I have sailed many times but never on a River Cruise. We originally planned to cruise the Danube towards the Black Sea on the Skyla but flight changes and personal commitments changed our itinerary and we sailed from Budapest to Passau in Germany, visiting Bucharest and Vienna on route. The journey made us much more aware of the Austrian/Hungarian Empire and the vestiges of life under the Iron Curtain and Hitler. We chose the cruise for the places it visited and the price. Far cheaper than Viking, who my friend had sailed the same route on before.

We flew direct to Budapest from Manchester with Ryan Air. We were met at the airport. It was a 30 min transfer to the Maya. She was docked on the Pest side of the river. The ship is in fine form. Recently refurbished by TUI, all three river ships are the same. We found out when we went to register our credit cards that the ship was now All Inclusive so we didn't need to register our cards. TUI is trying out this approach in the Maya. I think we had a few more cocktails than we might have had, though wine/beer with lunch and dinner are included anyway.

We treated ourselves to a suite (2**). It was certainly very spacious - even with the beds split. The bathroom, especially the shower was very large. Moulton Brown Shower/Shampoo and Conditioner provided. The bed was comfy with great views of the river from the French Balconies. Lots of room for clothes and a stocked fridge. Read more