I cant wait until 2010. Patience is NOT one of my virtues!

I have decided to do an escorted River Cruise on 12/2/09 on the AMACELLO Paris to Amsterdam. This date is after Thanksgiving and still back before about two weeks before Christmas. I will be sending out a flyer on this when I get back from the Mariner but LCT knows first.

This is 3 days in Paris to start and then a 7 day cruise. They say "12" days but that includes flight time. I have a client that does a lot of river cruises and she said this was one of her favorites as the Christmas markets are so beautiful in Europe. Plus I have always heard Paris is spectacular at this time of year.

AMACELLO is one of the newest ships of the Amadeus Fleet.

Then we can save Prague to Budapest for 2010.

I do have my web "in progress" right now and here is the page for that cruise. This web we just got up on Sunday so it will continue to improve and linking a lot right now directly to Amadeus. The web site is www.bkrivercruises.com

http://www.bkrivercruises.com/christmas_wonderland_prices.htm

As you can see at this time this is my choice of lines. I am going to see all these lines in August. Some more than one ship.

Amadeus, Avalon, Scenic, Uniworld, Viking, River Cloud, Tauck.

I like a lot of things about Amadeus and at this time I think they are a standout.

Am I very excited about this new addition to what B&K does --- thanks to Betty!

We're ON !!

We are too!!!

I haven't done River Cruises, but Paris is wonderful this time of year and the markets are wonderful. Maybe we'll consider this too?

I totally read the wrong year on this, so deleted what I said.

Sounds like a fun cruise, but brrrrrrrr, a cold one!!!!! Get ready for the icicles.

How do you get all your purchases from the Xmas markets home? :D

Very carefully Betty!!!

This looks great! After Polar Bears, it won't seem cold.

We'd love to go!

Brrrr--as confirmed fridgophobes, we'll be somewhere in the Caribbean or the Southern Hemisphere at this time. I guess we'll just wait until 2010 for the Prague to Budapest cruise in the late spring/summer/early fall. Maybe the dollar will recover by then...

We're on as well.

Thanks, Ngaire

Hi.

Looks fabulous!

Marcia Slomowitz

Hi,

Actually, I'm on for 2010.

Marcia

I find XMAS market purchases little in size. You may want a separate suitcase for food products because many of the XMAS markets have wonderful food products that can't be shipped via hand luggage. I tried to bring things back and they were confiscated. But there are wonderful cheeses, pastas, drieds meats, confits, candies, spices and knick knacks. I love the hand blown crystal candle holders. So you have to bring one hand luggage too for fragile things. I stocked up on wonderful marinated mushrooms last year, but my sauerkraut didn't make it!! The cookies and cakes are usually to die for. I bring back loads for gifts.

Well, I think we are in!!!!!!! I dragged him out from underneath a sink he is installing. We LOVE this idea......

:D :D I hope so Cindy - we'd love to see you both again and Paris, markets, lights, hot toddies (someone said that ;) a neat trip!!!) J and T

Great news Cindy!!! Would love to cruise with you guys again! (this time though...no hurt ankle! )

I am looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Joanna, it may be too cold for Tony to wear his elephant shorts you gave him on MUSH. Maybe we can convert the lounge into Stars and dance there at night. If all else fails, I will take my IPOD and speakers. I think Ngaire has us all together in one area-do I hear a hall party in the works?

Great idea Mitch! Bound to be some hall shenanigans - I will encourage Tony to leave his Mush birthday shorts at home and bring long johns for Xmas trip - :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Karen-
Don't we need to name this cruise and list it on the 2009 schedule? We will definitely need a thermal teapot for those who are bold and brave enough for this outing.

Mitch, you are right! Let me shop for the right teapot!

Sorry, mis-posted!

We are in - signed up on MAYANS.

Carolyn and Don

Since my husband has no interest in Christmas markets, my good friend Andie will be my roomie on this trip.

Mitch, you might get tired of seeing me next year, with this cruise and Sea 2 Sea!!

Andrea, this is wonderful news!!! Carolyn & Don...looking forward to meeting you too. This will be a really fun trip.

Yet another "real sister" is joining us on this one also. Rae is her name and her husband Bill. They live in California. I have so many siblings I keep coming out with new ones!!!

This will be great fun! We are already looking forward to it.

Karen-
I am easily confused, but this is a 2009 trip!

Mitch, I am easier to confuse than you are, I am not sure what you mean? I have PARIS in the 2009 escorted cruise forum, did I put it somewhere else by mistake?

Editing to add, I moved this post to the 2009 escorted cruises forum, is that what you meant, Mitch?

You fixed it. The topic for this thread was originally "2010 River Cruise." Thanks-you are the best!!

Hmmm??
Boy this cruise has our interest.
Jan B and I are talking about it.
Going on "FUN" kind of makes this
a little more difficult.

Hi Jim,

You and Jan should come along. Jim and I signed up for this one. And we're bringing along my mom. She's never been to Paris so this will be extra special.

Mary Ellen

Damn it!
Once again it looks like the dates may be wrong.
Jan was all excited about it but thought it read December 12th not December 2nd. She has her annual board meeting on December 4th. This is why we had to cancel our Cape Town to Rio cruise and move it to the Navigator "FUN".
Will see what happens!! :mad:

Hi Mary Ellen and Jim - look forward to seeing you both again and your Mom, too, Mary Ellen. Jim and Jan those annual board meetings a pain - we will be happy to see you both on either trip - or both ;) ;)

Jim & Jan - How did I miss you had canceled SAMBA? Weeping buckets in Houston. :mecry: :mecry:

Betty.
Actually we were never on "SAMBA"
Did a late 2008 on board booking with the plan of
moving it to same cruise 2009 but since that was not going to work we moved it to "FUN" March 2009.
Jan is already working on trying to get her board meeting on Nov 1st or Dec 2nd in 2009. Cross your fingers!!

Hi Jim,
I hope Jan can change her board meeting. It would be fantastic to see you two again.
Joanna: we are looking forward to cruising with you and Tony again too.
We've not managed to join a lot of Ngaire's escorted cruises because work keeps interfering but hopefully we will make this one!
Happy weekend,
Mary Ellen

Is there a roll call started? If so, we are in 313. This is just a tentative booking; all depends on where we end up moving to.

WE ARE IN! :banana: :app: :app:

Guess I will start a "roll call" for this cruise.

WOO HOO!!!! Great news Jim/Jan and Marc and Arlene, too!!!! Anyone named Bing Cherry has to be a "peach" <img border="0" alt="[naughty]" title="" src="graemlins/naughty.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[naughty]" title="" src="graemlins/naughty.gif" />

Is there any place where we can see
deck plans of the Amacello??

Jim - go to www.Amadeuswaterways.com
and from there you can pull up the deck plans and specifically of the amacello.

Wish we could do this - guess cold in Paris beats the he$% out of cold in Montana. :D At least for us it would probably be much of the same, but early Dec is difficult at best for us.

Hope you all have a great trip. Of course how could you not???

Thank you Thank you.
I looked and looked and for some reason
I could not find it. :hug:

Hmmm, I just pulled it up.
www.amadeuswaterways.com
then click under ships, then Amacello, then to the right under "deck plans". It should work, I just did it. Hope it works today for you.

JoAnn:
I should have said I looked and looked and could not find it UNTIL you sent me the information.
It worked great.
DUH!! Sorry I did not explain myself very well.

Anyone know what the dress code is for this river cruise??

Parkas, insulated gloves, and snow boots. :D

agree.....warm clothes!

You all are killing me with posts about this cruise. I had something totally different in mind for November of 2009, but all your talk is beginning to lure me into the web. LCT can be "dangerous" at times! After all, I've never been to Paris.

Well Betty.
Get signed up!! :hug:

Jim, when people like you, who I adore, dangle trip carrots in front of me, I usually cave immediately and am emailing Ngaire right away. I'm trying to be good to my credit card for 4 more weeks until I get my son married and those bills paid. So go easy with me for another month. :p
And whoever said the groom's parents get off light when it comes to a wedding? They lied!

Yea Betty! :banana:

Yea Betty!!! You won't regret it!! Paris in December will be new for us!

I can rarely get Tony's attention for a trip except one week prior - and you know who makes all the plans, wrong or right - I tossed out post in Amsterdam and think it will fly - we have friends in Paris so will see them one night. Trying to talk very nice, French single gal into joining us - mother of my kids friends -

Just to let you folks know, there is a new BA airline that started called OPEN SKIES traveling JFK to Paris direct flight with excellent prices that was just started.

Thanks Andi - I hope to have FF pts built back up by then. I have been running through mine - nice to know of other alternatives - J

Time to think about AIR. Looks like the magic date to book the first leg of the trip for award travel is January 6th. Just thought I would give everyone the heads up.

Andi, thanks for all the helpful airline info. Open Skies sounds like a great airline from the reviews I read. I guess my concern is if they'll still be in business come December....but it sounds like they have the backing of BA which is good. Maybe it's good to use them instead of f.f. miles and just get ourselves to NY.

Speaking of formal nights....just called and found out that there are NO formal nights on PARIS trip, all nights casual. YEA!

Also found out there are no self service laundry facilities but it sounds like you can send laundry out, if needed, like in a hotel.

WOW!
All nights casual will be Great!!!!!