Joy D
Google
A great chance for a taste of Europe! 12 days of river cruising from Vienna to Strasbourg, France. Due to recent rains, water levels, etc, our boat was changed from MS Beethovan to L' Europe. Incidentally not enough time for the places we stopped at. Too much time wasted on lunch and dinner. Wish there were options for sandwich on the go to give increased times while the boat was docked.
Although, the crew tried their best to talk in French, English and Portuguese, a lot of nuances, etc were lost in translation or due to lack of time. Going through the locks on the rivers was very exciting. Even saw a lock jam!
Midway the top of the boat hit a bridge rather hard and the boat pulled to one side while repairs (cutting off of something) was carried out. As it was almost on top of our cabin, it was loud and very concerning. Yet, no info was given out on what transpired, despite multiple queries. Whatever, they repaired, still something would scrape often when we would go under a bridge. From my start, midway and end pictures of the the boat, we could make out that the antenna (?) area had been broken off.
The cabins were fine, until ours started smelling horrible half way through the cruise. We reported it but still no one bothered. Towards the end it was so bad that if we turned on the tap first thing in the morning, it reeked of septic! It was totally disgusting!!! We were having to bring bottles of water from the lounge wash our face and mouth. Eventually one crew member came but said that they couldn't do anything.
The lady restaurant manager, who kind of seemed in charge of day to day activities, was rude, brusque and totally unhelpful. Her attitude cried aloud, "stay away"! The rest of the crew were helpful and fun.
For a first visit to Europe, it was good, especially in the light of the fact that I was limited to the amount I could walk.
The best part was Europe itself, so rich in history, culture and people. Amazing architecture, buildings, fresco paintings, etc. How Europe was rebuilt especially after the wars, the combination of old and new, its amazing. Can't wait to go back for more visits to Europe!
Nov 9, 2024. Not sure why the owner wants me to reach out to their customer service as I put all this and more in the evaluation. Plus, it had my name and contact information. As suggested by the owner, I did email but never got anyresponse