Live - Crystal Mozart Danube Cruise April 12 -22

[Texas Tillie]

I'll let Sharon do her usual excellent report but did want to let you know that weather in Budapest isn't the greatest - snow, sleet, rain and cold today. I'll just have to return and hope for better weather next time!

 

Patty

[ClefsDor]

Patty is right - very cold, wet and windy today in Budapest - who knew it could snow here in April?! We, like many of the passengers, just didn't pack warmly enough. But as Patty says we'll just have to return and enjoy Budapest in better climate.

 

In contrast, yesterday we woke up some blue skies and hints of sunshine which made cruising the Wachau valley very scenic. As we weren't going to reach Bratislava until 3.00pm it was a semi sea day and nice to be able to have a bit of a lie in. I then did some walking on the treadmill before having the late risers breakfast at the Bistro. Team Trivia was at 11.30 am and despite getting 18 out of 20 our team came second. We had lunch at Waterside where the pasta of the day was lobster Mac and cheese. The pastas on board as well as the soups are really wonderful. Our tour for the afternoon was the city walk and Slovak beer pub. I ended up doing the tour on my own as my husband decided to do the e-bike excursion which he has been loving! Bratislava has a small quaint town centre and it really only takes about 40 minutes to see all the sights. As we came out of the pub though the weather had taken a major turn for the worse and to top it off there was also a student demonstration that we were quite close to so we made a quick bee line back to the boat. Evening entertainment was a very cute duo from Bratislava playing the piano and some traditional local instruments. After yet another wonderful dinner at Waterside we went to Palm Cove where Mark was hosting a Not So Newly Wed game show featuring 3 passenger couples. It was very funny and hats off the the participants for being such good sports. We went to bed excited to be arriving in Budapest at 9.00am.

[Jayayeff]

I'll let Sharon do her usual excellent report but did want to let you know that weather in Budapest isn't the greatest - snow, sleet, rain and cold today. I'll just have to return and hope for better weather next time!

 

Patty

 

It was beautiful, blue skies, hot and sunny in September...:)

 

Anne...

[jpalbny]

... Evening entertainment was a very cute duo from Bratislava playing the piano and some traditional local instruments....

 

Was that the Pressburger Duo? If so I agree, they put on a nice evening show. Uniworld had them on board for a show when we were in that region last year.

 

One of the guys played at least 5 different Slovak horns. Very talented!

 

Sorry about the weather in Budapest. We too were there in April and thougj it wasn't warm, at least we didn't have snow! Enjoying your reports. Crystal sounds very nice.

 

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[ClefsDor]

Sailing towards Bratislava

 

Fairy floss encased dessert at Waterside

 

Pretzels at Blue

 

 

 

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[JohnKen3]

http://www.pressburgerduo.com

 

By the way, is it Chef Dirk who is currently the Executive Chef on board?

Edited April 20, 2017 by JohnKen3

[ClefsDor]

http://www.pressburgerduo.com

 

By the way, is it Chef Dirk who is currently the Executive Chef on board?

 

I believe the executive chef has changed and it's no longer Chef Dirk - I've been meaning to check with the HD and will confirm once I've spoken to her.

[SuiteTraveler]

I must admit, I'm very impressed with this cruise! I'm thinking about going on it next spring. The food is amazing, the ship is gorgeous and this is an area we have not yet been.

[ClefsDor]

We woke up on Wednesday to a very cold, wet and windy Budapest. I was quite frankly amazed to see snow flakes floating down past our window! Amazed because the week before it was 25C and sunny! Very few passengers had packed for this weather but we all tried to make the best of a bad situation.

 

The sail into Budapest at around 8,30am was just beautiful and I could tell that this was going to be a very special city, We docked at 9,00am (even numbered rooms facing the dock) and disembarked via a very wet, slippery and steep pier to go on the Budapest in a nutshell tour. The tour, due to the weather, was tailored to spend more time on the bus, thank goodness as it was very VERY cold! Wow, what an amazingly beautiful city Budapest is! Unfortunately, we didn't get to experience it to its fullest as the weather was so bad but I know without a doubt this is one city I am coming back to.

 

We had our Michelin dinner last night and our restaurant was Costes Downtown. It was a very pleasant evening and the food was very good but if I am going to be quite honest, the food on the ship was just as good and dare I say it, actually better. We had a good time though, despite battling the elements getting to and from the restaurant. When we came back there was an evening performance by 3 local violinists after which we went to bed. I was so sad that we couldn't see as much as I would have liked of this amazing city but we still have one more day here tomorrow.

[ClefsDor]

I checked with the Hotel Director and there is indeed a new Exec Chef on the Mozart - Chef Yurie (?). Chef Dirk is still on board but is working behind the scenes on menus and nee recipes for the new river ships. He will be Exec Chef of Crystal Bach when it launches.

 

Sailing into Budapest and the amazing Parliament buildings

 

Some pictures of our meal at Costes Downtown - the restaurant for our Michelin dinner

The interior minister of Costes Downtown - more casual than most Michelin star restaurants

 

 

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[SuiteTraveler]

Gorgeous food photos!

[ClefsDor]

Thank you so much, Suite Traveller. I can assure you I am not looking forward to going back home and getting on the scales because the food tastes as good as it looks!

 

Unfortunately our second morning in Budapest was just as cold and wet - well maybe not as windy and no snow, so a slight improvement. We went on the Market Hall and Parliament tour. Both were indoors so perfect for the weather. The Market Hall in Budapest is just fantastic - such gorgeous produce. I couldn't leave without purchasing some paprika and a spaetzle maker. My husband also purchased a bottle of Hungarian red wine to have at dinner that night as he was keen to taste some more of the local wine after our dinner at Costes Downtown. The Parliament buildings were also quite incredible and the interiors really do justice to the amazing exterior. I highly recommend both venues.

 

We saw a lot of duck and goose for sale in the markets and I mentioned to my husband how great it would be if they had duck on the menu at dinner so imagine my surprise when I saw a lovely roast duck in the carvery section of Waterside when we returned. So roast duck, gravy and a napkin dumpling was my lunch. So naughty but so good. If you haven't gotten the picture already the lunch at Waterside may be a buffet but it is done so tastefully and so nicely that it really doesn't feel like you're eating at a buffet.

 

The ship sailed away at 1.00pm heading back to Vienna and Instead of heading to the gym in the afternoon like I should have I went to a very interesting lecture on Mozart given by Mark and the Hotel Director Sonia. Afterwards there was trivia which our team won again. By that time it was late afternoon so we retired to the room for lie down and before we knew it was after 7.00 so we did a quick change and headed down for a drink in the cove. The sun finally made a reappearance just as we got to the Cove and it was a magical sunset with some stunning scenery along the way. As you can imagine after the lunch I had I was not hungry at all for dinner but how could I say no to the caviar appetiser? But I did then only have a soup for my main course and it shows how full I must have been to resist the slow braised lamb shank that I saw a lot of people eating and which looked and smelled wonderful. The Hungarian wine we purchased was quite nice too.

 

After dinner Mark Farris did a great cabaret style show featuring the songs from Sound of Music (it had to happen!) which was lots of fun. We didn't stay for the disco afterwards but came back to the room and watched a great documentary movie on wine called Somm. The selection of movies available on the television are very good and I love not having to go to the front desk or library to borrow dvds.

 

Only one more full day left before we disembark on Saturday - sigh!

[JohnKen3]

What was Mark and Sonia's talk about? Strange to think of Mark giving a talk instead of singing.

 

Forgot to ask you to tell Mark F "Elton John's pool boys from London say hi" and judge his reaction. He should be able to work out its Ken & John from London.

 

 

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[ClefsDor]

What was Mark and Sonia's talk about? Strange to think of Mark giving a talk instead of singing.

 

Forgot to ask you to tell Mark F "Elton John's pool boys from London say hi" and judge his reaction. He should be able to work out its Ken & John from London.

 

 

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Mark wasn't doing the talk he was just assisting with music throughout the presentation.

 

Unfortunately I only just saw this post and we have already check out so wasn't able to say hi from you to Mark.

[JohnKen3]

Safe travels back to Oz Shirin!

 

 

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[ClefsDor]

Our last full day on the Mozart was spent sailing to Vienna which we were due to reach at 6.00pm. So a sea day really, which meant we got to lie in a little before a late breakfast of fruit at the Bistro. The sun was shining so a lot of people were taking walks around the promenade deck and lounging on the top deck taking in the views.

 

At 11.15 we attended an excellent wine tasting with wine master Robert Bath. We've attended quite a few wine tastings/lectures on ships and on land and this was very informative and one of the best we've been to.

 

Lunch was a burger at Blue. I had to do a burger comparison between this and the Trident grill and happy to report they are definitely as good.

 

There was an apple strudel cooking demonstration at 2.30 which I didn't attend. The last round of trivia was at 3.30 with the questions being significantly harder and our team came in second. I really enjoyed trivia and it's something I will do more of on ocean cruises. I must say though that a lot of the enjoyment was from the way Mark hosted the sessions.

 

During the afternoon there was that certain vibe that comes along towards the end of a cruise. A lot of passengers were booked to go out for dinner for their Michelin restaurant event and this made the ship and dining room very quiet, which was a shame for the last night. All the Crystal Cove regulars were in attendance both before dinner, and the Michelin event, and after dinner too when everyone returned. Mark did an outstanding job farewelling us all with great songs and lots of laughs. He is an outstanding performer, an incredibly nice man and a great ambassador for Crystal. I wish they could clone him so he could be on every cruise!

 

We went to bed at around midnight. It was so nice to not have to have our bags packed and outside our room on the last night as one has to do on ocean cruises. We can wake up fairly leisurely tomorrow as we don't need to vacate our room until 10.00 am. The Emirates car is only picking us up at 12.30 and we can stay on board using the facilities until we need to leave. I will do a final write up and summary of my impressions when I get home. Thanks for following along!

[ClefsDor]

Crystal Cove - the sun is finally out and setting

 

Menu from Blue

 

Love the presentation of the French Press coffee from the bistro and the little egg timer

 

Ebikes on the top deck with snow capped mountains in the distance (they weren't snow capped a few days ago!)

 

A gorgeous steak tartare and lobster strudel with bernaise sauce

 

 

 

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[Keith1010]

Shirin, I continue to enjoy all of your posts including the write-ups and lovely photos.

 

Wishing you both safe travels as you make your way home.

 

Thanks so much for taking us along on your Mozart river cruise.

 

Keith

[ClefsDor]

Thank you, JohnKen3. Not looking forward to the VERY long flight home but things could be worse - we are flying first class Emirates so in some ways it will feel like the holiday and pampering haven't quite finished.

 

Thanks, Keith. My posts and photos don't hold a candle up to the more professional writing and blogs of people like yourself and JohnKen3 so I appreciate your comments. I think you and Anne Marie would really love the Mozart!

[Gourmet Gal]

Wonderful blog. Thanks for sharing. You'll really enjoy your Emirates flight, too. There're THE best!

[SuiteTraveler]

What an absolutely gorgeous trip in every way! Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us!

[johnnyi]

SO appreciate all the commentary and photos!! Can't wait to be onboard July 13. Thanks again.

[Wirral Girlie]

Thank you Shirin for all your posts and great pictures.

We are on the Mozart on 13th August and your views on some of the tours and the Michelin restaurant have been very helpful as we need to start thinking about what to book ouselves.

Safe trip home

Kim

[English Tim]

I also like to add my gratitude. We board on July 23rd and greatly look forward to our second Crystal experience.

 

Hopefully nice and warm and no snow!

 

Enjoy your flight home. They should serve Dom Perignon Champagne!

 

We love flying Emirates, particularly on the 380.

[nancygp]

Shirin,

 

Again, many thanks for sharing your trip with us. Your posts and pictures were terrific and I loved hearing about your trip and the Mozart.

 

Safe travels home and so looking forward to meeting you next July.

 

Best,

 

Nancy