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Bavarian Christmas Markets
Rhine River All-Gay & Bears Cruise 2024
7 days from Frankfurt to Nuremberg, Germany
December 07 – 13, 2024
Advance by Transcend Cruises
 Celebrate the holidays with our Christmas Markets All-Gay & Bears Cruise, filled with festive charm and luxurious comfort! Uncover the hidden gems of the Rhine River valley during the best time of year to visit—no fighting crowds as done during the hectic summer months. You’ll often enjoy incredible sights and experiences along the river seamlessly – and often, exclusively! This 55-stateroom ship, the most beautiful river ship plying the Rhine River, is exclusively ours! We have unbelievable moments in store for you around every corner. Every moment of this sailing will undoubtedly convince you to return again and again.
Rhine River Christmas Bears & Gay Cruise Highlights
• One-of-a-kind Bears & Gay exclusive program operated by Transcend Cruises
• Chef Todd Erickson, renowned TV personality, winner of Food Network's Beat Bobby Flay, and LGBTQ+ advocate will curate theme dinners, lead hands-on culinary classes, and host guest culinary competitions.
• A dedicated team of LGBTQ+ Cruise Managers and Expert Guides throughout your cruise.
• Personal onboard LGBTQ+ Concierge Service to arrange independent exploration on your schedule or participate in our complimentary small group excursions.
• More space to relax and enjoy the stunning holiday atmosphere onboard Advance by Transcend, with just 55 staterooms and suites. Our staterooms and suites are some of the largest on the rivers of Europe.
• Your shipboard family will deliver service from the heart in a comfortable, open, and accepting environment that will have you returning every year.
Rhine River Gay Cruise Featured Guests
Chef Todd Erickson
Entrepreneur and proud LGBTQ+ advocate Chef Todd Erickson is renowned for his culinary excellence and innovative flavors. Charismatic and dashing, Erickson has garnered numerous accolades, including a victory on Food Network Channel’s "Beat Bobby Flay".
Get ready to be captivated as Chef Todd brings his culinary prowess to the Advance by Transcend Cruises. He will curate diverse themed dinners, conduct engaging hands-on culinary classes, and host thrilling interactive guest culinary competitions. There’s a delightful experience for everyone to enjoy!
Varla Jean Merman
Varla Jean Merman (aka Jeffery Roberson Loe) starred in the musical Lucky Guy opposite Leslie Jordan in New York in 2011 at the Little Shubert Theatre, prompting The New York Times to rave, “If Carol Burnett and Harvey Korman had stood in front of the right pair of funhouse mirrors, they might have resembled Ms. Merman and Mr. Jordan in stature as well as comedic talent.” More recently, Jeffery starred in the films Hush Up, Sweet Charlotte, Girls Will Be Girls, and Varla Jean and the Mushroomheads.
Jeffery as Varla Jean has filled concert halls and cabarets across the world including the Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall. He made his network television debut on All My Children, guest starred in Ugly Betty and was on Bravo’s Project RunwaySeason 5 as the winning model for the show’s drag challenge.
Rhine River Gay Cruise Inclusions
• Accommodation in one of five luxurious categories of your choice aboard the five-star Advance by Transcend Cruises.
• Specially curated menus, including (6) breakfasts, (5) lunches, and (6) dinners
• On board "Advance Experiences", including culinary and cocktail mixology classes
• Free-flow coffee, water, teas, juices, and soft drinks
• Free-flow premium beers, wines, and spirits
• Welcome & farewell cocktail receptions
• Unlimited Wi-Fi
• Shipboard staff, expert guide, and driver gratuities
• Enhanced shipboard entertainment
• LGBTQ+ Cruise Managers and local expert Tour Guides
• Team of Bears & Gay Cruise Hosts
• Shore excursions
• Entrance fees to all sites, museums, and attractions
• QuietVox listening devices on all excursions
• Roundtrip airport transfers
• Complimentary fitness and wellness spaces, including the spa, pool, and fitness center
• Complimentary use of bicycles and Nordic walking sticks
Welcome Aboard!
As the world grows smaller, finding genuinely authentic experiences to share with others becomes more and more difficult. Hans Rood founded Transcend Cruises based on uncovering these special moments from a local perspective for you, our very valued guests. Our shipboard crew serves you daily from the heart while onboard, providing quiet luxury that is always inclusive – but never intrusive. With just 55 incredibly spacious staterooms and suites, we offer a stunning floating boutique hotel experience that is unmatched.
Every moment of this sailing will undoubtedly convince you to return again and again. The scenery will be unforgettable, and we hope to show you how amazingly warm-hearted and fun-filled our Rhine River cruise will be. We promise you will come home with experiences and everlasting memories of our journey like no other. So grab that lightweight jacket and enjoy what we consider the most enjoyable time of year to visit Europe!
The Forum
A dramatic two-story presentation theater, the forum features
tiered seating and unobstructed views for all guests. It has a full
suite of AV support to enable live events, video content, hybrid
meetings, or even a movie night.
The Restaurant
The restaurant is the primary venue for dining. This space features
river-facing windows, dual wine rooms and configurable elements
to create the perfect setting for meals and events. With
unimpeded visibility, a hosted event or demonstration can be
enjoyed by all guests.
The Lounge
The lounge is the space to “see and be seen.” Boasting flexible
seating configurations, AV support, and a dance floor with a digital
ceiling, the Lounge can host all guests for a large program or be
divided to provide zones for smaller groups.
Top Deck
The outdoor top deck includes fitness zones, an outdoor cinema,
lounge area, and outdoor grill and bar. Ideal for a casual dinner,
cocktail reception or lively dance party, a top deck event will be a
highlight of the voyage. A 144-inch, self-raising super resolution AV
system facilitates deck movies or a silent disco, even in bright
sunlight.
The Studio
Offering a full suite of AV support and furnishings, the Studio is a
perfect location for group activities. It can be a trade show floor,
kid’s activity center or yoga studio – whatever suits the client’s
needs. The Studio is located next to the dedicated charterer office,
storage and the charterer staff cabins.
Culinary
Menus, seating, and service options are tailored specifically to the client’s event. Choice is built into
Transcend’s entire culinary offering with galleys built to innovate, offering varied services like family-style
or à la carte dining in multiple locations. Up to four curated beverage locations are available including the
library café, main deck lounge, and aft lounge. Transcend works with exceptional suppliers to secure locally
and responsibly sourced ingredients. Beverage options are vast, curated by in-house mixologists, and
available across the dining areas at the guest’s desire. Transcend’s culinary experience is one that flexes
with the client’s needs, working from an array of inclusions to customize as the journey’s planning unfolds.
Wellness
For Transcend Cruises, wellness is more than a space or a piece of equipment. Each vessel features an extensive array of well-being spaces:
• Well-being zone spanning over 2,600 square feet on three levels
• Outdoor-facing spa, sauna, relaxation lounge and two private treatment rooms
• Fitness center with Technogym equipment: cardio, strength and functional areas
• On-demand wellness studio; virtual yoga and fitness classes in staterooms
• Upper deck wellness area: yoga deck, rock garden and barefoot walking path
• Workshop-based yoga and fitness facility for live classes and programming
• Additional in-room stretching / toning equipment in suites
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Bavarian Christmas Markets
Rhine River Gay & Bears Cruise
Itinerary
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Date |
Port |
Arrive |
Depart |
| 07 Dec |
Frankfurt, Germany |
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PM |
| 08 Dec |
Wertheim, Germany |
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| 09 Dec |
Wurzburg, Germany |
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| 10 Dec |
Rothenburg (Kitzingen), Germany |
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| 11 Dec |
Bamberg, Germany |
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| 12 Dec |
Nuremberg, Germany |
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| 13 Dec |
Nuremberg, Germany |
AM |
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Day 1 - Frankfurt, Germany
Welcome to the vibrant city of Frankfurt!
Upon arrival, we’ll transfer you to the Advance by Transcend. This afternoon, relax, recharge on arrival. This evening, join your fellow travelers for our Welcome Reception onboard, followed by the first of many incredible dinners curated by our LGTBQ+ resident Guest Chef, Todd Erickson. Following, enjoy an incredible evening of fun on board, setting the tone for a fantastic journey ahead.
Day 2 - Wertheim, Germany
Get a taste of life in the Middle Ages at a remarkably well-preserved German village on a guided walking tour this morning. Be sure to fortify yourself with a mug of mulled wine and a slice of delicious stollen before visiting the town’s charming Christmas market. Located at the confluence of the Tauber and Main rivers, Wertheim (or Wertheim am Main) is a lovely village dating back over a thousand years. It epitomizes the friendly, slow-paced, small-town atmosphere of many German villages; here, residents greet each other by name as they do their daily shopping for fresh bread and sausage in tiny shops. On your guided walking tour of the village, you’ll hear a lot about daily life in Wertheim, as well as facts about the town and its history.
Day 3 - Wurzburg, Germany
One of the best ways to embrace a different culture is through encounters with local residents, which you’ll experience today in a typical Franconian village. Make new friends over hot drinks and homemade seasonal treats; see the Würzburg Residence, a baroque-style palace famous for its gigantic ceiling fresco. And visit the town’s renowned Christmas market for some one-of-a-kind gifts for friends back home (or yourself!). The town of Würzburg owes many of its most notable monuments to the ambitious building programs of the wealthy prince-bishops of the Schönborn family, who controlled the town in the 17th and 18th centuries. Their spectacular episcopal residence is on your schedule for today, as is a delightful encounter with the residents of a Franconian village.
Day 4 - Rothenburg (Kitzingen), Germany
Rothenburg looks like something straight out of the pages of a storybook, with its medieval walls, cobbled streets, Gothic churches, and Hansel-and-Gretel houses. Join a local expert for an insightful walking discovery tour, then wander amongst the stalls at one of Germany’s oldest Christmas markets. Your ship docks in the Bavarian town of Kitzingen in the morning, and after breakfast you’ll take a ride along the Romantic Road, once a medieval trade route, to Rothenburg. The minute you arrive, you’ll know why the route, which links picturesque and well-preserved old towns, is called the Romantic Road. Rothenburg is right out of a storybook: Wide medieval walls still enclose its charming core of Gothic churches and gabled houses.
Day 5 - Bamberg, Germany
The fact that Bamberg still exists today is something of a miracle, given that it survived WWII bombing virtually unscathed. It’s a superb example of a medieval German city compact enough to explore on foot with a local expert. You’ll also have free time to visit not just one but four Christmas markets. The UNESCO World Heritage city of Bamberg, unlike most German cities, was largely undamaged by bombing during WWII. This fact, combined with the city’s prosperous thousand-year history, means that Bamberg has one of the largest intact old-town centers in Europe, so the medieval layout and architecture that was a model for other towns throughout Central Europe remains for you to see and experience.
Day 6 - Nuremberg, Germany
For an over-the-top, old-world holiday extravaganza, look no further than Nuremberg, which boasts the most extensive and grandest Christmas market in all of Germany—and that’s saying something. The “Gingerbread Capital of the World” pulls out all the stops during the holidays, as you’ll see for yourself on a panoramic tour guaranteed to put you in a festive mood. You could not ask for a more perfect place to begin an exploration of Christmas traditions than Nuremberg. The people of Nuremberg hold their Christkindlesmarkt very close to their hearts. The iconic Christkindl, with her white-and-gold dress, long blond curls, and golden crown, has been the symbol for the Christmas Market for many decades. During Advent, she is the most important representative of the city; every year, she opens the Christmas Market by declaring: “Welcome, young and old, to my little community of wood and cloth. While this market’s splendor is fleeting, the joy it brings is eternal.” And with that declaration, the market festivities begin in a town famous for its gingerbread and long toy-making tradition.
Day 7 - Nuremberg, Germany / Departure
Today, we must bid you farewell in Nuremberg, but never goodbye. Private transfers have been arranged for your departure.
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