Riverside Luxury Cruises - 5 Luxurious Days Onboard the Riverside Mozart

Pre-cruise stay:

We flew in to Vienna a day and a half before our river cruise was set to disembark from Vienna. With only a little bit of time to dedicate to this beautiful city, I wanted to make sure I stayed someplace central and booked the Hotel Bristol, a Luxury Collection Hotel by Marriott, as our home base. This stunning hotel is located across the street from the Opera House and with our Marriott Stars perks, we were upgraded to the Opera House Suite upon arrival. The hotel staff were exceptional, and we were treated to fresh fruit, flowers and sparkling wine in our room. Our reservation also came with breakfast which was an elegant and elaborate buffet, with fresh mimosas, a bread station, eggs and countless other options. We had booked a three-hour private walking food tour for the afternoon, and had a lovely time learning about history, exploring the sites and eating delicious Viennese treats along the way. When we got back to the hotel, we used our $100 food and beverage credit at the Bristol Lounge and were treated to some incredible cocktails and met some fun characters from Houston. The next morning, we were picked up at 10 am to do a countryside vineyard wine and lunch experience. We had a lovely time meeting two local winemakers and enjoying a delicious lunch with a small group of really fun people. When we returned at 2 pm, we checked out of the hotel and hopped in a taxi for about a 20 minute ride to the port.

The ship:

The Riverside Mozart is a luxury cruise ship featuring all suites instead of cabins, the smallest of which measures just 20 square meters. We stayed in the smallest suite and there was plenty of space for us to relax in. The room was well appointed and tastefully decorated with brass details and a blue velvet sofa next to the window. There are two crew members for every four guests, and each suite has an assigned butler for the trip. We communicated with Alex through WhatsApp, and his attention to detail really made the experience next level. My travel companion and I took advantage of the spa’s hot tub, pool, Finnish sauna and steam rooms, and loved the lounge chairs that faced the rear of the boat so you could lay down with a book and watch the river scenery going slowly by. The food was also exceptional. Our head chef was Michelin trained, and regularly let the guests know that food options were not limited to the daily changing (and delicious) menu or buffet items. He was happy to cook to order truly anything you wanted. During our cruise, there was a large Chinese family who were missing a traditional soup they ate for breakfast. Twenty minutes later, the chef came out with a giant tureen and ladled out this soup for the family. The breads were freshly made every day, the cheeses were exceptional and we got a little spoiled eating tiger prawns. And our wine glasses were never empty. We purchased the all-inclusive cruise which included all of our food, beverages, excursions and gratuities.

Entertainment and activities:

Onboard activities are pretty light. There is piano entertainment in the evening, but we had a lot of fun just meeting and talking to people over a coffee or glass of wine.

Port calls:

Our ship’s route was called Pearls of the Danube, Westbound. We left Vienna at 11 pm on day one. Day two was two-fold. The first half of the day was in Melk, with optional tours of the Melk Abbey or Melk by bike. My girlfriend and I (much to the tour guide’s dismay) opted for the e-bike tour of Melk. It was a lot of fun, very informative, saw some beautiful countryside and I only crashed once. He finished the tour at the abbey, so we were able to see that as well. We boarded the Mozart around lunchtime and our ship left Melk and headed further along the river about three hours to Ybbs ( I am still not sure how to pronounce this.) In Ybbs, Riverside has contracted with the family of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose granddaughter now lives at the family castle and gives history lessons to the Riverside Mozart guests before touring their family castle. It was a very special experience.

The next day in Linz was equally special. Guests had two full-day excursion options. You could either spend the day in the Czech Republic on a journey to Bohemia and the fairytale Cesky Krumlov or travel to historic Salzburg, a dazzling UNESCO World Heritage Site and Mozart’s birthplace, at the foot of the Alps. I opted to go to Salzburg where we visited the 11th-century Hohensalzburg Fortress, one of the largest medieval castles in Europe, the gardens of Mirabell Palace, the Salzburg Cathedral and wandered through the farmer’s market munching on pretzels. Our final full day brought us to Passau. We did the walking tour through this incredibly charming town, enjoyed a little bit of shopping and a bite to eat. We debarked the next morning and headed on to our final destination, a two and a half hour train ride to Munich and home the next day.

I have always been curious about river cruises. I learned that river cruises are no longer just for the "young at heart." Demographics ranged from about the mid-thirties and upwards. Onboard attire is to your comfort. Most people wore smart casual attire during the day, and got a little dressier for dinner. Pack light. This ship thinks of everything. There are even laundry machines and detergent to use at your leisure. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Riverside Luxury Cruises to anyone who has considered a river cruise. The ship was beautiful and the curated experiences were magical. This would make a phenomenal anniversary trip, special birthday trip, couple's trip or any other special getaway.

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