River Beatrice Prague to Budapest Oct 23 going Uniworld for our first river cruise

Wondering if anyone has done this cruise within the last year. If so what hotel was used in Prague and Budapest. Since this is our first river cruise do you have any suggestions for this itinerary? Any inside info on the River Beatrice that would be useful, i.e. when to use the washers/dryers? are the w/d free? Does a little extra tip to the crew get you better attention? is one cabin location better than the other? Is the food as good as advertised? The excursions any favorites?

Thanks

TheKegler

Morning,

Sounds as if you have your bags packed and are ready to go.

Hi, we are LoneStarCruisinCouple Lisa and Gary and I can only speak for Budapest as we cruised with Scenic on the Jasper but went from Amsterdam to Budapest.

In Budapest we stayed at the Four Seasons Gresham Palace Hotel. It is rated number one by TripAdvisor and it is also the most Luxurious Hotel in Europe and rated number three in the world.

Impeccable service, food excellent and location is right at the beginning of the Chain Bridge. Close to everything.

I would highly recommend that you make a reservation for what is called the Fisherman's Bastion. A restaurant up on Castle Hill next to the Coronation Cathedral and in the evening as the lights of the city are starting to shimmer and shine is like having a Fairyland at your feet.

We were celebrating our Anniversary so I arranged with the hotel to have a horse and carriage to take us up and bring us back. Very Romantic..

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[quote name=Wondering if anyone has done this cruise within the last year. If so what hotel was used in Prague and Budapest

Hotel Boscolo is one of the hotels we have stayed in with Uniworld. Good location

Since this is our first river cruise do you have any suggestions for this itinerary? Any inside info on the River Beatrice that would be useful' date=' i.e. when to use the washers/dryers? are the w/d free?

Laundry and soap are free on any Uniworld ship that has laundry facilities.

Does a little extra tip to the crew get you better attention?

Don't know..they crew will bend over backwards for you and I can't think of anything they won't do for you. That said...everyone can use a bit more $$, but it is not expected.

is one cabin location better than the other?

Are you a light sleeper? then stay away from anywhere there is more foot traffic. We prefer the middle. Cabins are 'cozy' (tiny) but have everything you'll need. The beds ! oh, the beds!

Is the food as good as advertised?

The food is so subjective, but we'd like to take their chefs home with us...

The excursions any favorites?

Read through your cruise companion...on line under 'already booked' ...and you'll get a hard copy with your documents . We try to do them all or divide and conquor.

[/quote]

Have a great time

RB

If you are going to spend any extra time on your own in Budapest, I highly recommend the Marriott Millennium Apartments. They are very centrally located, just off the Vaca Utica--the pedestrian street. There is a wonderful bakery across the street. Enjoy one of my most favorite cities. Pat

I was on the River Beatrice for my first river cruise in November of 2015. Very nice ship and great staff. I didn't tip extra and thought the service was A+. I thought the food was wonderful, and the chefs incorporated local cuisine into the menus. The itinerary was Budapest to Passau. In Budapest I did the "Do as the Locals Do" tour and it was great. Small group, and our guide was born and raised in the city, and provided information on what it was like pre- and post-Soviet rule.

Here's my review if you're interested:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=519700

Roz

I have cruised five times with Uniworld and they are now my choice for river cruises. Two of these cruises have been since the all inclusive policy was instituted, and I must say that no additional tips were expected or needed. I found that the service was superb, from staff addressing one by name to knowing your choice of drink,even after the first day. One other thing to note is that the inclusive tipping policy also applies to the local guides and drivers on the excursions, though I have occasionally tipped a particularly good local guide.

I have always found the dining room excellent both in the quality and variety of food offered. There is always a local dish available, a vegetarian menu, a "low calorie" menu and several standard choices such as steak or chicken for those who don't wish to choose the regular menu.

I don't use the self-service laundry, as after your first cruise, Uniworld offers free laundry (one bag per passenger per week), and it is usually delivered the same day. Even so, I think I would pay as there are better things to do with one's time on a cruise than washing clothes.

I can't comment specifically on the River Beatrice as my cruise on the Danube was on the River Princess, a slightly smaller ship, from Bucharest to Vienna (the trip actually started in Istanbul). However they are similar ships and I agree with others that the Uniworld beds are particularly comfortable.

thank you for the info! appreciate all those comments

We did this cruise last April. I did a detailed day by day trip review. The link is in my signature below.

We arranged our pre- and post-cruise hotels independently so I can't answer those specific questions.

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Wow can't wait to get to the cruise now! BTW we are original from Upstate NY, too a little village called Mohawk that is half between Albany and Syracuse on the Thruway at Exit 30

Kegler,

This doesn't have anything to do with cruising, but I think one of my favorite authors, Richard Russo, is from that area. In fact, one of his novels is titled Mohawk.

Roz

Wow can't wait to get to the cruise now! BTW we are original from Upstate NY, too a little village called Mohawk that is half between Albany and Syracuse on the Thruway at Exit 30

I have roots in that area...two of my long-ago relatives were in the Battle of Oriskany. I pass that exit all the time, on my way to/from the Finger Lakes. Nice wine there.

You are going to love the cruise - I hope. BTW, many of the wines in Germany and Austria are similar to the varietals that are grown in the Finger Lakes.

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We are looking forward to boarding the River Beatrice in September for our first river cruise.

2 extra nights in Prague before the official Prague nights included in the Uniworld trip.

Then 3 extra nights in Budapest at the end.

Researching tours and guides and restaurants in both cities.

JP and Chris, I have read your trip report with great interest.

So glad you took the time to share so many pictures and great information

Ah, lucky you with all that extra time in Prague and Budapest. I'd be jealous except we will finally be visiting Prague in May of this year. We're planning on 3 nights there before heading to Berlin for a few days, then finishing up in Copenhagen to see my brother. No river boats or organized tours on this trip. That will make it even tougher to keep up with Chris' planned frenetic itinerary. :D

Glad you found the trip report helpful. Hope your trip is as much fun as ours was! It is such a nice itinerary, even if it's a little rushed in places.

Ah, lucky you with all that extra time in Prague and Budapest. I'd be jealous except we will finally be visiting Prague in May of this year. We're planning on 3 nights there before heading to Berlin for a few days, then finishing up in Copenhagen to see my brother. No river boats or organized tours on this trip. That will make it even tougher to keep up with Chris' planned frenetic itinerary. :D

 

Glad you found the trip report helpful. Hope your trip is as much fun as ours was! It is such a nice itinerary, even if it's a little rushed in places.

Thanks,

I hope you will report back on that trip as well. I'm sure to pick up some pointers.

Funny, we will be in Copenhagen for a few days before we do a Baltic cruise, afterwards flying to Prague to join Uniworld.

Sounds like a really great trip! Hope you enjoy it.

I won't blog about the May trip on these boards, but I may write something up on Travelpod, where I blog about non-cruise trips.

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Kegler,

 

This doesn't have anything to do with cruising, but I think one of my favorite authors, Richard Russo, is from that area. In fact, one of his novels is titled Mohawk.

 

Roz

I know the book, funny it was named after the village where i live, but Russo is Johnston, NY, story line is interesting for sure. I think he was really writing about Johnston, LOL

We are looking forward to boarding the River Beatrice in September for our first river cruise.

2 extra nights in Prague before the official Prague nights included in the Uniworld trip.

Then 3 extra nights in Budapest at the end.

Researching tours and guides and restaurants in both cities.

JP and Chris, I have read your trip report with great interest.

So glad you took the time to share so many pictures and great information

Looking forward to your review of the trip since we will be following you in October on the trip

I have roots in that area...two of my long-ago relatives were in the Battle of Oriskany. I pass that exit all the time, on my way to/from the Finger Lakes. Nice wine there.

 

You are going to love the cruise - I hope. BTW, many of the wines in Germany and Austria are similar to the varietals that are grown in the Finger Lakes.

 

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We have visited the Finger Lakes for wine often, too. Stayed at Finton's Landing B & B, but unfortunately, they closed it a couple of years ago. Our favorite wineries are Ravines and Herman J Wiemer, Dr Frank is not too bad, either. Ravines produces the best Dry Riesling I have ever had, while Herman J Wiemer makes excellent sparkling chardonnay

We have visited the Finger Lakes for wine often, too. Stayed at Finton's Landing B & B, but unfortunately, they closed it a couple of years ago. Our favorite wineries are Ravines and Herman J Wiemer, Dr Frank is not too bad, either. Ravines produces the best Dry Riesling I have ever had, while Herman J Wiemer makes excellent sparkling chardonnay

Small world. We have been going there for years and finally discovered HJ Wiemer about 6 years ago. Now we go there a few times a year and we've gotten to know the staff (and the wines) very well. Considering the sheer number of varietals that they grow, their quality is incredible. One of our all-time favorite FL wineries.

We also belong to Ravines, and got a shipment from them last week. Agree about their dry Riesling. Top notch stuff. Now you're making me thirsty!

I was not familiar with that B&B so I looked up the former location. We usually stay on Seneca, not Keuka, so that's why I didn't recognize it. Some friends who visit speak very highly of La Belle Vie B&B in Penn Yan. That's not too far, if you are looking for a similar location.

Small world. We have been going there for years and finally discovered HJ Wiemer about 6 years ago. Now we go there a few times a year and we've gotten to know the staff (and the wines) very well. Considering the sheer number of varietals that they grow, their quality is incredible. One of our all-time favorite FL wineries.

 

We also belong to Ravines, and got a shipment from them last week. Agree about their dry Riesling. Top notch stuff. Now you're making me thirsty!

 

I was not familiar with that B&B so I looked up the former location. We usually stay on Seneca, not Keuka, so that's why I didn't recognize it. Some friends who visit speak very highly of La Belle Vie B&B in Penn Yan. That's not too far, if you are looking for a similar location.

Thanks for the B & B suggestion as we will be in Syracuse in the summer of 2018 for the USBC National Championships then a few days in the area for a visit with family and friends. If you are in Syracuse be sure to stop by the Columbus Baking Co at 501 S Pearl Street they make the best Italian bread in upstate NY. Granted the owners are now Greek but still use the same mother yeast from when the baking company opened 1895

We just finished our cruise from Oct 23 to Nov 1 on the River Beatrice from Prague to Budapest. Absolutely wonderful trip despite some miserable weather (100 mph straight line winds on the Danube) as we sailed to Spitz. Captain did a great job handling the ship docked us at Melk instead. The accommodations while a bit tired were still great. We had room 314 that was elegantly decorated and nicely appointed. The entire crew was fabulous, especially Bojan and Dejan (Danny) in the dining room, Bronislav and Laurentio in the lounge. Our cabin was always kept clean and neat. We ordered a feather pillow one night and it the cabin steward had it to us in like 45 seconds, ridiculously fast service. Everything was just top notch. Dining was a delight as the food was gourmet. Nothing like champagne every day for breakfast. Tours were extremely well organized and all guides spoke english to the point they were easy to understand. Our Captain Jawl was a hoot. He was very entertaining and a captain who knew his job. We are looking forward to booking again on Uniworld, this was our first but not our last. This beats ocean cruising by miles. There is no photographer chasing you around, no announcements (unless emergency), just a peaceful cruise where you make new friends. I can't even calculate what we would have owed in a bar tab on any other ship. Can not say enough about the service, just splendid.

Glad to hear you had a great first river cruise experience. Uniworld is top notch. I still do ocean cruises, but they are 2 different experiences for sure.

Roz

Glad you had such a great trip. We have had similar experiences on Uniworld. We are going on #4 in the spring, on the Rhône, and can’t wait.

Robin

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Welcome back! Glad it was great.

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So glad to know you enjoyed your first river cruise ....but that means there will now be two more people we will have to compete with for cabins on a Uniworld cruise 😉

I'm curious to know what hotel was used.

RB