Capital Cities Along the Danube (port-to-port cruise)

Customer Reviews

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  Igor

  · October 16th, 2024
  Disappointing Experience with Wingbuddy and CroisiEurope’s "Jewels of the Danube" River Cruise (Sept 25 - Oct 4, 2024) Unfortunately, this was one of the worst cruises we have ever taken. I strongly recommend thoroughly reading reviews before booking any trip with Wingbuddy, a travel agency based in Montreal, Canada. While their official website shows only 4-5 star ratings, our experience was far from that. We booked our trip well in advance in February 2024, which included flights, transportation, and hotel stays before and after the cruise. We paid 50% upfront. The day after booking, Wingbuddy sent our Air Canada flight tickets—without baggage included. This meant that each checked bag would cost us $85 per person for both the outbound and return flights. When I asked to cancel the package and receive a refund, I was informed it was impossible because the tickets had already been issued, despite Air Canada allowing refunds up to 24 hours before the flight. Their trip description says not including any baggage for a transatlantic flight ?! There was no intention to fight. A few weeks before the trip, Eastern Europe experienced flooding. Wingbuddy sent us the embarkation voucher and hotel/transportation information, but there was no mention of any disruptions. Only two hours before leaving for the airport in Toronto did we receive an "urgent" email informing us that the itinerary had changed. Instead of embarking in Vienna as planned, we would have to take a bus to Budapest, with the ship being replaced the following day. This meant we spent the second day of our trip on a four-hour bus ride to a hotel in Budapest, and then another bus trip the next day to a Hungarian village, only boarding the ship late in the evening. Two days of our cruise were lost. We were fortunate the cruise happened at all—previous groups on the same itinerary had spent 9 days traveling by bus with just one day on the ship. Wingbuddy clearly knew about the situation well in advance and failed to notify customers, depriving us of the opportunity to cancel or reschedule. Their lack of transparency and communication is deeply concerning. As for CroisiEurope, the cruise company, we were equally disappointed. Overall very poor customer service. Very non-caring, rigid. Food overall was unhealthy , especially the breakfast. The ship itself was in bad condition, with dirty carpets throughout and outdated furniture. I cannot recommend CroisiEurope; you're better off spending a little more for a higher-quality cruise experience. The only positive aspect of the trip was the transportation, as the drivers were punctual and provided good service. In conclusion, Wingbuddy's lack of transparency and communication, combined with CroisiEurope's non-quality service, made for a highly disappointing trip. Their primary focus seems to be on securing payments, with little regard for customer satisfaction or the quality of the experience. I would advise potential travelers to be cautious and consider other options.
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  CroisiEurope River Cruises commented on this review

  Dear Mr. Ermakov, Thank you for sharing your feedback regarding your recent experience. Please be assured that we take the situation very seriously and will be responding directly to your travel agency with further details. We greatly appreciate your... Show more
  Trip date: October 2024
• A

  Anonymous

  · October 16th, 2024
  Disappointing Experience with Wingbuddy and CroisiEurope’s "Jewels of the Danube" River Cruise (Sept 25 - Oct 4, 2024) Unfortunately, this was one of the worst cruises we have ever taken. I strongly recommend thoroughly reading reviews before booking any trip with Wingbuddy, a travel agency based in Montreal, Canada. While their official website shows only 4-5 star ratings, our experience was far from that. We booked our trip well in advance in February 2024, which included flights, transportation, and hotel stays before and after the cruise. We paid 50% upfront. The day after booking, Wingbuddy sent our Air Canada flight tickets—without baggage included. This meant that each checked bag would cost us $85 per person for both the outbound and return flights. When I asked to cancel the package and receive a refund, I was informed it was impossible because the tickets had already been issued, despite Air Canada allowing refunds up to 24 hours before the flight. Their trip description says not including any baggage for a transatlantic flight ?! There was no intention to fight. A few weeks before the trip, Eastern Europe experienced flooding. Wingbuddy sent us the embarkation voucher and hotel/transportation information, but there was no mention of any disruptions. Only two hours before leaving for the airport in Toronto did we receive an "urgent" email informing us that the itinerary had changed. Instead of embarking in Vienna as planned, we would have to take a bus to Budapest, with the ship being replaced the following day. This meant we spent the second day of our trip on a four-hour bus ride to a hotel in Budapest, and then another bus trip the next day to a Hungarian village, only boarding the ship late in the evening. Two days of our cruise were lost. We were fortunate the cruise happened at all—previous groups on the same itinerary had spent 9 days traveling by bus with just one day on the ship. Wingbuddy clearly knew about the situation well in advance and failed to notify customers, depriving us of the opportunity to cancel or reschedule. Their lack of transparency and communication is deeply concerning. As for CroisiEurope, the cruise company, we were equally disappointed. Overall very poor customer service. Very non-caring, rigid. Food overall was unhealthy , especially the breakfast. The ship itself was in bad condition, with dirty carpets throughout and outdated furniture. I cannot recommend CroisiEurope; you're better off spending a little more for a higher-quality cruise experience. The only positive aspect of the trip was the transportation, as the drivers were punctual and provided good service. In conclusion, Wingbuddy's lack of transparency and communication, combined with CroisiEurope's non-quality service, made for a highly disappointing trip. Their primary focus seems to be on securing payments, with little regard for customer satisfaction or the quality of the experience. I would advise potential travelers to be cautious and consider other options.
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  Trip date: October 2024
• AU

  Amelia

  · August 17th, 2023
  I went with my two retired parents and they...
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  CroisiEurope River Cruises commented on this review

  Dear Mrs. Uzategui, thank your for taking the time to leave a review of your cruise. We are very glad to read that your parents had a great time. Thank you for your compliments on the staff. We are sorry if there was any failure in the care of people... Show more
  Trip date: August 2023
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  Staş

  · August 16th, 2023
  EXCELLENT experience! outstanding...
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  CroisiEurope River Cruises commented on this review

  Dear Mr. Staş, what a lovely review! Thank you! We are so glad to read you had an excellent experience with CroisiEurope and the staff of the M.S. VIVALDI. We made sure to email them your review. We have well noted your comments especially on BUDAPEST.... Show more
  Trip date: August 2023
• M

  MartinBrennan

  · November 7th, 2022
  Thoroughly enjoyed. Even though we were the...
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  CroisiEurope River Cruises commented on this review

  Thank you for your pleasant message; We're happy that you enjoyed your trip.
  Trip date: October 2022
• PM

  Pushpa

  · July 28th, 2022
  Excellent service, friendly staff and delicious...
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  CroisiEurope River Cruises commented on this review

  Dear Mrs. Mistry, Thank for taking the time to review your cruise. We are glad to read you enjoyed your trip with us. We will forward your lovely comments on the food and staff to the ship, thank you! We hope we'll have the pleasure to have you on... Show more
  Trip date: July 2022