8-Day European Christmas Market River Cruise on Scenic Opal Review

[@mckenna8663]

Oh, my gosh. YES!!! ✨️ 🎄 ❤ ✨️ This is an absolute bucket list!

[@katieh.2503]

This is amazing. I never knew such a trip / itinerary even existed. Another thing to add to my bucket list! 🎄

[@BetterBond1]

Really beautiful video of very beautiful places. And you two are quite a lovely couple.😊

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Thank you so much ☺️

[@JohnBriddon]

We really liked watching this video and found it very helpful. Your filming is excellent and makes watching it, easy and enjoyable!

[@jimwarrick]

Omg y'all are adorable. And I'm completely enamored with the Christmas Market cruise. Absolutely have to go after watching this, thank you!

[@HoneymoonAlways]

It's hard to pick a favorite, but I think our favorite Christmas market was in Baden-Baden, Germany. Have you been to any of these Christmas markets?

[@takewalk]

Omg this is just such magic. I am so in for this if it happens next year!

[@Panycafecito77]

Very informative video, thanks for sharing! If you could go back and explore more, or spend more time, where would it be? We are planning our 2025 Christmas in Europe, trying to do as much research ❤😊

[@whatsupwithwy]

This is so amazing, all of the food looks delicious. My husband and I are doing a land tour in December and will have several stops at Christmas markets. Thanks for sharing this awesome video.

[@TerriInSanDiego]

Thanks for this. SO many questions answered.

[@temmietaft2552]

I absolutely loved this video

[@joansarratt]

Great video! Thanks so much for sharing. I’m going on my 1st river cruise to the Christmas markets in Nov, 2024. This was an excellent orientation.

[@SusanSmith-dn5dx]

Such a wonderfully informative and filmed video. Enjoyed learning about this river cruise because of how it was presented!

[@einfussganger]

Just got back from a similar trip, only in springtime, going the other way (Amersteram to Basel). I very much enjoyed your video showing what it looks like in winter all decorated for Christmas. It's a magical part of the world.

[@HoneymoonAlways]

It really is! We think about it often.

[@claudiafantone6085]

What a beautiful video! Thank you for sharing!

[@Clutching.My.Pearls]

We did this exact river cruise on Avalon Waterways but in March. Its a lovely amazing tour and we loved Rudesheim best. Now I'll think about this for a Christmas trip. Thanks ❤

[@LeslieEasterday]

We are researching our Christmas market river cruise so, I really appreciate your video. And thoughts about the tours and how to spend as much time at the markets as possible.

[@michelechrisgander1436]

Really enjoyed your video! Have always wanted to do the Christmas Markets and this certainly made it enticing! Your scenes of the snow covered trees was magical! And love your detailed comments about the food on Scenic. Hadn’t considered this line before, but will have a look at that for a possibility for our a Danube cruise next autumn. And love that your cabin came with a husband! 😂🤣😂🤣 Will look for more of your travel videos.

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Loved having the husband included! A Danube cruise is on our short list too! Let us know if we can help.

[@Mah_fb]

Love this video...I wanna do a market cruise now😂 but I'll have to take a friend, my husband hates cold and snow

[@carolinacadabra8278]

What gorgeous scenery from your ship! All that and Christmas markets too.

[@HoneymoonAlways]

It really was amazing

[@lorriepatterson418]

Bill and I are so envious! We want to do this. Love Christmas markets❤

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Start planning for next year!

[@pamelawooden6012]

We just got back home from basically this same cruise...opposite direction though. So great seeing it in winter! Thanks for sharing! Safe travels!

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Which cruise line did you go on?

[@pamelawooden6012]

@@HoneymoonAlways Emerald Waterways. It was our second cruise with them. The first was a 15 day Budapest to Amsterdam. Fantastic trip! We are going with Avalon this fall on the Seine. I'm sure it will be a good one too.

[@HoneymoonAlways]

@@pamelawooden6012 We've heard great things about both Emerald and Avalon and are thinking about doing a Danube cruise next Christmas.

[@pamelawooden6012]

@@HoneymoonAlways I would love to do a Christmas cruise but I hate traveling in snow….but it is still on my bucket list 😊. Have fun and enjoy!

[@lynsmith6489]

Have done several cruises with Scenic, going on our next in May. Loved every one. The crew have always been amazing and go out of there way to make sure you’re happy.

[@shari8198]

Thank You so much for your beautiful & informative video! My cousin & I are doing an 8 day Scenic Line Danube Christmas Market cruise in December (2024). Question: While I feel like I have my "outdoor" attire figured out, I'm at a loss as to on board dinner attire. You addressed this a little in your video, could you please expand on that? Do you need dresses? Or are dressy slacks/sweaters okay? I don't want to over pack items not needed. Thank you in advance!!!

[@845broon1]

Thank you. We are booked on the same boat in a few months. This will be our first river cruise and we will be travelling from Basel to Amsterdam. Is room service available at every meal? Is there a separate room service menu, or can a meal from the menu of the day in the dining room be ordered? Is there only one bag of laundry that will be done? If we want or need more laundry, can it be done for a fee? At the port talks, do they indicate how much walking is involved for each shore excursion, either in distance or in time?

[@kathleenschroeder2071]

Thoroughly enjoyed your video! We are going to check that cruise line as we’ve never heard of it and we’ve never gone to Europe (we are 70). One thing I’m looking for would be Christmas ornaments, things to bring back to WA state for gifts, looks like there was plenty of that in the markets you visited?

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Yes they are everywhere, we found the best shopping in Zurich.

[@jo-annr.1291]

Thanks for such an informative video. how did you get from Zurich to Basel ? Could you have gone to the Rijks museum in Amsterdam? Thank you !

[@HoneymoonAlways]

We took the train. You could do the Rijks museum if you wanted to. It was an overnight stop so you could use your time how you would like.

[@lee-annecreery8334]

Thank you VERY much for this travelog. My husband & I are going to be travelling on the same ship this coming December for our 25th Anniversary. I had many questions about ports, bus rides, and especially attire; which you both have answered well. You didn't show your "fancy dinner" or discuss the butler service, so that will be a mystery. One thing you did answer was questions about the Christmas Markets. I am so very excited for this trip (we will be doing in reverse order), and I think we will end extremely satisfied, and I hope warm! Thanks again.

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Let me know if you have any specific questions

[@KarenChucka-yj1jt]

This is great! I really want to do this! Question about Amesterdam, they don’t have Christmas Markets??

[@kathyromack9314]

We are booked for a rhine river cruise in Dec 2024 but have experience with the Strasbourg and Cologne Christmas markets from a Rick Steves tour back in 2017. Excited to visit Cologne again as it was so so cold when we first went we ended up skipping a vast majority of it. We actually did Strasbourg and Cologne on our own that time so it was nice to not have any time constraints. For nutcrackers, your best bet would have been to purchase them from the Käthe Wohlfahrt store. We purchased 4 of them there. Not a cheap thing but quality nutcrackers that will last forever!

[@Cheska-c5e]

The Atmosphäre at Night in Supermarket is actualy very nice with all the lighting. By the way where did you book this kind of Cruise Tour and how much does it Costs? Love to try this too watching from Berlin 🇩🇪

[@dcm703]

Were there dining options for 2 or were most of the tables setup for 6-8 like Viking?

[@ladyloquitavida148]

Merry Christmas Michelle and Dan! Gary and I just returned from an 11 day trip to Munich. We visited Christmas markets in Spain, France, Austria, and of course Germany. It was absolutely heavenly, but we are certainly happy to be back home in Portugal! Thanks for sharing your your adventures with us,... maybe next year we'll try your suggestions and leave all the driving to someone else! Boa natal to you both! 🎄🎅🎁💕

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Thank you! Hope you have a merry Christmas in Lisbon!

[@timm241]

I absolutely love your video. I work for Scenic as a Personal Travel Concierge, and I would love to be able to send this to prospective Christmas Market cruisers. I hope you will give me permission to do so. Tim

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Yes, please do!

[@timm241]

@@HoneymoonAlways Thank you. Tim

[@timm241]

I just sent it to a couple who want to do the three week version, including Paris and Prague. for their Honeymoon. Fingers crossed that they book. Thanks again.

[@beautifulmom9816]

We really interested to do cruising during Christmas but we don’t know where to start. Can you please let us know how did you do it? thanks!

[@heatherwhite2788]

Love that you found a ship 🚢 with great food!! Question for you… I just read in a magazine a man saying he built his collection of antique Christmas ornaments by going to Christmas markets, and named 3 cities, at least one of which was in Austria-I guess Vienna or Salzburg. This got me wanting to go to Christmas markets in Europe … but I can’t find the article now!! I haven’t seen any vintage/antique booths, so I’m wondering if he shops at places that are market adjacent. Any thoughts or advice for me?? Thanks!

[@HoneymoonAlways]

We only saw 2 booths with anything antique and they were both in Cologne. Maybe next year we will make it to Austria to check those ones out too.

[@heatherwhite2788]

@@HoneymoonAlways Thanks!!

[@loricapra9733]

What category room did you book?

[@arturonevatez1630]

We, my wife and I and a couple are thinking of making this trip but in May -June 2024. How much was for the tour and do you recommend the trip those months. Enjoyed your trip. Great takes 👍 👌

[@dencioz55555]

Love the video. Is the Viking River Cruise?

[@HoneymoonAlways]

This one was with Scenic River Cruises

[@mariareyes-ku6194]

Nice trip on this Ship 🚢. How much was it for two people? Does the Ship have solo cabins?

[@SRC21584]

Lovely

[@kitcatnz1]

Remember this cruise was the first one of 8 days.We then went on to the next cruise 15 days mire Xmas markets

[@kitcatnz1]

Actually saw ourselves several times in your video

[@edwardgray2102]

How cold was it?

[@amdelorey]

We are very interested in this. Some pretty magical views! My wife loves Christmas and her mom came to Canada from Germany. Sounds like this cruise line could handle serving vegetarian or vegan meals?

[@HoneymoonAlways]

There were lots of vegetarian options, but I didn’t think about Vegans. I assume it wouldn’t be a problem but would confirm before booking.

[@DrEricRobins]

what specific dates was your Christmas market cruise?

[@LeslieEasterday]

Curious, where did you stay in Zurich?

[@loricapra9733]

Did you have to take a bus in every port?

[@HoneymoonAlways]

No, it was at 2 or 3 of them.

[@gloriamiller5515]

I’m planning a Viking River cruise November 29th - December 8th and I was wondering if it snows at that time? Our cruise starts in Prague- Berlin Germany. And if please you would share your attire from top to bottom….do we need boots?

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Snow is rare. Our cruise director said it was up to 50 the week before our cruise. So plan for the 40s with layers and keep an eye on the weather in a week or two before you go to plan accordingly. You will want layers, warm socks, and yes, boots are recommended.

[@gloriamiller5515]

@@HoneymoonAlways thank you for your response! Very much appreciated.

[@BobbyTreasure]

You mentioned cold several times. What was the temperature when at those cold Christmas Markets?

[@HoneymoonAlways]

I think it a few degrees below freezing when we were there, but it was unseasonably cold last year.

[@colemanjr]

Hey there, hopefully, see my comment here since your post was a year ago. I was wondering did you see anybody by themselves? Singles? Or would your experience not be a good fit for that?

[@qakbot100]

Which month did you cruise in? It looks like winter. We don’t see any option to book in December. I wonder why.

[@HoneymoonAlways]

We went in December.

[@user-hh2hd1le8g]

Thinking of booking this for 2025. What dates were you there? I want snow on my Christmas Market! LOL

[@HoneymoonAlways]

We hope to one day recreate this! It was early December and they told us it was unusual to have snow already so we were lucky!

[@johnhoward6132]

…..on the cruise ship. Thx

[@RobertHarrison-v7e]

With all the shoping, do you have the option to ship the purchases home?

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Yes, many of the shops have shipping options. You could also bring stuff back to the ship and ship it home before you head back to the US.

[@chuckstewart695]

what month did you go ? nov or dec we are thinking of doing a christmas cruise for our first river cruise, any other thoughts or ideals of which to go on

[@HoneymoonAlways]

This was in December, this is the only one we’ve done but absolutely loved it and are thinking of doing another one.

[@krystallight696]

@@HoneymoonAlways which week did you go? Closer to Christmas or week 1 in Dec .

[@Ricci-in6nz]

I love this but I don’t want to take a lot of clothes ! No where to wash clothes ???? Also limited sightseeing 😢

[@HoneymoonAlways]

I’m not sure if we mentioned in the video since it’s been a while since we filmed, but you get one bag of laundry for free and that was enough for us.

[@Ricci-in6nz]

@@HoneymoonAlways , awesome !!

[@Independent_Voices]

Would it be safe to guess that these Christmas markets are primarily overpriced tourists traps for ornaments and Christmas accessories?

[@HoneymoonAlways]

It really varies from town to town and even booth to booth. My favorite part was the food and will be going back for more!

[@bobforward5658]

We have been on several cruises with different lines. Scenic is great. What we liked best was the crew passenger ratio. Scenic plans on fewer passengers for the same size ship so there are more crew per passenger. The Scenic Eclipse expedition ship is in a class by itself. Pricy, but boy will you get a great experience, even if you do not sping for the extra cost helicopter or submarine.

[@HoneymoonAlways]

Sounds amazing! Where did you go on the Eclipse?

[@bobforward5658]

@@HoneymoonAlways Our cruise left Tromso went passed the northernmost point in Europe, visited Harstad, Norway then went to Iceland where we had five stops including Reykjavik then returned to Norway with stops in Kristiansund, Geiranger and two stops in the Lofoten islands before returning to Tromso.

[@johnhoward6132]

How would you rate the food out of 10?

[@HoneymoonAlways]

I'd give it a 10/10

[@johnhoward6132]

@@HoneymoonAlways Thanks, we just got back from an Avalon river cruise and the food wasn’t that good.

[@HoneymoonAlways]

@johnhoward6132 thank you for sharing! We are always wondering how the other lines are.

[@johnhoward6132]

@@HoneymoonAlways We went on the Paris to Normandy 7-day cruise.

[@antoniabaker7770]

I put on 10 kilos just watching this. Yummy food.

[@hjdreams1429]

Were you the youngest couple there or were there others around your age?

[@HoneymoonAlways]

There was one other young couple and 2 families and teenagers/young adults. We definitely stood out and as we met other people they all asked how we ended up on the cruise. Emerald Cruises tend to have a bit more of a younger crowd.

[@meganw-l8f]

Hi there, thank you for your video-- you keep mentioning how cold it is-- you said 0 degrees, is that Celsius? I'm Canadian, so that's not too cold for us-- I just want to make sure it wasn't a freak weather anomaly.

[@tonygiancoli9626]

Ship is not my style. It's very modern, but that's why there are different strokes for different folks.

[@ChasingCharisma]

just subscribed. Thanks for the info. Heading to catch our plane in 30 minutes!! Feel free to give us a Sub =)