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2 seniors travelled around the world but not been to Berlin or Prague.only two from UK. Well looked after.great food and variety.small cabin.but a late booking due to a cancellation.Very new boat,n...
CroisiEurope's Elbe Princesse represents a relatively new river ship design for the industry, sailing the tricky Elbe and Vltava Rivers between Berlin and Prague (and reverse). Building upon the concept it pioneered with the Loire Princesse on the similarly low Loire River in France, the company designed the 80-passenger vessel to be powered by two side-mounted paddlewheels with an ultra-shallow draught of 4 feet. This allows the ship to sail all season long, even during periods of low water, allowing the tiny vessel to moor right in town and bypassing the bus transfers typical to the Prague region. While the look of the paddlewheels is appealing, we found the ride to be bouncier and noisier than we were used to on other river sailings. That's not to say it was unpleasant, but it's a factor when you're looking at other river vessels.
We're told the interior design of the ship was inspired by Scandinavia. This is apparent in the light wooden latticework found in the lobby, bar and lounge, as well as the wooden lighting fixtures, which appear to have bent strips of birch wood, in the stairwells. The modern yet spare design is Ikea meets Aloft Hotels: The result is modern and playful (with pops of magenta pink and teal set against stark black and white), while remaining comfortable and functional. Black and white Rorschach-style cityscapes along with hip design motifs depicting the phrase, "Let's Move to Berlin," bring in a local and youthful element. Mirrors are cleverly utilized throughout the lounge and dining room to provide an illusion of more space.
At a price point advertised as competitive (but still in line with other river cruise providers), the ship has a few kinks to work out. Doors didn't shut well -- it took multiple times before we could shut our cabin door enough to lock it -- and the plastic, faux wood bathroom floor squeaked significantly. We couldn't lock the sliding-glass door in our cabin. Soundproofing from one cabin to the next was minimal -- we could hear fellow passengers hang up the phone along one wall, and during a period of sailing with the paddlewheels on, we heard furniture banging against an adjacent wall. The sound of rain against the windows was peaceful one afternoon, but then it began beating down on the tin-like roof above our heads on the second floor and became distracting. Had it been nighttime, we would have needed earplugs. The beds are narrow… we nearly fell out.
While a few loose ends mar the physical aspects of the ship, the overall comfort, warmth of service and quality of the food overshadowed these nuisances. This is made even more apparent by the willingness of the entire crew to speak English. While CroisiEurope is courting English speakers and North Americans, the line is French and it's apparent that the ship and cruise are not designed with us in mind. From the electrical outlets to frazzled tour guides, the ship seemed designed by and for fellow Europeans, and we felt like outsiders.
The draw of this river cruise is truly the destinations -- Berlin, Dresden, Meissen, Prague -- and avoiding cancellation due to water levels. If you're up to buy into the whole European experience -- ABBA-style Muzak piped into cabins and all -- then Elbe Princesse is a fine choice to get you there. What is lost in translation is made up in heart; service is genuine and the experience is enjoyable, down to the dark chocolate hearts left at turndown.
As a French cruise line sailing German waters, the ship will largely draw European passengers, with just a smattering of interested English-speakers. The age demographic on river cruising generally skews older (55-plus), but the fresh take on decor, the appeal of buzzing cities like Berlin and Prague and the reasonable price point could attract younger couples to book.
The dress code is casual; one gala evening is held per cruise -- typically on the last night -- which invites passengers to dress up a bit more than they normally would for a specially prepared meal paired with wine. Buttoned-up or polo shirts and khakis or dress pants for men is fine, and dress pants, skirts or dresses will work for women. Holiday or theme cruises, such as New Year's or Christmas markets, might dictate a few additional evenings of cocktail attire. Walking tours are the name of the game on river sailings, so be sure to bring comfortable shoes.
Port charges and gratuities are included in your cruise fare with CroisiEurope. WiFi is free onboard for the duration of the cruise; this worked on both our phone and our laptop simultaneously, but required us to reconnect multiple times. A Samsung Galaxy tablet is located at the front desk for passenger use.
Almost all beverages are free at all times -- including wine, beer, soda, juice, tea, specialty coffee and a small list of liquors. The cocktail menu indicates which drinks are additional (think Champagne, Armagnac, Bailey's).
Elbe Princesse accommodates up to 80 passengers in 40 cabins across two decks. There are 24 rooms on the upper deck, also called the Pont Superieur, and 16 cabins on the main deck, or Pont Principal. Of these, 34 are standard cabins, two are small category A, and another two are small category B. There is one single cabin and one accessible cabin. The color scheme of black and white with teal and magenta accents is found throughout the ship, and this includes the cabins. All cabin doors are pink; beds have crisp white comforters with throw pillows that are teal on one side with a black-and-white pattern on the other. Curtains are teal, as well as the plush stools near the desk (with a black strip in the middle and black-and-white detail). There's also a white plastic chair that tucks into the desk. Color does not carry over to the bathrooms, which are pure white, save a small-tile mosaic border that looks like stones in various tans and browns.
Upper deck staterooms feature a French balcony with sliding-glass doors, while the lower deck rooms have rather large windows; aside from that, there is little difference between the two. One room on the upper deck is wheelchair-accessible. All beds face a window, and can be divided into two separate twin beds or pushed together to form one. Although they were comfortable, we found the beds to be narrow, even when pushed together; rolling across from one to the other would be a challenge. All cabins are equipped with an air-conditioning/central heating unit, a shower with folding-glass door, a flat-screen satellite TV (that can fold up into the ceiling), a desk nearly the length of one wall, storage, cabin-to-cabin phone, safe, hair dryer and 220 V electrical outlets. It's important to note that there are no U.S. outlets available on the ship, so adapters are essential (and converters if you plan to use a hair straightener, for example). Do not disturb/please makeup my room door tags are located on the back of each cabin door, but so is a tag indicating a need for repairs, which we've never seen.
We felt the room lighting to be a little strange -- often too dark or too bright. Your key card is required to use any electricity, meaning your phone won't charge if you're not in the room. A switch outside the door provides ample light for the bathroom, but no low light at night. The cabin could be fully lit, but we preferred to turn on the low-lit strip behind the bed or behind the desk, along with the funky one-dimensional desk lamp that emitted a substantial glow. Two reading lights could be found with thin metallic switches on either side, but we wished there was a way to turn that shared light off from both sides. There's a switch to fold the television screen in or out from the ceiling, but it was such a terribly noisy affair we didn't touch it the entire sailing. (There are about three English-speaking news channels, with the majority in French and then German.) During the day, the natural light from the window or sliding doors was enough (and of course, you want to take in the view). Like many river cruise ships, however, Elbe Princesse is often docked very close to other vessels or right in town, so privacy goes out the window. A sheer curtain behind the thick teal curtain could possibly solve this problem. Instead, it was all or nothing -- the main curtain does not part so you must entirely block out the outside or risk putting on a show for passersby.
Standard Cabins: The cabins on Elbe Princesse are compact at 156 square feet. Twenty of these cabins are located on the upper deck, and 14 on the lower deck. We felt cozy as a solo traveler in a French balcony room and had trouble imagining the room with a second person in it. Two closets offer plenty of nice wooden hangers to store jackets or dresses; a shelf is above for folded shirts as well as below, to organize shoes. There are two other cabinets with narrow, tiny shelves; we could just fit a hairbrush horizontally, a fellow passenger laid out his ties. Suitcases fit under the bed. The desk offers plenty of surface area to put your things, with a small cubby that runs underneath, along with a deep drawer. The desk is where you'll find your audio device, with a charger and headphones for tours. At first we found it strange the air vents were built into the desk, but when we had a damp umbrella, it quickly dried by laying it across and turning on the heat. (Hint: The cabinet underneath will not reveal more storage, but the inner workings of the air system, so don't open it.) A dial shows temperature in Celsius, but indicates a line for room temperature (we found the heating and cooling to work well). A wooden frame offers a shelf above the bed (where the life jackets are stored) and a cubby on either side, with plenty of space to charge a phone, put a book or leave a glass of water. Having two mirrors -- a large square one above the desk and a full-length one near the bed -- was refreshing while getting ready.
All bathrooms offer travel-size bottles of CroisiEurope-branded shampoo and a shampoo/bodywash combo in lime-flower-and-gingko scent; oddly, there were two versions of shampoo but no conditioner. The showerhead made up for the lack of toiletries, thanks to four push-button settings -- our favorite was the rotating jets that did something like a figure eight. It's also adjustable, a bonus for tall people. Bathrooms also have a nice-size, fog-free makeup mirror with a built-in light. A plug for razors is on the wall to the right of the bathroom mirror. Near the sink there is room for toothbrushes, hand soap and toothpaste, but the only other place to leave things in the bathroom is a small space above the toilet; if two people use a lot of lotions and potions, they might very well run out of room. The toilets utilize flush tanks and not vacuums, which is an interesting choice given that the latter are more water efficient. This left us holding down the appropriate flush buttons for an extended time to make sure everything flushed, rather than getting sucked out automatically like many other ship toilets.
Smaller Cabin A: These rooms, located on the upper deck (204 and 216) contain two twin beds and measure 129 square feet. Cabins in smaller categories only have a small side table and not the same storage space as standard cabins. They also do not feature a full-length mirror.
Smaller Cabin B: Two rooms on the lower deck (104, 116) measure 117 square feet, and feature two twin beds.
Accessible Cabin: Room 202 is the wheelchair-accessible cabin onboard. At 141 square feet, the doorway clearance is wide and the bathroom features a large shower with no lip, a curtain and a bench. The layout makes it feel more spacious than a standard room. It is a rarity to have an accessible cabin on a river ship, and this one is located right on the lobby so there is ease of access to the front desk and the gangway. However, the restaurant is downstairs and there's no elevator onboard. The line does not suggest traveling onboard this ship if you are unable to climb the stairs down to the dining room. (Other ships in CroisiEurope's fleet are three decks and those have an elevator onboard.)
Single Cabin: One cabin is categorized for the solo traveler onboard -- room 224 -- located on the upper deck. It measures 123 square feet and features just one single bed.
We felt the food was a strong point on the cruise with perfect portions and well-executed dishes with a French flair, but the reviewer also has no dietary restrictions and is up to eat anything; if you require sugar-free, gluten-free or vegetarian meals, make sure to emphasize those needs before boarding, and a reminder doesn't hurt. A passenger with a nut allergy was often offered gorgeous fruit plates at dessert to replace many of the cakes containing almonds or walnuts, but only after reminding wait staff each evening or politely declining the course altogether.
A few other quirks. There are no printed menus and you do not receive any options at the meals, so if you don't like what they are serving, you're out of luck. If you have dietary restrictions, tell a crew member -- the hotel director is best -- ahead of time and also during your cruise. Another way to handle this is to look for the menus at reception; they are displayed on a video screen ahead of time and are also read over the loudspeaker in all languages.
Main Restaurant (First Deck): The only dining venue onboard is large enough to accommodate all passengers at once. Decor follows the teal and magenta color scheme in the chairs, as well as the lights that glow around the windows in the evening. Tables are dressed in white linen with orchids in the center. Tables are not assigned, but might be suggested, as you will probably want to sit with other passengers speaking your language. While tables are open seating, the time is nonnegotiable; dinner starts promptly at the time it is announced each evening, and if you are late, you might miss a course.
Breakfast is held promptly between 7:30 and 9 a.m. with a European spread of rolls, croissants and bread; various jams, jellies and compotes; boiled eggs; scrambled eggs, bacon and German sausages; yogurts; fresh fruit and juices; cereal; and a plate of cold meats and cheeses. Coffee and milk are on the table and the entire meal is self-serve. A fellow passenger tried to take a plate upstairs to the lounge and was firmly but politely told, "No."
Lunch and dinner consist of a set menu with one seating; each meal is a four-course affair composed of a soup, starter, entree and dessert. (The soups were always utterly delicious.) The menu is shown on the screen in the lobby by the front desk throughout the day, and announced in the evening, but is never found in tangible form.
Lunch is ready to eat around 12:30 (depending on when excursions return). You might have a cauliflower soup with cream, a variation of a garden salad with roasted corn over your greens and tomatoes, pork tenderloin in mushroom sauce with whipped Duchess potatoes and green beans with parsley, and a rhubarb tart for dessert. Lunch and dinner are served with your choice of beverages, including tasty wines (the selection includes two red, two white or a rose), beer or soda, and an espresso is offered at every meal with dessert.
Dinner is held around 7 or 8; the time varies nightly. Expect a soup (we had everything from potato to pumpkin); a starter (salmon lox in various ways was a popular choice, appearing more than once); an entree such as veal or rabbit cooked with carrots or purple potatoes; and a dessert platter with a sampling of creme brulee, chocolate cake with cream and vanilla ice cream with almonds and raspberry sauce.
A gala dinner, held once per cruise, is a meal specially designed by the chef with wine pairings and an added dash of panache. Our formal evening kicked off with a foie gras pate paired with a sweet French white wine and ended with a baked Alaska set aflame with Grand Marnier; a much-beloved but no-longer-allowed cruise ship dessert on oceangoing vessels. After the dessert was presented, it was served with a wedge of passion fruit, a dash of puree, a French macaron and an almond cookie, which all tasted and looked exquisite.
There is no room service onboard Elbe Princesse.
The chief onboard activity on Elbe Princesse is watching the world go by. Half of the time is spent cruising in the morning or afternoon to your destination (commentary is provided), while the rest is exploring the cities on your itinerary. There's nothing in the way of onboard games or amusements, so you are forced to relax and take in the sights.
Shore Excursions
City tours are the standard excursion in each port, and for North American passengers, all shore excursions are included in your cruise fare. Expect to board a coach bus and listen to a guide explain history and background before visiting a site or taking a further walking tour. A tour of Potsdam outside Berlin provides a historic visit at Cecilienhof, where Truman, Stalin and Churchill met after World War II, followed by a scenic walk around the gardens at Schloss Sanssouci palace and a quick stroll through the endlessly charming Dutch Quarter in downtown Potsdam. Throughout the other eight days, you can get to know the lesser-visited German cities of Magdeburg, Meissen and the Czech cities of Litomerice and Lovosice. Groups are divided by language, but there were times we felt we were receiving a translated version of our fellow French or German passengers' tour, rather than having a guide fully comfortable with English. This might depend on how many English-speaking passengers are onboard at any given time. Tours were not divided into walking ability groups.
Entertainment
Entertainment is held nightly in the lounge, and is typically a song-and-dance routine put on by Animation, the term for the crew members (also cruise directors and other staff) who perform. Sometimes the ship brings on a special performer. On our sailing, Catarina Conti did her best to get the crowd moving (sometimes with surprising force -- we were grabbed into a conga line). Songs were mostly in French or German, but dancing proved lively quite late into the night, which was surprising for a small river ship. Once per cruise the crew show is performed, put together in honor of the line's 40th anniversary. In an attempt to cater to all audiences, the dialogue in the show -- which is multiple acts with seemingly nothing stringing them together -- is a series of noises or "blah, blah blahs." The humor doesn't necessarily translate, leading to a bizarre, but well-meaning performance. Trivia is also held in the lounge one night per nine-day sailing. (We're not sure how this would work with multiple languages.)
Enrichment
Commentary is provided as you sail, meaning the history of the places you are passing is explained as you take in the scenery. Other than that, there are no talks or lectures available onboard.
There is one bar and one lounge, found on the upper deck, immediately to the left as you board; this is the ship's social space. The bar is all the way to the back, in front of the dance floor and entertainment area. It's crisp white with about six pink cushioned chairs at the counter, and serves German and French beer, French wines and a heavenly cappuccino made with chocolate and always served with a treat like a small cookie or chocolate. Most drinks are included, and a small menu at each table in the lounge will indicate what has an upcharge. For-fee liquors (aperitifs and digestifs), wines and cocktails run between 4 and 6 euros a glass; three bottles of wine (one cremant and two Champagne) are available from 19 to 45 euros. A cocktail of the day is offered, but we found it was a fruity concoction you would probably find in the Caribbean, not something that represented Germany or France. Either way, it makes for yet another free option to choose from the drink list.
The lounge has plenty of teal and pink couches and chairs for chatting, small tables for enjoying a coffee and sending an email and ample seating near the nine full-length windows on either side. Funky throw pillows in furry white, black velvet or stitched textures are abundant. Small pots with flowers such as an orchid dot nearly every table, indoors and out. A 'fireplace' with a small bookshelf above adds to the ambiance.
A sun deck is located on the top of the ship, and it extends the length. In the middle there are small, square, white metal tables with four folding chairs around each. Tons of gray chaise loungers flank both sides -- perfect for reclining, taking in the fresh air and scenery with a drink. Umbrellas above some of the tables as well as an area with a canopy offer shade. Sailing on this itinerary involves crossing under some very low bridges, so at times, access is restricted to the sun deck area.
A small patio can be found through automatic sliding-glass doors at the back of the ship, past the bar, near the paddlewheels. About three small metal tables with a dozen chairs each can be found here. At night, the paddlewheels put on a show as glowing lights surrounding each wheel change color.
A small lobby can be found as you enter the ship; the front desk is here, with a couch to the side. This is the meeting place for most tours. Also here is the boutique, which consists of three shelves of souvenir items -- branded hats, silk scarves, blown-glass figurines and stuffed animals or coloring books from the line's mascot, a traveling Croisi kangaroo -- behind glass doors. A public bathroom -- one men's and one women's -- is located just off the lobby to the right, with a shared sink space.
There are no spa or fitness facilities onboard CroisiEurope's Elbe Princesse.
Elbe Princesse is not suited to families with young children; there are no activities or clubs available to accommodate kids of any age. However, children ages 2 to 9 are eligible for discounted cruise fare. In terms of cabin size, rooms do not connect and a third full berth is not possible in any of the staterooms -- a family would have to purchase multiple cabins to travel together. A baby cot can be accommodated.
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