CRYSTAL CRUISE
All is calm and bright as we sail down the Danube, the river that connects all of Europe, to experience the magic of Xmas.
“BOYS JINK AND JOSTLE ON A MASSIVE OUTDOOR ICESKATING RINK.”
interests such as Cultural Discoveries or Tantalizing Gastronomy (like to eat at a Michelin-star restaurant and stay onshore overnight? No problem). Guests can design days out with the concierge’s help.
Each voyage highlights a complimentary Signature Event – privileged access to a castle, palace, monastery or gallery with a musical performance included. OLD-WORLD ELEGANCE
We arrived in Vienna around 9am, after an overnight cruise. Sometime in the wee smalls I’d awoken with the feeling that I was going down several floors in a lift.
Opened the curtains and peered into the dark. Apprehension became excitement. We were passing through a lock, gigantic bathtubs where the ship is gently and safely taken to a lower river level. Ever the nerd, I threw on clothes, rushed to the deck, camera in hand, to gawp at this modern realisation of ancient technology.
For one of European civilisation’s most elegant cities, Vienna’s river port is distinctly utilitarian. No matter, my coach awaited and we crawled through the city’s traffic at roughly the same pace as the emperor’s carriage to Schonbrunn Palace.
Through war, marriages and financial clout, Austria’s Habsburg whānau dominated a continent for centuries, its influence stretching from Spain to wherever it wanted, and this summer bach was the ultimate expression of its power.
Guide at our side, we wandered bedroom, meeting-room, dining-room and my lady’s chamber before light fell and we joined crowds thronging the courtyard for mulled wine and ginger- ... oh, you’ve heard that story.
Back to the ship to shower and change for the Signature Event. Board the coach to Belvedere Palace, another World Heritage site, for a private, up-very-close viewing of the works of two of Austria’s lauded artists: Klimt’s gilded, shimmering portraits and the austere, unsettling observations of Egon Schiele.
Into a magnificent 19th-century salon for a concert by the Schonbrunn Chamber Orchestra and guests: violins, cellos, piano, opera singers, waltzettes. There was Mozart. We oohed. There was Strauss. We aahed. There was Beethoven, for he did his best works in this city. Lucky Beethoven.
We’re lucky, too. We have two days in Vienna, time to wander the boulevards, drink in the cafés, snack on a schnitzel (half a schnitzel, they’re huge) for lunch.
The main Christmas market is at the Town Hall, or Rathaus, a wonderful name for an assembly of politicians. It’s a Disneyland that Walt could never have imagined: row upon row of magical stalls, light shows in trees, a miniature railway, an iceskating rink that winds through the garden paths, and wide-eyed children. If you were to go to only two Christmas markets, Schonbrunn and Vienna might well be them.
Day five. Or six. I’ve lost count. But today is not like the others, for we are sailing from Vienna to Budapest and will not arrive there until noon or later. Time to take in the views and the shipboard experience.
Think about a European river and you might think about the Rhine or the Loire, a castle or cliff-hugging vineyard around every bend. This river is different; broad, fast-flowing. It’s winter, so the riverside is bare trees, sandy banks, brown-green water. So much for the (ahem) Blue Danube.
From time to time a village drifts past, church and houses and shops and streets mere metres away. Some more metres to misty hills. On riverside paths, we see joggers, lovers, fishers, dogwalkers and campers.
It snowed here last week and I would have liked to see whiteencrusted riverbanks, steeples and streets. It would have felt like Europe at Christmas, deep and crisp and even. It’s dry and warm. I don’t need the puffer jacket or beanie packed at home. Suspect the locals are not as disappointed as me.
What am I enjoying about my time on board? My stateroom is large, luxurious, well-appointed. Floor-toceiling windows give uninterrupted views of the slowly passing countryside. Bed, linen, bathroom are impeccable, the staff can’t do enough to help.
Dining is gobsmacking. In the main dining room – the Waterside – staff aim and achieve Michelin quality. Service is personable, pace is neither rushed nor slow.
Each evening’s menu includes chef’s recommendation for a starter, soup, mains and dessert. The main is influenced by local cuisine, presented in a modern way.
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.