Tour + Cruise Specialist, Jacqui, and her friend spent 8 days sailing from Nuremberg to Amsterdam on the new Travelmarvel Rigel. She loved the overall atmosphere, excellent service and spacious cabin.
With Travelmarvel, you’ll journey through iconic cities, breathtaking landscapes, and experience rich cultures on expertly designed tours and cruises. Travelmarvel is backed by the family-owned APT Travel Group, Australia’s leader in unforgettable travel for almost a century. See all our Travelmarvel cruise deals to learn more, or keep reading Jacqui’s review to read about her thoughts.
Arrival and Welcome Onboard Travelmarvel
I flew in a couple of days before the cruise actually started, which is something Flat Beds Tour + Cruise would recommend before any sailing. My friend and I took a train to Nuremberg to meet the beginning of our cruise. Unfortunately, this meant we were not offered a transfer as we were arriving by train, whereas the others had been collected at the airport. We did have some difficulty getting to the port due to roadworks, but once we arrived we were greeted by the hotel manager and walked to our Owners Suite (we were upgraded). He went through all the facilities, how to operate the windows, air conditioner, safes and ensured we knew how to get in contact with staff should we need anything. We had a bowl of fruit and champagne waiting as a welcome for us. This is always a lovely touch, especially considering I was upgraded to the Owners Suite.
Facilities Onboard the Travelmarvel Rigel
We were lucky enough to be aboard the new Travelmarvel Rigel. She is a beautiful ship, with sleek exterior designs standing out on the river compared to her competitors. I was really impressed with the light and modern decor, spacious lounge and dining areas. The Sun Deck was spacious, it had the pool and was a great space to enjoy the sunshine, have a cocktail, or sit and chat as you observe the scenery, as well as to watch the ship pass through the locks. There is a fitness room onboard which features a gym area, albeit small it features a bike, treadmill, weights and mats to do stretches. Alongside this, there is a whirlpool and walking track available. Plus, bicycles are available and free to use for shore excursions.
Wi-Fi is complimentary onboard Travelmarvel ships. There were some intermittent issues when everyone was on board using Wi-Fi, but they are aware and are trying to coordinate to resolve.
Dining, Bars and Lounges
In short, the food onboard was amazing. All main meals were served in the main dining room. Breakfast was from 7:00am to 9:00am at the restaurant, with a buffet and main station. Early risers got pastries, toast and small bites from 6:00am – 7:00am in the morning. For us Aussies, there was Vegemite onboard which is always great to see.
Dinner was from 7:00pm and was provided off-menu. While lunch and breakfast were half-buffet, half-menu if you wanted. Breakfast had an egg station, and lunch had a meal of the day station (for example it could be curry, or goulash) or you could order lunch off-menu. Light lunches and meals for dinner were also available in McGeary’s bar. This was also a great place to relax with minimal people to watch the river from the back of the ship.
The staff were fantastic with dietary requirements. I had allergies and they made sure I was catered to- I only had to tell them once. Staff always made sure I had an alternative at dessert and at breakfast they always ensured I had gluten-free bread. Plus they advised what I could eat on the menu or was always happy to discuss alternatives for my dietary requirements.
After dinner entertainment was in the main lounge, with drinks/cocktails available at your own cost. This was a great time to get to know fellow travellers, have a drink, chat, and for me of course a dance! We had a music quiz night, and most nights we would get up and encourage others to dance, which they joined in Happy hour was from 5:30 to 6:30 pm at McGeary’s bar which had half-price drinks. There were also 10:00pm late-night snacks for those who wanted a small bite after a bit of drinking.
Travelmarvel Rigel Suite
We were lucky enough to stay in one of the Owner’s Suites, and with only four of them on board, it definitely felt pretty special. The suite had so much space, with beautiful light and modern décor that made it feel more like a luxury hotel room than a cabin. There was plenty of room to unpack, with lots of drawers and wardrobe space, so you could really settle in and make yourself at home. We also had a chaise and chair by the window, which was such a nice spot to sit and enjoy the views as we sailed along the river. The French-style balcony had slide-down windows, so you could open them up, enjoy the fresh air and watch the scenery go by without even leaving your room. The bathroom was a surprise too! It had a beautiful double vanity and a really spacious shower, which was perfect after being out exploring all day.
Our stewards were amazing and always made sure our room was clean and ready for us when we came back from our excursions each day. They even went that extra step of folding our pyjamas and leaving them neatly on the bed. It was those extra touches, along with having so much space and comfort, that really made the suite feel special
Travelmarvel Service
Onboard the new Travelmarvel Rigel, the staff were fantastic. As mentioned previously, they catered to my dietary requirements brilliantly- staff truly went above and beyond. The bartenders Vlad, Vi and Felicia, were always fun and I’d only have to order once before they remembered my name and room number.
Port talks were always before dinner at 6.45pm to keep us updated and communicate what was happening for the next day. Victor was our Cruise Director and he was very friendly and always happy to answer questions.
Due to the low water levels on the Rhine, we did have to do 1 ship swap from the Travelmarvel Rigel to Travelmarvel Polaris on the last day from Dusseldorf to Zaandam. It was quite seamless. We just had to get our bags out by a time in the morning of the swap and we were taken by bus from Frankfurt to Dusseldorf and our bags were taken and sent to our rooms on the new ship for us.
Shore Excursions
Shore excursions were great as we got to explore the towns in each port, with local guides from the particular area we were stopping in. All guides for the tours were local for that particular port of call. This made it better as the guides were passionate about sharing their part of the world with us.
The overall atmosphere was great, both myself and my friend enjoyed it immensely. With fantastic staff, a brilliant suite and delicious dining…it was easy to love. Make sure to check out all our Travelmarvel cruise deals, or get in touch with a Tour + Cruise Specialist to learn more.
