Danube River Cruise Trip Report - Vilshofen to Budapest, 29 Jul - 4 Aug 2016

I don't think we formally met -- one of the downsides of the larger ABD group. We were traveling with our daughter and 2 sons (some of the JAs in your first post), and were with another family with 2 boys. It seemed like there were a lot of larger groups on the trip (I guess we may have qualified as one with our 9) which I think also hindered socializing a bit on the ship.

To answer the question above about how kids enjoyed it, our 3 kids - ages 12, 10 and 10 - really enjoyed it. All the kids on the trip seemed to get along well, and enjoyed eating dinner together in the lounge each night and made great use of the pool. Mine would probably rank this below our other ABD (which was South Africa, so perhaps not a fair comparison), but pretty high on their overall vacation rating scale. And I really liked the convenience of the ship - we did another week total in pre and post days in Prague and Budapest and it was nice to have the cruise in the middle to unpack and not worry about meals or activities for the week.
 
Thanks for this report. Having done the Westbound cruise from Budapest to Vilshofen, it was interesting to see the differences that the opposite direction made to the itinerary. Not a lot of differences, but still interesting. It was also interesting hearing about the wine tasting, as everyone I talked to did the Mozart concert (and it *was* warm, no denying that!)

(Oh, just thought I'd mention, Katerina is actually from the Czech Republic, not Germany. :) )

Thanks again, I really enjoyed your report!

Sayhello
 
Really enjoyed the report and all the great pics! Thanks so much for posting! Sounds like a lot if fun. Do you think your kids would have enjoyed? Any idea what the breakdown was on your cruise?

My kids (17 and 19) would have LOVED this trip! One thing, though, that I heard a parent say at the end was that at several venues, the kids were taken off as a group and did something completely separate from us which I thought was great but the parent was pointing out how that wasn't ideal as they couldn't share in the experience with them and get pictures (but I'm sure that the Guide took a bunch of pics). It was a good point, I'm not sure how I would have felt about that if my kids were younger - the 2 previous ABDs that we did, the kids were with us the whole time during the day. The parents were, of course, always welcome to join them if they wanted to. I probably won't be very good at guessing how many kids there were but I saw a range of about maybe 5 years of age through teens. The little girl (I'm just guessing she was around 5) was very precocious and outgoing. She seemed to do really well with all the activities and the Guides. I'm sure a lot of that depends on the kid's personality. The Guides, OTOH, were AWESOME with the kids - so incredibly patient. I think maybe there were a dozen kids on the cruise.

Thanks for a great report. I appreciated your thoughts on the different excursions and your summary. Hope you'll do something similar for your Galapagos trip next year :)

Hope to do the same. Galapagos will be so different because we'll have Rhys with us and I'm not a big fan of water - like being in it. :scared: I can't wait though!
 
I don't think we formally met -- one of the downsides of the larger ABD group. We were traveling with our daughter and 2 sons (some of the JAs in your first post), and were with another family with 2 boys. It seemed like there were a lot of larger groups on the trip (I guess we may have qualified as one with our 9) which I think also hindered socializing a bit on the ship.

Yes, definitely one of the differences from a traditional ABD. We didn't really meet a lot of other Adventurers - especially the ones who were busy with kids. Even just the 4 of us tended to stick together most everywhere we went. You're right, there did seem to be a lot of bigger groups - I think one of the bigger ones had over a dozen traveling together.
 


Thanks for this report. Having done the Westbound cruise from Budapest to Vilshofen, it was interesting to see the differences that the opposite direction made to the itinerary. Not a lot of differences, but still interesting. It was also interesting hearing about the wine tasting, as everyone I talked to did the Mozart concert (and it *was* warm, no denying that!)

(Oh, just thought I'd mention, Katerina is actually from the Czech Republic, not Germany. :) )

Thanks again, I really enjoyed your report!

Sayhello

I really wanted to go to the Mozart concert (I play violin) but the wine house surprised me - it was so charming and fun in a different way. The weather was comfortable for us outside. We just happened to sit at a big table so there were 6 other people with us that we got to interact with. I'm awful with names but they sure were nice and I'm glad we didn't sit at a table just for 4 - wouldn't have been as much fun.
 
I really wanted to go to the Mozart concert (I play violin) but the wine house surprised me - it was so charming and fun in a different way. The weather was comfortable for us outside. We just happened to sit at a big table so there were 6 other people with us that we got to interact with. I'm awful with names but they sure were nice and I'm glad we didn't sit at a table just for 4 - wouldn't have been as much fun.
I usually try to sit at a large table for the same reason. Unfortunately, there were way too many folks who went straight to the 4-top, so you never got a chance to interact with or know them.

Sayhello
 


thanks for taking the time to report back. Sounds like you had fun.
 
Thank you for such a detailed trip report. We were on the same river cruise the week before you starting in Budapest to Germany. We had 3 generations on our trip. My mother, my 12 year old daughter and myself. The guides were wonderful with the kids. My daughter especially loved Birte. I enjoyed reading about the trip in the opposite direction! It was a phenomenal trip!
 
I will echo the same sentiments as others and thank you for such a detailed trip report! I was already sold in the river cruise after Calypso's report,but it is always great to read more reports and see how much people have enjoyed it. Looks like you guys definitely enjoyed your trip! And it is great to know how well they handle allergies. My sister-in-law has talked about a trip when my niece and nephew get older (they are 6 and 7 now). They both have Celiac's (as does my brother-in-law), so knowing that they take these things very seriously will make her very comfortable going.
 
I have enjoyed ALL the trip reports from this river cruise, but we have booked the Christmas holiday 2017 which is west to east so this report was more like we will travel (altho I KNOW the holiday cruises will be different.....the weather will definitely be a factor LOL!) We did ABD Viva Italia in 2014 at Christmas and it was one of the highlights of all of our Disney vacations (which have been all!) But BIG question to all those who have done this River Cruise (and I may need to move this) but it is real important to me....I mentioned to my mom we were doing this and invited her...she cried and hung up the phone...she will be 80 next year...still very mobile..not requiring a scooter/walker etc...just slow at times.....the question is do you think this trip is a trip she could take mobility wise??? She is of this ethnic decent and would LOVE this trip but is afraid of mobility. We don't care if she doesn't get out and ride the bike 26 miles, but can she easily wonder most ports???? TIA....I really want to do this for her if she can enjoy it!!!!
 
My family was also on this sailing! In fact, I spotted my husband and son in one of your photos! As somebody mentioned above, the one downside of such a large group is that we never managed to meet all the other passengers. We had an amazing time and I so appreciate reading your trip report - it's already helping me remember details I forgot to write down! I'm glad you and your friends had a good trip.

the question is do you think this trip is a trip she could take mobility wise???
We had my 74 year old mother with us. She's pretty mobile but when she wanted to slow down the guides were amazingly accommodating. They would find a shady bench and let her sit for a bit, someone would either stay with her and lead her on a shortcut to join the group later or circle back to pick her up. There were a few folks with canes and one in a wheelchair on this trip. Most ports are very near the dock or you're transported by coach. The guides have a good sense of which excursions are doable and which aren't. There were some they suggested my mom skip (the salt mines, the hike to the castle) and others that they recommended because they were very easy - like the apricot farm (which btw was INCREDIBLE, our whole family, including the 12 year old, really enjoyed it.)

There is a lot of walking. My mom would sometimes do just a morning excursion and then rest onboard in the afternoon. She always managed to find other folks to hang out with on the ship. If your mom is up for walking (or is willing to bring a collapsible wheelchair and ride sometimes) and doesn't mind missing out on some things, she'll be fine!
 
What fun it was reading this now that I've been on the trip.

Day 4 - Linz, Austria to Melk and Krems, Austria

After walking through the one wing of the abbey, we reached a room with a model of the entire abbey and our tour guide pointed out the different wings including where the monks lived and where the school was located (some 900 students went to school at the abbey). We also visited the library which was incredible but no photos were allowed. We descended the stairs from the library right down into the chapel where they were holding mass. The chapel was relatively small but just gorgeous with gold leaf everywhere. Again, we weren't allowed to take pictures during the service.

Wow, I was kind of shocked by this. I was blown away by the enormity of the chapel. It even made St. Stephens basilica in Budapest seem small. Maybe they took you to another chapel?

The first shuttle out in the afternoon was at 2 pm but we hung out just a bit after lunch and decided to take the 2:30 shuttle to the city center. We accidentally got on the wrong bus - getting on the one for the Spanish riding school excursion but, as it turned out, it was actually closer to where we wanted to go anyways so we played tag along. After getting off the bus, we walked by the Mozart monument and stopped for a photo.

They have removed the spanish riding school from the itinerary now it seems.

After dinner, we headed up to the lounge to watch the Rubik's Cube Magic show. This was about the only show we went to see the whole week and mostly went because our son was so interested in Rubik's Cubes and had a nice collection at home. The show was interesting although I'm not sure which part was the "magic" part. After the show, everyone received their own Rubik's Cube and instructions on how to "solve" the cube.


After the show, we went up to the sun deck to watch the "Illuminations" cruise. The buildings lit up along the Danube were spectacular. It seems like every Disney trip that we've ever taken, there are those moments that bring tears to my eyes. Usually it's a moment involving the kids - watching their pure joy and enjoying their enjoyment. It was this part of the trip that unexpectedly brought tears to my eyes - enjoying the beautiful lights with Seth at the end of a most amazing trip.

In Budapest our entertainment was dancers. I would have loved to have seen the Rubik's cube guys. Wasn't that illuminations cruise incredible?
 
This is the first report I've found on this cruise. We've done several Disney Cruises, this will be our first ABD. We are doing this river cruise September 2018 (Oktoberfest adults only). Thank you so much for such a detailed report. So helpful.
 
This is the first report I've found on this cruise. We've done several Disney Cruises, this will be our first ABD. We are doing this river cruise September 2018 (Oktoberfest adults only). Thank you so much for such a detailed report. So helpful.


Here are some more:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/dvc-exclusive-danube-river-cruise.3524853/

https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...ted-9-17-17-re-posted-all-the-photos.3534288/

https://www.disboards.com/threads/dvc-exclusive-danube-river-cruise-video-trip-report.3540879/
 

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