Tony Silvester

Age: 75
Occupation: Retired Printing Proprietor
Number of Cruises: 4 River, Many Ocean
Cruise Line: Grand Circle
Ship: Concerto
Sailing Date: 2004
Itinerary: Danube River

We had a very good introduction to river cruising. We didn’t realise it at the time, but we had accidentally fallen into a luxury style of cruising that is not normally open to us European peasants. It must have been one of those years when Americans stay at home because of some little upset in that wild, uncivilised ‘Yewrupp’. Grand Circle must then have found they had a little accommodation going begging and threw it open to us ordinary Brits. There was only a dozen of us on board amongst a host of Americans – extremely trying on the ears for the average quiet Englishman. There was unfortunately a strong contingent of what they would call ‘trailer trash’ – in fact there were only three amongst all the ‘Yanks’ on board that we were able to consider to be ‘cultured’. However the boat itself was of a very high standard (the ‘Concerto’) being American owned and normally available only to citizens of that country. As we know, Americans will kick up a fuss if they are not pampered with excellent service and vast quantities of luxury food – a system that works and which we should emulate. The most surprising thing was that this cruise was by far the cheapest we have had so far. A disappointment was that the promised “wine of the region” proved to be French when we were, in fact, traveling along the Danube/Rhine.

Because we had enjoyed this trip so much, we booked another soon after, thinking that all boats would be the same. It was quite a let-down boarding one of the standard three star river boats normally offered to Europeans. We would have probably been quite happy had we not previously experienced ‘how the other half live’, but found it rather Spartan in comparison (but, thank God, quieter!)

However, we have enjoyed several river trips since and have two more booked for this year. We have however, taken ‘top’ cabins on four-star boats in the hope that we may regain the luxury of that first excursion.

The only slight set-back we have suffered in any these trips was when the Danube was rather low, due to insufficient rainfall. Our first three or four ‘ports’ of call were by coach, using the boat as a moored hotel further down the river. If the weather in the UK is any indication, they could be in trouble again this year.

We do not suffer from sea-sickness, and have enjoyed many ocean-going cruises, but we seem to be preferring the daily stop at a new town each day offered by these river trips. Obviously the facilities and entertainment on board do not compare and rivers are surprisingly more expensive, but it must be our advancing age which makes us prefer the calm progress and peaceful nights.
Will post reviews of m/s Seine (May - Paris to Honfleur) and m/s Viking Fontane (September - Berlin to Prague) on our return.