Gate 1 Travel

River Cruises

Budapest

Passau

Basel

Europe - All

Europe - River Cruise

Excellent

Very Good

Monarch Empress

Monarch Princess

Monarch Countess

Monarch Governess

Monarch Duchess

fabulous trip, no complaints.  This company is wonderful in all aspects

We had done a Gate 1 trip a couple of times before, and it was always wonderful.  They are SO far above the bar as compared to a regular cruise.  There were only 110 people on the boat, and we met many wonderful people and always enjoyed finding new friends.  What is nice about Gate 1 is the smaller amount of people.  By the end, you  really felt like you knew just about everyone, at least in passing.  You can choose to eat at a small table for 4, or to join others at a table for 6 or 8, so you ended up sitting with lots of people by the time the cruise ended.  You could choose to eat with the same group if you wanted to the whole time, but usually people would meet new people at every meal. The food was very good, and the staff was amazing.  They went out of their way to get anything we wanted.  AND wine and beer is always provided at dinner which is a nice touch and very grateful for it by the end of a busy day!!!

We love Gate 1 largely because they do go the extra mile to make people feel like they are valued, and so friendly.  Yes there can be problems because of low or high water, but even that is taken care of in a very good way.  On our trip the water on the Rhine was so low that we actually scraped bottom a couple of times.  The water was lowering quickly, and in order to get to see France on the one day we were there, the ship had to go ahead to Germany in order to continue the trip by river.  The option is to get hotels for everyone and bus them on the trip instead.  In order to get to continue cruising, we took a bus into the French town, and everyone was given about $23 each for lunch since we did not have the option of eating onboard once the ship left for Germany.  That was ample and fun, and appreciated.  Then at the end of our day in France we got on busses again and met the ship in Germany where the water was a bit higher.  BUT that meant that we missed seeing all the castles along the Rhine, so to make up for that, they rented a ferry that woud take anyone who wanted to go, back down the river so that we got to see all the wonderful parts that we missed seeing on the way up from France.  It had to have cost them a bundle, but they did everything in their power to make things work out well.

Another thing that sets Gate 1 apart from the rest is that they just about always give you a free tour of whatever city you are in.  Sometimes it is a walking tour, sometimes a bus tour, and in places like Amsterday, it was a combination bus/boat tour of the canals and the city.  That right there is normally a hefty price charged by most cruiselines, and it is very much appreciated.

AND the last, but not least thing is that they are most times WAY lower in price than the competition.  There are always sales going on, and we wait for one to come around in order for us to go as often as we can.  They have trips all over the world, and so far as we are concerned, they are the best out there. 

The only reason that I rated entertainment and fitness and family a bit lower was that we didn't participate in those - and there were no children on the ship, although I am sure some would enjoy it!!

This will be long.  I will provide info about some things I could not find a lot of info on before we went.  These include...

Dress code on and off the ship

Are there good laundry services on the ship?

Currency needs

Are there travel guides to hire to supplement the Gate 1 offerings?

How are the optional tours?

OUR GROUP

We were a group of 12 (6 married couples) from the US.  Most of us have known each other for years.  We are generally in our early to mid 60s, are active, and we like to have fun.

OUR TOUR

It was booked as 14 Day Danube with Munich and Budapest.  It is really 12 days because day 1 is travel to Munich and day 14 is travel home. The first few days were in Munich.  Then we bussed to Regensburg and boarded the ship.  After a week on the ship, we spent the last couple nights in a hotel in Budapest.  

HOTELS

We stayed at the Hilton Munich City, and then at the Hilton Budapest City.  Both were very nice and included a great breakfast each day.  Both had a room safe.

MONARCH PRINCESS

There are other reviews of the ship and I generally agree with them. This is not a luxury liner, but it is very nice and very clean.  There are two suites, and my wife and I had one of them.  It is a slightly bigger room, but the more important thing is that the bathroom and the shower are bigger...in a standard room, they are pretty small.  We are not luxury travelers or budget travelers.  We usually stay in nicer hotels when we travel.  With that in mind, we were totally satisfied with our accommodations and the ship in general.

DRESS CODE

We like to be casual, and things were quite casual.  Most men wore long pants and a sport shirt for dinner.  Even for the final night dinner on the ship (called the Captain's Dinner or the gala dinner), I don't recall seeing any ties or jackets...so, you can leave them home.  Frankly, I probably saw at least a couple pairs of shorts with tee shirts at dinner every night.  For breakfast and lunch, shorts were the norm when it was warm.  I tend to wear shorts and a sport shirt, but there were plenty of shorts with tee shirts.  For down times on the ship, shorts and a tee shirt is fine.  Casual was also the norm in the ports.  I generally wore shorts on the tours and while doing things on our own.  My wife and the other ladies generally wore slacks and a nice blouse for dinner.  There were occasional dresses, and maybe a few more on the last night on the ship, but not really fancy ones.  My conclusion is you won't feel out of place whatever you wear.

CLEANING SERVICES ON THE SHIP

These were great, and I was a regular customer.  They do cleaning and pressing, but not dry cleaning.  The weather was much hotter than forecasted, so I had too many long pants and not enough pairs of shorts.  And, it was hot enough that I did not want to wear shirts for touring and dinner some days.  You would just put your cleaning in a bag provided and leave it on your bed in the morning or when you go to dinner.  Then it would be returned within 24 hours (they were usually quicker than the promised 24 hours).  Prices were ok.  For example, pants and shorts were 6 euros, and a shirt was 3.5 euros.  Anyway, now that I know how well this works, I would be comfortable packing less and planning to use the service.

CURRENCY

We were in Germany, Austria and Slovakia, where the euro is the currency.  In Hungary, the forint is the currency.  The tour guides we read suggested that some places in Hungary would accept the euro.  Our experience was that most places in Hungary accept the euro.  Exceptions seemed to be state run places like museums and the Parliament tour (but they take a credit card).  So, we all had more forints than we needed.  But, we were able to spend them in restaurants, etc.  

KEEP SMALL CHANGE FOR BATHROOMS

Many of the public restrooms charge for use.  The charges we saw varied from one euro to 50 or 60 cents.  At some, you could get change, but not at all.  When we were on some of the bus tours, everyone was scrambling for change when we did a restroom stop.  So, when you get there, change some of your euro bills for coins and keep them handy, even in Hungary.  

FOOD ON THE SHIP

We thought it was very good.  There are some picky eaters in our group, and all were quite happy with the offerings.  Breakfast and lunch were generally buffets, with a special offering at each meal (like a sandwich of the day at lunch, or eggs benedict one day at breakfast).  There was always an omelet station at breakfast.  Dinner was usually 2 or 3 choices.  Also, you could always get chicken, potato and vegetable every night instead of the offered entrees.  Also, beer and wine is included with dinner.  It was not limited.  In fact, we usually left dinner each night with a drink in hand as we headed for the evening entertainment.

SHIP ENTERTAINMENT

We had fun.  We did the entertainment every night.  Dinner was usually about 7-9 pm, and the evening entertainment was usually 9-10 or so.  A couple of nights it was special entertainment, which was good, and other nights it was a game of some sort.  It was easier for us because we had a group, but participation was good every night.  From 10 to about 11:30 or so, the ship musician took over.  We stayed until the end every night!

SHIP STAFF

They were great.  We really enjoyed them.  Our cruise director was Katarina, and she was wonderful.  She also managed things for those who went to Munich before and Budapest after...she was on site at both hotels.  She works really hard!  She was always helpful, and always with a smile on her face.  Our activity director on the ship was Betti, and she was great too.  She was very enthusiastic and so friendly.  We also really enjoyed the ship musician, Randy.  He is a very good guitar player and also plays keyboards.  We kept him busy every night!  All other staff members we encountered were friendly and helpful.

LOCAL TOUR GUIDES MUNICH AND BUDAPEST

When we first bought the cruise, one of the optional tours offered was a trip to Dachau.  However, they cancelled it and it appears they no longer offer it.  While it is not that difficult to figure out how to get there, we decided to get a guide.  We hired Curt Milburn, and his company is Big Hat Tours.  He did a great job.  He came to our hotel, and then we used public transport all day.  We started at 9 am and immediately went to Dachau,  We stayed there for the morning, and then returned to Munich for lunch and a city tour (again, all on public transport, or walking).  The trip to Dachau is a little confusing, so having him to help us get there and then guide us through was well worth it.  He is really good and is so knowledgeable about the history of Munich and Dachau.  Check out his website.  He could be hired for just a Dachau visit, or for that and more. One of our 6 couples did Dachau on their own, and I think our visit with Curt was much easier and we got a lot more out of his with his guidance.  

We were in Budapest on a national holiday, so the optional tour they offer that includes going in the Parliament Building was not offered because some of the places normally included on the tour were closed.  We hired Andrea from Tours by Locals to do a tour to include going in Parliament (it was not closed on the holiday) and doing other things we did not see with the general Gate 1 bus tour.  Andrea was great.  She is a life resident.  She was so interesting, and really helped us understand many of the cultural aspects of her country.  There were 10 of us, so we had a driver and a very comfortable minibus.  You should check her out if you have the need to do anything extra in Budapest.

OPTIONAL TOURS

The only one offered while in Munich was a full day to Oberammergau and Neuschwanstein Castle.  We all went.  We probably would not do it again.  The whole tour of the castle is 20 minutes long!!  That's it!  It is soooo crowded,  It is apparently the most visited attraction in the region.  It's beautiful, and the scenery is fantastic, but...  Also, there is nothing special about Oberammergau.  It's just like a long restroom stop.  There is not enough time to do anything there.  So, it seemed like a very long day with little return.

We all did the full day optional tour to Salzburg, and we really enjoyed it.  For our free time after lunch, most of us took the funicular up to the Hohensalzbug Fortress.  The views were spectacular, and we were all glad we did it.  By the way, I saw another review about this optional tour, and it said the lunch provided in the restaurant was not very good.  We all thought it was quite good.

A few couples did the optional classical concert tour in Vienna and they enjoyed it.

None of us did the optional Schonbrunn Palace tour in Vienna, because that took up what little free time we had.

OVERALL GATE 1 SERVICE

It was very good once we arrived.  A few of us had some less than great experiences with the phone center when we were trying to get some info before the cruise.  But, once the trip started, everything was great.  

PLANNING

I did a fair amount of research before going on the trip.  As a result, I generally knew which things I wanted to see in each port.  This helped me maximize the use of the limited free time.  A lot of the group tours are bus tours with 30-40 people, so we don't always go into all the places we are seeing.  In cases where the group tour didn't include something, I was usually able to figure out how to do it.

HIGH POINTS

Melk Abbey was amazing.  No pictures allowed, though, so we bought a book in the gift shop.  We really enjoyed Munich, Budapest, and Bratislava.  Vienna seemed very crowded and kind of hard to find things.  Sailing through the Wachau Valley after leaving Melk Abbey was beautiful, so get a seat outside on the sun deck for this.  Same goes for the morning sail into Budapest...great to see the city from the water.

PHONE SERVICE

We use Verizon.  If you enroll in TravelPass, you can basically get your same phone service for $10 for each 24 hour period.  If you go over some amount of data in a 24 hour period, the speed slows down.  I used my phone a lot, and that happened to me only twice, and both times near the end of the period.  I used my maps on my phone a lot to get from one point to another in the cities.  The ship has wifi.  It generally worked well, but not always.

Gate 1 14 Day Danube River with Munich and Budapest

Fanning Island

Experience was good, all our prior cruises were on ocean going mega ships so the small ship was definitely a culture shock (but still enjoyable, just in different ways).  

The ship and room were very clean, staff was excellent and very friendly and helpful.  Tours provided were adequate enough.  I would just prefer more information on the towns as they are today, where to have a nice lunch, things to do, etc, instead of the reiterating high school history lessons.  To each his/ her own I guess.

Going though the locks in the river (there were 14 in our cruise) was very interesting, at least the first 3-4.  The towns are beautiful, the Abbey at Melk is a must, absolutely beautiful and extremely well maintained.  As in most cities in Europe, whatever town you stop on a Sunday will be mostly closed, Saturday afternoons about the same.

I've attached photos of the daily activities in case it helps in planning your future cruises.

Copies of daily programs for 7 day cruise Budapest to Regensburg

We have wanted to go on a river cruise forever and finally booked with Gate 1. We are laid back people so wanted something exciting but not overly formal or stuffy.  This cruise was so different than what we expected, starting off with guest introductions so everyone could get to know each other, all the way thru disembarkation support and local Budapest tips on what to do and see after we left the ship. It was well beyond our expectations and made for, by far, our best vacation ever. 

Our cruise director Krisztina A was absolutely amazing. So incredibly knowledgeable in the local areas and history. Beyond that, she was so charismatic and personable that we felt as if we had known her forever. Everything was perfectly planned and executed without a hitch, it was so easy going and laid back without us having to have a single worry the entire trip. She was there whenever we had questions but always treated us as friends rather than guests or just a job, which is what we had experienced previously on other cruises and just made our experience that much better.

The activities host Armin was such fun. He was engaging and comical and drew quite the audience. There was morning stretching, technical details, all kinds of mid afternoon activities, and a ton of nightly fun and games. He was always around and even when we felt like it should’ve been time for him to take a break, he spent time with us and other guests.

The trip includes local tours at every stop and the tour guides were fantastic. We learned so much and always had more than sufficient time to explore on our own as well. 

The food and drink each day was tailored to the country we were in which was great. We got to have local cuisine even if we didn’t choose to leave the ship. And who can complain about complementary beer and wine with dinner!

The whole trip felt like we were at home with old friends but really were on an amazing adventure with people we had just met.

Very highly recommended and we will be back!

Most amazing adventure, a must do - Danube with Munich add on

Corfu

Having done a 27 day European river cruise two years ago on a high end cruise line I was looking for a shorter Danube River cruise to take my mother and sister on with my husband. Gate 1 offered the  ports I was most interested in at a huge price savings per day and additional three days in Munich prior to our cruise as well as additional days in Budapest at the end.   As others have mentioned there are very few reviews of Gate 1 River cruises. We found the ship to be first class in every way and our cabin had ample storage and of a very good design but the only obvious difference was not having a small table and chair next to the  French balcony .   The food was very good but perhaps not quite as gourmet as our former experience. Still very nicely presented and many options. All of our city tours had excellent local guides and our Gate 1 leader Krisztina was absolutely amazing in every way.   The three day pre-extension in Munich was fabulous with the location of the hotel and touring experience Gate 1 provided. Be sure to go see the river surfers if you were in Munich!  We did the optional   NEUSCHWANSTEIN   Castle tour ifrom Munich and the Salzburg tour from Linz .   Both are beautiful drives with good guides 

 Do not do the castle tour if you have a problem walking. My 89-year-old mother struggled with so many stairs.    We did two additional concerts in Vienna on our own, both are fantastic. Mozart concert at the Golden Hall and a string concert at Saint Ann’s Church. Be sure to enjoy the coffee houses in Vienna. I must say is the Gerstner   Coffee house across from the opera house. Be sure to go up to the third-floor as the ceiling and room looks like a palace .   Budapest is where we ended our tour and even though I’ve been there a few times I always look forward to going again. A definite must see is the New York city café which is the most beautiful café in the world. Google it to believe me! 

Our experience was wonderful with Gate 1  and I would not consider them a budget line except for the price. We will definitely consider them in the future as we met so many people on board that had used them up to 26 times with all fantastic trips!  We usually take three trips a year, sometimes booking everything on our own, sometimes going with a land tour or cruise company.  I would not hesitate to book with them again.

 Wonderful Gate 1 Danube Experience

Cruising (and occasionally busing) the Danube on the Monarch Princess

We are a retired couple who booked our first ever river cruise via Luxury Escapes on the Gate1 Travel Monarch Princess.   After purchasing the voucher I tried to find some reviews on TA but it was difficult to find a lot.   Some of those that we did find referred to this cruise as not as good as the key players in this market (Avalon, Viking etc), and because it was a lot cheaper than these companies, I became slightly concerned about what I had gone and bought.

Just by way of background, I worked in a role which required a lot of travel and the Company always put us up in 5 star accommodation so I used this as some sort of comparison to the quality of the cruise accommodation and service.   I’ll go through some of the key things :

Before cruise

Gate1 communicated with us directly soon after our purchase.   Lynne Ahmu was the person who emailed us and she was just excellent.   Prompt on answering questions and very helpful and friendly.

On Board - Staff

We simply cannot speak highly enough of the staff on this cruise right from the time we boarded the ship.   They were organised and had a light lunch available for several hours as people checked in.   Then throughout the entire cruise nothing was any trouble and everybody has a smile.   The staff are a credit to this company and we were super impressed with their friendliness and help at all times.   I give them all a 10 out of 10 and there are many industries, especially in the hotel business, who could learn some lessons here.

The Ship

To be honest, it was much more than expected.   We had a French balcony room which was similar in size to a regular hotel room.   It was spotless and comfortable.   Suitcases fitted under the bed for storage so we were able to get them right out of the way.   Bathroom is small but I did expect that.   Plenty enough hot water for the shower and all the small bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash etc that you get in good hotels.   Towels were lovely and thick.   Plenty of storage space for clothes plus an in room safe.   The bonus was the fridge in the room which we did not expect to see.    

Rooms were serviced in the mornings and a turn down service was performed whilst everbody was at dinner, with a little chocolate left on each pillow. 

There was a lounge at the front of the ship and at the back of the ship.    The back of ship lounge has coffee machine and ice machine available 24 hours.    Outside of this lounge is a smoking area.   The front of ship lounge is where all the entertainment and Port Talks (see later) were held.

Both were roomy and comfortable.

The Food

I don’t know what other river cruise lines serve or offer in choice but there was always an appetizer, choice of soup, choice of 3 main courses plus chicken breast which was available every night, then choice of maybe 3 or 4 sweets.   That’s plenty enough choice for us.   But the quality and variety of the food was outstanding and very well presented.   We enjoyed every single meal.     Breakfast is a buffet with the usual array of breakfast foods plus an omelette cooked for you if you want it.   There was also a different “breakfast of the day” each day which was prepared for you if you wanted it.   Wine and beer is served and included with lunch and dinner and many times the wine was local wine from the particular region we were in or near to.    Sometimes we had food unique or special to the area we were in.    And the service was outstanding in the restaurant.   A request for wine, beer, etc was immediately met by a smiling and happy staff member every time.    One morning we went for breakfast a bit late but there was still a table for us.   We were going to toast some raisin bread in the toaster but that area had already been cleaned up.   The waiter came to us and offered to cook the toast in the kitchen and bring it to us.    Now that is 5 star service.

The tours

Every morning there was a walking tour of the city we were in conducted by local guides.   Sometimes buses were needed to get us to the centre of the city for these tours and these were included.    These tours were included in the cost of the cruise.

Then there were the optional tours which were an additional cost.   The only one we did was the Concert in Vienna which was fabulous and we’re so glad we did it.   Those who did do the other tours were full of praise for them.

Onboard entertainment

Again, I don’t have a comparison but every night there was something happening in the lounge.   From the in house musician to some games (lots of fun), dance lessons, etc.     Morning exercises were run every day (early morning 7am).

Port Talk

Every afternoon before dinner there was a Port Talk relating to the next days stop and program.   We found this very informative and helpful in deciding what to do.    As mentioned, there was always a guided morning walking tour but often the afternoon is free so we preferred sometimes to just go in the afternoon as we like to just wander and take photos.    However, the guided tours were very interesting because they were full of history regarding the towns.     The Port Talk summary was then left in your room each night so you didn’t actually need to remember anything.

Before finishing, and I don’t really like to call out specific staff especially as in this case, everybody was just great, I do want to mention our Cruise Director and Assistant, Adrien Kiss and Daniele.    Adrien was absolutely outstanding.   Nothing was too much trouble.   She was very knowledgeable on all the ports we visited and history of the area, thorough in her organisation and execution of all tours (paid and unpaid), very friendly and very accommodating.     When you consider the hours she works on these cruises (early morning until well into the night) not once did she display any sign of tiredness or frustration at having to deal with over 100 people who very often had differing requests, or who simply did not listen at Port Talk and then she has to repeat it all again to individual people.    I hope that the owners of Gate1 appreciate what they have here.    Thank you so much Adrien.    And Daniele – what an entertainer you are.   And what a gentleman.   You chose an elderly lady to dance with one night and you just made her night (and probably her cruise), especially as you kissed her on the cheeks afterwards.    You are funny, entertaining and very enjoyable company.    Thank you for adding such fun into this trip.

So would I use Gate1 again.   You bet.    Would not even bother to price the alternatives.   If we are lucky enough to do another river cruise we will just go straight to Gate1.  So should you.

Gate 1 Travel ... such a fantastic cruise

The ship was modern and the crew was the best ever! Our balcony room 215 was the epitome of relaxation, lying in bed with the curtains and sliding glass doors open, gliding down the river complete with sounds of water. It was like a movie.

Our room was cleaned twice daily and the beds and blankets were unbelievably cozy.

There is so much storage space in the room, under the beds, in the closets and bathroom. And there is a refrigerator.

The first night there was a champagne briefing and there was complimentary wine with every evening meal.

If you have never been inside a lock or were curious about them, you will get a chance to know them up close because we entered at least 6-8 of them. Quite an educational experience.

Our entertainment director was Daniele, quite the character from Italy. Wouldn't have been the same without him, although I'm sure other Gate 1 cruises have a Daniele almost-equivalent.

Dining in the dining room was 3 times a day. Breakfast and lunch were buffet=type, while dinner was off the menu. For breakfast, you could select from the many choices of food or you could have the chef prepare something you request.

Midweek, Daniele hosted a fun night for all on board. Audience participation. It gives you a chance to really know your fellow cruisers and brings out everyone's personality. It was a blast!

The night before we disembarked in Germany, we were treated to a surprise performance. I will not give it away, for those future cruisers. But you will be delighted!!!

On disembarkation day, we had to be ready by 5am and hated that we would miss breakfast. Surprisingly, Gate 1 prepared breakfasts for us consisting of a sandwich, oj, an orange, an apple, etc. So thoughtful and unexpected! And so organized! The driver picked up our bags at 4:45 and were were provided a personal driver and van to the airport, 1.5 hours away. Gate 1 thinks of everything.

We failed to bring adapters for electronic devices but Gate 1 gave us a loaner. And for the rain, Gate 1 provided umbrellas. 

I have only 2 complaints total. One cannot be resolved because it's how things are. Whenever we got into port, we would often have to dock next to other ships, which completely blocked the view from our cabin. This is common practice because there are not enough spaces to park along the banks. what you do is walk through the other ships or they walk through yours.

The other is that, twice, I got a bad radio, used for the tours. Once, the guide had an extra one, but the other time I had to endure the tour without a radio.

The BEST ship, crew, entertainment, cabin EVER!!!

We chose this cruise because we had used Gate 1 previously for a land vacation. We were unable to partake of the scheduled tour in Budapest because of flight delays.  The transfer agent picked us up and nicely gave us a small tour of Budapest while taking us to the ship. The ship is a typical river cruise ship and ho,do about 130 passengers.  The crew all spoke very good English and were all courteous and helpful.  Our cabin was on the lowest level, but it was a good size and held a small refrigerator where we could store beer and wine. The dining room held numerous tables of 4 to 8, and dinner nag with others was encouraged.  We had a good mix of passengers ranging from a few teenagers to 70’s.  Most of them were Americans with a scattering from Canada and Australia.  We had a very congenial bunch which was further encouraged by our entertainment director Danielle from Italy. He made the voyage a very entertaining event with fun quizzes and games.  Our tour director Gary made sure all the land tours went off without a hitch.  The meals were buffets for breakfast and lunch, and table service for dinner.  All meals were good in both taste and variety.  Drinks were available in the lounge and wine and beer were served gratis at dinner. We were always docked alongside other cruise ships such as Avalon and Croisi-Europe as we had the same itineraries.  Gate 1’s motto is See More of the World for less and it lives up to it.

Up the Danube on the Monarch Princess

We chose this river cruise because of the value found on Travelzoo ($3,000/person - including the two optional tours we chose for a two week river cruise on both the Danube and Rhine rivers.). We had used Gate 1 last year for a Peru land tour and knew the company was reputable. I am going to be detailed about the ship, because I had found little about the cruise prior to the trip.

We started in Budapest. We arrived at the ship, Monarch Princess, early but were greeted heartily and shown to our room immediately - with our luggage. A light lunch was available. That first evening a welcome reception was held for the 124 passengers on board.

Meals:  The breakfasts and lunches are great. Lots of variety and the breads at breakfast are wonderful. Dinner was erratic. There is one standard option: baked chicken breast, which was dry and rather tasteless. It needs a sauce or gravy added to it! Then there are always three other options: one meat, one fish and one vegetarian. Some nights the dish are good, but other times they are  disappointing. More options and better quality is needed for dinners. The dining room at night can be quite warm - low ceiling, lots of people and an inadequate cooling system. At dinner, one can sit  anywhere one chooses, but the tables are arranged in 4, 6 and 8 seatings. Mingling with other passengers is somewhat required. Dress is casual! No formal nights. Where whatever you want (except tank tops and bathing suits). A 24 hour coffee/tea station, four o'clock tea, and evening snack are also available.

The ship: The ship was clean and  well-appointed. A fitness room with three pieces of equipment is available. There is a sun deck with a hot tub that is available about half the time; it is closed when going under bridges on the Main river and in the canal. The trip was slow going - 68 locks!

Staff: The tour director, Alex, and the activities director, Armin, were very attentive and professional. A broken left thruster on the ship was handled quickly, with adjustments made to our transportation with little discomfort to the guests. All of the staff were great.

Activities: Morning yoga and evening activity followed by piano music were available. At each city, a bus or walking tour was included. The tour guides varied in knowledge and communication skills. Typically, the tours were in the morning and the afternoon, we had free time to explore on our own. Tipping was expected: per person, one euro for the driver and two euros for the guide. Favorite stops were Budapest, Vienna, Durnstein, Rotterdam. More time was desired in Vienna and Nuremburg. Less desirable stops were Kobletz and Cologne. 

Overall, it was a good trip, though fourteen days was long, seeing similar towns over and over again (a medieval town, church and castle ruins). I would recommend doing the Danube and Rhine tours separately, adding pre- and post-trip stops.

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