Polaris

I could not recommend this cruise enough. The staff were amazing with nothing we asked was too much for them to handle. they were professional, courteous and spoke excellent English meaning nothing got lost in translation. All guides and tours were professionally managed and went into details about the towns and site we passed by. This is definetly ...read more a trip I would do again.

An enjoyable river cruise with everything run well except for how the problems with the boat propella were mismanaged . This ongoing problem impacted on the mid cruise stops in particular we missed seeing Numerburg a high value tour and we sailed almost all the Rhine Valley in darkness.

The trip in total was 7 weeks, with the first 4 and the final week organised independently by my wife and myself. The 15 day Travelmarvel cruise was a great way to relax after 4 weeks of independent travel. We could unpack both suitcases and put everything away in drawers, and get our clothes laundered. I'll summarise my feedback for future travelers:

1. ...read more We travelled Amsterdam to Budapest and I would definitely recommend this direction rather than the reverse. The reasons include the first day or 2 are more grass bank views before the beautiful castles and towns appear, and you also get the mind-blowing view of Budapest at the end of the trip.
2. Take a few days in Amsterdam at the beginning and a few days at Budapest at the end as these are brilliant cities. Be sure to book Anne Frank House in Amsterdam 6 weeks before you arrive (as we did) as it will definitely sell out and every other passenger missed out.
3. Flights were included in the cost, but we paid for a Business class upgrade that was good value and worth every cent.
4. Travelmarvel caters for both independent travellers, and well as those who wish to pay for the extra day trips. We liked this option as well could often "do our own thing" on land and that suited us.
5. The meals on board were great.
6. Drinks at lunch and dinner are included, and we found that refills were regular and plentiful and more than enough for us. You could even get the glass filled before 9pm closure and take it upstairs to the lounge.
7. Rooms are great and second and third floor of the Polaris had large windows that could be lowered for a great view.

Global Journeys were very communicative and our agent Rachael McSorley was excellent in answering all questions and providing all information. Well done Rachael.

Very friendly thoughtful professional and welcoming crew from the tour director to the cabin staff. Our room was perfect. The food was amazing (the soup could be improved) and the dining room and bar excellent. All tour guides were very knowledgeable and helpful although the audio did not always work. An unforgettable experience. Loved it!

Thank you Hannah for being such a great agent from start to finish - nothing was too much trouble and we really appreciate our positive Global Journeys experience! We really enjoyed our Travel Marvel Eastern Europe extension and Budapest to Amsterdam cruise. Sadly the weather on the cruise was not great so never really got to experience fully the top ...read more deck! Our cruise director Hedleigh was great and an organisational wizard! Our only hesitation to do another was perhaps it was a bit too regimented for us - kind of a bit ground hog day with the food on board (which was great but not a lot of change from day to day) and similarity of the organised tours in each place with some tour guides excellent but others not great! Highlights for me - the concert in Vienna - don’t miss it - and I really enjoyed the various ‘bergs’ and the home visit in Miltenberg! Some of the German towns were lovely and we met some great people on the tour! Overall this was a great holiday - the river ships are really nicely done - French balcony cabin great and staff on board friendly!

We had the most wonderful holiday Rachael McSorley from Global Journeys was a blessing she was so helpful with booking and organising our river cruise with Travel Marvel. Cruising down the Danube was a dream come true and the ship and staff did not disappoint. The tours and food were amazing. We will definitely use Global Journeys and Travelmarvel again ...read more in the future.

The whole trip was excellent. I have nothing bad to say. The accommodation was great, the food was to die for and the trips where good. Our cabin on the ship was lovely and in fact the whole ship was great. Crew were also excellent.

So glad we chose Travelmarvel's European Gems cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest for our first trip after covid restrictions for the past three years. We sailed on the Polaris, a brand new ship which was modern and tastefully furnished. The staff and crew worked very hard throughout the cruise and were very friendly and eager to please. The cruise director, ...read more Andrew, was always available and approachable and he made sure everyone was informed about each day's tours and activities. The food and drinks were of a high standard and plentiful. We were looked after in every way and felt very special indeed. There were so many lovely passengers on board and we enjoyed their company very much. We saw some amazing places and were thrilled that it also snowed for some of the cruise. Of course, being December, the Christmas markets didn't disappoint either. A big thankyou to Georgie from Global Journeys who always makes booking so easy and stress free and Travelmarvel for a wonderful cruise that was everything we could have hoped for.

This was a birthday gift for my husband 60th birthday. I fretted and worried that it would be an OTT organised activity trip which he hated...BUT was so pleasantly surprised at how stress free and optional it all was. The tour leader Andrew was fab. The staff superb.
Absolutely everything was outstanding. Could not fault it. Was really hard to get ...read more off!!

I had an amazing trip. The crew and staff were fantastic always smiling, nothing was to much trouble. The tour guide was fantastic on the ball for every little detail. I would highly recommend this trip to everyone.