Review of Solo River Cruise - Uniworld River Beatrice - Budapest to Passau

I can’t say enough about what a great experience I had on the River Beatrice from Budapest to Passau. When I was filling out the onboard survey, I was hard pressed to come up with any suggestions for improvement.

I booked this cruise on the recommendation of my TA who had done this same itinerary on Uniworld and came back raving about it. Since I generally sail solo, a big selling point for me was that Uniworld waived the single supplement on this particular cruise, which left Budapest on November 8.

This was my first river cruise and it had been 30 years since I had last traveled to Europe. I was a bit apprehensive about going by myself, so I had my TA book my flights through Uniworld and put together a pre-cruise package for me. This gave me a day in Budapest to adjust to the time change and explore the city before I boarded the River Beatrice. I was pleased with the air fare and flights Uniworld booked for me, and everything worked seamlessly.

A driver was waiting for me at the Budapest airport and took me to the Sofitel Chain Bridge on the Pest side of the Danube. The Sofitel is a wonderful hotel in a great location, and I highly recommend it. In the afternoon a guide picked me up at the hotel and I took a group tour of the city that was a combination of bus riding and walking.

The next morning I walked across the Chain Bridge to the Buda side and rode the funicular up to the Castle District. In the afternoon another driver came to the hotel and took me to the River Beatrice. Boarding was easy – no lines or waiting.

The River Beatrice holds 156 passengers, but we only had 86 on our voyage, which was the last Enchanting Danube trip of the season. With the exception of 4 guests, it was an English speaking crowd composed of Americans, Canadians, Brits, Aussies, and one Kiwi. There were a number of men and women traveling by themselves, which I expected given that the single supplement was waived. Ages ranged from 30s to 80s, with the average age probably in the 60s. With such a small number of passengers, it was easy to meet people at meals, in the lounge, or on excursions.

I was in Cabin 307 (a Category 2) on the Danube Deck. I’d heard that Uniworld’s décor can be a bit over the top, but I thought the boat was tastefully decorated, especially the dining room. My cabin was a light blue and off white French Provincial. Space was at a premium, and it would have been a tight fit for two people. There was no vanity space in the bathroom, although the cabin itself had enough closet and shelf space, along with 3 drawers. Fortunately I was busy morning, noon, and night, so I didn’t spend much time in the cabin.

Breakfast and lunch were served buffet style, with a wide selection of food at each meal. At breakfast there was the option of ordering items such as French toast, pancakes, oatmeal, and waffles off the menu. Dinner was traditional waiter service, with a choice of starters, soups, entrees, and desserts. The food was exceptional, and I really liked that each day’s menu included local dishes from the area we were visiting that day.

Each day I took 1 or 2 of the included tours, and was very satisfied with all of them, especially the “Do As the Locals Do” tours. The cities we visited included Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Durnstein, Melk, Linz, and Passau. The 8 days went by all too quickly and before I knew it was time to pack up and get ready to fly home. A transfer to the Munich Airport from Passau was included. I had to have my suitcase out in the hallway at 3:45 am , with a 4:20 am shuttle pick up. It made for a long day!

I found Uniworld to be very welcoming to solo cruisers, and while we were onboard, they released their list of 2016 itineraries with no or reduced single supplements. It was truly an all inclusive experience. The only charge on my final bill was for some postcard stamps I purchased from the front desk. It will take me 2-3 yrs. to save enough money to take another European river cruise, but I can’t wait to cruise with Uniworld again.

I would be happy to answer any questions.

Roz

Thanks for sharing, and glad you had a great time!

I love it when people post with nothing but good things to say about their river cruise and the company they chose! Gives me a nice warm and fuzzy feeling.:D

My only "complaint" was that the duvet on the bed was too heavy and too hot. Talk about a First World problem!

Roz

Hardly wait till we go in Dec.

Roz, thanks for posting. Looking forward to this trip in April!

Roz,

On your next Uniworld cruise be sure to ask your cabin attendant to make up your bed 'American ' style with sheets and blankets. We opted to get rid of those and have the duvets. And we cranked the temperatures down to 15 C. Cozy!

Roz,

On your next Uniworld cruise be sure to ask your cabin attendant to make up your bed 'American ' style with sheets and blankets. We opted to get rid of those and have the duvets. And we cranked the temperatures down to 15 C. Cozy!

Really? I love the duvet no sheet concept and use it at home in the winter. I'm a restless sleeper and like to have my feet free! Like you, I also like a cold room to sleep in. I absolutely hate it when hotels have the room temperature controlled so the heat is off from April to October and on from October to April often with the result that there is no fresh air in the room ever and it's too hot for comfortable sleep.

Thanks for the bed covering tip. I woke up sweating every night.

Roz

Thanks for the bed covering tip. I woke up sweating every night.

 

Roz

I wish I had known this also. We were on a Viking cruise during the summer that had the combo blanket/sheet and I was either too hot or too cold. I wrote on the eval sheet that I would of liked just a separate sheet and blanket. Didn't realize there was a name for it.

Now in the winter, one of those filled w/ down is great!

Thanks for the bed covering tip. I woke up sweating every night.

 

Roz

Couldn't you able to open one of the french doors a wee bit to let in some cool air or is that prohibited? Like you and Hydrokitty, I like it cool at night too and I was hoping to open the window if it's too warm at night. No? are they afraid of letting bugs in? Even in the winter???

BTW, your trip sounded fantastic! You're so brave to go by yourself, I can't even eat in a restaurant by myself:D

Was there any entertainment in the evenings? How was it?

Hi Roz, thanks for the review:) and glad you had a great time. I am going

on my first river cruise in April:D

Thanks for sharing, Roz

Ira

Cruisernewbieman,

There was limited entertainment onboard in the evenings. Every night there was a pianist and singer in the lounge. One evening 2 local Slovakian musicians came onboard and performed a variety of music, including classical, Slovak folk tunes, and popular music. Another evening we had an historical skit performed by 2 of our tour guides. In Linz 3 sisters calling themselves the Swing Sisters did a medley of WW II era songs. Quite honestly most of us were worn out by the day's activities, so there weren't many night owls. One couple was really disappointed, since they were expecting a casino and nightly production shows. I don't think they did their research on river cruises.

ThreeTwelves,

Living in the Southern US, I'm not afraid of bugs. I deal with snakes and other reptiles, as well as cockroaches and assorted crawling creatures on a regular basis. It was my understanding that opening the sliding doors interferes with the heat/AC system. I tried turning on the AC, but then it made the room too cold when I needed to get up during the night, besides wrecking havoc with my sinus cavities. The problem was that the duvet was just too darn hot.

Roz

Cruisernewbieman,

 

There was limited entertainment onboard in the evenings. Every night there was a pianist and singer in the lounge. One evening 2 local Slovakian musicians came onboard and performed a variety of music, including classical, Slovak folk tunes, and popular music. Another evening we had an historical skit performed by 2 of our tour guides. In Linz 3 sisters calling themselves the Swing Sisters did a medley of WW II era songs. Quite honestly most of us were worn out by the day's activities, so there weren't many night owls. One couple was really disappointed, since they were expecting a casino and nightly production shows. I don't think they did their research on river cruises.

Roz

Thanks, I've heard very good things about Uniworld. I realize that it's quite different from ocean-going ships especially regarding available entertainment. But having a singer and piano player each evening would meet our needs in that area.

Roz,

Thank you for taking the time to post about your cruise!! It sounds like you had a wonderful time!

I had previously posted and asked a bunch of questions but it has apparently been deleted as I got a notice that I'm not able to ask about specific TA related questions. So, trying this again...

I am currently in the very beginning stages of long-term planning for my dream vacation in Dec. 2018. I'm hoping to be able to do a Christmas Market cruise with a stop in Linz, Austria on Christmas Eve so that I can visit Berndorf for the 200th anniversary of the song, Silent Night, which was first sung in a church there in 1818. Right now I am researching all the different cruise lines that offer that trip and will narrow it down from there. I will be taking the trip as a solo traveler, unless of course I meet the man of my dreams, date, get engaged, and married all within the next few years (there's always hope, lol!), or unless I can talk one of my friends into joining me. That said, I have a few questions about traveling alone...

• I am curious if there is a major difference between river cruise lines and the experiences that solo travelers have with them?
  
• I used to be a History teacher and am still a lover of all things history. In your experience, is there a cruise line that stands out as offering great onboard lectures of the history of the places visited?
  
• I have traveled around the world (literally) and lived in Central Asia so I am not concerned about traveling alone, however, I was wondering if you have any suggestions/advice of things to do or not do on a river cruise as a solo traveler?
  
• One more question... Is there a cruise line that tends to have younger solo travelers? Let's say, hypothetically, people in their 40's?;)
  

I've forgotten some of the other questions I had originally, but I'm sure they'll come back to me over time.

I appreciate any and all feedback you and the others on this thread can give me!!!

Thanks!

Michelle

Hi Michelle, good morning.......:) I am not Roz but if you check the

top of this forum you will find some threads up there that were posted

by Host Jazz with some great information about different River Cruiselines:)

I am also taking my first River Cruise in April with a company called

AMA Waterways.:)......I know Roz had a great time time on Uniworld

and I will post about my experience up my return too.

Michelle - A few river ships have single cabins (AMA has them on its older ships, for example), and this year several cruise lines had promotions where they waived or cut the single supplement. You were on the right track in looking for a good TA who specializes in river cruises, but as I said it is unfortunate that Cruise Critic won't let us post information about the ones we are happy with. Of course if someone has an email link in their signature, nothing would stop you from asking.

Michelle - A few river ships have single cabins (AMA has them on its older ships, for example), and this year several cruise lines had promotions where they waived or cut the single supplement. You were on the right track in looking for a good TA who specializes in river cruises, but as I said it is unfortunate that Cruise Critic won't let us post information about the ones we are happy with. Of course if someone has an email link in their signature, nothing would stop you from asking.

Hi Jazz:)...not only on AMA's older ships. I am going on a brand new

ship and they have single cabins on her too:)

I am currently in the very beginning stages of long-term planning for my dream vacation in Dec. 2018. I'm hoping to be able to do a Christmas Market cruise with a stop in Linz, Austria on Christmas Eve so that I can visit Berndorf for the 200th anniversary of the song, Silent Night, which was first sung in a church there in 1818.

Michelle

Looking for a cruise that will be in Linz on Christmas Eve, will greatly limit your choice. Also if the cruise line would have excursions to Oberndorf, if so they would be if a limited time frame.

Why not do a Christmas Market cruise that would say ends in Passau about 21st. December, then an organised tour to the anniversary, or doing your own thing being based in Oberndorf, Laufen or Salzburg.

The festivities are bound to go on for several days.

Just an idea.

Hi Michelle...welcome to CC!!! While you're investigating, check out Vantage as well. I've sailed with them 8 times and this last time our cousin came as a solo traveler. Her cabin was on the second deck in the stern, with a large picture window...it was very roomy and comfortable and looked just like ours without the french balcony. We were on the oldest ship in Vantage's fleet and the new ones have more french balconies and I think more dedicated single cabins as well. Food is great, demographic is mostly retired professionals with an abundance of teachers! BUT they do not deal with TA's....you deal with them directly (which I like because i'm a control freak). Wine is included at dinner (maybe lunch but I don't drink wine at lunch so can't be certain) and most shore excursions are included. There will be 1-3 optional tours that you have to pay extra for but they usually include a charter coach, admission to a castle and often lunch in a restaurant....we usually sign up for them and none of them has been disappointing. I did a cost analysis between Viking and Vantage and Vantage came up costing less than Viking. The itineraries for each cruise vary between lines, but for the most part are very similar. Since a stop in Linz on Christmas Eve is important to you, I would check each company's itinerary for that port FIRST and then go on from there. I would also contact them and make sure that even though they stop in Linz, you will have time to visit the Church where "Silent Night" was first performed. There's a good chance there will be a specific trip to the church in honor of the occasion, but it's also just as likely that it will not be included for the same reason, so don't leave anything to chance. If I can help you with anything you can e-mail me at Chydro564@yahoo.com.