We embarked in Vienna heading for Nuremberg on Amadeus Queen. Because of the low water levels on the Danube we changed ship to the Amadeus Elegant. It was like transferring from a 5 star hotel to a backpackers room with an ensuite. We lost our spacious room with walk-in wardrobe and refigerator to a very small room. There was little hanging space. We could only store one suitcase under the bed as there was not enough room between the bed and the wall to roll the suitcase under the bed. No refigerator. I complained about the refrigerator and was given a 6" x 8" cooler box. Fair enough, I only wanted it for medication. Carpet was very worn. Ceiling and walls needed painting. But at least the crew was very friendly and obliging. The cruise director (on both ships) did not asked if we wanted a guest joining us at mealtimes. Read Less

We had chosen a Danube Christmas Markets cruise from Vienna to Nuremburg on the very smart, new Amadeus Queen. Our suite was very large, with chocolate truffles every day (sadly only 3 on that ship, we never received them on the Elegant), nice food, and the Cruise Directors were fun. Unfortunately we had to leave after 3 days because the Danube river levels were low (all autumn) and be bussed to Regensburg for our final 3 days of the cruise - I would continue the review on the Amadeus Elegant page, but I have to use 150 words, so will cover that now! The Elegant is a 3 star ship - it has not been renovated in 9 years since it was built, and the cabins and suites are a third smaller, losing the large shower. The food however was superb - and all 5 course meals! My main dissatisfaction with Amadeus is that the cruise was very regimented. We had compulsory "good morning campers" speeches into our cabins each day, and lots of repetitive "do this now" announcements during the day. The price of this cruise is very good value for money, so I think that's why at least 3/4 of the cruisers were with groups, who had their own lectures etc. Amadeus are I believe the only river cruise line who insist on putting people onto a compulsory table for meals throughout the cruise. This effectively turns you into another group! As a result I think I talked to about 10 other people, as opposed to dozens on our previous Avalon cruise, where we sat and talked to people at random, and no-one appeared to be in a closed group. Our previous Avalon cruise on the River Main was more relaxed, though the good weather then, and appalling rain this time, may have affected my memory! With Amadeus the excursions are optional and extra cost. I did like the Vienna evening concert, and Melk Abbey was interesting, Nuremburg was also good - I liked seeing the historic Nazi sites, especially as it meant we didn't have to get off the bus for so long into the pouring rain! I probably would not travel with Amadeus again - if they cannot guarantee a similar standard of ship if they have to make you bus to another ship, and all of the regimentation has put me off them. Read Less

Mine was a large group tour. With the drought on the Danube, many of the other River Boat companies could not sail due to the draft required for their boats. The Amadeus Queen is a new boat and constructed with a shallower draft, so we were able to sail, but had to empty the pool when the shallow-ness was iffy. The cabins on the Strauss deck are spacious and the food, service, entertainment, and morning stretch classes were great. The wines were lovely from the various countries along the way and our glasses were bottomless. Desserts were great and you could also opt for ice cream sundaes. Spectacular views from the sun deck and wonderful ground tours. A special treat was the evening cruise of the lit up Budapest buildings and watching our captain maneuver through many of the locks as we proceeded from Hungary to Germany. * Highly recommend this company and the Amadeus Queen. Read Less

We chose this cruise based on the timing since this was at the end of a 4 week Europe vacation. There were only 2 cabins available at the time and both were on the lower deck. While we found the food and the entertainment provided was great (talented duo, Kapka and Dimcho, and on one night the Gypsy Band) there were a few things that meant our experience was not so enjoyable as it might have been. Cruisers need to be aware that this boat seems to cater for group tours (and those on this cruise were of an average age of about 80 - much older than us). This meant there was not much mixing and we were confined to a set table for meals so did not get to meet many people (our table companion rarely had meals in the restaurant). This is disappointing if you enjoy meeting people on your travels. The excursions are all extra - even the walking tours that other cruise companies usually include. And these rivers are not particuarly interesting in themselves (lots of industry along the river bank) so you need to go out to experience Burgundy and Provence because you can't do this from the boat. However, because Amadeus use local guides, it also means that the quality of the experience can vary. But the worst aspect for us was the cabin which was extremely noisy on the lower deck. The ship uses a vacuum system for the toilets and every time anyone used the toilet on the decks above us, it sounded like a train going through a tunnel. (We did get used to it and it is not a problem on the upper decks.) When we went through a lock, there was loud banging and it sounded as if water was rushing into the cabin - quite scary the first time I heard it - and I never got used to that. It always woke me up since we went through many locks at night. (Again, this is not the same for the upper decks.) The other thing that you need to be aware of (no matter what cabin you choose) is that the beds are pushed together to make a double but there is a substantial crack between them and they are made up as singles. One morning I woke up in the crack with a very stiff neck. Our table companion said she could not sleep at all because the bed was too hard and had 2 quilts laid under the sheet to make it softer - though this did not bother us so much. With these issues. it was fortunate that the crew were so delightful and so well organised. Our cabin was cleaned and tidied twice a day and we could not fault the service we received. The public areas on the ship are comfortable (though the coffee station is way down the back of the secon deck which is odd) and the system of getting on and off the ship worked well even with a slow and elderly group. The fitness room looked well fitted out though I did not use it - too busy sight-seeing on most days. Read Less

Can not say enough GREAT things about the crew on this ship & trip. Especially Loreley, our fabulous Cruise Director ! It was our 1st river cruise and we booked through Brand G Vacations. Some of the categories below, Entertainment, Shore Excursions, Enrichment Activities, Value for Money ( all inclusive ) & portions of the Onboard Experience were to Brand G's credit. The staterooms surprised us, being accustomed to ocean cruises, for their spaciousness. Showers you can turn around inside, and walk in closets. Love the option of opening the cabin window. That said, the 'pushed together' beds left a small ravine in the middle, where you could have lost a small child. And the duvets are SO SMALL, no one 6 ft or taller can cover your feet and your upper torso at the same time. The dining room and bar staff were also wonderful. There was SO MUCH food, and many, many choices at breakfast & lunch. Unfortuneately, most choices were super salty, and the 4 course dinner took 2 1/2, sometimes 3 hours to complete. Sadly, most of the desserts were unappealing and Good Lord forbid if you asked to try the ice cream instead. The staff "had to ask permission" We noticed the breakfast selection became smaller and smaller as the trip went on. This was all coupled with the entire ship's AC going out, as well as the Hot Water for the entire ship. Repaired the same day, but makes you wonder as it seemed understaffed. Read Less

I recently returned from a week long voyage on the Rhine and the Moselle, from Amsterdam to Basel on board the Amadeus Silver III. A new ship. Build: 2016. 168 passenger (84 cabins) and 46 crew members. It was a fantastic experience in every way. We had a wonderfully sunny days and breathtaking scenery. The ship boasts a modern elegant décor. The multilingual crew members are friendly and helpful. They are exceptional, and seemed very committed to ensuring everyone to be happy and enjoying the experience. Fellow passengers are multinational. This makes for a really interesting and cosmopolitan atmosphere. Food was exceptional, presentation was exotic. Service was impeccable. The fare includes free-flowing red and white wine with dinner. Complimentary tea and coffee is served after dinner. There is a 24-hour self-service tea and coffee machine in the Amadeus Club at the aft of the ship. Cruises begin with a welcome cocktail, and complimentary cocktails are also served at the captain's gala night. A few details about the ship: The ship is clean and polished. It's nice to sit on the deck and see the view around. An interesting attraction is the passage through the locks. Very interesting. Another interesting experience was to see how the command bridge (on board) sinks into the ship under a bridge (to avoid hitting the bridge.) The onboard currency is the euro. Gratuities are not included in the fare and the recommended guideline is €7 per person, per day. Amazing experience. It is recommended that everyone take a break and take a cruise on this ship. Read Less

I was looking for a short cruise but wanted to visit a variety of countries. This cruise stopped at 6 ports. Regensburg, Bratislava, Vienna, Budapest to name a few. Excursions were informative and interesting. Local guides who were excellent. Trips partly by coach and followed by short walking experiences. Consideration given to mobility impaired customers. Early starts for the morning tours and always an opportunity for further afternoon excursions or your own free time to explore at leisure. On board service was terrific. Friendly and very helpful crew. Delicious food and all served immaculately. Presentation and variety excellent. The cabin was compact but perfectly proportioned. Had an issue with the air conditioning system but it was quickly remedied. Weather remained perfect except for one rainstorm. Umbrellas were supplied on board. All the crew were well trained, courteous and very helpful. I would recommend this cruise for the retired brigade as all on board were well taken care of. Read Less

Chose this SAGA cruise for the right duration and destination. Ship crew , including the captain , very surly on the whole . Housekeeping had to be asked to supply things like toilet rolls and box of tissues . Sewage smell in the lower corridor most of the time , although it did not penetrate the cabin . Had the feeling that the serving staff were on piece rate , next courses left on the table whilst still finishing the previous one . Food was not up to much , often cold ( when it should have been hot ) . Trying too hard to be haute cuisine . The musical entertainment was the poorest we have ever experienced , boring and totally disinterested and certainly was not "entertaining ". Best nights were the quiz nights , varied and good fun by the 'saga' guy Jerome . Jerome managed very well in getting passengers up on deck with his deck games . On the whole - disappointing . Read Less

This is our first river cruise. We had done the inside passage to Alaska from Vancouver. We boarded the cruise in Amsterdam and disembarked in Budapest. Overall, we enjoyed the cruise. The restaurant staff were absolutely great. They always served us in friendly manner, attended to our needs and made us feel very welcome. I will give 110% for their service and friendliness. The cruise was good except for occasional bumps at the locks. Some of my friends were in a cabins at the back of the ship and experienced engine noise. Forget about watching TV, all in foreign language except for a new channel (skynews) which was in English. Very disappointing TV and reception. There are limited books on board to read and I read 3 of them. There are some board games, scrabble, cards etc which we played while sailing. The other negative of the cruise is the options excursions. They are expensive. We mamaged to do many of them at fraction of the cost on our own. The did bring a birthday cake for my wife on her birthday, very nice jesture. Read Less

The Queen is lovely, but the food and service is very low. Examples: The purser has no one and two dollar Euros for you to pay guides with. They had 30 cents, Euro, for the entire boat and would not ever tell you if they would be getting more. The check in people are rude, even a bid mean, and love to tell you no to even the simplest request. Most of the help is from Romania, but it felt very old Soviet Union type of horrible service. The beds are rock hard, the food portions are very small, but the staff in the dinning room are good. The lunch buffet has two types of lettuces and no fruit, desert bar, cheese or cold cut, or any fresh meat being cut by anyone. In fact, you never smell any food being prepared. Our best guess is it all is premade and reheated on board. Read Less