Travelmarvel

River Cruises

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Excellent

Average

Very Good

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Travelmarvel Diamond

Travelmarvel Sapphire

Travelmarvel Jewel

Travelmarvel Vega

Princess Panhwar

MS Excellence Queen

Travelmarvel Polaris

Jost Van Dyke

Cruised the Rhine, Maine, Danube with excellent Cruise Director Gunther Caliebauf and the service by crew was second to none!!  Would recommend to all ! We had good trips organised by APT were very good and included in the fare. Maybe too many churches but you always had the option to do your own thing. There was also some added visits that were an extra cost if you so desired, some were very good, visiting Salzburg home too the Sound of Music. Dining was great with a choice of buffet or served in the restraint which had 4 courses served all with Beer and Wine that was included in the price. Crew were brilliant all round service to all was probably the best I have had, they all had a laugh and joke with you.. Entertainment for such a small number was difficult but they tried hard to please all with quizzes and music , plus a couple of talks and local dancers that entertained us.

Superb Run Cruise , all good Fun

Fanning Island

We chose our 2 week river cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam with Travelmarvel mainly from an economic point of view. My husband and I were travelling with my sister, and the single supplement for her on APT and Scenic was outrageous, and the single cabins were on the bottom deck at waterline. With Travelmarvel, my sister paid NO single supplement (she was not therefore eligible for free airfare, but still a lot cheaper) and her cabin was next door to our suite on the top deck.

We were a little bit anxious that the river ship might not be as nicely appointed as Scenic or APT, but we need not have worried. The ship was lovely, our cabin as spacious as a river ship can be, and the staff and food was excellent. Complimentary wine, beer and soft drink is available at lunch and dinner, and bubbles are available for free at the breakfast buffet too if you feel like it. The staff are very generous with the wine at meal times, with no waiting for a refill.

The only problem on the cruise was that we had to change boats halfway through as a Viking river boat had smashed into one of the canal locks and boats were unable to get through. This of course was in no way Travelmarvels fault, and they made the change from the Travelmarvel Diamond to the Travelmarvel Jewel as painless as possible.

Before joining the river ship in Budapest, we did a 2 week Travelmarvel tour of Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia. This tour also was fantastic, with above average hotels, food and tour guide.

We thoroughly recommend Travelmarvel.

River cruise convert. No more big ships for us.

We normally drive around Europe but decided that a cruise would be nice and the Rhine river goes through a very pretty area of Germany. We were doing the two week trip from Amsterdam to Budapest. 15th October to 29th October.

Due to low water levels however the Rhine is currently not navigable and so on the second day whilst still in Amsterdam we were advised that a lot of the trip would be by coach and staying in hotels. APT gave us the choice of staying onboard or flying home from Amsterdam the following day with a full refund. We choose the latter and less than a week later we have received a full cheque refund.

It would also now appear that the Danube is very low and has been for some time so the latter part of the cruise from Vienna to Budapest would also be by coach/hotel.

APT/Travelmarvel have now cancelled river cruises for the foreseeable future. (Check out their website).

APT and ROL who we booked the trip through have been extremely professional and efficient. We are very impressed with the way this situation has been handled. 

We hope to re-book a river cruise sometime next year with APT/Travelmarvel. Hopefully the rivers will not be either in flood or dried out!

Back home after two days!

We chose this trip from an Readers offers Ltd advertising literature it was supposed to be APT but we later found out that as Travelmarvel its the more budget arm of APT so you need to see APTs  brochure to find out the difference.The cruise was not cheap at £6600 and that was supposed top be discounted. Glad we didnt pay full price.According to the write up we had from ROL all sightseeing excursions  were included not so ! and drinks which were subject to cruise lines Ts&Cs which of course you are not given until after you have booked. They are only included at meal times.There are no swimming facilities on these ships and i was told later thats because its a travelmarvel ship not an APT one.We didnt start well as the air travel arrangements that Travelmarvel arranged dispite being booked for twelve months in front were abysmal ive flown from America and not took as long.The Cruising we payed extra for what was advertised as a balcony.it was no more than a French window. Which you couldnt use a lot of the time because it was either nigh time and you were asleep or being moored against another ship.These ships have been desigined badly from the point of view that a lot of the time you cannot stay on the sun deck because of low bridges and that was with the lowest water levels on record these things were not readily mentioned. So this put another dampener hence we had to re pack our cases midweek and transfer by road to the sister ship the Jewel. That was out of there control but we did 150-200 klms by coach. The cruising is also a con as most is done at night and out of 12 days we probably only enjoyed quality river cruising for about 20hrs. Cabin and staff were good as was the food.Cruise director was in the main good but enjoyed his own act! So did we think it was VFM ! no ! Is Travelmarvel  Marvelous Not as much as they would like to think !

Travel Marvel Diamond- Jewel

I wanted a 2 week or longer river cruise holiday. Something that I would say after the holiday, wow that was great. I am so very happy that I went on this cruise! I am back home and I still keep in touch with a staff member. I love that I have kept in contact with them. We never really had enough time to explore the departure city, we did go on a few tours when Wie disembarked the cruise but I can not remember all of the places we went to? I just remember Salzburg which wasn’t such a great tour. It was a slow tour and she didn’t point out every spot where they filmed. It was a disappointing tour! So upset that I can’t remember everything! Most of the other cruisers were really friendly and great to be with. Entertainment was great the night that Lyndsay Hamilton sang. She has a Superb voice! Cabin was kept very clean.

Wow, fantastic 14 night Europe River cruise

We chose this trip because the Budapest/Amsterdam river cruise was a bucket list item and this particular cruise was advertised in our local paper at a considerable discount. Travel Marvel is not regarded as a luxury line but we certainly had no complaints about anything on this ship. Our tour departed from Budapest on 30 April and arrived in Amsterdam on 14 May.

We arrived in Budapest two days early to allow for any flight delays and to have a look around and there is plenty there to keep anyone amused.

Embarkation, however, posed one challenge: We were given an address: Mahart International passenger Port, Pier 5 and this caused difficulty for our taxi driver as "Mahart" appears regularly along a fair stretch of the riverfront and the ports are not in order 1,2,3. After a long scenic drive searching we 'phoned Travel Marvel's ship 'phone and a Hungarian speaking employee put our driver straight. Turns out it was so close to our Hotel we could have walked there. Question?? Why did the address not add the simple direction "200 metres South of Liberty Bridge"?

Apart from that embarkation was simple. We just walked on board with our cases and paperwork and were pointed towards our cabin.

The cabin was on the top deck and compact but comfortable with a double bed, mirrored shelf which doubled as a writing desk  at the foot of the bed, two side-chests and a fridge and T.V. in one corner. The two French doors could be opened so that although there was no balcony there was an uninterrupted view of the outside. The bathroom was compact with a shower enclosure, toilet and sink plus the usual noisy vacuum toilet. The wardrobes were in the entrance and were more than adequate. Everything was spotless and Didik, our Indonesian cabin steward, kept it that way.

The ship itself is compact with only 149 passengers and all the public areas are clean and well presented. The forward lounge has a small dance floor, musician’s stage, enough seating for everyone and, of course, a compact bar with enough booze choices to keep the most dedicated drinker happy. Beer and wine are complimentary with meals and there are two coffee machines outside the dining room dispensing quite respectable coffee at all hours

Food is a highlight. There are 8 chefs on board including one who whips up omelettes to order at breakfast. I also learned that the ship reprovisions every couple of days so that everything is as fresh as possible. As Willem, the Hotel Manager, said “only the best for our guests”.

Breakfast is buffet style with cereals, fruit, pastries, muesli, salad and hot dishes on offer. The hot food included the best scrambled eggs I have seen at a buffet and they keep the quantities small with regular top-ups to avoid “tired” food. There is also a selection of pastries and coffee served in the lounge for early and late risers.

Morning and afternoon tea are served in the lounge – sandwiches, cakes, soup and a variety of local delicacies – too easy to pile on the kilos if you lack self-discipline.

Lunch has three options – hot and cold buffet or special orders like pizzas in the dining room or lighter offerings – soup, sandwiches and cakes in the lounge. This was a popular option as three big meals a day is a bit much for many of us.

Dinner is a four course affair with soup, entrée, mains and sweets served by wasitcoated and bow tied waiters and most of us dressed up a bit for this although there was no formal requirement to. Local dishes from the various regions we passed through featured regularly. Boryana, the wine waitress, circled the room demonstrating amazing tray juggling skills while dispensing local wines, beers and special requests and managed to keep everyone’s thirst satisfied. The wait staff were almost all Romanians and were, without exception, efficient, fast and, as they got to know us better, friendly and engaging without becoming overly familiar. The service generally was on a par with the best I have experienced anywhere.

Cheri Coll, our cruise director was a Scottish gem and all the shore excursions ran like clockwork. The coaches were always spotless, on time and crewed by a driver and local English speaking guide, always with one coach and guide designated as “gentle walkers” for those with limited mobility. P.A. announcements and the daily guide ensured everyone knew the “all-aboard” times and a simple system of boarding passes with the cabin numbers on them ensured that the reception staff knew when everyone was back. A useful toy on the tours was the “Vox Box” – a compact listening device which enabled the guide to talk to us via headsets without the need to yell above the general noise.

Entertainment on board was limited – these are small boats so no singing and dancing extravaganzas – just a talented keyboard player with his synthesizer and electronic piano providing background music. As we passed through the Maine/Danube canal we were also entertained by visiting “lock-hoppers” who boarded at the locks, did their thing then hopped off at another lock, presumably getting back home the same way. These included a Bavarian trio, a couple of singers and one singing duo and a glass blower.

For people who like their electronic gizmos and social media there are two guest computers with internet connections available and the ship’s WiFi which was, like all ship WiFis,  a bit hit and miss as to speed and availability. It didn’t worry us but if you really must have a fast and reliable connection at all times it would be best to arrange your own.

Disembarkation was easy. Passengers placed coloured tags on their bags according to which transfer service they were using, put them outside the cabins at the allocated time then waited in the lounge until the coaches arrived. For those of us making our own arrangements a local taxi company had a rep on board all of the last day in Amsterdam taking bookings for transfers to Hotels and we also booked our transfer from the hotel to the airport with him. His prices were quite reasonable.

Overall, we were very satisfied with our cruise and would have no hesitation recommending Travel Marvel to anyone.

Excellent Service All The way

We sailed mid June from Nuremberg to Budapest.. Cabins were small but very clean, beds comfy.. Breakfast buffet was excellent, lunch could be taken in the dining room or a more relaxed setting in the lounge. Dinner had a plenty of variety. Drinks are complimentary with meals but the wine waiter did seem to have her favourite tables and had to be called over for top ups. Trips were well organised with consideration given to those less mobile and able to walk long distances. 

Lounge is crowded when there are port briefings and both lounge and dining room get very hot, we had temperatures in low 30s  and the air con struggled. There is a large sun deck with loungers, deckchairs and covered area, however this is closed at times when going under bridges.

Staff on the whole are friendly and helpful although on our last night, we were having a farewell drink with new friends made on the cruise and five out of six of us needed ice only to be told there wasn't any. Our deck had an ice machine so Inwent and got some, handed it to the stewardes and we got our drinks. Couldn't she have done that, the bar wasn't busy and I later saw her go to the same machine for other guests.

It's a very relaxing way to see lots of new places.

Good value for money.

What a great experience with Travelmarvel. We had travelled before with this company on a Mekong river cruies and we were so impresssed with the company that we had no hestitation booking this cruise. We have done a lot of ocean cruising with various companies and this river cruise takes a lot of beating. We cannot fault Travelmarvel in anyway, the organisation, food and entertainmenwere excellent. Although the schedule was pretty hectic there was a good ballance between organised trips and free time. The cruise director Andrew was magnificent, his knowledge was unbelievable and together with the rest of the crew a great family atmosphere was provided on the ship. The food and service was exceptional and equivalent to any top class restaurant.This was and excellent value for money cruise and we would recommend this trip. Why pay top dollar prices with other companies when you can get better value for money with this company

What a fantastic river cruise

We chose this cruise as advertised in the telgraph, as it seemed to entirely fill our requirement by calling at several cultural centres along the Danube, then the Danube-Main canal finally  along the Rhein to Amsterdam.We elected to have two days in Budapest and this was very satisfactory, the Hotel was exceptionally good.

 First impressions of the ship were agreeable, the cabins were clean and though small, well appointed.

 Organised ship tours and tips were all included. the first meal on board seemed satisfactory.

  Next day the journey started with a Bus tour of Budapest, which though appearing short was fairly comprehensive though hurried.

 The Captains welcoming dinner that evening was satisfactory as expected, however the food appeared bland.

 The next stop was Vienna  where the organised tour was not well organised and people had no free time within the tour, being hurried from different venues particlarly an interesting street market when  a simple 'you have a hour , meet back at this point would have avoided being hurried to a pancake tasting, followed by a mediocre wine tasting and dried up cheese sample! we eventually broke off from this tour and did our own thing, which was most satisfactory, arriving at the bus pick up at the appointed time

 Next day also in Vienna there was no provision  to do 'your own thing' and as the ship moved to a new position, returning later to it's original position which  precluded getting off.

It was apparent at this time that many people were coughing and were in some distress. This manifested in some 40 peple becoming ill  and eventually  a Doctor came on board at the request of passengers  and not initiated by the ship. With so many people becoming ill it is difficult to understand why no initative  was not taken by the Cruise Company. As it was it  seemed that most people suffered from a severe chest infection, some ten being prescribed antibiotics, the doctor consultation and the drugs paid for by each patient.

My Partner and I, were recovering naturally, however we were not well enought to go ashore until the ship reached Rudesheim. Here we had hoped to have some respite from the Bland and uninteresting food on the ship, however that was not to be as the ship sailed at 2pm before the restaurants opened!

 And so, we gradually got better and looked forward to a day in Cologne, which as it happened did not happen!. The ship had docked that night at some mysterious location and only proceeded to Cologne next morning, arriving at mid morning. We could not understand why the ship had not contiued overnight. The ship was docked some distance from the city centre and it was raining, people who went off early on a tour returned at 2pm when the coach was available to 'shuttle' but as the last returning shuttle was at 4.30 there was no time to make a satisfactory visit. Early in the day we had asked for a shuttle sevice to the City but were told we would have to get a Taxi! which seemed a retrograde way to treat passengers who had paid quite a large sum for the cruise  and  now wishing to do some shopping. 

 Finally we arrived in Amsterdam and did the included canal excursion but as the windows of the Canal Boat were so misted up we saw little. Its was mentioned to the guide but she had no was to rectify  that situation. 

 By this time we had had enough, being exhausted from sickness and disapointed from the lack of consideration. and poor food.

 We also found it exasperating that people would complain at the table about the quality of the food but when asked by the staff if 'everything was 'OK' responded by sayin 'yes it was lovely' when in reality it was poor.

 It is unlikely that we would travel with this company again.

A Dismal experience

Great offer from Iglu Cruise.   We chose a lower deck cabin with two very large circular portholes.   The cabin was very roomy with lots of storage and beautiful shower-room.

It had safe deposit box,  fridge and three free bottles of water daily.   The beds were very comfortable and the cabin kept  immaculately clean.   Embarcation was very smooth and our reception very welcoming.    The staff in all areas were friendly, efficient and professional.   The whole ship had a very family-atmosphere from the Captain down - everyone was very approachable.

    The food, drink (included with lunch and dinner), and service were some of the best we have encountered.   The food and drink supplied reflected the areas we travelled through.   The variety and quantity of food was excellent at all meals.

     On two evenings local  entertainers were brought on board, which proved to be popular with the guests.

      The ports of call (even the ones we had not heard of)  were excellent with very good guides.   During excursions we were supplied with radio headsets enabling us to get a good commentary from the guides.     Disappointed we did not stop at the Square of the Heroes in Budapest.    However, we were delighted with the evening sail up the Danube in daylight, coming  back down to Budapest in the evening with all the lights on.

       Optional excursions:   They were our only disappointment.   Trip to Schonnburg Palace.   We spent one hour with guide in Palace and then had one hour to see the extensive gardens, carriages museum, zoo and maze.   We would have preferred much longer in the grounds.    Also, when we went to the Vienna concert we were unable to see the dancers due to the poor seating - and we were near the front.  

        An excellent cruise we would recommend.

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