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River cruises.
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Robisere
Posts: 3,237 Forumite

Please excuse the long Thread.
We are a disabled couple in our early 70's. My disability is the result of an operation to repair a damaged C4 vertebra in 2005, which was causing me paralysis to the left side. I use an elbow crutch to check & prevent falls. My wife is recovering from a new hip operation, does not use a stick but walks with a pronounced limp and tires easily. I have a complex medical history including pancreatic, spleen and lymph gland cancer and an enlarged prostate, all within the last 13 months.
We have cruised the Rhine and Danube twice before, last time being 2015 with Avalon. My cancer op was last April, was successful and I received 6 months of chemotherapy, followed by MRI, CT scans and various X-Rays. During an appointment in December '18, my consultant diagnosed me free of cancer.
We are trying to decide between a Riviera Travel cruise from Budapest to Salzburg and back to Budapest for the flight home, or one of two cruises in France. We would appreciate advice from any MSE user who has experienced these cruises.
We would also appreciate advice from anyone who has used Travel Insurance for extensive and/or existing medical problems: which company do they recommend?
There is also the looming effects of Brexit upon European holidays. Apparently we will not need a visa until 2021 (transition period end) -
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-46564884
However, we have concerns about prices. Yesterday I took home some Cruise brochures and today I went online, to discover that the brochure holidays had increased in price, some by .£100. Does anyone have any information regarding what may happen if we pay in full for our holiday, and events which may cause charges to travel companies to increase?
Thank you for reading this long Post, and for any advice given.
We are a disabled couple in our early 70's. My disability is the result of an operation to repair a damaged C4 vertebra in 2005, which was causing me paralysis to the left side. I use an elbow crutch to check & prevent falls. My wife is recovering from a new hip operation, does not use a stick but walks with a pronounced limp and tires easily. I have a complex medical history including pancreatic, spleen and lymph gland cancer and an enlarged prostate, all within the last 13 months.
We have cruised the Rhine and Danube twice before, last time being 2015 with Avalon. My cancer op was last April, was successful and I received 6 months of chemotherapy, followed by MRI, CT scans and various X-Rays. During an appointment in December '18, my consultant diagnosed me free of cancer.
We are trying to decide between a Riviera Travel cruise from Budapest to Salzburg and back to Budapest for the flight home, or one of two cruises in France. We would appreciate advice from any MSE user who has experienced these cruises.
We would also appreciate advice from anyone who has used Travel Insurance for extensive and/or existing medical problems: which company do they recommend?
There is also the looming effects of Brexit upon European holidays. Apparently we will not need a visa until 2021 (transition period end) -
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-46564884
However, we have concerns about prices. Yesterday I took home some Cruise brochures and today I went online, to discover that the brochure holidays had increased in price, some by .£100. Does anyone have any information regarding what may happen if we pay in full for our holiday, and events which may cause charges to travel companies to increase?
Thank you for reading this long Post, and for any advice given.
I think this job really needs
a much bigger hammer.
a much bigger hammer.
0
Comments
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Riviera Travel is highly recommended by those who book with them and they promise that once booked, there will be no price increase. That doesn't mean the price in the brochure is fixed, just that when you book the price won't go up, or indeed down if by some very unlikely miracle the pound was to soar in value.
As someone who spent a lot of time examining river cruise brochures for an 86 year old desperate to sail the Rhine, I think you ought to be looking at whether the ships have lifts, and if so from which decks as many do not travel to all decks. talk to the company to see how often they have to tie up against other ships so that to reach the shore, you have to get across one or more ships decks, this can often be the case on the Rhine at peak season.
No visas will be necessary but make sure your passport has at least 6 months validity remaining, insurance wise Staysure, Allclear and Avanti offer cover but it may not be cheap. Good luck and enjoy the journey!0 -
Cruises are covered by package holiday regulations.
They are restricted on what changes in cost they can make.0 -
I like the part of France that this https://www.rivieratravel.co.uk/burgundy-the-river-rhone-provence-river-cruise covers.Posts are not advice and must not be relied upon.0
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Thank you all.
Richardw, that is one of 4 choices that we have picked from the brochure, at the moment this one is our favourite:
https://www.rivieratravel.co.uk/the-blue-danube-river-cruise
Mainly because there are many places on the Tour that we have not seen: we have always liked to see something new.
Alan Bowen, thank you for the information, especially concerning lifts and insurance companies. I had forgotten Staysure, was insured by them for 2 holidays some years ago.
getmore4less, I don't doubt that your information is correct, but the effect of Brexit may change things.I think this job really needs
a much bigger hammer.
0 -
The only problem I have is that Rivera travel don't offer home or local pickup for the type of holiday you are looking at. We have used Leger in the past but find their hotels are well below the standard we would hope for. The only other option I can see would be either SAGA or Titan travel which is the same company. We have travelled with Titan 4 times in the past and find, although a little expensive, that they offer most of what we are looking for. I am in my seventies and my Wife late sixties so we tend to look for as little aggro as possible.0
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