Peter Deilmann cruises

[Hambagahle]

My husband and I are taking the Katerina von Bora from Prague to Potsdam in October. Has anyone any experience of this company and this ship? Also if someone has done this cruise, which sightseeing activities are not to be missed??

[alphouston]

I have not had any personal experience but my folks did a Baltic cruise with Peter Deliman and said it (the ship) was quite lovely and the ports were really interesting and places that they probably would have not gotten to if it had not been for the cruise (Estonia, Lithuania, etc). Enjoy!

[Julia_E]

Hello,

Peter Deilmann is a European (German) cruise line with offices in the U.S. They have primarily German and American guests and mostly operate river cruises throughout the European river systems. They also have an ocean liner, the ms Deutschland, which does cruises to Africa, the Med, South America, northern Europe, the British Isles. They have a European style and ship announcements are made in German and English.

Deilmann does many themed cruises, such as biking, gardens and classical music, which are really gaining popularity. Their food is excellent with a central European influence and good wine lists. The ships are not like the larger cruise lines with glitzy shows, but the experience is more traditional cruising with classic design and style on the ships. They offer outstanding prices on shore excursion packages for American guests on many cruises to encourage American guests to try Deilmann. Many of my Deilmann clients have traveled extensively and have spent a lot of time and/or lived in Europe. Many of these guests are also retired teachers, university professors, worked in public service and many have advanced degrees.

Best Regards,
Julia
Blog: spasandadventures.wordpress.com

[Hambagahle]

Thanks Julia for the info - especially on the kind of people we are likely to meet on board. Looks like it will be a group of like-minded people!

[helen47]

Hi, my dh and I travelled with Deilmann last september on the Frederick Chopin a sister ship to the Katherina. We Started at Prague, visited Bad Shandau, Meissen,Wittenberg, Magdeburg then finished at Potsdam. We took the Walking trip around Prague on the morning of the day of departure. There was only one other couple with us, so it turned out like a private tour. The guide was very good, Prague is very interesting although pretty busy. Visited Konigstein from Bad shandau which I enjoyed, Great views and interesting history. Spent 2 nights in Dresden, one night right in the heart of town the second in a pleasant suburb where a bus was available to take anybody who wished to go into Dresden. This was free. We took one excursion to Dresden a walking tour which again I thought was very good- however if you have a good guide book you could do this on your own as all the sights are close to each other. At Meissen we did our own thing as the ship docked very close to the town. A short but steep walk took you right into the old town. Some people took the Meissen factory tour and some complained that it was expensive and short. We took the Martin Luther tour at Wittenberg which again I thought was worth it. Sometimes the ship was only docked for a few hours at some of the towns and we thought by the time we oriented ourselfs we would not have had enough time to see the important sites. This was why we took the tour at Magdeburg but the tour was basically a drive by and a bit dull.

As far as the ship is concerned, as no doubt you have gathered it is much smaller than ocean going vessels. Two floors of rooms, upstairs rooms have a window that opens, downstairs a picture window. We were downstairs in a twin, where one of the beds converted to a sofa during the day. The room was not large but all our luggage and clothes fitted- the twins had more storage space than the doubles. The shower room was a good size although I believe some showers were smaller than others. Toiletries nice too.

Meals are a highlight. Food very good and consistent, served in one of the two public rooms. Dinner usually consisted of a cold then a hot appetiser, soup, entree and dessert, then cheese. Coffee served there or in the lounge upstairs. Entertainment took place here too, there was a resident musician who played piano, and there was also some local artists. The lounge had a small library and a selection of games and a bar. Smoking was allowed here and sometimes it got too smoky for me. There is a top deck where there are loungers and a covered area which was needed as it was quite hot and sunny for a couple of days. No entertainment as such -take a book and relax and enjoy the scenery!

The staff were courteous and friendly and announcements were in german and english.

Hope all this helps. Have a great holiday. Morag

[VAGuy]

You may wish to post this thread on the River Cuises board under special interest cruising Also, you could do a search on that board as well.:)

[Hambagahle]

Thanks for all this informatoin -- extremely useful to hear from someone who has done the same itinerary...can't wait to get on board!