A group of only 9 of us embarked the L'Europe ship at Budapest. Thankfully we gelled as a group as, apart from a friendly couple from New Zealand, the rest of the passengers were French. That wasn't a problem as the guides on most of the excursions were bi-lingual and if not we had our own English speaking guide which was even better. Helene, one of the onboard organisers spoke excellent English and she accompanied us on the included excursions.

All the staff were very friendly, well trained and hard working. Sophie, our Hungarian waitress made sure we were well looked after and that all dietary requests were followed.

The cabins were comfortable and clean. The shower area was a bit neat and the 'cling on' shower curtain didn't behave itself no matter what I said to it! I found sleeping difficult due to the engine noise and the odd 'bump' as we went through locks at night. That didn't spoil my holiday as I'd been on a river cruise before and I knew that would happen.

There was a large, comfortable lounge area where we met up during the day and evening. It was also where the activities took place. Hilarity took hold during the dance lessons while we tried to get our heads and feet round the Madison and the Macarena! On the upper deck there was also a tv/games/piano bar where we were able to watch a couple of Rugby World Cup matches with the New Zealand couple. Unfortunately Scotland didn't make it through so there were commiserations all round.

The food was very good, but, dare I say, there was far too much of it!

I was glad that I had taken the Optional Excursion package as we didn't always moor next to a town/village and, quite often, as soon as the excursion buses set off the ship sailed on to the next place.

All the places we visited were really interesting and pretty with their old town centres. Unfortunately we didn't see Budapest and Vienna at their best due to grey, wet weather. I think my favourites were Durnstein, Melk with its Abbey, Nuremberg and Rothenburg.

On the last day the First Officer invited us up to the Wheelhouse [not a wheel in sight] and he made navigation seem so easy - just push a lever here and press a button there!

We covered 963 miles on the Danube, the Danube/Main Canal, the Main and finally on the Rhine! The cruise was 13 days long and it was so relaxing.

Thanks to all the group for making the holiday such fun.

Now.. where can I go next?

Rae

Thank you for taking the time to review your recent holiday. I'm delighted you had such a fun time (although sorry to hear the weather wasn't always cooperative).

I have, as I always do, forwarded on your comments to the wider Just You team.

Kindest regards,

Julia

Thanks for a fantastic review... you really made me laugh out loud about the shower curtain... I've always fancied a River Cruise but have been worries about whether I would enjoy it. But it sounds like you had lots for fun.

Kind Regards

Kezzer

Since I am not a good sailor or the sea does not like me, I wonder if cruising on the river was any different. Is it smooth sailing so one does not feel sick? I was going to do the Nile Cruise in 2012, but had to cancel. I talked myself into it by saying that river cruising would be different from sea cruising! I still hope to do it one day once all the troubles are over.

Jaya

I have done river and ocean cruising. Rivers aren't rough, but river cruisers are less spacious than their ocean counterparts, and less glitzy. The cabins tend to be wall to wall bed, and the description of the shower room is typical, The bonus is that all cabins have windows and often small balconies. Sitting on deck watching admiring the changing scenery is magical.

You're right re the room size, SarahS. The bed had room to walk round it and there was a lot of storage space which is fairly unusual on a river cruise. True, the boat wasn't glitzy like on a sea cruise. I enjoyed that and the dress code was smart/casual. We wore slightly smarter clothes in the evenings if we had time to change. On the last evening there was a Gala Dinner and the men wore suits and ties and the females dressed up a bit more.

I see that the reverse cruise is on next year on 28 April - Strasbourg to Budapest. The ship sails the Danube in the Spring and Summer and then returns to its base at Strasbourg for the autumn and winter on the Rhine. This is why it is only available twice a years as a 13 day cruise.

Rae