Review: Mozart on the River, Treasures of the Danube Eastwards /

“Best ship on the Danube,” proclaimed a veteran of countless cruises, both ocean and river, as he sat at the cocktail bar. He congratulated himself on his astute selection of Riverside Mozart from about 200 ships navigating the Danube.

Seaside Collection, acquired from Crystal Cruises after their bankruptcy, has added a few perks to the Riverside Mozart double, suite butler service.

Riverside’s Treasures of the Danube, east or west, is an epic journey through castles, cathedrals, capitals, operas, palaces, waltzes and wines. It tells stories of battles over land, religion and even Sacher torte, the traditional Austrian cake.

Recalling also, the characters of Central Europe. Mozart died mysteriously while writing a requiem. Marie Therese known as the mother-in-law of Europe, having given birth to 16 children. Pianist Liszt, close to a rock star as early as the 19th century, held an open house every Tuesday afternoon. And, of course, Hitler celebrates Germany’s Anschluss with Austria from a Viennese balcony.

The welcome

We accidentally arrive early for our 1pm check in, our luggage is whisked away and we are led to the bow’s Blue Restaurant for lunch. A crunchy salad, thick salmon fillet and impeccable service bode well.

After lunch, our excellent gleaming butler escorts us to our penthouse suite on deck 2. Champagne, fruit and petit fours welcome us.

The suite

River blue, brown, gray and green reflect the soothing river landscape that will slip by over the next eight days and seven nights.

Our penthouse suite features a huge double bed, a two-seater sofa and an armchair. Our cabin attendant refreshes the refrigerated minibar and coffee/tea station twice a day.

A small second room has a dressing table/desk which opens into the bathroom and a beautifully designed walk-in wardrobe with plenty of hanging space and drawer space.

The bathroom

Unusually for a ship’s cabin, there is room in the bathroom for both bath and shower. In the bathroom, push button lighting with four levels from “brilliant” to “relaxed” to suit the needs of cosmetic maintenance to midnight wanderings.

Among the guests, the jury sits on the dashboard of the remote controlled Japanese automated toilet. “50 years ahead of his time”, says a guest nervously.

food and drink

A galley tour shows how the double-beam vessel makes the 15-strong catering team the envy of the Danube. They bake bread, make ice cream, make their own pasta and conjure up fresh soups.

Waterside offers plenty of tables for two and flexible dining times and is the main restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“Plummy with rich blackberry notes,” advises Kristun, using his Court of Master Sommeliers qualification, as he pours the inclusive house wines. Later he comes back with a recommendation for a dessert wine. Such respect for wine pairs well with eye-catching food presentation. Riverside Mozart pushes culinary standards higher and higher.

Waterside is one of four restaurants on board. The Bistro offers drinks and snacks throughout the day and a tapas menu on some evenings. While Blue is a scenic stop for lunch.

A pop-up grill, powered by Egg BBQs, operates on the Vista Deck when the weather is nice. Ask your butler to reserve a table as the ship glides through the hills of the Wachau Valley, one of the most spectacular stretches of the Danube. Or for when Budapest’s Mozart Riverside is moored as the city’s evening lights reflect on the silky smooth waters of the Danube.

Services

Beanbags, lounge chairs and recliners create a chic beach club vibe on the Vista Deck.

The Palm Court lounge, with a pianist playing jazz, classical music and requests on the Bösendorfer grand piano, has the quiet elegance of a cocktail bar from a bygone era.

Again, width brings benefits. An indoor pool, near the whirlpool, is half a dozen strokes wide and long. Serious swimmers push a button to swim against the current for a powerful aqua workout. Nearby are the spa, hairdresser, sauna and steam bath. Downstairs on deck 1 is a well-equipped gym.

Alternative to jogging or a brisk walk, take a circular walk on deck 3.

Field trips

To keep the group size to about 15, we are guided through the imperial architecture of Vienna, once the capital of the Austro-Hungarian who ruled over half of Europe.

Heading west for a bit, we visit pretty cobbled Durnstein for wine tasting, which renamed itself Austria’s apricot capital after a 19th-century virus attacked the vines. Later in the day, the golden gilded glory of Melk Monastery shows the Catholic Church’s gratuitous response to austere gray Protestantism.

On longer excursions, such as the drive to Salzburg, through Austria’s spectacular lake district, guests appreciate the comfort of Riverside’s own air-conditioned buses. As they travel, the guide reveals that Maria van The sound of music fame had not been a nun and that there was outrage when she married 47-year-old Captain Von Trapp at the age of 23. Although the real star of Salzburg is Mozart, our guide takes us to the composer’s birthplace.

Another day, another country, another capital and Riverside Mozart docks in Bratislava for a tour with a guide who demonstrated as part of the Velvet Revolution. During a late afternoon beer tasting, she tells us about the velvet divorce that dissolved Czechoslovakia.

In Esztergom, in a picturesque bend of the river, the former capital of Hungary, there is a basilica that is the third largest church in Europe. Once borderland in battle with the Ottoman Empire, some of the church’s statues were beheaded by disapproving Ottomans.

Finally, Riverside’s guide will take guests on a tour of Hungary’s Neo-Gothic Parliament, where they will see the royal crown. In 1945, it was given to American soldiers for safekeeping until Jimmy Carter negotiated its return in 1978. After exploring Pest, or “Peshhtt” as the locals say, an after-lunch tour takes passengers to hilly Buda and its castle on the north side of the Danube.

Other nice keys

The suites are equipped with binoculars for viewing castles on valley hills and fluttering birds. The guest laundry has washing machines, dryers, washing capsules and distilled water for the iron. Included transfers to and from airports or local hotels take the stress out of arrival and departure.

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Bicycles and e-bikes are available for bike rides or a trip along the Danube cycle path. Similar alpine trekking poles help with walks.

Costs

Sailing from Vienna, in September 2023, prices start from €2991 per person for full board. Premium all-inclusive, including standard excursions, starts at €4316 per person.

The best bit

A private evening tour of the art of Ober Belvedere, after the public has left the palace, including Klimt’s “The Kiss”, is a privileged experience.

Then a small orchestra, plus baritone and soprano, gather in Prince Eugene’s Marble Hall to perform a concert of Mozart, Strauss and other Viennese classics, exclusively for Riverside guests. Our guide reminds us that Prince Eugene kept his tame lion here.

The concert closes triumphantly with General Radetzky March, who, by the way, was not allowed to retire at the age of 82.

The final verdict

With only 162 passengers, warmly cared for by 91 staff, Riverside Mozart is gaining a reputation as the coziest and most elegant of all Danube ships.

Disclosure: Our cruise was sponsored by Riverside Luxury Cruises.