KD cruises
 

<BR> <BR>Has anyone taken any of the KD cruises on the Rhine? I am taking the Amsterdam-Basil cruise and am intersted in other people's experiences. What about smoking? Has that been a problem for non smokers?

Davis We took that cruise on our first trip to Europe 20 years ago. We planned our trip around it and were very glad we did. It was an excellent cruise. The ship is small, the food and wine were excellent. And, of course, the scenery!! I can't speak to the smoking problem. We don't recall any problem but we were not as susceptible to smoke as we are now. Also, we had a table to ourselves at meals, so we did not share dining with smokers. I do recommend the trip but maybe someone else will speak to the smoking issue. We got off the trip when everyone took an excursion to Heidelburg. I think that was at Mannheim. Anyway, we were on the ship for the best part. After that the rest of the trip (I am told) is rather anticlimatic. I hope this has helped some. Enjoy! Carol

Davis The thing that sets this cruise apart is that you only cruise during daylight hours. So you do not miss any scenery. And you dock at Dusseldorf, which has an interesting old town, Cologne, where we were treated to a traditional evening of fun and a tour of town. But, as I said it was a long time ago. Carol

My family took this cruise about fifteen years ago. As I recall, it was a delightful experience, a real highlight to our trip. Beautiful castles. Wonderful towns. As for the ship itself, while the cabins are small, we found them clean and comfortable. Another plus--great food. I don't recall any problems with excessive smoke. All my memories are good ones.

I have done two KD cruises so far, and will be on my third -- 15 days down the Rhine, the Main and the Danube from Amsterdam to Budapest -- beginning on August 26. I don't smoke, but there are people who do these cruises who do, and as near as I could see on my last trip (I did Nurnberg to Budapest in 1997 and Lyon to Avignon in France in 1998), there were no restrictions. Certainly there is nothing to stop smoking in an individual's cabin, and the deck where you spend a lot of time between ports is open air so it is hard to fathom how effective a smoking ban, if implemented since my last trip,would be. The only time I know you could not smoke was on the bus for shore excursions (now, I understand, included in the overall fare). But even there, once off the bus, people smoked. Not many, I must say, but a few. <BR> <BR>The fact this will be my third KD trip, and the fact I am covering half the same territory I covered once before in this longer special excursion should be all you need to know as confirmation of how absolutely wonderful I think this type of holiday is. <BR> <BR>Lanny <BR> <BR>