Danube River Cruises

Customer Reviews

Balkan Discovery Cruise
★★★★★ by P.Martin

This was our first river cruise and we were unsure what to expect. Our apprehensions were immediately dispelled by Bart, our cruise director, who met us at the Athenee Hilton Hotel in Bucharest. Bart proved to be an excellent cruise director guiding us through 4 countries, two time zones and several very interesting destinations.

The vessel (as the Austrian Captain liked to call it) was a new one for 2016 and was outstandingly well equipped. We thoroughly enjoyed the open seating plan in the dining room together with a very high standard of cuisine and the flexibility the dining arrangements allowed. We joined in some of the included tours, all of which were well organised, highly informative and led by English speaking guides who were both knowledgeable about the sights we visited and enthusiastic about the countries they represented, taking time to explain some of the history and culture of the regions. All tours were in good class air-conditioned coaches and headsets provided.

We visited Orthodox churches, Christian cathedrals, castles, forts, rock formations, caves, monasteries, mountain retreats and archeological sites. We tasted local spirits and foods and listened to an organ recital in a Hungarian cathedral. Onboard, we had lectures on Communism, demonstrations of iconography, folk dancing and a talk by an Bulgarian orthodox priest in addition to the nightly entertainment from the resident pianist and a show from the ships crew. There was also time for free exploration at the ports of call - a feature which the cruise director encouraged by providing us with detailed maps of the area and synopses of the places we might visit. Being used to this sort of travel in the past we much appreciated this aspect of the cruise.

The highlight of this cruise was for us the passing through the grand locks and the cruise through the mighty Iron Gates gorge in Serbia. A truly wonderful experience. Disembarkation in Budapest to the Intercontinental hotel was smooth as were all transfers and VIP door to door service. On the vessel, on the tours and in the transfers all people spoke English. Most of our fellow travellers were US some Canadians and a few British.

This holiday exceeded our expectations by miles. We must thank Blue Water for finding it for us and negotiating such a good deal. We would recommend Blue Water and particularly Avalon Waterways to any one who is looking for a stimulating and exciting travel experience. .......and that is from 70yr olds who have travelled a lot. Thank you again for bringing this tour to us.

The Romantic Danube
★★★★★ by F.Brown

The river boat was immaculate, well run, and luxurious. The food was excellent and the moving scenery beautiful. Lots of excursions and something new every day, great fun.

River Danube Christmas Markets With Amawaterways
★★★★★ by S.Brown

We were welcomed onboard AmaLyra by friendly faces at reception. After settling in to our spacious cabin, we made our way down to the Lounge for a Welcome Talk by the Captain before going down to the restaurant.

For lunch and dinner there was a choice of meals, and some extra options incase you didnt want any of the main meals...steak and chips was often very popular amongst all the guests! Some of the dishes on the main menu included local delicacies.

We spent our first evening on the sun deck, taking in the views of the Budapest Illuminations as we cruised along the River Danube.

Each evening when we returned to our cabains, we found a schedule for the next day so we knew what the plan was. There were plenty of excursions available to suit all interests and fitness levels.

Visiting the Christmas markets in each of the towns, particularly Vienna and Budapest made it a very special way to see in the festive season

Would I recommend this cruises - I certainly would!