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Lower Danube Cruises?


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We just returned from Crystal Mozart cruise between from Budapest to Vienna.  We had a wonderful time.  Now that we did this segment, we are sort of interested in the lower Danube cruises (Budapest and downstream, for example, Budapest to Bucharest).  I know that a few lines do this, but I noticed that some lines, including Crystal do no do this route.  Is there a good reason some lines avoid this region?

 

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In the case of Crystal it is because they have so few ships and are still finding their way.  For them, and in general, the greatest demand is for the Rhine and Danube from Amsterdam to Budapest.  [Crystal was originally going to put 2 of the 4 new-builds on French rivers, and then just before construction decided to build them all to the same larger design and put all of them on the Rhine and Danube.]

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We went from Bucharest to Budapest last summer, our first river cruise, on Uniworld. Parts of the river were beautiful, particularly the Iron Gates. We didn't see many other cruise ships; it was a shock to see the crowds of boats in Budapest. I really liked all the countries we visited especially Romania. We spent a few days there pre-cruise.

 

Yes we did see Communist era buildings and industry from the river or bus, otherwise we toured the countryside and saw fabulous scenery, castles, Roman relics, and so much more. I appreciated the recent history lectures and cultural shows,  and seeing the changes in these countries since the fall of the Iron Curtain. Our local guides gave us a real sense of what it was like before/after the changes.

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6 hours ago, bobcatalfie said:

We went from Bucharest to Budapest last summer, our first river cruise, on Uniworld. Parts of the river were beautiful, particularly the Iron Gates. We didn't see many other cruise ships; it was a shock to see the crowds of boats in Budapest. I really liked all the countries we visited especially Romania. We spent a few days there pre-cruise.

 

Yes we did see Communist era buildings and industry from the river or bus, otherwise we toured the countryside and saw fabulous scenery, castles, Roman relics, and so much more. I appreciated the recent history lectures and cultural shows,  and seeing the changes in these countries since the fall of the Iron Curtain. Our local guides gave us a real sense of what it was like before/after the changes.

That was exactly my experience on Uniworld.  These countries are still catching up after 50 yrs. of Soviet domination, and it's a sobering contrast to Western Europe.  A unique and different experience.

 

Roz

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Just returned home from Viking's "Passage to Eastern Europe" itinerary from Budapest to Bucharest. 

 

We loved the trip, especially seeing things that weren't so "postcard" perfect.  I found most areas to be quite beautiful, and the people encountered along the trip were very warm and friendly. And we totally fell in love with Romania (especially the Transylvania region.)

 

I would highly recommend this trip - especially to those that are looking for a different, less-traveled slice of Europe.

 

Jeff
 

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Thanks for the comments.  I have been told that that portion of Danube has more interesting geography, and that would really appeal to us.  I'm assuming that some of the cities along the way in that segment of Danube would pose a logistic challenge for the cruise ship operators, especially in terms of obtaining supplies.  I was told that, even in the upper Danube, Crystal uses only a few ports (mainly Linz  and Vienna and also Budapest to a lesser degree) for fresh produce.  I wonder the food distribution channels in the lower Danube region may be more challenging.

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There may be growing interest in this area of the world, especially now that cruisers are willing to consider Turkey again.  AMA just announced that their 2020 "Gems of Southeast Europe" itinerary has a post-cruise option of three nights in Istanbul (or 2 nights in Brasov plus 2 nights in Bucharest).

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11 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

There may be growing interest in this area of the world, especially now that cruisers are willing to consider Turkey again.  AMA just announced that their 2020 "Gems of Southeast Europe" itinerary has a post-cruise option of three nights in Istanbul (or 2 nights in Brasov plus 2 nights in Bucharest).

I remember when a number of cruise lines did Black Sea cruises.  After what happened in Crimea and the unrest in Ukraine, those came to an end.  I'm hoping someday when things settle down they'll resume.  

 

Roz

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52 minutes ago, Roz said:

I remember when a number of cruise lines did Black Sea cruises.  After what happened in Crimea and the unrest in Ukraine, those came to an end.  I'm hoping someday when things settle down they'll resume.  

 

Roz

 

They are.  Azamara has the following Black Sea cruises (rt Athens):

Jul 18-Aug 1, 2020: https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/voyage/jr14u092/14-night-black-sea-voyage

Sep 12-26, 2020: https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/voyage/jr14u093/14-night-black-sea-voyage

Jun 26-Jul 10, 2021: https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/voyage/pr14u100/14-night-black-sea-intensive-voyage

Sep 14-28, 2021: https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/voyage/pr14u101/14-night-black-sea-intensive-voyage

 

But prices are high!

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I am on a Viking cruise Budapest to Bucharest in June. Looking forward to seeing a different part of the Danube. 

 

jrkstl who posted above, started a Roll Call for the route and has just completed his tour. He has posted detailed information on his trip, including the daily information/agenda sheets. Together they  give an excellent idea overview of the sights and daily routines :-

 

 

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On 4/23/2019 at 4:38 PM, Roz said:

I remember when a number of cruise lines did Black Sea cruises.  After what happened in Crimea and the unrest in Ukraine, those came to an end.  I'm hoping someday when things settle down they'll resume.  

 

Roz

Viking has resumed its cruises on the Dnieper as well.

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Just wanted to say welcome back from the amazing Mozart.

 

I think Crystal is limited with it's 5 ships. I wish they did some more longer itineraries but they just don't have the ships yet for it.

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Our first river cruise was "Budapest to the Black Sea," with Grand Circle, about nine or ten years ago.  Very interesting, if not as scenic as some cruises.  GCT still offers the trip, which includes a home visit (ours was a full home-prepared lunch with homemade wine in Croatia).  For a couple of years GCT was not extending the trip into the actual Black Sea, which was a highlight for me, docking at the Port of Constanta, then busing to Bucharest for two nights.  But, the cruise has returned to the Black Sea.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 4/28/2019 at 5:45 PM, Jeff in Torrance said:

Our first river cruise was "Budapest to the Black Sea," with Grand Circle, about nine or ten years ago.  Very interesting, if not as scenic as some cruises.  GCT still offers the trip, which includes a home visit (ours was a full home-prepared lunch with homemade wine in Croatia).  For a couple of years GCT was not extending the trip into the actual Black Sea, which was a highlight for me, docking at the Port of Constanta, then busing to Bucharest for two nights.  But, the cruise has returned to the Black Sea.

I'm doing this cruise in July.  Anyone else?

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We did this cruise (Bucharest to Budapest) with Viking a number of years ago...  We are interested in history as much as geography - so a good choice for us.   We really enjoyed it.  Starting in Bucharest, you travel towards the areas that have recovered more (so, from the "have nots" towards the "haves"...  if that makes sense...).  We were scheduled to do the trip again last fall with Avalon - but the cruise was cancelled due to the water levels.  VERY disappointed.  But, we managed to rebook for October 2020.  We start in Bucharest - then go to Brasov for 2 nights before joining the boat in Fetesti.  We start at KM 0 - and do get to see the Black Sea before heading towards Budapest.  This itinerary has 9 nights on board - and we see parts of the Danube we have not seen before.  The stops are slightly different,  and there are "options" in some places so are repeating the river (and getting to Transylvania) but not the itinerary.

 

Edited by franski
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