Jewel

Jewel Reviews

17 Jewel reviews from past cruise travellers.
4.8
AVG. RATING 4.8 / 5
17 Reviews
5 Star
76%
4 Star
24%
3 Star
2 Star
1 Star

< Back To Jewel

An amazing Travelmarvel cruise!     9 , WA, Australia, Apr 2019
Well, I can honestly say this was one of the best holidays I have ever had. Everything about the cruise just fell into place, due to the competence of Cherie Cooper, our cruise director! Cherie is a wealth of knowledge and has an awesome sense of humour and is really a wonderful person. I'm sure she is an asset to the company.

We were extremely ...read more lucky to have been blessed with excellent weather, and although nobody could control this, it worked well in our favour. Marko looked after us in the dining room, even though with open dining it could have been any one of the waiters, but we chose to remain on the same table and it certainly was worth it.

A lot of friendships were made but most of all were the wonderful memories we will all have forever. Thank you Travelmarvel. Hope to see you again sometime.
Excellent value for money! Best holiday ever!     11 , QLD, Australia, Dec 2018
We have just returned from the Xmas Markets river cruise on “the Jewel” with Travelmarvel. Travel was first class all the way. Plenty of included activities as well as several extra optionals. All the crew were fabulous and our cruise director “Emma” was very experienced and ever so helpful. This truly was a worry free 15 day river cruise. We made ...read more quite a few new friends that we plan on keeping in touch with. We plan on using Travelmarvel for our next river cruise in Russia. Booking ahead with the fly free offer made this great value for money.
River cruise Budapest to Amsterdam plus Prague and Paris   6 , NSW, Australia, Nov 2018
Had a great time on the cruise, Xmas Markets were amazing. The organisation and information supplied by our guides was second to none.
A genuinely great holiday where every effort is made to ensure a good outcome     20 , QLD, Australia, Oct 2018
This was an exceptional cruise in the very literal sense. I have fortunately had the luck to experience quite a diverse & varied presentation of holidays by various cruise/holiday organisations - this would have to have been THE BEST!

Now, granted, not everything went according to plan, but I hasten to add that in my experience, Travelmarvel made ...read more exceptional effort to minimise inconveniences & maximise experience. I pay ultimate respect to Cruise Director - Sue Obermoser, she did an outstanding job to ensure everyone’s situation was the best, under some pretty adverse situations, namely prevailing river conditions. Very well done to her and the entire crew.
Danube - Rhine Experience   13 , QLD, Australia, Oct 2018
A thoroughly enjoyable river journey. After 4 weeks prior travelling independently "back packing" around Croatia this was absolute luxury. The cabin was fantastic. The bed so comfortable plus a 'balcony' view. The food was amazing. I was conscious to eat healthily. I avoided the pastries and bread but still had 3 'big' meals a day. I had sparkling wine ...read more with breakfast and wine with lunch and dinner. Why not indulge a little. I would also walk for 1 to 1.5 h each morning before breakfast whenever the ship was docked. Amazingly when I got home and weighed myself I hadn't put on weight. Which goes to show with healthy eating (and some drinking) plus exercise you don't have to put on those kilos on a 'cruise'.

Marion our Tour Director was fantastic. The excursions were great except for Vienna. We only had a very short 'guided tour', then were left at St Stephens for 1/2 h which was not long enough to do anything. We then went (and wasted 1h) to the Nasch Market to sample a piece of cheese, a mini" pancake" and glass of wine. This was a complete waste of time! With so much food/wine on the the 'ship' no one needed more food. This component should be dropped. There is so much else to see in Vienna. Fortunately I have lived there so know! Entertainment: because I got up at 6.30am each morning to go for my walks I was always too tired after dinner to partake in the evening entertainment. I did enjoy the very informative afternoon talk by the professor about the Danube-Rhine Canal.
Great organisation and enjoyable holiday for both of us   2 , NSW, Australia, Jul 2018
Our holiday was hassle free thanks to Georgie's organisation. All flights, transfers and tours were as expected. The river cruise was an adventure having to change ships due to river levels - the cruise director had everything under control and the cruise was great. If we were not with Travelmarvel then this would not have been possible as other companies ...read more did not have boats available to enable a switch mid river cruise. Would definitely recommend this company to others. Highlights, Zermatt and the Matterhorn, Vienna especially our free time exploring museums and Time Travel Vienna experience. Thank you again for coordinating a great experience - never to be forgotten.
Cruise Amsterdam to Budapest Travel Marvel     11 , NSW, Australia, Jul 2018
Very happy with Global Journeys and with Travelmarvel! Very enjoyable experience. Highly recommended. Our highlight was the Rhine Gorge. Not ideal having to do a boat swap from Travelmarvel Diamond to Travelmarvel Jewel halfway along because of low water levels in the Danube. However the ~ 2 hour bus trip from Nuremberg to just south of Passau to join ...read more the new boat was pleasant and the only place we missed seeing was Regensburg.

During our cruise the Danube also became closed for river ships between Bratislava and Budapest so the cruise itself ended in Bratislava. We coached from Bratislava to Budapest for the day (three hours each way) to do the tour of Budapest then had the trip from Bratislava back to Budapest the following day to end the tour. All cruise companies faced the same problems and our cruise director handled the disruptions (clearly beyond his control) and rearrangements well. Weather very hot and dry ( 30-40 everyday) but after all it was July and mid summer!

Only negative comment relates to failure of the air conditioning on Travelmarvel Diamond for the first 48 hours of the cruise. Temperature in high 30s and no fans were available. Faulty unit extremely noisy in our cabin located next to the unit at the back of the boat. Difficult to sleep. Air Conditioner repaired and noise problem disappeared but unit never functioned really efficiently. If this conditioner is not designed for consistent 30-40 degree heat then should be replaced given global warming appears a reality. Air conditioning fine on Travelmarvel Jewel.
European Gems - Amsterdam to Budapest     18 , NSW, Australia, Jun 2018
Even though we only did most of the included excursions it was still fairly full on with something to see every day. The highlights of the trip for us was cruising the rivers admiring the castles and small towns along the way and to have a room with a view where you could relax on your bed and watch the countryside glide by if you desired. The icing ...read more on the cake was the night cruise along the river in Budapest seeing the bridges and buildings lit up with lights along with music amplified up on the Sun Deck. It was spectacular.

Our Cruise Director Mr Roland Noordermeer was exceptional with his knowledge of the river and the various points of interest along the way along with history and politics of Europe. There was abundant amounts of beer wine and soft drinks at meal times. When booking a room, I would suggest a room from the middle of the ship toward the rear is the best location as there are less people passing your door.
18 day European Gems-Amsterdam to Prague (Travelmarvel)   4 , VIC, Australia, Sep 2017
Very well organized. We enjoyed every minute of our holiday. The assistance on every part of our journey, by Travelmarvel people was fantastic. We would love to travel with them again soon.
Europe in all it's beauty & history     0 , NSW, Australia, Aug 2017
Scenery and trips were excellent, supported by the outstanding social directors-Roland and Adela were so professional, helpful and fun. The trips were interesting, well organised, and generally guides were sound. Home visit was fascinating.
European River Cruise     1 , VIC, Australia, Aug 2017
We booked the trip in order to visit some of the cities of eastern and central Europe, without the fuss of packing and unpacking and getting in and out of hotels every other day or so. From this perspective, the trip was excellent and we've achieved our goal, having seen Prague, Budapest, Vienna, several German cities including a glimpse of Cologne, ...read more Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Paris. It was a good mix of people and we became friends with several couples. Also there was evening entertainment on the ship and the food was good and plenty. We'd have liked to be able to explore more of some of the cities along the rivers Maine and Rhine (in Germany).

For us, the highlights of the trip were Prague and Paris. We stayed several days in each of these cities and enjoyed exploring their beauty, historical places and food. We enjoyed traveling by ship but were slightly disappointed by the lack of a balcony and restricted access to the sun deck and fresh air. Didn't quite like the air conditioning having to be used at all times. Some port locations such as the one in Cologne were rather unpleasant, with a wall in front of our window. Overall it was a good experience but I'm not sure if I want to do it again.
What a great way to see Europe.     9 , NSW, Australia, Jul 2017
Trip began in Budapest which is an amazing and beautiful city. We did the side trips into Slovakia & the Czech Republic and loved them. A highlight of the trip was coffee & cake in a private home in Bamberg. The people that we met on tour and the food was excellent. I would recommend this trip with Travelmarvel to anybody.
Wow, exceptional!!   4 , NSW, Australia, Jun 2017
Wow, this trip met our expectations and more. So very happy to recommend this trip. From the delivery of our travel pack, being met at the airport, transfers, land guide, coaches, hotels, river ship, all staff onboard..... exceptional. Our land guide was very knowledgeable, having studied history at university, and also being fluent in the languages ...read more of the countries we visited. The hotels were 5-star, and locations were very good. We travelled on Travelmarvel Jewel and can not fault the staff who were all very friendly and obliging. The food was incredible, with a great variety. The entertainment onboard was varied and relevant to the areas we were travelling. We will definitely be travelling with Travelmarvel again.
Great way to see Europe   6 , WA, Australia, Apr 2017
What a great way to experience Europe - a leisurely sail down the Danube and Main Rivers. The scenery was spectacular, with history around every bend. Travelmarvel was exceptional. Our tour guide Roland made the trip. Nothing was too much for him and his sense of humour was spot on. All staff were friendly and professional. Although this was the ...read more first trip of the season, everything was perfect. Oh the food....so many choices and of such a high standard. The menu had many options for those like me who have allergies. Thank you to everyone for an absolutely fabulous cruise.
Amazing European River Cruise   6 , VIC, Australia, Apr 2017
Global Journeys organised our European Gems River Cruise (Amsterdam to Budapest) earlier this year. In terms of Global Journeys, Yvonne was very knowledgeable and helpful - always following up on specific questions that we had. In terms of TravelMarvel - we thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of the cruise including the ship, the itinerary, the tour director ...read more (Roland was amazing), the individual tour guides (all very knowledgeable about their respective regions) and the cruise-boat staff. The catering staff need to be called out for special commendation - they quickly came to understand the dietary requirements / constraints of all of the passengers and always accommodated these needs accordingly with a nourishing selection of meals.
We made lots of new friends on the cruise and I think our wife summed up our sentiments best of all when we got to the end of the cruise by saying 'I could just turn around and do the return journey' from Budapest back to Amsterdam.
Fantastic worry free trip   2 , VIC, Australia, Dec 2016
I am a solo senior traveller & this was my first trip to Europe. Global Journeys set the high standard with the booking being made so easy, Hannah was so helpful. Travelmarvel Jewel was also of a high standard, all of the staff were so helpful, cheerful & always very professional (it was the little things they did that meant so much) The food was ...read more a culinary delight every meal, so much variety, very exciting meals of the region that we were passing through. I found the ships cleanliness was excellent throughout, along with the coaches we used on our city tours. The novelty towel creations in our cabins were a delight!

Our Cruise Director was fantastic, very easy to listen to at his 'coming events' talks, & his cruising commentary along the way. He was always so cheerful and made himself available onboard & on our land tours to anyone who needed his help or had a question to ask. I did all the land excursions I could and found the local tour guides were very passionate about their towns & it showed as they guided us around professionally, giving us commentary along the way. The age of the passengers on this cruise were mainly of senior years but everyone mixed in well together.

Travelmarvel Jewel did an excellent job of decorating the ship for Christmas & New Year, & made it a great celebration for us! River cruising was excellent & interesting (even when Mother Nature tried to upset things - low water level in canal & snow). Travelmarvel had everything under control at all times! The hotels used in our extensions (Prague & Paris) were also of a high standard. The trip to me was very full on, and we were always on the go, but a real pleasure & so many wonderful sights and attractions to see. (I wasn't going to miss out on anything). I would totally recommend Global Journeys and Travelmarvel for a real worry free holiday, where everything is taken care of for you. Thank you!
Great trip!   1 , VIC, Australia, Sep 2016
We think the length of the trip could be extended - river cruising for 20 days would allow an extra day in both Budapest and Amsterdam as well as a visit to Cologne, together with additional time in some of the cities along the river. We felt it was all a bit rushed in some places.
Results 1-17 of 17

Cities