ninaks Posted March 6, 2016 #1 Share Posted March 6, 2016 We are taking the new Gate 1 ship in September on the Danube. I have been on Viking before and I was wondering if anyone has been on both Viking and Gate 1 and can compare the food and service. Gate 1 is less expensive so I am not expecting them to be the same but would like an idea of what to expect. Also, how were the tour guides. Any information would be appreciated. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trvlluvr Posted April 12, 2016 #2 Share Posted April 12, 2016 We are looking forward to our 5th river cruise with Gate 1 in the fall. Our four previous experiences have been wonderful: accommodations, food, tours, guides, service, and staff. Gate 1 has gone out of their way to provide more than expected when water levels were not ideal, to provide local one time experiences not on the itinerary, and to provide the unexpected in extra hospitality.The staff and crews have been wonderful!!! Having experienced various trips with ocean cruise lines, but not with other river cruise lines, I can comment only on what we have seen on other river ships, from talking to other cruise line passengers, and from price comparisons. At no time have we felt that we were getting less from Gate 1; quite the opposite since we are now booked for our 5th river cruise with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marigold252 Posted April 12, 2016 #3 Share Posted April 12, 2016 We are looking forward to our 5th river cruise with Gate 1 in the fall. Our four previous experiences have been wonderful: accommodations, food, tours, guides, service, and staff. Gate 1 has gone out of their way to provide more than expected when water levels were not ideal, to provide local one time experiences not on the itinerary, and to provide the unexpected in extra hospitality.The staff and crews have been wonderful!!! Having experienced various trips with ocean cruise lines, but not with other river cruise lines, I can comment only on what we have seen on other river ships, from talking to other cruise line passengers, and from price comparisons. At no time have we felt that we were getting less from Gate 1; quite the opposite since we are now booked for our 5th river cruise with them. This is wonderful to hear. We start our trip with Gate 1 in Warsaw on Sept 6, embark the Monarch Empress in Budapest on Sept 11, disembark on Sept 18 and continue on to Prague for three days. This is our first river cruise and our first trip with Gate 1. We're going to let them take care of us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvn2cruzzz Posted April 24, 2016 #4 Share Posted April 24, 2016 This is wonderful to hear. We start our trip with Gate 1 in Warsaw on Sept 6, embark the Monarch Empress in Budapest on Sept 11, disembark on Sept 18 and continue on to Prague for three days. This is our first river cruise and our first trip with Gate 1. We're going to let them take care of us! So good to hear from someone on the September 6 tour! This is our first river cruise and also our first experience with Gate 1 and we chose it for the itinerary which checks off some of our remaining bucket list. Two couples we know have done land tours with them and were very pleasantly surprised with their experiences so we are hopeful that ours will be the same. The Monarch Empress looks lovely. Laurel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marigold252 Posted April 24, 2016 #5 Share Posted April 24, 2016 So good to hear from someone on the September 6 tour! This is our first river cruise and also our first experience with Gate 1 and we chose it for the itinerary which checks off some of our remaining bucket list. Two couples we know have done land tours with them and were very pleasantly surprised with their experiences so we are hopeful that ours will be the same. The Monarch Empress looks lovely. Laurel It's a bucket list trip for us, also. I first saw this itinerary several years ago and had been keeping an eye on it. The new ship tipped the scales for us. Looking forward to meeting you. Marie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvn2cruzzz Posted April 24, 2016 #6 Share Posted April 24, 2016 It's a bucket list trip for us, also. I first saw this itinerary several years ago and had been keeping an eye on it. The new ship tipped the scales for us. Looking forward to meeting you.Marie We had thought of doing a land tour to those destinations but decided this would be easier and hopefully it will capture the essence of each place. Our daughter taught in Krakow several years ago and we are so happy we will get to see what she loves so much. Are you planning on taking any of the optional tours? Laurel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marigold252 Posted April 24, 2016 #7 Share Posted April 24, 2016 We already signed up for 4 of the optional tours: the Wieliczka Salt Mine, the Budapest Jewish Interest tour, the Viennese Concert, and Cesky Krumlov. The chance of us getting back to this part of Europe again is pretty slim, so we decided to do all that interest us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinooky1 Posted August 29, 2016 #8 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Can you tell me if I can buy local wines and enjoy them on the boat or will they be held by the crew? Also, what is the attire for dinner? Lastly, how enjoyable was the dinner show in Budapest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marigold252 Posted August 31, 2016 #9 Share Posted August 31, 2016 Can you tell me if I can buy local wines and enjoy them on the boat or will they be held by the crew? Also, what is the attire for dinner? Lastly, how enjoyable was the dinner show in Budapest? When is your trip? The cruise portion of our trip is September 11 to September 18 and this is our first river cruise so I have no idea the answer to your wine question. About dinner attire, from everything I've read smart casual is recommended: slacks and collared shirt for men, slacks and blouse/sweater or dress for women. Nothing fancy. My posting during the trip will be dependent on WiFi and time, but I sure hope to get some word out about our hopefully wonderful trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinooky1 Posted September 8, 2016 #10 Share Posted September 8, 2016 Thank you for your reply. Please keep me updated on your cruise. We are going until next May. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marigold252 Posted September 10, 2016 #11 Share Posted September 10, 2016 Thank you for your reply. Please keep me updated on your cruise. We are going until next May. Check out my photos on this thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2352243 Sent from my SM-G920V using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinooky1 Posted January 28, 2017 #12 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Can you tell me what currency we should bring on the Danube river cruise. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marigold252 Posted January 28, 2017 #13 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Can you tell me what currency we should bring on the Danube river cruise. Thanks Germany, Austria, and Slovakia use the Euro. Hungary's currency is Florints and the Czech Republic uses Koronas. Our trip started in Poland, which uses Zloties. We did an anaylsis of the itinerary and purchased a little of each from our bank prior to the trip. Most, but not all restaurants and shops take credit cards and you won't use money on the ship. All charges there go on your hotel account and will be charged to your card on file in Euros. We used our Capital One card that doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee. We also on occasion gave tips to drivers and guides in US dollars. Sent from my SM-G920V using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R'man Posted January 30, 2017 #14 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Our four previous experiences have been wonderful: accommodations, food, tours, guides, service, and staff. ...At no time have we felt that we were getting less from Gate 1; quite the opposite since we are now booked for our 5th river cruise with them. I will second this. Our experience with Gate1 was as described. There is no issue with wine or liquor brought on board. Wines and beer are served at dinner. The only issue is bringing your own bottle into the lounge area...it's not allowed. You can bring your own drinks in, but not the bottles. Many bring their full glasses from dinner to the evening activity. (Be prepared to participate.) Euros were accepted everywhere en route from Budapest to Amsterdam. Pay attention to the exchange rates so you aren't cheated. Credit cards were in universal use - but your card must have the RF chip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llvlp Posted February 7, 2017 #15 Share Posted February 7, 2017 Can anyone tell me if there is laundry on the Monarch Baroness? We are extending our trip in Paris after our cruise in April and were hoping the ship had a laundry so that we can pack a bit lighter. Thanks for the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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