APT River Cruise , 5th May – 10th May 2010

Before I boarded the vessel, I was expecting a modest vessel with basic cabins. I was expecting most of the passengers to be European and therefore the cuisine to match. I also expected the whole operation to be geared up to suit the European market with limited English being spoken. How wrong could I have been!

My APT River Cruise experience was thoroughly enjoyable! The passenger cabins were very well designed and although fairly compact, there was ample room and the furnishings were exceptionally high quality. The bathrooms were extremely well designed and fitted to a very high standard. The crew were extremely attentive and the service would match any of the big sea cruise companies and exceed most!

It was a great chance to sightsee in the posts of call with virtually all the excursions being included. The guides were exceptional and the tours very well organised.

Food on board was better than many sea cruise companies and the choice was excellent.

One of the highlights was the unplanned visit to Salzburg. The visit was included due to the late arrival of the ship, but it was great to see Salzburg even though we did have a bit of a coach ride.

All the ports of call were great and the tours departed efficiently. My favourite had to be Budapest, but Vienna was a great place too. The radio commentary system used by the guides worked very well.

I was really pleased to find that most of the passengers were Australian. This made for a great atmosphere on board and the other passengers were great company too.

I was very surprised at the quality of the ship and particularly appreciated the great informal but very professional service. The balance was perfect.

I would recommend an APT River Cruise to any of my passengers as it would appeal to such a wide audience. I have used APT lots of times for travel within Australia and I knew the standard would be good. The River Cruises certainly exceeded my expectations and the quality in every respect was faultless.

The key points which made the cruise such a success are:


• The majority of passengers being Australian and English speaking
• It is great to have good wine included in the price for dinner.
The waiters being very generous with the wine too!
• Great way to see Europe leisurely. So many city breaks can be hard work and stressful, not to mention the other option being a coach tour. The river cruise took away all the hard work and was very relaxing.
• Most of the ports were very close to the city centre or a short coach ride away which means that people can go ashore for a few hours if they wish and return for lunch and have a restful afternoon on board or stay ashore exploring all day if they prefer.
• The food was exceptional.


The product is well refined and it is difficult to offer suggestions for improvement. My only comment would be the evening concert in Vienna. Whilst this was enjoyable and well organised I thought the musical program was limited. I was expecting more music by Strauss as well as Mozart. The concert itself was expensive for what it was. I still enjoyed it though!

The crew on board were superb from the cabin attendants, waiters in the bar and Restaurants to the Cruise director and Hotel Manager.

I must say also how much I enjoyed the commentary by your guide, Ludmilla in Bratislava. She was so entertaining as well as knowledgeable and helpful. Full marks!!

Great experience and one which I will HIGHLY recommend to my clients and colleagues.