Danube River Cruising

Rated as either four- or five-stars (seven of the nine ships in service have five) the riverboats all have cabins on two decks, private bathrooms, large windows, telephones, TV (on all but two boats), radio, hair dryers and terrycloth robes (the last two only on request on some boats). European-style duvets keep you warm at night. Two boats have a few inside cabins. All cabins, corridors, and restaurants are exhilaratingly smoke-free.

All Deilmann river ships have elegant furnishings, panoramic dining rooms and lounges, spacious sundecks, gift shops, and an infirmary attended by a bona fide physician. The 100-cabin Mozart, the fleet's most popular, offers both the roomiest cabins (203 square ft.) and the roomiest suites ( 406 square ft.) of any river ship afloat. Moreover, It boasts such unusual amenities for river cruise vessels as an indoor pool, solarium, sauna, and fitness center.

The company prides itself on service, pointing to its remarkable ratio of one crew member to every 2.5 passengers. It's also proud of how well it feeds its passengers, six lavish meals daily, including afternoon tea and a midnight snack, with main meals served at single seatings in panoramic dining rooms.

Expect a mix of English- and German speakers, few of whom will ever see their 40s again. Formal attire (suits & cocktail dresses, the latter preferably on ladies only) is requested two nights, informal (jackets for men) other nights.

Two five-star Deilmann ships -- the Mozart and Casanova -- sail round-trip from Passau in southeastern Germany along the Danube River, calling at Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava and picturesque wine villages and small towns in Austria and Hungary, including Melk, Esztergom and Dürnstein. 10- and 11-night cruises between Passau and Romania’s Tulcea are offered in June and July. One-week cruises are $1,610 to $5,120 per person, double. The Elbe, Havel and Moldau Rivers as well as the historic cities of Berlin, Dresden, Prague and Potsdam are on the cruise itineraries of the five-star Katharina von Bora and the Frederic Chopin on weekly sailings between Potsdam, just outside of Berlin, and Prague, while the five-star Dresden makes it way along the Elbe River between Dresden and Hamburg. Fares are $1,625 to $3,895.

To appeal to all our passengers, Peter Deilmann Cruises is expanding the no-smoking restrictions on its European river fleet to include all areas inside the vessels without exception. Beginning in 2008, smoking will only be permitted on the open decks.
There is an extra, albeit reasonable, charge for shore excursions, though they are included in cruise/tour packages. Half-day and full-day excursions for English speakers are available in most ports, though sometimes those who strike out on their own enjoy themselves more. English speakers have a separate vehicle and guide.

Peter Deilmann Reederei has operated cruise vessels on European rivers since 1983, when the Donauprinzessin joined the line's existing fleet of ocean ships. Today, the company has 10 ships on the rivers of Western and Central Europe, together with two luxurious ocean vessels: the MS Deutschland and the sailing yacht Lili Marleen.

MS Casanova: the ship

Casanova was built in 2001 for cruises on Italy's Po River, where ships must be able to cruise under low bridges and fit comfortably in narrow, shallow canals. As a result, it's smaller than many ships that cruise Central European waters, with a length of 338 feet and a beam of 32 feet, or 103 m by 9,70 m. The ship could be described as a "boutique vessel," since it accommodates only 96 passengers. Continued