European Gems - Prague to Paris Reviews

Had a great time on the cruise, Xmas Markets were amazing. The organisation and information supplied by our guides was second to none.

We were disappointed in our river cruise because of Mother Nature. The rivers did not have enough water for the ships to get through so we had to change ships. We were unable to board our ship (Jewel, which we loved) at Budapest so had to travel by coach to Vienna. We were put into the Ritz Carlton in Budapest and were able to have a dinner cruise where ...read more we saw the best fireworks display ever.

We travelled to Passau where we had to coach it to Nuremberg where we boarded our next ship (Diamond, even though identical to the Jewel didn't enjoy it as much). Alan was sick when we arrived in Prague, he was able to see a doctor when we finally boarded our ship in Vienna. He was then confined to his cabin for 2 days. Consequentially he did not enjoy the trip as he wasn't feeling well the whole time and the pace was pretty fast.

We heard on the grape vine that the ships had stopped running 3 weeks before our trip if this was correct I think we should have had the opportunity to either cancel or defer our trip. We arrived home completely exhausted not what we had expected on a river cruise.

Our holiday was everything we hoped for, and more. Excursions, fine dining, tour guides and the ship were of the highest calibre.

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.

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!

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.

Global Journeys was extremely professional in the organisation of the trip through Europe. My GJ agent was very friendly and the guidance given made the travel hassle free. The only downside was the ABC (Another B......y Church), it was enlightening on the history of the ABC's but everyday becomes tiresome. The Tour Guides were very patient and considerate ...read more of all (young & the non so young). You could not fault the food and service on board the river boats, all the crew had smiles for all. We would recommend that everyone should experience a Europe river cruise at least once.

I thoroughly enjoyed our holiday cruising the Rhine, Main and Danube. A very well organised and relaxing experience our cruise director bought invaluable experience and organizational skills with a choice of interesting day excursions.

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and all the guides, bar one, were informative, enthusiastic and made us really feel a part of the culture in each place we visited. Should we be in the position to make another trip of this nature we would not hesitate in using Travel Marvel and will be recommending the company to any of our friends who may be considering ...read more travel.

Generally we would have preferred fewer stops and more time at each one. We enjoyed the smaller historic villages/towns rather than the big cities. As there were a number of towns that were very similar perhaps it would be better to concentrate for longer on fewer of these. There were occasions where we felt overly organised when we would have liked ...read more the freedom to relax at our own pace. Hotel in Prague was excellent. Hotel in Paris was OK but our booking was not recorded for the fifth day and we were locked out of our room. Some of the TravelMarvel guests had larger rooms with Queen size beds. However our room was small with a Double size bed. Beds were fitted with Doonas that were extremely hot and nothing else to use as an alternative. Overall we were very happy with Yvonne at Global Journeys and would be happy to use TravelMarvel again. We were very happy on board the TravelMarvel Jewel. The food was outstanding and the general atmosphere and service excellent.