Highlights |
| Escorted River Cruise Package |
| Inclusions |
- Flights NYC-Munich, Vienna-NYC
Other departure cities available.
Click on date of departure for selection and prices ♦
- 7 nights Deluxe River Cruise on MS Royal (Category D) outside cabin
- All transfers
- 20 meals: 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 7 dinners
- Complimentary Champagne with breakfast
- Unlimited wine & beer with dinners
- Evening entertainment
- Shore excursions per itinerary
- Services of a cruise director throughout
- Entrance fees per itinerary
- Guaranteed departures
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| Highlights |
- Gala Welcome Dinner
- Regensburg City Tour and Christmas Market
- Passau City Tour and Christmas Market
- Visit to Melk Abbey
- Vienna City Tour and Christmas Market
- Captain's Farewell Dinner
♦ For reservations completed 11 months or more prior to departure, flights cannot be confirmed at the time of booking. Flights will be confirmed once airline schedules are posted.
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A Danube Christmas Market Cruise - what a delightful way to celebrate the season's spectacular traditions! Experience wonderful holiday traditions in the countries where they were born. Sip from steaming mugs of hot mulled wine as you browse the market stalls stocked with ornaments, candies, trinkets and toys. There's no better way to immerse yourself in the holiday spirit than sailing the Danube through Austria and Germany at Yuletide.
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Itinerary |
DAY 1, Sunday - Depart the USA
Depart the USA for Germany. Your flight includes meals, drinks, and in-flight entertainment
DAY 2, Monday - Arrive in Munich, Embark Cruise
Arrive in Munich and transfer to Regensburg to embark your cruise. Enjoy the balance of the day at leisure to relax, get acquainted with the ship, and meet your fellow Gutsy companions. This evening, dine at the captain's gala welcome dinner
Overnight: Cruise
Meals: Dinner
DAY 3, Tuesday - Regensburg City Tour & Christmas Market
This morning, join a walking tour of Regensburg, one of Germany's best preserved medieval cities, that includes the Old Town Hall, the Dom St. Peter, the Roman Gates at Porta Pretoria, and one of the oldest stone bridges over the Danube. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure to explore the city on your own, before returning to the ship. In the evening, delight in a regional dinner while sailing for Passau, meeting point of the Inn, Ilz and Danube Rivers
Optional: Best of Bavaria
Overnight: Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 4, Wednesday - Passau City Tour & Christmas Market
Today, enjoy morning sailing with afternoon arrival in Passau, where the Ilz, Inn, and Danube Rivers meet. Most known for St. Stephen's Cathedral and its historic Altstatd, or Old City district, the city boasts many fine examples of Baroque and Gothic architecture. Enjoy a brief walking tour, followed by time at leisure to discover Passau's charm for yourself. This evening wander the city's Christmas Market before setting sail
Overnight: Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 5, Thursday - Daylight Sailing
Enjoy the day sailing the beautiful blue Danube and take the opportunity to relax and appreciate the ship's amenities
Optional: Full Day Tour of Salzburg
Overnight: Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 6, Friday - Linz City Tour
Spend the morning sailing, arriving in Linz in the afternoon. Here, join in a brief city tour. Enjoy the balance of the day at leisure in Austria's third largest city. In the evening set sail for Vienna
Optional: Full Day Tour of Cesky Krumlov
Overnight: Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 7, Saturday - Melk Abbey Tour
Today, join a tour of the massive Benedictine Abbey, built overlooking both Melk and the Danube River. A World Heritage Site, this beautiful abbey ranks among the most important landmarks in all of Europe and is considered the pinnacle of Baroque architecture, with a vast library containing over 85,000 books and a towering copula that stands 210 feet tall
Optional: Classical Viennese Concert
Overnight: Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 8, Sunday - Vienna City Tour & Christmas Market
Your morning tour of Vienna begins with a drive along the famed Ringstrasse, Vienna's main boulevard, to the Hofburg Palace. Walk the courtyards to the Vienna State Opera House, continuing to view the Parliament, St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Natural History, and City Hall. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure before joining the captain for a farewell dinner. This evening, stroll Vienna's charming Christmas Market and pick up a few ornaments or mementos to take back with you
Optional: Best of Vienna
Overnight: Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 9, Monday - Depart for the USA
This morning, disembark and transfer to the airport for your departure flight
Meals: Breakfast
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Optionals |
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Best of Bavaria
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Day #3 |
01 Mar 2009 - 05 Jan 2011 $59
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This tour consists of visits to two remarkable places. Start off with a tour of Liberation Hall, a monumental building commemorating the wars of liberation against Napoleon in the early 19th century. With a commanding view over the Danube Valley, this massive structure in the style of a Greek temple in the round dominates Mount Michelsberg. The interior walls are covered with splendid marble, and the floor bears the moving inscription "May the Germans never forget what made necessary the Struggle for Freedom and by what means they won," the words of King Ludwig I, who personally financed the completion of this great work. The next stop is Weltenburg Abbey, spectacularly located at the narrowest navigable point on the Bavarian Danube, the Danube Gorge, the oldest monastery in Bavaria. Founded around 620 AD, the Abbey has grown to include not only the spectacular Asam Baroque church but also the oldest monastery brewery in the world with almost 1000 years of brewing tradition. You will be able to taste some of these delicious beers that have made this brewery famous.
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Full Day Tour of Salzburg
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Day #5 |
01 Mar 2009 - 05 Jan 2011 $99
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Full day excursion to Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart and famous cultural setting for the Sound of Music. Once ashore, enjoy a walking city tour to see some of the most historic sights for which Salzburg is known, including Mirabella Palace, the house where Mozart lived, Nonnberg Abbey, Salzburg Cathedral, and St. Peter's Cemetery. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant and time at leisure to explore the streets of Salzburg on your own.
*The optional excursion to Salzburg and the included Passau city tour operate simultaneously. Passengers that purchase the optional excursion to Salzburg will not have the opportunity participate in the included Passau city tour. This will affect those passengers on sailing in March to October, as well as the Thanksgiving sailing.
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Full Day Tour of Cesky Krumlov
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Day #6 |
01 Dec 2008 - 05 Jan 2011 $89
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This morning, travel through the picturesque landscape of Southern Bohemia for Cesky Krumlov, one of the most wonderful medieval cities in Central Europe, situated at a ford in the Vltava River. Declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site in 1992, Cesky Krumlov has earned an international reputation for its State Castle and Chateau, one of the largest and best preserved in Central Europe. Upon arrival, stroll through the narrow alleys of the historic old town, home to more than three-hundred buildings in the Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance styles, and enjoy the spectacular view of the castle and chateau. Afterwards, continue to a local restaurant for lunch, followed by free time to explore Cesky Krumlov on your own. Return to the ship in the late afternoon.
*The optional excursion to Cesky Krumlov and the included Linz city tour operate simultaneously. Passengers that purchase the optional excursion to Cesky Krumlov will not have the opportunity participate in the included Linz city tour.
** On the 6 night sailings in November, Cesky Krumlov and the Passau city tour operate simultaneously. Passengers that purchase the optional excursion to Cesky Krumlov will not have the opportunity participate in the included Passau city tour.
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Classical Viennese Concert
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Day #7 |
01 Mar 2009 - 05 Jan 2011 $69
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What better way to dive into the heart of Viennese culture than to enjoy a delightful evening in the City of Music, the center of the Western musical world since Renaissance times. Attend a fantastic concert performance in the city and enjoy the ambiance of a world-class concert hall, the epitome of the refined life, as you appreciate the classical masterpieces of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Strauss, two of Vienna's most famous citizens. Listen in awe as the musicians bring to life the passionate strains of Mozart, a child prodigy who blossomed into one of history's greatest composers and Strauss, the Waltz King, who composed the Blue Danube, arguably the world's most famous waltz. The orchestral arrangement is accompanied by a professional dance performance, recalling the golden age of the 19th-century Viennese ballrooms. At intermission, sip a glass of sparkling wine and mingle with the audience before returning for the conclusion of the concert.
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Best of Vienna
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Day #8 |
01 Mar 2009 - 05 Jan 2011 $69
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Enjoy a guided tour of one of the world's busiest opera houses, the Vienna State Opera*. Originally constructed in 1869, the structure was completely remodeled following its destruction during the Second World War. See the grand entrance foyer and main staircase, the elegant tea salon and Marble Room, the Gustav Mahler Room, and finally the highlight of the tour, the magnificent Auditorium.
From the Opera House, board your bus and wind your way up Kahlenberg via the scenic Höhenstrasse. The mountain sits at the northeastern foothills of the Eastern Alps and rises well over 1500 feet. Ascend an alpine forest road to reach the remarkable Kahlenberg Vista Point. From here, enjoy a panoramic view of Vienna with the Danube cutting through the city. Afterward, continue on to Grinzing, where you'll have the opportunity to experience true Austrian Gemütlichkeit, which is a sense of cosiness, belonging, and unhurried enjoyment, at a local Heuriger. Heurigen sell only their own wines and provide a warm, welcoming environment for guests. Here, taste a few of the local wines and enjoy the atmosphere.
*When the Vienna State Opera is not available due to closure, a visit to the Haus der Musik or another musical venue will be included
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Rates & Hotels |
Click On A Date To Book Online
* All Prices are in USD
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| 2009 | Land/Cruise Only | Air & Land/Cruise |
| | Book By
Dec 31 | Book After
Dec 31 | Book By
Dec 31 | Book After
Dec 31 |
| Dec 6 | 1399 | 1599 | 2119 | 2319 |
*Not included: airport taxes, fees & September 11th Security Fee, cruise port charges of $125, optional excursions, tips on board, and for drivers and tour guides (see Terms & Conditions).
Cruise only price does not include arrival/departure transfers.
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Bottom Deck Outside Cabin
Windows, 2 Beds, Television, Bathroom, Closet.
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Bottom Deck Outside Cabin
Windows, 2 Beds, Television, Bathroom, Closet.
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Mid Deck Outside Cabin
Panoramic Windows, 2 Beds, Television, Bathroom, Closet.
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Top Deck Outside Cabin
French Balcony, 2 Beds, Television, Bathroom, Closet.
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Top Deck Suite
French Balcony, Windows, Bed, Television, Bathroom, Closet, Lounge.
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