FRANKIE FLOWERS HOSTED RHINE CRUISE
JULY 29 - AUGUST 5, 2022
Join Frank Ferragine AKA “Frankie Flowers”, one of Canada’s most popular and trusted gardening experts, on a special river cruise of a lifetime. Frankie will escort lucky guests to the 2022 Floriade Horticulture Expo, only held every 10 years and is one of the largest public gardening events in the world during this 8-day Jewels of the Rhine river cruise sailing from Basel to Amsterdam.
You will have multiple opportunities to interact with and learn from Frankie so you can return from your vacation with a wealth of knowledge and inspiration for your gardening projects.
Attend the renowned Floriade Expo excursion alongside Frankie
Learn expert tips from Frankie during two on board gardening presentations
Special “Garden-inspired” Cocktail Reception
Gardening-themed trivia night. Win a gardening consultation with Frankie!
MEET YOUR CRUISE HOST - FRANKIE FLOWERS
“I’m thrilled to be hosting a once-in-a-lifetime adventure with Emerald Cruises. Floriade, aka The World’s Fair of Horticultural Shows, is one of the largest public gardening events in the world and it only happens once every decade. I’ve been to the Netherlands before, but this is a gardeners’ dream. Emerald Cruises plus Floriade and Frankie Flowers equals one blooming great adventure!”
Frankie’s garden advice has earned him Landscape Ontario’s Garden Communicator of the Year three times, and he has been named Toronto’s Favourite Weather Personality nine years consecutively in the Toronto Sun Reader’s Award. A four-time best-selling author, consultant, garden writer, social media strategist, philanthropist and father of two boys. Frankie believes that life should be fun.
“If you are green, you are growing!” – Frankie Flowers
PRICING CATEGORIES
Prices start at $3,445 per person based on double occupancy for a lead in cabin. Please contact us for more information on pricing!
Attend The World-Leading Innovative Gardening Floriade Expo
Floriade is a horticultural highlight, held just once a decade. In 2022, for the seventh iteration of the expo, nature lovers and the sustainability-inclined will be heading to Almere, a modern ‘garden city’ close to Amsterdam.
The Expo’s theme ‘Green Cities’ will focus on innovation and the Green City of the future
The Floriade site will be a living laboratory with inspired exhibitions from counties, cities, and innovative businesses
Explore fascinating attractions, art and culture, and extravagant displays of trees, shrubs and flowers
You’ll see a glimpse at the self-sustaining cities of tomorrow with inspiration for gardening your own home with a sustainable future in mind
ITINERARY AT A GLANCE
Day 1 – Zurich – Basel
You will be met at the airport and transferred to your luxurious Emerald Cruises Star-Ship in Basel, where your friendly captain and crew will be waiting to welcome you. This evening, join your fellow guests for dinner on board.
Meals Included: Dinner
Day 2 – Breisach
The Black Forest is a captivating region, known for its cuckoo clocks and the live oompah bands that grace sun-kissed gardens with their music during the summer months. Today, you will have the opportunity to visit a Black Forest destination and enjoy the charming culture of this region. If you are feeling more active, then you may instead choose to hike through the Black Forest region, passing under an idyllic canopy of evergreens.
Later, enjoy one of the region’s most famous treats during a Black Forest gateau demonstration and tasting.
Frankie Flowers celebrity cruise guests: Join Frankie for a pre-dinner Welcome Cocktail ‘Garden-Theme’ Reception. Suggested dress: Anything floral.
A Black Forest gateau demonstration and tasting
A guided hike in the Black Forest region
A visit to a Black Forest destination
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3 – Kehl – Strasbourg
This morning, your Star-Ship will be docking in Kehl and you will be transferred across the river to the medieval town of Strasbourg, the capital of France’s Alsace Region. Cobbled squares surrounded by half-timbered houses make Strasbourg appear as if it has been effortlessly suspended in time, and you will get the opportunity to explore the past during your included walking tour of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed old town. Witness the ornate beauty of many of Strasbourg’s highlights, including the Maison Kammerzell and the canal network that weaves through Petite France, before enjoying free time to explore at leisure.
A guided tour of Strasbourg
Tour of Riquewihr (extra expense)
Day 4 – Mannheim – Heidelberg
Relax on board this morning as you sail to Mannheim, following the meandering Rhine River and passing the confluence of the Rhine and Neckar. Travel by coach to Heidelberg, where you will have the opportunity to learn about how it became a UNESCO City of Literature, having inspired the likes of Mark Twain and William Turner with its historical setting.
Your guided tour of the town will allow you to find your own inspiration among its delightful landmarks, including Heidelberg Castle, one of the most impressive Renaissance ruins in Europe. Enjoy a wine tasting in Heidelberg and take to the cobbled lanes that weave through the old town.
Alternatively, hike from Mount Königstuhl to Heidelberg.
Frankie Flowers celebrity cruise guests: Join Frankie as you cruise down Rhine for a 30-minute afternoon seminar followed by an autograph session.
After dinner, join our Activity Manager in the Horizons Bar & Lounge for gardening-themed trivia!
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 – Koblenz
Cruise to the 2000-year-old town of Koblenz today to discover its fairytale-like surrounds, nestled on the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. Your local guide will take you on a tour through the town, touching on the twin-towered façade of the Church of Our Lady and the German Corner, where the two inspirational waterways meet. Journey by cable car to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, offering exceptional views of the surrounding area from its hilltop position.
A guided walking tour of Koblenz
A Moselle & Cochem Castle visit (extra expense)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6 – Cologne
Effortlessly steeped in history and tales of the past, Cologne encapsulates a timeline that spans more than two millennia and is one of the oldest cities in Germany. Your included tour of Cologne will take you to the heart of its old town. Your tour will conclude at the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Cologne Cathedral.
Frankie Flowers celebrity cruise guests: Join Frankie for a second 30-minute afternoon garden seminar.
A guided walking tour of Cologne’s Old Town
Visit to Eau de Cologne museum (extra expense)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7 – Amsterdam
This morning, you can choose to embark on a guided bike tour to Waterland, learning about how the water is reclaiming Holland as you pass through quintessential Dutch surrounds and witness traditional villages and windmills. Alternatively, take to Amsterdam’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed canal network during a glass top canal cruise, passing Roman patrician houses and ornate merchant houses that tell tales of the prosperous Dutch Golden Age.
Frankie Flowers celebrity cruise guests: Join Frankie for a visit to the infamous Floriade Expo. This visit is an included excursion for Canadian guests who booked the Frankie Ferragine celebrity garden expert cruise.
EmeraldACTIVE
A guided bike tour to Waterland
A canal cruise
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8 – Amsterdam
After breakfast, it is time to say farewell to your fellow guests and disembark the ship for your transfer to the airport, taking memories of the Black Forest region and Strasbourg’s charm with you.
This itinerary is a guide only and may be amended for operational reasons such as high and low water. As such, the cruise may operate altered from that stated above.
Please note: Pre-release itinerary subject to change.
Meals Included: Breakfast
* This itinerary is a guide only and may be amended for operational reasons such as high and low water. As such, the cruise may operate altered from that stated above. Please note: Preview itinerary subject to change.
REQUEST A CABIN
This Frankie Flowers River cruise is extremely limited. If you would like to secure your space, please fill out the form with your contact info and one of our agents will reach out to confirm your space and take deposit!