Just Returned from a Gate 1 Danube River Cruise
 

We recently completed a Gate 1 Danube River Cruise with a 3 night pre-cruise extension in Prague and a 2 night post-cruise extension in Budapest.

In Prague, we stayed at the 5* Hotel Imperial, a lovely hotel only a few minutes walk to the Old Town Square. Rooms were on the smallish size but quite nice. The breakfast buffet was extensive and there were many restaurants in the area.

In Budapest, we stayed at the 5* Hotel Corinthia, an amazing hotel in the heart of the city. Our room was quite large in comparison to the Hotel Imperial and everything about this hotel was topnotch.

We were bussed to Nurnberg on the 4th day where we boarded the MS Sound of Music, our home for the next 7 nights. We were on the middle deck (No. 2) and had a large window that opened, which we enjoyed both for sightseeing and ventilation at night. We paid an extra $250 pp over the base fare for this cabin.

The MoS is not what I would consider a “luxury” ship but the prices are lower than those companies and I felt we got a great deal. Service was excellent and the food was good and plentiful as was the wine and beer. Entertainment onboard was varied and mostly excellent.

We had local guides at each port (Nurnberg, Regensberg, Melk, Vienna and Budapest) and they were all excellent.

We paid for the Gate 1 airport transfers and everything went smoothly on that end as well.

Considering the price we paid for this trip, I would not hesitate to travel with Gate 1 again.

bettyk; Great trip.

Welcome back, Betty. Glad your trial river cruise was a success!

David took plenty of great photos, Susan, but it will be a little while before they are ready to post.

We flew back Tuesday from Budapest thru LHR into DFW to find that our connecting flight to Houston Hobby had been cancelled due to weather. We were put on another flight the next DAY at 12:35 pm into Bush airport which is across town. We asked our nephew to pick us up and take us to get our car at Hobby. By the time we got home, it was about 4 PM Wednesday. Fortunately, they delivered our luggage around 9:30 PM. So, we lost a day in "transit" and keep waking up in the middle of the night!

Your return trip sounds dreadful. Sorry. I look forward to seeing David's photos.

Sorry your return trip was such a nightmare! I too look farward to pics,

Well, I guess we were due. We've never had a flight cancelled where we had to overnight anywhere. Fortunately, David's Mom lives in Ft. Worth so we were able to get one of the last rental cars available and just drove over to her house. We did try to get a room near the airport, but no luck -- everything was full!! We were exhausted and very hungry by the time we got out of the rental car place!

Had never been to many of the stops on our cruise as well as Prague and Budapest. Unfortunately, it rained the whole time we were in Prague and Nurnberg but then the weather cleared and was great the rest of the trip.

Hi bettyk - I've been reading your Germany reports for several years now, and you are usually <u>driving</u> from destination to destination. So I was surprised to see your name on this post about a cruise.

If you would, please, I would like your thoughts on individually driving and planning your own journey versus a group pre-planned river cruise with guided tours.

As my husband and I are getting older, we have tossed around the idea of a river cruise. It's getting harder to schlep the bags, and it seems a pleasant way to travel - having your hotel room follow you around. But I don't know if we are ready for the river cruise yet - the structure and the large guided tours.

Your thoughts on the differences would be appreciated.

Robyn :)>-

Robyn, you are right about driving. But, two years ago we did a one week tour of Poland in conjunction with a 2 week driving trip of Germany and Austria. We really enjoyed the tour even though the pace was much more hectic than we were use to.

I have always liked the idea of a river cruise and I guess the time was just right. There were 120 people on our boat plus 40 crew members so it is a much smaller group than you might expect.

We were divided into 3 groups for each of the city tours and we stayed with the same group and tour manager for the entire cruise. Each group had their own bus and local tour guide as well, so at any one time there were never more than 30 of us out and about together.

All of the guided city tours were done in the morning after breakfast so we could be back at the boat for lunch. After lunch, we were free to go back to the city for further exploration on our own, take an optional tour or just relax onboard.

There were 66 of us who also did the pre-cruise extension in Prague and we were divided into two groups for that portion as well.

Altogether, our cruise/tour was 13 days and we WERE tired at the end of that time. But it wasn't as hectic as our one week Poland tour had been because we did have down time in the afternoons.

I don't think we will give up on our driving trips just yet but it did give us a different perspective. We had never been to many of the places on this trip and we enjoyed having a the expertise of a city guide. And, while I really do enjoy planning our trips, it was nice not having to worry about every little detail for once. All I had to do was get us to Prague in time and get us home. I even booked our airport transfers thru Gate 1 and signed up for an optional tour to Cesky Krumlov. There were no issues or problems with any of our bookings.

We also met many wonderful people from all over the US and Canada and enjoyed the social aspect of the cruise/tour. Some were older than us and some were younger. It was a pretty good mix.

Whether it is the right option for you and your husband, I can't say, but we were glad that we tried it and, for the right price, wouldn't hesitate to do it again somewhere else.

Thank you so much for your details on river cruising. We also have been driving ourselves all over Europe for the last 12 years. We were thinking of the river cruise way to go for ease of planning. Even though we're usually not the tour group types, this seems somewhat inviting.

I'll be watching for your photos and would like to hear some more details of what you did in Prague, Budapest, and the other towns you visited.

One thing that always held me back on river cruising was the price. They can be ridiculously expensive IMO and cost more for one week than we usually spend on a 2 week trip on our own.

The Gate 1 cruise/tour was more affordable. While I can't compare it to the more upscale river cruise companies, we certainly didn't feel like we were on a "budget" cruise. But, we are not the 5* travel type anyway. If they did cut corners, we didn't notice it.

Oh, for anyone who IS interested in a Gate 1 cruise, I booked it through RiverCruise.com, a division of Vacations to Go. They are a travel broker based here in Houston and I got very good service from them. My agent was Abby Raetz (1-800-338-4962 ext. 7159).

http://www.rivercruise.com/

bettyk----I have to agree about the price of river cruises. We've been going to Europe in Sept. for 12 yrs. and can also do 2 weeks in nice accomodations plus going out for dinner every night for approx. $8,000. When you look at the price of the river cruises, it doesn't seem that bad because it includes so much---but when you then add airline cost it seems like too much. Gate l does seem like a better price.

I also must add a note about the reccession----what reccession? Try to get a river cruise for Sept.'13. All sold out except really high priced longer cruises or places we don't want to go. Somebody is spending money!

BTW, we would never book for Sept.'14---way too fan in advance for us. We usually book our March island vacation in Jan. and our Sept. Europe vacation in June and have never had a problem getting something. I guess the river cruises are the "in" thing this year.

Your trip report has peeked our interest though so we'll see.

I booked our cruise last July because I wanted to lock in a sale price with both Gate 1 and Rivercruise.com.

We knew that this cruise would go over our normal vacation budget but it didn't go over it by too much and it was definitely worth it.

Hi bettyk, have followed you for a while. I didn't realize we are "neighbors". We live in the Clear Lake area
Susan

Hello, "neighbor."

Thanks, Betty, for your insightful reply. I checked out your cruise itinerary and it does look like you have a fair amount of time on your own for exploring. I'm sure a river cruise will be in our future travelling plans, particularly as we age.

Robyn :)>-

What was the food like on the cruise?

Most of the food was quite good, kybourbon. We had a buffet for breakfast and lunch.

There was always varied choices of bread, fruit, meats and cheeses for breakfast as well as scrambled eggs, bacon, etc. You could also get cooked to order omelets, eggs or oatmeal.

Lunch consisted of a meat, fish and pasta dish with accompanying vegetables as well as multiple salads, fresh fruit and dessert. There was always a "special" cooked to order sandwich of the day that might be a hamburger, tuna melt, etc, as well as the daily soup.

At breakfast, we could see that night's dinner menu and would choose whether we wanted the meat, fish, pasta or vegetarian choice. Again, there was also a "daily special" that you could choose from. The portions were large and on a couple of occasions we asked for the smaller portion. If you had a large appetite, you could ask for a bigger portion.

We always had an appetizer/salad, soup, the main course and dessert. Wine, beer and soda were free at dinner and they were very generous with the wine!!

There were only a couple of things I didn't like (one was an appetizer with cream cheese and the other was a ginger carrot soup which others at our table did enjoy) but there was plenty to eat and the menu was varied.

Service was good considering the number of people being served at any one time and all of the waiters were very nice young men who did their best to take care of us.

They always had cake and coffee from 4 - 4:30 PM by the Reception desk as well as a late night snack from 10 - 10:30 PM. We never took advantage of this, however.

Your trip sounds wonderful (except for your delayed home flight). We are taking the same cruise in October with Gate 1, only from Budapest to Prague. I'm wondering what types of clothes you wore on the ship? How dressed (or not) did people get at dinner? I like to pack lightly and we are planning to tour Ukraine before the cruise, so too many clothes to pack could be awkward. Thanks for your help. Pam - Cleveland

Thanks bettyk. I didn't see your response until today.

Pam, as you would expect, there was a variety of styles onboard the ship. Some people were dressier than others but, generally, at dinner people were a little more put together. I tried to dress a little nicer for the Welcome Dinner and Farewell Dinner but other than that I just wanted to look nice. No shorts, etc., at dinner. We only saw one or two men wear jackets. Most men just wore nice polo shirts and slacks.

I tried to pack mix and match outfits (as well as a few scarves) with a couple of nicer pieces thrown in for the dressier dinners. I saw quite a few women with Chico type outfits with nice capris, top and a jacket that could be mixed with other pieces for a different look during the day.

Oh, you are welcome kybourbon!

Thanks Betty. Always so helpful to hear from others who experienced this. I don't think I'll be wearing capris in October. But it's the tops and scarves that make the difference! P.

We are looking to do that cruise in 2015. I know, I know. but we are all booked up for 2014 and starting in September-October 2014 is when they offer some great deals, so we want to be ready to jump on them.

Question: is it better to go Budapest east (to Germany)? Is supposedly is "rougher" to go against the "tide" but in reading varies articles, am not sure what that means. Thanks.

A friend who travels solo a lot uses Gate 1 for her trips. A nice way to travel for her. I would do this over the big cruise ships. Did you have free time in the cities you visited to eat out? What was the age group average?

jan47e53, we started our cruise in Nuremburg and ended in Budapest and felt no roughness whatsoever.

flpab, we did have free time in most of the cities we visited but usually chose to return to the ship for our meals since they were included. We did find time for coffee, pastry and/or ice cream stops however!

We are 63 and 64. There was one couple we ate with on several occasions in their early 80's but they did all the walking, climbing, etc., that everybody else did! Of the 120 passengers on our ship, probably 75% were 50 and over with the remainder anywhere from late 20's to 40's.

Thanks Betty-- we too appear to be neighbors as we live in Austin. Did a thorough review of the info I have and you answered a lot of my questions, especially about the food. Do you recall what complimentary beverages were available--tea, lemonade, juice? Very interested in talking about your cabin--you say you had a window that opened. Do you recall what category that was? I would manage with the cabin with the small windows but hubby would like more. Did your window just open or was it a sliding door type window?

Do you have any information regarding gratuities for the staff and guides?

We too are as young as you and travel for a minimum of a month at a time but with only a carryon each. From what you say I believe this still might be manageable as we will be in Germany for a time before the cruise. Any info on laundry facilities that you recall?

Going through so many countries I think the Euro is valid in all. Except for soveniers and treats, did you find there was much need for Euros?

Thanks so much as I tend to obsess over the small details?

Loving the thought of casual attire. Hubby doesn't feel comfortable in suit and tie! Sounds like you don't have to dress up much. We have friends who want to do a river cruise with us, but probably not as soon as 2014. 2015 is more realistic for us. Looking at several options, including Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel. We are late 60s, early 70s, and have traveled to Europe too many times to count! Don't need all the sight seeing, just prefer to chill and do our own thing in the ports.

jan47ete (sorry, I noticed I messed up your name earlier!) I'll try to answer your questions.

Water, juice, tea and coffee were all provided at lunch. Not sure if they had lemonade. At dinner, you also had complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks as well I believe.

We had a large panoramic window that you could slide open. I believe it was a “B” Category room. On our particular cruise, it was an additional $250 pp but we felt it was worth it.

Regarding tips, Gate 1 will provide you with guidelines in the information packet you are given before you depart for your cruise as well as before disembarking at the end of your cruise. In fact, you can also find this info on their website. I remember that we were able to charge the crew tips to our room, but the Tour Manager tip was payable in cash directly to the Tour Manager.

You can get laundry done on the ship just like at any hotel. But they only do laundry and not dry cleaning although I believe they do pressing.

Because we did a pre cruise in Prague, we had to buy Czech Krowns as well as Hungarian Forints because we stayed a couple of extra days in Budapest. Otherwise, we were able to use Euros in Germany and Austria. The occasional restaurant may not take credit cards so in that case you may want a little extra local money.

Simpson, we lived in England and Vienna in the early ‘80’s. Prior to that, we took 2 European tours and then traveled once on our own. After returning to the US in 1985, we didn’t go back to Europe until 1999. Since then, we have been every year except for two.

We really enjoyed the local guides that the cruise line used. The city tours usually lasted less than 2 hours and almost all were after breakfast so we could return to the ship by lunch time. The guides were very knowledgeable and we always had free time at the end to explore a little on our own or have a coffee.

Depending on which cruise you take, you make not always moor close enough to walk into the city center. I know in Nurmberg, we were well outside the city center. Since Melk and Vienna were the only towns we had previously visited, we found the included sightseeing most interesting.

Great reports and info, we are doing Prague to Budapest in July 2014. this will be our 2nd river cruise and have in the past always done our own travel in car or mini van, been either 2 or 3 couples, now in my 65th year and the planner and organiser of our last 5 trips to Europe in last 8 years it was nice to do a 8 day cruise with not having to worry or think about anything but just relaxing and having fun. Yes cruising is a little dearer than doing it all yourself, but not as much as you would think, when you compare standard of accommodation, meals, free wine etc, free tours. That why we are doing 13 day cruise next time.

I agree kiwipete about a river cruise being a lot less work. And we also hope to do another river cruise in the next year or two.

Betty, My sister just left today for a Mediterranean cruise. This is significant because she's married to a retired airline pilot, and in the past they've done many rent-a-car trips abroad. This is their second cruise in a year's time.

I think when one gets to a certain age, sleeping in the same bed every night without having to move luggage starts to look very appealing. I'm looking into river cruises myself.

David really liked getting a break from all the driving and having to lug the suitcases in and out of the car! All of our transportation was arranged before we left the US so we just had to sit back and enjoy the ride!

Thanks bettyk. I've often looked at this particular Gate 1 itinerary and am seriously considering it for 2015 after reading your detailed report. I'm vegetarian, would there be sufficient options for me, mainly at dinner? Thanks again:)

Yes, geetika, I believe they had vegetarian options at every meal. I know there were salads and pasta dishes at the buffet lunch, as well as fruit and vegetable dishes.

Thanks bettyk, will definitely look into this.

<I>"I think when one gets to a certain age, sleeping in the same bed every night without having to move luggage starts to look very appealing. I'm looking into river cruises myself."</I>

AMEN!!!

Robyn :)>-