River Splendor Review
Two Thumbs Up from a Couple of Experienced Travelers!
Review for Europe River Cruise on River Splendor
kwbts124
2-5 Cruises • Age 60s
Rating by category
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Sail Date: Dec 2015
This was our first river cruise and the entire Vantage team did such a good job, we are deciding our which itinerary will be our next. We normally travel independently, but occasionally choose an organized trip; river cruising was uncharted territory for us - so we decided on a Christmas cruise that fit my winter break (yes, I'm a teacher but also retired navy).
I chose Vantage after much research on ports, schedules, prices, tours, amenities, ships, reviews...well, you name it, I looked it up. It took me two years to commit and I'm so glad I chose this company and this schedule.
We took the pre-trip to Budapest and really enjoyed the location, hotel, transfer service and local shore excursion to the opera house and day in market with included themed lunch. I highly recommend this pre-trip. We had plenty of time to wander the city of Budapest and really see the area.
Cabin Review
Cabin B - Explorer Deck
We originally booked a D-class cabin (Odyssey Deck - lower level) but it only had a standard window so we upgraded to a C-class cabin prior to sailing (328 on the Explorer Deck - middle level). The cabin we chose had floor-to-ceiling windows which opened into a French balcony. Surprisingly, Vantage upgraded our cabin to a B-class cabin (302) which was on the same deck and identical to our chosen C-class cabin but was in a more forward location on the ship (the upgraded cabin was amid-ship while the cabin we selected was aft - closer to the engines). I must say the engines were relatively quiet and vibration was almost non-existent even when we walked to the stern while underway.
Port Reviews
Budapest
Budapest has a great Christmas market. Very convenient and easy to navigate.
Bratislava
We spent Christmas in Bratislava and although most shops were closed, we still found several things open on our included city tour and watched the activity at the city's ice skating rink.
Vienna
This was my second visit to Vienna but my husband's first. We chose the Hapsburg museum tour (the ship offered an alternate tour to see the Gustav Klimt collection). Vienna is always a top destination - the markets were still open until Three-King's Day.
Melk
We took the included Melk Abbeyhtour. What a grand place! I wish it was not a Sunday as most everything was closed. A beautiful town - even for pictures. I recommend to walk to and from the abbey through the picturesque town.
Linz (Salzburg)
We took the included tour to Salzburg. This was my second trip but my husband's first, nice town - would like to spend more time here...and also got to walk Linz for a couple of hourse at night...also a nice town that I'd like to explore.
Passau
This was the town that offered the most unexpected scenery. The mist in the morning gave the hillside charm and the three rivers were breathtaking. Loved this town most of the small towns on the trip.
9 Helpful Votes
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