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Offering a "casual-deluxe" environment, A-Rosa Brava carries the fleet's distinctive hallmarks (a large pair of lips on the bow carrying a red rose and rose-themed interior). It also boasts several unique features for river cruising, including a branded spa, a stage for entertainment and family-friendly cruises. Although Brava is not one of the fleet's "international" vessels -- which have a second dedicated English-speaking host -- all crew members are bilingual and onboard information and literature is also in English.
The ship has a relaxed atmosphere and there is no set dress code. Comfortable, casual clothing is suitable onboard and during excursions. Bring warmer clothing for evenings on deck, plus comfortable shoes for walking tours and free time as many towns have uneven, cobbled streets and steps. Some passengers like to dress up for à la carte dinners in the restaurant, but full-on cocktail attire and evening dress can be left at home.
Standard river cruise entertainment fare is a pianist in the lounge. In addition to a resident musician, Brava pushes the boundaries with a stage, complete with a backstage area, situated in the lounge to provide a more sophisticated setting for entertainment. This is provided by musicians, singers, dancers and other artists who come onboard for the evening at different points during the itinerary. There is also a small dance floor.
The rest of the entertainment is fairly low key, with a nightly port talk and excursion overview from the cruise director, and presentations about the destinations. Board games and cards are available and there is a small onboard library that includes English-language guide books and fiction.
The spa menu features St Barth and Babor-branded products, and a special A-Rosa rose-scented massage oil has been created in conjunction with Babor. The spa has an indoor relaxation area, overlooking the front of the ship, leading to an outdoor relaxation area and whirlpool. There is also a sauna.
This area is a standout feature as on many vessels, the euphemistically named "spa" or "gym" are little more than a spare passenger cabin with a massage table or a few cramped pieces of gym equipment. Claiming to have the only professional river cruise spa in Europe, Brava's spa and fitness facility is located forward on Deck 3. Staffed by a massage therapist and fitness instructor, the spa's reception desk and shop lead to two treatment rooms, one overlooking the river.
The gym, with panoramic windows so passengers can work out while looking at the passing scenery, is equipped with a Life Fitness treadmill, elliptical trainer and bike, and there are also exercise mats, weights, Swiss balls and step equipment.
Activities onboard include fitness classes and yoga, and passengers can use the 15 onboard bikes -- which are available on a first-come, first-served basis-- to cycle into ports of call or along the river bank. The Sun Deck includes a giant chess board, synthetic putting green and deck games such as shuffleboard.
Moving away from the large, all-purpose lounge and bar -- which is the heart of many river vessels -- A-Rosa features a number of smaller, more intimate areas that are akin to a small hotel and provide more choice.
They are all situated on Deck 3 and lead off from the 24-hour reception desk, starting with the lounge and bar and moving on to the café area, which is served by the other side of the horseshoe-shaped bar. There is then the buffet and main restaurant, leading to the wine bar with its indoor and outdoor seating. Décor throughout is colourful and modern (and in places very orange!), including yellow-and-orange striped walls and clusters of orange lights in the airy central atrium, which is linked to other decks by a sweeping circular staircase. Carpets feature a scattered rose petal design.
Further stairs lead to the Sun Deck, where there are plenty of loungers, chairs and tables. Brava does not have a lift.
The onboard shop, in the main lobby on Deck 2, sells a selection of gifts, jewellery, everyday essentials and A-Rosa-branded products and logo wear.
Brava has broken the mould with dining. The usual river ship set-up features fixed times for lunch and dinner with the buffet centred around a large, main station. Instead, Brava's buffet, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, occupies a separate area between the main Market Restaurant and bar and café, located midship on the upper Deck 3. Passengers wind their way through the different areas of the well-presented buffet, where there are various sections featuring starters, main courses, desserts, cheese and fruit, interspersed with live cooking stations. This arrangement -- combined with flexible dining times -- virtually eliminates any queues. The buffet also includes a 24-hour tea and coffee station with a good selection of coffee, teabags and loose-leaf teas.
While times can differ slightly depending on the day's schedule, breakfast is generally served from 7 a.m. until 9 a.m., offering a lighter selection of "early bird" and "late bird" pastries and other items, lunch is served from noon until 2 p.m. and dinner from 6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. All meals are on a freestyle dining basis with no seating plans, so passengers can choose to sit in the informal café, main dining room or have their meals in the attractive, small indoor/outdoor wine bar area situated aft beyond the restaurant. Half of the semi-circular bar is located inside and there is more seating in the cosy alfresco section, which has an overhead retractable awning so it can be used in most weather.
The big plus with this innovative dining arrangement is that passengers are not tied down to set mealtimes where everyone arrives at once; they can have meals at any time during the restaurant's open hours. So, for example, if they don't have to rush back for lunch while out and about exploring a port of call or want to linger over a pre-dinner cocktail, they turn up when they are ready to eat.
Breakfast features a large choice of hot dishes (including German sausages and British favourites such as bacon, eggs and beans), cold meats, cheese, cereals and pastries. There is a station serving freshly cooked omelettes and other egg dishes, plus a healthy-choice section with fresh fruit, yogurts, homemade muesli, seeds and smoothies. A delicious addition to the bread section is A-Rosa's "vitality" bread, containing barley malt, sunflower and flax seeds, which passengers can order to take home with them on disembarkation day for a small additional cost.
The buffet lunch includes a soup of the day, such as beetroot and horseradish; appetizers such as scallops on seaweed salad; and snacks and mains including a croque monsieur (ham and cheese sandwich), pasta, salads, cold cuts, dessert, cakes and cheese. Although portion control is down to the individual (and very hard given the tempting and expansive choice!) many of the dishes feature fresh and healthy ingredients.
A similarly imaginative buffet is available every night, but there is also the option for a waiter-served, four-course à la carte dinner on at least four nights on a seven-night cruise. These meals are included in the fare, and a typical menu might feature a cauliflower panna cotta "amuse bouche" followed by salmon tartar, clear tomato soup with basil dumplings, a main course of fillet of beef with potato celery mash and glazed carrots (or a vegetarian option), and dessert of caramelised lime parfait served with marinated cherries to finish.
All soft drinks, cocktails, beer (which not surprisingly features plenty of good German brands), spirits and wines are included throughout the day. The only exclusions are Champagne and a small selection of premium brands, plus featured regional wines available on some evenings. Speciality coffees that are made to order are also included in the price of the cruise.
There is a bar, seating area and barbecue on the Sun Deck, which is used for alfresco dining, weather permitting.
There are 99 cabins located on the three passenger decks. They are all the same size -- 156 square feet -- and the only difference is that the cabins on Deck 1, the lower deck, have porthole windows, set high up on the wall. Also on this deck are four twin-bedded cabins, with two single beds set against each wall, with an extra pull-down bed fixed to the wall above one of the beds. In all the remaining cabins the beds cannot be separated from a double configuration, although there are individual duvets on both sides. The cabins on Decks 2 and 3 have Juliette -- or French -- balconies with floor-to-ceiling windows. One side is a door that can be fully opened or tip-tilted to open at the top for fresh air. There is a roll-down fly screen outside the door. A-Rosa Brava does not have any suites.
Staterooms feature contemporary décor, with liberal use of the line's signature rose-red color, including the bright cabin doors. Inside, red is combined with gold for the bedspread, attractive overhead bed canopy, chair, stool and carpet.
Cabins are well-equipped, with plenty of room for storage. The wardrobe is divided into three sections. One comprises a full-length hanging cupboard with ample 'proper' wooden coat hangers, not the fiddly and rather annoying fixed ones that appear to imply every passenger is a potential coat hanger thief. The second section is a half-length hanging wardrobe with shelving, a storage basket and safe, with room for a laptop. The third section is divided into six shelves. There is a full-length exterior mirror and a five-shelf storage unit attached to the wardrobe, which also houses the flat-screen TV that includes English-speaking satellite channels and films.
At the foot of the bed is a table with a couple of shelves and there is one bedside cabinet with two drawers. At the other side of the bed is a dressing table/desk with a stool and mirror and a fixed hairdryer can be found in one of the drawers. Suitcases can be stored beneath the bed.
Cabins all have air conditioning, telephone, shoe horn and still and sparkling water replenished daily. Robes and slippers are available on request.
Breaking up the usual monotony of all-white bathrooms, Brava's funky bathroom has a bright red basin top and a red-and-white tiled floor, which extends into the shower. There is a fixed dispenser containing hair and body wash in the walk-in shower cubicle that has a door. A fixed soap dispenser is next to the wash basin and other amenities include Babor-branded soap, shampoo and lotion, replaced as required. The bathroom also has a good-sized, three-shelf storage unit and a fixed magnifying mirror.
The onboard electricity current is 220V, supplied through European outlets, and there is a shaver socket in the bathroom.
There is an onboard laundry, payable through the onboard account, with items picked up from the cabin by housekeeping. There is also a clothesline in the shower cubicle.
A nice touch is that all passengers receive a red rose on arrival and a stem vase, containing water, is ready for it on the table in the cabin, along with a complimentary bottle of A-Rosa-branded sparkling wine. On the first night, a large bar of delicious dark chocolate had been put on the pillow at evening turndown -- much better than the usual small individual chocolate!
