River Boat Cruising - Your Travelling Hotel

River Boat Cruising - Your Travelling Hotel

by Helen Hassett - Parnell, Auckland, NZ

It sounded almost too good to be true: five European countries and their cities in leisurely fashion over two weeks with no traffic or accommodation hassles! It is reality with river cruising.

Of the many route options, we chose the Danube with Avalon Waterways. Whilst there are numerous companies offering these trips, Avalon was highly recommended by our travel agents’ clients and we were very impressed.

Prague	Prague Old City Square	Wachau Valley	Melk Chapel
Vienna	Salzburg	Salzburg Lane	Monastery
Riverboat	Regensburg	Budapest Parliament

We flew into Prague, where we spent a magical 3 days in the Old City, then bussed to Nuremburg, Germany where we met our river boat named Tapestry on day 4. We then travelled on the Danube Canal to the gorgeous village of Regensburg where we spent day 6. On day 7, we travelled from Passau, Austria to Linz with an optional sidetrip to beautiful Salzburg. Other stopovers in Austria were Melk on day 8 and Vienna on day 9, then into Hungary where the trip finished with days 10 and 11 in Budapest.

The boats travel either day or night to optimise shore visits. Their schedule is also determined by the navigation of the many canal locks at the start of the trip, which is fascinating in itself. A daily newsletter provided each day advised arrival and departure times, excursions, dining and entertainment.

Avalon ensured this was not a ‘generic’ experience in a number of ways; from the very interesting guest speakers on the bus trip regaling us in engaging fashion with local information and history; the German professor of geology who was on board between stops to explain the process of the canal locks; the specialty dishes and local wines each night from the country we were in and local guest musicians on board providing after-dinner entertainment, such as gypsy violinists in Budapest.

Days were organised such that guests could do as little or as much as suited them. In each port, a shore tour was provided with a local English-speaking guide, by bus or walk into the city or village and headphone commentary. One could choose to return to the boat with the guide or stay in the town independently – with a map and a “help; I’m lost! “phone number thoughtfully provided by our tour director! As long as one had good walking shoes, this optimised the sight-seeing and local experiences, whilst others chose to relax onboard on the sun deck or in the glassed lounge.

One word of advice we were given before we left was not to feel pressured into taking optional side trips at additional cost. We did not feel this on-board. Boat staff gave good visual presentations of these destinations and provided sufficient information for us to freely decide which we wanted to do. We have to say that two of these were real highlights of the trip; the monastery at Melk and the city of Salzburg, so we had no sense that these optional trips were not excellent value.

The boats themselves are built to fit the canals and rivers. At around 400’ – 440’ long and 37’ feet wide, they incorporate three levels of well-appointed accommodation, dining room, bar, and lounge with dance floor. There were 136 guests and 42 crew on this trip. The quality of meals was excellent; buffet breakfasts and lunches, afternoon teas and five course table service dinners including wine. Because of kitchen limitations, guests are asked to select their choices the previous evening. The dining room was configured mainly in tables of 6 and guests could arrive with a pre-arranged group or sit with others, which was a great way to meet new people and share information of the day’s adventures.

Whilst we enjoyed this flexibility, this style of travel may not suit those who wish to be more on their own, as it is a highly organised, shared experience. But those who are outgoing and interested in other people will find it stimulating.

The only thing left to chance on these trips is the mix of the guests. We enjoyed the company of people from about 6 countries, but at an airport we met an Australian passenger off a sister ship who was very disappointed that 98% of the guests on his boat were Australasian and he was expecting and looking forward to meeting a more diverse group.

So, in summary, we highly recommend river cruising for a holiday, with all the organisation taken care of, for travellers who genuinely enjoy the company of others and appreciate every day being full of new sights and experiences.

Helen Hassett
Parnell, Auckland