Castles Along the Rhine and Danube

Europe My husband and I, along with another couple, took the 16-day river cruise “Castles Along the Rhine and Danube” aboard the ms River Odyssey, Sept. 26-Oct. 11, 2007, with Vantage Deluxe World Travel (90 Canal St., Boston, MA 02114-2031; 800/322-6677)

Including airfare, fuel surcharge, fees and taxes but excluding insurance, the cost per person was $5,310 per person for an “A” category room; add-on airfare from Cincinnati was another $100.

We flew on United Airlines from Cincinnati to Washington, D.C., and on Lufthansa to Budapest, where we were met and transferred to the ship. (We returned Amsterdam-Washington-Cincinnati.)

The highlights were dinner with an accordion plus singalong at a wine tavern, and a musical program of singers and dancers in a Vienna concert hall.

Other highlights included traveling through the beautiful Wachau Valley in Germany with everyone on the top deck taking photos and admiring the scenery, small towns, castles, etc.; listening to an organ recital at Dom Cathedral in Passau; visiting the World War II Museum in Nuremberg; traveling over a mountain by way of the Main canals, and visiting Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet in Rudesheim.

Tours were included in each town. The other cities visited were Regensburg, Roth, Bamberg, Würzburg, Rothenburg, Wertheim, Aschaffenburg, Heidelberg, Frankfurt, Koblenz and Cologne.

When first arriving for the cruise, we were divided into four groups, each with its own program manager for tours and bus trips. We also were given earphones and battery packs so we could easily hear the guides without standing in a huddle.

One of our favorite things to do was have a meal in a local café before returning to the ship. People everywhere were friendly.

This trip was one of the most beautiful we have taken. Some of the passengers were on this cruise for the second time. The meals were good, and the onboard programs were enjoyable. The crew, staff and service people were unfailingly helpful and courteous.

MADGE CHESNUT
London, KY