Supplement to Travel Trade
May 2002

By Carol Eannarino

As Peter Deilmann’s newest river vessel, the Heidelberg, glided along the Rhine and Moselle rivers, passengers basked on the sun deck, taking in the idyllic German countryside with its small, picturesque towns — many with the half-timbered homes that distinguish this area, plus an occasional hilltop castle. Vineyards stretched for miles, some rising steeply to the top of the hillside.

Swans appeared along the shoreline. Life along the river paths — cyclists of all ages; hikers in the hills; strollers with their dogs; and, occasionally, small vacation trailers facing the river — reminded us of a bygone time when life moved at a slower pace.

For someone who has taken many ocean voyages, the journey on the Heidelberg from Mainz, Germany, to Amsterdam on the Rhine and Moselle rivers was a pleasant eye-opener.

The 5-Star Heidelberg, the newest in the Deilmann award-winning fleet, carries 110 passengers in 54 luxurious cabins configured with either twin or queen sized beds at 190 square feet each. Two single cabins are available at 140 square feet.
Our double cabin was spacious and tastefully decorated, with built-in closets, lovely artwork, a desk, telephone, hairdryer, safe, 4-channel radio built into the wall by the bedside and a TV, which, on our journey, featured two English speaking stations, CNN and CNBC, plus two closed circuit stations for English language films, generally shown several times a day.

Cabins on the two upper decks have full-length French doors with screens, while cabins on the lower deck feature two portholes. Terry robes and slippers are provided. Nightly turndowns include a bulletin with the next day’s events, a piece of chocolate and, on the first night, a beautiful yellow rose.

The bedding is comprised of European style duvets with feather pillows and eiderdowns (synthetic materials are available on request), and a foam mattress that provided seven nights of super-comfortable sleep.

The bathroom boasts brass touches and an oval mirror framed in gold. The large shower has Lucite walls and doors, with amenities such as shampoo, shower gel and moisturizing lotion by Molton Brown. Tiles on one wall formed a lovely Art Nouveau image of a woman. On this particular cruise in early April, about one-third of the passengers were English-speaking, while the rest were German. The staff speaks English and announcements are made in German and English.
Despite the language barrier, passengers often intermingled. Zondra, the energetic activities director, organized a shuffleboard game between a German couple with a smattering of English and an American couple. A good time was had by all, including those of us observing from our sun deck chairs.

The average age on our cruise was about late 50s through late 60s and up, though there were exceptions, such as the German 30ish son accompanying his 70ish father and a 50ish American treating his lively 85-year-old mom to a birthday cruise. The dining room is lovely, surrounded by French windows, with tables that are set with fine linens, china and crystal. After embarkation, passengers sit with the maitre d’ to discuss seating arrangements. In addition to joining a group table, passengers can opt for a table for two.

Mealtimes include early bird coffee and tea in the library from 6:30 a.m. to 7 a.m.; breakfast buffet in the restaurant from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.; morning bouillon in the lounge at 11 a.m.; lunch in the restaurant at 12:30 p.m.; coffee, cakes and tea sandwiches in the lounge at 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.; dinner at 7 p.m. and late night snack in the lounge generally is at 10:30 to 11 p.m. Times may vary according to the day’s schedule.

The ship’s master de cuisine, Rene Meyer, young and innovative, presided over a kitchen that produced truly exceptional creations. In addition to savory starters (such as beet risotto with baked prawn) and wonderful soups with feather-light spaetzel, there was a choice of several main courses. Usually at least one was created to please German palates, such as roasted pork, but prepared in a “nouvelle,” lighter style. Desserts were sumptuous. Wine, including local favorites, is available by the bottle or glass, both at the restaurant and at the bar in the lounge.

To give everyone a taste of traditional German fare, one event billed as the Bavarian Morning Pint held in the library at 11 a.m. included a half pint of beer, wienerschnitzel, sauerkraut, sweet mustard and a small loaf-shaped pretzel that a passenger from Philadelphia termed “better than Philly’s.”

The spacious lounge, surrounded by French windows for wonderful views, has comfortable sofas and armchairs in gold and rust (also the color scheme for the cabins). One side is reserved for smokers (though we didn’t see many of them). Aside from the afternoon tea and 6:30 p.m. cocktail time, the lounge is an appealing after-dinner venue, with piano and synthesizer music provided by a musician named Gabriel. Several times during the sailing (including the captain’s reception, where the senior officers are introduced), complimentary champagne, mimosas and/or aperitifs were offered along with canapes. Toward the end of the sailing, the crew choir led shanty and seamen songs in the lounge.

The comfortable library, with leather sofas and chairs, is a popular spot. While the guidebooks were all in German, there was a decent selection of English language novels, many of them current best sellers. Games and playing cards are available and, whenever possible, there are one, two or three English language newspapers brought onboard.

Other venues include a 24-hour reception desk and a gift shop adjacent to a small hair salon. On the lower deck, there’s a masseuse and a compact room containing four exercise machines, including a treadmill and rowing machine. There’s also a sauna, which alternates days for men and women. A doctor is onboard, with consultation hours in the infirmary by appointment.

The sun deck has bar service, tables and chairs, loungers and a giant chess set, along with the aforementioned shuffleboard. If you happen to be there at teatime, waiters bring up pots of coffee and tea.

Service on the Heidelberg is top-notch, with a 1:2.5 staff-to-passenger ratio. My tablemate marveled that our waiter, Velicko, caught a fork she had dropped before it fell to the floor! The staff, a mixture of Eastern Europeans and Germans, was invariably cordial and attentive.

This experience convinced me that travel agents who have never sold a river cruise should definitely consider a Deilmann journey, particularly for those clients who have taken a number of ocean cruises and are now ready for something different. Cruising on a luxurious ship such as the Heidelberg, with stunning scenery, interesting ports, learning opportunities and some time for tranquility will provide your clients with a wonderful change-of-pace vacation they’ll never forget.

Itinerary Highlights
Although we weren’t initially familiar with all of the ports on Heidelberg’s Mainz to Amsterdam itinerary (offered again on July 10 and Sept. 3), we ended up loving them all, and learning a good deal of the region’s history. Deilmann offers a number of shore excursions with English-speaking guides that must be booked either in advance or on the first night of the cruise. Most of the ports are within walking distance of town (except for Trier, where we took a city bus to the center).

We departed from Mainz earlier than anticipated, since all passengers were on board, giving us ample time to view much of the scenery on the “Romantic Rhine” segment between Rudesheim and Koblenz and to see the famous Loreley Rock by daylight. According to legend, the once treacherous slate rock was home to a siren called Loreley, whose song beckoned distracted sailors to their death.

During the night, we entered the Moselle River at Koblenz and on Sunday morning sailed to our first stop, Cochem, with its charming old town and hilltop Reichsburg Castle. We were told that the town is a tourist magnet in the summer.

That night, we arrived at the twin towns of Bernkastel-Kues, which we explored the next morning. Particularly interesting is the old town’s market square with its Renaissance town hall, half-timbered houses and wine restaurants, as well as the parish church of St. Michael. Kues has several museums, including the Mosel Wine Museum.

The next day was spent exploring the Roman city of Trier, one of the oldest in Germany. All of its old and original Roman buildings, including the Porta Nigra, the well-preserved Black Gate, are protected by UNESCO. This lively university town, close to the Luxembourg border, is also known as a shopping mecca. The Dom (cathedral) houses what is believed by some to be the Holy Robe worn by Jesus to his crucifixion. The Robe was brought to Trier by Saint Helena, mother of Constantine, who also brought what are purportedly the remains of the Apostle Matthew, which are now entombed in Trier’s St. Matthias church.

We sailed back to Koblenz, a city of 107,000, where the hilltop Ehrenbreitstein fortress offers a splendid view of the point where the Moselle and Rhine rivers meet. Strolling in the alstadt (old town) reveals a number of architectural treasures, cozy pubs and wine bars.

Dusseldorf, on the Lower Rhine, is a bustling city with a charming old town full of friendly inns and beer gardens — collectively dubbed “the longest bar counter in Europe.” The city has an upscale shopping mall fashioned from marble and copper and an excellent modern art museum, known as the K20 (short for Kunstsammlung Nord-Rhein-Westfalen).

Finally, Amsterdam provided an endless list of “must sees” — including the moving Anne Frank Museum and the dazzling Van Gogh Museum (the famed Rijksmuseum, which is allowing 1,000 visitors a day, is currently being remodeled and some paintings have been moved to other venues).