European Gems Reviews

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 & ...read more 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.

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 ...read more.

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.

My best friend and I did this cruise to celebrate 50 years of being best friends and what a way to celebrate! Fabulous weather and scenery and unforgettable special experiences like a Mozart and Strauss concert in Vienna and watching an incredible demonstration of glass blowing by a master artisan. Our ship and its crew were magnificent and the food ...read more was fabulous. Definitely not the last river cruise we will do.

This cruise takes you through some wonderful parts of Europe. The scenery is fantastic. Our Cruise Director Kay (KY) was magnificent and thought of everything - even little snacks and gifts along the way. We had to swap ships half way through the cruise because the water levels are very, very low. Only missed 1 or 2 stops and other activities were substituted. ...read more Travelmarvel thinks of everything and has excursions for all levels of 'seniors'. Although, not suitable for those in wheelchairs.

The 2 ships we cruised on were 'sister' ships but their crews were vastly different. The Captain of the Travelmarvel Diamond is hands on. Always there to greet you back on the ship or help in any way he can. He calls his crew his 'children'. They are all one big happy family. Totally opposite on Travelmarvel Jewel. The Captain drives the boat. Wouldn't recognise him if he sat next to me at dinner. His staff were efficient but not as friendly or happy in their job. Leading from the top makes a great difference. All in all, I will definitely travel with Travelmarvel again and use Global Journeys to do my bookings. Thank you.

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.

A very enjoyable river cruise with excellent local guides. Global Journeys had a first rate internet site (easy to navigate with comprehensive information which was presented in a very user friendly manner) all of which was backed up by prompt and excellent service from Yvonne Brooks.

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.

We are experienced ocean cruisers but this was our first-ever river cruise, on the Travelmarvel Diamond. We had an excellent Cruise Director who kept us very busy. It was less relaxing than an ocean cruise.

From the time we were picked up at the airport to the last day or trip it was wonderful. The cruise was relaxing and enjoyable .the ship was very clean and the food was great . Staff on the ship were friendly and could not do effort for us - they were great . We meet some lovely people and made some lovely friends. I would tell anyone to travel with ...read more Travelmarvel.