European vacatiosn Blue Danube Holidays testimonials

Testimonials

Susan,
I meant to email you sooner to tell you that except for some rain, everything went perfectly smoothly. All the pickups were there on time, the tours we took were excellent, the hotels were perfect, and we had a wonderful time. Do you specialize in any other countries so I will know for the future?
Thank you for all of your help.
Rena Leikind
Fair Lawn, New Jersey

To all concerned,
THANK YOU !

My wife Angela and I have just returned from our month-long vacation in Europe where we visited London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Germany (Rhine & Moselle Valley Tour) and Paris. By far, the highlight was your 6-day "Rhine and Moselle Valley" tour.

This was completely unexpected as we had planned the tour as something of a filler, a token visit to Germany, between major cities Amsterdam and Paris; we thought that we would find little of major interest, beyond beautiful scenery. We were wrong.

Although we had anticipated the beautiful scenery, we had not anticipated our guide, Berthold Jussli . He was marvelous! It was he who made the tour the highlight of our trip. He virtually adopted us into his family - nothing was too much trouble! There were no difficulties or inconveniences of any kind, for us; Angela, who is a travel agent, and I are seasoned enough travelers to know that this results from thorough planning and hard work, not by accident. We were aware that while we slept in comfort, Berthold was busy planning, checking and rechecking the next day's schedule; problems were resolved by the time we'd finished breakfast! He was meticulous in every way.

In regard to tour content, for me, pretty scenery is not enough. Although there was certainly no shortage of that, I also need an understanding of the history, culture, politics and language of a city or region for the visit to be truly memorable.

Berthold excelled in this regard. He brought the landscape alive for us with his phenomenal knowledge of European, and in particular German, history, language, culture, politics, geography and geology.

A simple detail such as the location of Blucher's crossing of the Rhine prior to the Battle of Waterloo made our Rhine cruise all the more memorable. Berthold provided hundreds, if not thousands, of such details, making the tour truly unforgettable. Even in Cologne where Berthold had engaged the services of a local guide because he didn't consider his knowledge of the city adequate, he amazed everyone, including the guide, with his depth of knowledge. I could go on and on about Berthold's knowledge of the region, but suffice it to say that beyond that it is his obvious passion for his country that makes him a "one in a million" tour guide.

We cannot commend Berthold highly enough, other than to say that we would like nothing better than to have him as our guide on any future visit. In the meantime, Angela will be recommending your tours to her travel clients.

Thanks again to all involved, especially Berthold, for a most memorable tour.

Richard Hill & Angela Young
PO Box 328, Torrensville Plaza SA 5031 Australia

Hi Monica / Eva

My husband and I have just returned from Egypt back home. The trip was great, we had lots of fun, thank you for organising it for us :)

We would also like to thank your representative in Egypt Mr. Ahmad Mahmoud for his help during our stay in Egypt; he is kind, helpful, interesting and efficient. We also enjoyed the accompany of our guide, he is knowledgeable and informative; we learnt a lot from him about the historical culture of Egypt. Overall, we enjoyed the time spent with them :)

It was a different and great experience for us, and we will recommend the trip to our friends.

Gabriel Sommer and Lan Cui
Munchen, Germany

Dear Bettina,
My wife and I as well as our friends just got back from the cruise on the MS Tolstoy, from Moscow to St. Petersburg. I hasten to write to you on behalf of all of us and thank you for arranging this cruise. It was fabulous in all respects. The ship itself, the crew, the itinerary, the program and the service - all were impeccable. The cruise manager Marina was excellence itself. Under her guidance and management everything was as smooth as it gets. And of course, Russia itself is a country not to miss, so interesting, so rich in culture and art, such warm people.
Abraham Ben-Naftali, Tel Aviv, Israel

Thanks to your thoughtful organization, we had a brilliant time in Turkey!!! It is now my favorite country to visit - exotic, unique, delicious food, super friendly people, historically unparalleled, and incredible scenery. We went on a tour that hit many of the sites - our favorites being Capadoccia and Pammukale and the sunken ruins near the Turquoise coast. Swimming over several millennia - old cities and Roman columns is easily one of the most unique things we have ever done. The coast was unforgettable, with its crystal blue waters, mountains and historical sites. Thank you so much for organizing the trip of a lifetime. There are many things we would still like to see in Turkey cannot wait to go back and visit Turkey again.
Shirley Wu, Seattle, WA

I am emailing to tell you that the Southern Italy Tour was excellent. It was exceptionally well organized. The tour guides spoke better English than I do and were very knowledgeable and reliable. We were impressed with every guide, hotel and service, particularly the staff at Hotel Centro in Rome where we stayed for four nights.. They made us feel like family and the hotel was an ideal location for our itinerary. The tour was perfect including the weather. I admit I was a bit leery planning a trip of that expense on the Internet. I had no referrals or guarantees but trusted your voice and emails. Thank you for your help. It was a beautiful vacation in every respect.
J Bayard, Crofton, MD

Dear Betty,
We have kept wonderful memories of our trip. Everything was perfect: the ship, the organization, the crew, even the weather !!!
I must make a special mention of our Cruise Director John Riley who proved remarkable in looking after every detail and making sure the trip was fully enjoyed by every single passenger.
Samuel.E. Azagury, Paris, FR

I just want to let you know that my husband and I really enjoyed our recent trip to Warsaw and Krakow. The hotels were nice and very well located and the side-trips were interesting. Everything was waiting for us when we checked in at the hotel even down to a description of which platform to look for our inter-city train. We certainly were not regimented, as we might have been with a less independent tour. We had plenty of free time to engage in "people watching" and just enjoying the foreign cities. The Warsaw Chamber Opera was a delight. We were pleased to find that the singers were excellent, the costumes and sets were well done. We were close enough to the stage to see all facial expressions of the cast. We were wishing that we had gone to 3 operas instead of 2....
J and G Simons, Vienna, VA

Our trip was fabulous, the view from our hotel window was spectacular, all ferry crossings and transfer services smooth and efficient. We fell in love with Greece again. Thank you for your excellent work and patience in dealing with us.
B Hamilton, Raleigh, NC

Our tour of Sicily was great, the driver and the guide were excellent and we never wasted a minute of our time visiting shops and things like that. As you know, on other tours the guides always try to lure the tourists to their "preferred merchants" On this tour, there was just traveling and discovering new places.
It was Great! R Robledo, Mexico City

My wife and I were very pleased with the Imperial Capitals tour and quite a lot of ground was covered in the time available. The tour was ably led by the tour leader and the bus driver from Vienna who coped admirably well with the drivers and traffic of Central Europe. The local guides had a very good knowledge of their cities and spoke very well in English and Italian. In particular the guide for Budapest was able to communicate in practically flawless English. My wife, a language teacher was quite impressed with the guides' language skills...
Bryan Cocshutt Elkton, MD

We would like to thank you for an unforgettable tour to Egypt (IN CLEOPATRA’S FOOTSTEPS) and Jordan 12th – 28th March. The Hotel Marriott in Cairo was really nice - it keeps up a standard that one can trust and I hope it will do so in the future.
All the land arrangements in Egypt, transfers and tours were outstanding. We were treated like royalty !! All the guides and drivers were extremely enthusiastic, reliable and educating. We would like to express our thanks to Joseph (the airport rep.) who’s smile and warm welcome was a great first impression; Walid (our guide in Cairo) who was always more than willing to fulfill our wishes and make changes accordingly; Maghrabi Essa (our guide on the Nile Cruise) who was on duty from early morning to dawn and made us go safely through all the crowded tourist spots; and Rauf, who greeted us at the Marriott (on both arrivals) making sure we did not have to wait for our room and keeping everything running smoothly.

Again, many many thanks to you and all the persons involved for making this educational, memorable, wonderful journey a dream come true.
Yours sincerely,
Sigrun E. Arnadottir and Eggert Atlason Reykjavik, Iceland

The Spa experience at the Grand Hotel Margaret island in Budapest was marvelous. Thank you for your part in making the trip as one of the best experiences. The staff at the hotel was most kind and helpful. The gypsy music during our evening meals by candlelight was superb. The spa treatments and the warm thermal waters rejuvenated my body and soul.
Judith Kratzer, Geneseo, KS

What a wonderful spa vacation you booked for me! From the moment I arrived at Abano, I have been treated so warmly by the staff. My room is lovely with the view of the old Roman ruins. Flowers abound and birds sing from every tree. Many thanks. I'll make certain I bring my twin next year!
Karen Boyer, Flagstaff, AZ

My name is Gabriele Jug. I have just returned from a week on the 'Romantic Tour of Germany.
I just had to write to you and let you know on HOW much my mother and myself enjoyed the tour. The sites and scenery were out of this world, and what made it so special was the tour guide Sia and the Bus driver Franz. Sia had tremendous knowledge of all that we got to see and the bus driver was really helpful with everything. The hotels were fantastic and the itinerary was perfect. Just enough for each day. I was so impressed with this tour, that I am planning to do it again in a couple of years with my daughter. I hope you will still be doing this tour then.
Again my thanks to all involved on providing an absolutely perfect tour.

Our kindest best wishes to all! Gabriele Jug, Australia

I am writing to thank you for providing us a wonderful trip. We booked the Budapest Express package. Everything went smoothly and was organized very well. Especially in Prague, the transportation service was excellent. We had the best seats of the operas and concerts. Thank you so much. I am sure if we want to go to Europe again, we will certainly ask your company again. Thank you, we really appreciate it!
Ling Hui, Hong Kong

My husband and I just came home from our trip to Greece and we wanted to contact you right away to tell you how pleased we were with our trip and arrangements all made through your tour company. First I want to thank Eva for having so much patience with me while we were planning our trip to Greece, I had a load of questions for her and always felt comfortable asking them and felt satisfied with her answers.
We were celebrating our 25th anniversary and wanted to travel to Greece, we looked into tours and charters but we wanted some specific things for our trip that most companies we looked into could not provide, for example flying out of a certain airport, spending more days on some islands and less on others. The only company we could find that could help us with our requests was yours and Eva assisted me over several phone calls to design our 16 day tour exactly like we wanted. I have to admit we were a little nervous about doing this over the internet, however, we did not have one worry while we were away, we were met by a very pleasant representative on every island and had all of our transportation and accommodations taken care of and had a contact number in case there should be a problem. We never had any problems and it was very comforting for us to know we had a friendly face and contact in case there should be one.

Thank you very much, you offer a professional high quality service , and I would recommend your company to any traveler.
Sincerely,
C. and M. Masse, St.Joachim, On

It has been an unforgettable holiday. Everything perfect on this cruise. No hitches, everything smooth on the MV Poetry. The staff, the guides were all wonderful. We had a personalized treatment. A friendly atmosphere prevailed among the guests. We made many new friends and were even invited to the Captain's table for the farewell dinner.

Aaron Azagury, Barcelona, Spain

Dear Betty, All of our "virtual" conversations paid off and we are having the greatest time on board of the Ms Mayakovsky. Thank you for all your help
A.R. Bachiller, Oxford, UK.

Just a brief note to let you know that we are back from our trip and we were very satisfied with the hotels you booked for us. We spent three wonderful nights in Vienna and the hotel Royal and two marvelous nights in the hotel Taverna in Budapest. The hotels were excellent and a great location. We were really impressed. We will certainly recommend your services to our friends. Tony Rubi, Hialeah, FL

We just wanted to tell you that we had a wonderful vacation this year in Ukraine on the June 17 sailing on the m/s Koshevoy. Since our return we have reminisced several times about how great the trip was and how friendly the people were. It was an unforgettable vacation. The ship was nice, the crew excellent and the representatives outstanding. The food was quite good, varied and well presented. The balance of sightseeing was just right. We can not say enough our guides Ally and Natasha. Both were very bright, well informed and hard working. They are lovely ladies who have a genuine interest in people and it shows....

John and Victoria Swinarton, Courtice, ON

Hi Helen, We are home in Toodyay, West Australia after an amazing 3 months of travelling. Just to say a huge thank you for all the hotel/tour packages you organized for us. Everything went perfectly - not a single problem. All the hotels in Paris, Amsterdam, Vienna, Berlin and Copenhagen were lovely and very conveniently located. All the tours were excellent - so many thanks - you helped make our travels a wonderful experience. I would happily recommend you to anyone wishing to make similar arrangements.

Heather Blackwell Toodyay, Australia

Dear Betty:
We have reached home safely and had a wonderful trip in Egypt. It was amazing!!! What a history!. The people on the cruise were very nice and everywhere else very friendly. Really.. I'm emailing especially to thank you for the help you extended to us, thanks a million. You are great at your work and definitely an asset to Bluedanube. Thank you from all my family members too.
Regards, Amina, Istanbul, Turkey

Eva, just to let you know what a great time we had in Egypt. Thank you for all your advice and help to make this trip possible for us. It exceeded our expectations and left us with many unforgettable memories of the exotic and mysterious places we visited.
Everything went smoothly as per the itinerary, the hotels were very nice and the Nile cruise was a delightful experience. Everybody was very friendly and helpful. Our guide was very knowledgeable, (the most knowledgeable we have ever met). He was also very caring and thoughtful and looked after us really well. We felt totally safe in Egypt, learned a lot of new things reshaping some of our preconceived ideas.
We will certainly recommend your company to friends who may be thinking of visiting Egypt.
Ken Nichols, Chicago, IL

Hi Debby,

Just a quick note to thank you for your role in our most outstanding Egyptian vacation. All of the accommodations and arrangements that you set up ran seamlessly and met or exceeded our expectations. I am so glad that you recommended transfers to and from the ship to the airport/train station. It would have been a challenge to arrange those details on site. Everyone who met us was professional, timely and friendly. Also, the Radamis II was a very lovely ship and the crew again, exceeded our expectations. The ship's tour guide was outstanding and added so very much to our appreciation of what we were seeing and experiencing.

I wish you the best and hope to have an opportunity to work with you again in the future.

Roxanne Beam, Palm Harbor, FL

We loved the Christmas Markets tour. The tour guides (Rolf and then Sylvia) and bus driver (Franz) were terrific. The tour was a nice mix of cultural and historic (churches and castles) and fun (Gluwein and gingerbread). It was also a nice mix of towns and countryside. I travel a lot and have never gone back to take the same tour twice (this time in addition to my boyfriend, I am bringing my mother and her boyfriend back). Carla V. Risoldi, Langhorne, PA

Bettina, we were very pleased with the Madeira and Lisbon holiday packages. You selected hotels that were top notch and lovely. The location of each hotel was excellent, the tours you arranged were well organized and fun. We would definitely use your services again.
Judy L. Krenzel, Natick, MA

Hi Debby, Just wanted to let you know we had a great holiday in Germany. The hotels were all convenient and good. We had no problem getting around on this independent tour. Thanks for your help arranging our trip.
Paul and Kathy Seaman, Doha, Qatar

Hi Debby,

We just wanted to let you know that our trip to Russia was great. Everything went smoothly. The staff on the MS Tolstoy made our trip really enjoyable. Thank you for your assistance.

George and Phyllis Riddle, Hummelstow, PA.

Just wanted to let you know everything worked out extremely well on our trip. In particular, the trips to Aphrodisias etc and Ephesus were quite amazing. On both days we were escorted by a guide and a driver and no other tourists. There were 2 different guides on the tour but the same driver for the 2 days. We would like to pass along our appreciation to all who were involved in organizing this and in particular to the 2 guides. The Crowne Plaza in Izmir was excellent and we would definitely recommend it.

Louise Hosis, Toronto, ON

My husband and I just returned from a three week trip to Europe,which included a 12 day independent tour arranged by Blue Danube Vacations, the Berlin-Vienna Express. For us, this is definitely the way to go. We've been on a couple of guided tours before and weren't crazy about having most of our schedule and time dictated. The independent tour gave us exactly what we wanted, freedom to go at our own pace.

All four of the hotels (Berlin, Prague, Budapest, and Vienna) were perfectly located in the downtown core, close to the subway system, and were, in 3 of the 4 cases, small boutique-style hotels, with loads of character and charm. The variety of transportation methods between these cities also heightened the experience - we traveled by train, plane, and hydrofoil. All of the restaurant dinners which were part of the package were in locations that were easily within walking distance from the hotels, and the hotel staff were able to give us clear instructions. When the package included transfers, or tour pickups, there was never a problem.

We started and ended our vacation with rented cars and finding our own accommodation, and spending a lot of time being lost and frustrated, and wishing that we had had the entire trip planned by Blue Danube.

Gerry and Pam Sygo Whitby, ON

I couldn’t help but forward this to everyone.
I recently had a client that booked air to Egypt and then I put a land package together for him piece by piece. The most difficulty I had was finding a company that would sell a Nile Cruise Only. I wanted a 4-5 day cruise from Luxor to Aswan or reverse. After weeks of requests and unconfirmed cruises I came across info on the internet from Blue Danube Holidays.
I called Bettina and within 24 hours she had my client confirmed on a cruise that was departing just over a week later. She had confirmed the space – sent me and invoice and travel vouchers within a 48 hour time frame. I was amazed – and Bettina is the one that made it all happen. Her knowledge and service were top quality so if you are looking for cruises I suggest you call Bettina. 1-800-268-4155

Cindy Goligers Travelplus 519-741-0770

We're back and had a great time. Erem the tour guide was very very knowledgeable and a good guide. We learned alot! The Conrad in Istanbul was a super hotel and the rest were fine. The cruise was interesting. and the connections/pick-ups worked perfectly.

Thank you for a great last minute trip. Our daughter was thrilled and so were we. We are now thinking of going on a trip in the next year/year ...................

Joan Blanstein, Dover Plains, NY

Hi, I just wanted to thank you for a most memorable cruise. The MS Concerto was a brand new ship and it was wonderful. All of us thoroughly enjoyed the trip and your guide Hussain Ashoor was very good. Thank you for putting up with my uncertainties till the last moment. I have recommended your website to all my friends.
Dr. Joseph Ravindra, Manama, Bahrain.

Bettina, I went on the "Luther Tour" from 8/23/09 to 8/27/09. Very nice trip! Hotels were excellent, tour guide was knowledgeable (Dirk) and we hit all the places we were supposed to. Clever marketing - breaking a larger tour down into a 5 day segment for the Luther highlights; however, it was just right for what I wanted.
Kevin Hovet Maple Plane, MI

We had a wonderful Christmas Markets tour last month in Germany. Our drivers were excellent and maneuvered safely and efficiently in all of the inclement weather. Wolfgang & Gunter were the best! Not enough good can be said about our tour guide, Gregory. He was very diverse in his knowledge of architecture, history, geography, and politics. He made us all feel well taken care of and was very adept in adjusting our schedule to accommodate the bad weather encountered. He deserves all possible accolades and I would recommend your tour company to anyone asking due to the employees, accommodations, and excellent planning.

Thank you. Brenda Simmers, Sherman TX

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