DANUBE RIVER CRUISE

 19th June 2025

A part of the Danube.

I booked this trip 'on-line' at short notice. Actually not quite true; a friend of a (German) friend of mine booked it and he had to cancel so I took his place!  It is not my normal mode of travel as it involves an 8 day organised and 'guided tour' cruise down the river Danube from Passau (Germany) to Budapest (Hungary) and back to Passau. It is due to stop at various other places en-route. It started on the 19th June at London Heathrow for a 9.00am flight to Munich. A group of about 30 of us were met at the airport (Terminal 2) by the travel company rep. From then on we were more or less under close (and helpful, I hasten to add) supervision! The flight arrived at Munich at 11.45am (L). Met by another company rep and then herded onto a coach for the 1.5hr journey to Passau at the south-east corner of Germany near the Austrian border. As an aside, on this coach trip, I noticed an extraordinary amount of 'solar panels' in fields and on most buildings! Many many more than you see in the UK.

Passau is a very picturesque riverside town with a beautiful cathedral and a Town Hall with an impressive (automated) bell-ringing session. The bus stopped for us to listen to it.  We arrived at the river quay and escorted onto our luxurious boat tethered there, The Amadeus Imperial.

Left: Our 'boat', the Amadeus Imperial (at a later stop). It is 443ft (135m) long, 37.5ft (11.4m) wide and has four decks including a large 'sun-deck' on top. There is a crew of 51! (no skimping there). 

We were settled in the large lounge/bar area for a welcome and briefing by the two, most efficient, ladies in charge (Debbie and Karen). 

We were then joined by a large  contingent of passengers who had travelled (under supervision) from London to Passau over the previous two days. The total passengers now 142! It must be said, without appearing too rude, that the majority were of a fairly 'mature' appearance and many armed with walking sticks. They were predominantly British, with a small group of Americans. 

Right: The route (click on to enlarge) from Passau (on the left) to Budapest (on the right, and back to Passau. It took us through Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary with various stops on the way there and back. River distance from Passau to Budapest is 362 miles (583km).

As a matter of interest the 'Blue' Danube is the second longest river in Europe (2,857km) stretching from the Black Forest in Germany to the Black Sea in Romania. The Volga is the longest (3,530km).

We are due to visit (and have guided tours of); Emmersdorf (Schallaburg Castle), Dürnstein (Wachau Valley Vineyards), Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava and Linz before arriving back at Passau on the 26th. Then coach to Munich and flight back to London Heathrow.

Left: We were introduced to the staff in charge of various aspects of the boat's services and admin (which resembled those of a 5 star hotel).

Right:….including the Chef de Cuisine, who received a round of applause.

Left: …….and the Captain. He is called Tom (forgotten his surname), and gave an amusing little speech. He told us that he had been employed on these cruises on various European rivers for 40 years. His wife calls him 'Tom Cruise'….cue many laughs.

Right: My cabin. This was of the 'cheapest' variety being on a lower deck on the water-line. It was nevertheless very comfortable with all mod cons including a TV showing most channels; not the BBC, thankfully, but Sky News and CNN etc. Cabin service was impeccable. Good WiFi throughout the boat.

The days are fully programmed with both on-shore tours and on-board 'entertainments'. We were provided (they were put in our cabins as well as displayed elsewhere), a daily 'programme of events' (example left). There was also a daily evening 'briefing' in the lounge to keep us informed. All so efficient and organised!  I tried to participate in most of them, hence not much time, or inclination, to write these reports!

The days were punctuated by meals. They are sumptuous! Self-service breakfast, lunch (both self-service in the lounge and table-service in the restaurant) and tea (at 4.00pm) followed by an extraordinarily elaborate 5 course 'table service' Dinner, with complementary wine, at 7.00pm. It was superb, and much more than I could eat. Right: A typical Dinner menu.

The numerous serving staff were incredibly helpful and cheerful. For some reason several came from Bali

I am not used to this degree of luxury!

Left: The 3rd floor lounge and bar. I think people here were queueing for tea.

At some point we cast off and set sail towards Emmersdorf through the heavily forested steep hilly riverside and towards the wine growing area of the Wachau valley. We passed many pretty villages and 'schlosses' up on the hilltops. 

I read that there are 12 locks to be negotiated on the way downstream to Budapest. We came to the first one shortly after departure (left). These involve negotiating the boat through a remarkably narrow passage with just inches to spare on either side. As far as I was aware we never even scraped the side. I asked the Captain at some point how they did it. Were there 'sensors' to keep the boat straight and off the walls?. "No", he said. "just skill".

I was then 'reprimanded' (politely) for referring to this vessel as a 'boat'. He told me, in no uncertain terms, that it is a 'ship'!! So there!

That was just Day1. I am well behind writing these reports as I have spent much time on the guided tours, the on-board entertainments and in the restaurant. I hope to catch up eventually!