One word about the river cruises. If it is a hot day, anyone with respiratory issues may wish to skip it (and, in fact, may not want to really spend much time down near the river at all). There are a ton of tourist boats plying their trade, many of which are burning diesel. The geography of Prague (river valley surrounded by hills) means that the exhaust often gets captured around the river. On days like that, I try not to leave the hills...even someone in good physical shape gets annoyed and my eyes will burn if I'm around it too long.

I don't have a respiratory condition (like asthma), but would it be a consideration to bring a facial mask, a la at the risk of looking like we're in a crowded populous Asian city where smog and SARS were reasons why people wore the masks?

Oh good grief. Seriously - not going outside in public & face masks? I've been in places w/ multiple river cruises & never encountered that. I'm not saying it shouldn't be a concern, but I'm pretty sure the word would have gotten out long before now by the tourist orgs to not book any PRG river cruises cuz their bookees are going to croak. Just MHO. Also it goes w/o saying our organizer wouldn't have put a river cruise on the itinerary if we were all going to drop like flies. OVMV.

Cheers.

nevermind

Then his comment makes even less sense. I get it if it's just in PRG area, but most river cruises go through non-industrial areas for the most part, so no one needs to wear masks or worry about pollution/keeling over.

This is nothing against adventureadam who has provided so much good information on this thread that I've actually linked to it in the Marriott forum as a wealth of information about PRG.

BTW - reading his post, he is, from what I can tell, talking about PRG river cruises, not other river cruises.

Cheers.

Thank you for posting this! As a person with pulmonary issues, information like this is very important to me to know in advance. I will certainly take this possibility into account.
Some of us are not blessed with the same pulmonary system as you. In fact, some of us are O2 and respirator dependent at night and information such as this posted by adventureadam is very important to us. Even though we have some physical limitations, we still like to travel, although sometimes have to skip things that others may be able to handle without difficulty. It is just a fact of our life.

I understand & respect your situation, but I would also say if that's the case then finding out from the organizer of the event the name of the river cruise operator to get their input is actually important if one has pulmonary issues (or for that matter, any other activities for the weekend).

Presumably the river cruise operator would know, especially since they deal w/ a lot of folk on a regular basis, including folk w/ pulmonary issues.

Having said that, each person has to decide for themself what risk they're willing to take & no harm, no foul if they choose not to partake in something. What's right for one might not be right for another.

Cheers.

Yeah, sorry, I misread and not-quickly-enough deleted my post.

Eh, no worries. It at least raises the issue for others who might be affected. I would also say that if others do have health issues, it would help the organizer if they let him know in advance, even if each of us are responsible for our own selves & the organizer can't take responsibility. it helps both sides.

Cheers.

Thank you very much for the info...I obviously didn't make myself clear...we have 4--5 days to spend in Czech area....then head off to Nurnberg to hook up with a week long river cruise from there. So its not as crazy as it seems for those 5 days... I am very interested in all your suggestions... I particularly like to at least check out (ummm..no pun intended) some of the non touristy areas as well. I have been a little perplexed about logistics getting between those 3 places.

Seriously? I would no sooner seek medical opinions of organizers or river cruise operators, than I would with anyone who does not have a good understanding of respiratory and pulmonary issues. I am an adult and am able to manage my disabilities quite well, thank you.
I don't know where you get your data on this, but my guess is that it is based on nothing but a wild guess. I think you may be presuming a bit too much, unless of course you have personal experience in this area.
Seriously? Looking at the list of attendees most of us are experienced travellers. We don't need you to lecture us about acceptable risks of harm. We can all make our decisions what we would like to do or are able to do or not do.
Seriously? Should I embroider a large scarlet letter on my chest so everyone can identify all the folks with disabilities? I am responsible for my own person. I function quite well in the real world on a day to day basis all by myself, thank you very much. Please remember that you are just an attendee at this DO, not an organizer, so pronouncements about what you feel is appropriate to disclose is really irrelevant.

I again, would like to thank adventureadam for mentioning this possibility. While it is an important consideration for me, clearly it is not for you.

I didn't mean my question to stir up this much of a tizzy

I was a bit concerned when adventureadam (a) made a mention of pollution (why now, after all, every big city has pollution) and, this one more prevalent, (b) it was mentioned that even people in good physical shape might have an issue (and whilst I have no prevailing conditions I wouldn't say I'm very fit).

The suggestion I made was really just to gauge how serious it may or may not be. There's nothing wrong with doing it if it is suggested or recommended, and if it's overkill then so be it (and all better for us).

Just as if we were going through the Sahara on camel back, it'd probably be an idea to wear a hat but no one could force you.

And I didn't mean for my response to do so either

I've been to PRG before; didn't notice a 'major' problem w/ pollution - unlike some other cities that come to mind But since pollution could be a concern for some/affect respitatory, the heads up is appreciated.

Right now my bigger concern is the $$ tanking.

Cheers.

Wow, never would have thought that would have been a controversial post. I was trying to be helpful.

To be clear, yes, I am talking about the local Prague river cruises (the ones that go up and down the Vlatava for a few blocks). Long-distance river cruises do not come through Prague proper.

I have nothing to gain by posting this warning, so I'm not sure why some (one?) are so skeptical.

I'm a healthy 34 yo male with no health issues. And yet on hot, sunny days in the summer, particularly when there is little breeze, I avoid going near the river. Why? Because of the layer of exhaust that settles over the river and a few blocks on either side of it. It becomes harder for ME to breathe, and I don't like the stinging feeling in my eyes. Perhaps I'm especially sensitive, but my friends, associates, etc. feel the same.

On a day with a lot of tourists, there may be as many as 15 boats doing these cruises. And once you see the Vlatava here and the routes, you'll understand the problem. The range of these boats is about 2km, so it's a lot of boats in a small area, with a kind of natural trap for the exhaust.

I didn't warn of, or predict, death. I did not warn anyone against going outside. I don't think it's helpful to mischaracterize what I said.

I'm simply saying: able-bodied people may have slight discomfort, and those with prior conditions may have a more serious discomfort, to the point of not really enjoying the ride.

Hopefully it will be cooler, or there will be a nice breeze, or whatever, and this will be unnecessary advice. Simply trying to give information about a potential negative experience ahead of time. Do with that advice what you will.

As someone with breathing issues in these situations, I appreciate the warning.