“BOYS JINK AND JOSTLE ON A MASSIVE OUTDOOR ICESKATING RINK.”

Casual dining in the Bistro is also delicious, a burger at lunch and a tapas dinner. Gourmets can pay 290 euros for an eight-course, wine-paired meal in the Vintage Room.

Evening entertainment is low-key. Once or twice, local musicians boarded the ship, but most evenings we were in the hands of the one-man band, Neal Fullerton, a chirpy Englishman with a nice line in banter and piano-tinkling and a nicer line in knowing when to leave us to enjoy one another’s company at the bar. En route to Budapest, a crew member gave an illuminating talk about growing up under Communist rule.

The mostly European staff are professional and quickly pick up on service, drinking and dining preferences – though it took a day or two to persuade them that Kiwis and Aussies aren’t quite as stiff upper-lip as their mostly American guests!

To sum up: luxury, plush surroundings, great food and service, and guests can tailor the voyage to their pace and interests.