Enchanted, for sure
Tracy Watkins discovers the merits of having everything organised for her on a cruise down the River Danube.
Enchanting’’ was the promise of our river cruise in the glossy brochures. I didn’t need any convincing. The Danube has always conjured up images of a beautiful, romantic and mysterious place. A storybook setting, home of the waltz, snowflakes at Christmas, and visions of beautiful women in billowing capes and romantic gowns strolling the promenade with a handsome man.
So a winter cruise down the Danube? In a floating hotel described by one cruise magazine as a baroque Viennese palace? Yes, please.
We flew to Munich and got transfers to Passau, where we boarded our boat, the SS Maria Theresa, for an eight-day cruise down the Danube.
Stops along the way included Linz (with the option of a side trip to Salzburg); gorgeous historic towns like Melk and Durnstein; Vienna, the city of romance; Bratislava (I was sick and missed it), and the grand finale – Budapest, a vibrant, crazy, stunning city whose graceful, ancient beauty staggered us at every street corner.
Fitter passengers took in the sights by bicycle (one excursion took them on a 30-kilometre-plus cycle trip along the Danube), or mini hikes and walking tours. For the less mobile (or less energetic) sightseeing buses were also put on.
The highlights
I expected to be blown away by Vienna. And, of course, I was. It’s a cultural treasure trove – home of the waltz, Mozart and Strauss. On our ‘‘do like the locals’’ tour we meandered through narrow city streets, ate cake in a traditional coffee house and stopped for sausage at one of the many street stands. We looked nothing like the locals of course, with our tour guide and earpieces to hear the commentary. But the advantage of travelling at the end of the year meant we weren’t lost among a sea of other tourists like us. The locals definitely outnumbered us.
Our day in Vienna began with an exclusive ‘‘morning with the Masters’’ at Vienna Art History Museum and ended with an enchanting evening concert at a Viennese palace, listening to Mozart and Strauss while ballroom dancers brought the music to life.
Vienna was charming but Budapest stole my heart. We were advised by the crew to find a spot on the top deck as we drew into the city and it soon became clear why. This ancient city is breathtakingly beautiful. Hungary’s capital and most populous city is a vibrant and pulsating contrast to the plush and somewhat staid Vienna. Its faded and peeling grandeur is home to a young and thriving population, making it one the most densely populated cities in the European Union.
Tour the city by foot and metro and make sure you visit the markets. Our guide took us by metro to one of the larger market halls away from the tourist spots where stalls spilled over with
FACT FILE
More information: uniworld.com/nz Cruising there: Discover four equally beguiling countries – Austria, Germany, Hungary and Slovakia – on Uniworld Boutique River Cruises’ 10-day Enchanting Danube & Munich holiday cruising between Passau and Budapest featuring old-world capitals, charming towns and villages. Priced from $4799 a person twin share, with savings of up to 30 per cent available for select 2018 departure dates for bookings and payments before March 31. Includes seven nights’ cruise accommodation in a luxury stateroom aboard the Super Ship Maria Theresa, all meals and drinks onboard, excursions and transfers, plus two nights onshore in Munich. Uniworld.com, 0800 484 333 or see your travel agent. sausages, the speciality dried paprika, honey and cheeses. We could have spent the day there.
River cruises – yay or nay?
Yay. I’ve never been sure about cruises, sea-sickness being my biggest, though not my only, concern. The cruise ships that tie up at Wellington intimidate me – they seem like huge floating cities. But the Maria Theresa was a wee floating jewel. It has just 83 rooms and a maximum occupancy of 155 passengers. It was like travelling in an intimate, luxurious, boutique hotel that came with an ever-changing view.
We had hours of joy sitting on the top deck watching the world go by – charming, ancient villages followed by surprising stretches of dark and mysterious forest. It was a chilly November, but we snuggled up in heated blankets and the crew plied us with hot chocolates and mulled wine. Bliss.
As trips go, this one is crammed into a short space of time.
We’ve been to Europe before, so we knew covering that much ground on our own would be a logistical nightmare. We didn’t have the time ahead of this trip to organise accommodation and transport, or the energy once we got there to navigate B&B language barriers, hellish train schedules and left-hand driving (I still have nightmares about a roundabout in Grenada a few years ago).
A river cruise seemed like the perfect answer. There was very little we had to organise in advance. Our biggest headache was on arrival at a chaotic Munich airport (the fabled German love of order was missing in action). Once we hooked up with our Uniworld rep for the transfer bus, any logistical problems magically melted away.
Oh, and no sea sickness.
Our boat
Cruise Critic described the SS Maria Theresa as ‘‘Regal in its opulent 18th-century decor, a floating homage to the former Austrian empress. Besides indulgent dining and an elegant atmosphere, this is one of the prettiest ships out there.’’ They were not wrong.
Voted the best new river ship for 2015, the Maria Theresa is 135 metres long and decorated in extravagant Baroque and Rococo styles.
We boarded on a bitterly cold evening and the Maria Theresa was a haven of hushed warmth and colour, as opulent as the glossy brochures promised. In downtown Auckland it might seem over the top but on the Danube it worked.
The row of staff dressed in as much or as little to do with the other guests as you want.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner were served in the dining room where you could either dine alone, or share without seeming too try-hard.
Don’t be surprised though if people join your table regardless of your intentions.
Most of the guests were friendly and seemed to prefer the mix-and-mingle option. We got to know most of them by face, and some became friends.
Thanks to the flu we brought with us from New Zealand, we didn’t join the after dinner soirees in the upstairs lounge bar but the other guests said it was a pretty social affair and there were some late nights.
A quick show of hands revealed most of the passengers were Americans, followed by Canadians, and the rest of us from all over the world. We were the only Kiwis.
Most of the guests were seasoned travellers – a surprising number of them had even been to New Zealand. And many of them were on their fourth or fifth Uniworld cruise. It was the ease of travel, the friendships they formed on previous cruises, and the luxury and attention to detail that kept bringing them back.
Travelling solo
I was interested to know whether this was a good option for someone like my Mum, who is widowed. As it turned out, myself and my partner both got to try the solo option while the other one was bedridden. I got to know a couple of women whose husbands preferred to stay home. They wanted a holiday where the travelling was easy while they were pampered and fussed over.
Pros
Pros – all of the above, especially the ease of travel. Travelling by river is a relaxed and special way to see the world. We are considering Uniworld’s other cruises in the Mediterranean and Middle East. Getting sick wasn’t anywhere near as disastrous as it would have been travelling on our own. The crew were caring and solicitous. The upfront cost may be more but once you’re on the boat you really don’t have to spend a cent. Everything – meals, drink, excursions, entertainment – is included. That’s a huge advantage in Europe.
Cons
Stops are mostly only a day long - not enough time to really get to know a place. And the things that make travelling such an emotional roller coaster – the language barrier, trying to find your train, the money hassles, the tears and the joy of finding new experiences while you’re living among the locals – are some of my best travel memories.
A cruise will never replace those moments. But it’s nice now and then to let someone else do the worrying while you sit back and enjoy the view. ● The writer travelled courtesy of Uniworld Boutique River Cruises.