A Retirement Celebration Cruise on the Danube

Art and I had been thinking about taking a cruise on the Danube River for quite a while. We asked Art’s brother Ken and his wife Patrice if they would like to join us. As it turned out, Ken was retiring that year, so we made the trip a celebration of his retirement.

We really enjoyed our first river cruise which was on the Rhine. So, we were pretty sure we would like a cruise on the Danube as well.

Cruise on the Danube – The Details

We were on the Avalon Panorama, built in 2011, making it 5 years old at the time we were on board. With 83 staterooms, the boat carries 166 passengers (double occupancy) slightly larger than the boat we cruised on the Rhine.

Since we were traveling together with another couple, we knew most of our time would be spent in the common areas of the ship. Knowing how little time we would be spending in our cabin, we opted for a Deluxe Stateroom.

Despite being in the lowest priced room, it was very nice. At 172 sq ft, it was plenty big enough for the two of us and all our stuff. The differences between a deluxe stateroom and a Panorama Suite are that in addition to being on the lowest deck, we had two windows located high up on the wall of our room, instead of a wall to wall glass windows.

Just as on ocean going cruises, there are fewer of the lowest and highest priced rooms and they typically sell out first. If you know you want one of those rooms, do as we did, and book early.

Cost of a Cruise on the Danube

You may be wondering about the cost of a cruise on the Danube River. I did a quick check on this particular cruise and found the costs for 2021 to start at just over $3,000 USD per person, including the mandatory fees. This price does not include the cost of transportation to get to your cruise. If you are cost conscious, in addition to booking the lowest priced room, remember that cruises at the beginning or end of the season are typically the least expensive.

The Best Time to Take a Cruise on the Danube

Our trip began on the 30th of March and was the first cruise of the season. Although the weather was chilly, it was not uncomfortable and most of the time the sun was out, which really helped. We found ourselves peeling off the layers as the day went on. I think we only had one rainy day on the entire trip.

The “best” time to take a cruise on the Danube is when it’s convenient for you. There are pros and cons to every season, particularly when considering weather. As we all know, seasonal weather will vary from year to year.

Themed Cruises

As it happened this was a beer tasting cruise. All the activities associated with the theme of the cruise were included. You’ll find that there are a number of cruises with a variety of themes. A quick check of Avalon Waterways European river cruises for 2021 revealed cruises for Photography, Wine, Culinary, Beer, History (particularly WWII), Jewish Heritage, Christmas Cruises featuring the European Christmas Markets, Garden and Nature and even an Author cruise featuring Diana Gabaldon, who wrote the Outlander series.

Prague

We arrived in Prague where we spent the first two nights, and we boarded the boat on the 2nd of April. The two nights in Prague were considered part of the cruise.

Our flights to Prague were uneventful. We arrived on time and were picked up at the airport and taken directly to our hotel, located in the old town of Prague. Surprisingly, our rooms were available, so we were able to get settled in, rest for a bit and then were off to explore the city.

As the capitol of the Czech Republic, Prague’s baroque 18th century buildings look somewhat medieval, dark yet intriguing. We had a beautiful day and walked around the city quite a bit. We found a great restaurant not too far from the hotel for lunch.

Meet and Greet

That evening, at the hotel, there was a session for the passengers to meet with our cruise director. He provided us with all the details of where to meet in the morning for our guided tour of the city. He also said he would look into getting a beer tour set up, for those who desired, for our next evening in Prague. After the meeting, we went out on the town for dinner on our own and found a nice restaurant near the Charles Bridge.

The Charles Bridge is a landmark of the Old Town. Constructed between 1357 and 1402, it is comprised of sandstone blocks. What makes it so remarkable are the 30 statues, carved between 1638 and 1928, which decorate the bridge.

Prague City Tour

The next morning, we awoke to rain. Not just a drizzle but pouring down rain. Not to worry, we were prepared, and soldiered on with our city tour of Prague. Which began in motorcoaches taking us to the first stop of our tour, Prague Castle. Fortunately, the rain didn’t last too long. Mostly just while we were at the castle.

Built in the 9th century and housing Bohemian Kings, Prague Castle is now the official residence and office of the President of the Czech Republic.

Astronomical Clock

One of the stops on our tour was at the Old Town Hall Tower to view the Astronomical Clock. We had tried to locate the clock the day before but somehow missed it. It turned out were near it, but just didn’t see it. Built in 1410, this clock, the oldest working astronomical clock in the world, is unique in that it shows the movement of the sun, moon, and stars as well as the time and date. Between the hours of 9am and 11 pm, you can witness the procession of the 12 Apostles as the clock strikes the top of the hour

Remember, to stay aware of your belongings while watching the clock. Our tour guide told us that pickpockets often work the assembled crowds.

Infant of Prague

After our tour, the four of us ventured out on our own to eat some lunch and make a visit to the Church of Our Lady Victorious, which houses the Infant of Prague. This beautiful church was constructed in 1611 originally as a Lutheran Church, which later (after a war and a new ruler) became a Catholic Church. The Infant of Prague, is an 18 ½ doll from made of wood covered with fabric and wax. It gifted to the Discalced Carmelites in 1628 and became a permanent fixture in the church in 1641.

Optional Tours

There were several other optional tours available in Prague. There was a wine tasting, a Grand Masters Concert, a dinner and folkloric show, and one more called Prague’s Secrets Revealed.

We always participate in the walking tours included with the cruise and add in a few of the optional tours. We’ve found all the tours to be very good. But, if you try to do everything, you’ll just wear yourself out. I suggest you choose those optional tours (which typically cost anywhere from 49 to 69 Euro per person), that are of specific interest to you and spend the rest of your time exploring these wonderful Danube River villages, towns and cities on your own.

Prague Beer Tour

Art and Ken were very happy that our cruise on the Danube was also a Beer Tasting Cruise. Our cruise director arranged for and optional beer tasting tour to a couple of beer houses after dinner that night. At each of the beer houses, we had a flight of beers. I thought they would be small glasses, but, oh no, it was four full sized glasses per person. I really don’t care for beer, so I’d try as sip and then just pass on my glass to one of the guys for them to drink. But, it really didn’t matter, we had fun and lots of laughs. As you may recall from an earlier post, when we travel with family, there’s always a lot of laughter.

Passau, Germany

After lunch the next day, we were taken by motorcoach to Passau, Germany where we boarded the Avalon Panorama. Our home for the next six days. The boat overnighted in Passau which is notable in that it is located at the confluence of three rivers, the Danube, Inn, and Ilz.

The next morning, we had guided walking tour of the city. The highlight of the tour was St. Stephen’s Cathedral with one of the largest church organs in the world. I’m a fan of organ music and would have loved to have heard this one with its 17,774 pipes.

With all the blooming flowers the town was awash with color. The primroses, daffodils and even tulips were in full bloom. I am not sure what it is about this part of Europe, but it is just so striking. I don’t know if it was the time of year we were there, or just the scenery, but it was beautiful.

Beer Workshops

Late that afternoon, while cruising from Passau to Linz, we had the first of several beer workshops. With the Beer Pope, Conrad Seidl. He had several different beers and everyone got a glass of each. He described all the characteristics, ingredients and nuances of each beer. Unfortunately, it was pretty much lost on me, it was still just beer, blech!

Linz

We arrived in Linz, Austria at 7:30 pm. The evening’s on-board entertainment was the Pressburger Duo, comprised of a pianist and violinist from Bratislava. They were very entertaining, and the music was superb.

After the concert, Art, Ken, and a few other passengers joined the Beer Pope for a beer tour of Linz.  Patrice and I retired to our rooms for a little reading and downtime.

There was no city tour in Linz, as there were two longer optional tours that left early that morning, one to Salzburg, the other to the village of Cesky Krumlov. The people on those two tours met up with us again at our next port in the evening.

We opted to go on our own and take a nice long walk through the town of Linz, Austria’s third largest city.

As it turned out the Linz Marathon was going on. We stood and cheered the runners as they passed. There was music and all sorts of entertainment. It was great fun!

Our walk around Linz took us to the New Cathedral which, with a seating capacity of 20,000, is Austria’s largest church. We spent some time in the town square with its Trinity Column, constructed in 1723 as thanks for the city escaping the ravages of the plague, war and fire over the years.

Grein, Austria

At noon the boat left for Grein. Upon our arrival at 5:30 PM, we immediately headed off the boat for a walking tour of the town. Our first stop was the very Bavarian looking town square, flanked with houses from the 16th century. Then we visited the historical theater, built in 1790 the oldest still holding regular performances in Austria. We made another stop in the Parish Church of St. Egidius, which dated back to the 1500’s. Based on its rather plain exterior, I was surprised to see the very ornate Baroque altar, that had been added to the church in 1749.

After the tour, Patrice, Ken, Art and I walked to the Greinburg Castle, sitting high atop the hill, over-looking the Danube. Since 1822 the castle has been the Ducal House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha which still owns and maintains it today. (You may recognize the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha name as that of Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria.)

Melk Abbey

We arrived the next morning in Melk and took an excursion to the incredible Benedictine Abbey. One of Europe’s largest monasteries, this Baroque abbey houses a library with over 100,000 printed books and 1,800 manuscripts.

Our tour was about an hour in length and covered much of the Abbey. We found the Abbey Museum with its reliquaries and ecclesiastical vessels fascinating. But it was the Abbey Church that was over the top. I don’t think I have ever seen so much gilt! Add in the frescoes, marble, and stucco, it was a visual cacophony! Seriously, you just didn’t know where to look next. Interestingly enough, there was so much natural light in the room, that it still felt airy and uplifting. If you take a cruise on the Danube, you don’t want to miss this tour!

Wachau Valley

Later that day we sailed through the Wachau Valley, a very picturesque section of the Danube. Our boat made one more stop for the day, at Weissenkirchen, or White Church, for a guided walk of the small village. There was also the option of a Wachau Dinner and Wine Tasting available for an additional cost.

The evening was spent onboard the boat as we sailed for Vienna.

Vienna

The dock is a fair distance from the city of Vienna, so a motorcoach was provided to take us there for our walking tour. Here we saw the Habsburg Palace complex, originally built in the 13th century as a medieval fortified castle.

The complex was added onto by the succeeding rulers over the years and now the sprawling complex, with over 2600 rooms, is currently the official home and office of the Austrian President as well as the Vienna Boys’ Choir and the Lipizzaner Stallions.  That’s an eclectic group!

Also included in the tour was St Stephens Cathedral, which, with its colorful tile roof is the symbol of the city of Vienna.

Schonbrunn Palace

After the walking tour we went on our own to the Schonbrunn Imperial Palace, the summer palace of the Habsburg family. The current palace was begun in the late 17th century originally as an imperial hunting lodge, but eventually became the palace as we know it today. After eating lunch nearby, we took a self-guided audio tour of the palace which was excellent. Schonbrunn does rival Versailles, even though it’s not quite as large. After our tour, we had a pleasant time exploring the impressive grounds of the palace.

After our visit to Schonbrunn, we went back into Vienna for Sachertorte and a coffee. We then made our way back to the boat via the UBahn, the scene of our unfortunate pickpocketing incident, a story I shared in a previous post.

There were three other tours offered in Vienna. One was a beer tasting tour with Conrad Seidl, the Beer Pope, which was included with the cruise. The other two were paid optional tours, A Visit of Schonbrunn Imperial Palace, and Royal Waltz Concert.

Bratislava

Next stop, Bratisalva, Slovak Republic. Our tour once again, started by motorcoach, taking us up to the Bratislava Fort. Construction on the fort was begun in the 1400’s, and it was nearly destroyed by fire in the early 1800’s. Languishing over the years, it was finally rebuilt after WWII and now houses the Slovakian National Museum.

From the fort, we could see some of the apartments built during the communist era, always interesting for us American’s to see.

The motorcoaches transported us back into town for our walking tour which took us down the narrow winding cobblestone streets of the old town. I found the old town to be simply charming. From Michael’s Gate when you enter the old city walls, to the old town hall and even the Pharmacy Museum it’s a bit of living history. 

Rather than take the optional tour to Scholss Hoff, we went back into the old town on our own in the afternoon and wandered around a little more. I loved Bratislava and would like to come back here and spend some additional time.

Last Beer Workshop

That afternoon was the final beer workshop on the boat. I was finally convinced, no matter what they do to it, I don’t like beer. That stuff is just awful!

There was a group of three or four talented young women from the Bratislava Orchestra who came on board to entertain us before dinner.  If I recall correctly it was a piano and two or three string players. They ended their concert with New York, New York which was, as they said, “Their favorite song, but only because no one has written Bratislava, Bratislava.”

Budapest

Our arrival in Budapest, Hungary was scheduled for 8:30 am which meant we got to be topside for our final portion of our cruise on the Danube. It was beautiful! We then went on our included city tour via motorcoach which included a tour of the Parliament Building. The tour ended with the motorcoach taking us up for a tour of Castle Hill with it’s astounding views of the Parliament Building across the Danube.

That afternoon there were a few more optional tours, the Gold and Glamorous which went to the State Opera house and the Art Nouveau Museum. And one to the countryside for a Hungarian Wine experience.

Thermal Baths

We opted to do our own little excursion. Budapest is known for its thermal baths and going to them is de rigueur. Art and I had gone to a thermal bath when we were previously in Budapest and thought this might be a nice way to spend the afternoon between our tours of the city.

We went over to the Gellert, located near our ship’s dock, one of several thermal baths in Budapest. We had a little difficulty figuring out where to go once in the changing rooms, but we managed, and had a pleasant afternoon.

Our last meal on board was a special food and beer pairing dinner. Once more, I tasted the beer, but it was just sort of wasted on me.

On this, our last evening of the cruise, we participated in the optional tour, Budapest’s Night Lights which provided us with exquisite views of this picturesque city at night.

Two Thumbs Up

Overall, I’d give this cruise of the Danube River two thumbs up. Yeah, it stunk that we were pickpocketed, but as we Wickerham’s say “Nobody died.” We just made the best of it and went on with our trip.

Everything on this cruise was outstanding: our rooms, the food, the itinerary, the tours and the staff. We had everything we needed and no complaints. I’d say it was an appropriate, and successful, celebration of Ken’s retirement!

Have you gone on a special trip to celebrate your retirement? Where did you go? What made it special for you?  I’d love to hear your thoughts or any suggestions you’d like to share. Don’t forget to subscribe and share this blog post with your friends!