Enchanting Danube-Uniworld

There are four of us going on our 1st river cruise, April 5 Passau to Budapest.

We'll be sailing on the new River Beatrice.

Anyone else going on this cruise?

Whats the weather like in central Europe this time of year? I've read lots of threads about the differences between ocean cruising and river boats, but would always like to hear other's opinions. FYI- we've been on 11 ocean cruises.

Thanks,

Bill

We will be on the same cruise June 14 - 21, and will look forward to reading any comments you may have about the cruise and the "River Beatrice". This will be our first river cruise after eleven ocean cruises as well mostly with Hal.

Boards: We'll write a review after we return. We live just south of you, upstate New York and are excited to be escaping the bad weather we've had this winter. Hoping for moderate temperatures in April for Europe.

Bill

I, too, am going on this same trip July 25; it will also be my first river cruise after sailing on 25+ ocean cruises. I really look forward to reading your review after you return home. I am very excited about it - the pictures of the River Beatrice are quite spectacular. I'll be alone so if there are any other singles thinking about going or also booked on this, let me know so we can hook up. The single supplement was waived.

I hope you have good or at least better weather than you getting in New York. We will looking forward to reading your review. From what we read about Uniworld it should be good. Checkout cabin 307 for us, make sure they take care of it till we get there. Have a good cruise.

I will be looking for some postings as well..

We are hoping to take that cruise next year - so will welcome any comments/insights that you will be able to provide.

I am thinking that I would like to end in Budapest (for no particular reason - other than the fact that we wouldn't be too far from the airport...) - but am not really set on that. I will be interested to know if you think it *would* be better going one way or the other....

Also - I don't think I need a category 1 or 2 cabin - but do need a cabin with a window that I can easily see out of. Any suggestions re: cabins would be greatly appreciated.

Enjoy!!!

Fran

We are just about ready to book this trip for July and am thinking of taking the extension (post) in Budapest...does anyone know anything about the Hilton that Uniworld is using??

Thanks,

Tina

We sailed with Uniwold across Europe in 2003 and had a wonderful time. Enjoy your cruise.

Well final payment is due next week, so it is all but too late to back out now. With all the planning or at least reading and searching for information, we are about ready to go. We will still have 3 months to complete the searches for more information though. We will be watching for the reviews of Oneadam12 and hopefully others who will have taken this cruise.

We booked this trip yesterday...we will be sailing on 7/12 and have the post extension in Budapest for two days..

We took Cabin 314....anyone else going at this time?

Any info...greatly appreciated!

Tina

By all means, stay in Budapest a few days if you can. We have been there three times and enjoyed each time.

The old State Opera House is beautiful. The performances are very good. If you want to attend, book on the web early. Tickets are very inexpensive, so they are sold out early.

While there are only three subway lines, they are fine. The central one goes to Hero's Plaza where there is a fine museum and other attractions. Don't miss Geubards Pastry Shop at the beginning of the central line.

Watch the taxis. Some will cheat you. The Hilton and other hotels by the river should all be good.

Bob :cool:

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the info...I went on line to see if the programs would be listed at the Opera House..but, it's too soon..

I'm thinking 60 days out might be appropriate..

Have you purchased them in the past?

Thanks for all the info..

Tina

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the info...I went on line to see if the programs would be listed at the Opera House..but, it's too soon..

I'm thinking 60 days out might be appropriate..

Have you purchased them in the past?

Thanks for all the info..

Tina

Tina,

You Google "Budapest Opera" and click on the Jegymester site. You may have already done this. This is the site to buy tickets. I just looked at this and did find that tickets seem to be on sale only through April, that is, yes, 60 days. However, I did find the program schedule through June. One now has to register to see available seats and purchase. Just for fun I looked at Turandot late this month. Limited seats are available in stalls. They call the orchestra seats stalls. If you don't like the seats they first show, you can look at others. I found two in the fifth row on the side. They first showed seats on the first and second rows. I think these sold for about $20. If you want to go this July, I suggest you register, log in, and practice. Once an Opera goes on sale the seats will go fast. Be sure you look at the State Opera House. There is another in Budapest at which we saw Aida in 1991. The opera quality was OK, but the building is modern and performances there will not match the State Opera.

I have looked at the site before and found that operas were presented during some or all summer months. Maybe you will be lucky and there will be one when you are in Budapest.

We attended Don Carlos, by Verdi, at the Budapest State Opera in September, 2005. I waited too long to buy tickets. We ended third row in a box, but it was center, so the stage was all visible. The tickets were about $2.00 each, two dollars.

I am sure you know of the world renowned Vienna State Opera. It will cost a lot more. If you should be on a cruise out of Barcelona, look at their opera, the Liceu. We attended Aida in November, 2007 and it was great.

I am not a real "opera Buff." We just like good music of many types. Tulsa Opera is close and we go there regularly.

Do you know that you can see the Met in selected movie theaters in real time? If not, check the Met sight for HD opera. We have one presenting theater here in Fayetteville. Madame Butterfly is this Saturday afternoon.

As said, we like several types of music. Our daughter is a classically trained violinist turned country fiddler in www.wilderscountry.com. They are fun and have played coast to coast and in Europe. But they are still poor financially. Every CD sale helps. :rolleyes:

Bob :cool:

My husband & I are sailing Budapest to Passau August 29/09. We have planned two extra days in Budapest pre-cruise (independent arrangements recommended and made by our TA, staying at the KK Opera House Hotel). We have added the Uniworld 3 day Prague extension. We opted for the Uniworld package because independent transportation from Passau to Prague was a bit tricky per our TA. From Prague, we are traveling to Krakow Poland by train. We have heard that Krakow is also a very beautiful city. This is our first river cruise; we are experienced ocean cruisers. I am also looking forward to hearing reviews from all of you who are going to enjoy this cruise in the next few months.

My husband & I are sailing Budapest to Passau August 29/09. We have planned two extra days in Budapest pre-cruise (independent arrangements recommended and made by our TA, staying at the KK Opera House Hotel). We have added the Uniworld 3 day Prague extension. We opted for the Uniworld package because independent transportation from Passau to Prague was a bit tricky per our TA. From Prague, we are traveling to Krakow Poland by train. We have heard that Krakow is also a very beautiful city. This is our first river cruise; we are experienced ocean cruisers. I am also looking forward to hearing reviews from all of you who are going to enjoy this cruise in the next few months.

We sailed Uniworld from Bucharest (the river cruise really started on the Black Sea) to Budapest. I think your trip will be more scenic. We have not stayed at your hotel, but I think it is fine. It is indeed only a block from the State Opera House. It is also on the central subway line, with a stop at the Opera, so that will be convenient for you. If you like classical music at all, do look at the opera site.

If you want the see the Buda side of the city, I suggest a half day tour. Your hotel should be able to arrange this on a tour bus.

I don't think I mentioned on this thread that you should beware of the taxies cheating you. They have several ways of doing so. I would ask the hotel to call for a taxi company they are familiar with as being honest. You can find a van at the airport to take you to your hotel. I recall that one buys tickets for these at a desk close to the arrivals exit.

Bob :cool:

Bobblsc, thanks for posting all the great information. We considered the Bucharest to Budapest cruise as well & opted for the Budapest to Passau. Sounds like you are well travelled. What other river cruises would you recommend?

Bobblsc, thanks for posting all the great information. We considered the Bucharest to Budapest cruise as well & opted for the Budapest to Passau. Sounds like you are well travelled. What other river cruises would you recommend?

We have only been on three river cruises, four if we count three nights on the Yangtze River as part of a Uniworld China tour. Our three European trips were the Bucharest to Budapest, Amsterdam to Basel, and Wurzburg to Trier, in reverse chronological order. Perhaps because it was our first, we think the Wurzburg to Trier was best. This was back in 1996, and was on the old KD line, now part of Viking. This ship and the next KD from Amsterdam had small cabins, just adequate. But we liked the stops along the Main River, then the outstanding scenery on the Rhine between the Main and the Mosel. After that the Mosel was also great. That portion of the Rhine I mention has the most of the very scenic Rhine with castles, small towns hills, etc. of any part of the Rhine.

Our Amsterdam to Basel of course included this stretch. The southern part of the Rhine is not much to look at, in our opinion. We stayed in Basel one night and then went to Zermatt, where we took the "Glacier Express" across Switzerland tn St. Moritz. This is a worthwhile trip. It was covered by a Swiss Rail Pass. We traveled on from there in a rental car.

Your Uniworld ship may be the same one we sailed on from Bucharest (that is, the Black sea). The cabins are about 155 sq. ft. This would be almost as large as a small ocean cruiser cabin. It was comfortable.

You will enjoy Prague. I know of no one who has visited there who has not liked it. We drove a leased car after our Wurzburg to Trier trip. Prague was one of our stops. Our hotel was inexpensive on the West side of the river, but we traveled by street car to many places in Prague. Get a map and a 3 day pass at the hotel. The street cars are easy to use. We traveled by subway only a couple of times.

I hope to get to Krakow someday, but my DW is not enthused about going there.

Yes, I suppose we have been fortunate to travel to many places. I had a couple of teaching assignments in Europe in connection with the University here. These were for a few months each in Germany, London, and Italy. Since I retired, we have taken several trips to Europe, and one to Japan, on our own, and have been on about eight ocean cruises.

We have also been to two of your nice cities, Vancouver and Victoria, on our own. We drove to Whistler one summer day. I think that is where the next Winter Olympics will be held. Is that right? It was a very nice drive.

Usually one has many posts answering questions such as yours, but the river cruise threads are not very busy.

There is a fellow from Germany, Steamboats, who is often here to answer questions. I think he has traveled all over Europe.

I see you joined in 2007, but have only 7 posts. There is often a lot of good information here.

Bob

Yes, Vancouver and Whistler are hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics. Our home city is in the SE part of British Columbia, about 10 hours drive from Vancouver, 4 hours from Calgary Alberta and 3.5 hours from Spokane Washington. We usually fly from Spokane to reach our US cruise departure ports. Sorry to say that the closest we have been to your home is Houston. No, I don't post much, but do follow these boards as there is so much information and I enjoy people's passion for travel. We consider ourselves "modest" when booking travel, are used to small cabins but not small boats. The smallest ship so far has been Holland America Statendam (Vancouver-Alaska) last September. My husband has been retired for a few years and my retirement is planned for this summer. The Danube cruise is the "retirement celebration". We love visiting new places and are looking forward to our stays in Budapest, Prague and Krakow, and the cities and scenery along the Danube. As of this date, I don't know what hotel we are staying at in Prague but will certainly take your advice regarding the map and 3 day pass. Trip Advisor posts regarding Krakow seem to be very positive with most travelers enjoying the city as much they do Prague and Budapest. More wonderful adventures for sure!

Jammie123, I believe you will have a really great trip. If you have an interest in music, do check the State Opera in Budapest.

Your river cruise should be very nice. Enjoy all.

Bob :cool:

We got our cruise documents today, we're ready to go in 3 weeks!

Question for experienced European travelers like Steamboats, how easy is it to get around in Vienna? We'll go on the boat sponsored tour in the morning but would like to walk about on our own the rest of the day. Can anyone recommend a cafe away from the tourist trip places? Is the Schonbrunn worth a visit in early April? Any other suggestions for things to do in Vienna.

FYI-we are all in our mid-50s and active walkers.

Thanks

Bill

We got our cruise documents today, we're ready to go in 3 weeks!

 

Question for experienced European travelers like Steamboats, how easy is it to get around in Vienna? We'll go on the boat sponsored tour in the morning but would like to walk about on our own the rest of the day. Can anyone recommend a cafe away from the tourist trip places? Is the Schonbrunn worth a visit in early April? Any other suggestions for things to do in Vienna.

FYI-we are all in our mid-50s and active walkers.

 

Thanks

Bill

Since no one has responded as yet, here is some information. We have been to Vienna three times for a total of, I believe, ten nights. So while we are not experts, we know our way around Vienna a bit. Twice we stayed in the center, and once, when we drove in, a bit out from the center.

First, the Schonbrunn Palace. On our first visit we took a tourist bus which visited there. It is a huge palace with a very large lawn and garden expanse on the side away from the street. Your April visit should have a very nice display of flowers and the like. However, if you are in Vienna for only one afternoon on your own my preference would be to just go to the center and look at things there, including the cathedral. There is a coffee/pastry shop close-by that is a bit touristy but good. If you walk south and turn left you will find other coffee/pastry cafés less touristy. I am sorry that I cannot recall the street name, but one is particularity good. Then it may be on down that street that you will find the Central Cafe. This is a place that has a manikin sitting at a piano as you walk in.

I assume you will only have one afternoon for your sight seeing. If you do have an overnight, you may want the check the State Opera for performances on the web before you leave. There are also other great venues for music to check. You will also be approached by vendors on the street selling other music performances. Some may be OK, but none will be as good as the regular theaters.

The subway system is good. Look on the web for maps and info. There is a stop at the cathedral and I think another at the State Opera.

I hope this helps. Please respond that you have read this.

Bob :cool:

Bob:

Thanks for the reply and the information on Vienna. I did check on line and it appears easy to get around Vienna. We will be there all day and into the evening, so we'll have some time to tour on our own.

Will be writing a review on the River Beatrice after we return in mid-April.

Bill

My favourite place in Vienna is the Church of the Capuchins in Neue Markt Square near the Hofburg Palace. It is the burial place of the Hapsburg emperors [the Kaisergruft]- very atmospheric.

Kero

Australia

We are on the June 27th sailing Passau to Budapest with a pre-cruise stay in Prague and a post-cruise stay in Budapest. This will be our first river cruise after many years of cruising. We are very excited. I appreciate all the info I have gotten from other CCers and look forward to reading your reviews. I am just starting my research and I find I really enjoy this part of the planning. I can't seem to stay off the internet.

Lauri

jammie123. My wife and I stayed in the K&K in November. It is a great hotel. Staff is really good. They recommended a "typical" restaurant a few blocks away that was superb! Easy to walk just about anywhere from the hotel and the taxi ride to the boat is just a few minutes.