Here's our blog post that goes with this video. It summarises the help you guys have given us in the comments - I knew we could count on you! Love you guys!

First rule of train travel in Germany: Bring your own food. Especially if travelling with kids. I find the food on german trains overpriced and underseasoned. Like expensive cardboard. Also desinfecting wipes for everything. But heyho. Now you know :) Thanks for sharing.

You are SO good at this! You are all so natural in your video's and no 'acting'... just the McFalls on an outing on the train. ...and FINALLY: Kevin get his beer on the train! However, you are not travelling alone on those trains. You are travelling with 1000's of us KZfaqrs, and we all love you. Feeeel the loooove McFalls!!!

Great video! About booking seats and for 6 and more people: My best tip is to go to a train station where they have a Reisezentrum and book it in person at the counter (also as early as possible). It costs the same but the people there have more flexibility in terms of seating etc. I did it when traveling with my 89 year old grandma (special needs) and my parents also do it when they are traveling with there bicycles. I already saw comments by people saying Deutsche Bahn is bad. I must say, I had a fair share of problems traveling by train (I don’t have a car and do it regularly), I still think it’s the most comfortable way of travel. I believe that a lot of Germans complain about deutsche Bahn, just because everybody does. Tbh most people I know that complain hardly ever take the train. (Esp. Considering traffic accidents etc when driving it doesn’t really make a difference if your train is delayed or you hit traffic). So I am glad you had an overall good experience. Food: I agree with what other people said. Idk if it’s because Germans are cheap, but apart from coffee I don’t know anyone who actually buys food on the train. Try bringing „Proviant“ it could be fun if each kid can choose and prepare (and carry) their own lunches. As a kid I was allowed special treats that normally I wouldn’t get. Another idea would be (if you wanna travel by train frequently) to get big backpacks instead of suit cases because having your hands free when changing trains is so much easier.

I did not realize you could only reserve seats for up to 5 people. I guess the best thing to do then is book each adult with 2 kids separately, and then you can choose seats next to each other. Train travel is good as long as you don't have to pay for the kids (up to 14). Once they count as adults, it is probably cheaper to go by car, when you don't need to pay extra for each person. When your kids start to be independent teenagers, do get them a Bahncard for up to 18 year olds. It costs 12 Euros, it is valid for 4 years or up to their 19th birthday and they get a discount of 25% (for example when they travel without you but with their friends).

So nice to have you back with your videos! :-)

Don't rely on the paper Wagenstandsanzeiger at the track only. The digital panels are more accurate and the DB app is even more detailed and will tell you the right partition of the track to wait at. They would also reflect changes. Btw... the ricer Rhine is not near Trier. 😉 But, sure, the Mittelrhein area is very beautiful with all the castles next to the Rhine.

I agree, that riding on the train here in Germany is much less stressful than having to drive a car (at least for long distances), however what I personally hate about it, is having to get on the train. The worst thing that can happen - and has happened to me a couple of times - is when the train stops at another platform and you have to run from one side of the station to the complete opposite. The last time it happened, I was waiting on platform 16 and they announced that the train was actually waiting at platform 4.

I love travelling with ICE. With my toddler children, always booked the waggon with playground and Mamazone. Years ago, but the best option travell with little kids.

The booking site stated reservation of the seats was already included in the ticket, a default and that´s why it was greyed out. Only with fewer travelers, it´s an option and, usually, you pay an extra fee for a reservation. At the train station, you´ll find a board showing the trains´ wagon numbers and their location on the track. The Bistro and the Restaurant are quite expensive, especially for a family of 6, you´ll better take food with you. Kartoffelsalat, Frikadellen, and a nice Tomatensalat are nice as a cold dish. And traveling with the Deutsche Bahn is the exception where you can have your beer in cans without being looked at.

But the idea of booking one adult with two children each twice seems more practical, because up to three children up to the age of 14 travel for free if they're with a parent or grandparent (and if you tell the conductor or ticket inspector, they'll have a little welcome pack with games for the children). You might also consider a BahnCard25 for the adults because they usually already pay off after one long-distance return trip.

Hi 🙋‍♂McFalls. I think, each German has somewhere made along his life his own (bad ?) experience(s) with the 🚆Deutsche Bahn 🚂. So, please rate your trip as a typical German "adventure". The more you will travel by DB, the more "German" you will get 😄. And in a late review, the more you will laugh about these inconveniences.

Glad you're back, hope you are fine! Thanks for the new Video!

Thank you for posting this video!. I'm so happy to see you again. I also love travelling by train.

Welcome back!!! We missed you guys!! 😍

I have been missing you! Looking forward to this episode.

Great video and welcome back. I enjoy watching your videos. you really did not have too many hick ups.... trains in Germany can be now a days quite adventures.... delays.....etc. I think that travelling long distances is better by train then car. more fun less stress. Can't wait for your next adventure. Have a great week. Tschuess:)

Welcome back! I remember passenger trains being popular in my youth, here in the US. I remember picking up visiting relatives at our local station. Too bad they aren’t around, except for Amtrak. Would love to try that.

Hearing the train announcement just sends me back. I am so happy for you guys getting to live in Germany!!

Gerade für weite Distanzen nutze ich sehr gern und wann immer es mir möglich ist die Bahn. Es ist einfach viel entspannender als Autofahren. Zu sechst mag es wohl etwas aufregender sein; schön, dass ihr es dennoch tut. Auch habe ich mich sehr gefreut, wieder ein neues Video von euch sehen zu können. Vielen Dank dafür!

Following you guys nearly from the start, I am proud of you how you take on new things and master all you encounter.👍 ☺ Soon, when are you ready for an even longer Train Trip, or flight, to Hamburg, take the kids to see the Miniature Wunderland?

I am happy that you are back with your very interesting vids! And great new layout on your channel 👍

There was a Cologne band named Whise guys, they had a song "Deutsche Bahn". That summs up all expirience.

What a sweet family. I wish a lot more german adventures! Greats from Berlin.

Watching you guys try stuff here is fun. It reminds me of when I first moved here. Now that you've tried the ICE, the next train goal is the Nachtzug. Go to sleep on the train and wake up at your vacation destination. It's definately an experience.

0:12 Heeeyy a fellow Speedcuber! :) It reminds me of the times when I used to carry my Rubik's Cube around EVERYWHERE

11:00 lol you‘re not really German until you‘ve had a bad experience on Deutsche Bahn😂

well, at least the train arrived! No fairlures in the "Betriebsablauf". With DB you can't expect more.

Hey I heard Darmstadt! Greetings from near Burg Frankenstein!

I would recommend that you go to a DB center in every railroad Station and asked the personnel of the DB

best choice for booking group tickets is the good old counter at the train station.

I think it's a Wonder that you got a nice seat in the old IC Wagon from the early 1970's.

hi, nice video like always. I realized, that you can explore germany totally new this year. without covid we are quite different! Have great time!

great video, thank u 😍👍

Oh no, this trip went as smoothly as they go, you did well. With ICEs, as soon as there is *any* kind of weather, you'll likely run into complications (the ac doesn't work or there's snow on the tracks making you miss connections). I'll still always choose train over car - but travel days are chaotic. Pack tons of games and snacks always. And get coffee when you can - the bistro isn't always open. Congratulations on your first long distance trip! You picked hands down the most beautiful route. Did you see the Loreley?

Great to hear you got to see the "Kölner Karneval". I moved to Alberta last year and enjoyed the "Schull- und Veddelszöch" on TV.

For groups seat Reservation is included. For this I would book them at a DB Reisezentrum, they are really helpful to get you the best deal.

Welcome back, good to see you guys again! I never traveled with a group of six but my advice is to book your tickets directly at the train station with a reisezentrum. They are more flexible than the app or website. I dont like the food on the "speisewagen". Its overpriced and not tasting good, usually we just bring our own snacks and drinks. Worst things that happend to me: 1. The train had 2 different destinations, which means, it got splitted up into 2 trains at one point and i was in the wrong part of the train and travelled to the wrong destination. 2. A fright train infront of my train caught fire in the middle of nowwhere and my train couldnt go forward or backwards.. 3 Hours delay *sigh* 3. The train stopped working at a small station somewhere in bavaria.. Every passenger had to get off and wait for a replacement train.

18:53 I travel a lot for business and in my experience if you can not do it using the app it is usually worth it to just visit a hauptbahnhof nearby that has a customer service center and let it book through them. They have additional options and a completely different app. This is especially true for international travel and other special requirements.

For food and drinks it's more recommended to get something on the layover. Especially in larger cities like Frankfurt or Hamburg and probably Darmstadt too. You can get food there. I went from the north sea to Karlsruhe so I got something in Hamburg.

Oh , I missed you on KZfaq. I‘m happy that you are back again 😍😍😍😍

At every station an IC ior ICE stops, there is a board with the car numbers and where the cars stop. And there are big white cubes with an A,B,C,D,E,F along the platform. So you check your seat reservation, which car, and then you enter the train at the corresponding point according to the board.

Nice to see you guys again :) Next time you head north you should consider to give Wuppertal a visit, it's around 40 minutes train ride from Cologne, we have a very unique public transportation here which I am sure you will like.

Ihr seid zurück ! Endlich. Wir haben uns schon große Sorgen gemacht. Ist etwas Schlimmes passiert? Kinder krank? Katze ermordet? Haus abgebrannt, oder den Grundsteuerbescheid vom Finanzamt bekommen? Egal, ihr seid wieder da und nur das zählt. Bleibt gesund und munter . . .

I’ll be there in six months. I can’t wait! It’s been 20 years since I was there last. Eurail pass will take me everywhere 😉

Folks, you survived long distance train rides with Bundesbahn! Thats amazing, ;) I commuted 13 years Sunday/ Friday from Frankfurt to surroundings of Munich and back. Constructions, deviations, delays, cancelled trains....i have seen all of it....and got some interesting views on the detours :)) But I travelled alown....as a familiy with agil kids? It must have been an adventure! Your are awesome.... Viele Grüße, Peter

9:55 you can move your chair🪑↔️🚝😴...(comfy)

5:35 A compartment on IC trains used to look like this. you had a bench on each side instead of individual seats. The blue seats have only been installed for a few years and are old seats from old ICE trains.

Well that was a nice trip. On your journey to Cologne you definitely had the nicer route along the Rhine river but back home you did obviously use the fast route via Frankfurt. There is a part of the route where the ICE gets up to 300 kph top speed on that part of the route. I am excited to see that you visited Cologne where i live now since 1990. Definitely looking forward to the next video. Carnival really is something special here. As an introvert i avoid it but for kids it really is exciting to collect the sweets and dress up in a custome. I also liked it a lot in the first years i spent in Cologne (i was 10 in 1990).

Wagenstandsanzeiger - that shows you where to enter your train to get to your seat

Your hair at the beginning. Hilarious.love it.

You guys made me chuckle when you said that it probably doesnt happen often that the AC all of a sudden stops working

Schön euch wieder zu sehen. :-)

Finally you made it to my old hood, where I worked for 7 years... Good old times!

So glad to see a new video of you and your family. Hope you enjoyed your first long trip with the Deutsche Bahn, I hope the "Deutsche Pünktlichkeit" of the trains was on your side. It's always a little adventure to get yout train on time and the right wagon and seats. The first thing I thought of as I saw your cabine for six people was "Hopefully the train goes to Hogwarts and the lady with the sweets will appear" 🤩 and seeing you knitting while enjoying the ride is so much 100% motherlike, don't know if in general or because of the german influence but so nice to see. Kevin is the real MVP for getting your phone in time and his beer is so well-deserved. His german got really good and he is so confident in ordering 🍻 German trains and the AC are a story for itself, especially in the sommer time 😅 Hope you enjoyed Cologne, the Karneval and the more crowded area of NRW as a contrast to your home.

Nice! I wish we had that here in the states. I would love to hop a train like that and go.

Ah the joys of deutsche Bahn. Seems like you lucked out and the trip worked out without huge delays - from my experience, this is unfortunately the exception rather than the rule. I had an LDR between Vienna and cologne for over 2 years and took the train most of the time. Despite the problems and occasional frustratikn, I still enjoyed it significantly more than flying. I always made sure to bring my own snacks though, I don’t trust the food 😂 definitely make sure to book as far in advance as possible, especially when going around special events, it can save you a ton of money (although it seems you already saved quite a bit considering it was 6 of you). Glad you enjoyed the experience! :)

I can wholeheartedly agree to Kevin's assessment.If you do not need car at your destination traveling by train is to be preferred. You can just sit and relax,get your beer if you like;) and have no hassle with traffic jams. Unfortunately the DB struggles with connection times and punctuality. Best way to travel is a point to point trip with no connections if possible

Thank you for traveling with Deutsche Bahn! 🚝

You can send your luggage per Hermes for 14,90 EUR per suitcase (25 kg limit) (one way). So it might make sense to send a suitcase ahead and carry everything else in backpacks.

In my experience family long distance trips by train in Germany with train changing layovers are always that kind of adventure you don't want to have necessarily. We did that several times and then decided to travel by car again. More flexible, less stress. However our kids had no issues with car sickness and my wife and I like driving.

For the Booking. Up to 5 Persons you can choose the place in the train. beginning at 6 you book as a group, which gets you some benefits in the price, for example the reservation for the place is free as far as i know, but you can no longer choose where you sit. If you want to choose you could book two 3 person tickets and choose places next to each other, or book at a trainstation with the personal, they can choose spots, but also give you the better price

18:48 my work around would be to try booking 4 and 2 tickets seperatly. Then you go into the reservation and pick the same train cars and seats next to each other.

that's stunning video-work~🤟

Now my tipps as a mother of 3 boys who travelled Hamburg to Füssen via München for many many years: you can send all your suitcases/lugguage to your destination in advance via DHL at a very low price. So we handled the trips like this: choose a route with no transfer inbetween, or if necessary, with one hour space in case your own or the next connection train is too late. Germans love Pünktlichkeit, but regarding Deutsche Bahn there are many exceptions to the rules 😉 (construction works, train repairs..). So in any case you still would have time enough to wait for the next train or to find a new substitute. And if everything works well, you can go and get some burgers, fries or icecream with your kids in the mean time at the local train station, which also saves money and makes everybody move a bit. ( you also might profit using the washing roomes there). Our sons only took a little rucksack with them, filled with some drinks, somethings to draw, read, play.. and the elder they got, the more time they spent on gameboys anyway. There are still up-today special multi-level, multi-functional, kids-friendly compartments for kids from age 0-5, at least one of your kids must be in this age range in order to book it. There the kids also could sit, crawl or lay on the floors. They also offer special "kids-tickets" for fund with a suprise from the Bistro, or even special kids-entertainment. My own rucksack was packed with sandwiches, my own drinks, some chips and Gummibärchen as treats for the kids, cleaning tissues for these ugly and stinky toilet rooms 🤢, or sticky fingers, and diapers when they were still very little. Yet we always enjoyed the trips, kids could move around in the cabins, or we took a walk to the bistros or restaurants like you did. (Bumping into people on the train is normal!😊) Best advice from back then: Gulasch-Suppe, its not heavy and not too expensive. The air conditioners on IC oder ICE are not always running well (too cold, too warm, too little) or at all , that alone can cause travel sickness, since the seats sometimes do smell strange and the windows cannot be opened. From München we took the Regional-Bahn, it takes longer (and we had no other choice), but at least you can open the windows for fresh air which is very evident and nice in summer time. Plus it always was a special highlight for our sons being able to look over the train driver's shoulder since there is only a plexiglas separation between him and the first compartment in the front. Now to your question regarding seat reservation >5 people, hope youtube will allow these links. www.bahn.de/service/individuelle-reise/kinder/familienreservierung. Here more about the special kids compartment: www.bahn.de/service/individuelle-reise/kinder/kleinkindabteil All in all it is always less stressfull and better for everybodys health when using a train. (unless you need your own car at your destination - as you said)

18:40 oder so - you should call them for help, which works very well

I really enjoy your videos, I like seeing another American family experience Germany. You guys could take the train to Vienna, there are a lot of trains between Munich and Vienna, and there’s a often cheaper non government owned option (Westbahn), but they don’t have those nice compartments.

So glad I found you back in my notifications! Love, that you spread your wings(on rail) and widen your circles! Making mistakes is THE trusted process of learning to ride on Deutsche Bahn, unfortunately! But you found yourselves in an Abteil, you do not have to pay for all your own kids under 18 btw! You will learn about wrong order of carriages, missing carriages, faulty reservation markers … I always found, that as soon as we were comfy in our seats, everybody got an appetite, so bring lots of fruit, butterbrot and snacks or plan on buying Butterbrezen in advance! I fondly remember travelling on the Loreleystrecke ( on the romantic Rhein route) enjoying a bottle of wine, a selection of random cheeses and leftovers from clearing out our fridge, before biking through Switzerland for nearly 4 weeks … For complicated bookings throughout Europe you might consider Interrail or trusting a specialised travel agents like kopfbahnhof,info, who specializes in rail travel and will be able to combine international tickets. For more adventures you could, of course, consider night travel! How about Venice and a ferry to the Croatian isles - or Hamburg and then even Stockholm?

I recommend a trip to Lucerne and Insel Mainau (Lake Constance). Lucerne is the most beautiful city in Switzerland.

Okay...Bahnfahren in Deutschland ist tatsächlich ein großes Abenteuer. Meistens ist der Zug zu spät, die Wagenreihung stimmt grundsätzlich nicht und man verpasst auch ständig seinen Anschlusszug. Trotzdem macht Bahnfahren Spaß, v.a. im ICE und bei längeren Fahrten ist Bahnfahren eine sehr gute Alternative zum E-Auto (unser Auto hat nur eine Reichweite von ca. 190 km). Wenn irgendwas nicht planmässig verläuft oder der Zug wesentlich zu spät ist, kann man online eine Erstattung beantragen. Meistens bekommt man dann auch innerhalb von 3-4 Wochen einen Teil seines Geldes zurück! Also: nicht verzagen, weiterhin mit der Deutschen Bahn fahren! Übrigens kleiner Tipp: mit dem französischem TGV kommt man wunderbar an die Côte d’Azur in Frankreich!

You are so lucky to get All your Anschlusszüge and to dont have gigantic delays for about 2 or 3h (my most delays was about 8h)

The only help i can give you about the booking of tikets and reservations, is to go to a bigger trainstation (like munich if it is close) and book with the help of a service person at the counter. They can really help and have all the options to book things, never had a bad experience with them (as long as one is friendly to them, they are friendly too :D ) I spend about 6 years traveling by train at least once a month, and at the beginning when i did not know stuff, i would go to the service counters. And dont stress a "bad" train ride, you guys are learning and experiencing "true german train travel" :D 2 times out of 10 it might not go well, but experience and routine help to make train travel a joy later on.

I travelled a lot by train every week from Cologne to Salzburg, Vienna, Flensburg, Mainz, Bremen, Berlin and more cities for to work. I had allways additional to the smartphone, a printout of my ticket - help only 2 or 3 times, but it was wearth it.

With regard to the Rhine I think you actually meant Bingen to Koblenz. Trier has the Mosel river…

Greetings from Cologne 👋 I watch your videos since you start recording your adventure in the US, moving from the US to Germany. Your videos are very natural and fun to watch👍 It's a pity that I didn't see you guys in cologne, since I live in cologne and of course I celebrated the whole carnival🤡 Love and Greetz Stefan

Next time you visit Cologne, hit me up. My family and I have been living in Cologne since 2018 (originally from Los Angeles), we could have shown you guys around.

I believe deutsche Bahn considers 6 people are a group and I had good experiences going to the Bahnhof if they have a „Reisezentrum“ or a Ticketschalter there they can for sure book the seats for you there. Have fun on your next trip greetings from Frankfurt

Always look on the outside of the carriage, you should see the number corresponding to your ticket. Ella, love your earphones, you must like cats a lot.

The reservation button is greyed-out, but checked! This just means, you cannot uncheck it. When you want to travel with that many people, you are required to make a seat reservation, and cannot go without. So simly proceed to the next step!

Good old "umgekehrte Wagenfolge" :)

We always feel envious here in the UK because we’re was being told how fantastic trains in mainland Europe are. It’s such a great way to travel. Perhaps you could try a sleeper train next.

When I saw your new video, I had to watch it right away! I loved it and it's so good to see you again. I usually love travelling by train (my dad used to work for the Deutsche Bahn) but sadly it has become very unreliable which can make it so stressful. The last time I visited my family, I especially booked a train to get to the airport and I made sure, I would have enough time. However, on the train an announcement was made that the train will stop at the next station and wouldn't continue its ride. It was in the middle of nowhere and I had to catch a flight. It was a tragedy and so stressful. My sister and her husband saved me in the end and picked me up to get me to the airport last minute. I didn't want to put pressure on others to always get me to the airport and it ended up being that. Terrible! I'm glad your experience was okay because it's not easy with 4 kids. Sending much love.xxo

As most have already pointed out - Passengers traveling as a group bigger than 6 people are not eligible for specific seat reservations. Only groups with 5 or less travelers can choose their exact seats on an interactive map. Also, when traveling always keep an eye on the coach sequence displayed in the DB App, as it is always up-to-date in contrary to the paper boards, which can't be changed if a so-called equipment swap occurs (different type of train with more or less coaches than anticipated due to reasons like unexpected maintenance)

Travelling DB is like “All Inclusive” holiday including “specials” you never thought of, but they do! And you do not have to pay any extra 🙂 for your adventure trip. All extras like unplanned stop-overs, turning around the hole train and swapping the reservation system, you're running half a mile to the other end of the train: totally free! No charge for the exercise ;-) Staff that does not accept your ticket, whatever reason: like a ghost train, free thrills.

So it seems that over all you had a good experience with Deutsche Bahn. No delay of 2 hours or more, no missed connections (usually when you start with local trains and have to get the ICE at the next big city station), no waiting for hours on a cold and shabby station with dodgy people lurking around, no sudden chance of track in the station which causes you to run to another platform at the very end of the station, no doors out of order, no strike (soon to come again) etc. Travelling with Deutsche Bahn is always an adventure. Next time try to book your ticket at the Reisezentrum at the station. They can book seats if you are travelling in a group. Or try a travel agent. I think they also have different options and the prices are the same. Will there be another video about your stay in Cologne?

Nice you're back. 🙂 Regarding the seat reservation, it's greyed out because it was automatically included in your ticket, it's already checked, and you simply can't uncheck it. You only can reserve seats as such, not specific seats. Maybe that's the misunderstanding. But you showed great courage, you booked four DB trains in a row? And didn't miss a single one due to a late train? You should definitely buy a lottery ticket. ;-) But I'm perplexed at 13:12, the ICE took the tour through my native Mainz and the Middle Rhine Valley? Are you sure that this was the right train? ;-) Usually, only the IC takes the way through the valley. Hope you enjoyed it, it's one of the most scenic train tours in all of Europe, albeit it's nicer in sunny weather. By the way, on what days did you travel? I would have expected the train to be much fuller. Take care!

There is a common practice to promote traindrivers according to their energy efficency, which means that some drivers have in the past cut power to the A/C so that they use less power and get promoted earlier. This is less common, since new trains would record this intervenmtion by the driver, and report it. And it was mostly on regional trains and less on the express trains

I think you and your family are very brave moving from USA to Germany. I have really enjoyed watching your videos to see what life in Germany is like. You are right European trains are Amazing I have a close relative in Netherlands (im Australian) they dont have a car.

17:59 the ticket has already the seats included (Sitzplatz inklusive) ... you cannot reserve more seats than you bought tickets ... therefore: everything fine, well done and your german is getting soooo good 🤩

It says it's included in the price, that's why it's greyed out, it's not an option you have to pay extra, also you see it's already checked even if it's greyed out.

The magical word for the problem with not finding your compartment is "Umgekehrte Wagenreihung". This means that the wagon numbers are backwards. This happens quite a lot.

A party of 6 and more is considered a group and seats cannot be booked that way. Tickets and seats can be obtained by following the tabs "Angebot / Sparpreis-Flexpreis / Sparpreis-Gruppe". To avoid ending up in the wrong car, always pay attention to the announcements and possible remarks on the display panel - approximately 30% of all long-distance trains are alligned the other way around due to understaffing.

@18:03 The option for seat reservation is greyed out because you chose a "Sparpreis" ticket, where it's already included. It also says so on the right: "im Ticketpreis enthalten" (i.e. "included in the ticket price"). Reservation is compulsory for tickets that are bound to a specific train (like Sparpreis is), since they have to make sure that you actually will get a seat on that train. The discounted tickets are meant to fill up less used trains, so your options will always be more limited than with the more expensive open tickets.

the food in ICE is realy good

I booked a trip from Hamburg to Westerland (Sylt) recently for my class with 23 pupils and 3 adults! I had to make a phone call to the Deutsche Bahn. The woman at the phone reserved a whole waggon for us and I got the tickets in the mail. It was not possible to book the trip online.

You inadvertently discovered the most fun part about traveling by train in Germany: “Wagenreihung heute zufällig” 😅 mostly because of “Störungen im Betriebsablauf” 🙄

Since a ticket for 6 people or more counts as a group ticket, the reservation doesn't cost money anymore and is included in the ticket price. Afaik there is one car in each train which is primarily used for group reservations so the systems mostly wants to give you seats in that car. But I'm not 100% sure on this. Online you cannot change the reservations for more than 5 people, unfortunately. It's possible in the ticket office, but it takes a bit of time since we behind the counter have to change the settings quite a bit. And a downside is that group tickets from the ticket office cannot be sent via email and put on the DB app yet.

Try and book 1st class, it does not cost a whole lot more and its much more spacey and quiet there

I usually don't reserve any seats and sit in the bistro instead. The money the seats would cost you can spend there. Win-win :)

My experience with the train? Since I don't have a train station here and it's in a place that's not far from the Ruhr area, I first drove a long way. That was at the corner of Hamm Westfalen and Bad Aibling. What were 3 or 4 x change with ICE in between and had taken no less than 12 hours. next time I was smarter and went by car. It was 7.5 hours there and 6 hours back. Today it would certainly take longer by car because there are many more cars on the road and construction sites, but I would never take the train again-The costs were not comparable back then either. Train tickets were much more expensive back then. But it may be different today, since it's been 20 years. Gasoline is much more expensive these days. But you remain much more flexible with the car. Also on site