Likely Cancelled River Cruise - Plan B??

After our cruise we had booked a train from Basel to Milan for a few days before flying home from there...

I don't see any reason to change the Amsterdam time or the Basel and Milan time. Your ground itinerary between Amsterdam and Basel should probably NOT take you to all the places your friend suggested but instead take in the many nice places in Germany which lie on a much more direct route to Basel. Now, the cruise in 2027 will probably take you to Cologne, Koblenz, Rüdesheim, Speyer, Strasbourg... places that happen to be convenient to the Rhine River. Do I have this right? So all you need to do is scope out the OTHER great places that are located more or less along this route but are impossible to visit by cruise ship. Here are some possible destinations which represent a few of my favorite places in this part of Europe and which would take you on a north > south zig-zag driving route with Basel at the end.

Antwerp, BE
Maastricht, NL
Aachen, DE
Monschau, DE
Luxembourg
Trier, DE
Bernkastel-Kues, DE
Heidelberg, DE
Ludwigsburg, DE
Esslingen, DE
Herrenberg, DE
Black Forest, DE
Gengenbach, DE
Freiburg, DE

Next year, if you end up doing the cruise to Basel, it will all be new territory to you and you can can travel to Munich and the rest of Bavaria by train afterward, if you wish.

Jim, I think a lot depends on whether you intend to try the cruise again in the future. If not, then I would do as your friend suggests and follow the cruise route. These are obviously cities and places you would like to see, and it's certainly doable in the time frame you have. And Germany is an easy country to drive in. The roads are good and signs are clearly marked.

If you are planning to retake the cruise in the future, then you might possibly think about visiting some of the places on Russ's route above. I'm assuming Russ meant for you to cherry-pick through his because there are a lot of places listed there. I guess the only issue for me would be whether you want to see the iconic places of Germany, like Rothenburg and Munich and so on. Anyway, here are a few thoughts:

Aachen is a lovely small city, with a gorgeous cathedral and the remains of Charlemagne, which is definitely worth a visit. But it can easily be done as a day trip from Cologne, as it's only about 30+ minutes by train.

I love the Black Forest, and Gengenbach is a big favorite of mine. In fact, I'll be staying there again in December of this year. It has a lot of the charm that Rothenburg is famed for. with its half-timbered houses, chocolate box vibe, cobbled streets, and historic sites.

Munich is a nice city, and I really like it. It's not my favorite place in Germany, but there are definitely some interesting sites there worth seeing. Salzburg is a particular favorite of mine, though. I love that city and would easily go back there in a heartbeat. It's just gorgeous and the scenery around it is beautiful.

I will say that your route is not a direct route to Basel, as Russ mentioned. But honestly, I don't think that would be a deal breaker if you really want to visit these places. Honestly, if I were you, I would probably sit down and go through some guidebooks and look at some videos and see what places really interest you. I could rattle off a list of places that I love, but your tastes may be different than mine. In the long run, this is your trip, and it sounds like you've traveled enough to know what you like and what you don't.

One advantage to choosing your friend's route is that you really don't need to rent a car. In fact, it's sort of a detriment to have a car in the larger cities like Frankfurt and Munich. You definitely have to take that into consideration when finding a place, although it might be easier to find something on the outskirts of the city with a car. Given your late date, that could certainly be an issue.

Anyway, I'm not sure how much help I am, as I'm just kind of doing a random train of thought here. But really, you can't go wrong any place you go in Germany, in my opinion. All the cities and towns are lovely for the most part, and you'll always find something to see just about everywhere you go.

I’d take the 60% voucher and the amended cruise. You might find the new route interesting and then you can use the voucher for a Rhine cruise next year.

Your friend’s suggestion for a route is o.k. as is Russ’. Depends on your interests. You don’t need to rent a car since trains go most places.

Youtuber Emma Cruises faced the same choice altho with a different cruiseline. She chose the altered route which she started Friday. I expect her to put out some videos about it, so you might wait to see if that helps you determine what to do.

I just spent 10 nights in Bacharach in the middle Rhine. It is very low!

We are 6 days out of embarkation for Basel to Amsterdam. Our agent told us this morning a letter is coming in the next 48 hours. We have extended our stay in Amsterdam 2 days when originally booking the trip. I receive daily Rhine river navigable depth guage reports at 8am local time. Today's report states there is an uptick in Kaub bottleneck depth but still extremely low. There is no plan, according to our agent, to be in a hotel but there will likely be one ship transfer and a few hour bus ride broken up with an excursion tour.

My brief experience with this joy tells me to book early, download the bolt app for short trips around town and make sure your devices stay charged.

That sounds very acceptable to me. We have booked Viking River Grand European for nxt Aug. Very aware of this summer’s river levels and possible changes. We realize some bus and hotels are necessary. We have decided it worth the risk. Hoping for the best lmills and everyone!