MS Bolero Review

[CBHinkle]

Just returned from Gate1 MS Bolero Budapest-Prague with pre-cruise in Poland. I'm happy to answer questions re: 5 days in Poland, but on this board I will address the MS Bolero.

 

My husband and I are in our late 60's and have traveled extensively. We have cruised 23 times all over the world and have done a river barge in France. We've had ocean view rooms, rooms with balconies, mini-suites, suites, B&B's with and without en suites--in other words, some really good and some quite mediocre accomodations. We don't go for the top, nor do we seek out just the cheapest (of course, we like to pay as little as possible). We have used Tauck, CIE (?) and Abercrombie & Kent. Many trips we have done on our own by car. I include this background so you can see our perspective and frame of reference.

 

My husband especially is quite active, but I have been suffering from achilles tendonitus. Most of the day-tours entailed a lot of walking so that on some days I found it quite exhausting. I hobbled all over central Europe!

 

The 40 + or - of us who began in Warsaw were delivered to Budapest and the MS Bolero about 5pm on Sat., May 12, after an all-day drive from Krakow through Slovakia. We had a stop for lunch in the Tatra Mts. and had two border crossings.

 

Most all of the other passangers had already arrived. We had to rush to make the orientation meeting in the lounge before dinner. Many if not all of the items covered in this meeting could've been read from a paper provided in the cabin, so if we had skipped the meeting, it wouldn't have mattered. We were really tired by that time.

 

Luggage was delivered to the room in a timely manner by ship employees, many of whom were waiters. We were limited to one large bag, a carry-on bag, and a personal bag. As the trip progressed and souvenirs were purchased, the amt. of luggage increased and didn't (We always pack a small, compact bag in case this happens.)

 

Cabin 223 had a French balcony, the only thing that differentiated it from the cabins on the lower level. The bed was reasonably comfortable, and although small, the cabin had a lot of storage. There was about 12" of closet hanging space for each of us. In addition, there were a couple of shelves in each closet. Dividing the closets was a column of shelves about 18" wide--on one of these shelves was the safe.

 

There were two bed side tables with shelves and shallow drawers and more shelves on either side of the desk. The mini bar was of typical size. In addition to the desk chair, we found a folding chair behind the drapery. Luggage was conveniently stored under the beds. Tundi was our very pleasant room stewardess. We had a turn-down with chocolate each night.

 

Each cabin had a TV and received typical European selections--CNN, BBC etc. Some also in German. They offered movies but we never found them; our timing was off, I think. A phone was also available. There is laundry service although expensive--maybe $3 for a polo shirt.--however if you're in a pinch, it's good to have it available.

 

The bathroom is compact, and although the shower is especially small, the storage space is really good with several shelves and a medicine cabinet. As others have posted, the soap is of the liquid variety, Lux specifically. No extra shampoo, conditioner or lotion.

 

The food was plentiful. There were always meat and fish selections, but if nothing hit your fancy, grilled chicken was always available--mine was flavorful and not dry. I think cheeseburgers were available for lunch, as well. Breakfast was the standard buffet and, of course, after a few days became routine. Nevertheless, everything was offered. It's like food everywhere--some find it quite tasty while others are never happy. The dining room staff worked very hard, but we often were served our main course while others were leaving for the evening. We think they're understaffed, because the servers were always rushing, obviously working as fast as they could.

 

Wine and beer flow freely with dinner. It wasn't bad. We drank our share. Except for a few exceptions, we purchased all other alcohol. Two of our group drink non-alcoholic beer; it was available.

 

Everyday at 4:30, sweets were offered in the outer lounge. They called it 'Cookie Time' but but we never actually saw cookies. Usually a late night snack was offered but we never took part so I don't know what it was. We had beer and sausages with slaw and potato salad the morning we sailed into Regensburg. Although served buffet-style in the outer lounge, we were able to sit on top and enjoy this German lunch as we sailed. I think the beer was free.

 

Also found in the outer lounge was a selection of teas and a coffee machine that made cocoa, lattes etc. I only used it once, so I can't comment. There one could find iced water and fresh fruit as well. One day we returned to an offering of hot, mulled wine. I think I saw a coffee urn in that area at least once, but can't remember if it was there all the time.

 

Captain's Dinner--we had champagne, and of course a toast at the Captain's reception in the lounge. The captain spoke for the second time, and again his speech was translated by the hotel manager. Staff was introduced. After dinner the waiters processed with sparklers and dessert and at that time, most dining room personel were introduced.

 

There was a very small library and a selection of games. The reception desk sold batteries and other small essentials. I noticed that a few people were able to borrow converters, too. Gift items were sold on board, but there was no shop; they were displayed behind glass, and I didn't price them.

 

Considering the small size of the vessel, they did make a reasonable effort at entertainment. A keyboardist (?) played each night in the lounge for listening and/or dancing. He was popular. Two singers presented light opera selections one evening--very nice--and, on another evening, "The Sound of Music Singers" were also enjoyable. The latter included 3 women and 1 man; they included audience participation as well as folk songs (in costume). Later in the week Hans and Helmut played guitar, accordian and sang--much of this was quite humorous and also included audience participation. One of the best evenings was the Crew Show; they did a wonderful job. Be sure to take your camera!

 

The lounge was great for resting after a long day of touring, but unfortunately, was too small for the all-ship shows--just not enough seats, so don't linger over dinner if you want a seat. In addition, very often the lone bartender just couldn't keep pace with demand.

 

Our cruise directors were Birgitta, Rolf, Roland and Uwe (oovay). They were all personable but performed unevenly. Some days we got a lot of information etc., and at other times, we just wondered what we were seeing. The hotel manager was quite humorous. The staff was all friendly and helpful.

 

Tipping--envelopes are available. Gate1 provides guidelines in the final documents, and on board there is further discussion and information. For some tips you can use your credit card, others require cash. We tipped a few people a little extra on a personal basis, since the tip money is pooled and divided to ensure that laundry people and other unseen staff are included. The reception desk can change money. I think they also provided stamps; I know I saw postcards.

 

Our group did the Concert that was offered one evening in Vienna. That night, dinner was served early so that we had time to get to the concert hall. There was a 13 piece orchestra with 2 singers and 2 dancers. It was a lovely evening--I heard no negative comments. People tended to "dress up" for this event. People kept saying that we were going to the Vienna Opera House, but it wasn't.

 

Some dressed a little more elegantly than others for dinner every night, but in general it was pretty casual--county-club casual as they say on ocean liners--even the more elegant ones. Mixing and matching was definitely the rule. Certainly almost everyone wore things several times. The men in our group did bring sport coats, but I think they could have left them at home and achieved a nice look with vests and sweaters, etc. Some people wore jeans and sweats all the time--frankly, I thought they could've made more of an effort.

 

Boarding passes were issued when we left the ship, although we had to remember to ask for it (and to return it when we reboarded). Sometimes we had to have our passports. Posts re: security are correct in view. It would be easy to come on board and cause a disturbance. One of our group had guest who met us in Regensburg. She obtained guest passes for them quite easily. Because there was space available in the dining room, they were also able to eat dinner with us.

 

I will post later about our experiences in the various ports.

[kftw]

Great review. As one who has not done a river boat cruise yet, I found this very informative. Thank you.

 

I am looking forward to your comments on the various ports.

 

Thanks again.

[LunaSeaRetreat]

Thanks for all the great information on the Bolero. I look forward to hearing about the ports especially Budapest. We will be arriving two day early and don't want to tour the same areas that we will tour after we board the ship. We don't leave until October, but I'm excited already.

 

Cynthia

[Felschurch]

What a great review!!!!

Meal times?

[Felschurch]

What a great review!!!

Meal times? Coffee early??

[CBHinkle]

Breakfast was from 7-9 with a continental breakfast available at 6:30. Lunch time depended on what was happening. Usually at noon. I remember once at 12:30. Dinner was at 7 p.m. except for the evening we went to the concert in Vienna--that night it was at 6pm.

 

Haven't had time to post about the ports. I'll do it soon.

[joek]

On our Holland cruise on the Bolero, they had early bird coffee ready at 6:30 am.

[Felschurch]

Thank you both for meal/coffee times