Disappointing Danube

S.S. Maria Theresa Cruise Review to River Cruises - Europe

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 19

Overall rating:

3 out of 5
Verified Review
S.S. Maria Theresa

12 Night Cruise & Rail: Castles Of Transylvania & The Enchanting Danube (Budapest To Passau)

Sail date: October 10, 2023

Ship: S.S. Maria Theresa

Cabin number: 336

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

We were very excited for this trip but wouldn’t go again. Many delays. Many truck stops. Limited excursions once onboard. Terrible room. No sanitation. Lack of local wine. So many more small issues that shouldn’t happen on a luxury boutique line. Others are much better.

Embarkation

1 out of 5
This should be 0 stars. Absolutel chaos. River levels vary but staggered busses could have provided everyone a better experience. Absolutely no consideration for train passengers

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
While the service was good, the food was okay at best. Not nearly as good as Avalon. And the wines were awful. Imagine sailing the Wachau valley and the featured wine is from New Zealand or South Africa. Again, other lines offer local wine.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
The 70’s party was fun. Other than that not much to report.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

3 out of 5
Mixed bag. Some servers were amazing while others seemed annoyed to be there. Captains were great.

Ship Quality

1 out of 5
First cruise of any kind that didn’t stress sanitation. No wonder everyone had sniffs and sore throats by end of cruise.

Cabin / Stateroom

1 out of 5
336 IS NOT habitable. We had to move due to noise.

Ship tip

Reconsider your options. I wouldn’t recommend this cruise for many reasons this survey doesn’t address.

Ports of call

Budapest, Hungary

5 out of 5
Budapest was wonderful but Uniworld failed in communication. We booked our own excursions.

LAJOSMIZSE, HUNGARY

4 out of 5
Fun 1st stop. Was there too long.

KECSKEMET, HUNGARY

3 out of 5
Not much to see

SIBIU, ROMANIA

4 out of 5
Great guide but too much time at folk village

SIGHISOARA, ROMANIA

4 out of 5
Again great guide

SINAIA, ROMANIA

5 out of 5
Wow! Need much more time here. Definitely a favorite.

CLUJ, ROMANIA

4 out of 5
Salt mine was worth the visit.

Bratislava, Slovakia

4 out of 5
Would have been much better if sailing than by bus

Vienna, Austria

5 out of 5
Love everything about Vienna

Durnstein, Austria

4 out of 5
Visiting Nickolaihof was great. Should be afternoon though to enjoy the wine. Early morning is tough.

Melk, Austria

5 out of 5
The Abbey was fantastic

Linz (Salzburg), Austria

4 out of 5
We had much difficulty booking the excursion to the cider farm. You can’t book in advance and although not publicized, has limited spots. Really disappointed with process.

Passau, Germany

5 out of 5
Had no expectations so it exceeded all of them.

Disembarkation

2 out of 5
Breakfast stopped at 8 even though many passengers had later transfers. Out of room by 8:30 is fine but why close breakfast before 8?
Was this review helpful? 19

6 Comments

Cruisers4Lyfe     3 months ago

Thanks for sharing

Gwbigdog    1 year ago

Oops sorry 😞 thanks

javawoody    1 year ago

Sorry you were disappointed

AuntPinkie    1 year ago

Sorry this cruise didn’t meet your expectations. Nice itinerary.

cruising2004    1 year ago

Wonderful itinerary! Sorry you were disappointed with your cruise.

RetiredRay    1 year ago

Not sounding like a good river cruise ship. Wonder if they changed something in the last year.