Blue Danube
Wishing we could do Salzburg and Cesky Krumlov, it I understnd why we can’t. We have been to Salzburg years ago & did a lot of Sound of Music tours and loved what we saw. We went to CK on another river cruise in 2018 and loved the history, but the others going with us haven’t been to either. Has anyone done this after Covid? How was the tour of Salzburg? We would love to know what is on that tour. TIA.
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Which tour are you looking at?
We were on Blue Danube, eastbound and did both. We hired a private guide to take us (a group of 7) to Cesky Krumlov from Prague before the start of the tour. On Day 5 we took the Tauck full day excursion from Linz to Salzburg (which we had seen before during Ultimate Alps). According to what we experienced and were told by a Tauck TD, we were able to spend more time in CK than if we had taken the excursion with Tauck. We actually arrived in CK at the same time as a bus from a westbound Blue Danube boat, but they were long gone before we left to return to Prague. The only negative was that our van trip from Prague was longer than the bus from Linz.
Wondering about Sound of Music excursions from the Ms Joy, Danube ccruise, any info? Thanks!
I visited CK in October 2021 on the Blue Danube eastbound tour on the MS Joy. I loved the town, but I really wished we had more time there. I did join a few others for a sit-down lunch. Grabbing something quick to eat would certainly have provided more time. I very much enjoyed the tour with the local guide.
Alan, do you recall who you used for the tour of CK? We’re looking at doing the same. Thx.
PragueWalker https://www.praguewalker.com/ - we also used them for a tour of the Prague Jewish Quarter so we could take the other Tauck option. They are great to work with and extremely accommodating. We had the same guide, Tereza, for both tours. She was fantastic. Rick Steves recommends them- the owner is featured in one of his Prague episodes.
Thanks, Alan!
Salzburg specifics: You will leave Linz around 8 or a little after. It is about an hour and a half. You will stop at a rest stop 30 minutes prior to arriving in Salzburg. Nicest rest stop I have ever seen. The bus will park on the opposite side of the river where you will meet your tour guide. From there you will walk through part of the Mirabellgarten. You then cross the pedestrian bridge full of locks-Makartsteg Bridge. You walk down the main shopping street past Mozart's birthplace and end at the Salzburg Cathedral. You will not go into any buildings. After which you have three hours to explore and have lunch on your own. We met up around 3 and headed back to the bus. We did not stop on the way back. In our free time we went to the castle/fortress and on the way down stopped at the Stiegkeller for an outdoor lunch and beer overlooking the city. Did a little shopping and had plenty of time to get back to the meeting point.
We did do the Praguewalker Jewish town tour and it was great. I did a separate post several month back on Prague tips that you may find helpful
We basically missed this stop. There were four of us traveling together, but half of the ship caught a virus. My friend and I were were fine, but both of our wives were down for the count for about forty eight hours. Tauck did give us some compensation for that. But, we missed the ‘Sound of Music”.
Ben, are you saying that Salzburg is mostly on our own without a guide?
The first 2 hours is with a local tour guide where you walk from the bus through the town to the cathedral. It gives you the basic information. The next 3 hours you will be on your own.
we're looking into the Danube cruise. I'm curious about the two ships, MS Joy and MS Savor. what condition were they in? Have they been refurbished or remodeled in recent years? Also, I've read the food on both ships, is mediocre. those are both very important to us. any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks,
Renovation - Joy in 2023; Savor in 2020 (as indicated in their 2024 brochure). Tauck keeps their ships in pristine condition in my opinion. I have not taken the Danube cruise nor have I been on these ships, but I have been on others.
We have always enjoyed the food, the selection of such and have especially liked the on-board cooking demonstrations of regional specialties.
We've been on 6 Tauck river cruises on 7 different ships (one was a ship swap - a lock closed river traffic). They've all been in excellent shape including the Joy which I was on last Dec. I've been in some hotel rooms that felt a bit sad and tired but have never thought that about Tauck. FYI, they are actually built and owned by a Swiss co called Scylla who provide all the crew except the Tauck tour and cruise directors.
Per Tauck's website, the Savor was built in 2014 and renovated in 2020. The Joy is slightly newer (exact same deck plan) built in 2016. They didn't list a renovation date but I wouldn't be surprised if it was done last winter since it was in Amsterdam last spring as part of a river cruise expo and several travel writers toured it and made videos. I don't remember but some might have mentioned if it had been renovated. Here's a link to one but you can find it and others on youtube --- "ms joy ship tour" should find them.
As to food, that of course is subjective. We've been very happy with the food quality and choices especially the lunch buffet and sit down dinners. Some may not consider it to be the height of gourmet innovation but it certainly is above my usual dining options. They do focus on including regional dishes which I like. The lunch buffet is different every day with plenty of options - soup, salad, sandwiches, multiple hot dishes, desserts, and cheese. Dinner includes 2 soup choices, 2 starters, and always has at least 3 mains. Plus there are beef fillets, salmon and chicken if none of the specials appeal. The wines are chosen by the sommelier based on the menu. If you want something lighter, Arthur's bistro is a good option.
Breakfast is the only area where there isn't really any variety. The usual hot drinks, juice, pastries, bread, cereal, yogurt and hot items like eggs, omelets, pancakes. The food is good - just basically the same everyday. Which I'm fine with. Can't handle too many choices that early in the day.
I've been on 10 river cruise tours and have always been happy with the quality of the food, not a big breakfast person so going to Arthurs for some yogurt, bread and coffee has always worked for me.
We are booked on the Bue Danube cruise on the Savoy beginning May 29, 2025. Looking for "local" restaurants for dinner/lunch and walking tours in Prague as we will be there a day before the tour begins. Any other advice on the Tauck excursions would be appreciated.
Thanks!
We are going on The Blue Danube westbound on MS Joy on May 25, 2025. This is our first river cruise, but we are certainly not strangers to cruising on commercial lines. We are having dinner in the Imperial Castle in Vienna, and dinner at the Lobkowidz Palace at Prague Castle. Wondering about attire? Also, looking for excursion suggestions in Budapest, Vienna and Prague which are not included in the tour. Thank you for your suggestions!
All tours have a packing list that always includes guidance about sport coats and tie. The Blue Danube list says:
Sport jacket and optional tie for men
Casually elegant evening wear for ladies
That's actually a bit confusing. When they want both it will typically just list sport jacket and tie for men. If both are optional it will say "An optional jacket and tie for men" . I read this as they'd like men to wear a sport jacket but a tie is optional.
I've never seen anyone refused service so it really comes down to what you are comfortable with. Some men are fine being the only one without a jacket and others would be totally uncomfortable. I once saw a couple spend an entire tour dressed by REI for a hike.
For women, at a special occasion meals off the ship about half will wear a dress and half will wear dress slacks, a nice top and accessories.
On board ship any special meals tend to be a bit more casual.
Some will tell you to dress like you are going to a brew pub, but the dinner locations are fairly elegant. Suit yourself.