CRUISING along the Danube River at night and waking up the next morning to the majestic Bratislava Castle in Slovakia was merely part of a dream holiday for general manager Derrick Seah.

He also visited many other spectacular places, including the Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna, an imperial summer residence built by King Leopold I and completed by Empress Maria Theresa in 1743; Melk Abbey, an historic Austrian Benedictine abbey located above the town of Melk and the Old Buda and Pest settlements in Budapest, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.

Mr Seah and his wife were among the 200 passengers onboard the MV Amadeus Classic, a cruise ship touring Eastern Europe via the Danube River last year.

The inaugural Fly-cruise tour package was offered by Chan Brothers Travel in November. Due to the positive feedback from the travellers, Chan Brothers Travel is offering another similar concept tour this year, says Ivy Tan, director of marketing communications at the travel agency.

Multi-purpose sundeck to keep the mind and body invigorated.

Programme highlights
The 10-day Eastern Europe with Danube River cruise package, planned for Nov 17 and 20, will depart from Budapest, where travellers can catch some breathtaking sights in the Hungarian city, including the Old Buda Centre, Royal Palace and the Parliament Building by the Danube River.

The cruise will then tour Bratislava, Vienna, Melk and Linz, where passengers will disembark and continue on a post-cruise tour to medieval town Cesky Krumlov and Prague.

In Prague, they will visit the Hradcany Castle, Cathedral of St Vitus, Golden Lane and the famous Wenceslas Square, the cultural, social and business hub in Prague.

Meanwhile, the 12-day Eastern Europe with Danube River cruise package, departing on Nov 17 and 18, covers different post-cruise destinations from the 10-day tour, to provide an alternative touring route based on traveller's preferences.

Passengers will disembark at Linz and continue their post-cruise tour to Bled, where they will embark on a boat ride to Bled Island, a picturesque islet crowned by the Church of Assumption. Built in 1698, the baroque church's most outstanding features are from the preceding gothic church.

Also on the itinerary are Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia; Maribor, which has one of the oldest grapevines in the world; Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, where they will visit the Roosevelt Square, Ban Jelacic Square; and the Plitvice
Lakes National Park, a popular tourist attraction and a Unesco World Heritage site in Croatia.

The new inclusion of the cities of Ljubljana, Maribor and Zagreb into the tour provide a rare opportunity for Singaporeans to explore Eastern Europe beyond the regular tour offerings abound.

Spacious and well-appointed cabins with panoramic riverside views.

No added costs
Sight-seeing and accommodation for the post-cruise tours are covered in the packages. This, says Ms Tan, is what differentiates Chan Brothers Travel's Danube River cruise from other international cruises.

"For international cruises, passengers have to pay for all the shore excursions. What's included in the prices are the food and accommodation and some of the activities," she said. "But for us, everything is taken care of."

Indeed, this sits well with Singaporeans with their well-known penchant for epicurean pursuits as the 10-day tour is entirely full board while the 12-day tour has 95 per cent meals included.

Mr Seah agreed: "After a few days of this wonderful tour, what has come across is the perfect balance between the guided sight-seeing and our own free time. It's quite exquisite; we've time to indulge in our own interests and at the
same time, look at the wonderful castles and sights which have all been planned in the programme."

Blissful cruise experience
Besides the travel programme, there is also an array of activities for passengers onboard the ship. For example, they can have an aerobic workout session in the morning, cuddle up for a movie in the afternoon, enjoy a cultural performance and even attend a diamond appreciation session at night.

Food, too, is aplenty, tantalising their taste buds with international cuisines such as chilled strawberry soup, Vienna escalope, chanterelle risotto, Canadian salmon, "Budapest-style" Hungarian goulash and baked Alaska amongst other gastronomic delights.

Charlene Eng, a regional manager who also went for last year's cruise, summed up her experience: "What I enjoyed
most about the cruise was the freedom that I had. After the tour, I didn't have to sit on a coach for a long distance;
I could just come back, relax and travel in comfort. It's also very convenient, I didn't have to pack and unpack, and the dining and service were excellent."

Restaurant dining experience with full table setting and personalised service.

This advertorial was first published in The Business Times on July 18, 2008.