and they might need additional coverage for accidents or health problems that might arise.

Also, in the past, we have helped some who have run into difficulties and had to end their trip early.  We can help facilitate contact with the insurance company, perhaps find out what actions are best for the client to follow and perhaps help make sure the required documents are secured during hospital appointments or other evidence to help support a claim.

This may not ensure a favorable result, but it does increase the chances a claim will be supported.

5.      We Help You Avoid Transportation Risks

Part of our due diligence is to recommend you use common carriers with good safety records and practices to help avoid transportation risks.  Accidents involving buses, planes or sailing vessels can be quite serious or even life-threatening, so we avoid companies without a good safety record, or who we cannot learn enough about to help keep you safe during your travels.

There are those who want to use locals, who we can’t vett.  This is why we recommend using cruise managers for transportation transfers and hotel staff.  These folks know who is reliable and safe, and they won’t allow these vendors overcharge you.

Kris, an AmaWaterways cruise manager, is an excellent source to help with transfers during a river cruise.

6.      We Only Use Companies that have Good Safety Practices for Activities that Have Higher Risks

This is more than just signing a waiver form. We investigate how companies conduct higher risk activities, so we can be sure their practices provide a reasonable level of safety during higher risk situations during your travels.

While we do not book high risk adventure travel, even something as simple as using bikes on a river cruise requires us to look at the procedures and determine if they are generally safe or not.  Do they let you use a bike without first ensuring it is safe for you based on your physical condition and experience?  Do they use bike helmets?  Do they provide you with a waiver to sign, explaining the risks?  How do they conduct the bike excursions—is there a safety plan for accidents or folks exceeding their capabilities?  These are reasonable procedures that good companies follow.

7.      We Protect Your Privacy

You never need to worry about us providing any personal information to anyone except as required by vendors. On or website, we indicate that we only collect necessary information, never provide that information to 3rd parties with the only goal of improving our service to you and to allow us to aid in the performance of the contract for the travel services you desire.  It is on the bottom of every page of our website, in the footer section of each page.

We also respect your right to ask us to delete any personal information or unsubscribe from any of our electronic communications with you.  While we can’t delete any past trip information in our data base (we are required by law and our insurance policies to keep records of past travel arrangements we have made on your behalf), we can make you an inactive member, so you will not receive any more offers from us.

In short, we respect you and your privacy.

8.      How We Handle Credit Cards

We follow very strict practices about your credit cards to protect you from possible identity theft and unauthorized uses.  Here is an example of how we inform you of some of our credit card practices:

“Once you make this decision, we will handle this purchase on your behalf with your credit card for any services you request.  We always take credit card information over the phone for your safety and protection.”

We also never make any credit card charges without your permission.  After trips are completed, we shred any credit card written records.  We do not store any credit card information electronically.

Our Final Thoughts

You may not have understood our role as professional travel advisors and just how much responsibility we have besides providing great trips—we have important legal responsibilities to protect you and provide you with better service.  We hope this blog helps you better understand how we approach this important part of our business relationship.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@visitdd.com .  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 52 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

As 2023 winds down, we want to wish you all a safe and happy holiday season!

So, raise your glasses all, to toast with us,

“True Christmas Cheer, Happy Holidays, and to a Prosperous New Year.!”

We are so thankful you trust us and we got to help you with your travels.

We look forward to helping in the future as need

We hope you enjoy these pictures of the holidays and since we can’t toast you in person, please let our pictures be the next best thing!

Remember:

Savor life…make memories….Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!

Anne and Hank

Santa joins us in Kastel Engleberg for a formal dinner on Christmas Eve 2018 in the Netherlands.

2018 Rhine Christmas Markets cruise—Anne and Hank in our Scottish Formal Wear on the AmaKristina!

2019 Christmas Cruise Anne and Hank with Santa on AmaWaterways on the AmaSonata

Our 2023 Cunard Sailing in our formal wear—Anne (stunning, isn’t she!) and Hank on Masked Ball Night.

A few Christmas Decorations on our fireplace mantle—even our German nutcracker wants to toast you!

A toast to you from Brugge, Belgium during the Christmas Holidays

Santa giving out presents in 2015 on an AmaWaterways Christmas Markets Cruise on the AmaPrima.

Anne and Hank with our new hats we bought in Regensburg, Germany with the owner of the Hutkonig , who made our hats. We are at the Thurn & Taxis Christmas Markets.

2016 Rhone River Cruise—a toast to you!

2013 Anne in a toast to you from Koblenz, Germany

2023 another toast to you from Vilshofen, Germany

2021 Frankfurt Christmas Markets—Anne lets Little Bear meet her Cousin Big Bear

Frankfurt Christmas Markets 2021

Come Sail with Us in 2025!

Come Sail with Us in 2025

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

In 2025, we will have been in business for 30 years, and to help celebrate this milestone, we are planning a river cruise on the Danube on the best ship sailing on Europe’s rivers—the AmaMagna. 

We would like to invite you to join us for an awesome celebration cruise of unparalleled excellence on the AmaMagna, much fun and laughter, and we will be adding an optional post cruise Christmas Markets land package guided by us in Regensburg to visit the Thurn & Taxis Christmas Markets and other sites in this unique German city..

Anne, Cesario (the cruise manager) and Hank celebrate Octoberfest in Vilshofen during our cruise trip on the AmaMagna in 2023..

The AmaMagna ported in Budapest in 2023.

The sailing dates are 30 November 2025 to 7 December 2025 from Budapest to Vilshofen.

Here is a picture of the Thurn & Taxis Christmas Market in Regensburg, where we will be offering a post trip guided by us.

The AmaMagna

The AmaMagna has 4 restaurants, great facilities and is a double wide ship,

The Al Fresco Restaurant on the AmaMagna

We were fortunate to sail on the AmaMagna in March of 2023.  It was our 24th river cruise.  For those of you who have never sailed on this ship, you are in for a rare treat if you join us..

Jimmy’s Restaurant on the AmaMagna

Our SB stateroom on the AmaMagna

There is so much to see and learn about this cruise we have provided you with two pdf slide shows about the day-to-day route and the facilities on the AmaMagna.

Here is the current offer for this sailing which expires on 31 December 2023, however the cruise can still be booked with us after that date. We think the Triple Saving Offer will probably expire, so if you are really interested, please don’t wait and miss these savings.

Christmas Market Cruises onboard the AMA Magna

November 30, 2025 (cruise) Budapest to Vilshofen.

Celebrate Dream Destinations 30th Anniversary with Hank and Anne Schrader of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC

Embody the spirit of the holidays while experiencing the beauty of Europe in winter.

Participate in festive traditions and meals with all the trimmings onboard, (plus browse enchanting markets filled with handicrafts from late November through December 22.

Earn Triple Savings on your holiday cruise when you book categories BB and above*.

·         $2,000 savings per stateroom

·         $100 per stateroom onboard credit

·         Complimentary category upgrade

 You can add 2 nights in Budapest pre-cruise and/or 3 nights in Prague post-cruise with AmaWaterways or take advantage of our post cruise guided trip in Regensburg. 

*Terms & Conditions:            

All rates are per person in USD for cruise only, based on double occupancy in a BB category stateroom (AB category for AmaMagna) unless stated otherwise. Holiday Triple Savings is applicable to cruise only; valid on select 2025 Europe sailings for new FIT and Group reservations only made between July 1 -December 31, 2023; and is based on double occupancy. Onboard credit of $100 per stateroom for 7-night cruises and $200 per stateroom for 14-night cruises is based on double occupancy in USD and can be applied towards all onboard purchases; Solo occupants receive half of the stated Onboard Credit. Complimentary upgrades applicable to categories BB – AB (AB – SB for AmaMagna); applies to one category upgrade, based on availability; not applicable to Suites, AA+, A+, CA/C, CB, D, and E categories. Offer varies for Solo occupants; ask for details. Offers are combinable with AmaWaterways’ Loyalty Benefits Program and Future Cruise Benefit Program.  Offers are limited to availability, capacity controlled and subject to change/termination without notice. Port charges, optional land packages, airfares, transfers, and gratuities are additional. AmaWaterways reserves the right to correct any errors or omissions at any time. Other restrictions apply. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the state of California. CST#2065452-20.

Our Final Thoughts

We really hope you can join us—we promise a lot of laughter and fun exploring the Christmas Markets with us.  With the additional Europe Thurn & Taxis and the glowing open-air fires creates experiences you will long remember—a great cruise on an awesome ship and celebrating Christmas in Europe that is unmatched for festive spirit and fun.

 We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@visitdd.com .  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 52 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Christmas Markets Port Pictures

Christmas Markets Port Pictures

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

Christmas is a good time to celebrate joy and the beauty of the season.

So, I thought I’d provide you with some pictures of the many Christmas ports you can visit on river cruises.  We all know pictures are the best way for us to really understand how we might get to experience these wonderful and colorful markets.

My hope is that these pictures might inspire to take a river cruise on one of these two rivers to experience the magic of the season in Europe next year or the coming years

We will start on the Rhine and then go to the Danube. 

Cologne, Germany

The huge Cologne Cathedral, with its twin pointed towers, is the best-known landmark in Cologne.  Construction of the cathedral begin in 1248 and took the next 600 years to complete.

Next door to the Cathedral Romano-Germanic Museum which has artifacts from the old Roman town, including part of an old Roman villa.

Hohenzollern Bridge--This is one of the 7 bridges that cross the Rhine in Cologne.  About 1200 trains pass over this bridge daily in route to the main train station.

The old town square is also another good site to visit.

It is famous for its many Christmas markets—we have visited several times and love the hustle and bustle of the season.  Our favorite is the area around the old town square.  Please enjoy these pictures:

Cologne

Cologne

Cologne

Rüdesheim, Germany

The town of Rüdesheim is a charming wine village.

It is famous for the great white wines grown in the region, along with a special coffee drink, aptly named Rüdesheimer coffee (Flambé Asbach brandy, sugar cube, coffee garnished with whipped cream).

A lively lane, the Drosselgasse, is lined with taverns and wine-cellars.

The Christmas Markets are small here but a lot of fun.

Rüdesheim

Rüdesheim

Rüdesheim

Ludwigshafen, Germany

You won’t really visit anything in Ludwigshafen because it is the gateway to two great tours—Heidelberg and Speyer.

Heidelberg is a historic university town.  Top sights in Heidelberg include a visit to the red-walled Castle ruins, with its Great Vat, a 49,000-gallon 18th century wine cask.  There are beautiful views of the Neckar Valley and Heidelberg below.

The old town area is a great area to explore.  This is especially true during the Christmas Markets.  Here are some great pictures of the wonderful Christmas Markets, which were even more fun when it snowed during one of our visits!

Heidelberg

Heidelberg

Heidelberg

Speyer is a German town famous for its large Romanesque Cathedral.  It is the largest in Europe.  Speyer is part of the historic pilgrimage route of Santiago de Compostela.

This once walled city had 68 towers guarding it.  The most important tower still remains and at 188 feet, is one of the tallest defensive watch towers in all of Germany.

The Christmas Market area is near the Cathedral, and we were especially impressed with the food booths.

Speyer

Speyer

Speyer

Strasbourg, France

Strasbourg’s old town is a wonderful stop but especially so for Christmas.  After several visits to Strasbourg, it still beckons us back.  Our first visit was on Bastille Day (14 July) and the floodlights on the Cathedral were breathtaking.

There are several main attractions.  The Cathedral of Notre-Dame is massive and the Cathedral square always has lots of life.

Wander down to Petite France—the home of tanners, fishermen and other artisans—the half-timbered areas are just stunning.

Try some food here—the blend of German and French food results in dishes you won’t soon forget.

The Christmas decorations in Strasbourg are excellent in the old town area.  The narrow lanes just add to the ambiance.

Strasbourg,

Strasbourg,

Breisach, Germany

Breisach is another gateway city—there are another two great options here—Freiburg, Germany and Riquewihr, France.

Freiburg, Germany (the official name is Freiburg-im-Breisgau) is a blend of old and new. 

This city among other claims to fame is said to the sunniest city in all of Germany.  Located on the southern edge of the Black Forest, and near the Rhine River, it was a good trade location and rich burghers, and the mercantile guilds were the original political force in the city.  

It is a university town (started in the 1400s), once was a walled city but its number one sight is the Freiburger Münster (Freiburg Cathedral) (started in the 1300s). The cathedral was completed in 1513. 

We have visited several times and especially like the 3 Christmas Markets area here.

Freiburg,

Freiburg,

Riquewihr is a constant splash of colors, half-timbered buildings and wine shops jumbled together that just is so charming you will not know where to look next.

This medieval walled city still has most of its walls.  There is a watch tower that today houses a museum about the defensive structures of the city, the people who manned the defensive structures and the weapons they used.

Don’t forget to shop, enjoy the food or a snack and sample the white wines this region is so famous for and brought wealth to this village.

This may be the most charming Christmas village you will ever see—maybe these pictures will convince you we’re right!

Riquewihr

Riquewihr

Riquewihr

Basel, Switzerland

Basel is the 3rd largest city in Switzerland.  The historic old town area, on the left bank of the Rhine, was once an old Roman citadel on the high ground.  The Munsterplaz (cathedral square) hosts a large church and some wonderful Christmas Markets.

A short walk from this square leads to the other good Christmas Markets of Markplaz (Market Square).

Basel

Basel

Basel

Now, we are off to the Danube.

Nuremberg, Germany

The old walled city of Nuremberg is one of my favorite places in all Germany.  It has an impressive castle, is crisscrossed by a river, and has some cool old buildings.  The central market square, with its, beautiful fountain, is another great place to see and this square hosts one of the largest Christmas markets in Germany.

It is famous for its many Christmas markets—we have visited several times and love the hustle and bustle of the season.

Nuremberg

Nuremberg

Nuremberg

Nuremberg

Nuremberg

Regensburg, Germany

The town of Regensburg is located on the northernmost point of the Danube River.  It started out as a Roman town, has a medieval stone bridge the crusaders crossed on their way to the Holy Wars (which is guarded by an impressive watch tower), and has a good old town area.  Anne’s favorite hat maker is here, so we find this one of our favorite Bavarian towns.

The Christmas markets are awesome—there are at least 3 or 4 but our favorite is the Thurn and Taxis—it is an old fashion market, with blazing fire pits and has an entrance fee which AmaWaterways includes in your voyage.  It is romantic and has some very good quality goods for sale.

Regensburg

Regensburg

Regensburg Thurn and Taxis

Regensburg Thurn and Taxis

Regensburg Thurn and Taxis

Regensburg Thurn and Taxis

Regensburg Thurn and Taxis

Passau, Germany

Built on a tapering peninsula of land, the old town portion of Passau is located right at the German and Austrian borders.  Three rivers join here—the Danube, the Inn, and the Ilz.  On the high left bank of the Danube (sailing downstream), a fortress dating back to the 1400’s, overlooks the old city center.  There are several impressive churches worth a visit.

There is one really good Christmas market in the main square—Anne found some great gifts on a recent trip.

Passau

Passau

Passau

Passau

Passau

Melk & Dürnstein, Austria

Melk is famous for its impressive, huge abbey and collection of rare books and manuscripts.  The abbey was initially built in the 11th century and has been updated several times, and the last major improvements to this baroque structure were completed from 1702 to 1736.

There is a small market in Melk, but we enjoyed it—we watched a blacksmith work on handmade gifts.

Melk

Melk

Dürnstein, Austria

Dürnstein, Austria

Dürnstein, Austria

Later as you cruise through the one of the great scenic waterways of Europe, the Wachau Valley, you will arrive in the charming village of Dürnstein (about 600 population).  The blue tower of the Abbey, the cute little shops, and the castle ruins on the hillside (where Richard Lionhearted was held in prison for ransom), make this a favorite of many river cruisers.  It is so small there are not any real booths for Christmas, but the shops often have special Christmas items.

Vienna

Vienna is the capital city of Austria (it once the capital city of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), is a city of impressive palaces, great museums, and good food.  It is also known as home for the great composers of classical music, and many go to concerts in Vienna while on their cruise.

There are several great markets here but the two best are at the Rathaus (town hall) and the famous summer palace of the Hapsburgs—Schönbrunn Palace.  There are lots of booths in each market—you won’t go away disappointed!

Schönbrunn Palace

Schönbrunn Palace

Schönbrunn Palace

Schönbrunn Palace

Bratislava

The capital city of Slovakia is a fun place to visit.  Located at the border of Austria and Hungary, this is a newer country (it declared independence in 1993) in Europe.

For much of its history, it was in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and then a part of the Czechoslovakia.  The symbol of Bratislava is the fortress that overlooks the city.  It is also known for its whimsical bronze figures, which delight cruisers in the old town area.

The old town area has a great Christmas market and there are also a good one in the new town area.

Bratislava old town area

Bratislava new town area

Budapest

By far the most impressive city on the Danube, Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is a town we love to visit.  It is really two towns—the high town of Buda that overlooks the banks of the Danube and Pest on the flat land.  They are united by several bridges, but the Chain Bridge is the most important and is a symbol of the city.  

Both sides have some awesome structures—among them Buda Castle and Fisherman’s Bastion (Buda side) and the Parliament building (Pest side).  Once you visit, you will want to come back.

The best Christmas markets are on the Pest side—a highlight is the food, especially the funnel cakes baked over a charcoal fire.

Budapest

Budapest

Two Great Side Trips

Along this route, there are two great cities that are optional trips on some lines or can be included. They are not actually on the Upper Danube but are easily accessible by coach (bus) during your Danube cruise. Both are awesome, so let’s see what it might be like to visit both Salzburg, Austria, and Cesky Krumlov.

Here are two great photos, which may make you want to include these two medieval towns as an addition to your cruise.  Both have good Christmas markets but the Salzburg one is larger with more booths.

Salzburg

Cesky Krumlov.

Our Final Thoughts

There are sure a lot to choose from among these two rivers.  Each has their own character and charm.  All I know is enjoying the season during the Christmas markets season is an experience you should go on and we would be glad to help you get there! 

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@visitdd.com .  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 29 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 52 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Happy Thanksgiving 2023

Happy Thanksgiving 2023

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

2023 has been a very good year for us in our travel business, and it is all because many of you have trusted us with your travel plans.  We are humble and grateful for the trust and hope we had added value to your trip plans and travel experiences.  It is just one of many things we have to be thankful for in our lives.

So, I thought I would pass on some random facts about a proclamation 234 years ago from our first president and thoughts about Thanksgiving.

George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1789

At the urging of both Houses of Congress, President George Washington declared “Thursday the 26th Day of November to render “sincere and humble thanks”.  The message was primarily praise of Almighty God, but 2 parts stood out to me.

First, President Washington, after the end of the Revolutionary War states that after the conclusion of the late war “for the great degree of tranquility, union and plenty which we have enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been able to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness” as a good reason to be thankful.

Second, later in the proclamation, he adds he wishes that “to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to preform our several and relative duties properly and punctually—to render our national government a blessing to all people by constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed.”  Again, another reason to be thankful.

These are some amazing words at the foundation of our nation, from a man who many wanted to be King instead of an elected president.

We are lucky in many ways to have the opportunity to enjoy the freedoms our system of government allows; despite the very partisan divisions we face currently and many challenges we face as a nation.  We are thankful we have this system of government, as should you be thankful also.

Things We are Thankful for this Thanksgiving.

I guess to start with things I am thankful for every Thanksgiving Day, it would be the 3 F’s—Family, Food and Football.  Despite some strong personalities, and differing beliefs in many families, it is family that is the fabric of life—close relationships so vital to the human existence.  Anne and I are thankful that we can share our lives with our family members.

Food is the source of joy and necessary to our survival and plays a key role in our lives and travel business.  As we enjoy these wonderful delights today and other days, I am constantly reminded of how lucky we are to indulge and have great empathy for those who don’t have enough.  We are thankful we get to enjoy this bounty and hope in some small way we can help others enjoy good food during their travels and our small donations help to feed others.

Football is a constant in my life—I will never forget my first live football game of Army vs. Navy in my sophomore year of high school, which in many ways, led me to choose to go to West Point.  I played football in high school and coached at the high school level for 16 years after retiring from the Army and am thankful many parents trusted me to help young boys grow into better young men to help our nation.  We all need some form of emotional experiences in our lives and football for me has provided a lifetime of ups and downs, yet it is only a game and should be looked at in that manner—there are many things far more important about who wins or loses.  Still, it is fun to root for your favorite team on turkey day.

Our Clients

We would not be in business without you, our loyal travelers.  We have always looked at you as friends, not clients, who deserve our best efforts.  You are a demanding lot, as it should be, and our only goal is to provide with the best travel experience, we can. 

We are so grateful—you folks rock!

Our Final Thoughts

We all have many things to be thankful for.  It is a time to reflect and express your thankfulness for your many wonderful things that are part of your life.

Please reach out to someone today and every day you can to tell the people in your lives you love them, appreciate them and are thankful you know them. 

So, from both of us, thank you from the bottom of our hearts—please be safe, healthy, happy, and prosperous—it is our wish for all.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@visitdd.com .  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 52 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Veterans Day 2023--Some of My Life's Guiding Principles I Learned While Serving in the US Army

Veterans Day 2023—Some of My Life’s Guiding Principles I Learned While Serving in the US Army

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

This Saturday, 11 November 2023 is Veterans Day.  It will be a Federal Holiday on Friday 10 November this year.

I always try to write something meaningful about being a 20-year US Army Veteran (1971-1991) on Veterans Day.  I doubt anyone who has ever served in the military has not been changed in some way, regardless of whether they liked or disliked their service time.  It is not a job that is right for many, as the sacrifice and demands seem endless.

Some will be disappointed about us not writing about travel, but the experiences gained from my service and Anne’s experience as a spouse and civilian employee of the Army, are part of the values of our company.  Reflecting is an important part of life and I want to share my thoughts with you.

So, I thought I’d pass on a few thoughts about My Guiding Principles I learned as both a West Point cadet and an Army Officer.  All these principles have carried through after I retired from the Army and went on to other jobs.  I’m sure many Army Leaders used most of these characteristics during their service.

Being Physically Fit

The Army is a demanding physical profession.  We often carry 40 to 80 pounds of gear, work with little sleep and then have to perform with others shooting at us.  I knew, if my men depended upon me, I had to be the one in the best shape of all of them.

I guess this just came naturally—I ran the 440-yard dash on the Army Track Team in my 4 years at West Point. played rugby until I was 41, sometimes at a high level and loved working out.  It wasn’t just okay to be good; I tried to be the best. 

Army-Navy Indoor Track meet 1968. I ran the second leg of the mile relay and have just taken the baton from my teammate. We won the event.

Outdoor Army-Navy meet 1969. I ran lead-off leg of the mile relay which we won.

As a young 2nd lieutenant during the 12-mile march as part of the EIB (Expert Infantryman Badge), requirements, the standard was carry full gear and complete the march in under 3 hours to pass (a 4 mile an hour pace).  There were over 300 candidates line up at the start and I finished first of all of them in 1 hour and forty-nine minutes—better than 6 miles an hour pace with all the gear.  It wasn’t about bragging rights; it was about performance and dependability.

My Battalion Commander told me after that event, he knew who to count on for the toughest job and that held true for all the time he was in command—he depended upon me, and I performed.

Leading From the Front and Loyalty

As a leader, you set the standards.  I never asked my men to do anything I would not do.  Men respect leaders who care for their soldiers.  What attitude do you display in the front of your soldiers—when you are dirty, tired and the tasks become more difficult, do you gripe, or do you inspire?  Trained properly and with good leaders, soldiers can achieve way more than they thought they could.

I am leading my soldiers in a parade as commanding officer of B Company, 4/20th Infantry.

I guess it goes without saying you must be competent in your craft—understanding tactics, doctrine and concepts is vital.  You must know how to maintain and properly use the equipment and arms in your unit and the unit you command or support.

Track Swim of B6, my command vehicle in Panama 1979. We had just completed swimming my M114 armored carrier in Gatun Lake.

Our West Point Cadet Prayer said this rather succinctly, “Encourage us to live above the common level of life”—it means for me lead from the front and try to achieve better results than most and attain at least the set standards, no matter how high or difficult it is.

Being the example and role model requires discipline and vision—where do you want your soldiers to go?  It also requires consistency—you can’t be good one day and sloppy the next.  You also must have a goal or standard to reach and decide what is your vision to achieve that standard.

Communication is important—it must be effective and meaningful.  Leading from the front also means you set the standards and then empower your soldiers and give them the chance to achieve the unit and individual goals.  It is not always easy but necessary to be an effective unit.

Leading from the front also means loyalty to your superiors and to your men—good leaders know how to balance loyalty both ways up the chain of command and down the chain of command.

This is a picture from 1977 Founders Day in Panama. Loyalty means honoring traditions. From left to right, Hank, and my 2 West Point Class of 1971 classmates Rich Zimmerman and Larry Boice.

Honor and Integrity

West Point teaches us to become leaders of character.  Many of us, and even our children and spouses often cite perhaps the best-known line of the Cadet Pray “Make us chose the harder right, instead of the easier wrong, and never to be content with a half truth when the whole can be won” as a great guiding principal of their lives.

You are always tested throughout an Army career, with chances to cut corners or just try to avoid the whole truth.  Most of the time, it was just clear-cut—this is wrong regardless of the consequences.

I once faced a very difficult decision as a new S-3 (Operations Officer).  I was a major.  On our first field training exercise, I had to develop an operations order (you military folks know this as the 5-paragraph operations order).  I prepared the order, showed it to my Battalion Commander (an LTC) and he made some major revisions to clear up the instructions.  He was an awesome ops guy—he took my correct instructions to all the units and made them textbook perfect.  With the updated order, I then had to brief our Brigade Commander (Bde) about the plans. 

The briefing went better than I could have expected, it was a sure homerun.  Our Bde Commander then stated it was the “best op order he had ever heard” and praised me for writing such a great ops order.  Without hesitation, I responded “Sir, this is not my work alone, my Bn Commander rewrote a lot of it.”  In a highly competitive environment of field grade officers, this could have cost me a chance for promotion to LTC.  I can never be sure, but that day forward there could be no doubt from anyone in the 7th Infantry Division (Light) I would not take credit for something I didn’t do or have help with.

I know I made the right decision—the truth is always the proper path regardless of the consequences—I like to say, “bad news never gets better with age”. 

Courage

Courage is a hard thing to define.  Maybe it is a lack of fear, maybe it’s overcoming fear.  I guess in some form it is confronting a difficult situation seeking a solution.  The higher the difficulty of the situation (in the military we often refer to this as conditions), the resolve required for a successful outcome is a measure of courage.  There is both mental courage and physical courage.

The Cadet prayer defines courage as “Endow us with courage that is born of loyalty to all that is noble and worthy, that scorns to compromise with vice and injustice and knows no fear when truth and right are in jeopardy.”  This part of the prayer talks about the mental challenges of courage.  It requires a lot of judgement to decide what is “noble and worthy” and excellent critical thinking skills. 

It takes courage to assess what is wrong and fix it—we often don’t like confrontations.  True leadership is making corrections and retraining to attain or surpass the desired outcomes.  The result is a better trained unit and will ultimately save lives as a deterrent or in actual conflict.  The right approach results in unit cohesion and superbly trained soldiers.  On way I approached this was not to present problems to my superiors, but to present a problem and a possible solution.  As you can imagine, it was a constant in my military career.

As a major (O 4), while the Chief of Investigations and Assistance of the 7th Infantry Division (Light), I routinely advised the 2-star Division Commander (0-8) about situations and violations of regulations.  Most senior officers I had to confront were very receptive and appreciative to resolve problems before they became issues.  I was not as fortunate with a One-star (07) who was incorrectly punishing a soldier and was not following the regulations for the situation.  He refused to take my advice and berated me repeatedly—he felt it was his prerogative and I was not going to usurp his power or decisions.  I calmly replied, “Sir, you can either take my advice, or you will receive a call from your 2-star commander who will order you to comply.”  He refused.  20 minutes later, the 2-star commander called him and ordered him to comply.

This was about me taking power and decision making from superior officers—it was about doing what was right and following our written regulations, but it did require courage on my part to do what was right and confront a superior officer.  You should realize that that is one way our Army is great—even high-ranking officers or senior enlisted are not above the regulations.

We know all about physical courage under fire.  We often recognize these feats with medals—the Bronze Star with V device (Valor), the Silver Star, the Distinguished Service Cross, and the Medal of Honor and with combat badges.  As the popular saying of today is, these heroes ran towards the sound of gunfire, not away from it.

I always are in awe of these soldiers—I never served in an offical combat zone and respect and admire those who served and displayed courage under fire.

This is a summary of my career. The 4 medals are from left to right Meritorious Service Medal with 2 oak leaf clusters (oak leaf is used to designated another award of the same medal), an Army Commendation Medal, an Army Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster and the National Defense Service Medal. Just above my name tag is my Airborne Wings, my Expert Infantry Badge and my cloth Ranger Tab. Also on this carboard display is my Infantry Branch Crossed Rifles, my Major Golf Leaf rank insignia and my Inspector General Branch insignia. The other pins are units I served in during my 20 year career.

Decisiveness

Good leaders have the ability to determine the correct course of action or to readjust if things are not working out right.  Judgement is very important, good leaders evaluate and respond appropriately. 

Making sound and timely decisions is the key.  Evaluating situations and deciding how to solve the problem or confrontation facing you.  Calmness and poise under pressure are awesome characteristics of leaders.  It saves lives in combat and training is stressful situations is important part of developing the confidence to be decisive.

My Final Thoughts

I’m proud to be a veteran, it was an honor to serve my country.  I can promise you the sacrifices and conditions of military service pale to what I gained.  I learned how to perform under pressure, to achieve goals and standards, and developed into a leader of character.  Many along the way helped mentor me, demanded more of me and taught me to be a better leader.  The soldiers I served with helped me by supporting and preforming as required.  I was just a small part of a much bigger service force that protected our country during my 20 years of service.

Maybe the next time you run across a veteran, thank them for helping to protect our nation.  They all need to be remembered, for they made our country safe and allowed others to pursue their dreams, raise families, and grow our nation.

Thanks for reading, and if you are a veteran, currently serving, or part of an active or veteran family, thanks for protecting our country.  You are all very special and have my utmost respect.

Major (retired) Henry “Hank” Carl Schrader, Jr, Infantry Officer 1971-1991

AI Thinks We Are Cool!

AI Thinks We Are Cool!

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

A few days ago, Anne got an AI generated description of our company and brand.

Here it is:

“We've been following Visit Dream Destinations Dba Dream Destinations with great interest and have come across some remarkable reviews from your satisfied clients. From being European River Cruise Experts to providing top-notch travel planning services, your dedication to delivering the highest quality experiences is evident. Anne & Hank Schrader, as certified travel professionals, have undoubtedly created an exceptional brand.”.

While we appreciate this awesome review, I’m not sure this review is based on any personal knowledge of who we are—they just scanned our website and maybe some blogs and generated the summary.

You may wonder why we would tell you this—AI is going to be part of travel and there is concern among travel advisors that it is a threat to our profession. 

We are not concerned about this, as we have weathered a lot since our start in 1995, but we need to explore this further and learn together the advantages and disadvantages of AI in the travel industry.

What is AI?

AI is the abbreviation for artificial intelligence.  There are 2 main types of AI—generative AI (gen AI) and machine learning (ML).  Some folks in our industry think that AI will result in reimagining what it means to book, plan, and experience travel.

This would be a newer way to interact with customers.  I’m not so sure AI will revolutionize our role as travel advisors, but there can be no doubt that the digital age has made the industry better.  There will be changes and it is probably too early to predict all the changes but perhaps just a recap of our experience in the digital age can provide us with some clues to the future.

The Human Touch

In our industry, there is one constant—quality interaction between us and our clients and potential clients.  Could this interaction be replaced or enhanced using AI? 

Some possible uses of AI are to create digital assistants that could plan, recommend. book, and monitor travel during the trip.  It would require knowing a client so well that you could segment a clients’ desired trip preferences by their searches and digital presence.

In theory, sounds like a great idea.  For simple trips, it probably is the wave of the future—"recommend 4 hotel rooms near the city center at this price range” (your query) would be an appropriate use of AI, as they could quickly scan options and respond to the query.  That could certainly reduce your search time. 

Again, it raises the question about the quality of information used to curate a response—all of us have seen information in a digital format that is inaccurate or misleading at best.  Eventually it will get to the point that it is very useful and works to the satisfaction of the user, but, in my opinion, we are not there yet.

I have read that currently only information from 2021 or earlier is available for AI use, but I have no way to confirm this, and if true, a lot has happened since then in the travel industry—most river cruise lines were requiring us to wear masks to sail in 2021, and that is no longer required as just one example of how relevant and timely the AI responses are.  It does raise the point that timeliness and accuracy of the responses is a potential problem area.

Marketing Using AI

The concept here is called: hyper-segmentation” where AI would respond to the queries and selectively determine the best trip based on your responses.  Segmentation is not a new concept—we classify travelers by their preferences, but I find the idea of too much segmentation can result in a bombardment of unwanted marketing messages and offers by travel professionals searching for new clients.  Not sure this will happen, but the potential worries me.  Maybe this is why there are so many warnings about AI.

I prefer our approach—you opt in for our blog or visit our website and then reach out to us.

Our Logo

Here is part of our home page on our website www.dreamdestinations.com

We won a Wave Award in 2018

AI for River Cruises

I’m not sure it is the answer for river cruises.  In the UK, I just read an article about a new agency that relies on on-line responses to make decisions about which river cruises to book and the whole process is online.

The real question is—where do they get their information to filter and make recommendations?  Here are a couple of examples:

So, do they rely on Conde Nast Readers Survey published on 3 October 2023 to make the decision on which line to use for a potential river cruise client?  I disagreed with the results only last week in a blog post.  Who is right—neither of us.  It is my opinion and as I say over and over, all river cruises are great options.  No matter how hard machine learning tries, when there are split opinions, they can’t solve the problem accurately.  After all, AI data will only spit out what it has been fed in developing the answers to your query.

Do you rely on awards won, or cruise critic?  Are they using published reviews influenced by advertising dollars?  AI can only scan the information and process it, then make judgements based on the algorithms programed into the response.

If I’m spending $15,000 to $20,000 on a river cruise vacation, I want someone to explain what is the best use of my money that matches my travel style—not a machine that says X number of people picked line Z, so you should also.

So, what do you do?  You must talk with an advisor (hopefully us) and determine if they are better than AI.

ChatGPT for Travel

ChatGPT is both generative AI (gen IA) and machine learning AI (MI).  Why?  It starts off as answering questions or prompts with answers that are generated.  As the process continues, it learns more and refines it responses., making it machine learning.  You may already be using a form of AI for customer service, where the computer begins the conversation and when enough information is gathered, then a customer service representative takes over the conversation and provides the action required.

This AI will be best, in my opinion, for simple trips that already have folks using OTAs (online Travel Agency’s)—Expedia and Kayak already have plugins, but you have to use ChatGPT Plus.   ChatGPT is great for simple input--where do you want to go? how much do you want to spend? Give me 6 suggested cruises—they can handle that.  The idea is to have human-like conversations with the computer to assist you.  There is a ChatGPT app but make sure it is created by OpenAI (free but there is a subscription option that costs $20 a month) but already there are fakes out there.  The real advantage of ChatGPT is speed—in seconds it can respond to the query.

You may be wondering—why not just use search engines?  The short answer is that ChatGPT is designed to have a conversation, while a search engine uses indexes of web pages to find the information requested.  For now, it is clear that search engines provide the best up-to-date and accurate information.  As I told you earlier in this segment of the blog, there is a service called ChatGPT Plus which also includes scanning the internet, which will probably provide better quality results. 

A limitation of ChatGPT—it uses servers and could get overloaded if too many people are online, so the system tells you are at capacity.  Another limitation—ChatGPT does not provide sources for its answers.

Determine which cruise line is best for me—too hard at present—all have earned awards; digital articles pick a wide variety of options, and all are good.  Whose opinion is right?

Another use of the ChatGPT that is already in place on river cruise company websites, is pop-up responses trying to get more information and direct you to a desired trip.  I would recommend caution here—the cruise lines have a vested interest to get you to book as quickly as possible and may narrow your search too quickly.  Remember, AI on a company website can’t answer questions that require a human touch and judgement yet.  Also, travel is an emotional experience, and the machine does not have the ability to make truly emotional responses like we can by listening to you.

So, How Do You AI In Your Travels?

Carefully is my advice.  One thing AI can’t do well is apply human judgement.  AI might speed up the research process, but it can’t pick the right cruise for you on a river cruise.  It might be able to tell you what the lowest price is but can’t tell you the value of the cruise for your travel style.

Our Final Thoughts

We never panicked when the internet went worldwide—it just made our clients more astute and interested in travel.  I think for now our jobs are safe from AI.  To be candid, we were never worried about it.  Let the online agencies use AI but we will only use it if it is reliable and improves our response time on our end to find you the best options quicker.  Even then, we will need to insert our human judgement to ensure you get the best trip.  You will never see a ChatGPT on our website or a way to book online from our site—you need our human judgement and interaction.

I don’t think you would want it any other way.  This is still a people-to-people business and will stay that way.  Even now, we often find clients who say they are confused by all the information—it is just too complicated for most.  Don’t worry—we can and will provide you clarity if you decide to use us to plan your trip—honest, fun, and reliable with your best interest at heart.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@visitdd.com .  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 52 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Another River Cruise Rating Article--No Wonder There is So Much Confusion!

Another River Cruise Rating Article—No Wonder There is So Much Confusion!

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

Another river cruise rating article was recently published—this time it is in the respected Conde Nast Traveler.  The Conde Nast readers ranked the best small cruises with 500 or fewer passengers in their 2023 Reader’s Choice Awards. The 3 categories were 1) The Best Small Cruises, 2) The Best River Cruises and 3) The Best Expedition Cruises.  

According to the survey and Conde Nast, this is the longest-running recognition awards in the travel industry.  There are so many categories in their survey that it is hard to tell how many people voted in the small ship category, so the number of 526,000 voting certainly does not mean that many voted in these 3 categories.  In fact, one source said only 27% of the readers went on a cruise last year.

I will only share with you the results of The Best River Cruises and my opinion of these choices—I did not vote in this survey, but I am going to vote my rankings for the 7 lines we follow.  If I don’t give the line a max score in the categories, I will explain my reason for the less than perfect score.  If I also don’t have personal knowledge of a category, I gave them an excellent score (5) and provided a reason for this rating.

The Citeria for the Cruise Category

There were 5 areas the readers voted on in this survey.  Each of the five areas were rated on a five-point scale that was then converted to a percentage.  The scale was excellent (5), very good (4), good (3), fair (2) and poor (1).

To be listed in the awards, each line had to receive a minimum number of responses and a minimum overall score to be listed in the rankings.  The exact number of responses needed is not disclosed by Conde Nast in each category.  Another interesting fact is that this survey is often used in mathematic classes to assess the reliability of the data and to calculate the standard deviation of responses, but I will leave that to others with far more mathematics ability than I to evaluate the responses and data.

Since I don’t have a copy of the questions, I must rely on what others have reported about the rating areas used and even if they are not correct, they will prove useful to understand the methodology used.  The five categories are cabins/facilities; food; itineraries/destinations; excursions/activities and value.

The Best River Cruises Ranking

The Reader Choice Awards top 5 results are 1) Viking (97.32); 2) American Cruise Lines (96.66); 3) Tauck River Cruising (96.14); 4) Oberoi (95.91); and Les Bateaux Belmond (95.90).  Other lines we follow received this rating 8) Uniworld (93.24); 10) AmaWaterways (93.09); 11) Scenic (90.09); 13) Avalon Waterways (88.09) and 14) Emerald (86.54).

Since some categories on the list had only 3 or 4 winners and 16 were listed in the best river cruise rankings, tells me how close the voting was and the small differences between the listed lines.  My guess is the cut off was 70% or higher to be listed.  No real surprise for me—river cruising is often one of the best vacations available for our clients and the large number of different lines receiving votes supports our thoughts about the overall value of this great vacation.

Viking (97.32)

As the largest river cruise company that sails in Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America, it is easy to see why most readers would select Viking just based on their sheer size.  Viking has close to 100 total ships sailing in the expedition, ocean, and river cruise types of vacations.  About 70 ships are on the rivers and they have the largest footprint in Europe.

Using the max 30 points. Viking had to score at least 29 points, with a lot of perfect scores.  I’m not sure how you could max them out in cabins (45 of the 95 are between 135 sq. feet or at the waterline and they carry 190 passengers on their longships—maybe Conde Nast folks only sail in their larger staterooms).  I’ll provide you with more thoughts later on this line.

It is also possible that people who voted for Viking had done another cruise on Viking (either ocean and expedition) and assumed the river cruises would be as good--brands tend to influence responses.

American Cruise Lines (96.66)

American Cruise Line has 35 US river cruises on the Mississippi, Columbia & Snake Rivers.  It also sails in New England and Alaska.  They have 17 ships, but one was recently damaged due to a generator fire, so I believe only 16 are currently in service.  It is unfair for me to evaluate this line, as we have never sold it and it does not operate in Europe.

Tauck River Cruising (96.14)

With its cult like following, very small passenger counts (often 130 or less), this is a quality river cruise line.  Again, to get this high a ranking, Tauck would have to get a little less 29 total points (okay for all you math folks 28.84 points)

Oberoi Hotels & Resorts (95.91)

Oberoi is a luxury hotel operator with 32 luxury hotels and 2 river ships.  Both ships, the Zahra (27 cabins) and the Philae (22 cabins) sail only on the Nile River.  It is hard for me to believe that with only 2 ships and limited staterooms, that many folks would rate it so high—makes you wonder how many votes it would require to be considered.

I don’t doubt it is luxury, but most newly built Egyptian River ships are equally luxurious, and these ships were built in 1996 and refurbished in 2015.  I’m not exactly sure of how many newer ships have been added to the Nile River fleets of other lines, but it is more than 4—AmaWaterways and Viking have newer ships in service since 2015.

Les Bateaux Belmond (95.90)

This is a barge company that ranges from 4 to 12 passengers.  It has 7 barges—6 are available as private charters and only one, the Nepoleon, allows you to book an individual cabin.  They sail only in France.

Again, it is hard to understand how there could be so many folks taking barge trips, so they meet the minimum required submissions—even if Conde Nast are very high-end travelers.

As my lovely wife Anne pointed out to me, many could have voted for this company based on reading about them—since barge cruises are almost exclusively charter operations, these become tailored vacations, with itineraries decided by the guests and even meals are customizable—I can really understand how that would appeal to the readers of Conde Nast for their upscale vacations, and they could have received votes based upon reading about these experiences.

Now My Ratings

To make this clear, I will list what Conde Nast readers rated the 7 lines we follow and then provide my rating using the 5 to 1 scale reported earlier in this blog post.

Viking—Conde Nast Score 97.32

My Viking Score 76.00 (19/25) cabins/facilities (3); food (4); itineraries/destinations (5); excursions/activities (3) and value (4). 

With 190 passengers, many small staterooms I can’t go higher than 3 (good) for cabins/facilities.  Having eaten on a Viking ship, can’t go higher than 4 (very good, especially if you consider wine in this category).  For excursions/activities, there are too many extra cost excursions that are limited or unknown until after booking your cruise—3 (good) is generous, but reasonable as some routes have excellent included excursions.  Unless you get a great sale, I have a hard time rating the value much above a 3 (good)—almost everyone spends more on-board than they expected—sometimes as much as $1,500 to $2,000 more.

A good look at the balcony staterooms on a Viking longship. The port side (this view) is the larger Veranda Staterooms (205 square feet)

This is a picture of the small 135 square feet French Balcony (sliding glass window) stateroom. There are 22 of these staterooms on the 95 cabins on a Viking longship.

A chef makes carbonara on a Viking longship in March of 2023. I love this dish and am sad to tell you it was just so-so at best. This is one reason I cut them a point on food. I also don’t like the lower quality wines included in the basic fare—you have to buy a silver beverage package to get better drinks.

Tauck—Conde Nast Score 96.14

My Tauck Score 88.00 (22/25) cabins/facilities (5); food (5); itineraries/destinations (4); excursions/activities (4) and value (4). 

Having never sailed on a Tauck ship, but with extensive knowledge of their cabin/facilities, I rated them with an excellent (5) due to the fewer passenger cabins and the most innovative water-line deck loft cabins, which are the best water-line cabins in the industry.  I rated Tauck excellent for food (5) but I have never eaten on their ships and I was influenced by the fact that they are all-inclusive with drinks.  I rated itineraries very good (4) since there is a small number of ships compared to other lines.  Perhaps the most interesting cut from excellent (5) to very good (4) is the on-board tour guides—I like locals, who often have more in-depth knowledge, but many disagree with my thoughts.  The value cut to very good (4) is the price for cruises—with 130 passengers, Tauck is often the most expensive river cruise line when comparing identical routes.

The Tauck Treasures rivership sailing on the Danube.

The Reception Area on the Tauck Emerald while ported on the Saone River

Uniworld—Conde Nast Score 93.24

My Uniworld Score 84 (21/25) cabins/facilities (4); food (5); itineraries/destinations (5); excursions/activities (3) and value (4). 

I can’t go higher than a 4 (very good) for the overdone cabins—you either love them or detest them.  I have never eaten on Uniworld but gave them an excellent rating (5) since they are all inclusive and most alcoholic drinks are included.  My biggest problem with Uniworld—claiming to be all-inclusive, there are still some excursions that require an extra charge, so they only earned a 3 (good) from me.  These 2 reasons cause me to lessen the overall value of this cruise to a 4 (very good).

The Uniworld River Royal ported in Bordeaux.

AmaWaterways—Conde Nast Score 93.09

My AmaWaterways Score 100 (25/25) cabins/facilities (5); food (5); itineraries/destinations (5); excursions/activities (5) and value (5). 

Compared to the other lines we follow, 5 are justified in each category –all excellent!

The AmaCerto ported on the Rhine River at Basel.

An Amawaterways Balcony stateroom. This is 235 square foot stateroom.

A great desert to finish the meal—the food is the best of all other river cruise lines we rate.

Anne and I enjoying a great meal on AmaWaterways

Scenic—Conde Nast Score 90.09

My Scenic Score 92.00 (23/25) cabins/facilities (5); food (4); itineraries/destinations (5); excursions/activities (5) and value (4). 

While most meals are great, they sometimes just don’t have consistent food.  Also, one of their specialty dining is not sperate from the rest of the main dining room.  For those two reasons, I rated the food very good (4).  We find it very expensive unless you hit a sale and often pay a year early while other lines have a 90-day final payment as their standard practice, so they earned a very good rating (4) from me.

we sailed on the Scenic Opal in 2015.

The seafood buffet was wonderful but they lost a point from me as next night’s dinner was not as good—others told us the meal just wasn’t as good as other days, so the lost one point from me when I rated the food.

Avalon—Conde Nast Score 88.09

My Avalon Score 84.00 (21/25) cabins/facilities (5); food (2); itineraries/destinations (5); excursions/activities (5) and value (4).  

The food just doesn’t match the other lines—can’t go higher than 2 (fair), even though they have a very good vegetarian food program.  I debated in my mind to take one point from either excursions/activities category for the cost of some extras, but I like their variety and active & discovery options, so I took the point off for the value from excellent to very good (4).

The Avalon Impressions ported in Vienna.

Here is the lunch meal buffet we ate in March of 2023 in Budapest during the ASTA River Cruise Expo. The carving station meats were good but the rest of the meal was not up to other river cruise company standards in both food quality and selection. This was my lowest score of all of the 7 ships we rated—I gave it a fair rating for 2 points in the food category..

Panoramic Stateroom 302 on the Avalon

Emerald—Conde Nast Score 86.54

My Emerald Score 88.00 (22/25) cabins/facilities (4); food (4); itineraries/destinations (4); excursions/activities (5) and value (5). 

While not the flashiest cabins, they are modern and sleek, but it only cost them one point from excellent to very good (4) and they do have a covered pool that converts to a movie theater at night.  The food is better than Viking in my judgement, so it only lost a point from excellent to very good (4).  The small number of ships (9) was the reason for the one point cut in itineraries/destinations to very good (4).

The Emerald Sun

This is the awesome covered pool that converts to a movie theater at night—How cool is that!

This is stateroom 318, a Panoramic Suite on the Emerald Sun. The size of the cabin is 180 sq. feet.

Here is the Recap with my Scores—AmaWaterways 100; Scenic 92, Tauck 88, Emerald 88, Uniworld 84, Avalon 84 and Viking 76.

Our Final Thoughts

Isn’t amazing how different I perceive these lines compared to the readers of Conde Nast.  Part of the problem is that all river cruises are good vacations, and readers often only have the chance to sail on one line and tend to rate it highly as a result.  The other problem is that Conde Nast are the high-end travel folks, who favor all-inclusive products.

This just goes to show how little value these ratings have for us—it is so much better to match your travel style to the vendors—don’t be swayed by these reports.  We hope you enjoyed this report—it was fun and challenging writing it.

Even cruise lines and vacation recommendations from friends and family should not be your sole reason to choose a certain line—everyone has certain travel expectations and just because they enjoyed it, you may not.  You should use a seasoned travel professional like us, with in-depth knowledge to help you find the right cruise for you that matches your travel style.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@visitdd.com .  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 52 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent