Pubs of Budapest

Rebecca found an interesting article on  Ruin Pubs of Budapest.

Tipping

Tips are not included in the cruise price, but are a voluntary way of showing satisfaction for good service. You may tip onboard staff in cash if you like, or you may charge your tips to your credit card at the end of the cruise. These gratuities are distributed among the ship’s staff.

NOTE:  The Tour Escorts or Program Directors that travel with you do not share in the onboard staff gratuities. It is customary to tip them separately in cash.

Viking recommends we tip in euros. Guidelines:

• Program Director – €2 per person, per day
• Onboard staff – €12 per person, per day
• Local city guides – €2 per person, per day
• Coach drivers – €1 per person, per day

Time and Distance

In the event the rivers are frozen when we go on this trip, here is a list of the cities we will visit and the distance between them.  I did the driving distances so these should be close to accurate.

Only One Time Zone

Sometimes, cruising can be made easier or more difficult when you are sailing across several time zones.  I know the Queen Mary 2 transatlantic was easier sailing from London to NY because we were moving from east to west.  Almost every evening, we got an EXTRA hour of sleep due to the time change.

On the cruise in December, the good news is we should only have to change our watches once after leaving the US when we arrive at the final destination in Nuremberg.  All the cities we will visit on the cruise are in the same time zone.  This also makes it easier once you change your watch -- and hopefully it will assure you don't miss a sailing time because you messed up which time zone you thought it was versus the actual time zone!

Of course, if we fly back home from London, we need to be aware of the changes -- but it will be in our favor (our watches will be set one hour ahead of the actual time in London).  In any case, I do have the buddy passes just in case we miss any flight.

Map of Old Town Nuremberg

I have posted this great map of the Old Town of Nuremberg in the WikiTravel of this list.  But, I wanted to point this out because it is a great map of the Old Town.  Once you click on the link, you can expand the map by clicking once on the map.  http://wikitravel.org/en/File:Nuremberg_Altstadt.png

Airport Locations Relative to Each City

The Airport Nurnberg is located about 12-15 minutes north of the city center.  There are several ways to get into the city, including a 12 minute train ride directly from the airport.  Taxis run about 15 minutes and cost 16 Euros (it doesn't say if that is per cab or if that is per person). 

 

We should be plenty tired at this point, but a 12 minute train ride is far better than some of the trips we had to take to get to our destination.

 

When our cruise is over, we will be leaving from Budapest Airport (Bud for short).  The airport is located to the east of the city.  The taxis and most shuttle services charge by the "zone" where they pick you up for the ride to the airport.  From what I can figure out, we will be in Zone 2 at the Marriott so it should cost 22 Euros to get to the airport.  Again, this appears to be for the "cab" and not per person.  But, we can check with the Marriott to be on the safe side.  They do NOT use Euros in Hungary and I read an article that said to get a cab that uses Credit Cards OR be sure you have close to the exact change.  The reason is they have found some cabbies giving back your change in Romanian currency which is no longer worth anything.  Before you realize it, they are long gone!  We may just want to have the Marriott get us a reliable shuttle. 

 

One note:  the Budapest airport offers free WiFi.

 

 

Budapest Map with Hotel and Port

The Budapest disembarkation could not get much closer to our Marriott Hotel in Budapest -- as you can see from the map below:

 

According to Viking, the Port is between the Elizabeth Bridge (Erzsebet Hid) and the Chain Bridge (Szechenyi lanchid) on the Pest (the Marriott side) of the city.

 

Nuremberg Map with Hotel, City Center, Train Station and Port

Below is the map showing the location of our hotel in Nuremberg.  It is across from the main train station (a mere 12 minute ride from the airport).  The hotel is also located just across from the old town -- which, by the way, is where the Christmas Market is held.

 

The Port where we will get our river cruise ship is about 4 miles south of that location.

 

A more detailed map of the port area is provided.

 

 



Euros Except for Budapest

As I was doing some additional searching for information on our trip, I found out that Hungary does NOT use the Euro.  It's the only stop we are making where they do not.  One site said to be careful with cab drivers as they will give you back Romanian paper money (which is totally worthless) as they drop you at the airport (but most cabbies do take CC).  They also said you need to check first to see if the vendor takes credit cards before purchasing (they will have stickers on their windows or you can ask).

The good news is today (May 22), the exchange rate is: 1.00 USD = 223.954 HUF.

Nuremberg Hotel Change

Thanks to Reba, we have a FREE (2 room) stay at the Le Meridien Hotel in Nuremberg (http://www.lemeridiennuernberg.com/en).  Here is the description on their website: 

The journey to the hotel couldn't be easier: Le Méridien Grand Hotel Nuremburg is located at the entrance to the historical Old Town and has direct connections to the metro, bus and tram lines right in front of its door.

It is an ideal starting point for your tour of discovery. You can also reach the trade fair grounds and Nuremburg Airport directly with the metro without having to change trains. Likewise, the motorway is only a few minutes away. Moreover, our hotel is opposite the train station - Trade fair visitors will certainly appreciate this. It is also ideal for all those who enjoy going on extensive excursions, as they can conveniently reach any desired destination. In addition to the historical buildings such as the castle, and the St. Lorenz and Sebaldus churches, there are numerous museums and cultural venues in the Old Town.

Take your time and discover the variety of things on offer. It will inspire your creativity. This is also where you will find most of the restaurants, bars, clubs and of course the large shopping streets with a variety of elegant boutiques, as well as original shops. However, in the lead up to Christmas most guests only have one destination in mind: The world famous Nuremburg Christkindlesmarkt.

Nuremberg Hotel

I have booked a hotel in Nuremberg as a stop-gap measure.  Reba is going to try to get a hotel for us using her points from the Holiday Inn group (she gets the points when she does her conference in May).  At that time, I will cancel this one but it is our backup plan -- just in case.  http://www.maritim.de/de/hotels/deutschland/hotel-nuernberg

Marriott Hotel in Budapest

Thanks to Barb's generosity, we have a GREAT hotel for our stay in Budapest.  We are staying at the Marriott Hotel on the Danube!  Here is a link to the site: 
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/budhu-budapest-marriott-hotel/?vsremarsha=BUDHU&vsresect=rd&vsretype=c&vsrebrand=MC&vsrelink=vhw

Standard Cabin Details

Use this link to see a picture, the layout, and the amenities for a standard cabin:  Standard Cabin