Travelmarvel

River Cruises

Budapest

Amsterdam

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Europe - River Cruise

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Travelmarvel Diamond

Travelmarvel Sapphire

Travelmarvel Jewel

Travelmarvel Vega

Princess Panhwar

MS Excellence Queen

Travelmarvel Polaris

European Gems with a ship swap

Fanning Island

We hopped on this cruise as a last minute addition to a 3 month holiday in Europe. Our cruise was at the end of a busy season with low water in the rivers. We were lucky to be able to do the entire trip cruising. We could not have asked for a better experience. The crew were amazing, the boat was beautifully fitted out and kept immaculate, so much food at a fabulous standard and the  on board entertainment was lots of fun. We were very happy with the excursions and the guides (our Salzburg guide was a retired opera singer and sang some of the Sound of Music soundtrack for us on the tour...so special!) They catered for all levels of fitness and there was a good range of ages on board. We are in our mid 50's and this had concerned us.

After 2 months of solo travel eliminating the travelling and packing and unpacking was wonderful. Overall is was a brilliantly relaxing way to see a lot of places.

A wonderfully relaxing way to see a lot of beautiful places

An opportunity arose to go back to travel from Budapest to Amsterdam.  We did it in the reverse with Avalon (2018) which we enjoyed.  We thought we might see it differently.  We did not expect to miss cities and towns altogether,  due to low water levels we missed 2 nights in Budapest and 1 night in Regensburg.  The general concensus was they should have put us up in a hotel (9 couples) for the 2 nights in Budapest.

After a 11 day bus trip in Italy we were looking forward to getting on the Vega only to be told we were going by bus all the way to Vienna.  We spent 4 days here.  Those who wished to see Budapest had to take the bus back (3 1/2 hr) each way and a quick tour before coming back to Vienna.  I did not pay to stay in a city for 4 days.

When we arrived in Passau we had to pack our bags to change to sister boat Polaris in Nuremburg,  we missed the town of Regensburg (again citing low water).  Back on a bus to Nuremburg.  From there it was plain sailing. 

At most of the towns Travelmarvel docking was out of the towns so once again in a bus.

We could not go on the top deck for most of the trip due to the bridges.  On Avalon we could so long as we stayed seated.

Cabins were good.  Staff fantastic.

Not what we paid for

Jost Van Dyke

We chose this holiday to celebrate a birthday.  Although a little on the expensive side, it did include excursions, all meals, drinks at meal time, and transfers.  The service was great and the food was particularly good.  Although the portion sizes were quite small, because there were a few courses, you weren't left hungry.  If you were still hungry, you could always ask for more and they would cheerfully bring it.  Food was of a very good standard.

The ship was obviously popular with Australians and I would estimate that 80% of the passengers were from there.  Dining was all free seating so you could choose to sit with who ever you wanted.  Tables for two are very limited so if you want one, you need to get into the restaurant first.  My only complaint about the dining (dinner) is that you have to go in at 7pm or face not being able to choose your main course.  At 9pm, they were asking you to leave.  I found this a little annoying, particularly if you were having a conversation with the other diners.  There is, in addition to the restaurant, a bar at the back of the ship which provides "pub" food but we only ate there at lunchtime once - it was good but not as good as the restaurant.

We were delayed in transferring to the ship from Schiphol airport as the transfer company were waiting for a delayed flight from London.  After a bit of a confrontation, we were eventually transferred but unfortunately, the ship was berthed in an industrial estate on the outskirts of Amsterdam and not in the center as I had expected.  We spent the afternoon unpacking which was a shame as I had looked forward to being able to do some sightseeing around Amsterdam.  We never got the chance.

We missed one scheduled stop on the cruise because the previous night, there was a delay getting through a lock because of a technical problem with the locks and we were also delayed arriving into Budapest because again, a lock had had problems.  Apart from that, the excursions were good and the places we stopped at were really picturesque.  Unfortunately, we didn't stop at Frankfurt but we did stop at Cologne and Vienna.

When we got our embarkation instructions, there were some comments about Covid precautions.  We rang the tour company and were assured that this was no longer applicable and was only there because the literature had not been updated.  Had it been necessary to  comply, I would have cancelled the trip.  As it turned out, we had about 6 people who insisted on wearing masks, strangely when they were outside but not on the coaches or on the ship.  People wearing masks for no reason just makes me uncomfortable so I was grateful it was confined to just a few guests.

The staff were great and the service was always efficient and friendly.

The boat was immaculate and the public rooms were constantly being cleaned and tidied.  There was a tea/coffee station but I found both the tea and coffee unpalatable.  The water bottle filling station was useful as it dispensed chilled water.  The coffee from the bar in the lounge (meal times free, chargeable at other times) was made from a barista coffee machine and was really nice.

Finally, the alcoholic and soft drinks were all good quality and known brands.  there were a few types of beer but the main draught beer was Bitburger.  Bar prices were very reasonable with cocktails costing about €7 and a large beer about €4.6.  The bar at the back of the ship had happy hour every day in the hour before dinner.  All drinks except cocktails then were half price.

Great Experience

Booked as a result of late booking offer and something on our bucket list to do. No regrets whatsoever, apart from should have booked for 14 nights. Have put that right by booking 14 night cruise on the sister ship from Amsterdam to Budapest in September 22.

The Vega is brand new and was only on her 6th trip. 

Had a top grade cabin and it couldn't have been better. Window drops to waist height to create a balcony to watch the scenary go by, we often left it open at night rather than having the a/c on.

Food and service top rate. All staff really couldn't do too much for you. Special mention to our Cruise manager Emese who seemed to work 24/7 to ensure everything ran smoothly and issues solved (including lost luggage).

Don't take too much luggage, firstly not much room to store suitcases onboard and secondly about 24 of our passengers wer without suitcases as a result of being "lost in transit" at Heathrow and Schipol. Obviously not Travelmarvel's fault, but we took 2 carry on suitcases and found that sufficient.

Slight delay leaving Passau to Regensburg due to another ship grounding as a result of low water levels but we got through, just! 

One problem was the WIFI on board, many complaints about not being able to conect. We found the best time to get a signal was when docked. Couldn't get to emails for a whole week!

Super time for first time cruisers

Please be aware that contrary to the written advice given before the cruise there are no covid prevention measures in place at Travelmarvel. This may be very important if you are vulnerable and have a compromised immune system. After following  all the covid rules and guidance for two years, we have remained covid free until a two week cruise on the Vega. Since our return on the Friday, 6th May, first my husband tested covid positive on Tuesday 8th and today (14th) I have tested positive. I can say with a 100% certainty that I contracted covid on the cruise. We take part in the ONS covid survey and had  returned negative tests a few days before we left for the cruise. We wore FFP3 facemasks to travel to Budapest or when we entered any buildings while ashore. The only place we didn't wear masks was on the ship and on the buses provided by the company. On arrival at the ship, we were told the rules had changed. Masks and testing for covid were no longer needed. A big mistake on our part for no longer wearing masks! The staff were frequently ignored when asking customers to sanitise their hands.

 This is a major problem for any company when removing all covid restrictions. You cannot ensure the safety of staff and customers by assuming that most people will be sensible in following guidance to keep everyone safe. I did note the the Viking ships still required masks for staff and customers.

As to the cruise. The ship is nice but nothing out of the ordinary. The staff are good but in my opinion they were short staffed for the number of passengers on board. (COVID?) Limited food choice for a vegetarian. The price is at the lower end of the river cruise market so the old adage about you get what you pay for is true.

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