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

[caviargal]

Thanks for taking us along on your trip!

 

We used John's Bavarian Tours about 5 years ago and were pleased with our experience.

 

Munich is one of our favorite German cities and your posts make me realize it has been a few years since we visited. Time to plan a return trip soon. :)

 

I cast another vote for Salzburg over Linz, especially DIY. We have done this twice from Linz/Passau and enjoyed it both times. I was an exchange student at the University of Salzburg years ago and love visiting this beautiful city, even for just a day.

 

Looking forward to reading more!

[pacmom]

Thank you for this wonderful narrative--makes me wish we were sailing again. Pat

[papa B me]

When we awoke this morning we were already docked in Vienna. This is by far the busiest day of the cruise. We had two choices this morning. Either a walking tour with a taste of Christmas or a bus tour of the city with a tour of the Winter Palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy. Since we were going to tour Schonbrunn Palace this afternoon we decided on the walking tour. During this tour we visited two churches, 3 Christmas Markets and tasted 5 different Austrian specialites during the market tours. Be prepared for a lot of walking on this tour. We love to walk so were fine but this isn't for those with mobility issues. Keep in mind that when you are in Vienna you do not walk off the ship into the old city. It is a bus transfer. Unworld provided several shuttles throughout the afternoon for those who wanted longer on their own. We decided on an optional tour after lunch that was to Schonbrunn Palace with a Christmas Market. We really enjoyed this tour. The Palace is breathtaking and we had about an hour in the market at the end. This tour is 45 Euros with Uniworld. The worst part was an unusual traffic jam coming back. We were 45 minutes late. Uniworld is providing a Mozart/Strauss concert this evening at a Vieneese Palace which we will leave for shortly and I will report on in another post. So they moved the concert back 15 minutes and expedited dinner so we still have about 45 minutes to get ready. This is one of the things I appreciate about Uniworld is they seem very efficient at adapting to the unexpected.

 

My only complaint on the day is that we have put too much into the day. It has been a blurr. I've enjoyed it completely but think I would prefer to have cut one of the three events out of our schedule but I don't want to regret missing the concert so will close for now and report on it in a future thread. Tomorrow we head for Krems. Until then...

[purduemom1]

I'm enjoying your trip posts-thanks for taking the time from your busy adgenda. Your day in Vienna seems like it would have been more enjoyable if you had overnighted there and had at least the second morning there also. We visited 2 markets on our trip last Nov.I would love to have gone to the one at the palace as I understand it is very nice. We were there too early in the season and it wasn't open yet. Looking forward to more posts as you cruise along.

[papa B me]

Uniworld provided a private Mozart/Strauss concert last evening. It was located in a small private concert hall that was established by Franz Josef himself. It was a beautiful facility and the acoustics were amazing. The orchestra consisted of string and wind and piano. There were also male and female opera singers and two couples who performed Waltz's during the concert. Only Uniworld guests were there.

 

I am not a classical music fan in any way but I really enjoyed this. I would recommend you take advantage of this oppourtunity as most of the cruise lines either provide this or offer it as an option. The only negative was that it was extremely warm in the concert hall. Make sure you layer so you can peel off a few if this is the normal condition of the hall. We are having above average temperatures with it reaching near 50 degrees in Vienna yesterday so that may be part of the reason.

 

By the way, in Vienna I saw ships from AMA, Tauck, Scenic, Crosi. So all must be sailing normal. Have passed several Viking ships on the river.

[papa B me]

As I type this I'm sitting on our enclosed balcony(my normal posting site) looking out at beautiful sunny skies on the Danuber river. I think one of the advantages of the Christmas Market cruise is that there aren't as many ships on the river. So far we have had no rafting of ships.

 

This morning Uniworld has a scheduled tour of Gottweig Abbey and an organ concert. We have decided to have a slower paced day and are now getting ready(can you tell my wife takes longer to get ready then me - hence my posting time live) to walk into Krems on our own. We are told it is about a 15 minute walk to the old city. Another recommendation I would make to those planning their first river cruise. Build in a day, morning, or afternoon that is free time with little to do other then relax at your own pace. Its amazing how tired you can get vacationing. I will report back on Krems later.

 

This afternoon we are sailing to Melk for what they call a technical stop. I think that means we don't get off the boat. I take it to mean a gas station. So the afternoon is free to enjoy the ship. My wife has her complimentary massage scheduled. We are also sailing the Wachou valley so I will be bundled up and on deck.

 

So will report on the day later. Off to breakfast.

[pully8]

enjoying your review. agree it is nice to have some downtime from the organised touring. we do that we have done 8 river cruises and have visited many of the places on route more than once so we know and can select what we want to do.

 

the abbey you mentioned sounds and looks interesting so many go only to melk which is beautiful but nice to also see something else.

 

we are still considering our plans for next cruises so read with interest. enjoy your cruise it goes so fast.

[papa B me]

Krems was one of the stops that you can get off the boat and take about a 10 minute walk and be in the old city. We really enjoyed walking this small town. We were able to do a little shopping and actually found some of the best buys on ornaments and a snow globe with a music box. Krems doesn't have an actual Christmas Market. There are stalls along the main shopping street that had Gluwein available. We also found a small flea market and a small farmers market during our walk. In lieu of a Christmas Market there is what I would call a Christmas store althought they promote it as a market. The reality is that it had as much variety as many of the markets in regards to actual Christmas Ornaments. Many of the markets we have visited are filled with many type of stalls other then Christmas ornaments/crafts. So it was nice to find this shop with a high concentration of what we were looking for. And the prices were better then any other place thus far.

 

We left Krems about 1:30 in the afternoon to sail the Wachou valley in the day light. It was a beautiful sunny day and with a light jacket I was able to stay on the top deck. It was very nice but when comparing the Rhine River section with castles there is no comparison. My take has been that the Danube is a prettier river over all but nothing comes close to the Rhine River castle section.

 

My wife had her complimentary massage during this time was very pleased.

 

Uniworld also brought on a lecturer to discuss the origins of Christmas music. We decided to skip this but others said it was good.

 

One last thing about Krems. Everyone we spoke to enjoyed Gottweig Abbey but said the Christmas Market at the Abbey was way overpriced.

 

The evening ended with the Uniword staff peforming as a choir and singing Christmas Carols. It was quite fun. Tomorrow is Linz.

[silkismom]

Today I started copy/paste of all your activities and recommendations.

My Christmas cards are in the mail. The kitty sitter has been briefed and agreed to giving our poor sick baby shots every day. I just have to pack. Now if the crazies don't start acting out again I might be able to settle down and start looking forward to this instead of just stressing.

[caviargal]

Now if the crazies don't start acting out again I might be able to settle down and start looking forward to this instead of just stressing.

 

We arrived home on Wednesday from 12 days in Europe including time in London, Berlin and a 7 night river cruise on the Rhine. The only differences we noticed (we are regular travelers to Europe) were increased security at the Christmas markets in France. There was no noticeable difference in any other country and we visited 4 on the Rhine and two prior to our trip.

 

Passport control was a bit more diligent and this applied to the US as well. We are Global Entry and still had to stop and show passports and answer questions, not the norm.

 

This is a FABULOUS time to be in Europe. Enjoy!!!

Edited December 6, 2015 by caviargal

[jklc123]

Papa B me,

 

So enjoying your posts, having traveled this itinerary a few years ago. Loved it, even without the Christmas markets.

 

If by chance one of your butlers is Valentina, please say hello from Mr and Mrs Loya. She was one of our butlers on the Antoinette on the Rhine and then again this year on the Catherine on the Rhone. We booked suites for the size and little balconies, not for butler service, but certainly did enjoy the service and perks. We want to wish her a Merry Christmas.

[papa B me]

I'm sorry to say I didn't take everyones advice and go to Salzburg. My wife hasn't felt well for a few days so decided not to have the 5 hour round trip bus ride. Instead Uniworld offered an alternative that stopped 3 different places. The first was the Christkindl village outside of Steyer. This consisted of two large nativitie scenes. One of them has moving parts. This is more then a traditional nativity. It is basically a whole village. There is also a small church and the highlight is the postoffice that only operates at Christmas where you can mail postcards with special stamps for Christkindl village. Then you are taken to Steyer for a few hours. The most unique thing about Steyer is that there was a Christmas Market mostly consisting of working Blacksmiths where you can watch them work and of course buy their creations. Finally we went back to Linz which was a nice Christmas Market and in walking distance from the ship. So they dropped us off and we had plenty of time to wander. I believe this day would have been better had it not been a Sunday. Most everything non Christmas oriented was closed. Those that went to Salzburg said the same. This was probably my least favorite day of the trip but was still really nice. It was also by far the coldest day of the trip. So with few stores open to wander in and warm up we were back on the ship by about 3:00 and just relaxed until the Farelwell dinner. I will talk in more detail about food in a wrap up post. We are currently sailing for Passau and our last day of the cruise.

[papa B me]

I understand and appreciate that many on CC prefer non suite cabins since they are in their rooms so little but I thought I would post a detailed review of the suite we are in for those considering a suite.

 

We are in Suite 407 which is mid ship. MT has 10 suites that measure 305 sq ft. The bed faces a french balcony. There is a hidden tv above the bed in the ceiling that with a punch of a button comes down or back up. I loved this feature. On one side of the bed is a night stand with two drawers. On the other side of the bed there is a writing desk with chair. All the controls for lights, tv, etc... are on the side of the bed. It takes a couple times of practice but once you master the electronic controls it really is easy and nice.

 

The sitting area consists of a love seat, stool and small coffee table. The table was adequate for a small meal we had served in the room. Over the love seat is a large mirror that at the touch of a button the large TV appears in the mirror. It really is quite ingenious. In front of the sitting area is an enclosed balcony with 2 chairs and a small table. With the touch of a button the balcony becomes open air. With another touch of a button a mosquito screen comes down. This is by far one of my favorite places in the morning with a cup of coffee while my wife gets ready for the day.

 

There are 2 single closets for hanging of clothes and a double door closet that has 3 drawers, 2 shelves, a good size safe, and the charging station for the audiovox devices used on excursions. Next to the front door is a small closet that is a bar, small stocked refrigerator, and Nespresso machine. The refrigerator is restocked several times a day based on what use. It has beer, sodas, sparkling water, juices, and small bottles of liquor. The bar has whiskey, vodka, and cognac. If there is anything else you want in the room a call to the Butler will take care of it.

 

The bathroom has very nice with double sinks with two large drawers under each sink for storage as well as tissues, hair dryer, etc... There are american style and european style plugs next to each sink(there is also an American style plut next to the bed). There is a switch to heat the floors as well as the towell racks. There is a large glass door enclosed marble shower with a rain shower from the ceiling and a hand held shower.

 

The suite comes with many additional amenities such as cookie dish, fruit dish, and candy dish all restocked daily. An Afternoon snack delivered from cheese and crackers to a variety of candies, nuts, etc... A daily news paper delivered under the door and well as Butler services which I will describe in another post.

 

The suite is really outstanding and we actually spend a number of hours per day which really sets the tone for the trip. Its also exciting when you come back after dinner or even after excursions and find the special things that have been left. These may be a CD of the concert we went to in Vienna to Svorski(sp?) Crystal ornaments.

 

We leave in the morning for home. I will post about our last day in Passau, Butler service, and some random and final thoughts about our trip with Uniworld. Feel free to ask any questions regarding our trip, itinerary, or Uniworld.

[Bailey Swedishfish]

Papa B Me,

 

Thank you for taking the time to share you experiences with us! I am living vicariously through you--we head out Saturday to Budapest to get on Viking's Danube Waltz...heading the same way up (down?) river to Passau. We did this trip two years ago and I bowed out of the Salzburg trip as I'd come down with a terrible cold-head thing. My husband went and we are both eager to get there this year!

 

It's interesting to read about all the amenities on your ship. I think Butler service would be great!!

 

Enjoy your day in Passau..there is a nice market there and the Simon Gingerbread is delicious. Safe travels back home!

[gkacky]

Great review! We will be doing Viking Danube Waltz from Budapest, beginning 12/18.

[silkismom]

Thank you so very much!!

[papa B me]

Papa B Me,

 

Thank you for taking the time to share you experiences with us! I am living vicariously through you--we head out Saturday to Budapest to get on Viking's Danube Waltz...heading the same way up (down?) river to Passau. We did this trip two years ago and I bowed out of the Salzburg trip as I'd come down with a terrible cold-head thing. My husband went and we are both eager to get there this year!

 

It's interesting to read about all the amenities on your ship. I think Butler service would be great!!

 

Enjoy your day in Passau..there is a nice market there and the Simon Gingerbread is delicious. Safe travels back home!

 

Part of the Walking tour was a gingerbread making demonstration at Simon's with all three current genrations participating. We bought a good bit of gingerbread to bring home.

[papa B me]

We arrived in Passau around 9 am in the morning. This was certainly one of the more scenic docking places and you literally get off the ship and step into the old city. Uniworld provided a walking tour that started just a few minutes after docking. One of the highlights was touring St Stephens Cathedral which is a beautiful Italian Baroque cathedral. Not the massive sized Cathedral as Cologne or Strausborg and not as many people coming and going but really was nice to sit and soak in the history. We also sent to Simons Gingerbread making which is a 5 generation operation. The three living Simons gave the presentation and most importantly samples of the three types of gingerbread they make. We did go back later and buy a good bit.

 

Our tour ended in the Christmas Market in St Stephens square. I was a very nice market(much better then the day before in Linz/Steyer). It was lunch time so just a 5 min walk and we were back on the ship for lunch. Since this was an overnight in Passau there was no rush. We went back into town after lunch and shopped both the market and the large Pedestrian area of shopping. Were about to find a number of Christmas gifts for children and were back on the ship late afternoon for a leisurly time of enjoying the ship and to put the finishing touches on packing. One hint I would give is we actually did most of our packing the night before. This allowed us to relax more our last night of the cruise instead of the usually rush through dinner to get packed.

 

So here I am at 4 in the morning getting ready for my 5 am bus trip to Munich for a 10 am flight home. I will post more from the airport.

[caviargal]

We had one of those 3:30am wake up calls last week in Amsterdam. :(

 

Safe travels home and thanks again for posting. We will be back on the Danube next fall with a stay in Munich before the cruise.

[jpalbny]

Enjoyed hearing about the new ship and all of your stops. We're on one of the older ships (River Beatrice) next spring but we splurged for the suite. Sure it won't be as fancy as the new ones, but we are looking forward to it, especially the free laundry! We should be able to pack in a tote bag! ;)

 

Valentina was on our Rhine and Rhone cruises too. I recognized her this year; even though we didn't have a suite, we usually ate dinner with a couple who did. So Valentina took care of us at dinner as well.

 

You should be halfway home by now...thanks for posting! Only four months now for us to wait! :D

[bubbulz]

Thanks again for sharing all of the information on your trip. We splurged for a suite on the Maria Theresa for next year, and it certainly sounds like it will be worth it! We also like to spend some quiet time on our own, especially if the weather is chilly. Although we don't want to miss anything, on one hand, on the other we don't want to pack as much in as we did on our last trip. After a point it all becomes a blur! ;)

 

Hope all goes smoothly for the rest of your trip, and you have a safe flight home!

[papa B me]

We are back in the USA sitting in the Delta Sky Lounge in Atlanta. Munich was very easy to fly out of on Delta. Also Atlanta is one of the easiest immigration check ins I've had. They have the electronic check in which is great. Landed, went through immigration, got luggage and rechecked in less then 30 minutes. That has been my experience the past couple of times through Atlanta.

[papa B me]

As promised I thought I would post a little bit about the butler service since starting in 2016 it will be provided for suites on all of the European river cruises instead of currently just the MT, Antoinette, and Catherine.

 

When I first stayed in a suite on the Antoinette last July I only booked it for the additional size and wasn't that keen on Butler Service. We have really changed our minds. There are two butlers for the 10 suites. The level of service begins when you check in on the ship. The butler leads you to your room and walks you through every amenity in the room, ask about your likes and dislikes and reminds you of the many services. By the time he is done your luggage is in your cabin. They offer ot unpack but we never take advantage of this service. They ask is you have any immediate laundry needs if you did a precruise in case you need it quickly. Laundry service is provided for the suites with no limits. This is really a wonderful service. By the way all returning guests with Uniworld get one free back per person per week regardless of cabin level. But with the Butler suites it is unlimited. If you have followed our journey you know we spent our first evening in Budapest after boarding at the Opera House for the Nutcracker. The negative was we left at 6 and would miss dinner. I asked the butler if there was somewhere we could get a snack before we left. He said he would bring us whatever we wanted for dinner to the suite at 5. We had soup, sandwiches, salads all served in the suite. A normal part of the service is breakfast in suite any morning. The butlers suggest you go to the dining room the first morning to get a feel of what is available then tell them the time and what you would like and they will serve in suite. They coordinate with the cabin steward to make sure the room is in top shape all day long. By the time we got back from breakfast the room was always made up. Several afternoon we were in the cabin resting and didn't feel like going down for tea in the lounge so the Butlers brought the tea to us. They were constantly leaving special snacks. They move throughout the ship looking for suite guests to make sure you have your drink of choice in hand, making sure you are prepared for all your excursions. There really is no request to great or too small. They genuinely seem to want to surprise you with service. They give you a 3 digit number to reach their cell any time you need something or have a question. They provided us at the end of a cruise with a nice gift of a scarf for my wife and olive oil for me. This really takes the level of service to a whole other level. With the hectic schedule of the excursions it really is a nice touch to have these two butlers to help you with the smallest of details.

 

I will close my postings in either later today or tomorrow with some random thoughts. Thanks for following along

[jpalbny]

Glad to hear you are a convert to butler service. We will have it for the first time in April and much like you, we also aren't exactly sure that we "need" it. But it will probably be very nice!

 

Welcome back to the States - we flew through Atlanta on Friday. Last international arrival there wasn't as smooth as yours but usually pretty good. I've found that the time you save with global entry is lost waiting for your luggage!

[caviargal]

Glad to hear you are a convert to butler service. We will have it for the first time in April and much like you, we also aren't exactly sure that we "need" it. But it will probably be very nice!

 

It sounds like you are in for a real treat! Looking forward to your detailed review as well. :)