Amsterdam to Istanbul, Aug 2008 on “Sound of Music”- Part 3 – Long (Final)

[Emma Chisit]

Ship. Lounge, dining room, decks adequate for our group (105); ship’s load is 128 for an APT chartered cruise, 160 otherwise. Small lobby, with a few chairs near computer and tea/coffee station. Two sundecks - upper sundeck closed most of early part of cruise (low bridges). No sunshade, only big umbrellas. Bikes available. Library, fitness room and spa. No onboard shop, some souvenir items on sale, including good maps of the rivers (recommended). Surprisingly worn-looking for a two-year old ship. Décor not to my taste (subjective, I know), prefer style of the Amadeus ships. Greatest asset of this ship is its staff, always friendly and helpful.

 

Cabin. OK size-wise; room to stow everything in cupboards, under bed. We had French balcony cabin (Danubedeck, top deck) on starboard side. Two ugly, uncomfortable, space-hogging chairs; small table, plus desk chair. In-room safe, no minibar. A/C individually controlled; cabin got very hot after a day with sun shining on it, even with curtains drawn. Queen bed OK, pillows lumpy. Basic bathroom (cheap-looking finishes). Complicated shower arrangement (no instructions), also shower pipe became too hot to the touch. Mediocre quality bed linen and towels (some ragged edges). Terrycloth robes. Cabin also looked worn - ink stain in centre of bedspread, faux leather headboard faded, one chair’s upholstery coming apart. Found couple of small items from previous occupants in cupboards, as did at least one other passenger I talked to. Have posted elsewhere on this under “Illness on cruise ships”. Cleaning staff worked hard and were pleasant; some did a better job than others. Bottled water (2) each day. Toiletries in cabin on embarkation not automatically replenished. Laundry service OK quality, reasonably priced (2.50 euros shirt/blouse). Many European TV channels - only Sky News, BBC in English. Didn’t watch much – but the Olympics were on! Reception drops out. NO internet connection in cabin, one computer supplied in lobby for all passengers. (For a while there was a second one). Slow connection when available.

 

Dining. Food surprisingly good for mass cooking; plated food attractively presented. Fresh fruit available at meals and lobby tea/coffee station. Nice fresh salad bar at buffet lunch. Some regional food. Food is subjective, would rate this at least as good as our meals on Celebrity Millennium taste-wise. Wine & beer at dinner included; wine quite ordinary & varied little. We certainly did not always get the wine of the region we were travelling through, nor was it available for purchase in the bar. (A glass of Moselle while sailing down the Mosel would have been nice, but unavailable.) Meal times varied slightly according to tours. Open seating - table size from four upwards. Buffet breakfast and lunch - could also order one or two items a la carte. Dinner menu had choice of two items for each course (five), plus a vegetarian main course option. Additionally, earlybird pastries available, also afternoon tea and a late-night snack. Tea and coffee machine in lobby with fruit basket and biscuits. Some chipped crockery should have been replaced. Dining room roof leaked twice, once over table where we were sitting, and in other places such as over the toaster on the buffet (!).

 

Entertainment. Varied, interesting and appropriate to the area. Something almost every day.

Information. Library on board with good selection, games too. Daily “newspaper” of world news, plus special Olympics edition. Additional information sheets provided by CD. Good port maps available at reception. Daily ship’s newsletter “On Board News” informative, occasionally inaccurate. They have a “boilerplate” bulletin, sometimes forgot to edit. For example in Passau there was a suggestion to see Glass Museum (only open 1pm to 5pm) and also to attend famous noon organ recital in the cathedral – however the ship sailed at noon! On Sunday 17 August the “On Board News” informed us that “This morning the MS Amadagio docks in Mohacs.” ?!

 

Passengers. The “hook” for us, and others, was Gallipoli, of special significance to Australians and New Zealanders. Most passengers were from Australia, with two from NZ and two Tennesseans travelling with their Aussie friends. Average age sixty-ish. Eighteen in the group were sold a shorter cruise to Budapest, apparently made available closer to sailing date.

Tipping was included in cruise cost;people gave extra anyway, the staff were so nice.

 

Tours: These were almost all included in the cruise price.Used Vox machines which let you wander away from guide. Almost always an easy walking option. Some guides interpreted this as more standing around, not always good for sore knees or bad backs! Of the guided tours we took, more than half the guides were too long-winded, which affected amount of free time available after the tour. No mechanism for feedback on guides after a tour (eg by rating form), though about half-way through our CD asked us to tell her if we felt a guide wasn’t good. From this experience I would in future choose a cruise where shore excursions are optional, and do only those where it was more convenient to have a guide, eg for transport reasons.

Itinerary: Often I felt that the ship seemed focused only on the process of sailing from port to port, rather than optimizing the sightseeing experience. Sometimes we arrived too early or too late for some things, sometimes we simply were not in port long enough. The cruise itself is the experience rather than seeing a particular place, I guess, but we also seemed to have an itinerary at times which was illogical for sightseeing. Anyone thinking about this itinerary should also be aware that there is a lot of bus travel involved in the last few days, and these were tiring days. It might be better to start in Istanbul to do the more demanding part first.

You may choose a cruise because of a particular itinerary, but you may not necessarily get it. We know ocean cruises miss ports due to bad weather (have experienced this; hadn’t known however before booking that an itinerary could change due to river levels. We didn’t experience this, but three months before departure APT advised an itinerary change “due to changes in the sailing schedule” which meant that we could visit either Munich or Nuremberg, but not both. APT compensated for the missed tour and also added two additional meals, but we were disappointed.

 

Advice: Ships often dock next to each other, you walk through their lobbies to reach the shore. Fun because of the sticky-beaking potential, but it also means that you might go to sleep one night with your curtains open, then wake up with another ship alongside and the occupants waving smilingly. The cabins can seem dark too, with the other ship blocking the light.

When you are evaluating itineraries, work out where you might be on a Sunday, as this will affect what is open; in Germany & Austria especially no shops are open. If there is a particular museum you want to visit, make sure your only day in that port won’t be the day it is closed (often a Monday). In Istanbul anyone on our trip who went home immediately at the end of the tour would have missed seeing one of the great sights, Topkapi Palace, as it was closed Tuesday.

Health: I posted on this elsewhere under “Illness on cruise ships”. We embarked on a ship where many had been ill on the previous cruise. Many got the flu on ours, some were very sick and it affected their trip, one couple had to return home early. We were lucky, but caught it at the end, which impacted on our enjoyment of our post-cruise tour of Turkey. It is the luck of the draw when on group tour; other people bring the flu from home, or catch it on the plane. There were hand sanitizers (religiously used) and sneeze bars, but I think that because all these ships turn around cabins the same day it is hard to adequately sanitize them between guests when illness is present. Wonder how often A/C filters are changed, pillows and duvets cleaned?

 

Summary: We think river cruising is a terrific experience and will certainly do it again; although APT would not be our first choice, we would not necessarily rule them out. On this particular cruise the experience of travelling such a distance was fascinating, you really saw the influence of the Ottoman Empire on European history. People mention the advantage of “unpacking once” as a benefit of river travel, or how relaxing it is to watch the scenery glide by, and these are certainly enjoyable. However, somehow we felt more aware of history’s impact while using the rivers for our journey, than we have been on our many European trips by road. Because these rivers are the historic thoroughfares. It is this different perspective which we appreciated the most about our river cruise.

 

Post cruise travel in Turkey: Considered doing a package tour but they all included Istanbul and Gallipoli, which we had already visited, and timing wasn’t right. So we put together an independent tour and got a Turkish travel agency, Argeus Travel, to make airline and hotel bookings. (Argeus, based in Urgup, Cappadocia, is well-recommended in guidebooks and the internet). We could have done it by ourselves, but thought we’d like a local agent in case of problems. There were none, and we recommend them. We chose the itinerary and also the hotels. (Based on Trip Advisor as usual -now associated with Cruise Critic, I see).

 

Flew to Kayseri from Istanbul on 27 August with Turkish Airlines. Flight about an hour, new plane; they even serve a decent light meal in that time! Met at airport by transfer van for one hour trip to Urgup. Stayed in Serinn House, a “boutique” cave hotel, which was wonderful (five rooms). Italian designer furniture in a cave, and a hostess who understands everything about ensuring the comfort of her guests. (Check out Trip Advisor for reviews of this and other hotels we used – even mine, when I write them!). Also recommend nearby Ziggy’s restaurant. Next morning up early (5.10am pickup!) for first-ever balloon flight with Kapadokya Balloons. Cost 250 euros each (less discount for cash) for 90 minute flight. Very much worth it – and I am afraid of heights. Back to hotel where lovely Turkish breakfast waited, then independent tour with car and driver. Made it easy to see the places we wanted to see, and spend longer in some places than a standard tour might. Driver spoke little English but that was not a problem; having our own driver, rather than driving ourselves, meant there were no hassles. The flu from our cruise ship was affecting me by this time, so it was fortunate to be able to “call the shots” with our touring routine.

 

Next day an early 7am shuttle to Kayseri to catch plane to Istanbul. From Istanbul another short flight to Izmir. (No direct flights Kayseri – Izmir that day). Again Turkish Airlines was good (barring total chaos at check-in Kayseri) with new planes and a light meal served on a short flight. All flights ran about 30 mins late. Hire car pickup at Izmir airport; then drove to Sirince near Ephesus for two night stay. Our hotel, Nisanyan Evleri, has a hotel section, some very rustic cottages, and some more upmarket village houses. We stayed in one of the houses, Kerevetli Ev (Platform Bed House). Again this was sourced from Trip Advisor. Very interesting place to stay, not a difficult drive from Izmir Airport, except the last part up to the hotel is a bumpy, winding but pretty road. Hotel had a pleasant restaurant for dinner; a breakfast basket was supplied every day. A good base for Ephesus rather than Selcuk; Sirince is an interesting small village (originally Greek) in its own right. Following the advice of the hotel manager we delayed our next day’s visit to Ephesus till late afternoon (open till 7pm); spent the morning exploring pretty Sirince village. Told that the tour groups go first thing in the morning to Ephesus; you cannot avoid them even by going when it opens. Very hot later in the day in summer. After lunch in Sirince went to the Ephesus Museum in Selcuk first. Almost empty, so plenty of opportunity to enjoy their interesting display. Then to Ephesus and not crowded – apparently most unusual. Parked in lower carpark and walked up. Wonderful experience, and the Terrace Houses (at 15 YTL additional entry fee) should not be missed. Mosaics and murals to rival Pompeii.

 

Drove to Izmir airport following day for a late afternoon flight (time to explore Kusadasi en route). Hotel in Istanbul for next three nights was Hotel Sari Konak in Sultanahmet area, another Trip Advisor pick. An excellent choice, very clean, close to the Blue Mosque, lovely views from its roof terrace. No restaurant for dinner ( provided good breakfast buffet in attractive courtyard ), but many choices nearby. Of those we tried, we liked Magnaura; Balicki Sabhattin (expensive for what it was); Havuzlu (tasty food in Grand Bazaar) and Rami (Ottoman food and stunning Blue Mosque view). In these few days able to see some of the things we’d missed, like Topkapi Palace (beautiful and not crowded), Cisterns, Spice Bazaar, Bosporus trip, Grand Bazaar (again). Seemed to be fewer tourists at sights and in restaurants, perhaps because Ramazan started the day after we arrived from Izmir. It was crowded and lively around Blue Mosque. Having lived in Indonesia we wondered if it would be noisy in the evening after the fast was broken, but the double glazing on our hotel’s windows was efficient. In fact we opened the windows to hear the beautiful call to prayer. Our trip ended in Istanbul, it was good to spend some extra time in Turkey, not long enough of course – we know full well this extra time was still too rushed!

 

Overall, both the cruise and independent touring, this was certainly one of our better trips.

[AZPam]

Wow! Really enjoyed reading about your trip, so thanks for posting. It will be many years before I can hope to go on such a long trip, so it was great to experience it thru your review.

[Emma Chisit]

Thanks AZPam. We Aussies tend to take long trips - we are so far from anywhere, especially Europe, that we have to maximize the time away. I do sometimes miss the days when we lived in the US and could get over to Europe for a quick trip.

[SuJaDon]

Emma

 

Fantastic Report. Job well done :) :) :) 11/10 hehe

 

Sue who was also on the same River Cruise

[Emma Chisit]

Thanks Sue. Good trip, wasn't it. It was fun to relive it by writing a report. Now I can do some Trip Advisor reviews! Cheers D

[hannmorr]

Thanks "Emma" for your great postings- the one about illness on the ship resonated as I was one of the unlucky ones struck down by the virus early in the cruise and missed a lot of excursions as I was too sick to do them. I agree that the ship sanitation and precaations against spread of illness was lacking and don't know if you heard this but over 95% of passengers became ill which must be something of a record. My opinions of the cruise were overshadowed by the virus' ill effects (and I don't think I have ever been so ill before) but in general I agreed with your comments about the ship, the cabin (we had the same type of cabin as you did), the itinerary, mixed quality guides and the great staff (many of whom were working while sick and probably spread the illness too). The whole illness thing was handled badly in my opinion, and finding out that a doctor would be coming on board was a matter of luck and "Chinese whispers" rather than a simple announcement over the PA system. I have travelled a lot, both independently and on tours and on large cruise ships inclusing QE2 but I feel very wary about recommending European river cruises after my experience and having read the many posts about sickness on the river ships but clearly some ships manage it better than others! I am still not fully recovered either and I do feel very upset and disappointed that my trip was so wrecked in this way. I hope that you are well again .

Cheers from a fellow traveller:)

 

 

 

 

Ship. Lounge, dining room, decks adequate for our group (105); ship’s load is 128 for an APT chartered cruise, 160 otherwise. Small lobby, with a few chairs near computer and tea/coffee station. Two sundecks - upper sundeck closed most of early part of cruise (low bridges). No sunshade, only big umbrellas. Bikes available. Library, fitness room and spa. No onboard shop, some souvenir items on sale, including good maps of the rivers (recommended). Surprisingly worn-looking for a two-year old ship. Décor not to my taste (subjective, I know), prefer style of the Amadeus ships. Greatest asset of this ship is its staff, always friendly and helpful.

 

Cabin. OK size-wise; room to stow everything in cupboards, under bed. We had French balcony cabin (Danubedeck, top deck) on starboard side. Two ugly, uncomfortable, space-hogging chairs; small table, plus desk chair. In-room safe, no minibar. A/C individually controlled; cabin got very hot after a day with sun shining on it, even with curtains drawn. Queen bed OK, pillows lumpy. Basic bathroom (cheap-looking finishes). Complicated shower arrangement (no instructions), also shower pipe became too hot to the touch. Mediocre quality bed linen and towels (some ragged edges). Terrycloth robes. Cabin also looked worn - ink stain in centre of bedspread, faux leather headboard faded, one chair’s upholstery coming apart. Found couple of small items from previous occupants in cupboards, as did at least one other passenger I talked to. Have posted elsewhere on this under “Illness on cruise ships”. Cleaning staff worked hard and were pleasant; some did a better job than others. Bottled water (2) each day. Toiletries in cabin on embarkation not automatically replenished. Laundry service OK quality, reasonably priced (2.50 euros shirt/blouse). Many European TV channels - only Sky News, BBC in English. Didn’t watch much – but the Olympics were on! Reception drops out. NO internet connection in cabin, one computer supplied in lobby for all passengers. (For a while there was a second one). Slow connection when available.

 

Dining. Food surprisingly good for mass cooking; plated food attractively presented. Fresh fruit available at meals and lobby tea/coffee station. Nice fresh salad bar at buffet lunch. Some regional food. Food is subjective, would rate this at least as good as our meals on Celebrity Millennium taste-wise. Wine & beer at dinner included; wine quite ordinary & varied little. We certainly did not always get the wine of the region we were travelling through, nor was it available for purchase in the bar. (A glass of Moselle while sailing down the Mosel would have been nice, but unavailable.) Meal times varied slightly according to tours. Open seating - table size from four upwards. Buffet breakfast and lunch - could also order one or two items a la carte. Dinner menu had choice of two items for each course (five), plus a vegetarian main course option. Additionally, earlybird pastries available, also afternoon tea and a late-night snack. Tea and coffee machine in lobby with fruit basket and biscuits. Some chipped crockery should have been replaced. Dining room roof leaked twice, once over table where we were sitting, and in other places such as over the toaster on the buffet (!).

 

Entertainment. Varied, interesting and appropriate to the area. Something almost every day.

Information. Library on board with good selection, games too. Daily “newspaper” of world news, plus special Olympics edition. Additional information sheets provided by CD. Good port maps available at reception. Daily ship’s newsletter “On Board News” informative, occasionally inaccurate. They have a “boilerplate” bulletin, sometimes forgot to edit. For example in Passau there was a suggestion to see Glass Museum (only open 1pm to 5pm) and also to attend famous noon organ recital in the cathedral – however the ship sailed at noon! On Sunday 17 August the “On Board News” informed us that “This morning the MS Amadagio docks in Mohacs.” ?!

 

Passengers. The “hook” for us, and others, was Gallipoli, of special significance to Australians and New Zealanders. Most passengers were from Australia, with two from NZ and two Tennesseans travelling with their Aussie friends. Average age sixty-ish. Eighteen in the group were sold a shorter cruise to Budapest, apparently made available closer to sailing date.

Tipping was included in cruise cost;people gave extra anyway, the staff were so nice.

 

Tours: These were almost all included in the cruise price.Used Vox machines which let you wander away from guide. Almost always an easy walking option. Some guides interpreted this as more standing around, not always good for sore knees or bad backs! Of the guided tours we took, more than half the guides were too long-winded, which affected amount of free time available after the tour. No mechanism for feedback on guides after a tour (eg by rating form), though about half-way through our CD asked us to tell her if we felt a guide wasn’t good. From this experience I would in future choose a cruise where shore excursions are optional, and do only those where it was more convenient to have a guide, eg for transport reasons.

Itinerary: Often I felt that the ship seemed focused only on the process of sailing from port to port, rather than optimizing the sightseeing experience. Sometimes we arrived too early or too late for some things, sometimes we simply were not in port long enough. The cruise itself is the experience rather than seeing a particular place, I guess, but we also seemed to have an itinerary at times which was illogical for sightseeing. Anyone thinking about this itinerary should also be aware that there is a lot of bus travel involved in the last few days, and these were tiring days. It might be better to start in Istanbul to do the more demanding part first.

You may choose a cruise because of a particular itinerary, but you may not necessarily get it. We know ocean cruises miss ports due to bad weather (have experienced this; hadn’t known however before booking that an itinerary could change due to river levels. We didn’t experience this, but three months before departure APT advised an itinerary change “due to changes in the sailing schedule” which meant that we could visit either Munich or Nuremberg, but not both. APT compensated for the missed tour and also added two additional meals, but we were disappointed.

 

Advice: Ships often dock next to each other, you walk through their lobbies to reach the shore. Fun because of the sticky-beaking potential, but it also means that you might go to sleep one night with your curtains open, then wake up with another ship alongside and the occupants waving smilingly. The cabins can seem dark too, with the other ship blocking the light.

When you are evaluating itineraries, work out where you might be on a Sunday, as this will affect what is open; in Germany & Austria especially no shops are open. If there is a particular museum you want to visit, make sure your only day in that port won’t be the day it is closed (often a Monday). In Istanbul anyone on our trip who went home immediately at the end of the tour would have missed seeing one of the great sights, Topkapi Palace, as it was closed Tuesday.

Health: I posted on this elsewhere under “Illness on cruise ships”. We embarked on a ship where many had been ill on the previous cruise. Many got the flu on ours, some were very sick and it affected their trip, one couple had to return home early. We were lucky, but caught it at the end, which impacted on our enjoyment of our post-cruise tour of Turkey. It is the luck of the draw when on group tour; other people bring the flu from home, or catch it on the plane. There were hand sanitizers (religiously used) and sneeze bars, but I think that because all these ships turn around cabins the same day it is hard to adequately sanitize them between guests when illness is present. Wonder how often A/C filters are changed, pillows and duvets cleaned?

 

Summary: We think river cruising is a terrific experience and will certainly do it again; although APT would not be our first choice, we would not necessarily rule them out. On this particular cruise the experience of travelling such a distance was fascinating, you really saw the influence of the Ottoman Empire on European history. People mention the advantage of “unpacking once” as a benefit of river travel, or how relaxing it is to watch the scenery glide by, and these are certainly enjoyable. However, somehow we felt more aware of history’s impact while using the rivers for our journey, than we have been on our many European trips by road. Because these rivers are the historic thoroughfares. It is this different perspective which we appreciated the most about our river cruise.

 

Post cruise travel in Turkey: Considered doing a package tour but they all included Istanbul and Gallipoli, which we had already visited, and timing wasn’t right. So we put together an independent tour and got a Turkish travel agency, Argeus Travel, to make airline and hotel bookings. (Argeus, based in Urgup, Cappadocia, is well-recommended in guidebooks and the internet). We could have done it by ourselves, but thought we’d like a local agent in case of problems. There were none, and we recommend them. We chose the itinerary and also the hotels. (Based on Trip Advisor as usual -now associated with Cruise Critic, I see).

 

Flew to Kayseri from Istanbul on 27 August with Turkish Airlines. Flight about an hour, new plane; they even serve a decent light meal in that time! Met at airport by transfer van for one hour trip to Urgup. Stayed in Serinn House, a “boutique” cave hotel, which was wonderful (five rooms). Italian designer furniture in a cave, and a hostess who understands everything about ensuring the comfort of her guests. (Check out Trip Advisor for reviews of this and other hotels we used – even mine, when I write them!). Also recommend nearby Ziggy’s restaurant. Next morning up early (5.10am pickup!) for first-ever balloon flight with Kapadokya Balloons. Cost 250 euros each (less discount for cash) for 90 minute flight. Very much worth it – and I am afraid of heights. Back to hotel where lovely Turkish breakfast waited, then independent tour with car and driver. Made it easy to see the places we wanted to see, and spend longer in some places than a standard tour might. Driver spoke little English but that was not a problem; having our own driver, rather than driving ourselves, meant there were no hassles. The flu from our cruise ship was affecting me by this time, so it was fortunate to be able to “call the shots” with our touring routine.

 

Next day an early 7am shuttle to Kayseri to catch plane to Istanbul. From Istanbul another short flight to Izmir. (No direct flights Kayseri – Izmir that day). Again Turkish Airlines was good (barring total chaos at check-in Kayseri) with new planes and a light meal served on a short flight. All flights ran about 30 mins late. Hire car pickup at Izmir airport; then drove to Sirince near Ephesus for two night stay. Our hotel, Nisanyan Evleri, has a hotel section, some very rustic cottages, and some more upmarket village houses. We stayed in one of the houses, Kerevetli Ev (Platform Bed House). Again this was sourced from Trip Advisor. Very interesting place to stay, not a difficult drive from Izmir Airport, except the last part up to the hotel is a bumpy, winding but pretty road. Hotel had a pleasant restaurant for dinner; a breakfast basket was supplied every day. A good base for Ephesus rather than Selcuk; Sirince is an interesting small village (originally Greek) in its own right. Following the advice of the hotel manager we delayed our next day’s visit to Ephesus till late afternoon (open till 7pm); spent the morning exploring pretty Sirince village. Told that the tour groups go first thing in the morning to Ephesus; you cannot avoid them even by going when it opens. Very hot later in the day in summer. After lunch in Sirince went to the Ephesus Museum in Selcuk first. Almost empty, so plenty of opportunity to enjoy their interesting display. Then to Ephesus and not crowded – apparently most unusual. Parked in lower carpark and walked up. Wonderful experience, and the Terrace Houses (at 15 YTL additional entry fee) should not be missed. Mosaics and murals to rival Pompeii.

 

Drove to Izmir airport following day for a late afternoon flight (time to explore Kusadasi en route). Hotel in Istanbul for next three nights was Hotel Sari Konak in Sultanahmet area, another Trip Advisor pick. An excellent choice, very clean, close to the Blue Mosque, lovely views from its roof terrace. No restaurant for dinner ( provided good breakfast buffet in attractive courtyard ), but many choices nearby. Of those we tried, we liked Magnaura; Balicki Sabhattin (expensive for what it was); Havuzlu (tasty food in Grand Bazaar) and Rami (Ottoman food and stunning Blue Mosque view). In these few days able to see some of the things we’d missed, like Topkapi Palace (beautiful and not crowded), Cisterns, Spice Bazaar, Bosporus trip, Grand Bazaar (again). Seemed to be fewer tourists at sights and in restaurants, perhaps because Ramazan started the day after we arrived from Izmir. It was crowded and lively around Blue Mosque. Having lived in Indonesia we wondered if it would be noisy in the evening after the fast was broken, but the double glazing on our hotel’s windows was efficient. In fact we opened the windows to hear the beautiful call to prayer. Our trip ended in Istanbul, it was good to spend some extra time in Turkey, not long enough of course – we know full well this extra time was still too rushed!

 

Overall, both the cruise and independent touring, this was certainly one of our better trips.

[SuJaDon]

hannmorr - Sorry to see that you are still not 100%. We felt so sorry for you and your travelling friends. Charlie and I were both lucky as we were one of the very few who didn't get sick although after leaving the ship we both came down with a very slight cough which didn't eventuate into anything else. Thankgoodness.

Sue

[Emma Chisit]

Hi Hannmorr. Thanks for your comments. Sorry to hear you are still feeling the after effects of the “Sound of Music” bug. We were lucky, it didn’t get us till the end, and we didn’t get too bad a dose, though it did affect our post-cruise travel in Turkey. ( Still have a lingering cough, actually.) I agree that the majority were affected by flu, some like you very badly.

From CC postings, it seems that some other ships also had the flu bug on board this year; while others were reported as being illness free. It’s difficult to know how widespread illness on these ships is - as only a small proportion of cruisers post on Cruise Critic. Earlier postings on CC have discussed illness in other years; on the Frommer boards I found a discussion of flu on Rhine cruises in 2007. Doesn’t seem to be much study of flu on cruise ships by medical researchers, norovirus is the one which gets the attention because cases have to be reported. Nothing seems to be required when the illness is flu; yet if you are laid low for weeks with flu, as happened to some on our cruise, it’s quite devastating for your holiday.

It creates ideal conditions for spreading sickness with people cooped up in confined spaces. People on river cruises tend to be older, maybe with more susceptible immune systems. Maybe it’s luck whether you catch it; maybe some ships do a better job with sanitizing. I’d guess an important culprit is the A/C, maybe also the bedding. Sneeze bars and hand sanitizers are helpful, (and as you know they were used on our ship) but they are only one aspect of dealing with the problem. For norovirus, CDC requires that self-serve buffets be suspended; this precaution would be good for flu also, in my opinion.

Good point that it would have been helpful to know when a doctor was visiting the ship, hope you passed on this suggestion to APT.

Because we were lucky and were not badly affected by the flu, we enjoyed the trip. I would recommend a river cruise, yet I would also point out the possibility of catching the flu, especially to anyone whose immune system might be impaired. People will say that you can catch flu on the plane on the way over, or if you are on a bus trip rather than a cruise. This is quite true; however on a river cruise you have more exposure to the bugs, as you are with the same group for longer periods, day and night.

[newnanna]

Even though I am only 47, I always get a yearly flu shot- this year I had to wait as the injection was in short supply and only given to people considered in need- people over 65, those with lung problems etc.

I also travel with Tamiflu. Tamiflu became famous for during the bird flu epidemic- and that made it difficult to get , but supply is back to normal.

The important thing with tamiflu- you must start it within 24hrs of getting the flu for it to work successfully.

[hannmorr]

Hi newnanna

I also have a flu shot every year but liked your reminder about Tamiflu and thanks for that- have you ever used it? Any unwanted effects?

[itil4get09]

Ship. Lounge, dining room, decks adequate for our group (105); ship’s load is 128 for an APT chartered cruise, 160 otherwise. Small lobby, with a few chairs near computer and tea/coffee station. Two sundecks - upper sundeck closed most of early part of cruise (low bridges). No sunshade, only big umbrellas. Bikes available. Library, fitness room and spa. No onboard shop, some souvenir items on sale, including good maps of the rivers (recommended). Surprisingly worn-looking for a two-year old ship. Décor not to my taste (subjective, I know), prefer style of the Amadeus ships. Greatest asset of this ship is its staff, always friendly and helpful.

 

Cabin. OK size-wise; room to stow everything in cupboards, under bed. We had French balcony cabin (Danubedeck, top deck) on starboard side. Two ugly, uncomfortable, space-hogging chairs; small table, plus desk chair. In-room safe, no minibar. A/C individually controlled; cabin got very hot after a day with sun shining on it, even with curtains drawn. Queen bed OK, pillows lumpy. Basic bathroom (cheap-looking finishes). Complicated shower arrangement (no instructions), also shower pipe became too hot to the touch. Mediocre quality bed linen and towels (some ragged edges). Terrycloth robes. Cabin also looked worn - ink stain in centre of bedspread, faux leather headboard faded, one chair’s upholstery coming apart. Found couple of small items from previous occupants in cupboards, as did at least one other passenger I talked to. Have posted elsewhere on this under “Illness on cruise ships”. Cleaning staff worked hard and were pleasant; some did a better job than others. Bottled water (2) each day. Toiletries in cabin on embarkation not automatically replenished. Laundry service OK quality, reasonably priced (2.50 euros shirt/blouse). Many European TV channels - only Sky News, BBC in English. Didn’t watch much – but the Olympics were on! Reception drops out. NO internet connection in cabin, one computer supplied in lobby for all passengers. (For a while there was a second one). Slow connection when available.

 

Hi, here are two Aussies considering booking a Budapest to Amsterdam river cruise on Sound of Music in June or ms Excellence in July. We didn't realise APT do not own the ships as listed in their brochure. Looking through this Forum, there're good reviews for AMAWaterways and their ships. Yours is the only one we can find on Sound of Music and none so far for ms Excellence. We're most attracted to the itinerary but after reading your comments we are not so keen on the ship. Any advice to help us would be appreciated.

[SuJaDon]

We were on the Sound of Music river cruise with Emmachrisit. The ship was apparently one of the older ones that cruise the waterways of Europe but we have stayed in a lot worse hotels in our years of travelling abroad. It certainly wasn't 5 star but there was nothing wrong with it. The cruise was magic and we would have no hesitation in doing another cruise aboard the Sound of Music with APT. My only gripe with the cruise was that there was only one computer to be shared with everyone on the ship and also the "bug" that laid quite a number of people out for quite a number of days. This apparently can happen on any cruise and I believe that this was due to a passenger on a previous cruise bringing the "bug" from Australia with her. She was sick before she left Australia and wouldn't go to the doctor before she went on holidays because she knew the doctor wouldn't let her travel. A very selfish and inconsiderate person and unfortunately the "Sound of Music" was blamed for this when in fact it was a fellow countryman.

Sue

[itil4get09]

We were on the Sound of Music river cruise with Emmachrisit. The ship was apparently one of the older ones that cruise the waterways of Europe but we have stayed in a lot worse hotels in our years of travelling abroad. It certainly wasn't 5 star but there was

Thank you v much Sue for your info. Yes I've also read Emmachrisit's separate report on the "bug". I was given a rather glowing report on ms Amalegro, another ship leased by APT, by another fellow Aussie CC then I found Emmachrisit's not too glowing report on the Sound of Music. Anyway many thanks for your taking time/trouble to help.

[Emma Chisit]

Hi there to itil4get09 and SuJaDon

Have been over on the P & O board (because we booked a short cruise for next month which was too cheap to pass up!). Now I am back having a look at the River Cruise boards (because we might do a Rhone cruise this year), and I see that you have been commenting on my review of the “Sound of Music” cruise. I would not hesitate to consider APT’s “Sound of Music” for the itinerary we did - Amsterdam to Istanbul. It might not be 5 star, as Sue said, but had many positive features (especially its staff). I think that AMA Waterways ships and Scenic Tours ships might be more luxurious (and expensive), but even so, there have been people dissatisfied with those cruises, judging by CC forums. I’d agree with Sue the main gripes were the flu bug and the lack of computer access. We did catch the “flu bug” towards the end of the cruise and it did affect our post cruise touring in Turkey. I didn’t mention in my review (because it sounded too much like whining!) that I was too ill in Cappadocia to even walk uphill to the Goreme cave paintings, something I have wanted to see for decades. Such a disappointment! If you read hannmorr’s comments above, she was one of those whose cruise was adversely affected by the flu bug, right from the start. To the point where she missed a lot of the cruise (as did others). Yes, as Sue says, it only takes one person to bring the flu on board. In our case we were told it was already there from the previous cruise. That is luck, unfortunately. All these ships turn the cabins around so fast, whether this contributes to the illness problem is a matter for debate. Like Sue, I thought river cruising was wonderful, and would certainly do it again. I think the main thing is to choose an itinerary that interests you, and heed the suggestions on CC about staying healthy in the unfortunate event your ship is one that has illness on board. And remember that a great many people cruise without ever having any experience of illness on their cruise. One thing to remember with river cruising, which we didn’t know in advance, is that if river levels are too high or low you might have to leave the ship and do some of the trip by bus. It didn’t happen to us, but it is as well to be aware of the possibility. There has been a lot of discussion on the CC boards in the past about this.

[mleth]

We were on the Sound of Music from Amsterdam to Istanbul last mid September to October. The weather was very cold and had to go and buy scarves, gloves etc. We found the crew very friendly the meals good and our cruise director marvelous. I agree about cabins etc but did not find this an distraction. The bathroom was nearly as big as the one on the Emerald Princess. They had two computers during our trip. As to the long winded local tour guides I would have to a agree but our tour director started to recommend that they give a shorter version(aussie style.) We found at times we had our time cut short at some castles etc for people to go shopping we found this frustrating. We were unable to sail up to Cochem due to high water levels so were bused up. The trip from Budapest to Rousse on the lower Danube was such a contrast to the upper Rhine. I found it more relaxing(I had the flu by this time.) Loved the Iron Gate sailing. The 3 days on the bus where tiring but such a reward at the end. The town of Veliko Bulgaria was a hidden gem. Gallipoli and Instanbul was the icing on the cake.

[Emma Chisit]

The trip from Budapest to Rousse on the lower Danube was such a contrast to the upper Rhine. I found it more relaxing(I had the flu by this time.) Loved the Iron Gate sailing. The 3 days on the bus where tiring but such a reward at the end. The town of Veliko Bulgaria was a hidden gem. Gallipoli and Instanbul was the icing on the cake.

I agree, the part of the cruise from Budapest to Roussse was fascinating, and so different from the rest of the cruise up until then. We were so glad we did the trip all the way from Amsterdam to Istanbul and would definitely recommend this itinerary if you are able to do it. We had travelled through Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania and Bulgaria back in 1980 (in a campervan, and that was an experience I can tell you), so it was interesting to see the changes. Sorry to hear you had the flu on your trip. Was Elke your Cruise director? She was our CD and did a good job.

[mleth]

His name was Bartel Tourny.

[Emma Chisit]

His name was Bartel Tourny.

Different CD, then.:) Our CD said she was in effect an independent contractor, inasmuch as she didn't work directly for the tour operator (like APT) or for the cruise ship. Pretty good life I reckon..