You Are Our Ideal Customer!

You Are Our Ideal Customer!

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

www.dreamdestinations.com

This might seem like a strange topic for our blog, but in reality, it may be the most important aspect of our business—who is our ideal customer? 

We believe you, our readers, our friends and associates are our ideal customer!

In my work lifetime of 49+ years, I have been a career Army Officer, a teacher and coach, and a travel advisor.  These 3 careers have one item in common-it’s all about relationships with people.  We think our best asset, while advising you about travel, is our relationship with you—we strive to be your trusted travel advisors.

We will do our best for you by matching you with the right trip so you can experience the joy of being in a wonderful place and learn all about it and share these experiences with family and friends. 

So this week, I would like to boldly tell you who you are; what you want from travel; how we can help you achieve your travel goals; and how we recognize you.

Ready?—Let’s go on this journey together!

Who You Are

Here are some characteristics of most of our clients—how many of these match who you are and what you want from your travels?

First and foremost you are active folks.  You have succeeded professionally, physically and socially in your lifetime.  Probably, you are a college graduate and you are married.  You may still be working or just recently retired but you have been in the workforce for over 40 years. 

Ready for a bike ride—Jane, Len and AmaWaterways Wellness Host June 2019 River Cruise

You are reasonably affluent and willing to spend $10,000 or more on a trip that matches a travel experience you want.  You are well traveled—you probably have visited Alaska, Hawaii or Europe, or all three or other great places in the world.  You might have even lived for a while in a foreign country.  You probably have been on a 7 day ocean or river cruise.  You have realistic expectations—you know great trips are expensive. 

Christmas Eve Dinner in the Netherlands with Mark and Denise Thomas 2018

You seek great value in your trip—the best experiences for your money.  You know geography and world events—chances are you read a lot.  You like art and history.  You like both big cities and small villages and historic sites.  Most of you really like good food and wine. 

Vienne, France Picnic—many of clients love great food and wine

You often seek Authentic Travel.  You often want to venture beyond the ordinary by getting to know a destination through its people and customs.  These travel experiences are both educational for you and entertaining.  You seek out local history and lore; local food; delight in meeting local people and like hands on experiences.

A night visit to Cologne Germany Christmas Markets—Authentic Travel at its Best!

Sometimes you want to be pampered—you want to have a temporary lifestyle that exceeds your daily lifestyle.  You want to mark milestone celebrations with unique travel experiences.  You have worked very hard in your lifetime and you want to reward yourself for your past and future achievements.

Room Service in Suite 809 on SilverSea—awesome breakfast—luxury at its best!

What You Are Seeking From Your Travels

Here are some common items we feel most of you seek during your travels—again, we would like you to see how many of these align with your travel desires:

You want travel to enrich your life with experiences.  You want to travel with friends and family to share these experiences. 

What an experience—for Anne’s 60th birthday, we prepared a chef’s meal in Wales by attending a cooking school led by famous chef Angela Grey at a vineyard. We prepared Cog au Vin, Lyonnaise Potatoes and Crepes Suzette!

You want a way to make your dream travels happen as easily as possible.  You have done your research before you seek us out and you want to turn your dreams into reality (according to Google, 62% of all leisure travelers use the internet to research their trip and the average traveler visits 20 different websites prior to making a purchase—you may be one who has done such extensive research).  But, you probably would prefer avoiding the hassle of making choices without all the facts and are often thankful for help you can trust, especially if it does not cost you extra or come with hidden expenses or deceptive descriptions of any aspect of your trip.

Many times your trips have different goals.  Sometimes it is a new experience.  Sometimes it is a familiar place.  Sometimes it is an escape.  Sometimes it is pure luxury—the best the world has to offer.  Sometimes it is active and full of adventure. 

Great Family Trip—the Boins in Chichen Itza

You dream about travel a lot.  I’ll bet if you close your eyes and start thinking about where you would like to go and what you would like to experience, you can quickly think of 3 or more places—your own personal bucket list. 

Brugges, Belgium—Anne’s favorite place to dream about!

The bottom line:  You want a vacation that is fun, safe, hassle free and a good value for your money.

How We can Help You Achieve Your Travel Goals

According to Google, there are 5 distinct stages of travel. They are 1) Dreaming; 2) Planning; 3) Booking; 4) Experiencing; and 5) Sharing.  We help you in all of the 5 phases of travel by turning ordinary trips into extra-ordinary experiences. 

How do we do this?—we really know who you are!  We know what you like and do not like.  We do not want your trip to be okay or good—we want it to be the best vacation you ever take!  We always ask a lot of questions about your travel desires so you dreams become reality by our careful planning and booking on your behalf.

We are not Hank.com or Anne.com—we do not work for a cruise line or a resort or a travel company—we work for YOU!  There is no booking engine on our website—we need to talk with you, really know you and then plan and book your trip. 

Then once are the details are in place, you get to experience a great vacation and share those experiences with your friends and family.  Pretty cool, huh!  We have been in business for 24+ years helping folks just like you have great vacations—believe me it is an honor to get it right for you and try our upmost to exceed your expectations. 

We know what a great value is in travel and will find it for you.  Ask yourselves—who do you know who have been on 27 ocean cruises, 18 river cruises, visited over 80 countries and written 50 city guides for European destinations and 51 port guides for Europe River Cruises? 

We really know our stuff about travel and we use our experiences to enhance your trip.  Maybe most importantly, we don’t want to be one and done with your travel—we want to be your trusted travel advisors for life. 

You aren’t only our customer—you are our friend and we treat all our friends with respect and will do the right thing to help you achieve your travel goals. 

Almost every time we plan a trip for someone, we ask ourselves why would anyone try to do it themselves, especially since it usually cost nothing extra to use us, as the vendors pay us and you will pay the same regardless if you use us or not. 

The bottom line is we know what you are seeking from your travels and we can help you achieve your travel goals so we can get you the right experiences on all of your trips. 

Our Traveler Hall of Fame

We have a unique way to recognize your trust in us by selecting us as your travel advisors.  We have created the Dream Destinations Traveler Hall of Fame to thank you.  Hall of Fames are design to recognize noteworthy people and their achievements and contributions and we are thrilled when we get to add a new person to our Hall of Fame.

So, doesn’t it make sense that we induct you into our Traveler Hall of Fame for using us to make your travel dreams reality?  We love to recognize your value to us by expressing our appreciation that you trusted your travels to us.  Any time we get it right, it motivates us more to maintain and improve our efforts on your behalf.

Erkuns at London Bridge—Great Father and Son trip!

Bob and Johanna on our 75th Anniversary of D Day Trip 2019 at Pointe du Hoc with Ranger Monument in the background

On our website we post pictures and the stories of the folks who have enjoyed their travel with us.  Here is the link to view some of the wonderful folks we have helped have great vacations and we hope to add your name here soon!

Dream Destinations Traveler Hall of Fame

My Final Thoughts

Did we get it right—are you our ideal customer?  We are pretty sure you are!  The next time you are thinking about traveling, why not contact us to help you achieve your travel expectations? 

Let us make you member of the Dream Destinations Traveler Hall of Fame. 

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.  As you can see, our full service agency can get you to almost anywhere you desire to travel and provide you a great experience and vacation.

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.

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!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 48+ 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

Health & Wealth in Travel--a Devasting Impact but All is Not Lost

Health & Wealth in Travel—a Devastating Impact but All is Not Lost!

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

www.dreamdestinations.com

It is a really rough time for our travel industry.  The lock down and countries closing their borders is unlike anything we have ever seen in my 70 year lifetime.  It will rebound but no one really knows when it will rebound.  This blog is about confidence and why you should be confident about the future of travel.

Before I start, it would be insensitive to not recognize that leisure travel is discretionary spending; we are in exceptionally tough economic times; but still please recognize that of the current 22 million in the U.S. unemployed, over 8 million are in the travel industry—yes over 36% of the workforce!

But I have to get the bad news out first before building your confidence back.  There is just no sugar-coating the truth about the woes of the travel industry right now, in late April 2020.

I’m going to provide you some alarming statistics that currently spell doom and gloom to show the magnitude of what is happening to the travel industry.  At first glance, you could interpret these as the demise of much of the travel industry, but the truth it is only a lull—travel opportunities will return and most of us will be glad and hope it is sooner than later.

There are a lot of anxious folks in the United States—health, the economy and isolation from social distancing are all concerns.

But, believe me, all is not lost.  Travel will return, maybe with some differences, but it will be back.  My guess is it will return starting in this fall and be reasonably strong in 2021 with some (or maybe even a lot) pent up demand and postponed trips driving the train. 

Confidence must return first—you need assurances you will be safe when you travel.

This week, we will help you get your confidence back—let’s start by defining exactly what travel confidence is and then take the next step by defining travel confidence through dreaming and thinking about why you want to travel.  Then 10 prudent steps to determine if you are ready to travel and how to best protect yourself during travel planning and travel in our new reality.

And, finally, when the time is right, why you should use us to plan your travels.

So, this week, I’d like to write about how to get your travel confidence back.

First, Some Tough Statistics for the Travel Industry

1. 8 million out of work in the U.S. travel industry by the end of April (source Oxford Economics impact analysis of COVID-19).

2. 4 million will be out of work in U.S. hotel industry (source American Hotel & Lodging Association and Forbes).

3. 95% decrease in air passenger traffic in the U.S. (source TSA passenger screening counts comparing to present counts and 2019 screening counts).

4. 50% of the world’s aircraft grounded (source analysts at Cowan Bank in a CNN interview).

5. $80 Billion lost tax revenue to the U.S. government (source U.S. Travel Association).

6. $314 Billion lost revenue to airlines worldwide—a 55% drop from 2019 (source IATA—International Air Transportation Association).

7. $1.6 Billion lost each day by the airlines worldwide (source IBIS World market research).

8. 15.8 Million American jobs at risk, directly or indirectly in the travel sector (source U.S. Travel Association).

9. 96% worldwide destinations are closed.  They have completely or partially closed their borders to tourists (source United Nations World Tourism Organization).

These are just staggering statistics and just highlight how import travel is to the U.S. economy and the world.  But it is my belief, the worst will be over in less than 3 months.  Recovery may be slow but it will be steady and things will improve.

What Exactly is Travel Confidence?

Oxford Dictionary defines confidence in part as “firm belief that one can rely on someone, firm trust”; and, “the state about feeling certain about the truth of something”.

More than ever, I am strong believer that the right travel providers will be the key to the return of safe travel and will lead us out of the current mess.

It is my feeling that most just are not confident about safe travel right now, so let’s examine that further.

All humans have needs.  Perhaps, the best known description of the needs, is the famous Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory.  It is a pyramid where 5 needs are identified.  The most basic needs are at the base of the pyramid.

Despite disagreements about the accuracy of the model to describe our human behavior, most folks recognize that lower level needs need to be satisfied in some way to just survive.  The lowest 2 levels, our basic physiological needs (food, shelter, etc.) on the first level is then just one rung above is safety.

Believe me, I am not anything close to a behavioral expert, but I know a thing or two about travel behavior.  We need assurance our travel will not only be rewarding but also safe.  And, there is an emotional loss here also—a great trip we have been anticipating just has suddenly been lost or postponed through no fault of our own—it just takes a toll on us—it is only human nature, and, trust me we feel your pain!

For confidence to return, we will need to know that there will be both 1) enough wealth (money) to pay for our desired trips and 2) it will be safe enough conditions to allow us to experience the wonders of travel again.

Some of us will have to wait for a while to regain enough confidence—if it is only safety concerns about travel, your wait will probably be shorter than those with money concerns.

But confidence will return.  Medical folks at some point will come up with methods to deal with this problem, travel suppliers will strengthen their preventative measures and the travel industry will improve to provide you better, safer trips.

Travel Dreams

Do you want to dream about great destinations?  We all do, I’m sure.  There are so many benefits of travel that make folks want to go experience different places.  Humans are curious, they like learning about others—their culture, their food, their living conditions, the cities and countryside’s they live in, and they way of living.

I would encourage you to start thinking about why you have traveled in the past and what you want to see in the future.  The future is really about hope and travel should be part of this recovery plan.

In troubled times, I think we can’t help but think about what is really important to you.  As you read this, we were planning to be in Europe, celebrating Anne’s birthday.  We will still celebrate here at our home, but already we want to get back to normal and see our favorite places in Europe.

We have plenty of travel dreams—I hope you do too.  We will be there to help when the time is right.

Here is a unique example of a travel dream that might be more meaningful due to the current pandemic.  From times of troubles in the past, you can learn a little about how people handled infectious diseases in some our favorite places in Europe when travel resumes. 

Isolation to prevent disease is not a new idea.  Both Venice and Dubrovnik (it was known then as Ragusa) used quarantine for incoming ships in the early Middle Ages (1300s-1400s) by putting them in “quarantino” (Italian for 40 days).  The big problem then was the plague or “Black Death.”  There are also numerous plague monuments throughout Europe also—perhaps a little bit more of interest after present events in the world.

North Gate Dubrovnik, Croatia

South Harbor of the Old City Dubrovink

The Arrow points to the Lazaretto Complex where sailors were quarantined prior to be allowed in the Old City of Dubrovink

What it must have looked like when the ship and sailors were finally allowed in from quarantine

Plague Monument, Fisherman’s Bastion, Buda side of Budapest

The lesson here is that the world has faced these health problems before and survived them.  But then, as now, there was a lot of suffering and sadly death.  Each generation tries to make life better and we will succeed.

Again, please remember that the future is really about hope and travel should be part of this recovery plan.

10 Prudent Steps to Get Your Confidence Back to Travel Safely in the Future

We hope that some of these steps you were already doing as savvy travel folks, but if you haven’t, now is the time to implement these 10 steps.

1.      Travel Suppliers are facing daunting challenges right now but those with enough money resources and are efficient operations will survive and do well.  More than ever, your choice of the right vendor is essential.

2.      Don’t go it alone or try to use on-line travel agencies.  Many have found a real live person can respond or will respond—the horror stories of the fall out of cancelled trips just has reaffirmed our profession.  Again buyer beware—use the right person who matches your travel ideas and styles.

3.      Always use a credit card unless you know exactly why another form of payment must be used.  The only time we have resorted to wire transfers or check payments is with vendors who have a sterling reputation.

4.      Buy travel insurance but know exactly what you are trying to protect.  Look for exclusions that may render the policy useless to you.  Supplier travel insurance that is offered by a third party supplier must be carefully examined.

5.      Take a hard look at penalties, cancellation fees and supplier cancellation policies (often called contract of carriage).  Recent events have made this once usually glossed over detail, really, really important now.

6.      Review the safety measures all the vendors have added to their products.  Realistically assess your risk.  We will be glad to help here.

7.      Review the risks of the places you want to see.  Again, realistically asses your risk along with any travel advisories and warnings.  I guess, it goes without saying, we can help here also.

8.      Let’s recognize and thank the folks who clean our rooms, prepare and deliver our meals, help to protect us during our travels whether as a captain, pilot, cruise director, travel guide, housekeeper, waiter, and others—the front lines are the folks who will ultimately ensure our safety.  Maybe give them better tips when it is appropriate.

9.      Don’t deny your dreams for fear—address the problems, assess the risk and then take a leap of faith when the time is right—don’t worry, we again have your back.

10.   If you have cancelled plans, carefully consider a future travel credit versus a refund.  There is no right answer here for all.  We are available to advise you on the advantages and disadvantages of your options.  Many vendors are providing increased benefits if you take the waiver.  Any refunds will take time to process (if even available) and there are some disputes ongoing right now, to include legal action against some vendors.

We Are the Right Folks to Plan your Next Travels

Here is what you can expect from us:

·        We design vacations that match your travel style

·        We will help you reach your Dream Destinations

·        We are your Travel Solution and Inspiration

We have 24+ years as a full service travel agency.  We like to say we are small enough to give you personalized service, yet big and experienced enough to get you the right trip.

We are financially and emotionally strong enough to see this crisis to the end and be there when the time is right—also, we like to say, “Thanks for your Trust in Us!”  We will be there when you are ready.

Our knowledge of Europe river cruises and Europe travel is exceptional.  We have been on 18 Europe river cruises, written over 60 blogs about all aspects of Europe river cruises, have 3 items on the first page of Google, we have 51 port guides (they are free) for you, and we have help dozens enjoy river cruising in Europe.  And if that we not enough, we have 50 free guides to most Europe Cities you might want to visit before or after your Europe river cruise.

My Final Thoughts

Wow!—what a strange time we are in right now!  Travel confidence will return slowly but travel will be better than before, maybe just a little different.  We want to earn that trust from you to use us for your vacation needs—start with your dreams first—when travel starts up again, we will make your dreams reality.

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.  As you can see, our full service agency can get you to almost anywhere you desire to travel and provide you a great experience and vacation.

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.

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!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 48+ 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

Dream About River Cruising Now; Travel Later

Dream About River Cruising Now; Travel Later

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

www.dreamdestinations.com

I don’t know about you, but I suspect you are feeling a little cooped up right now.

My mind wanders often these days, thinking about where we will travel next.

It will be somewhere in Europe when it is safe to go. 

For me, many of my dreams involve a Europe river cruise and I hope soon we can help go again or sail on one for the first time.

This week, we will help you dream by examining why people take river cruises, and the routes available.  Dreaming further, perhaps we can inspire you by one of our many blogs about European river cruising and when the time is right, why you should use us to plan your European River Cruise.

So, this week, I’d like to write about dreams to take you to Dream Destinations on European river cruises. 

7 Reasons Why People Dream About & Take River Cruises

1. They like the Cool destinations & itinerary—almost always the most important reason.

2. They like All-Inclusive luxury vacation at a reasonable cost—a very good perceived value.

3. They want Real-life experiences in smaller towns & villages often combined with great cities of Europe—a great mix that is hard to do on your own but easy with a river cruise.

4. They really like included land programs and sightseeing.

5. They like smaller ships and intimate ambience.

6. They appreciate shipboard services and caring staff.

7. It is convenient and hassle free.

All great reasons in my mind—are your dreaming yet?

Great Routes to Dream About

Do you want to dream about great destinations? 

Then our comprehensive guide of the available European River Cruise Routes is the best single resource available for you to quickly learn about European Rivers.  It is designed so you can easily decide on which route will be the best for your next Europe river cruise vacation.

 Old Town Lyon—a port on the Rhône River—one of the Routes we describe in our guide

Europe has the distinction of the continent with the largest number of navigable rivers compared to other regions of the world.  They are often devoid of major obstacles such as waterfalls and rapids, and are usually wide and deep enough to allow a steady passage of people and material on all types of sailing vessels.

Combine the easy navigation with captivating sights such as castles, vineyards, capital cities and small, quaint villages and it is clear to me why folks would want to sail these amazing rivers!

 Europe Rivers Map from AmaWaterways

Our route guide page will describe the river, point out a couple of highlights and why you might consider sailing on this river.  The routes may be very short or may cover larger distances.  While there are some variations, many lines essentially cruise the same route on the most popular European rivers.

Since most folks want to know what the best starting rivers are if they have never taken a European River cruise, by far the two most popular rivers are the Rhine and the Upper Danube, so let’s explore them first together.  Then we will examine the remaining Europe Rivers you might want to consider for your vacation.

 The Watchman of the Danube Schönbühel Castle

Sailing into Rüdesheim Germany on the Rhine

Ready?—Let’s cruise together!

European River Cruise Route Guide

Dream Using Our River Cruise Blogs

If you believe Google, I am the number one Europe River Cruise Blogger.

Our blogs, by design, are much more detailed than most other blogs—usually 2000 words or more.  There are two types of blogs we use to help you understand characteristics of Europe river cruises.

In the first type, we try to tell the story of each topic in a way you can see yourself there—can we capture the experience for you? 

While some blogs easily fall into storytelling type of blog, others are designed as informational, data blogs, our second type of blog. This blog is more the informational type blog.

Both have immense value, in my opinion.  Sometimes you just need the data in a form you can understand and make comparisons.  But this alone is not enough—you need to know what you will experience on a Europe river cruise to get the full story.  A key element of the blogs is a clear separation of facts (usually there is a source) and our opinion.  When possible, we use many pictures in each blog to help enhance our descriptions.

As you can see from this blog, we break up our blogs into sub headings to make it easier to understand.  Often, there is quite a bit of research that goes into the content—we try to sift through the overwhelming amount of information and advertising to paint an easily understandable summary of each topic.  Most is first-hand information from our experiences, but some is news or research, or information facts (internet, blogs, books, travel publications, company brochures or other sources) you need to know to become a better traveler.

Our blogs have two goals—the most important is to inform you so you can decide if a Europe river cruise is right for you.  The second, a bit more subtle, is to help you decide if we are the right folks to help plan your river cruise.

Read More River Cruise Blogs

Why We Are the Right Folks to Plan your Next European River Cruise

Our knowledge of Europe river cruises is exceptional.  We have been on 18 Europe river cruises, written over 60 blogs about all aspects of Europe river cruises, have 3 items on the first page of Google, we have 51 port guides (they are free) for you, and we have help dozens enjoy river cruising in Europe.  And if that we not enough, we have 50 free guides to most Europe Cities you might want to visit before or after your Europe river cruise.

My Final Thoughts

Wow!—what a quick way to get exceptional information and start dreaming about European River Cruising!  We want to earn that trust from you to use us for your vacation needs—start with your dreams first—when European River Cruising starts up again, we will make your dreams reality..

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.  As you can see, our full service agency can get you to almost anywhere you desire to travel and provide you a great experience and vacation.

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.

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!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 48+ 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

AmaWaterways--High Performance during Tough Times

Swan in our Stateroom

AmaWaterways—High Performance during Tough Times

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

www.dreamdestinations.com

I think I know a thing or two about High Performing Organizations.  I have been part of at least 3 in my working career.

During my military career, I was the S3 (Operations Officer) of 2-23 Infantry, the Army’s first Light Infantry Battalion (about 560 soldiers).  It was an amazing group, focused on being the best possible unit.  Later in life, I was the defensive coordinator of the Bellevue Wolverines, who won the 2001 Washington State Football Championship with a record of 13-0.

In the river cruise world, I have learned that, in my humble opinion, AmaWaterways is just such an amazing organization, it ranks right up there also with my first 2 cited organizations.  We have partnered with them to benefit our clients.

It is no wonder why they are the company we recommend first, but now, more than ever, I think they are handling these tough times better than other river cruise companies.

So, this week, I’d like to write about why AmaWaterways is a high performer in tough times.  I first plan to tell about how they are protecting our clients in these difficult times and then explain why they are high performing.

Decisive Leadership in Troubled Times from Us & AmaWaterways

Since our primary business is Europe river cruises, and 95% or more of our annual river cruise business is with AmaWaterways, how they treat our clients is paramount to us. 

From our view, not only do they protect our clients, they are flexible and offer options.  They were the first to offer an enhanced Travel Waiver Plus in the river cruise industry, which protects our clients with a future cruise credit and refund option. 

They instituted a 115% Future Cruise Credit for cancelled cruises, so our clients can reschedule and get an added benefit—more for their money!  The Future Cruise Credits are good until 31 December 2022. 

They have also changed final payment date to 60 days prior to sailing, instead of the 90 day normal final payment date.

Perhaps the best part is they are financially stable, with no debt and had a contingency plan in place for a crisis—there is no doubt in our mind they will weather this storm as well as possible with no risk to their clients.  As you read on, you see exactly what I mean.

Let me assure you, we also will remain in business to serve you.  We are resilient and can weather this storm both financially and emotionally.  We will always serve your best interests, as we have always done. 

You can trust us and AmaWaterways.

 What is a High Performing Organization?

For me, a high performing organization has 7 characteristics.  They are

1) A proper organizational design,

2) Sufficient structure to allow all to contribute to the mission,

3) Processes in place to maximize the talents of all members of the organization,

4) Appropriate use of technology,

5) Good leadership,

6) Skilled and willing people who want to do their best, and

7) A culture that promotes the organizations values.

 In the right environment, an organization who excels in these tasks will outperform other similar organizations.  So, using these factors, let’s learn why AmaWaterways excels during these tough times.

I think, when you meet the people of AmaWaterways, you will clearly see why this is our favorite river cruise company and should be yours also!

So, let me introduce to our AmaWaterways Family!

It starts at the Top—Good Leadership—Rudi & Kristin

If you want to talk about great disaster recovery plans, I was amazed at the foresight of Rudi Schreiner, the President of AmaWaterways.  In 2018, with low water causing great concern for river cruising in Europe, he developed a plan for AmaWaterways to survive by worst casing a crisis.  He decided the worst case would be an entire year of river cruising would be cancelled and began to plan for such a contingency. 

Rudi with Hank 2011 in the Netherlands—ready for our Tulip Time Cruise

Among the plans necessary to survive, he would need to have all his riverships fully paid for, sufficient cash to operate and a plan to keep all his employees.  It would also mean working with the European Union to keep crew available and meet their regulations.  What great vision, now that we are facing exactly what he saw as a possible threat to his company--a sustained period where they could not conduct river cruises safely, AmaWaterways is handling this challenge with solid action and placing guests and employees above profits.

Now, a little bit about Kristin and Rudi.  We have known the two owners since 2011.  We first met on a Tulip Time cruise in the Netherlands.

Our most recent meeting was when they were honored at the 2018 TravelAge West Awards Ceremony.  Kristin and Rudi were honored with the top award of the gala night for a lifetime achievement award for leadership in the river cruise industry and the travel industry.  It was a great night for their company—they won several other awards.

We were proud to be part of it and even prouder to be the only other company to win an award as a couple during the entire award ceremony—all the other winners were individuals.

Travel Age West Awards 2018

However, as great as awards are recognizing AmaWaterways as a special company, it is the tone they set for the company that makes the difference.  They set out to create a river cruise company they would want to sail on themselves and they have succeeded beyond even their lofty expectations.  

I also have to let you know that Kristin Karst is equally important in this company as Rudi and their other partner, Gary Murphy—it is her connection with the staff, the travel agent community and the guests that propels the company to be even better than others.  She and Rudi have created a culture of high expectations, and great travel experiences.

Kristin with Anne and Hank 2011

The Company Culture

All the folks who work at AmaWaterways look to exceed your expectations—the culture of the company is consistent excellence, always improving and a genuine desire to make your vacation the best possible.  On a webinar I recently attended, Kristin described the company’s core values—they are partnership (guests and the travel agent community); passion; and prepared.

It is amazing how both clients and travel professionals talk about their experiences with AmaWaterways—words like friendly, proactive, professional, caring, and cool always seem to be used to describe their experiences.  

You know this company is on the right track when positive words, unsolicited, are used in interactions with others when talking about river cruise companies and AmaWaterways almost always receives positive accolades

The People of this High Performing Company

What makes this a great company?  It is a combination of good leaders, staff that care and do their job in a superb manner and a fantastic product (great food and wine, luxury accommodations and well-designed excursions and experiences).

From top to bottom, AmaWaterways just does it right.  There is a real emphasis on working together and it shows in all they do.  I will tell you about the crew shortly, but the total organization, that works so hard to deliver good travel experiences, deserves recognition.

It Starts with the Sales Team.

Our Business Development Manager, Shelia Bielich is a gem.  Complete knowledge of the ins and outs of AmaWaterways, she is always there to help.  We did a joint presentation a couple years ago on French river cruises and it was a huge success.  Thanks Sheila!  In these tough times she is rock solid.

Hank & Sheila 2017 at our French River Cruise Seminar

The in-house groups department is just outstanding.  We have done small groups for many years, and Yael, Kristie, Jennifer and now Brandon have helped out clients get the best possible deals.  All of these 4 are passionate about great service and going the extra mile.  Thanks folks for being so great!

Next up is the on-board teams.

Cruise Managers

Perhaps no one makes as much difference on your on board experience than the cruise managers.  Their wealth of knowledge is exceptional and they love helping you get the most out of your cruise experience.

After 17 cruises on AmaWaterways, we have loved these unique folks who help us learn more about Europe and their rivers.  Thanks Lilo, Kata (2 cruises), Czaba, Maddy, Dejan (2 cruises), Nikola, Kris (3 cruises), Nick, Rolf, Camille, Edward, and Jessi.

Kata, Anne & Carmen AmaKristina 2018

Wine tasting on a Provence Cruise 2013—server (right) & cruise Manager Dejan

Cruise Manager Kris Provence Cruise 2014

Cruise Manager Kris dressed up as SnowWhite 2015 Rivers & Castles Cruise

Rolf outside with the coaches ready for a tour 2016 Enchanting Rhine

Sailing Team

River Boat Captains and their crews are special folks.  They are highly skilled and love being on the rivers of Europe.  Here are a few pictures of these wonderful folks.

Anne, Captain Danny & Hank

2015 Christmas Time Cruise Captain Farewell to Guests

Captains Dinner Reception

The AmaWaterways Difference on their Riverships is the Crew

Crew singing Christmas Carols

You are a guest that instantly becomes family—veteran cruisers often look for crew members who took care of them on past cruises.  Some are even Facebook friends.  It is a genuinely warm, welcoming and fully professional staff.  Every effort is to enhance your comfort, your experience and the trip.  They care and it shows.

The staff includes reception, hotel (housekeeping, bar staff and restaurant staff), and wellness personnel. 

Reception Staff AmaKristina 2018

Chefs during farewell reception

Chef’s Table Staff

The Bar Staff—Miro, Peter and Tomas—what a crew!

Housekeeping Staff

Lazlo with Anne Legendary Danube 2011

2018 Christmas Cruise Waiters

Greetings on a Christmas Cruise—an Anne Creation on her sproket

Trust me, you will fondly remember the staff.  If I was only allowed to pick one factor that is a difference factor among river cruise lines, it would be the staff at AmaWaterways—each performs their role superbly!

Local Guides

Tours that delight—small groups led by knowledgeable guides, organized by pace (gentle, regular, fast and even late-risers) that help you experience a destination, not just see it.

One of our Guides on tour

Hunting for Truffles in Provence—such a cool tour!

My Final Thoughts

Wow, what a company!  I would encourage you to become a member of the AmaWaterways family.  Trust me, go on a river cruise with them when this all subsides, and you will be glad you did—they will gladly adopt you as a new and valued family member!

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 like an AmaWaterways river cruise.

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!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 45 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

When Faced with the Unexpected, We Seek the Familiar

When Faced with the Unexpected, We Seek the Familiar

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

www.dreamdestinations.com

We are faced with a situation most of us never could have anticipated—stay at home orders, fear of an unseen health enemy and serious disruption of our economy.  I think almost all of us would like to have a return to normalcy—the familiar rhythms of life. 

And for most of us, that world is a world with travel.

So, this week, I’d like to write about how we in the travel world will get back to the familiar—our world with exciting travel.

Appreciation of What Travel Does for Us

Our world seems topsy-turvy—unexpectedly the simple things have just gone away temporarily. 

For example, meals and meal time has changed in such a short time.  It’s almost as if what could be a more fun and often exciting event, now has become a necessity instead of a memorable, pleasant experience (except maybe in our home—with a great cook like Anne, I am more than well fed!)—we just don’t like to be deprived of anything, especially the chance to eat outside our homes on occasion. 

It sure makes me appreciate our world and the familiar even more than before this pandemic hit us.

Humans have always seemed to bond at meals, especially as societies matured. 

A meal was even better with a view, at a different local and sometimes during a trip.  Someone brings you your meal, often offering something unusual, different or even fabulous.  It becomes an occasion and makes memories.  Many times it was during a trip.  You didn’t have to do dishes afterwards—don’t you miss that right now?

A Memorable Meal on an AmaWaterways cruise with a group we led in 2015

Familiar.  Memorable.  Exciting.  Fun.  Usually shared with someone special to you. 

I’ll bet you sure would like to go to eat out at a restaurant right now, instead of carry-out.  And get on an airplane, and start traveling again.

Where did it all go—the simple pleasures of life and our great experiences of travel?

The answer it is still there but just postponed a little.  Trust me it will come back!

For me, I think I appreciate travel more than ever now.  I am already ready to get going again and help folks return to normal.

I predict there will be a surge in travel requests when this event settles down, so it might be a good time to start thinking about a return to normalcy.

Resilient Travelers

Almost every one of our clients are resilient travelers.  I define these as folks who still see the value of travel, know it will come back and anxiously want to get on the road, airways, the trains and ships. 

A true resilient traveler my classmate Jeff

We all love to dream.  Most of you can close your eyes and imagine a better place than you are presently experiencing (I pretty sure I am right about this right now!).  Often it is travel you dream about—getting away, experiencing new places, the sights and sounds, the food and wine, the iconic buildings and spaces, and expanding your knowledge of the world.

Dreaming about historic sites in France—I sure miss these!

Doesn’t that just sound awesome right now?  It sure does to me!

We will be ready to help our resilient travelers.

Perhaps the famous Irish poet (Nobel Prize in Literature 1995), Seamus Heaney, said it best in this quote which has some strong meaning for our resilient travelers

“If we winter this one out, we can summer anywhere”

We can get through this together.

Biding Your Time

It is a good time to bide your time—start thinking about what you are missing and what you are going to do to fix it.  Maybe a bucket list.  Maybe a trip with friends.  Maybe that river cruise you were putting off.

So why do folks create bucket lists?  Why do they anticipate travel and a break from the routine?  What is it about travel that is so important?

One of my bucket list places—Peterhof Palace, near St. Petersburg, Russia

I certainly don’t have all the answers, but it usually begins with a desire to see and experience something different.  We humans are curious people. 

Anticipation is excitement about something that is going to happen.  The key word is excitement.  Our curiosity is endless—will it be fun, boring, memorable, dull or just average?  Our minds are such a powerful thing—mankind has created such amazing things and better ways to live because we used our brain power.  Now you should go and see what has been created or preserved.

I was always curious about the beauty of the Alhambra. I promise you it didn’t disappoint! Alhambra Palace walls

But in the time of the unexpected, how do we get to the familiar?  I think the first step is for us to stay in contact with you and build better bonds as we bid our time together.

It is our job to discover what great is to you, and advise you, our client, how to get it.  It is a constant process of getting to know you, building trust, adjusting to lifestyle changes—a dynamic process that requires us to contact you often. The more we know about you, the better job we will do when travel opens its doors shortly. .

Expectations

Expectations are a strong belief that something is going to happen.  The key word is belief.  

I just think many of us have dampened our expectations right now—where did the familiar go?

Please don’t lower you expectations.  We expect to start traveling soon and so should you.

Believe travel will return soon—it will. 

Believe you will travel safely, you will experience good things and have fun again—you will.

Don’t be a pessimist, be an optimist.  I predict the familiar will come back soon!

Let me leave you with a though from Maya Angelou, the famous American poet:

“Hope and fear cannot occupy the same space.  Invite one to stay”

We believe it should be hope—please be hopeful—we expect travel will get better when this subsides.

We will be Here When This Passes

Trust me, this too will pass.  It is just a question of when. 

Medical folks at some point will come up with methods to deal with this problem, travel suppliers will strengthen their preventative measures and the travel industry will improve to provide you better, safer trips.

My Final Thoughts

In the face of the unexpected in travel, we are going to help you get back to the familiar—great travel to dream destinations.  We are here for your needs.  We like to think of ourselves as your good friends, ready to help, because that is what real friends do for others.

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.  As you can see, our full service agency can get you to almost anywhere you desire to travel and provide you a great experience and vacation.

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.

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!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 48+ 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 Greater Good

The Greater Good

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

www.dreamdestinations.com

I never thought I would never say this, but it is now true—travel just seems trivial right now.

Don’t get me wrong—I still believe travel is important and remember the words of a client just a couple of days ago, “I just live for my travel opportunities” (so do we) but it just is on the back burner right now.  I doubt our zeal for travel will ever die and we hope it is the same for you.

At some point it will come back, but for now, the Greater Good requires all of us to pause our travel plans.

“The Greater Good Requires You to Pause Your Travel Plans Right Now”

Our business presently has shifted from helping people reach their dream destination to protecting their best interests as vendors cancel trips and governments restrict travel and their bookings are postponed or cancelled.  However, even with this uncertainty, some have booked trips with us for later in 2020 and into 2021.

Our travel industry is facing a difficult time but so is the entire world.  We are all being called upon to sacrifice for the Greater Good.

I hope for the Greater Good, folks will do as we do, by doing the right thing when no one is looking.  Take responsibility and show some personal discipline.

There are many things in this life we can control, but other times we face uncertainty. This is especially true when we are faced with a coronavirus (the correct term is COVID-19) disease that is spreading quickly throughout in the world.

We will always face problems in life but there are usually solutions and those who deal decisively, using facts, almost always arrive at the best possible outcome for their predicament.

So, this week, I’d like to write about the Greater Good.

We All Will be Impacted

For the Greater Good, we are now facing restrictions on our lifestyles. 

Wow, how a month has changed us. 

The Greater Good requires us to be responsible, make some personal sacrifices, and to think about others instead of worrying about ourselves.

Along with our immediate clients, I can’t help but thinking about our key vendors, other agents and most of all, the folks who serve us on our trips, clean our rooms or staterooms and guide us to see and experience wonderful places.

I have read in one source (US Private Sector Job Quality Index) an estimate that 35 million low wage US jobs (defined as under $800 a week) are at risk short term.  Particularly hard hit are the food and beverage sector, hotels, airlines, travel and attractions.  Yes, most folks in our industry are suffering.

Simply put, the folks who can least afford it, are at the greatest risk.

We wish them all well, hope they can survive these trying times and they have our love and support. 

May we all be strong in this difficult time!

We Are Your Travel Solution in these Trying Times

I want to clearly state right now, we are and will continue to be the source of reliable information and transparency.

Decisions about travel right now are difficult.  Plans are upended, and there is an emotional toll of facing the right course of action—do you go if that is even an option, do you postpone or just outright cancel?

I want to make one point clear—we understand your frustration and potential loss and we have your back—you can count on us!

These are unprecedented times in the travel industry.  Sadly, some businesses will not survive.

Let me assure you, we will remain in business to serve you.  We are resilient and can weather this storm both financially and emotionally.

You Can Trust Us

We will all be faced with difficult decisions.  We will help guide you through this unusual time.  We will clearly explain your options, if you are already booked, provide updates as vendor policies change and, if we don’t know, tell you.

The situation is very fluid, and uncertain but not impossible to navigate.

We will never take advantage of this situation, especially if one vendor option might be more favorable to us—we will present all options clearly and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each only as it pertains to your best interests.

Your Safety is Our Primary Concern

Again, let me be crystal clear here—there is nothing more important than your safety and health when traveling.  I would not consider any vacation that puts you in a high risk situation is worth taking, regardless of high important it might be to you or any others.

Remember, just because you don’t have any symptoms, or are sick, you could still be a carrier.

The Greater Good requires us to make the world and you as safe as we can.

Steps You Should Take Now

1.     Please follow public health protocols.  Try to limit touching your face, wash your hands thoroughly and social distance.  We need to stem transmission of this virus and protect ourselves and others.

2.     Sanitize.  I live with a great lady who teaches me daily about how to limit my impact on others.  Thanks Anne!

3.     Comply with government restrictions as best you can.  Take some personal responsibility for the Greater Good.

4.     Try to help others.  Reach out to those who might need your help.  Try to support a struggling restaurant by ordering take-out food and leave a tip.  Donate to a cause that might help others, like a food bank.  Help the less unfortunate if you can.

5.     Be responsible on Social Media.  Enough said.

6.     Give us a call, a text, or send an e-mail.  Let us know what is happening in your world.  We are here for you.

We will be Here When This Passes

To say the least this is going to shake the travel industry to its core.  What once was a fun, exciting vacation plan, has now become a challenge for most folks concerning travel.

Trust me, this too will pass.  It is just a question of when.  Medical folks at some point will come up with methods to deal with this problem, travel suppliers will strengthen their preventative measures and the travel industry will improve to provide you better, safer trips.

My Final Thoughts

We are here for your needs.  We like to think of ourselves as your good friends, ready to help, because that is what real friends do for others.

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.  As you can see, our full service agency can get you to almost anywhere you desire to travel and provide you a great experience and vacation.

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.

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!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 48+ 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

Finally, Some Good News!

Finally, Some Good News!

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

www.dreamdestinations.com

Most of us would like to be dreaming about travel instead of reading and hearing about travel restrictions, cancellations and closed borders.

So, after a quick review of pertinent updates on the current world situation, the rest of this blog will be about the joys of travel.  We all need some Good News and we are going to deliver!

We eagerly look forward to get back to making your travel dreams come true.

Since we can’t really travel now, let’s travel together with some of our best pictures, and dream about what is in our future!

Updates

In the space of less than a month, most normal ways we live in America have and will continue to change.  Here are 3 updates to help you stay informed:

First, the value of working with us could not be more important.  Here is a real headline from Travel Market Report:  “Expedia Clients Experience Chaos with COVD-19 Disruptions.”  Another headline reads: “Costco Travel Clients Fill Social Media with Complaints Amid COVID-19 Outbreak.” It goes on to say in the article the complaints include “seven hour hold wait times and poor communications at the company’s call center, as coronavirus fears result in soaring requests for cancellations, postponements and refunds.”

I guess it goes without saying when you work with us, we solve these hassles—and I promise you, no seven hour waits on the phone.

As I wrote last week, “I want to make one point clear—we understand your frustration and potential loss and we have your back—you can count on us!”  I bet a lot of those folks now wish they had used us.

Second, restrictions on travel and unnecessary contact with others seem so upsetting but are for your safety.  This disruption of our daily life and travel plans will not last forever and once lifted, travel will boom again. 

Third, the vendors we use have made awesome adjustments to help protect you.  Waivers to allow increased flexibility to postpone your upcoming trip is the norm, not the exception.  Since most of our river cruisers choose AmaWaterways, we have to keep telling you about their excellent policies.  Just like us, they really care, and have put you first instead of their profits. 

Enough of this—let’s travel through our pictures!

Fun Irish & Kilt Pictures

St. Patrick’s Day was March 17th.  Perhaps you didn’t get to celebrate this year, but you can party with us!

Hank (Buzz Lightyear) and Anne (Jessie) —dressed as Disney Characters from Toy Story in the Sligo St. Partrick’s Day Parade 2009.

A pint during the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Sligo, Ireland 2009

And, who can resist 2 men in kilts with their ladies?

Left to Right Denise, Mark, Anne & Hank on the AmaKristina 2018

Awesome Gardens

Who doesn’t like great photos of gardens?  Gardens parallel the first civilizations—some of the more wealthy created spaces that were visually pleasing, tranquil spaces to enjoy and escape from the pressures of life.  These spaces have evolved and now are showcases of beauty and the more prominent ones features statues and fountains amidst the flora and fauna.  Here are some of our favorites in Europe—enjoy.

Kuekenhof Gardens, Netherlands

Bamberg, Germany Rose Garden

English Royal Garden

Alhambra Garden, Grenada Spain

Helsinki, Finland Esplanade Gardens

Interesting Squares of Europe

The lifeblood of many old towns of European cities were their squares.  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.  They helped cities develop a sense of community, often display culture items, important business buildings and foster democracy as a meeting place.

Campo de Fiore, Rome, Italy—a flower market by day & a lively restaurant & club scene at night

Tallinn, Estonia Old Town Square

Square in San Mario—one of the smallest countries in the world!

Europe’s Guild Shop Signs

We have always loved these signs.  Many Europe cities have preserved the old parts of their cities to include the guild signs hanging over the narrow streets.  These signs are usually made of wrought-iron and harken back to a time when many could not read but could recognize the symbols of a business.  Here are some of our favorites.

Golden Fleece Sign, Heidelberg Germany

Miltenberg, Germany Sign

Castle Hotel, Durnstein, Austria

Europe’s Bridges

Bridges are symbolic, interesting and sometimes beautiful and wonders of engineering.  Europe has some of the most famous and interesting bridges in the world.  Bridges are designed to bypass some type of obstacle such a river, or valley but they often have developed into a more important function as a symbol of uniting places that once were separated.  Here are some favorites:

Chapel Bridge. Lucerne, Switzerland

Amsterdam Canal Bridge

Chain Bridge, Budapest

Doors

Often, we ignore how we enter or leave a building. 

This is probably not true now, as we are using methods to ensure we don’t transfer germs from door handles.  But as many DIY shows will advise, one of the best curbside improvements will be to enhance your front door.

Now you are asking, “What does this have to do with travel?”  Well, we’ve been fascinated with doors, handles and knockers that are in Europe.  So many are sculptured and enhance a building that has basically a very plain design.

Adding intrigue to the visual aspects of the actual door, is a sense of mystery about the door—“What’s on the other side?”; “Who lives there?”

We hope you enjoy these shots (a small sampling of our collection):

Dublin Door

Door to Apollo Temple, Roman Forum, Rome, Italy

Cochem Castle Door, Cochem Germany

Rodin’s Gates of Hell Door

My Final Thoughts

Wasn’t that FUN! 

As I wrote last week, this too will pass!  We will be ready when the time is right for you to resume your travels.  Until then, remember your travels are just on hold, not gone!

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.  As you can see, our full service agency can get you to almost anywhere you desire to travel and provide you a great experience and vacation.

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.

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!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 48+ 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

This Too Will Pass

This Too Will Pass

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

www.dreamdestinations.com

We are in business for one reason only—to make your travel dreams come true.

There are many things in this life we can control, but other times we face uncertainty. This is especially true when we are faced with a coronavirus (the correct term is COVID-19) disease that seems to spread quickly.

Today, March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the coronavirus was a pandemic.  The WHO has defined a pandemic as a disease that has become wide spread around the world.

We will always face problems in life but there are usually solutions and those who deal decisively, using facts, almost always arrive at the best possible outcome for their predicament.

So, this week, I’d like to write about the value of our services to help guide you through this trying time.

Overview

Decisions about travel right now are difficult.  Plans are upended, and there is an emotional toll of facing the right course of action—do you go, do you postpone or just outright cancel?

I want to make one point clear—we understand your frustration and potential loss and we have your back—you can count on us!

These are unprecedented times in the travel industry.  Sadly, some businesses will not survive.

First, let me assure you, we will remain in business to serve you.  We are resilient and can weather this storm.

Second, we are your source for accurate, honest information. 

Third, if you have booked with us, we will help guide you to the best outcome for already booked travel and future travel.  If you have booked your travel on your own, without using a travel advisor, we may be able to direct you to a phone number or other source that you can use to contact the vendor for assistance.

Your Safety is Our Primary Concern

In January and February, business was booming for us, especially with a good number of bookings for European River Cruises.  Then, what looked like a regional disease suddenly began to rapidly spread to other countries and regions of the world.  It now is a pandemic.

Again, let me be crystal clear here—there is nothing more important than your safety and health when traveling.  I would not consider any vacation that puts you in a high risk situation is worth taking, regardless of high important it might be to you or any others.  Remember, just because you don’t have any symptoms, or are sick, you could still be a carrier.

This disease seems to be a higher risk for us seniors, especially those with previous respiratory problems, diabetes,  and heart problems, so this is a key factor.

How We Are Helping Our Clients

Many of our folks are facing hard decisions about travel in 2020.

One of our first actions, was to quickly find out what changes travel our travel suppliers and vendors had made to help booked and future clients adjust their travel plans if needed.  It is a changing landscape, sometimes daily, that requires us to understand what these changes will mean for our clients.

For example, we were among the first to accurately explain to our many AmaWaterways river cruise clients their changed Travel Waiver Plus Policy. 

Basically, this waiver allows booked guests to postpone their trip up to 24 months into the future by purchasing this protection that previously only could be purchased at deposit time of the booking.  It is a great program (it is not surprising that AmaWaterways was among the first to come out with a great alternative to its booked clients—great companies look out for their clients just as we do), that could reduce many travel worries and help reduce a financial loss to our clients.  We provided examples of how much a client could expect in a future cruise credit and how much would get refunded to their credit card.  Several clients have taken our advice and purchased this waiver.

Our Advice—Stay the Course if Possible

Cancellation of a dream vacation is a tough call.  There is a likelihood of a possible financial loss, a hassle to change plans and an emotional toll of navigating all of this.

We rely on the World Health Organization (WHO), the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for health information concerning travel health and risks.  This is not a time to make any decisions without accurate information.  We also monitoring our USA Embassy’s travel updates if a client has a tour in an overseas location.

Sometimes this decision will be made for us by a governmental ban on travel.

If you are our clients, we will help you navigate this difficult decision.  We do advise that you make the decision as late as possible, as to avoid missing out on your trip, but early enough to avoid incurring any penalties.

Steps You Should Take Now

There are some sound steps you should consider for any travel in 2020.  Here is what we recommend:

1.     Consider the risks for your desired trip.  There is a real possibility you could be stuck somewhere due to reduced travel services and government restrictions.  Are you at a greater risk for this disease?

2.     Buy Travel Insurance—especially consider cancel for any reason policy (sometimes just listed as CFAR).  We use two great companies, Travel Guard and Allianz.  Usually CFAR policies are only available on new policies purchased within 15 days of any payments made on a trip.  We can guide you here.

3.     Try to get refundable flights if booking air on your own.

4.     Understand the cancellation policies and penalties of bookings with any travel vendor.  Again, we can guide you here.

5.     Use us—don’t go it alone.

We will be Here When This Passes

To say the least this is going to shake the travel industry to its core.  What once was a fun, exciting vacation plan, has now become a challenge for most folks concerning travel.

Trust me, this too will pass.  It is just a question of when.  Medical folks at some point will come up with methods to deal with this problem, travel suppliers will strengthen their preventative measures and the travel industry will improve to provide you better, safer trips.

My Final Thoughts

We are here for your needs.  We like to think of ourselves as your good friends, ready to help, because that is what real friends do for others.

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.  As you can see, our full service agency can get you to almost anywhere you desire to travel and provide you a great experience and vacation.

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.

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!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 48+ 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

Quickly Learn About European River Cruises on Our Website

Quickly Learn About European River Cruises on Our Website

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

www.dreamdestinations.com

Everybody wants to quickly and easily learn about any topic they want to know more about.  That’s why a section of our website, European River Cruises is so valuable if you want to learn more about European River Cruises.

We have an exceptional section on our website to gain a complete understanding of Europe River Cruising.  It contains a great overview about what European River Cruising entails , compares river cruise companies, provides a vibe of 8 river cruise companies, informs you of possible European river cruise routes and has a link to the 67 Blogs we have written about all aspects of European River Cruising.

So, this week, I’d like to write about the value of our website and why it is a great resource for you to quickly learn about European River Cruising.

Ready?—let’s go together and learn all about Europe river cruising!

Overview

Bratislava Castle

We have an excellent overview of European River Cruising.  It defines exactly what a European River Cruise is and a summary of the major cruise routes; provides a comparison of ocean cruises to river cruises; and uses our photos so you can see what a typical river cruise ship looks like.  For a person who has never been on a Europe River Cruise, it helps you grasp the key elements of this type of vacation. 

European River Cruises

Sailing into Passau, Germany on the Danube River

Company Comparisons

As many of you know, we have one of the best, in-depth, Europe River Cruise Comparisons available anywhere on our website.  We have updated our 2016 version to provide even more accurate information on the ever changing Europe river cruise scene.

This is an excellent summary—it ranks always on the first page of Google (this is earned—we have never paid to boast anything on the internet).  Getting unbiased information about the various river cruise companies is difficult.  There is no one company that is right for everyone.  We believe we know enough to guide you to the right company that matches your travel style. 

We want to emphasize all of these river cruise lines are good values and special trips.  Many have won awards and there is really no official ranking system to provide you a valid comparison method. 

To help overcome the lack of an official ranking system, we have found that The Berlitz River Cruising in Europe & the USA guide to be as fair an evaluation as presently available to the public.  This book evaluates individual ships in its rating system instead of entire companies, so we have decided to compare the best rivership from each company to determine a ranking system as our method of comparison.

Here is a sample of one of our slides in the Comparisons PDF Slide Shows

We have also provided our own personal rankings of each line with comments.

So, let’s explore these ranking together, by going directly to our full PDF presentation at this link:

READ OUR COMPLETE 86 SLIDE PRESENTATION

River Cruise Vibes

Since 2009, I have studied Europe River cruising to try and learn all I could about the river cruise industry. A few industry experts have tried to make comprehensive comparisons of the different lines. Each has a slightly different approach.

We have taken a unique approach by creating a PowerPoint presentation. Our 86 slide 2019 Comparison Guide is very good but even that lacks one factor—the vibe of the line and its ships.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines vibe as “the feeling that someone or something gives you.” So, here goes—my evaluation of the vibe or feeling you will get on 8 river cruise lines.

This really matters, since there is little information of the company vibes in one place that you can quickly determine the vibe or feelings you will probably experience on a European River Cruise. This blog goes beyond just facts—it tells the story of each river cruise line.

These pictures capture a little bit of these vibes—two great lines, AmaWaterways (first photo) and Scenic—we know the vibe of both and want to help you understand the differences!

AmaKristina Lounge 2018 decorated for Christmas

Did we provide a good summary of each lines feelings?  Will that help you decide on which line best fits your desired vacation experience?

River Cruise Vibes

Route Guide

Our comprehensive guide of the available Europe River Cruise Routes is the best single resource available for you to quickly learn about European Rivers. It is designed so you can easily decide on which route will be the best for your next Europe river cruise vacation.

Old Town Lyon—a port on the Rhône River—one of the Routes we describe in our guide

Europe has the distinction of the continent with the largest number of navigable rivers compared to other regions of the world.  They are often devoid of major obstacles such as waterfalls and rapids, and are usually wide and deep enough to allow a steady passage of people and material on all types of sailing vessels. 

Combine the easy navigation with captivating sights such as castles, vineyards, capital cities and small, quaint villages and it is clear to me why folks would want to sail these amazing rivers!

Europe Rivers Map from AmaWaterways

It will describe the river, point out a couple of highlights and why you might consider sailing on this river.  The routes may be very short or may cover larger distances.  While there are some variations, many lines essentially cruise the same route on the most popular European rivers.

Since most folks want to know what the best starting rivers are if they have never taken a European River cruise, by far the two most popular rivers are the Rhine and the Upper Danube, so let’s explore them first together.  Then will examine the remaining Europe Rivers you might want to consider for your vacation.

The Watchman of the Danube Schönbühel Castle

Sailing into Rüdesheim Germany on the Rhine

Ready?—Let’s cruise together!

Route Guide

River Cruise Blogs

If you believe Google, I am the number one Europe River Cruise Blogger.

Our blogs, by design, are much more detailed than most other blogs—usually 2000 words or more.  There are two types of blogs we use to help you understand characteristics of Europe river cruises.

In the first type, we try to tell the story of each topic in a way you can see yourself there—can we capture the experience for you? 

While some blogs easily fall into storytelling type of blog, others are designed as informational, data blogs, our second type of blog. This blog is more the informational type blog.

Both have immense value, in my opinion.  Sometimes you just need the data in a form you can understand and make comparisons.  But this alone is not enough—you need to know what you will experience on a Europe river cruise to get the full story.  A key element of the blogs is a clear separation of facts (usually there is a source) and our opinion.  When possible, we use many pictures in each blog to help enhance our descriptions.

As you can see from this blog, we break up our blogs into sub headings to make it easier to understand.  Often, there is quite a bit of research that goes into the content—we try to sift through the overwhelming amount of information and advertising to paint an easily understandable summary of each topic.  Most is first-hand information from our experiences, but some is news or research, or information facts (internet, blogs, books, travel publications, company brochures or other sources) you need to know to become a better traveler.

Our blogs have two goals—the most important is to inform you so you can decide if a Europe river cruise is right for you.  The second, a bit more subtle, is to help you decide if we are the right folks to help plan your river cruise.

Read More Blogs

We Are the Right Folks to Plan your Next European River Cruise

Our knowledge of Europe river cruises is exceptional.  We have been on 18 Europe river cruises, written over 60 blogs about all aspects of Europe river cruises, have 3 items on the first page of Google, we have 51 port guides (they are free) for you, and we have help dozens enjoy river cruising in Europe.  And if that we not enough, we have 50 free guides to most Europe Cities you might want to visit before or after your Europe river cruise.

My Final Thoughts

Wow—What a quick way to get exceptional information about European River Cruising We want to earn that trust from you to use us for your vacation needs.

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.  As you can see, our full service agency can get you to almost anywhere you desire to travel and provide you a great experience and vacation.

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.

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!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 48+ 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

Do You Really Value Our Services?

Do You Really Value Our Services?

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

www.dreamdestinations.com

Everybody who reads this travels somewhere.  Yet, to me, it is amazing how many don’t really take advantage of our expertise to make their trip better.

I’m sure there are lots of reasons—here are just a few I’ve heard--“Oh, my friend planned this”; “I found a great deal on the internet”; “I didn’t want to bother you”; and my personal favorite, “I know I’ll save money doing it by myself.” 

And then there are folks who ask for our help after already booking a trip either by themselves or with another travel agent.  Often, if possible, we want to help but can’t if we’re not involved from the beginning.  Folks don’t realize travel suppliers won’t work with us if we aren’t representing the clients—we can perhaps take over the booking but the client has to contact the suppler directly, give permission and the supplier has to agree with the switch.  It is a process suppliers do not like, as some in our industry try to gain clients by stealing them from other travel agents.  We often wish they had just come to us first, so we could properly help them. 

So, this week, I’d like to write about the value of our services and let you decide if you value what we provide for you.

Ready?—let’s examine this closer and perhaps, you will let us help you expand your travel experiences by using our full range of services!

Yes, We are a Full Service Travel Agency

We have been in business for 24 years.  Here is a partial list of places we have helped folks travel—Bora Bora, Vietnam, Australia & New Zealand, China, Mexico, most Caribbean islands, most every country of Europe, Russia, ski resorts in North America, Africa, Alaska, and almost all top vacation spots in the United States (California, Washington State, Las Vegas, Florida, Washington D.C, NY City). 

Our 2018 TravelAge West Award June 2018

We have helped folks with group and individual tours, single vacations, single country trips, multi-country trips, river and ocean cruises, destination weddings, and honeymoons—just about most types of vacation travel you can imagine.

Kevin & Son in London on a Trip we planned for them 2019

I guess, with all these trips we have planned, it just goes to show that (as listed on our website) “we are small enough to give you personalized service yet big and experienced enough to get you the right trip”.  No limits for us to help you!

Why You Should Use Us to Plan Your Trip

I think there are 2 factors to help you get the right trip.  They are 1) trip satisfaction and 2) convenience.  I think we solve these two factors 4 ways.  Here they are:

We will provide you trips that will:

1. exceed your expectations;

2. help you make wise choices;

3. eliminate hassles;

4. And we will help you get the best value for your money!

It really takes a combination of experience and expertise—in short, professionalism.  We add value to your travel and it usually does not cost you anything more to use us.  But this is a double edged sword—by not charging fees, some tend not to value us as much as they probably should, and not look to us as true professionals.

In the 24+ years we have helped folks, I have learned that those who value our services, almost always get a better trip than they could on their own.

So, let’s examine some of these issues

Why We Don’t Charge a Service Fee for Most Trips

Contrary to most folks in the travel industry with our level of experience and knowledge, we choose not to charge fees for most of our clients.

While only about 10% of all home based travel agents, like us, charge service fees, almost all who do charge fees have our experience and professional credentials (data from Travel Weekly Magazine 2019 Travel Industry Survey). 

Perhaps the #1 reason we should charge a fee is for our expertise, our research and our customer service, just as they would pay any professional like a lawyer, doctor or financial planner.

But here is the reason we don’t want to charge you a fee—we want you to be part of the Dream Destination Travel Tribe!

The Dream Destination Travel Tribe

Why did we choose not to charge fees?  We feel strongly we should provide a service, we are worth hiring and you shouldn’t have to pay more for a vacation by using us.  In short, we value you and provide value to you, so we do not charge extra for our expertise, our research and customer service.

We really don’t want a formal client, distant relationship—we want you to be part of the family and have mutual respect for your concerns and problems in travel and you respect us for our expertise and execution.  Somehow fees just don’t fit into our vision of this relationship.

2 Travel Tribes Members—we call them Travel Chums—Denise & Mark Christmas Eve 2018

The only problem to this approach happens when folks don’t value our services.  But most don’t even think they aren’t crossing that invisible boundary in a professional relationship—they just have a problem, or need some information and often know we are a good source to help them solve the problem.

Folks Who Want Us to Fix the Unfixable

Imagine you are at a party with a great doctor, who specializes in an area of medicine that you need advice about.  So you ask specific questions and he politely refuses to help.  Why does he not want to help you?—most likely he just doesn’t have enough facts and information to properly address your concerns and questions and, quite frankly, this should be done in a professional setting.

We face the same problem—usually we don’t have the correct facts and the time to fully address these inquires due to our work load.  And, if you are already booked or using another travel agent, it is very difficult to fix the problem and may be actually illegal for us to help you, plus it isn’t fair to them.  We realize many ask for our help without realizing that it may be, to a degree, not valuing our services.  So I made up some requests, of items that we can’t help folks with.  Here are some examples:

“I booked by myself but now there is a problem with my trip—can you fix it or give me some advice?”

“Did I get a good deal?”

“I didn’t follow your advice, but now this problem has come up—can you fix it for me with my travel supplier?”

“Here is my price for a trip—can you beat it?”

We All Need Boundaries

If you are in a service industry or a professional, I’m sure many try and get free advice, or a free service from you.  But when someone tries this approach, without often with realizing it, they really are saying “I want your expertise, but I don’t want to pay you for it”!  It happens to all professionals—we are not alone just because we provide professional advice to help folks travel better. 

In a way, we should be flattered—folks that reach out us are actually recognizing our expertise as travel experts.

So, here is our approach when these situations arise.  We try to be direct, polite but honest.  9 times out of 10, our work load just precludes us from helping you.  Sometimes, even if we wanted to, we cannot fix the problem.  

We have some Unmatched Travel Abilities

I thought I’d end this with just a couple of examples of why you should rely on us to plan your travel.

Our 75th Anniversary Tour to D Day was, by any measure a huge success.  No other 2 person agency attempted such a tour for 33 folks.  We planned it for 3 years, our cost was several thousands of dollars less than many other large scale tour operators, and we avoided many pitfalls of waiting for long periods to see and experience the awesome events of that horrible day 75 years ago.

Some of our Awesome Group of 33 on the 75th Anniversary of D Day June 6, 2019

Our knowledge of Europe river cruises is exceptional.  We have been on 18 Europe river cruises, written over 60 blogs about all aspects of Europe river cruises, have 3 items on the first page of Google, we have 51 port guides (they are free) for you, and we have help dozens enjoy river cruising in Europe.  And if that we not enough, we have 50 free guides to most Europe Cities you might want to visit before or after your Europe river cruise.

Some of our best clients who value our services on a AmaWaterways River Cruise 2015

The rest of the 2015 Best Clients Group on our AmaWaterways River Cruise

My Final Thoughts

Take a leap of faith, and take advantage of all our services.  You can trust us to guide you with sage advice and reliable vendors.  When you use us and the more often you do, you are saying that you value our services.  We want to earn that trust from you to use us for your vacation needs.

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.  As you can see, our full service agency can get you to almost anywhere you desire to travel and provide you a great experience and vacation.

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.

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!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 48+ 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

AmaWaterways New Emphasis on the Main and Moselle Rivers--Part 2

AmaWaterways New Emphasis on the Moselle and Main Rivers

By Hank Schrader, USMA ’71, European Destination and River Cruise Expert

www.dreamdestinations.com

Our first Europe river cruise was on the Main and Moselle Rivers in 2009.  It was on AmaWaterways.  As I have written before, I was hooked—for a person who has never taken a Europe river cruise, it is very hard to describe how good it is—I knew what the brochures said, which made it sound awesome, but it was just so much more than I expected!

The key for me was the easy access to so many wonderful sites, that would be difficult to do on your own, and luxury travel aboard the ship facilities, great food and wine all rolled into one package—it was easy and fun.

But that is not the purpose of this blog—the purpose is to tell you about the expanded options to visit the Main River on AmaWaterways.  In last week’s blog, I provided you a complete overview of the 7 routes that AmaWaterways offers on 2 great rivers—the Moselle and the Main.

There are now 3 different route options that explore the Main River area better than any other of the 8 river cruise companies we follow.  We have sailed every part of these 3, as well as the 7 offerings on the Rhine, Main & Moselle Rivers on AmaWaterways that I wrote about last week, and these 2 blogs will provide you some first-hand knowledge of the great ports and experiences you can expect on any one of these cruises.

Imagine sailing on the either of these 2 rivers through the legendary wine growing regions of Germany, getting the chance to sample good German wines, explore quaint villages and visit and tour castles and palaces! 

Don’t let the 7 different routes confuse you—many ports are very similar on each route and if you just look at the maps carefully and our pictures, you will quickly get a great overview.  And, as always, we are here to clear up any confusion.

Since there are so many ports involved in these routes, I have organized last weeks blog to provide an overview of the routes of the Moselle and Main Rivers and will provide you in this blog a good description of the ports on the Main.  Last week I concentrated on the ports of the Moselle River.

So let’s sail together on the ports of the German Main River—you won’t be disappointed—it is that good!

Ports on the Main River

Mainz

 Mainz is located where the Rhine and Main Rivers meet. About 80% of the city was destroyed in WW II, but they have rebuilt most of the area around market square. It was a major trade center in the Middle Ages. The 2 most famous sites are the huge cathedral and the Gutenberg printing museum—he printed the Gutenberg Bible—also known as the 42-Line Bible, for the number of lines in each column. It also has a famous stained-glass windows by Chagall in the Stephen’s Church.

Mainz Cathedral

Mainz Market Square

Gutenberg Printing Museum

Chagall Stained-Glass Windows

Miltenberg,

 The old town of Miltenberg is about 150 meters wide and 2.5 Km long from the banks of the Main River up the hillside. There are over 100 half-timbered houses in this scenic town. This is a place time seems to have stood still—almost all the older buildings have survived.  Its market square is often cited as one of the most attractive in all of Germany.  And, to just round out the fairly-tale feel of the city, there is a castle perched on a hillside. 

Old Town Miltenberg

Miltenberg Castle

Wertheim,

Wertheim is located where the Tauber River and the Main River meet. Overlooking the town are ruins of a castle that was built in the 12th century. The old town and its market square are ringed with several half-timbered houses. This old walled city has an impressive watch tower that still remains.

Wertheim

Wertheim Market Square

Watchtower—one of the few remaining parts of this former walled city

Würzburg,

 Würzburg is located in the heart of Franconia’s wine country. As you move to the town from the port, your first sights are the Marienberg Citadel and the old stone bridge to enter the town. The key sight in Würzburg is the baroque Residenz Palace and its amazing gardens. You should tour the palace—about 40 of the 360 rooms are available for visitors.

Marienberg Fortress

Old Stone Bridge

Residenz Palace

Residenz Palace Gardens

Bamberg

Bamberg is about 7 Km from the Main River, in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria. It has a wonderfully preserved old town area on the west bank of the Regnitz River. Key sights include the Altes Rathaus (old town hall), the Bamberg Cathedral, and the Neue Residenz (home of the prince bishops). Bamberg has a special beer—it is a historic smoked beer.

Bamberg

Old Town Hall in Bamberg

Bamberg Cathedral

Rose Garden of the New Residence in Bamberg

Nuremberg.

Nuremberg’s old city has some very large protective walls and most are intact.  It also has impressive Gothic churches & a castle. Nuremberg is where the Nazi War Crimes Tribunal took place in 1946. Nuremberg has a special sausage—the Nuremberg sausage.  It is prepared several different ways—don’t miss it!

One of the Watch Gates of the Walled City of Nuremberg

Fountain in Market Square Nuremberg

Nuremberg Castle

Nuremberg Sausage

Port on the Rhine River

Rüdesheim

This 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. Nearby is the Germania monument, better known as the Niederwald Monument, erected in 1883 to celebrate the unification of German after their victory over France in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870.

Sailing into Rüdesheim

Rüdesheimer Coffee Poster

Drosselgasse street in Rüdesheim

Moselle & Main Routes on the Same Cruise

Europe’s Rivers & Castles (Route 1)

Route Map from AmaWaterways

There are 15 sailing dates on Europe’s Rivers & Castles route in 2020, which cruises from Nuremberg to Luxembourg.  This is the cruise route we first took on AmaWaterways, and it is just so fun, we have done this route twice.  The second time Anne & I were lucky to lead a group of my West Point classmates and introduce them all to the joys of Europe river cruising.

Depending on the direction you are sailing, the trip begins in either Trier or Nuremberg.  I am describing the cruise starting from Trier.  The only difference in sailing from Nuremberg to Trier is that docking times and days are different–you still get to see the same sights.

The trip starts in Trier, the oldest city in Germany.  It continues through the meandering Moselle River Valley, its steep hillsides covered with vineyards.  The German villages of Bernkastel and Cochem, with their castles overlooking the town below and Zell on the Moselle River make this stretch memorable. 

Continuing up river, you’ll enter the Rhine River Gorge.  Many fortresses and castle ruins are strategically placed on the steep hills.  Once these castles served to defend and extract tolls, now they provide beautiful sights—it always makes the best river cruise lists of travel writers.  

Along the Main River, a tributary of the Rhine, the stops include medieval towns, often with the half-timbered homes that seem to be untouched by time and important smaller cities that have unique palaces, churches and even the first printing press. The cruise ends after sailing through the Main-Danube Canal to historic Nuremberg.  The ports on the Main River are Rüdesheim (OK, technically it is on the Rhine, near the border of the Main River but since these rivers flow into each other, it is hard to make a clear distinction and really doesn’t matter much to travelers, only geographers), Mainz, Wertheim, Würzburg, Bamberg and it ends in Nuremberg.

Main River Routes (2 Routes)

Medieval Treasures (Route 2)

Route Map from AmaWaterways

Medieval Treasures is a 7 night cruise from Basel to Nuremberg.  There are 5 sailing dates in 2020, and the AmaWaterways cruise ship is the AmaDante.  On the Rhine, the ports are Strasbourg, Speyer, and Rüdesheim.  On the Main, the ports are Miltenberg, Wertheim, Würzburg, Bamberg and ending in Nuremberg.

One factor about this route—it misses the Rhine River Gorge I wrote about above.

Treasures of the Main & Rhine (Route 3)

Route Map from AmaWaterways

This is a 7 day cruise, starting from Nuremberg to Amsterdam.  There are 4 ports on the Main River (Wertheim, Würzburg, Bamberg and Nuremberg) and 3 ports on the Rhine (Rüdesheim, Cologne and Amsterdam).  It does sail through the Rhine River Gorge.

Our Rhine, Main & Moselle River Port Guides

A unique feature for you that we make available to you for free is to learn about these ports with our Rhine River Cruise Port Guides (there are 25 total for the Rhine & its tributaries—8 on the Rhine; 8 on the Main; 5 on the Moselle and 4 for the Northern Tulip Time ports).  It is really easy to get them—just use the button below, and fill out the short request form and we will send these guides.  We have a total of 51 River Cruise Port Guides on our website that you can order—trust me, there is nothing like all these to our knowledge available on the web in one place and they are all our pictures.  It should help you decide if this is the right cruise for you and also help you decide on which tour to take at each port stop.

My Final Thoughts

One of these routes that should be on everyone’s bucket list, in my opinion.  Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you to start this or any other river cruise trip.  We have a wealth of free information about all Europe river cruises and really useful river cruise tips on our website www.dreamdestinations.com, so check us out—you will be glad you did.

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.  As you can see, our full service agency can get you to almost anywhere you desire to travel and provide you a great experience and vacation.

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.

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!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 48+ 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

AmaWaterways New Emphasis on the Moselle and Main Rivers--Part 1 of 2

AmaWaterways New Emphasis on the Moselle and Main Rivers

By Hank Schrader, USMA ’71, European Destination and River Cruise Expert

www.dreamdestinations.com

Our first Europe river cruise was on the Main and Moselle Rivers in 2009.  It was on AmaWaterways.  As I have written before, I was hooked—for a person who has never taken a Europe river cruise, it is very hard to describe how good it is—I knew what the brochures said, which made it sound awesome, but it was just so much more than I expected!

The key for me was the easy access to so many wonderful sites, that would be difficult to do on your own, and luxury travel aboard the ship facilities, great food and wine all rolled into one package—it was easy and fun.

But that is not the purpose of this blog—the purpose is to tell you about the expanded options to visit either the Moselle or Main Rivers or both on AmaWaterways.  There are now 7 different route options that explore this region of Germany better than any other of the 8 river cruise companies we follow.  We have sailed every part of these 7 offerings on the Rhine, Main & Moselle Rivers and will provide you some first-hand knowledge of the great ports and experiences you can expect on any one of these cruises.

Imagine sailing on the either of these 2 rivers through the legendary wine growing regions of Germany, getting the chance to sample good Germany wines, explore quaint villages and visit and tour castles and palaces! 

Don’t let the 7 different routes confuse you—many ports are very similar on each route and if you just look at the maps carefully and our pictures, you will quickly get a great overview.  And, as always, we are here to clear up any confusion.

Since there are so many ports involved in these routes, I have organized this blog to provide an overview of the routes of the Moselle and Main Rivers and will provide you in this blog a good description of the ports on the Moselle.  Next week I will concentrate on the ports of the Main River.

So let’s sail together on the ports of these mostly German rivers—you won’t be disappointed—it is that good!

Moselle & Main Routes on the Same Cruise

Europe’s River & Castles Cruise Route. Map from AmaWaterways

Europe’s Rivers & Castles

There are 15 sailing dates on Europe’s Rivers & Castles route in 2020, which cruises from Nuremberg to Luxembourg.  This is the cruise route we first took on AmaWaterways, and it is just so fun, we have done this route twice.  The second time Anne & I were lucky to lead a group of my West Point classmates and introduce them all to the joys of Europe river cruising.

Depending on the direction you are sailing, the trip begins in either Trier or Nuremberg.  I am describing the cruise starting from Trier.  The only difference in sailing from Nuremberg to Trier is that docking times and days are different–you still get to see the same sights.

The trip starts in Trier, the oldest city in Germany.  It continues through the meandering Moselle River Valley, its steep hillsides covered with vineyards.  The German villages of Bernkastel and Cochem, with their castles overlooking the town below and Zell on the Moselle River, make this stretch memorable. 

Continuing up river, you’ll enter the Rhine River Gorge.  Many fortresses and castle ruins are strategically placed on the steep hills.  Once these castles served to defend and extract tolls, now they provide beautiful sights—it always makes the best river cruise lists of travel writers.  

Along the Main River, a tributary of the Rhine, the stops include medieval towns, often with the half-timbered homes that seem to untouched by time and important smaller cities that have unique palaces, churches and even the first printing press. The cruise ends after sailing through the Main-Danube Canal to historic Nuremberg.  The ports on the Main River are Rüdesheim, Mainz, Wertheim, Würzburg, Bamberg and it ends in Nuremberg.

Moselle Routes (4 Routes)

Vineyards of the Rhine & Moselle

Vineyards of the Rhine & Moselle. Map from AmaWaterways

This is a 7 night cruise from Amsterdam to Luxembourg or in the reverse direction.  The Rhine River portion includes Cologne, the Rhine River Gorge, Rüdesheim, and Mainz.  It then visits the Moselle and two ports (Cochem and Bernkastel).  There are 9 sailing dates on this route (starting on April 2, 2020, with the last sailing on 14 October).

Rhine & Moselle Splendors

Rhine & Moselle Splendors. Map from AmaWaterways

This is a 7 night Luxembourg to Basel Cruise, starting on the Moselle and ending on the Rhine, turning south from Koblenz to Basel.  On the Moselle, the ports are Trier, Bernkastel, and Cochem.  On the Rhine, the ports and sights are the Rhine River Gorge, Rüdesheim, Heidelberg, Strasbourg, Riquewihr and it ends in Basel.

Rhine & Moselle Delights

Rhine & Moselle Delights Route. Map from AmaWaterways

This is a 10 night cruise, with three ports on the Moselle (Trier, Bernkastel, and Cochem), added to the traditional Enchanting Rhine cruise which starts in Basel, cruises north, and ends in Amsterdam.  It is a very limited cruise offering—it only sails twice in 2020, embarking on August 7th and October 4th on the AmaSiena, the new vessel that will be added to the AmaWaterways fleet this year. 

Rhine & Moselle Fairytales

Rhine & Moselle Fairytales Route. Map from AmaWatereways

This is an 11 night cruise, with 3 ports on the Moselle (Trier, Bernkastel, and Cochem) added into the traditional Captivating Rhine cruise route from Amsterdam south to Basel.  Again, it is a very limited cruise offering—it only sails twice in 2020, embarking on July 20th and September 21st on the AmaSiena, the new vessel that will be added to the AmaWaterways fleet this year. 

Moselle Ports

Trier

Trier was an old Roman outpost which was first settled by the Roman in 17 BC.  It is the oldest city in Germany, and is near the Luxembourg border—in fact, one side of the Moselle River is Trier, Germany and the opposite other side is the tiny country of Luxembourg.  Anne & I first visited here in 1989 on our own.

Porta Nigra Gate in Trier, Germany

Important Roman sights include the Roman Baths, an amphitheater, the Basilica of Constantine (it was the throne room of Emperor Constantin), and the huge city gate, the Porta Nigra gate, that dates back to 180 A.D.  It has earned the nickname of “the Rome of the North.”

Other sights are the Trier Cathedral (it is the oldest Cathedral in Germany) and the ornate Trier Electoral Palace and gardens.  Also worth a visit is the old town area of the main market (Hauptmarkt)—besides people watching, the backdrop is the Porta Nigra and the large square is lined with a variety of architectural styles and is quite colorful. 

Trier Palace and Gardens

Market Square in Trier Germany

Zell

Zell is famous for its white wine zellerschwartzkatz (Zell’s black cat).  It is a small town of about 4,300 people. It has an interesting market square and the town hall has a wine museum.  It was once a walled city but not much of the old walls remain.

The really great draw of this village is the story of Zell’s Black Cat Wine.

According to legend, a large quantity of local wine was being stored in barrels in a regional cellar.  When people approached, a black cat jumped on the barrel from Zell and started hissing to protect its contents.  Seeing the hissing, caused the wine merchants to believe the wine from Zell was special and better quality than the other wines stored in the wine cellar building.  Today the black cat is the symbol of this town.  

AmaWaterways has an exclusive wine festival celebration in Zell.  The local children, dressed up like black cats, provide a performance that everyone who has visited Zell on AmaWaterways will remember.  I just recently heard Kristin Karst, one of the co-owners of AmaWaterways, describe how special and unique this visit and performance is during a webinar—it instantly brought back great memories of this port stop.

Wine Festival in Zell with the children dressed up in their Black Cat Costumes

Bernkastel

Bernkastel is a wonderful town of around 8000.  It is located about halfway between Cochem and Trier on the Mosel River.  There are many half-timbered buildings, especially around the market square.  

Easily seen from market square is St Michael’s church, built in the 14th century that had a dual purpose— it served as a house of worship and its tall bell tower served as a watch tower in the old city ramparts.  

The Watch Tower of St. Michael’s Church looms over Market Square in Bernkastel

Great Half-timbered Buildings in Bernkastel

The city has some wonderful fountains—they include St. Michael's fountain on the Market Square, the bear's fountain and the doctor's fountain.  Overlooking the town is the Landshut Castle ruins.  It was first built in 1277 but was ruined by fire in 1692. 

Landshut Castle ruins

Bernkastel is located in the middle of the Mosel wine-producing region.  This area has been producing wine for over 500 years.  You will get to experience a guided walking tour through the old town center and a winery visit to sample several different regional vintages are scheduled for this portion of your cruise.

Cochem

In Cochem, you will enjoy a guided tour of Cochem that takes you to the spectacular hilltop Reichsburg Castle (also known as Cochem Castle but the correct name is Schloss Reichsburg).  It has fantastic views of the river valley below.  Touring inside the castle is great! 

China Display Inside the Cochem Castle

Cochem, Germany, on the Mosel River, is a former walled city.  It has a population of about 5,800 and is a traditional old German town.  The town has many fine buildings, quaint cottages, guild houses, and winding cobblestone streets. The town square, lined with half-timbered houses, is a wonderful, scenic area of this small town.  

Cochem Town Hall

Main River Routes (2 Routes)

Medieval Treasures

Medieval Treasures Route. Map from AmaWaterways

Medieval Treasures is a 7 night cruise from Basel to Nuremberg.  There are 5 sailing dates in 2020, and the AmaWaterways cruise ship is the AmaDante.  On the Rhine, the ports are Strasbourg, Speyer, and Rüdesheim.  On the Main, the ports are Miltenberg, Wertheim, Würzburg, Bamberg and it ends in Nuremberg.

One factor about this route—it misses the spectacular Rhine River Gorge I wrote about above.

Treasures of the Main & Rhine

Treasures of the Main & Rhine. Map from AmaWaterways

This is a 7 day cruise, starting from Nuremberg to Amsterdam.  There are 4 ports on the Main River (Wertheim, Würzburg, Bamberg and Nuremberg) and 3 ports on the Rhine (Rüdesheim, Cologne and Amsterdam).  It does sail through the Rhine River Gorge.

Our Rhine, Main & Moselle River Port Guides

A unique feature for you that we make available to you for free is to learn about these ports with our Rhine River Cruise Port Guides (there are 25 total for the Rhine & its tributaries—8 on the Rhine; 8 on the Main; 5 on the Moselle and 4 for the Northern Tulip Time ports).  It is really easy to get them—just use the button below, and fill out the short request form and we will send these guides.  We have a total of 51 River Cruise Port Guides on our website—trust me, there is nothing like all these to our knowledge available on the web in one place and they are all our pictures.  It should help you decide if this is the right cruise for you and also help you decide on which tour to take at each port stop.

Get My Guides

My Final Thoughts

These are routes that should be on everyone’s bucket list, in my opinion.  Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you to start this or any other river cruise trip.  We have a wealth of free information about all Europe river cruises and really useful river cruise tips on our website www.dreamdestinations.com, so check us out—you will be glad you did.

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.  As you can see, our full service agency can get you to almost anywhere you desire to travel and provide you a great experience and vacation.

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.

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!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 48+ 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

Creating Unforgettable Experiences on a Europe River Cruise

Creating Unforgettable Experiences on a Europe River Cruise

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

www.dreamdestinations.com

Travel is an amazing learning experience.  Even after 48+ years traveling to Europe, I still get to experience new places and learn more about the people who live there and their customs.  

In many ways, Europe river cruising has help Anne & I have new experiences and opened our eyes to things we never knew were available during our travels.

So, I thought I’d write today about how to create unforgettable experiences on Europe River Cruises—are you ready to go with me?

Always Think about the Route First

To create Unforgettable Experiences on a Europe River Cruise, the first step is to determine the right route and itinerary.  River cruising is about the destinations and what you will get to see and experience on your European river cruise.  The wrong destination, or wrong theme can make the trip less valuable, or at the extremes, may even ruin your vacation.

The port stops on the cruise will provide you access to great experiences, if you choose wisely.  Some questions to ask yourself—Do I want to visit somewhere new or go back for a more in-depth look at a place?  Will my cruise make it easier or harder to get to see and experience my desired place or experience?  Does the line have something special I can take advantage of—maybe a unique venue, or event or festival?  Should I first visit to get a quick overview and then return later on my own or in a tour for a more in-depth look?

There is a difference between folks who are new to Europe River Cruising and experienced cruisers.  Just your first Europe river cruise alone can be the unforgettable experience—the luxury floating hotel, the food and wine and included tours—I was blown away in 2009 after my first river cruise on AmaWaterways—it was easy, fun and so many new and wonderful places I never knew existed.  I can see some of your reading this and thinking about your first river cruise nodding your head in agreement with me!

Residenz Würzburg Palace—a new place for us in 2009!

A lot of that had to do with the route on my first river cruise—even though I had spent a lot of time in Germany, and even visited the Moselle River before (my first cruise was the River & Castles Route with AmaWaterways on the Moselle River, a small part of the Rhine River and the Main River), it was not as in-depth as the river cruise route was and many of the ports were new and wonderful.

Cochem, Germany—a unique feature our first river cruise was tour of the castle in English

As you get more experienced or revisit the same route, your focus will change—what on the itinerary will provide me that unforgettable experience?

So, the next step is to educate yourself!

Now Educate Yourself

The more you know about a destination, the better chance you will get better and often unforgettable experiences. A good starting place is Our Europe River Cruise Routes Guide Page.

The importance of this page is clear to me--river cruising is about the destinations and what you will get to see and experience on your European river cruise.  This page will help you quickly learn about the major routes available to you and to help you decide which might be best for your vacation.

Here is the link:  Europe River Cruise Route Guide

Next, after seeing a route that appeals to you, ask us to send you our port guides for that route (we have 51 available).  This will provide you a much more in-depth look at the ports and may peak your interest and help create an unforgettable experience for you.

Here is the link to one of our request pages—it covers the Rhine, the Moselle and the Main Rivers—please try some—they are free!  Get My Port Guide

What are Your Special Interests?

It makes sense to me that thinking about your favorite items, like food, wine, castles, dramatic landscapes, festivals history, art or cultural events—the list could go on and on.  If you can narrow your focus a little, it will greatly enhance your chances of an unforgettable experience.

Here is a great example of how we created an unforgettable experience on one trip, inspired by our previous river cruise trips.  I have always liked castles and their dramatic perches, protecting something.  Maybe it’s the turrets, keeps (highest, most protected part of the castle), the defensive systems, or just images of knights, lords and damsels, but probably it is all in a somewhat romanticized idea of a castle in the “prison walls of my mind” (this is from the lyrics of the song Over You by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap).  I’m really not that much into the early castles, or stone cold ruins, but really like the castles you can tour and see rooms and their living conditions.  This is especially true for Anne—piles of rocks and stones in ruins are among her least interesting things to visit—who can really blame her!

Koblenz, Germany

We decided to visit 3 castles prior to our 6th Europe River cruise—all allowed us to tour inside the castle.  We chose to visit Burg Eltz, Stolzenfels and Marksburg.  We based in Koblenz, at the confluence of the Moselle and Rhine Rivers, after a brief visit during a river cruise introduced to this town—we liked some of the old town area and it provided easy access to our 3 target castles.  Stolzenfels and Marksburg castles are quite visible during the stretch of the Rhine River Gorge and inspired us to want to tour them.  Burg Eltz is not visible from the Moselle.

All 3 required hikes after arriving at the nearest transportation stop (2 train, 1 by bus), but Berg Eltz required a 3 mile hike to and back to the castle.  It was wonderful, memorable walk and the castle was outstanding—the same family has lived there for over 850 years.

Entrance to Berg Eltz, Germany

Berg Eltz is a beautifully preserved castle, with towers, half-timbered walls, and it is seemingly in the middle of nowhere.  There are 2 places to visit here—the Treasury (pictures allowed) with a great display of precious items and tour of select rooms (no pictures) which takes about an hour or less.  3 families owned this castle and each has built separate wings.  The tour includes an entrance way decorated with weapons, various gathering rooms, bedrooms and the kitchen—all very authentic and used by the families for over 33 generations.  Perhaps the most famous room of the castle, is the Knight’s room, where the 3 different families met to celebrate and work our any conflicts that might arise.  It is famous for the wall decorations, which served as a reminder to the 3 families about cooperation—a jester mask (representing freedom of speech) and a large rose (representing a code of silence—items discussed in the room need to stay there).

Inside Courtyard of Berg Eltz

Treasury of Berg Eltz

Does that sound like an unforgettable experience to you?—it certainly was for us and originally inspired by a river cruise.

Now Match the cost of a particular cruise line to Your Expectations

At some point, a budget comes into play.  Folks who are considering a Europe River cruise vacation, want in-depth information about what the vacation really is all about and whether or not it will be a worthwhile vacation for them.  I like to call it Best Value Travel.

Here is a good example of how 2 included features of a cruise line helped make the cost of the cruise worth it for us.  We took a Gems of the Danube cruise in 2016 on Scenic.  Here were 2 special events that we really enjoyed and fall into the unforgettable category.

Two of unique features when sailing with Scenic are the Sundowners and Enrich excursions.  Our Sundowners experience was in a great little wine stubbe in Dürnstein.  Although we have visited the small village of Dürnstein multiple times, we had never been inside this wine stubbe and the wine/beer/food party with a band was really awesome.  It truly was a great end to the day!  See if you don’t agree from our pictures.

Sundowner Band

Buffet for our Sundowner

Our Enrich visit was an evening concert featuring the music of Strauss and Mozart in Palais Liechtenstein during our visit to Vienna.  We started off the evening with a couple of glasses of excellent Austrian Sekt (sparkling wine).  The concert hall had great acoustics, was lavish beyond belief and was really a memorable experience.  Look at this setting—really awesome!

Opulent Carriage Palais Liechtenstein

Ceiling Painting Palis Liechtenstein

Finally, look for Experiences where you either see of do something Special

Many unforgettable experiences leap to my mind from our many AmaWaterways cruises.  Perhaps the best was when Anne got to cook on one of our several Danube cruises. 

Anne preparing perogies in Bratislava, Slovakia

Here is just a small sample of some unforgettable experiences we have had on our 17 different cruises with AmaWaterways.  Popular options include a Belgian waffle and chocolate tasting in Antwerp, a beer and sausage tour in Nuremberg, or a chance to see Vienna’s hidden treasures, like the romantic Schönlaterngasse.  We have done the waffle tasting and the sausage and beer tour—both were awesome!  They continue to add to these tours and newer options include knotting a bretzel (German for pretzel) in Wertheim, a goulash cooking lesson in Budapest and sampling Bavarian specialties like pralines in Regensburg.

Belgium Waffle we shared on our Antwerp Tour

The Waffle Shop in Antwerp

Hank on a Beer & Nuremberg Sausages Tour

We have had clients participate in the Vienna tour and they really liked it (one great benefit for us—we discovered a great schnitzel restaurant which we managed to eat at as a result of their tour—it was the largest schnitzel I’ve ever seen, and just melted in our mouths—a really neat experience and we have returned several time to enjoy this restaurant when we are in Vienna!).  Limited Edition Tours are also a great option for a cruiser who is sailing on the same route a second or third time—it provides a new experience that enhances your trip.

Schnitzel at the World Famous Figlmüller Restaurant Vienna

My Final Thoughts

So, what does this mean for you—can you enhance your chances of getting an unforgettable experience on a Europe river cruise?  My answer is firmly yes—not only is it possible but with some careful though and evaluation, chances are you will succeed.

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.  As you can see, our full service agency can get you to almost anywhere you desire to travel and provide you a great experience and vacation.

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.

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!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 48+ 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

A Wine Lover's Route--Provence River Cruise on AmaWaterways

A Wine Lover’s Route—Provence River Cruise on AmaWaterways

By Hank Schrader, USMA ’71, European Destination and River Cruise Expert

www.dreamdestinations.com

Imagine sailing on the Rhône River through the legendary wine growing regions of Provence, getting the chance to sample Beaujolais and Côtes du Rhône!  So let’s sail together on the Rhône from Arles to Lyon on the AmaDagio (now it is on the AmaCello in 2020)—a cruise we have done three times—it is that good!

While this description is from Arles to Lyon, you should realize that one week starts in Arles and the next week starts in Lyon and the sights and experiences remain almost identical regards of whether you sail north to Lyon or south to Arles.

So, let’s go together on the Rhône River and experience A Wine Lover’s Route!

Overview

Colors of Provence Cruise Route. Map from AmaWaterways

This cruise is called the Colors of Provence.  Almost all is on the Rhône River, except for a small jaunt up the Saône.  It has 3 stops that have excellent Roman ruins; there are famous wine regions and visits to one of the most renowned wine regions of France; and historic sites in the walled city of Avignon.  It either starts or ends in the most important food city in France, Lyon.  Good wine, history and outstanding food—it would be hard to find a 7 day cruise that manages to compress such an array of great experiences and sites into a 7 day cruise.

Wine Regions of the Rhone River. Map from AmaWaterways

Arles

Your wonderful cruise starts in Arles.  First up is a visit by motor coach to the hilltop village of Les Baux de Provence.  The town was founded by King Balthazar, one of the 3 wise men of the Bible.  The village’s castle has a fascinating exhibit of medieval siege weaponry replicas.  These big war machines are cool—it is said to be one of the best collections in the world—you will be surprised how large these weapons are!  Les Baux has had a stormy past and because of an unsuccessful Protestant revolt, the castles and its walls were destroyed in 1632, but the ruins and views are magnificent!  Great, old village—well worth the trip.  Want to see more?—we have 32 pictures on our Pinterest site board Les Baux de France.

SEE MORE LES BAUX PHOTOS

Covered Battering Ram on display on Les Baux

Later, you will visit an olive farm, which is family run by a brother and sister, to learn about this age-old Provençal farming tradition.  The tour includes tastings of olive oils made at the farm.  Anne bought some olive oil here and really liked the tour and olive farm. 

Olive Farm Tour

As an alternative, take the “Impressionist Experience” tour to the Saint Paul de Mausole Asylum, where Vincent Van Gogh painted such well-known works as The Irises and Starry Night. You will also visit the Carrieres de Lumieres, a stone quarry that projects European artwork on its walls, including many of Van Gogh’s famous paintings.

In the afternoon, there is a walking city tour of Arles.  You will see the Romanesque cathedral and the Roman Amphitheater.  The Roman Amphitheater is well preserved (it could hold about 25,000) and there are other Roman ruins in the town. 

Roman Amphitheater, in Arles

Avignon

Early in the evening, we cruised to Avignon, arriving late at night.  We docked near a famous bridge that spans only half of the Rhone—it is the illuminated Avignon Bridge made famous by the French children’s song “Sur le pont d’Avignon” (“On the Bridge of Avignon”).

Avignon Bridge

After docking overnight in Avignon, you have 2 great tour options.  First, you can tour the Papal Palace, which is part of a city walking tour.  The tour starts off by entering the town through the well-preserved medieval walls surrounding the historic center of town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Seven Popes once resided in the magnificent Gothic Papal Palace.  My favorite room was the huge banquet hall, where at one end is the fireplace used to communicate to the people outside a new Pope had been elected.  Again, to see more about this interesting palace, we have 30 photos on our Pinterest site.  SEE PALACE OF THE POPES PHOTOS

The well-preserved medieval walls surrounding the historic center of Avignon

Palace of the Popes, Avignon

Another cool alternative, is a motor coach ride to the Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct that is a masterpiece of engineering and another UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Walking on the aqueduct was an experience I will never forget--it is huge and up close, you will really understand how talented the Romans were at building things—how did they get the water to flow with gravity alone by such minute changes in slope?. 

Pont du Gard, the amazing Roman aqueduct

Your tour will also visit Uzes, a lovely Provencal town known for its castle (still occupied by the Duke of Uzes and his family), medieval streets and picturesque town square.  There is free time for shopping in Uzes before returning to the ship.—I was there on market day and this is always a fun way to see how and what Europeans shop for, especially the food stalls..  I have done both tours and really enjoyed them—this is one of the many highlights of this cruise. 

Although there are really good tours, Avignon also has some great shopping and Anne took advantage of this to buys some gifts for family back home.  One of the great things about a river cruise is the chance to do what you want, since you dock right in the heart of the cities and can go off on your own easily since AMAWaterways provides port maps of each docking location with key sights clearly marked.

Grignan

After sailing overnight to Viviers, you next adventure is a visit to Grignan, a magnificent hilltop village surrounded by lavender fields. The village’s Renaissance castle provides a commanding view of the area’s beautiful countryside.  We enjoyed the free time to explore local shops for confections, home-made lavender soaps and other crafts—Anne bought a snappy beret. 

Grignan

You also get to see a truffle dog in action—really cool!  That dog really got after those truffles and he was a true favorite of our group.

Truffle dog

Tournon

The ship sails to Tournon and there is a really good chocolate and red wine pairing in Tournon’s castle—we had 3 different chocolate candies paired with 3 different reds.  I thought they were all good and went well together. 

Hank and Anne at the wine tasting in Tournon

Tournon Castle at night

Next morning, there is a visit to Cornas, Tournon’s “twin” town located across the Rhône River and linked by a 19th-century suspension bridge.  The fertile soil and ideal climate of the region has made Cornas the premier producer of Côtes du Rhône wines.  We stopped at a vineyard, and then the best part was sampling some good local wines.  

Vienne

After lunch, the ship sails to Vienne, situated between the wine regions of Burgundy and Beaujolais, arriving early evening. The ship moors overnight in Vienne.

Next morning, I took a guided walking tour of Vienne (it starts with an open-air tourist train ride up a big hill for a good view of the Rhône) and then our group see the 1st-century Roman Temple of Augustus and Livia, the ruins of a Roman theater, and the medieval churches of St. Andre-Le-Bas and Abbey St. Pierre.

Roman Temple of Augustus and Livia

 For me, the best part was the Roman museum—there is a good collection of items used in this former Roman colony. 

Roman Museum in Vienne

As an alternative, you could choose to visit the Chateau Roussillion and Pottery but I have never been on this tour.

Lyon

It then is off to Lyon.  Lyon is the gastronomic capital of France.  There is a visit by bus to the historic section of town known as Vieux Lyon (“Old Lyon”).  Lyon is fun, we really enjoyed the old town area and its narrow streets and colorful bouchons (small bistros) with their trademark red and white checkered table cloths. 

Lyon Basilica Church

A colorful bouchon

Sometimes this cruise offers a choice of tours.  You can visit Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse market place and sample gourmet food & wine in around 70 stalls (highly recommended by us—another great tour we enjoyed very much).  On a wine cruise, we also got the chance to have a champagne tasting—it was awesome! 

One of the 70 stalls of Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse market place

Sailing the Saône.

Another option is a sailing on the Saône.  The ship departs after noon and cruises to Collonges for an excursion through the Beaujolais wine region, the Pays d’Or (“land of the golden stones,” named for the ochre limestone used to build local homes and castles).  It stops at the medieval hilltop village of Oingt and the home of a local vintner, where, of course, you will get to enjoy a wine tasting and vineyard tour, and learn about the history of wine production in the region. Rejoin the ship in Belleville and return to Lyon, arriving late tonight. You will stay overnight in Lyon.  

Oingt shop

Sadly, the cruise is over the next morning but what a wonderful experience that will make memories of a lifetime.  As with all river cruises, the option for pre-cruise or post cruise stays either offered by AmaWaterways or arranged by us is a great way to extend your vacation a few more days.  We always extend on our trips—Lyon is a particular favorite and you could visit Nice or other French towns, like Vienne we did in 2016—we are happy to help with suggestions and to make arrangements as necessary.

Our Rhône River Port Guides

A unique feature for you that we make available to you for free is to learn about 7 of these ports with our French River Cruise Port Guides (Lyon, Vienne, Tournon, Grignon, Avignon, Les Baux and Arles).  It is really easy to get them—just use the button below, and fill out the short request form and we will send these guides.  We have a total of 51 River Cruise Port Guides on our website—trust me, there is nothing like all these, to our knowledge, available on the web in one place and they are all our pictures except maybe a map or two.  It should help you decide if this is the right cruise for you and also help you decide on which tour to take at each port stop.

My Final Thoughts

This is a trip that should be on everyone’s bucket list, in my opinion.  Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help you to start this or any other river cruise trip.  We have a wealth of free information about all Europe river cruises and really useful river cruise tips on our website www.dreamdestinations.com, so check us out—you will be glad you did.

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.  As you can see, our full service agency can get you to almost anywhere you desire to travel and provide you a great experience and vacation.

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.

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!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 48+ 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

Shopping on the Danube

By Hank Schrader, USMA ’71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert with help from Anne Schrader

www.dreamdestinations.com

My wife, Anne, is a shopper. She likes to say she’s really a “window shopper”, just looking and doesn’t really need to buy whatever has just caught her eye. She can make a stroll wherever we are last for hours. And she’s right, she does just “look”, but if the item of interest won’t break the “souvenir” budget, or won’t be too difficult to transfer back home, then I’m more than happy to make the purchase.

Now before you hear a lot of “Awwws”, let me be honest and say that I do  this, not only to be the sweet, loving and adorable husband, but mainly because I just want to go somewhere to sit, drink a beer or glass of wine and have something to eat. Ergo, the sooner the new acquisition has been placed into the ever-present reusable shopping bag that accommodates Anne everywhere, I get to reap the reward and partake in a pastime we both enjoy -- food, beverage and people watching!

Danube Shopping Overview

Shopping during travel is considered one of the many activities that can have a great influence on the location you visit. One of our favorite shopping river cruise routes has to be on the Danube River.

We always look for local items not readily available in the United States. In Vienna, Austria we bought a drindl (the traditional dress of Germany and Austria). Here is a great picture of Anne in her drindl, we bought on a summer AmaWaterways Danube cruise—darn does she look good—I’m a lucky man!.

Anne in her drindl with Kata (the cruise manager) and Carmen from the barstaff

But that is not the reason for this blog post—it is really about value during our shopping experiences. For example, we almost always take a river cruise during the Christmas season to enjoy their famous markets. There are so many itineraries that provide the opportunity to visit both large and small markets and many of the larger cities have multiple markets which, after visiting the city once or twice on a cruise and not porting long enough to enjoy all of them, then a pre-post cruise visit to that location will enhance your river cruise.

Our Pre-cruise—Regensburg

This year we did just that. Our cruise aboard the AmaSonata started in Vienna and ended in Nuremberg. With this itinerary, we knew we’d visit the markets in Vienna, Linz, Passau, Regensburg and Nuremberg, with the option of visiting the market on a tour to Cesky Krumlov. We’ve done this route several times, during the holidays and also summer months. And our favorite port on this particular itinerary is Regensburg.

We have never really had the opportunity to explore this beautiful city as we would have liked to, as we knew on this cruise our port time would be limited and we would not have a chance to really have an in-depth experience at their two main markets. So, we did a pre-cruise stay for 3 nights in Regensburg.

What a treat, at night, the city is so walkable, the markets are truly bustling with the city’s residents! Even getting a reservation at the restaurants that are the mainstay for the locals can be a difficult, but definitely worthwhile, experience.

HATS

Anne’s New Hat with ear muffs

Shopping in Regensburg means one thing to Anne . . . HATS!  She discovered the Hutmacher on one of first cruises and now proudly owns 5 of his creations.  As usual, she’ll say she just wants to go look, but inevitably, she’ll depart the store with one of the big (really big) hat boxes, empty, as the new addition will be sitting securely on her Kopf (head)!

This trip, after years of gentle nagging, she actually inspired me to make my own purchase. And, I have to admit, even with 2 really big boxes to carry home on the plane, I might just be a convert.

Hank with his new Hat

But I will adamantly admit, even though the visit and ultimate purchase with the wonderful staff at the store and having the opportunity to meet the Hutkoenig at the Thurns and Taxis Christmas market, I still believe the best and easiest souvenir from Regensburg are the glühwein mugs that make it back to Anne’s ever-expanding collection.

Hank & Mark Thomas, on of our Travel Chums, at one of the Regensburg Christmas Markets—he took the picture of us with the Hutkoening owner

Glühwein—-A Christmas Market Tradition

Glühwein is the drink of choice at Christmas markets. This hot mulled wine comes in all forms of spices and even sometimes even includes liquor shots. We always buy some and, of course, Anne scours the markets for just the right mug(s) to add to her collection. The Glühwein mugs are a great idea—the can be reused to cut down on the waste, most are well designed with the year and place of the Christmas Market you visited and they, as Anne points out, don’t cost much. When you buy the glühwein, the beverage costs about 3-5 Euros and there is an added deposit of 1-2 Euros that is refundable when you return the mugs. Some Glühwein Booths actually sell the mugs alone but that varies. They may be breakable, but they are small and the best part . . . while you can return the mugs to receive your original deposit, drinking the hot Glühwein adds so much to the Christmas market experience, 1 to 2 Euros seems like a very small price to pay for the memories. Just save some room in your suitcase and, like Anne does, carry some bubble wrap to get your mugs safely home—another cool tip from Anne!

Here is some pictures of her every expanding collection

3 Regensburg Christmas Mugs

Anne’s Growing Collection of Christmas Mugs

Our Europe River Port Guides

So, what does this mean for you? As you can see, there are just so many ways to expand an Europe River cruise experience and shopping is just one way—we almost always do extra explorations of the many river cruise ports in Europe and have now 51 port guides available for your use.

The idea is simple—you get an in-depth look at the port prior to your visit—it includes the must see sights and helps you decide which tour best suits your travel style if several tour options are offered. Best of all they are free—just go to our River Cruises section on our website, scroll down to the bottom of the page on the route you desire, then click on the port(s) you desire and we send you the PDF PowerPoint slideshow and, for the larger cities, a word document that expands on the port. We cover the Rhine, the Main, the Mosel, the Waal loop of the Rhine (Tulip Time), the Upper and lower Danube, and French River cruise routes of the Rhone and the Bordeaux route. We are in the process of posting the list for some of these ports but they should be available in a couple of days if the port you desire is not listed yet.

Just to show how we could create great experiences for you, here is a picture of Anne with our other travel Chum, Denise—they went to a cooking school in Nuremberg (post cruise trip)to learn how to make gingerbread cookies (Lebkuchen).

My Final Thoughts

Who knew shopping could be so fun, even for a non-shopper like me! Let us help you enjoy Europe and experience the magic of new experiences and cultures.

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.  As you can see, our full service agency can get you to almost anywhere you desire to travel and provide you a great experience and vacation.

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.

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!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 48+ 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 Most Popular Content on our Website

The Most Popular Content on Our Website in 2019

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

www.dreamdestinations.com

Happy 2020!

With the dawn of 2020, I’d like to share with you what we have learned about our website visitors--what is the most popular content on our website and why is it our most popular content. 

In many ways, the content on our website is just what we hoped it would be—we want to provide outstanding information to you to help you make the best possible travel decisions that match your travel style.  This is a constant process of updating and improving the content.

As with any website, the home page or landing site is where folks first go to decide if they want to continue on to other content. 

So, I thought you’d like to know what pages are the most visited on our website after the home page.

How to Evaluate the Quality of our Website Content

Quality of information can be assessed by answering 5 questions, in my opinion.  They are:

• Is the information accurate?

• Who are the authors and what are their credentials?

• How objective is the source?

• How current is the information?

• How extensive is the coverage of information?

So, let’s look at 4 of these aspects for each of our 5 most popular web pages—I hope you will accept our credentials—mine are listed at the end of every blog—trust me, we are the real deal.

If applicable, I will try to provide you a ranking by Google for our website pages.  The value of this in our digital age is that somewhere between 71%--92% of all searches for information only go to the first page of Google (source Forbes website blog post by Kelly Shelton) —usually only 10 listings, excluding Ads, are on page one—and folks do not search for information after that (this first page compared to later pages)—only about 6% go past page one.  The whole idea of a page one ranking is that Google recognizes the content that a website page or blog offers is both quality information and is a source that users trust.

Our #1 Visited Page after the Landing Page—Our River Cruise Comparisons Page

This is not a surprise to me but it is also very gratifying—folks are looking for an honest comparison of Europe River Cruise Companies.  The information is very accurate and researched thoroughly.  It is also reasonably current but could stand a little tweaking—for example Crystal only has 4 cruise ships sailing. in Europe instead of 5 ships  It always ranks on page one of Google.

I’m going to make a bold declaration here—there is no other detailed source like our 2018-19 Europe River Cruise Company Comparisons with multiple comparison charts on the internet.  Here is the link

Yes, there are some good books, even charts with check marks and comparisons of 2 cruise lines on the web, but nothing as in-depth as our resource.  We clearly identify fact from opinion, we are not sponsored by anyone that might influence our work, and we strive for totally accurate information. We are proud of our first page Google ranking—earned not promoted by clever SEO techniques.

#2 Our Europe River Cruise Routes Guide Page

Again, for me, not a surprise, but it validates the need for folks to understand the options available to them for a Europe River Cruise.  We rank #12 in Google search results—this is a pretty good indication of the quality of the information.  We would like to be on page one, but the folks ahead of us are 4 river cruise companies, Cruise Critic, and 5 magazine/travel guides (Travel & Leisure; Jetsetter; Trip Savvy; Frommer’s and Afar) are so big, it may be the best we can do—we are the only small (2 person) company anywhere near the top.  Not bad company considering the companies ahead of us, in my opinion

The importance of this page is clear to me--river cruising is about the destinations and what you will get to see and experience on your European river cruise.  This page will help you quickly learn about the major routes available to you and to help you decide which might be best for your vacation.

Here is the link: 

# 3 Europe River Cruises Page

It makes sense to me that the logical progression would be to read more about European River cruises after visiting the previous 2 pages.  This is the next step in search for a great river cruise vacation.

Here is the link to this page

#4 Our Blog

Folks who are considering a Europe River cruise vacation, want in depth information about what the vacation really is all about and whether or not it will be a worthwhile vacation for them.  We cover Best Value Travel, Europe Destinations, Europe River Cruising, Ocean Cruising and Veterans Travel & Tributes. 

Here is the link to our Blog page

# Our 5 Best River Cruise Blogs

This is my selection of our best river cruise blogs.  We rank on page one of Google in a search for river cruise blogs—currently at #2.

Here is the link to this blog

My Final Thoughts

So, what does this mean for you—we are a really good source of great travel information, especially for our specialty, Europe River cruises.

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.  As you can see, our full service agency can get you to almost anywhere you desire to travel and provide you a great experience and vacation.

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.

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!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 48+ 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 10 Best Quaint Villages to See on a European River Cruise

The 10 Best Quaint Villages to See on a European River Cruise

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

www.dreamdestinations.com

I write all the time about Europe river cruising and its value.  One of best aspect of a river cruise, in my opinion, is the chance to see the small places you wouldn’t otherwise know about.  With the exception of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, we probably would not have visited these sights listed in this blog on our own because we didn’t know they existed.  So, after 17 Europe River Cruises, here are my 10 favorite.

Now, let me defend my thoughts—are these the 10 best?  Please let my descriptions and our pictures help you decide if these are the 10 best! 

Please feel free to reach out to us and offer you own suggestions if we might have missed your favorite quaint village that you saw or could see while on a river cruise in Europe.

Overview

I have a rather complicated definition of what a quaint village or town is—some dictionaries list quaint as meaning “attractive because of being unusual and especially old-fashioned” and that just is way too simple for me.

Here is my definition of quaint.  It must be small or feel small; must have preserved in some form old buildings (perhaps best described as looking back to the past history with pride); it must have a somewhat peaceful feel and invites you to explore; it must have real character (something unique); it usually is so interesting you want to take pictures even if you don’t like to take pictures and it has a soul—perhaps beauty, or a sense of history, or a unique, dramatic location.  Usually it is protected from further development to retain and keep alive its charm.  Most of these places are pedestrian only zones or limit vehicles to help preserve their charm.  Often, these places were once wealthy but got bypassed.  They also often were once walled cities—this natural restriction boundary helps them keep their charm.  Sometimes, these place served as inspiration for fairy-tales, have legends of deeds that add to their allure and have a castle nearby.

In short, you want to linger, visit and explore at a slower pace for a glimpse back in time.

On the Rhine River

There are 2 here—Rüdesheim and Riquewihr--that make my list.

Rüdesheim, Germany 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.  A lively lane, the Drosselgasse, is lined with taverns and wine-cellars.  We have been to a wine tasting here and watched and tasted Rüdesheimer coffee during a coffee making presentation—it was fun and dramatic as they light the Asbach brandy!  This is a festive place, famous for Rieslings, and reconstructed half-timbered buildings, replacing the originals that were destroyed in WW II.  It is not as authentic as some others on this list, but still fun!

The crowded streets of the Drosselgasse

Hank & Jim enjoy a Rudesheimer coffee

Riquewihr, France 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, with a tiny population of 1000, 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.  I recently wrote a blog about Riquewihr—here is the link: Read More About Riquewihr

The colorful streets of Riquewihr

Great Outdoor cafe in Riquewihr

On the Main River

Miltenberg and Rothenburg make my list. 

The old town of Miltenberg, Germany is about 150 meters wide but about 2.5 Km long from to banks of the Main River up the hillside.  There are over 100 original half-timbered houses in this scenic town.  This is a place time seems to have stood still—almost all the older buildings have survived.  Its market square is often cited as one of the most attractive in all of Germany.  And, to just round out the fairly-tale feel of the city, there is a castle perched on a hillside.  This is a great, picturesque place. 

The market square of Miltenberg

Castle above Miltenberg

Rothenburg, Germany (the correct name is Rothenburg ob der Tauber), ob means above the Tauber River, is one of the most visited towns in German.  This walled city has all its ramparts intact, has massive gates, and many folks walk the walls or part of the walls as I did during our visit.  Its medieval past is everywhere—the impressive town hall, half-timbered buildings, a criminal museum, a carved wooden altarpiece masterpiece in St. Jacobs Church, are surrounded by massive fortifications.  It is very touristy but still fun.

One of the massive gates of Rothenburg

One of the most photographed sites in all of Germany in Rothemburg

Dunking Cage outside the Medieval Criminal Museum

On the Mosel River

Cochem, BernKastel and Zell make my list.

Cochem, Germany, on the Mosel River, is a former walled city.  It has a population of about 5,800 and is a traditional old German town.  The town has many fine buildings, quaint cottages, guild houses, and winding cobblestone streets. The town square, lined with half-timbered houses, is a wonderful, scenic area of this small town.   Cochem Castle (the correct name is Schloss Reichsburg) is perched over the town and is toured by several river cruise companies. 

Cochem Castle

Tower Keep of Cochem Castle

2 suits of Armor inside the castle—the one on the right is about 7 feet tall!

Wonderful Old Buildings in Cochem

BernKastel is a wonderful town of around 8000.  It is located about halfway between Cochem and Trier on the Mosel River.  There are many half-timbered buildings, especially around market square.  St Michael’s church, built in the 14th century, had a dual purpose—it served as a house of worship and its tall bell tower served as a watch tower in the old city ramparts.  The city has some wonderful fountains—they include St. Michael's fountain on the Market Square, the bear's fountain and the doctor's fountain.  Overlooking the town is the Landshut Castle ruins.  It was first built in 1277 but was ruined by fire in 1692. 

BernKastel Square

Half Timbered Buildings in BernKastel. In the background, you can see the Tower of St. Micheal’s Church which served as a watchtower.

Landshut Castle Ruins

Zell is famous for its white wine zellerschwartzkatz (Zell’s black cat).  It is a small town of about 4,300 people.  It has an interesting market square and the town hall has a wine museum.  According to legend, a large quantity of local wine was being stored in barrels in a regional cellar. When people approached, a black cat jumped on the barrel from Zell and started hissing to protect its contents.  Seeing the hissing, caused the wine merchants to believe the wine from Zell was special and better quality than the other wines stored in the wine cellar building.  Today the black cat is the symbol of this town.  It too was a walled city but not much of the old walls remain.

Zell Festival onboard the AmaLyra 2009

On the Danube River

Dürnstein and Český Krumlov make my list on the Danube

Dürnstein This small village of about 600 is a true gem.  Two key sites immediately catch your eye at first glance.  First, the castle ruins above the village on the steep hillside loom above the former walled village.  Some hike to the castle ruins, about a 20-30 minute hike.  Richard the Lionheart was held for ransom in this castle on his return from one of the crusades.  The other stand out is the blue and white tower of the Abbey.  We also like just walking and exploring this small village.

Castle ruins above Durnstein

The Blue Tower of Durnstein Abbey

The area is famous for apricots and white wine.  Please try both while you port here.

Český Krumlov, roughly translated means “Czech Bend in the River”.  The best thing to do here is wander—the castle, the old town area, and cobblestone streets are just fun to view.  It really looks like the town is in a time warp.  It also has a pretty good puppet museum that allows children to try and pull the attached strings on puppets.

Cesky Krumlov

Puppet Muesem in Cesky Krumlov

The large castle complex requires a tour to see the interior.  It features the living and dining spaces of the royals who lived there.  You can visit the bear pits and outside courtyards for free.  Perhaps the most unique tour is the Baroque Theater tour—only 2 remain that can be seen in Europe that are in reasonably good shape (most of the others burned down from the extensive use of candles and fireworks for special effects).  There is a strict limit of 25 per tour and it is often sold out in advance and of limited value if you can’t get one of the tours in English but still it is a rare chance to see a historical entertainment venue and learn about their use of their use of special effects during the plays.

The Round Tower of the castle in Cesky Krumlov

Castle of Cesky Krumlov

On the Rhone River

Les Baux is a hilltop town of Les Baux occupies a spectacular position in the Alpilles Mountains.  This medieval town, set atop a rocky outcrop that is crowned with a ruined castle, overlooks the plains to the south.  Les Baux’s name refers to its site—a bauc is a rocky spur.  This is a gem of a place—go if you get the chance.  It is a place of stark stone buildings but is small, has winding lanes and is fun to explore.  Another plus is that the town founder was the Magus King Balthazar, one of the 3 wise men of the Bible.

The hillside village of Les Baux

Sandwich Shop in Les Baux

Plaque honoring the founder of Les Baux Bavtezar, one of the 3 Wise Men from the Bible

My Final Thoughts

Small, quaint villages and towns are part of the charm of Europe.  It was fun writing this—I hope it inspires you to want to visit some or all of these places!

As always, we are here to help as needed!

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!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 48 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--We All Have A Lot To Be Thankful For In Our Lives

With only about a month left in 2019 and the great celebration of Thanksgiving here today, we would like to wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving. We hope all who are in your lives are well, safe and happy.

Anne & I have a lot to be thankful for and we would like to express our gratitude to all who have helped make our lives and this year better.

First, thanks to our military—without you past and present, we might worry about our safety—even as I write this, some are standing watch for our protection today as they do every day.

Second, we are grateful to work in the travel industry and help make dream trips possible to others. I think most folks like to take pride in their jobs, and our pride come from helps others have experiences of a life time. Each trip, to us is special, no matter how simple or complex.

2019 has been quite a year for us. We help more folks travel this year than previous years. Our 75th Anniversary of D Day tour, sold out in one month, won us an award for our marketing efforts from a major travel magazine and it was fun, sobering and meaningful—a travel experience next to none! I turned 70 this year. And, Anne is still fun, beautiful, tenacious, demanding and has made my life better (best decision I ever made was to ask her to marry me!). Pretty cool year, don’t you think!

We are grateful for all of you who trust us with your travels. Each of you are special and have brought joy to our lives. Thanks for your trust in us!

We are grateful for our key vendors of 2019—AmaWaterways (and all their incredible team members—they are part of our family), Europe Express (especially the groups department) and Emerald Waterways. All of you provided our clients exceptional trips—Thank You!

Our wish for you is to have a peaceful, joyous holiday and please express your gratitude to those who have made your year better.

Happy Thanksgiving—may our paths cross soon!

Anne & Hank.