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Dear Guest:
We are delighted that you are interested in one of our river cruises and you are now starting your holiday planning. We would like to offer some suggestions for this process, to help you on your way. Each means of travel has its own peculiarities - things that are worth knowing. We have tried here to select some of the most important items.
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Travel Documents
You will receive your travel documents online approximately 14 days before departure, as soon as full payment has been made. These documents include further information on embarkation procedures and details of excursions. In a few cases however the documents may not arrive until a few days before the start of the tour.
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EU Safety Certificate
The cost of your tour includes an EU guarantee of set standards of care. This certificate will be sent with your letter of confirmation.
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Passports and Visas
Please check in good time that all necessary papers and documents needed for the cruise are valid and correct.
May we draw your attention to the fact that you yourself are responsible for all travel documents and (where needed) visas and for organizing any necessary inoculations. Failure to follow these regulations may result in a refusal to allow you to undertake all or part of your journey and thus involve you and your party in considerable extra expense. Should the lack of appropriate documentation lead to you being refused permission to travel, there can be no refund of payments already made.
It is not part of our service to obtain entry visas. This remains the responsibility of individual clients.
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Insurance
May we draw your attention to the fact that you yourself are responsible for travel insurance. Unfortunately you cannot book insurance directly with nicko tours.
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Travel to/from port
Travel to/from port of embarkation/disembarkation needs to be organized individually. Please note that should flight or train delays occur, the vessel cannot wait in the port of embarkation. In such cases the transfer to the next port, where embarkation is possible, must be arranged individually. Please contact the emergency hotline as soon as possible (0049-163 765 68 60). To book transfers between the airport or main station and the port of embarkation please contact us at info@nicko-tours.de.
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Baggage Handling
If arriving by plane, please check the baggage regulations of your airline in advance.
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Ship’s berth
Details of the ship’s berth are included in your travel documents.
Every vessel is officially assigned a harbour berth. Occasionally it is necessary to moor alongside another vessel. This means that the view from your cabin window may be restricted to the neighbouring vessel and that there may be a certain amount of additional noise and smell. While going ashore it might be necessary to pass through or across another vessel. Anchorages are subject to change.
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Changes to the itinerary and to the programme
Cruise itineraries are weather-dependent – for example a long period of rain or drought could have a detrimental effect on water levels. It may on occasions be necessary to change the itinerary, as a result of abnormal water levels or delays at locks or bridges. On the rare occasion that a section of the river is closed, we will transfer passengers to alternative means of transport, which may result in cancellation of, or changes to planned visits. We also reserve the right to alter the order in which we visit the planned destinations.
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Joining and leaving the vessel
Your travel documents contain embarkation details. However, since there are occasional changes to the ships’ berth, we ask you to check the information boards on the quayside, to find the exact location of the vessel. Please take special note of the embarkation times. Even though the vessel may already be at its berth, the crew need the available time to prepare the ship for its next cruise. Please understand that it is not possible to embark before the time specified, nor can we accept your luggage until this time.
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Excursions / Going ashore
Excursions ashore organised by nicko tours offer a general view of the most important sights in the various ports of call. You may also wish to explore the area on your own.
We ask you to wait for an announcement of official clearance of the vessel, before going ashore. Return times on board are published in the daily journal. Since our berths and our passage through locks have to be arranged in advance, we are not able to wait for passengers who return late.
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Excursions
For each cruise we offer a package including interesting excursions, which we specially recommend. It is, of course, possible to book individual excursions on board, usually at a higher price and subject to availability. In your travel documents you will receive details of optional excursions, which can be booked only on board. Usually these optional excursions are subject to a minimum number of participants. Theatre performances depend on local schedules, which are sometimes subject to last minute alterations. Should you not take part in a pre-booked excursion (either as part of a package or booked individually on board), we are not able to issue a refund. Also please note that abnormal water levels or extended waiting times at locks may lead to delays and alterations to the planned excursion schedule or to a change of disembarkation or embarkation point.
Excursions during the cruises with one of our eight bilingual vessels are operated with English and German speaking guides.
Excursions during the cruises with our non-bilingual vessels can also be arranged in English or other languages for groups of 30 guests minimum.
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On-board facilities
On board our ships you will find a Panorama Lounge offering excellent views of the passing scenery. Live music is played during the evening for dancing, whilst during the day the Lounge is used for lectures. Some ships have, in addition, smaller lounges for reading or board games or for small group meetings. On most of our ships there are fitness facilities, which you may use free of charge. On the Sun Deck you will find sunshades, chairs, tables and, in many cases, deck-chairs.
Ten of our 28 vessels are bilingual (English/German), meaning that all announcements, menus, daily programs etc. are provided in both languages. All excursions for international guests are operated with English speaking guides. The board language for all other vessels is German.
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Payment on board
The on-board currency depends on our route (Central Europe = Euro). Drinks taken on board can be paid for at the end of the cruise, either by credit card (see the cruise description for details) or in cash. Cash payments must be made in the on-board currency, as exchange is not permitted or not possible on board (except in China). Please be aware that your bank or Credit Card Company may impose fees for credit card payments. Excursions booked on board are to be paid directly to the Cruise Director – usually in local currency (please see your travel documents).
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Cabins
Normally you receive your cabin number with your booking confirmation. We will try our best to assign you the cabin you have specified with your booking, but this is not a contractual requirement on our part. A certain amount of noise from the ship’s engines, air-conditioning plant or ventilation systems is noticeable in some parts of the vessel. Those cabins marked “aft” are in the rear section of the vessel and here the noise may be noticeable when the vessel is underway. Occasionally there is noise from the bow propellers when manoeuvring or moving through locks. This mainly affects the forward cabins. On our Russian and Ukrainian ships the bathroom is rather more basic. The shower is drained through a drain in the bathroom floor and the shower head is extendable from the wash basin.
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Multi-berth cabins
Some twin-berth cabins can be arranged to accommodate three or four occupants, but please note that these cabins are usually the same size. The third and fourth bed in these cabins is usually a fold away upper berth.
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Drinking water
Because the fresh water supply comes from an on-board tank, we recommend you drink bottled water obtainable from the ship’s bar or restaurant. The water from the ship’s taps is perfectly safe for cleaning teeth etc.
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Meals
All our cruises include full board – details are given in the brochure. We try to source the meals with local produce. On all ships we serve a buffet Breakfast. Lunch is usually served at table and Dinner is always table service. Meals on board are served at a single seating. Please refer to the tour information for further information. If you have special diet requirements, we ask you to inform us when making a booking, although this may present difficulties in Russia, Ukraine, China and Egypt.
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Medical treatment and health issues
For urgent medical needs there is a doctor on board our ships in Russia, the Ukraine and China, as well as on board MS DONAUSTAR, MS DELTASTAR and MS DNEPR. Otherwise it is normally easy to reach a doctor on shore. Medical treatment on board is charged for and medicines are also to be paid for locally. Please be aware that our on-board staff (eg at the Reception) are not allowed to dispense medicines. If you are taking prescription drugs, please ensure that you have a sufficient supply with you. We recommend international health insurance. Please check with your travel agency for further information.
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Dress
During the day on board and on the excursions you may dress how you please, with the emphasis on comfort and practicality. We recommend you wear non-slip shoes on the outside decks and that you have warm clothes for cooler evenings and sound, comfortable footwear for trips ashore. Although there is no formal dress code, we ask you to dress smartly for Dinner. Please remember to pack a hat, sun glasses and rainwear and please bear in mind that the countries to be visited have dress codes different to ours, often based on religious precepts. Churches, monasteries, temples and mosques are primarily places of contemplation and reverence. We therefore ask you to dress accordingly – shorts, short skirts and sleeveless tops are not welcomed.
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Mail
You may hand in cards and letters for posting at Reception. Normally the mailbox is cleared at the next port of call. Postcards and stamps are available from the Reception Desk. Please be aware, though, that on-board prices are generally higher than those ashore.
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Smoking
Smoking is permitted only on the open Sun Deck. Smoking is not permitted in any other enclosed area of the vessel, such as restaurants, lounges, cabins, corridors etc. The only exception is on board the MS CENTURY DIAMOND, where smoking is permitted in the Cigar Lounge.
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Gratuities
Tips are not included in the tour price. They are a personal way of showing appreciation for good service. The amount is at the passenger’s discretion, but our recommendation for ships on the rivers Volga, Dnieper, Danube and on rivers in Germany is € 5-7 per passenger per night on board. As we recognise that European passengers often have difficulties with local scales of gratuity in China and Egypt, we offer a service whereby the recommended gratuities are collected at the start of the cruise by the Tour Leader, who then distributes appropriate amounts to the ship’s crew, local guides and coach drivers. Please refer to the cruise information for recommended scales of gratuities. In the case of cruises in Egypt with MS NILE EXCELLENCE the gratuities are included in the tour price.
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Telephone
It is normally possible to call from cabin to cabin (except on the Russian and Ukrainian ships). On many ships you can phone ashore using a satellite link. However, the charges for this service are high and we recommend you use your own mobile phone. Your service provider can advise on tariffs.
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TV
Those ships that offer on-board TV rely on satellite reception, which is operative over large parts of the itinerary. However, there can be unforeseen interruptions of transmission when passing under bridges or lock chambers as well as on certain stretches of the river.
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Electrical appliances
For reasons of safety, electric irons and similar appliances are not allowed in the cabins. There is no hair dryer in the cabin on the Russian or Ukrainian ships. The electrical supply in your cabin is at 220 V. Please note that, as all electrical sockets on the vessels are German standard, you might need to bring a suitable adaptor.
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Items of Value
On board our ships there is either a deposit box at the Reception Desk (sometimes for a small fee) or a small safe in your cabin. Please use these to deposit items of value. However, we do recommend that you leave items of value (eg expensive jewellery) at home, if possible. Some of our tours take you to places where minor items are considered as wealth and where wearing expensive items can lead to covetousness or theft.
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