Is a river cruise right for your group?

River cruising is ideal for families or friends and groups with shared interests.You can select a cruise suited towards your group’s special interest, such as a wine and culinary cruise or a cultural event.

Or pick an itinerary that will include stops that appeal to your group. Mozart or opera aficionados? Try a Danube cruise that includes Vienna, Salzburg, and Prague. Gardening enthusiasts? Maybe a tulip cruise in The Netherlands. Additionally, your group can enjoy private excursions and activities tailored exclusively for you.

If you’d prefer, you can easily separate during the day for activities and tours that appeal individually, and then meet up again later for dinner or evening relaxation to share experiences.

River cruising has some of the advantages of larger ship cruising such as moving from one location to another without unpacking, but the ships are smaller and go to villages and cities a large vessel would never make. Riverboats dock right in town. No tendering or long road trips to get to the main city. Step off the ship and you’re off and discovering immediately. You’ll be able to explore off-the-beaten-path destinations, participate in authentic experiences, and have more free time to check out local cafes, markets, and sites

Most riverboats hold 150-160 guests and can handle group sizes from 10 to a full ship charter. No lines getting on/off the ship. On-board entertainment includes local performers, artists, lecturers, culinary lessons, and wine and beer tastings. There are special interest cruises with added focus for art, history, food, and holidays of various regions throughout the world.

River cruising is best known for the rivers and canals of Europe – Danube, Rhine, Seine to name a few. But, the convenience combined with the ability to immerse culturally in destinations has broadened river cruising’s appeal to other regions of the world. Indochina, the Amazon, Africa, Russia, China all have well-established river cruise offerings.

Which river cruise is right for your group? Give me a call, I’d love to help you choose the perfect ship and itinerary. 888-429-1929

Viennese Waltz in Vienna

Mozart, Strauss, Sachertorte, Viennese coffee, palaces, opera houses, waltzing, canine subway fares. How do you distill Vienna into a few paragraphs?

Vienna is a captivating city and so many things to see and do. Inside the Ringstrasse, part of the city center has an auto-free zone with cafes, shops, and street performers mixed in amongst the museums, cathedrals and government buildings. On my visit, I couldn’t wait to get to a café and have some Viennese coffee with sachertorte (a specialized chocolate cake). The coffee was fabulous. The sachertorte, for me, was a tad disappointing. It was good, just not the earthshaking event I had anticipated!

An interesting tidbit, I picked up on my visit is how much the Viennese love their dogs. Leashed, muzzled dogs are welcome in most public places, including the subway. Canines are required to have a ticket, just as their human owners do. But, their fare is less than the adult fare.

The Hoffburg and Schonbrunn Palaces were the epi-center of the Habsburg Dynasty and now both house incredible museums with a wonderful history of Austria, as well as the lavish means of royalty. Schonbrunn, an easy train ride from central Vienna was the summer palace; Hoffburg, in the city center was the winter palace.

Two palaces seem a little excessive; most of my friends make due with one – but I guess they felt compelled to keep up with the “Louis”. The history and opulent lifestyle is fascinating and at Hoffburg there is a dedicated “Sisi” wing and exhibit detailing Empress Elisabeth’s life and showcasing the infamous Silver Collection.

Classical music and Vienna are very nearly synonymous – Mozart, Strauss, Beethoven, Schubert, Hayden all lived and worked in the city at one time or another. Tributes and statues abound, as well as music halls and theaters. At least one musical performance is a must. And, if you’re an aficionado of the opera or orchestral music, you may have reached Nirvana.

One of my bucket list “to dos” is to hear the Vienna Philharmonic play the Blue Danube on New Year’s Day at the State Opera House. Oh, and dance the Viennese Waltz while I’m at it!

Depending on your interests, a few more not-to be-missed sites to consider are St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the Kunsthistorisches Museum, and the Spanish Riding School. And, if you’re in Vienna for more than a day or two, Salzburg and the Vienna Woods are both easy day trips. The Wachau Valley, home to Melk Abbey, as well as the fortress where Richard the Lionhearted was imprisoned and some good wine is also a great day trip. You didn’t think I wouldn’t mention wine, did you?!

What is your favorite memory of Vienna or highest on your “wish list” for your first visit?

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