susan2305

How was ItÉ

You might be interested in a post I did just yesterday about our experience on Riverside in September. It was fantastic! Sorry I don’t know how to link to my post but if you tap on my name it should bring up the other posts.

I can't believe that they will be able to make a go of this with so few passengers They certainly will have to step up their marketing. It would be too bad if it doesn’t work as it was such an excellent cruise.

I sailed on the Mozart in September this year, Vienna to Budapest and back to Vienna. There were 32 passengers on the first cruise and 40 on the second. It was amazing. Almost all the passengers were from the USA or Canada. English was the official language, and all the crew were fluent. As others have mentioned, the ship is double wide so very spacious and beautifully decorated. Yes, there are heated Toto toilets that also have a “wash” feature. All suites, even the entry level ones, have a butler as well as a steward. The butler arranges things like reserving the e-bikes, requesting special menu items, delivering room service, etc. The service was outstanding, Many of the crew are former Crystal staff and their training shows. The crew are a real selling point for the cruise line in my view. The food was incredible! There is no frozen food on board, except the ice cream, which is made on board, and not to be missed. The menu offerings reflected whatever port or country we were sailing in. Bread is baked fresh three times a day, pasta twice a day. Most dietary requests are catered for, with kosher being an exception, due to the limited space in the galley. The excursions were top notch, and most were excellent. We did have a tour to a garden that turned out to be a garden center, and the guide there did not speak any English, so everything had to be translated. Especially compared to the other excellent excursions, this one was disappointing. The excursions used a Riverside branded bus, and it travelled with us from one port to the next as did the drivers. We had only two drivers for the two weeks. The spa area was fantastic with a pool with resistance, for swimming “laps”, a hot tub, steam room and sauna. The gym has a strength training area, and another room for cardio equipment. Walking poles are available in the gym area. If you are booking with Riverside make sure you understand the pricing. The base fare includes only meals, taxes and gratuities (both on the ship and for shore excursions), and, depending on the itinerary, transfers to and from the airport or train station on embarkation and disembarkation days. Drinks and excursions are not included. Those are offered through a choice of three additional packages: - Premium all inclusive which covers drinks - all except the most expensive drinks (the house champagne is Taittinger, so think higher level than that for exclusions). This also includes a drinks set up in your room, which is replenished daily. - Shore excursions included. Again these are premium offerings. For example, a full day tour to Salzburg is included in the package. As many as you can fit in a day. -Premium all inclusive including shore excursions, which, obviously, includes both the drinks and shore excursions. Apparently many travel agents are simply quoting the fare for the full package, but do make sure you know what is included. Even with the drinks and shore excursions included, the pricing is competitive with other luxury brands.