The Danube cruise from Passau to Budapest was wonderful right from the start. Our cab pulled up to the ship, and the porters were right out there ready to take our luggage. In fact, they were actually too fast. We are so used to having at least 45 minutes standing in line to board our cruise, my wife had not put the luggage tags showing our room on the luggage. The porters had to take them from her. We then walked on board, and were immediately handed our room keys; amazing!
The food was good, and we found your optional drink package was definitely the way to go. As a matter of fact, as we were deciding whether to buy the package or not, we began talking to another couple about the package, and we both bought it, and ended up spending a lot of time with that couple. Quite the icebreaker.
We definitely enjoyed the excursions, the Churches were amazing, and the Abbey at Melk was definitely the highlight. I would say Vienna was disappointing, in that we did not have enough time; I would suggest a longer excursion than just the morning. The Vienna Symphony was well worth the additional excursion, and I highly recommend it. I also think it was well worth staying awake to be on deck as the ship came into Budapest; quite the sight.
Our cabin was in the middle of the ship, making it very convenient getting around. Our steward did a great job keeping the cabin clean