New Year on the Danube - MS William Wordsworth
Holiday Highlights
- Five nights on board in your choice of luxury cabin or suite, with river views
- Return scheduled flights from 11 regional airports
- Four visits and tours including guided tours in Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna and Schönbrunn Palace
- Live classical music recital on board
- Hungarian folklore show on board
- All meals on board from dinner on your day of arrival through to breakfast on your day of departure, including New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner, midnight drinks and canapés, a New Year’s Day brunch and the Captain’s Dinner and farewell drinks
- Five-star service from an English-speaking crew and knowledgeable local guides
- Complimentary on-board tea and coffee
- Complimentary on-board Wi-Fi
- Services of a Riviera Travel cruise director and concierge
- All port charges, airport taxes and overseas transfers
What's Included
- Prices are per person, based on two people sharing a twin cabin with a limited number of Sole Occupancy cabins available on all decks at the relevant supplement. The price includes:
- Full board from dinner on your day of arrival until breakfast on your final day; if you choose to travel with us on any of the full day excursions by coach, a packed lunch will be provided. Anyone choosing to stay on the ship may of course have lunch in the restaurant
- Welcome cocktails
- New Year's Eve Gala Dinner
- Morning/afternoon tea and coffee
- All visits and excursions as mentioned in the itinerary
- Overseas transfers
- Coach travel as mentioned
- The services of a Riviera Travel cruise director and concierge
Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive at the airport for your flight to Budapest from where a coach transfers you to your cruise ship moored in this beautiful city. The dedicated crew are there to welcome you on board, ensuring you settle in and familiarise yourself with this first class floating hotel that will be your home for your New Year sojourn. You’ll be mesmerised by the beautiful twinkling garlands and luscious décor, a striking backdrop to welcome in the new year. The ship remains here overnight so take in the views of the sparkling lights of the city as you enjoy your first dinner on board.
Day 2
Budapest is always an atmospheric and fascinating city, but at this time of the year, the muted colours of its magnificent archaic spires and grand domes are especially captivating on the wintry skyline. The twin cities of Buda, built around the hilltop fortress, and Pest, with its wide boulevards, were fought over through the centuries. The Ottomans ruled here for 150 years before being ousted in the late 17th-century, but their legacy lives on in the many thermal baths fed by hot springs, giving rise to Budapest’s other sobriquet – the ‘City of Spas’. After the end of Ottoman rule, Budapest became an imperial city of the Habsburg Empire, attracting great cultural and commercial wealth. The historic and palatial buildings, the superb Roman ruins and exquisite Art Nouveau architecture also provide a truly impressive setting for the acclaimed Yuletide markets. This morning we enjoy a guided tour of this captivating city which truly does live up to its reputation as the ‘Pearl of the Danube’. Castle Hill is Budapest in microcosm: two churches, seven museums and a theatre among streets and squares with their own special atmosphere and a dramatic view across the river to the awe-inspiring neo-Gothic Parliament. There’s also free time to explore under your own steam, so perhaps take in one of the city’s fine museums or simply wander the markets. Soak up the traditional atmosphere as classical music fills the air along with the delicious smells of spicy gingerbread and peppery goulash – and don’t forget the mulled wine to stave off the winter chill! Back on board for lunch we slip our mooring and our Danube adventure begins. Wrap up and take to the deck to enjoy a kaleidoscope of winter scenery before stepping back into the warmth of the ship’s inviting lounge. Join new found friends for welcome cocktails before a superb dinner as we sail towards Bratislava.
It is extremely difficult to convey just how extraordinary this outstanding ship really is and exactly what distinguishes it from similar vessels. It would be very easy to just say ‘luxurious’ but it’s much more than that; we have deliberately avoided the current trend for a minimalist style where you could be anywhere in the world, creating instead a unique yet exquisite blend of understated taste, style and elegance at the highest level. Immediately striking is just how exceptionally spacious this new vessel is as you enter a gleaming, richly coloured marble-floored lobby flooded with natural light from a stunning atrium above. Moving inside, exceptional creativity from Europe’s finest design studio has produced a superbly balanced masterpiece of onboard style, utilising sustainable rich hardwoods, gleaming brass and polished copper, sparkling glass and intricate wrought iron. The ship is beautifully illuminated throughout – including the exterior and imaginatively furnished with harmonious colour schemes, all designed to create the serene atmosphere reflective of the golden age of cruising which time after time you tell us you adore.
The restaurant rivals the finest on shore establishments taking fine dining to another level complemented by delicate European porcelain, gleaming glassware and the intuitive service in which the Swiss excel. This superb vessel carries 44 in-house trained crew members serving just 169 guests (similar size vessels may carry well over 190 passengers) giving the ratio which our experience proves is concurrent with our first class service levels.
Furthermore your suite will easily exceed your expectations for not only will you enjoy the most discerning décor, so too the ship’s dimensions afford the ultimate in space and comfort - a minimum 16 square metres (172 square feet), with upgrades available to ‘Superior’ and ‘Deluxe’ accommodation.
See this ship on a Romania river cruise