All aboard, summer cruises Published May 11, 2007 By Iris Reiff 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office SPANGHDALEM AIR BASE, GERMANY -- It's a special experience; some say a must, for everyone who visits the Eifel-Mosel region to take a cruise on the Mosel River. Enjoy a ride on a modern passenger ship and get a spectacular view of castles, famous cathedrals, lush vineyards and wine towns which dot the romantic Mittelmosel route. Trier, the closest starting point from the base, offers various Mosel River excursions now through mid-October. Ships leave daily at 9 a.m. from the Trier-Zurlauben passenger dock for a round trip to Bernkastel. Round trips from Trier to various other towns along the Mosel are also available throughout the day. For details, call the Trier Boat information office at 0651-26666. Other one-hour boat excursions can be arranged upon request. Evening excursions with live music and dancing on board are available Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. from Zurlaubener Ufer. The boat returns about 10 p.m. Reservations are necessary and can be made at 0651-26666. Special event excursions are also possible and can be booked. A very nice excursion is from Trier to the beautiful town of Saarburg and all the way to Mettlach where people can go shopping. Mettlach is known for its Villeroy and Boch manufactury. This stretch is about 20 to 25 kilometers long. The ship cruises both on the Mosel and Saar rivers and leads through several locks. There are also trips from Bernkastel to the scenic Mosel town of Traben-Trarbach. Boats depart from Bernkastel at 10 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 11:45 a.m. 2 p.m., 3:30 and 5 p.m. One-hour tours are available from the Bernkastel dock every half hour, now throughout October. The Bernkastel-Kues, Moselperle, Bernkastel, Kroever Reich and Stadt Trier boats run daily from Bernkastel to Traben-Trarbach (about two hours), going past various scenic Mosel towns. They will return to Bernkastel. For those who would like to enjoy an adventurous boat ride through the locks, Bernkastel also offers this experience several times daily. Boat cruises to Koenigsbach, Niederlahnstein, Stolzenfels, Oberlahnstein, Rhens, Brey and Braubach are available from Koblenz. One-hour round trips are also offered, as well as excursions to Cochem with its romantic castle. A lot of tours can be combined with sightseeing tours of a castle or stops at other attractions. Evening cruises can be a lot of fun with family or friends, and they are also an excellent way to meet people. Mosel dance party-cruises are available Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, during June, September and October. Daily cruises are offered during the summer months of July and August from Cochem. The party cruiser will depart the Cochem dock early in the evening and return before midnight. Bands provide musical entertainment on board. Plenty of food and beverages will be available. Saturday night party cruises from Bernkastel are available now through October, departing at 7:30 p.m., lasting about two and a half hours. The Luxembourg passenger ship MS Marie-Astrid is on route now through September. It cruises from Trier to Remisch and from Remisch to Grevenmacher on the Luxembourg side of the Mosel. From here a bus will take the passengers back to Trier. Some people prefer one-way cruises in lieu of the round-trip journeys offered by most cruise lines. One of many possibilities is to enjoy part of the journey by boat and then return by train. Most lines offer price reductions for groups, school students and other organizations. Group reservations have to be made beforehand. These are just a few of the many boat cruises offered along the local rivers. Prices range from 10 Euros to 300 Euros for long trips. Several day excursions on the luxurious ships of the Koeln Duesseldorfer company are more expensive. Call the local tourist information offices for details