Liveish Gate 1 Monarch Queen- Prague to Budapest- Trip Report

[CruiseIreland]

Hi all. At last, embarkation date fast approaches. I booked this, our first ever river cruise after 11 ocean cruises, as a surprise birthday prezzie for my DW, who has a significant birthday coming up. We flew into Prague a day early and we left Dublin airport at stupid o'clock this morning. Flight was short and uneventful. We were met at Arrivals by the hotel's transfer driver and 25 minutes later arrived at Cosmopolitan Hotel. This is the hotel that Gate 1 is using for 3 nights so we booked in for an extra night. Lovely hotel, well located at the edge of the Old Town. Very hot in Prague today so we had a wander and went out for Mexican food(yes, I know but we will sample Czech food too!). Calling it an early night. Will walk about tomorrow before meeting Cruise Director tomorrow evening. I hope that I can upload some photos along the way.

Edited August 14, 2023 by CruiseIreland

[SnowshoeCat]

I'm looking forward to your reports. I'll be going the other way, starting in Budapest, in a couple of months.

[ural guy]

CruiseIreland-  Have a great trip, we enjoyed our Prague stay last November.   

 

We sailed twice on your ship when she was with Vantage.  We really enjoyed our time on board, and I think some refurbishments were done during Covid.  Are you in aquarium class or French Balcony?

[CruiseIreland]

6 hours ago, ural guy said:

CruiseIreland-  Have a great trip, we enjoyed our Prague stay last November.   

 

We sailed twice on your ship when she was with Vantage.  We really enjoyed our time on board, and I think some refurbishments were done during Covid.  Are you in aquarium class or French Balcony?

Didn't realise the Monarch Queen was previously with Vantage! We scored a French Balcony which I'm very excited about.

[ural guy]

Yes, she was the River Voyager, and I see she is heading upstream from Vienna.

 

We liked our FB cabins, not huge but well laid out.  We sailed the older sister ship of the Voyager last November, and it didn't have the second staircase back by the Captains Club/second dining venue.  Made a long hike to get to the coffee machine.

 

If you are into history, with your three days in Prague, you may want to check out St Cyril's Church/Museum for a sobering experience.  Well done exhibits.

 

Looking forward to hearing about your cruise, thanks for posting and taking us along.

[Ritabob]

Will follow along vicariously. 

[Daisi]

Following along, we leave for our cruise in a month, and getting excited. We have an extension in Prague, so have been busy researching what to do. 

 

Have a great trip.

[CruiseIreland]

8 hours ago, ural guy said:

Yes, she was the River Voyager, and I see she is heading upstream from Vienna.

 

We liked our FB cabins, not huge but well laid out.  We sailed the older sister ship of the Voyager last November, and it didn't have the second staircase back by the Captains Club/second dining venue.  Made a long hike to get to the coffee machine.

 

If you are into history, with your three days in Prague, you may want to check out St Cyril's Church/Museum for a sobering experience.  Well done exhibits.

 

Looking forward to hearing about your cruise, thanks for posting and taking us along.

Interesting, I've seen Operation Daybreak and Anthropoid, so I would be interested in that. Thanks.

[CruiseIreland]

Day 2: Another hot day in Prague, up to 33°C. After an excellent breakfast, we retraced our steps to Powder Tower and onwards to Old Town Square and it is beautiful, so much to see and photograph. As we were a bit late for the 11am Astronomical Clock performance, we walked up and down a few side streets until a few minutes to midday when we packed ourselves into the area in front of the clock with about a thousand other people. The clock performed, a few minutes late by my watch, but to the delight of the assembled masses. Afterwards, we wandered again and found ourselves in Wenceslas where we stopped for beer(s) and pizza, fries and extra garlic mayonnaise, 894kc. 

  Our next mission was to find, photo and cross Charles Bridge. I used the tourist map provided by the hotel for general directions but resorted to Google maps for details. One thing that's not clear on G maps is that, in Prague, there are a lot of passages which shorten walks and often contain interesting gems.

  Finally, the stream of humanity moving towards us on a tiny street told me we were close. My goodness, we were amazed at how many people we had to wade through and with to see the bridge. Very impressive and worth the walk. 

  Returned by the Old Town Square again and the Tyn Church which opened at 15.00. Beautiful church with a lot of gilding. No photos allowed, unfortunately. 

  At this point, the heat won out, so we walked back  stopping at a Billa supermarket for water, great shop, fraction of the prices charged in the mini markets around the town.

 

One note, a lot of police presence today. No obvious reason. The very large group of German football fans in Old Town Square were singing loudly but happily eating their lunches, and the police didn't seem particularly interested. 

 

Tonight, we met our Gate1 rep, who is only overseeing the Prague part of the trip. More tomorrow!

Edited August 15, 2023 by CruiseIreland

[Guest ldtr]

We really enjoyed wandering through the gardens over near the Prague castle during our visits there.  A bit calmer than the more crowded tourist areas.

[notamermaid]

Thank you for taking us along on your river cruise and through Prague. Have a great time.

 

notamermaid

 

[CruiseIreland]

Day 3: We decided to skip the included tour this morning as we had covered most of it ourselves and, crucially, it was setting off at 8.30am. 

   Last night, we ate locally at Siam Orchid Thai restaurant just a few minutes walk from our hotel. Excellent Tom Tum Gai, a spicy soup that we were warned about by the waiter, and it was, indeed, very spicy but delicious. Followed by a shared green curry. Beautiful food. Total bill, including wine and tip, 900kc. 

  This morning, we walked the short distance to the Unicredit bank ATM on Republic Sq to get cash so as to have coins for the WCs at the castle. So far, we had managed with card only. I thought that it might be a free ATM but, alas, it charged 155kc for the withdrawal of 1,000kc. Walked back to tram stop and bought 2 24hr passes for all public transport, 120kc each. The lady asked when we wished the 24hrs to commence so you can pre purchase and select when the 24hr period starts. 24hr passes do not have to be validated on the bus/tram. After some confusion over which side of the street to wait, a helpful local lady pointed me in the right direction (literally, as neither of us spoke the other's language). Tram dropped us at Malostranska Metro station. It was clear we would have to climb up to the castle 🏰 but not clear which street to take. There were a number of tour groups standing around and we followed one into the Senate Gardens, as mentioned by ldtr above. What a beautiful place, ornamental lake, huge carp, sculptures and wonderful decorations on the ceilings of the outdoor concert venue. WC there was 20kc. Some pics:

Edited August 16, 2023 by CruiseIreland

[CruiseIreland]

Edit: The soup was Tom Yum Gai, not Tom Tum!🙄

Thunderstorm crashing around us now  heavy rain! The TV has completely surrendered!

 

Anyway, after we explored the gardens, we followed the main road and loads of other people, up towards the castle. Beware,  if you have any mobility or disability issues, the steps are plentiful and quite steep. There is a road up which I'm sure the tour buses use. In the heat today, it was tough but we were rewarded at the top by a fabulous selection of palaces, museums, cafes, exhibition areas and houses, joined together and surrounding the Cathedral of St.Vitus. Huge crowds at the castle and we queued to enter the cathedral. It's massive and beautiful. Free entry gets you about a quarter of the way up the nave. Tickets can be purchased at the information office opposite the main door. Some pics of the castle and surrounds:

 

 

We left the castle grounds and walked down different steps and found ourselves in Malostranka Square. Stopped for beer and some cheese and bread. 350kc Inc. tip. More later. Ken 

Edited August 16, 2023 by CruiseIreland

[CruiseIreland]

At this point, we realised that we were just around the corner from Charles Bridge so we walked over from the 'other' side. Not as busy today. At the end of the bridge is the Church of St. Francis of Assisi and we popped in for a look. Very pretty church. Pics...

 

 

Edited August 16, 2023 by CruiseIreland

[CruiseIreland]

We turned left at the Church of St. Francis and walked a few hundred metres to the Jewish Town. We were interested in the cemetery and perhaps a synagogue. However, when we went into the ticket office/shop, the shop was so warm and it seemed expensive, so we left it and walked the most expensive looking street yet, shops with one watch in a display, you know it's gonna be very expensive!! Sauntered back via ice cream shop and Billa supermarket. Pic of meeting hall at the Jewish Cemetery. 

[Guest ldtr]

There is a tram that will take you to the top behind the castle so you only have to walk down. If I recall correctly the 8 tram is one of the ones that goes there

[ame1993]

Thanks for sharing your travels! Well be taking the Monarch Empress soon to explore the Danube. First time with this cruise line and first river cruise. So I'm very interested in learning more through your travels.  EnJoY!

[CruiseIreland]

15 hours ago, ldtr said:

There is a tram that will take you to the top behind the castle so you only have to walk down. If I recall correctly the 8 tram is one of the ones that goes there

Indeed, I think the lovely lady on reception was trying to explain that to me but I had my dum dum ears on! 🙄

[CruiseIreland]

Last evening, we were relaxing in our room when the thunderstorms started. Wow, such a racket and heavy rain! I was smugly congratulating myself on booking the Next Door restaurant which is connected to the hotel when my wife asked me what time we were booked for. I checked the email and realised it was not for last night but for tonight! Oops! A quick phonecall via reception and they got us a table for 9pm. Phew!

 

Now, I know that this is not a food blog and, usually, we eat in quite modest establishments, but I cannot praise Next Door enough. The service was very attentive but the food was magnificent. We had a starter and main each, 2 glasses of wine and a cognac each and the total bill, including 10% service added by the till, came to 3,022kc. This seems expensive but it equates to €125 which we wouldn't pay often but we both agreed that it was probably the best meal we've ever eaten. The pics do not do justice to the food justice:

In order of appearance below. Sorry, I can't separate the pics.

1. Stuffed Quail with sweet pointed cabbage salad and marinated vegetables

2. Leg of duck with caramelised white cabbage and potato gnocchi

3. Tenderloin of wild boar with glazed carrots and white goose liver sauce

4. Parfait of goat's cheese with pecan nuts and tomato-citrus fruit sauce

Edited August 17, 2023 by CruiseIreland

[Daisi]

Thanks for taking us along on your journey. We will have to stop into that Church, it looks beautiful.

[Guest ldtr]

5 hours ago, CruiseIreland said:

Indeed, I think the lovely lady on reception was trying to explain that to me but I had my dum dum ears on! 🙄

That is why we have to return to places we travel to. So that on the second visit we can take advantage of what we learned on the first trip.

[CruiseIreland]

Day 4: Based on Uralguy's recommendation and the fact that the 24hr pass was underused and burning a hole in my pocket, we took the metro from Namesti Republika, just up the street from the hotel, to Karluv Namesti, to visit the Church of Sts Cyril and Methodius. Disorientated on exiting the subway, we accidentally visited the Church of St. Ignatius. Very nice but we soon orientated and found our destination. As indicated, the crypt/memorial is very moving and a stark reminder of sacrifice and suffering in a wartime situation. It recounts the bravery of those who assassinated Heydrich, in 1942, and the consequences, in lives, borne by the Czechoslovakian people. Very relevant given what's happening not too far away. Afterwards, we wandered back towards Wenceslas Sq, via Kafka's head, quick visit to McD's and saunter home via Primark(🙄) and a delightful Irish Coffee, chocolate cake and Aperol Spritz at the incredibly beautiful Cafe Imperial. Pics following need no captions:

 

 

Edited August 17, 2023 by CruiseIreland

[CruiseIreland]

Due to low water levels, we are en route to Vilshofen rather than Regensburg for embarkation. No other change to itinerary. 

[JordanF]

This is great fun to read!  We just did this Gate 1 trip in late May (the other way), and it was terrific. Have a great trip!   FWIW, here is a link to my review:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2942656-gate-1-monarch-governess-may-26-2023-cruise-review-danube-with-budapest-and-prague/#comment-65659378

 

[CruiseIreland]

Just to pick up from last night. For our last night in Prague, I resolved to try Czech Goulash. DW is not into heavy meat dish so we compromised with LaScala Italian restaurant beside Tyn Church and just off the Old Town Square. I chose the goulash with bread dumplings while DW opted for Spaghetti Al Gamberi, prawns with chili, olive oil and garlic, freshh Spaghetti and parmesan. She loved it. The Goulash was just ok, braised beef that was quite tender but the bread 'dumplings' seemed to be just sliced white bread, served cold. The onions were quite undercooked and seemed to have been lobbed into the dish late on.

The prawns:

Goulash 

Not a bad meal but we both felt that the dishes/plates were sitting out or just too cold as they cooled quite quickly. Noticeably very busy around Old Town Square.

 

Back to hotel to pack for early rise for transfer to the ship.

 

Loved Prague.

Edited August 18, 2023 by CruiseIreland