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EnglandCreated 1 month ago
Updated 1 month ago
Our Delights of the Danube cruise in early July 2025 was very much a holiday of two halves.
The Cruise (Amadeus) – Excellent! The ship itself was luxurious—our cabin on Deck 3 was spacious and well-maintained, with housekeeping attending three times a day. The food was outstanding in both quality and variety. A word of advice: meal times are strictly structured—if lunch is listed as 12-2 or dinner as 7-9, the first course is served promptly at those times. Arrive late, and you’ll miss it! Breakfast was a relaxed buffet with an impressive spread.
The Rail & Land Tour (Great Rail Journeys) – Disappointing Unfortunately, the experience off the ship fell far short of expectations.
Eurostar "First Class" Misleading Advertised as "Premier First Class," it was actually Economy Plus—a noticeable downgrade. Allow at least two hours for customs and passport control.
Subpar Hotels & Dining The pre-cruise hotels in Frankfurt and Cologne were barely three-star—more akin to budget business hotels, with unappetising, lukewarm buffet meals served in plastic-tray restaurants. The Linz hotel was a welcome exception (proper four-star with decent food), proving GRJ can do better—so why not everywhere?
Broken Promises Advertised coach transfers and guided tours frequently didn’t materialise, leaving us to haul luggage through stations and streets. Lunch wasn’t provided on rail days, adding to the hassle.
DeutscheBahn Chaos First Class? More like "slightly wider seats." Dirty toilets, distant restaurant cars (if available at all), and constant battles for reserved seats (other passengers routinely ignored allocations). Delays were frequent, stranding our group of 38 on platforms for hours. Luggage storage was deemed unsafe due to thieves, forcing us to heave cases overhead—then scramble off in a frantic three-minute window via steep, crowded steps. A nightmare for anyone with mobility issues.
Rushed, Repetitive Excursions Pre- and post-cruise tours felt hurried, with a heavy emphasis on cathedrals (how many church ceilings can one trip need?). Early starts (9 AM departures) left no room for rest, and the pace was challenging for those with limited mobility. We often abandoned the group to explore independently.
"Enrichment" That Missed the Mark Onboard GRJ guides delivered dull PowerPoint lectures (read verbatim) focused narrowly on WWII—hardly the engaging "conversation" promised. An Ofsted inspector would’ve rated it "Inadequate."