SS Maria Theresa Budapest to Amsterdam - A Users Guide

Thanks for all the info, am looking forward to your "wish I had known section." Glad I booked A to B since I am hoping for the BMW tour. Now I need to figure out why I did not get any OBC.....and try to rectify that pdq.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Since this was my first river cruise, I don't have anything to compare it to. We had a fabulous time and thoroughly enjoyed the ship and all the personnel we came in contact with. I must also say all the other 107 passengers were a delight as well. Everyone was very personable and we made several good friends.

Although it was very hot in Budapest, by the time we got to Vienna and for the next 8 days the daily high temp was between 53 and 63 degrees F. So we did end up using the heated floor and towel rack in the bathroom. They work great, but start them at least 15 minutes ahead of time. The floor in particular takes a while to get really warm.

The room has a neat alarm clock. We actually bought one in Amsterdam (the ship doesn't sell them). The trick to set the alarm is you have to have the unit turned to the "ON" position. Note: This is only going to make sense to you once you actually see the alarm clock.

Be sure to look at the breakfast menu. At first we didn't look at it because we just thought it was a list of what was available at the extensive buffet. Wrong! It is a menu of other things you can order, such as eggs benedict, french toast, waffles and pancakes.

The food on the ship was absolutely top quality. I had many different meats and they were all tender and without fat or grizzle. The fruits and vegetables were all fresh. My wife reported having excellent pieces of fish. My only criticism is some dishes lacked flavor. For example, I had several pieces of wiener schnitzel. The veal was top quality meat, but there wasn't sufficient seasoning and it was not as flavorful as I would have liked. It seemed that the soups were also less flavorful than they should have been.

The dining room didn't really have any tables for two. There were tables for two, but they were positioned about 3 inches from a table for four. So essentially it was a table for six. I think there were a couple tables for two at the very rear of the dining room, but nobody sat there. They do have "private dining" on some nights in the Bar du Leopard. You can sign up for it. There is no extra charge. The menu is more limited than the main dining room. We did it one night, it was nice. The service was more attentive and it was a quieter venue.

Booking a stateroom: The ship has 5 room categories, plus suites and one royal suite. Categories 4 and 5 are on the bottom deck. I didn't get to see these rooms, but they are small. Category 2 and 3 staterooms are identical except in price. Both are on the same deck with the Category 3 rooms being 4 at the front and 3 at the rear. We stayed in a Category 3 room at the front. The room next to us paid about $1400 more are there is zero difference. Book as early as you can because the Category 3 rooms go first because of this.

Category 1 rooms are identical to Category 2 and 3 except that they are one deck higher and about $2800 more. Oh, and there is one more slight, and ridiculous difference. The Category 1 rooms have sliding glass doors about 3.5 feet in from the side of the ship. I guess this is so one guest can be outside (with the sliding glass window retracted) with the doors closed while the other guest can be in the room with the A/C on (it automatically shuts off if the window is down). People we spoke with in a Category 1 stateroom said using the sliding doors was foolish because they reduced the depth of the room by 3.5 feet. You can see how it cuts into the room by looking at the floor plan on the UniWorld site.

The decor on the ship is not as over-the-top as the photos would suggest. We didn't mind the decor before the trip, feeling that it would get us into the period we would be experiencing. However, once on the ship the decor was not as overwhelming as it appeared in the brochures. To be sure the photos are accurate, but the actual experience is more subdued. Many other passengers we spoke with also made the same observation. So don't let the decor deter you, you won't really notice it that much.

One of the things that impressed us most, my wife especially, was the crew's obsession with cleanliness. Our stateroom was always immaculate and there was a nightly turn down service. All public areas were always spotless. There was barely a time where I didn't see someone cleaning somewhere. Regularly in port the crew launched a small motor boat and were scrubbing down the ship and cleaning the windows. Just amazing. Hand sanitizing machines were present in all public areas.

The ship has a laundry room which is free to all guests. They even supply laundry detergent. There are 3 washers and 3 dryers, and an ironing board with a professional grade steam iron. They even provide laundry baskets to bring your folded clothes back to your stateroom.

The internet connection was decent, but do not expect to down or up load large files or streaming video. The ship obviously does not have a cable connection. Access is through satellite. Satellite internet speeds are considerably slower and also have a greater latency time. I have two businesses which I can pretty much put behind me when I'm on vacation. However, an emergency can happen and then I have to have complete and fast access. I pay for a fast data package on my cell and on my wife's. I used to take a laptop with a data chip, but those days are over. When I'm on vacation, I'm on vacation.

As much as we enjoyed the trip, it is probably our last river cruise, at least for some time. It gave us a nice overview of a wide area. We know where we want to go back by car where we can linger as long as we want and take side trips if something catches our interest.

I hope this will help some first time cruisers. I'll check back here so if anyone has any questions I will try to answer.

No Spin - thanks so much for taking us along on your trip. We leave in 4 weeks and your information - even though we are on the River Empress - is invaluable. On behalf of the 3 women in our group (the 2 men don't really care :D), how were folks dressed for dinners (both the 'regular' dinners and the Welcome/Departure dinners)?

Thanks for all the information, especially your final thoughts! You aren't the only person here that's said the décor is not nearly as over the top in person. I have a feeling that will be my opinion, too. Of course, the pictures of Uniworld ships look a lot like my IL's house so maybe I'm just used to it :D

On behalf of the 3 women in our group (the 2 men don't really care :D), how were folks dressed for dinners (both the 'regular' dinners and the Welcome/Departure dinners)?

My wife said to definitely bring nice outfits for the Welcome and Departure dinners. Also if you sign up for private dining that is also dressy, although I am not sure if your ship will have this option. For the other dinners most women were nicely dressed. My wife always likes to dress up and brought many outfits because with a 15 day trip with the same people, she didn't want to be seen wearing the same thing twice. Oh the humanity! :eek:

Most men wore jackets for the Welcome and Departure dinners, and of course at the private dinner. Only a couple men wore ties (definitely not necessary). Otherwise slacks and a collared shirt will do fine for any dinner.

My wife said to definitely bring nice outfits for the Welcome and Departure dinners. Also if you sign up for private dining that is also dressy, although I am not sure if your ship will have this option. For the other dinners most women were nicely dressed. My wife always likes to dress up and brought many outfits because with a 15 day trip with the same people, she didn't want to be seen wearing the same thing twice. Oh the humanity! :eek:

 

Most men wore jackets for the Welcome and Departure dinners, and of course at the private dinner. Only a couple men wore ties (definitely not necessary). Otherwise slacks and a collared shirt will do fine for any dinner.

Thank you - that was very helpful! I'll pass along the info.

I am on the ship at present .

we came back from passau trip yesterday to be told that the waters are low and we couldn't get to our next stop so had to bus 1.5 hrs( really 2 each way to FRegensberg

georgeous little town but was extremely hot today. waiting for news if we can go any further

I hear Viking people were bussed to here and spent a day now on way to Budapest.

does any one know what the story is if they cannot continue do they give you half the money back or what I have no intention of doing long bus trips.

we came back from passau trip yesterday to be told that the waters are low and we couldn't get to our next stop so had to bus 1.5 hrs( really 2 each way to FRegensberg

Will be in Regensburg Thurs. and Passau Fri. Hoping we can get though on the river.