A HAL regular goes cruisin' down the river

[dakrewser]

DW and I just returned from a 7-day riverboat cruise on the Danube. We were on the Uniworld River Empress cruising from Passau, Germany (near Munich) to Budapest, Hungary. Most of our time was spent in Austria (with stops at Linz/Salzburg, Melk, Durnstein/Krems, Vienna) with one day in Bratislava, Slovakia. This is definitely "small ship" cruising - there were 120 passengers (with a max capacity of 136). Bottom line, we loved it.

 

The cabins are smaller than HAL cabins. Most are one size (approx. 150 sq ft), with 4 "suites" that might reach 175 sq. ft. (but have a tub, all the others are shower only). The difference in categories/price is location - higher up on the ship is more expensive and gets you a bigger window. The ship is arranged like a split level -

 

 

BRIDGE sun deck & outside lounge

/--------------- Dining Room

lounge - atrium <

\--------------Galley

-------Shops,etc./

\----------------crew qtrs

----------/

Cabins on the upper deck (by the DR) have full-length windows. The next two lower decks have half-length windows and the bottom deck has portholes.

 

While the cabins are small, they are very well organized - there seems to be even more room for storage than on a typical HAL ship - two closets, six drawers, large underbed area, night-tables with two shelves each: everything fit quite easily. There was a writing desk with a stool, a small round table and an upholstered chair (the suite has a bigger table and a loveseat). A large under-counter shelf in the bathroom. The bed was quite comfortable, but not up to a HAL bed.

 

The dining room. Breakfast and lunch were both served buffet style - breakfast featured eggs, bacon (both American and British) sausage, breads and pastries, made to order omelettes, cereal, fruit, yogurt, meats and cheeses and one special item (french toast, hot oatmeal, eggs benedict) each day. Quality and quantity were quite good. Lunch was also served buffet style with a different menu each day: warm dishes, sandwiches, salads, lovely desserts, etc.

 

Dinner was table service, single-seating, open-seating. There were two tables for two, one of which we managed to snag most nights. There were fewer choices than on a HAL menu: most nights there were offered two appetizers/salads, two soups, two main courses and two deserts. A steal or chicken breast was always available. On two nights (the "Welcome" and "Farewell" dinners), an amusee, appetizer, salad, soup and desert were set with a choice of one of two main courses. Servings were about the same size as HAL servings - smaller than a shoreside restaurant but "just right" in our opinion. Ah, but how about the quality?

 

Otto, the German chef, was a master in the kitchen. His use of herbs, spices, sauces and flavorings as well as interesting matches put this restaurant head and shoulders above the regular dining room offerings on HAL, Celebrity and certainly Princess. These were the best regular dining room menus we've seen in 10 years! The ship has a small, but interesting wine list which we didn't bother with as the included "house" wines (all French from Bordeaux, the Rhone, etc.) were quite good - and my glass never did get empty!

 

Service was also fantastic. The hotel crew were mostly Eastern European - Hungarian, Romanian, Croatian -(with one South African waiter) and did a fantastic job. Front desk personel never said "I don't know" or "I can't do that" - they found out how it could be done. The bartenders were always available at the twitch of an eyebrow and the DR stewards kept everything flowing smoothly. The ship crew was led by Cpt. Smits, a Dutchman, with a Romanian 2nd officer and a mixed eastern european crew (all of whom spoke English) and were always available to chat (even on the bridge).

 

The cruise itself was a lot like our trip through the Kiel Canal on the Prinsendam - except it stopped every day for a little shore excursion!

 

A city tour (mix of bus and walking tour) was included in each town, usually a half-day (exception: full day tour in Salzburg). There were also optional tours in some places. The ones we took (to a winery in Krems, to a Mozart concert in Vienna) were very good.

 

Surprisingly, for a small ship, there never seemed to be any trime that needed to be "filled". A typical day went like this:

 

up at 7:30, breakfast

8:30 departure for "city tour"

12:30 back on board for lunch

1:30 optional tour, or stroll thru city

5:30 back on board

6:30 port talk/reception/local entertainment

7:30 dinner

9:30 piano-player or other entertainment in lounge

 

No need for bingo, art auctions or other time-fillers.

 

It was a great experience, one we'll do again. Please ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Dave, Welcome Home. This sounds wonderful:) Sounds like you were non stop and when your head hit the pillow at night you went right to sleep, especially after several nice glasses of wine;)

This does sound like something we would enjoy doing.

Did you spend any time pre or post cruise in Europe?

[Yaya&Papu]

We did a similar Uniworld cruise for the Christmas markets along the Danube this past December. It was so nice, that we have booked the Christmas markets along the Rhine for this coming December.:) In addition to all the OP listed, we had a German "OomPahPah" band one night and a visit from Santa with caroling on another. We went from Vienna to Nuremberg with stops in Durnstein, Linz, Passau, and Regensberg.

[martinimadam]

I've done several of the European River cruises, though many years ago. Basel to Amsterdam, Frankfurt to Amsterdam to Cologne, Budapest to Amsterdam, round trip Moscow...All were very enjoyable. The dollar was stronger then and the ships were marketed world-wide instead of being limited to just the U.S. Made for such an intersting mix of people! Glad I did it when I did!

[jhannah]

Welcome back, Dave. Your description sounds most appealing. We have "noticed" the available river cruises, but have not seriously looked at them. We just might have to do that one of these times.

[sail7seas]

Welcome Back, Dave, and thanks for your post.

 

If you don't mind my asking, how do the prices compare?

Were there many other American guests?

Were tips included?

How did you and DW manage to snag one of the two tables for two most nights? :)

 

 

 

[RuthC]

Very nice report, Dave. Thanks. This sounds so different from what I'm used to on a HAL cruise. I wonder if I would like it, being alone and all. Were there singles on the cruise? :confused:

Were there any days without a port stop? :confused: And most important of all---were there pillow chocolates every night? :D

[Crusing Bob]

Dave, I also was interested in your review so much that I looked up some of the offerings. What I could find were 9 day cruises which continued on to Budapest, but no 7 days on River Emprss. The inclusive of complimentary wine at dinner was very nice along with other amenities.

Bob

[Yaya&Papu]

I'll respond and Dave can add his take. Tips were not included and there were 2 envelopes at the end - one for the cruise coordinator/narrator who handled all questions not ship related (Tony from Wales for us- great) and the other for the crew. Prices are very comparable in that all shore excursions were included (we did not have any options). We had an Advent calender full of chocolates and a big chocolate Santa on the feast of St.Nicolas left on our pillows. The other nights, there was nothing on the pillow. But there was always christmas cookies out for nibbling along with coffee and tea and nuts in the shell with a nutcracker. We got something hot - even gluhwein when we came back from a chilly excursion. We had cooking demos and a talk on German/American Christmas traditions and a talk about the Main/Danube canal as well as narration along the way. On our cruise (full ship) there was 1 couple from Canada but everyone else was American. After disembarking we took the train from Nuremberg to Munich for a few more days. Ships desk called a taxi for us and crew members loaded our luggage into the taxi. Uniworld met us at the airport in Vienna and would have taken us to the airport in Nuremberg, if we had been coming home/flying elsewhere.

[Crusing Bob]

Really sounds first class which is how they refer to pricing. The recommended tipping is $13pp and as you said that is a bargain considering excursions for 7 days are included in the pricing.

[Crusing Bob]

When I used to travel to Europe on business I had taken a 1 day river cruise out of Frankfort which was intering going down the Rhine since I lived in that area as a child.

Also interesting that the ship was basically all American passengers.

[hammybee]

Well hello stranger. I was thinking of posting 'YOO-HOO dak"...thread.

 

This sounds like THE PERFECT river cruise. If you are so inclined, I, and maybe others, would like to hear your take on your port calls and most importantly, where are your wife's pictures? :)

[Bill S]

Welcome back, Dave!

Your experience mirrors ours on a Viking Tulips & Windmills cruise we took in 2006. It was really outstanding, even though it was much different from ocean cruising. One of the things we liked was that the excursions were included in the cruise fare. There were optional excursions offered at some of the cities we visited for a moderate price.

We stopped every day at a different city and at most places we docked within walking distance to the town or city. A local guide was provided as well as maps, and after the tour, we had the option to return to the ship or wander about on our own.

There was no muster drill. We were told that in the event of an emergency on the river, to proceed to the top deck and because the ship is taller than the river is deep, we may just get our feet wet!

There was no rolling or pitching; the ship was smooth and virtually vibration free except when the thrusters were on.

We enjoyed it so much that we booked a Christmas Market cruise on the Danube for early December, this time on Avalon.

With respect to prices, the fare for the least expensive cabins on our forthcoming 8-day river cruise is $1,699 per person. But, excursions are included, and on Avalon, wine is complimentary at dinner, not just a glass.

[happy cruzer]

Great review and input from everyone!

 

We just did a TA and really enjoyed our extra days in Barcelona so I might get my DH interested in an European River Cruise one day.

 

Just for my info when I look at pricing usually it is listed in a brochure or company website (not too many in the major online travel sites). Is that close to the bottom line price? On the major lines like HAL the brochure usually is much higher than online pricing but I think the river cruises might be different??

 

Anyway sound like a wonderful experience and thanks for sharing!

[dakrewser]

Did you spend any time pre or post cruise in Europe?[/size]

 

We spent a week in Munich pre-cruise (I was at a conference) and were pleasantly surprised. I expected a "business" city, but we found it very tourist-friendly. We also stayed on in Budapest for a couple of days post-cruise. A very different situation - unemployment is very high, and graffiti is on everything. Strets aren't particularly clean - a lot like the worst parts of an American big city except that many of the buildings still show WWII damage.

[dakrewser]

Welcome Back, Dave, and thanks for your post.

 

If you don't mind my asking, how do the prices compare?

You can do the river cruise, w/air included for about the price of a 7-day Caribbean in an S or SS suite.

 

Were there many other American guests?

 

Mostly North Americans with a smattering from the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

 

Were tips included?

 

Nope

How did you and DW manage to snag one of the two tables for two most nights?

A number of passengers were traveling in groups (from 4 to 10 people), so passed up the 2-tops automatically.

:)

 

 

 

 

***********

[dakrewser]

Very nice report, Dave. Thanks. This sounds so different from what I'm used to on a HAL cruise. I wonder if I would like it, being alone and all. Were there singles on the cruise? :confused:

Were there any days without a port stop? :confused: And most important of all---were there pillow chocolates every night? :D

 

There were no singles as far as I could tell, but a number of unrelated room-mates who may have been put together by the cruise line. There were no "at sea" days, something we noticed. Even more intense than a typical European cruise.

 

And, yes, there were chocolates every night. Good European chocolates. yum!

[dakrewser]

Well hello stranger. I was thinking of posting 'YOO-HOO dak"...thread.

 

This sounds like THE PERFECT river cruise. If you are so inclined, I, and maybe others, would like to hear your take on your port calls and most importantly, where are your wife's pictures? :)

 

Some of the pictures are here, most are still waiting to be posted.

 

Passau was a great port, I thought. Lovely medieval city, fantastic glass museum.

 

Linz we didn't see much as Salzburg (a couple of hours away by bus) was the destination. Mostly we saw buildings enrobed in scaffolding. I could have easily skipped it.

 

Melk, you go to the abbey which was nice, and the town itself is a gem. Same for Durnstein. In Krems we visited the winery which is always a highpoint for me!

 

Vienna, well, we've vowed to go back. It's Paris with better music.

 

Bratislava was a real surprise, reminded me a bit of Talinn, much of the medieval city is still there. Good tourist facilities also (unlike Budapest).

 

Budapest is worth a visit, if you're in the neighborhood. But now it's "been there, seen that."

[dakrewser]

Great review and input from everyone!

 

We just did a TA and really enjoyed our extra days in Barcelona so I might get my DH interested in an European River Cruise one day.

 

Just for my info when I look at pricing usually it is listed in a brochure or company website (not too many in the major online travel sites). Is that close to the bottom line price? On the major lines like HAL the brochure usually is much higher than online pricing but I think the river cruises might be different??

 

Anyway sound like a wonderful experience and thanks for sharing!

 

Talk to a travel agent for the best prices.

[hammybee]

Some of the pictures are here, most are still waiting to be posted. "

 

It looks like Makrewser (sp?;) ) has outdone herself, again. Who is the precious pot, in red?

[RuthC]

Thank you for coming back and answering the questions, Dave. I don't know if this sounds like something I'll be doing, what with few, if any, singles and all. But at least now I know.

[Faith77]

I did a river cruise from St. Petersburg to Moscow in June, 2005 as a solo. I fell in love with the itinerary--4 nights in St. Petersburg on the riverboat, 1 week floating down the river stopping at small towns along the way, and 4 nights at a hotel in Moscow.

 

There were 200+ passengers and maybe 30-40 of us that weren't part of a couple. I found people, on the most part, to be friendly. There were many moms and daughters, friends, etc travelling together. Meals were 'open seating' in that when the dining room was open for meals (usually 2 hrs each for breakfast, lunches, and dinners) you went in and sat down wherever you wanted.

 

It was a wonderful trip and I will do another river cruise sometime in the future. My only complaint was that it felt crowded walking around the boat (promenade deck) and enjoying the river from the outside decks--there just wasn't enough room for all of us.

 

Faith

[innlady1]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time, dakrewser.

 

We have friends who did this very same cruise a few years ago...and loved it.

And they recommended it highly, too.

It's a cruise that's on DH's short list!

[eldercruser]

River cruises are great. We will be on one in just about a month going up the Rhine. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. We have heard good things about Uniworld - hope to try them in the not too distant future.

[bra1nchild]

Thanks for the overview of your cruise. We leave Tuesday for a Globus/Avalon tour/cruise from Prague to Budapest. You've gotten me even more excited than I was. Can hardly wait.

 

BTW, Globus prices are the same whether booked by TA or on line. We always use our TA in case there are questions or problems. It's not cheap, but, as has been said, everything is included.