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CroisiEurope's Elbe Princesse represents a relatively new river ship design for the industry, sailing the tricky Elbe and Vltava Rivers between Berlin and Prague (and reverse). Building upon the concept it pioneered with the Loire Princesse on the similarly low Loire River in France, the company designed the 80-passenger vessel to be powered by two side-mounted paddlewheels with an ultra-shallow draught of 4 feet. This allows the ship to sail all season long, even during periods of low water, allowing the tiny vessel to moor right in town and bypassing the bus transfers typical to the Prague region.
We're told the interior design of the ship was inspired by Scandinavia. This is apparent in the light wooden latticework found in the lobby, bar and lounge, as well as the wooden lighting fixtures, which appear to have bent strips of birch wood, in the stairwells. The result is modern and playful (with pops of magenta pink and teal set against stark black and white), while remaining comfortable and functional. Black and white Rorschach-style cityscapes along with hip design motifs depicting the phrase, "Let's Move to Berlin," bring in a local and youthful element. Mirrors are cleverly utilised throughout the lounge and dining room to provide an illusion of more space.
The draw of this river cruise is truly the destinations -- Berlin, Dresden, Meissen, Prague. What is lost in translation is made up in heart; service is genuine and the experience is enjoyable, down to the dark chocolate hearts left at turndown.
The dress code is casual; one gala evening is held per cruise -- typically on the last night -- which invites passengers to dress up a bit more than they normally would for a specially prepared meal paired with wine. Buttoned-up or polo shirts and khakis or dress pants for men is fine, and dress pants, skirts or dresses will work for women. Holiday or theme cruises, such as New Year's or Christmas markets, might dictate a few additional evenings of cocktail attire. Walking tours are the name of the game on river sailings, so be sure to bring comfortable shoes.
Port charges and gratuities are included in your cruise fare with CroisiEurope. Wi-Fi is free onboard for the duration of the cruise; this worked on both our phone and our laptop simultaneously. A Samsung Galaxy tablet is located at the front desk for passenger use.
Almost all beverages are free at all times -- including wine, beer, soda, juice, tea, specialty coffee and a small list of liquors. The cocktail menu indicates which drinks are additional (think Champagne, Armagnac, Bailey's).
The chief onboard activity on Elbe Princesse is watching the world go by. Half of the time is spent cruising in the morning or afternoon to your destination (commentary is provided), while the rest is exploring the cities on your itinerary. There's nothing in the way of onboard games or amusements, so you are forced to relax and take in the sights.
Shore Excursions
A tour of Potsdam outside Berlin provides a historic visit at Cecilienhof, where Truman, Stalin and Churchill met after World War II, followed by a scenic walk around the gardens at Schloss Sanssouci palace and a quick stroll through the endlessly charming Dutch Quarter in downtown Potsdam. Throughout the other eight days, you can get to know the lesser-visited German cities of Magdeburg, Meissen and the Czech cities of Litoměřice and Lovosice. Groups are divided by language.
Entertainment
Entertainment is held nightly in the lounge, and is typically a song-and-dance routine put on by Animation, the term for the crew members (also cruise directors and other staff) who perform. Sometimes the ship brings on a special performer. Once per cruise the crew show is performed, put together in honour of the line's 40th anniversary. Trivia is also held in the lounge one night per nine-day sailing.
Enrichment
Commentary is provided as you sail, meaning the history of the places you are passing is explained as you take in the scenery.
There is one bar and one lounge, found on the upper deck, immediately to the left as you board; this is the ship's social space. The bar is all the way to the back, in front of the dance floor and entertainment area. It's crisp white with about six pink cushioned chairs at the counter, and serves German and French beer, French wines and a heavenly cappuccino made with chocolate and always served with a treat like a small cookie or chocolate. Most drinks are included, and a small menu at each table in the lounge will indicate what has an upcharge.
The lounge has plenty of teal and pink couches and chairs for chatting, small tables for enjoying a coffee and sending an email and ample seating near the nine full-length windows on either side. Funky throw pillows in furry white, black velvet or stitched textures are abundant. Small pots with flowers such as an orchid dot nearly every table, indoors and out. A 'fireplace' with a small bookshelf above adds to the ambiance.
A sun deck is located on the top of the ship, and it extends the length. In the middle there are small, square, white metal tables with four folding chairs around each. Tons of grey chaise loungers flank both sides -- perfect for reclining, taking in the fresh air and scenery with a drink. Umbrellas above some of the tables as well as an area with a canopy offer shade. Sailing on this itinerary involves crossing under some very low bridges, so at times, access is restricted to the sun deck area.
A small patio can be found through automatic sliding-glass doors at the back of the ship, past the bar, near the paddlewheels. About three small metal tables with a dozen chairs each can be found here. At night, the paddlewheels put on a show as glowing lights surrounding each wheel change colour.
A small lobby can be found as you enter the ship; the front desk is here, with a couch to the side. This is the meeting place for most tours. Also here is the boutique, which consists of three shelves of souvenir items -- branded hats, silk scarves, blown-glass figurines and stuffed animals or colouring books from the line's mascot, a traveling Croisi kangaroo -- behind glass doors. A public bathroom -- one men's and one women's -- is located just off the lobby to the right, with a shared sink space.
We felt the food was a strong point on the cruise with perfect portions and well-executed dishes with a French flair. A passenger with a nut allergy was often offered gorgeous fruit plates at dessert to replace many of the cakes containing almonds or walnuts.
If you have dietary restrictions, tell a crew member -- the hotel director is best -- ahead of time and also during your cruise. Another way to handle this is to look for the menus at reception; they are displayed on a video screen ahead of time and are also read over the loudspeaker in all languages.
Main Restaurant (First Deck): The only dining venue onboard is large enough to accommodate all passengers at once. Décor follows the teal and magenta colour scheme in the chairs, as well as the lights that glow around the windows in the evening. Tables are dressed in white linen with orchids in the centre. Tables are not assigned, but might be suggested, as you will probably want to sit with other passengers speaking your language.
Breakfast is held promptly between 7:30 and 9 a.m. with a European spread of rolls, croissants and bread; various jams, jellies and compotes; boiled eggs; scrambled eggs, bacon and German sausages; yogurts; fresh fruit and juices; cereal; and a plate of cold meats and cheeses. Coffee and milk are on the table and the entire meal is self-serve.
Lunch and dinner consist of a set menu with one seating; each meal is a four-course affair composed of a soup, starter, entrée and dessert. (The soups were always utterly delicious.) The menu is shown on the screen in the lobby by the front desk throughout the day, and announced in the evening.
Lunch is ready to eat around 12:30 (depending on when excursions return). You might have a cauliflower soup with cream, a variation of a garden salad with roasted corn over your greens and tomatoes, pork tenderloin in mushroom sauce with whipped Duchess potatoes and green beans with parsley, and a rhubarb tart for dessert. Lunch and dinner are served with your choice of beverages, including tasty wines (the selection includes two red, two white or a rose), beer or soda, and an espresso is offered at every meal with dessert.
Dinner is held around 7 or 8; the time varies nightly. Expect a soup (we had everything from potato to pumpkin); a starter (salmon lox in various ways was a popular choice, appearing more than once); an entrée such as veal or rabbit cooked with carrots or purple potatoes; and a dessert platter with a sampling of crème brûlée, chocolate cake with cream and vanilla ice cream with almonds and raspberry sauce.
A gala dinner, held once per cruise, is a meal specially designed by the chef with wine pairings and an added dash of panache. Our formal evening kicked off with a foie gras pate paired with a sweet French white wine and ended with a baked Alaska set aflame with Grand Marnier; a much-beloved but no-longer-allowed cruise ship dessert on oceangoing vessels. After the dessert was presented, it was served with a wedge of passion fruit, a dash of puree, a French macaron and an almond cookie, which all tasted and looked exquisite.
Elbe Princesse accommodates up to 80 passengers in 40 cabins across two decks. There are 24 rooms on the upper deck, also called the Pont Superieur, and 16 cabins on the main deck, or Pont Principal. Of these, 34 are standard cabins, two are small category A, and another two are small category B. There is one single cabin and one accessible cabin. The colour scheme of black and white with teal and magenta accents is found throughout the ship, and this includes the cabins. All cabin doors are pink; beds have crisp white comforters with throw pillows that are teal on one side with a black-and-white pattern on the other. Curtains are teal, as well as the plush stools near the desk (with a black strip in the middle and black-and-white detail). There's also a white chair that tucks into the desk.
Upper deck staterooms feature a French balcony with sliding-glass doors, while the lower deck rooms have rather large windows; aside from that, there is little difference between the two. One room on the upper deck is wheelchair-accessible. All beds face a window, and can be divided into two separate twin beds or pushed together to form one. All cabins are equipped with an air-conditioning/central heating unit, a shower with folding-glass door, a flat-screen satellite TV (that can fold up into the ceiling), a desk nearly the length of one wall, storage, cabin-to-cabin phone, safe, hair dryer and 220 V electrical outlets. Do not disturb/please makeup my room door tags are located on the back of each cabin door, but so is a tag indicating a need for repairs, which we've never seen.
Standard Cabins: The cabins on Elbe Princesse are 156 square feet. Twenty of these cabins are located on the upper deck, and 14 on the lower deck. Two closets offer plenty of nice wooden hangers to store jackets or dresses; a shelf is above for folded shirts as well as below, to organize shoes. Suitcases fit under the bed. The desk offers plenty of surface area to put your things, with a small cubby that runs underneath, along with a deep drawer. The desk is where you'll find your audio device, with a charger and headphones for tours. At first we found it strange the air vents were built into the desk, but when we had a damp umbrella, it quickly dried by laying it across and turning on the heat. A wooden frame offers a shelf above the bed (where the life jackets are stored) and a cubby on either side, with plenty of space to charge a phone, put a book or leave a glass of water. Having two mirrors -- a large square one above the desk and a full-length one near the bed -- was refreshing while getting ready.
All bathrooms offer travel-size bottles of CroisiEurope-branded shampoo and a shampoo/bodywash combo in lime-flower-and-gingko scent. The showerhead has four push-button settings -- our favourite was the rotating jets that did something like a figure eight. It's also adjustable, a bonus for tall people. Bathrooms also have a nice-size, fog-free makeup mirror with a built-in light. A plug for razors is on the wall to the right of the bathroom mirror. Near the sink there is room for toothbrushes, hand soap and toothpaste.
Smaller Cabin A: These rooms, located on the upper deck (204 and 216) contain two twin beds and measure 129 square feet. Cabins in smaller categories only have a small side table and not the same storage space as standard cabins. They also do not feature a full-length mirror.
Smaller Cabin B: Two rooms on the lower deck (104, 116) measure 117 square feet, and feature two twin beds.
Accessible Cabin: Room 202 is the wheelchair-accessible cabin onboard. At 141 square feet, the doorway clearance is wide and the bathroom features a large shower with no lip, a curtain and a bench. The layout makes it feel more spacious than a standard room. It is a rarity to have an accessible cabin on a river ship, and this one is located right on the lobby so there is ease of access to the front desk and the gangway. However, the restaurant is downstairs and there's no lift onboard. The line does not suggest traveling onboard this ship if you are unable to climb the stairs down to the dining room.
Single Cabin: One cabin is categorised for the solo traveller onboard -- room 224 -- located on the upper deck. It measures 123 square feet and features just one single bed.
