European Gems Reviews

Have travelled with several other cruises lines and whilst Travelmarvel was very nice, we found it at the lower end of the scale. But it was very well priced in comparison so I guess you get what you pay for. We felt the cruise director was was hard to understand whenever she held a microphone and at times tried to give out too much information at once read more which had the guest bored and not listening. The meals were excellent but the tours only basic.

We cruised from Amsterdam to Budapest during the Christmas season. The cruise and the included guided tours were great. We learned so much about the history of these lovely cities, towns and areas that we visited. The standard and quantity of meals provided was amazing and the onboard service faultless. The only change I would make is to not go to read more as many Christmas markets as they all became a bit same same and most had food and drinks that we just didn't need. Next time we would spend more time exploring more than just the old town and market squares.

I could fault nothing! The cruise was fantastic, the ship was clean, beautifully decorated with all the comforts.. Barbara our director looked after us completely. Laura looked after the dining room and Alex did a great job with the bar. Our cabins were clean and comfortable thanks to Phyu our attendant. The free daily tours were interesting with knowledgeable read more local guides. I would definately travel again with this company. Hannah our Global Journeys' agent was very helpful and efficient. She got us great deals and looked after our airfares too. Thank you Global journeys 🙏 it was a winter wonderland.

Our river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest was brilliant. Everything went seamlessly and Travelmarvel ships are beautiful and probably the best looking out of all the others we passed. Global Journeys did a magnificent job in organising the trip and we would like to send a giant thank you to Grace Enchelmaier for her friendly and professional service. read more Even though we had to change ships due to low water levels, the inconvenience was minimal. We would definitely recommend this trip and dealing with Global Journeys (Grace).

Travelmarvel’s Amsterdam to Budapest was excellent. The ships were very well presented, cabins had good facilities, staff were very friendly and provided great service, quality meals and the tour director on our cruise ( Roland) was excellent. He provided great communications on each days activities, suggestions on extra things to do and was exceptionally read more approachable for all passengers. Overall this cruise was great value for money. We couldn’t fault any aspect of the cruise, the staff or the service.

We thoroughly enjoyed our river cruise along the Danube from Amsterdam to Budapest. The cabin was perfect, we met lots of new friends, drank and ate too much - fabulous ship entertainment with Julie and Andy. The weather in May was perfect-not too hot for sightseeing. The crew were excellent and we would definitely travel with Travelmarvel again.

The trip in total was 7 weeks, with the first 4 and the final week organised independently by my wife and myself. The 15 day Travelmarvel cruise was a great way to relax after 4 weeks of independent travel. We could unpack both suitcases and put everything away in drawers, and get our clothes laundered. I'll summarise my feedback for future travelers:

1. read more We travelled Amsterdam to Budapest and I would definitely recommend this direction rather than the reverse. The reasons include the first day or 2 are more grass bank views before the beautiful castles and towns appear, and you also get the mind-blowing view of Budapest at the end of the trip.
2. Take a few days in Amsterdam at the beginning and a few days at Budapest at the end as these are brilliant cities. Be sure to book Anne Frank House in Amsterdam 6 weeks before you arrive (as we did) as it will definitely sell out and every other passenger missed out.
3. Flights were included in the cost, but we paid for a Business class upgrade that was good value and worth every cent.
4. Travelmarvel caters for both independent travellers, and well as those who wish to pay for the extra day trips. We liked this option as well could often "do our own thing" on land and that suited us.
5. The meals on board were great.
6. Drinks at lunch and dinner are included, and we found that refills were regular and plentiful and more than enough for us. You could even get the glass filled before 9pm closure and take it upstairs to the lounge.
7. Rooms are great and second and third floor of the Polaris had large windows that could be lowered for a great view.

Global Journeys were very communicative and our agent Rachael McSorley was excellent in answering all questions and providing all information. Well done Rachael.

Very friendly thoughtful professional and welcoming crew from the tour director to the cabin staff. Our room was perfect. The food was amazing (the soup could be improved) and the dining room and bar excellent. All tour guides were very knowledgeable and helpful although the audio did not always work. An unforgettable experience. Loved it!

Our river cruise was excellent and met our expectations. The ship was clean & well maintained and the staff were excellent. The food was of very good quality with quite a good choice on the menu, and we even had lamb shanks for dinner one night. Definitely not expected but thoroughly delicious. We have no hesitations in recommending Travel Marvel & Global Journeys.

We enjoyed the cruise and the itinerary very much. The staff were very helpful, polite and attentive. The food was good. The boat was nice and modern and the cleaning was of a high standard. It is certainly a nice way to discover a little bit of Europe. The laundry service was reasonably priced, as no irons allowed in the rooms.

You could do as read more much or as little as you wanted in regards to tours and exploring on your own. We made some nice friends - tour was predominantly Australian, with a few Kiwis and Americans thrown in.

My only big disappointment was that we paid for a room with a french balcony, so that we could enjoy the views and fresh air. We spent the majority of the days, when the boat wasn't sailing (which was a lot), in darkness, because another boat was nearly always tethered to our side of the boat. And apart from a 1/2 day, it was always on our side of the boat. I don't recall this being mentioned when we booked. This got worse as the cruise went on, as many days were spent in port while the sailing was done later in the evening. Yes, you can go on deck, but we wanted to be able to chill out in our rooms by ourselves occasionally, and enjoy the view. I'm not sure that I would do another cruise because of this.

We also missed out on the Amsterdam canal cruise, due to Mardi Gras, which couldn't be helped, but still disappointing. A highlight was the boat sailing up and down the Danube River at night, so that we could see the very pretty lights of Budapest. Overall, we had a lovely time and experienced lots of lovely and interesting places! I also couldn't fault the staff - they all did a great job.

We had an amazing trip on Travelmarvel Vega from Amsterdam to Budapest. Such a relaxing holiday with first class service at all times from all the incredible staff on board and tour guides on land. Thank you all so much.

What a wonderful experience, the weather was cold, the river water was high and it SNOWED transforming the land into a winter wonderland. The Christmas markets along the cruise were amazing as was the onboard experience with marvelous staff, food and wine.

Travelled Aug/Sep 2023. This cruise was fantastic. The scenery spectacular. We travelled with Travelmarvel and could not fault the service we received. All the staff were great. A special thank you to Barbara our tour manager onboard. Unfortunately due to flooding, we had to leave our ship and travel the remainder of our trip via bus, so missed the read more last 4 nights onboard. However, the accommodation provided in Vienna and Budapest was excellent. I highly recommend Global Journeys and Travelmarvel.

Everything we hoped it would be, the boat and staff/service were first class. We were so lucky with the weather which helps but also the cities and towns visited were wonderful.

The whole trip was excellent. I have nothing bad to say. The accommodation was great, the food was to die for and the trips where good. Our cabin on the ship was lovely and in fact the whole ship was great. Crew were also excellent.

So glad we chose Travelmarvel's European Gems cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest for our first trip after covid restrictions for the past three years. We sailed on the Polaris, a brand new ship which was modern and tastefully furnished. The staff and crew worked very hard throughout the cruise and were very friendly and eager to please. The cruise director, read more Andrew, was always available and approachable and he made sure everyone was informed about each day's tours and activities. The food and drinks were of a high standard and plentiful. We were looked after in every way and felt very special indeed. There were so many lovely passengers on board and we enjoyed their company very much. We saw some amazing places and were thrilled that it also snowed for some of the cruise. Of course, being December, the Christmas markets didn't disappoint either. A big thankyou to Georgie from Global Journeys who always makes booking so easy and stress free and Travelmarvel for a wonderful cruise that was everything we could have hoped for.

What can I say, four women off to Europe on a Christmas Markets river cruise, we had a wonderful holiday and it was made very easy for us as we had the best crew on board and one of the best tour directors in Karla. There was plenty of food, wine and beer. Would highly recommend this cruise nothing was to much trouble and everything went as planned.

What a cruise - fantastic, a great experience. Let's start with Global Journeys - Yvonne was faultless, found us a great deal, organised our flights, looked after us really well - highly recommended. Travelmarvel - our cruise co-ordinator Jude went out of her way to ensure we had the best time and that we got the best out of our cruise, really looked read more after any little problem for everybody. The boat "Sapphire" was great - cabins quite comfortable and a good size. The on board entertainment was great, we were kept well fed, hydrated, entertained, informed and worry free.

This cruise travels through some very scenic and beautiful river valleys and towns, the onshore excursions ensure you experience another lifestyle in many different countries with castles, churches, buildings and unlimited history. Your cruise can be as relaxed or as busy as you wish, there are things to do everyday or you can choose to stay and relax, no pressure. Another great thing - the ship has a maximum of 150 passengers which means a great social atmosphere and the opportunity to make many new friends.

The European Gems River Cruise, Amsterdam to Budapest was wonderful, accommodation, food, entertainment and fellow travellers exceeded my expectations. There were many highlights, Amsterdam was so special cruising through their canal systems, the Rhine Gorge was amazing, drifting past the vine-covered slopes, saw so many castles, Rudesheim the visit read more to Siegfried's Mechanical Instrument Museum was certainly a highlight as was every place the ship stopped at.

My highlight was cruising the Danube into Budapest at 7.30 am, on the top deck with commentary about the amazing buildings unfolding before us..SO Special. We needed to swap ships, due to water levels, this was very well organised and certainly not a problem. I would certainly travel with Travelmarvel again, will recommend Yvonne Brooks, our Travel Agent as she was very efficient and accommodating.

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.