Page 15 - AAA Central Penn – AAA Now! September/October 2015

AAA
European River Cruising Fulfills an Enchanting Dream
TRAVEL AGENCY
TM
Castles, Villages & Vineyards
Are you dreaming of a European vacation complete with castles and cafes, markets and music, villages and vineyards? Perhaps your head is filled with cheerful thoughts of traveling through numerous countries, meeting friendly folks, hearing multiple melodious languages, and savoring local cuisine. But how, you may ask, can I tour all the places and see
all the sights I want to visit without moving in and out of numerous hotels, packing and unpacking, finding a good restaurant for every meal, searching for the desired attractions in unfamiliar locations, and understanding the languages all along the way? Well, one really good answer is European river cruising!
In a few ways, river cruising is similar to ocean cruising, but they certainly are not the same. Most river cruise boats host fewer than 200 guests, whereas most cruise ships can accommodate thousands of passengers. River cruise boats have the ambiance
of a boutique inn; cruise ships are similar to large resort hotels. Service on river cruises emulates a refined, but not stuffy, Continental style; cruise ships usually provide high-quality service from a friendly, international perspective. First-rate local musicians and folkloric presentations are featured on river cruises; high-energy Las Vegas-style shows are spotlighted on cruise ships.
Along its route connecting cities, towns and villages, the focus of European river cruises is
on scenery, history, local culture, and authentic attractions and activities of the region. The best quality European river cruises now include most or all guided sightseeing tours accessible from the ports they visit; shore excursions from cruise ships usually are optional for passengers to select their preference and pay as an additional expense.
Sometimes, there are themes for river cruises
which are based on attractions available along the river’s route with appropriately chosen visits easily accessible right at the port or by inland access with included travel on local roads. Let’s take a look at just a few of the many attractions of a particularly popular theme cruise voyage available to you on a Rhine River cruise from Amsterdam, Holland to Basel, Switzerland.
With the focus of “Castles Along the Rhine,” you commence your first land tour when the river cruise boat docks in Cologne, Germany. This is the home
of the famous Cologne Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the earthly remains of the Three Kings – the Magi - of the Bible are said to be buried. Your next stop is where the Rhine and Moselle rivers meet at Koblenz, Germany, for a guided walking tour that reveals a maze of medieval alleyways and streets, with some leading to historic fountains in festive squares. Then, you receive a special treat on this
particular itinerary with a stop in the Riesling wines region of Germany for an exclusive visit and wine tasting at the Castle Vollrads, a 14th-century estate nestled among hills blanketed with vineyards.
Later on this cruise, enjoy a ride aboard a canal boat through Strasbourg’s old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, laced with canals, covered bridges and towers, all overlooked by a renowned Gothic Cathedral. From the
to forget about earning your sea legs on an ocean voyage or jumping from hotel to hotel on a typical European vacation. You can tour and relax along a European river aboard a cruise like no other. Your AAA Travel Agent would be happy to tell you all about AAA’s carefully selected boutique-style boat and a delightful itinerary for cruising next spring to enchanting castles along the Rhine.
German port of Breisach, your land tour follows a rural route to visit the villages, vineyards and wineries of the Alsatian Wine Road that winds along the border of Germany and into France to Ruquewihr, Kayserberg and Colmar.
Travelers with a few extra days for their European vacation are wise and do well by staying a night or two in towns or cities near where they begin and end their river cruise. This is not only
a good value by enriching your European experience with additional destinations and spreading the cost of the airfare over more days of travel, but it also is a safeguard if your flight is delayed prior to the cruise. It is not as sad to miss a night in your pre-cruise hotel as
it is to miss your boat as it cruises away.
River cruising allows you
CASTLES ALONG THE RHINE
May 13-22, 2016 • From $6,729 per person, double occupancy
ITINERARY:
Amsterdam, Cologne, Koblenz, Rudesheim, Speyer, Kehl, Strasbourg, Breisach, Colmar, Basel
INCLUDED FEATURES:
• Meals: 2 breakfasts in Amsterdam, all meals onboard ship
• Unlimited beverages onboard, including fine wine, beer, spirits, soft drinks, specialty coffee and tea, and mineral water
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• •
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Free parking with round-trip transfers from Harrisburg to airport
Round-trip transfers airport/hotel/pier/airport One-night pre-cruise hotel accommodations in Amsterdam with half-day sightseeing tour upon arrival
Seven-night all-inclusive Rhine River cruise aboard the S.S. Antoinette
• Baggage handling • AAA Group Leader
For more information or reservations, contact your local AAA Central Penn office.
by Craig Haberle, CTC
Travel
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015
15
Now!