Day by Day Uniworld's Christmas Market Cruise Budapest to Passau Dec 1-8

[silkismom]

Good grief, it sounds like the German railroad is taking lessons from the Italian one.

[dbncsuvet]

I am so sorry about your train cancellation but happy you were able to find a flight at short notice. I hope the rest of your trip is nice and relaxing without any more surprises!

[Second seating]

papa Be Me,

 

Enjoy Passau and the gingerbread demo. the best gingerbread I have ever had. This was our second Christmas Market cruise. We were on Uniworld last year for this and really enjoyed it. Also in Passau if one of the female guides is dressed in traditional dress pick her, she was great last year!!!!

 

Second seating

[BACHtravels]

Thanks for the info and support. At airport and all appears on time so good start. Would you pick Salzburg or Linz for first trip? I'm leaning toward Salzburg. I will look for Flo and Gundy.

 

 

I would choose Salzburg on the first trip, as it has so much history and is quite magical. And, thank you for saying hello to Flo and Gundy. :)

 

With regards to KaraokeQueen's question, there are only two dressy evenings on board the ship and the attire you will see runs a wide range. The second and the last night or "dressier" than the others but ladies can get away with slacks and a sweater, or a dress if they choose. I stuck with black, or you can go with a festive holiday color, and then dress up with jewelry. You'll find that most evenings, people will wear pants and sweaters for dinner. Some will even wear jeans, or whatever attire they had on for touring that day, and others will tend to dress up each night.

 

If you have other questions, let me know as I have done that particular itinerary twice. I'm leaving on Thursday to start the holiday markets on the Rhine aboard S.S. Antoinette. :)

[silkismom]

I know I'll think of many questions. It looks like the swim pool is indoors, is it warm enough for actual swimming? How about a hot tub, might feel good after walking in the cold.

[papa B me]

I have found in life that if I will get over the shock of the unexpected that sometimes things actually turn out better. This is how I feel about the train cancellation and flying instead. We were much more rested and over jet lag. Flying from Munich to Budapest was a piece of cake. After another wonderful breakfast at the Mandarin Oriental our taxi arrived exactly at 9 am(75 Euros for taxi). 35 minutes later we were at the airport and less then 15 minutes to check luggage and go through security. Nothing out of the ordinary as far as security other then a number of armed guards with machine guns. The airport was relaxed and there were free coffee/tea machines throughout the terminal. Flight was right at an hour. There is no immigration to go through when flying with the EU(at least Munich to Budapest) Got off the plane and luggage was there in about 20 minutes. With nothing to declare just walke out of terminal. There is no need to book a car for the ride from the airport to the ship. Important- don't accept a taxi offer from people coming up to you as you leave the luggage area. Go to the official Taxi booth and tell them where you are going. They will provide you a receipt with the details and that tell you what the price will be and will call the taxi up. It was 28 Euros from the Airport to the dock. Sorry for too much detail but these are some of the things I wish I new in advance. Now on to today's events

[bubbulz]

I have found in life that if I will get over the shock of the unexpected that sometimes things actually turn out better. This is how I feel about the train cancellation and flying instead. We were much more rested and over jet lag. Flying from Munich to Budapest was a piece of cake. After another wonderful breakfast at the Mandarin Oriental our taxi arrived exactly at 9 am(75 Euros for taxi). 35 minutes later we were at the airport and less then 15 minutes to check luggage and go through security. Nothing out of the ordinary as far as security other then a number of armed guards with machine guns. The airport was relaxed and there were free coffee/tea machines throughout the terminal. Flight was right at an hour. There is no immigration to go through when flying with the EU(at least Munich to Budapest) Got off the plane and luggage was there in about 20 minutes. With nothing to declare just walke out of terminal. There is no need to book a car for the ride from the airport to the ship. Important- don't accept a taxi offer from people coming up to you as you leave the luggage area. Go to the official Taxi booth and tell them where you are going. They will provide you a receipt with the details and that tell you what the price will be and will call the taxi up. It was 28 Euros from the Airport to the dock. Sorry for too much detail but these are some of the things I wish I new in advance. Now on to today's events

 

Glad to hear all is going well. I'm another planner, who plans all the details well in advance, but that helps me (as it apparently helped you) to deal with the little unexpected glitches that always seem to crop up! What airline did you fly on from Munich to Budapest? (And yes, no detail is too small. :) ) Looking forward to the rest of your report!

[papa B me]

We were at the ship by 1:00. We walked right in and walked up to the reception desk. Because the cruise before this was cancelled due to low water there was no wait for the room. They scanned in our Passports and gave them back, took our picture and gave us our scan cards(keys). Uniworld uses a system where you scan your card each time your are entering or leaving the ship so they know if you are on board. When you scan in the reception sees your picture and knows its you. I assume this also helps staff know who you are by name quickly. We are in a suite so the Butler escorted us to our room. Luggage was there in less then 5 minutes. I will discuss the room, ship and butler service in a later post.

 

We took an hour or so to unpack and the were at the lounge by 4 for tea and desserts while the pianist played.

 

There are no scheduled activities on arrival day other then dinner. However for this cruise Uniworld docks in a location for loading then at 9 in moves down the river for a view of the lights and to dock in city center. We missed dinner and the sailing because of other plans. Initially I was a little bummed but by the end of the evening I realized I made the right decision.

 

Back in the spring I reserved tickets for the Nutcracker at the Hungarian Opera House. This was really a once in a life time event. The Opera House is beautiful and to be honest I've never been a ballet fan. I went to the nutcracker for field trips with my kids and hated it. But this was no childs field trip. It was spectacular. The staging and dancing were mesmerizing. I had hired a private driver to spend 4 hours with us. He picked us up at the boat at 6. Had us to the Opera House by 6:30. Waiting in front of the Opera house. We were out by 9:30. Then he drove us to Fisherman's Bastion and Castle Hill to take pictures of the Pest side with the Parliament Bldg all lit up. It was breathtaking. For those who can I highly recommend getting a driver to do this. This may be the highlight of the trip.

 

We were back to the ship by 10:30.

 

Wonderful first day. Tomorrow begins the official Tours.

[papa B me]

Glad to hear all is going well. I'm another planner, who plans all the details well in advance, but that helps me (as it apparently helped you) to deal with the little unexpected glitches that always seem to crop up! What airline did you fly on from Munich to Budapest? (And yes, no detail is too small. :) ) Looking forward to the rest of your report!

 

Flew Lufthansa.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Glad to hear all is going well. I'm another planner, who plans all the details well in advance, but that helps me (as it apparently helped you) to deal with the little unexpected glitches that always seem to crop up! What airline did you fly on from Munich to Budapest? (And yes, no detail is too small. :) ) Looking forward to the rest of your report!

 

There's a wonderful quote from General Eisenhower that in running the ETO he found that his plans were useless -- but that the PLANNING was invaluable.

[Host Jazzbeau]

We were out by 9:30. Then he drove us to Fisherman's Bastion and Castle Hill to take pictures of the Pest side with the Parliament Bldg all lit up. It was breathtaking. For those who can I highly recommend getting a driver to do this. This may be the highlight of the trip.

 

This is the real test of a camera [at least, a less-than-full-frame camera!]. I will be interested in seeing your pictures. BTW, don't try to post them while on board -- you probably don't have enough internet bandwidth, and CC does a terrible job with directly-posted pictures anyway. When you get home, upload your edited pictures to Shutterfly (or Picasa, etc) and post the link here. Thanks!

[bubbulz]

There's a wonderful quote from General Eisenhower that in running the ETO he found that his plans were useless -- but that the PLANNING was invaluable.

 

Love that! How true!!

[papa B me]

Today was the official start to the cruise activities. We began our day with a panaroamic(bus tour) of the Pest side which gave you a good feel of the outlay of the old city and where to go on your own later in the day. This was about 45 minutes or so. The we crossed over to the Buda side for a walking tour and photo opportunity at Fishermans Bastion and an inside tour of St Mathias church. Was a nice start to the excursion with an excellent tour guide who also carried bags of local candy to share. We then ended the tour at the main Christmas Market with about an hour schdeduled. You could then either go back with guide on the bus or stay in the market and walk back which was less then 10 minutes to the ship. We were suppose to go on an optional tour of the Jewish quarter and synagogue but not enough signed up and was cancelled. So instead we went back to the ship for lunch and then set out on our own for the afternoon. We started at the Central Market to purchase Paprika and a few scarves for about 5 Euros each. I was a little disappointed in the Market as most every booth was the same. Then after dropping our purchases back off at the ship we then went back out to Christmas Markets. I think we made it to 4 in total before getting somewhat lost as things look incredibly different after dark. But asking for a few directions to get us back to the river we arrived back at the ship unscathed. I will say I thought the Christmas Markets were nicer in Munich then Budapest but they were still nice. Looking foward to comparing to other stops going forward.

 

Uniworld brought local talent that on board for an hour long show before dinner. This included a couple who showed numerous folk dances, a male and female opera singer., A string trio, and a singer/tap dancer. I later learned that the singer/tap dancer was in the Nutcracker that we saw the night before. Was a nice show

 

We met a nice couple at dinner and sat about 21/2 hours sharing dinner and made a nice evening of it. Ship sailed to Bratislava about 9 pm. We have been sailing this morning and are about to embark on a walking tour of Bratislava. Will start a new post on todays events later this evening. Was too tired to post this last night.

 

More to come....

[papa B me]

We sailed all morning from Budapest to Bratislava arriving around 1:30 in the afternoon. It was nice having a morning to sleep in after 4 straight days of intensity. It was also the first lock we went through so much of the ship was on deck with the cruise manager giving information on the locks. My wife and I chose this time to walk laps around deck as we passed through the lock.(8 laps equal a mile for those interested). So we were able to complete 2 miles while passing through the locks. Uniworld also used this opportunity of down time to give a complete review of the rest of the cruise.

 

Here is a hint for those who travel with Uniworld and have on board credits either from Amex as us or from a travel agency. You will probably have a hard time spending them as all but a two excursion on this cruise are included. With one of them cancelled we found ourselves with 170 Euros remaining. So during the slow morning we shopped at their boutique and found 2 bracelets and a beautiful nutcracker so we have now used all but 7 Euros. The hint is shop early if you intend to do this because they have limited numbers of most items. When several others saw us shopping they also did the same and the jewlery was running out quickly.

 

Another hint for those sailing with Uniworld. They do offer spa services very reasonably. For an hour deep tissue massage it is 65 euros. If you are traveling in a suite(will post later about the suite/butler services) you are given a 30 min spa treatment each complimentary. They willl allow you to combine them for one person for the hour treatments. The hint is same as above. Book early. The spots with no excursion conflict book quickly. We were able to get exactly what we wanted.

 

So we used our sailing time to take care of many of the additional things Uniworld offers. One last hint for those who may travel with Uniworld. Make sure you do your research about what is included based on suite chosen, return guest, etc... We have met several people who didn't know that have one bag of free laundry service as a return guest, or the free spa treatment in the suite, etc.. We find that no one is telling us to take advantage of them but thank goodness I enjoy the research and planning and know to ask.

 

Now to Bratislava

[papa B me]

You dock right in the heart of the old town which is wonderful. We were off the boat by 2:30 with one of 3 walking groups. There were maybe 20 in our goup. The guide was wonderful giving much of the history of this beautiful and small country. The tour lasted for an hour and a half giving you a good feel of the old city and ended at the Christmas Market. We then had a great deal of time on our own as the shipe doesn't leave until 11:00 this evening in Vienna. This was our favorite market and stop so far. It really is exactly what I had in mind as far as a Christmas Market and the atmosphere. A child's choir was performing, the lights were beautiful, and the square it is held in was magical. You may also want to look for the "Oldest Shop" in Bratislava where the crafts are authentic and they sell Bratislava's award winning(litearlly) dark chocalate. After dinner this evening Uniworld is bringing more local musicians on board for an hour concert.

 

Tonight we are off to a dinner alternative in Uniworld's smaller lounge served by the Butlers. I will report on it when I post about the suite/butler services.

 

Tomorrow is Vienna. I apologize if my posts are too long and boring. I'm just enjoying recounting each day. Till tomorrow

[Alberta Quilter]

Please don't apologize for your posts being too long or boring. I'm finding them very interesting, particularly since I've done at least part of this itinerary albeit with another cruise line.

 

I hope the rest of your cruise goes well. Thank you for your live reports!

Edited December 3, 2015 by Alberta Quilter

[jpalbny]

Nothing boring... We are enjoying hearing about your experiences! We only wish we were there to share them with you first hand!

[Thyme2cruise]

Thank you for your interesting posts and great hints! We leave tomorrow for our Vantage cruise & it sounds like the same itinerary! So I'm soaking it all in! Enjoy & keep up with your posts.

[profteedee]

I am thoroughly enjoying all of your posts. We leave on Saturday for a river cruise from Budapest to Passau on Viking. How is the weather?

[papa B me]

I am thoroughly enjoying all of your posts. We leave on Saturday for a river cruise from Budapest to Passau on Viking. How is the weather?

 

The weather has been consistently cloudy with temps in the mid to high 40's. So far no rain other then in Munich when we first arrived. Yesterday afternoon in Bratislava the sun popped out for an hour or so and we put sun glasses on for the first tim. It appears the temps are moving downward a degree or two each day and will be in the low 40's by the end of the week. Don't think we will see any snow but it has not been unpleasant walking as long as you have warm shoes/boots, warm coat, gloves, scarf, and a hat. As they always say layering is the key

[papa B me]

As many have noted about Uniworld they take a unique approach to the decor on their ships. They refer to them as boutique ships. I think of them as floating castles or palaces. There is a great deal of marble, mirrors, art work, etc...So for some they think it is over the top especially if you are comparing them to lines whose decor is more scandinavian in nature. I have had some refer to it as las vegas like or bordello like. I really disagree respectfully. I mentioned earlier that I visited King Ludwig's castles in Bavaria. When you see the decor of era's gone by I think Uniworld is right on the money in creating that sense of grandeur. However it will not appeal to everyone. As I've said many times on CC I wouldn't decorate my house this way but its fun for a week. I thought I would just mention some of the highlights of the Maria Theresa:

 

Dining Venues: There are basically two. The main dining room where dinner is normally 7:00- 9:00, Lunch is 12:30-2:00, and breakfast is 7:00-9:00. There is also the small Bar Du Leopard lounge. They serve a light lunch in there 12:30-1:30. This is also where we had a Butler served meal that was spectacular last evening for about 20 guests. They offer this alternative on a sign up basis early for non suite guests. I recommend you sign up at the reception desk early in the week. Finally in the lower level they have a quaint Viennese Cafe where there is a coffee station and pastries/desserts served 24 hours

 

Lounges: There is the main lounge as all ships have where all talks, special entertainment, etc... occurs. And the Bar du Leapard Lounge which is quite nice as a more intimate and quiet place to have a drink or meet with others.

 

Pool: Adjacent to the Bar du Leopard lounge is a small indoor pool. It has jets to turn on to swim agains the current. When you walk into the pool area the windows turn white and no one can see in. It's quite unique.

 

Fitness Room: Located on the lowest level is a small but nicely equipped fitness room with 2 treadmills and 2 bikes as well as free weights.

 

Cinema: There is a 10 seat cinema that has 3 show times per day at 10am, 3 pm, and 9 pm.

 

Spa: There is a small spa where massage treatments of various types are available for an additional fee(deep tissue 60 min is 65 Euros). They have also a well being coach who plans various activities from Yoga, bike rides, water aerobics, hikes, etc..

 

Bikes: There are bikes that can be used as well as some biking tours. There are few opportunities on the Christmas cruise due to coldness but they are available. We hope to use one in Krems tomorrow.

 

Top Deck: It is very open and used as a walking track. 8 times around equals a mile. We have utilized this vs the treadmills so far.

 

I will discuss the suite in a later post. Time to head out for our walking tour of Vienna and a really full day of activity.

 

For those that have posted they are about to leave for their trips you are going to have a wonderful time. Don't let the fears of recent events take away from your enjoyment. Other then a little extra security(a good thing) both on and off the ship there is no major issues or concerns.

[profteedee]

The weather has been consistently cloudy with temps in the mid to high 40's. So far no rain other then in Munich when we first arrived. Yesterday afternoon in Bratislava the sun popped out for an hour or so and we put sun glasses on for the first tim. It appears the temps are moving downward a degree or two each day and will be in the low 40's by the end of the week. Don't think we will see any snow but it has not been unpleasant walking as long as you have warm shoes/boots, warm coat, gloves, scarf, and a hat. As they always say layering is the key

Thanks so much for your reply. Enjoy the rest of your cruise and continue sharing your experiences - they are highly anticipated! Happy sailing!

[bubbulz]

Thanks so much for the daily postings and all the details. I had wondered about the pool, thinking I might feel awkward having it right near the bar like it is. Cool feature in that the windows turn opaque!

 

I feel the same way re: the decor of the Uniworld ships. It's not how I would decorate my house, but for a week it's fun!

[MalibooNewYork]

I'm enjoying every word. Keep 'em coming.

[KaraokeQueen]

Thanks for all your comments. We arrived in Prague yesterday to sunny skies and warmer temperatures. Last night it chilled down and today was quite frigid with some sun. This afternoon we were graced with pouring rain. Our program starts with an orientation tomorrow evening with the first activities starting the following day. This Florida girl is hoping the rain turns to snow.

 

Continue to enjoy your cruise.