MS VistaFidelio

The 1995-built MS VistaFidelio cruise ship is a 4-star, hotel-ranked riverboat owned by Breeze River Cruises GmbH and currently operated under charter by 1avista Reisen.

VistaFidelio cruises on the Danube River, with roundtrip departures from its homeport Passau, Germany. Due to her smaller dimensions, the vessel can also operate on the Rhine River and its tributaries. Passengers are predominantly Germans.

Shipboard facilities

MS VistaFidelio has 3 passenger decks and features a complimentary Panorama Restaurant (5-star dining room, accessible via stairlift), a lobby area (ship entrances, 24-hour Reception Desk, Tour Office), Panorama Salon-Bar (main lounge with dance floor and a Zimmermann piano), Boutique Shop (souvenirs, logoed clothing, jewelry, cosmetics, toiletries, sweets), Library (forward reading lounge with books, puzzles, and board games), and a Sun Deck with shaded seating (glass-roof cover, 4-seat tables) and a sunbathing area with deckchairs, sun loungers, and a heated swimming pool.

The wellness complex (midship on Main Deck) includes a spa/massage room, sauna, gym, and hair salon (hairdresser-barber services). Laundry and ironing services, bicycle rental, Wi-Fi (WLAN), Internet access, and shore excursions are available at an additional cost. Smoking is permitted only in designated areas on the Sun Deck. Bicycles carried onboard can be rented at the Reception Desk.

Onboard dining is complimentary, fixed (with assigned seating), and includes buffet-style breakfasts and lunches, plus waiter-served 4-course dinners featuring themed menus and regional specialties (based on the cruise itinerary). Dinner main courses are selected at noon from an à-la-carte menu. All meals follow common dining times. Tea and coffee with cakes and pastries are served in the afternoon, along with late-night snacks. Open bar and table drinks—draft beer, house wine, soft drinks (cola, lemonade, juices, mineral water), tea, and coffee (from 8:00 to 24:00)—are included. Special dietary needs (gluten-free, lactose-free, diabetic, vegetarian, etc.) are provided on request and must be communicated in advance. The traditional Captain’s Reception (cocktail party) and Captain’s Dinner (gala menu) are formal events held in the Restaurant.

The breakfast buffet (7–9 am) offers eggs, sausages, bacon, various breads and rolls, assorted cold cuts and cheeses, dairy products, yoghurts, fresh fruits, and eight muesli varieties. Lunch buffet hours vary according to the daily port schedule and excursion program. Lunch includes a fish dish, a meat dish, hot sides, a soup, salad buffet, and dessert station. On embarkation day, coffee, tea, cakes, and pastries are served in front of the Restaurant, but for only about 30 minutes. On days without tours, afternoon cake service is offered in the Lounge. On “tour days,” the selection is limited to coffee, tea, and late-night snacks (canapés).

The 4-course dinner includes two appetizers, one soup, one main course (pre-order required in the afternoon), and one dessert. Main course options always include one meat and one fish dish. Dietary needs, light meals, and vegetarian requests are accommodated. The waiting staff (mainly from Eastern European countries) is German-speaking, well trained, attentive, and friendly.

Onboard entertainment (in the Salon-Bar / Lounge) includes live music performances, crew show, card and board games, bingo, skat tournaments, music quizzes, napkin-folding lessons, and evening dance parties. Shore excursions are offered at additional cost in every port of call along the cruise itinerary. Complimentary maps and tour guide explanations are provided at each stop.

VistaFidelio is not suitable for wheelchair passengers, as the ship has no lift (elevator) and moorings are often not accessible for guests with reduced mobility.

Cabins

MS VistaFidelio has a total of 74 outside staterooms, all similarly sized (14 m² / 150 ft²), including 16 on the Main Deck (Hauptdeck, also housing all crew cabins), 30 on the Middle Deck (Mitteldeck), and 28 on the Upper Deck (Oberdeck). Main Deck cabins feature two separate lower beds (80x200 cm), arranged parallel or in an L-shape. One bed doubles as a daytime sofa, while the other is foldaway. Single cabins feature one lower bed plus one upper bunk.

Some double cabins may be booked for single occupancy (70% supplement, subject to availability). Select staterooms offer triple occupancy with a third folding upper bunk. Comfort and Superior cabins have large non-opening windows and double beds that can convert to twins upon request.

All VistaFidelio cabins include either a partially opening window (sliding section) or two non-opening portholes, an en-suite bathroom (washbasin, WC, shower, under-sink storage, hairdryer, razor socket), flat-screen TV (satellite channels, ship info channel, real-time bow camera views, weather forecast), telephone (intercom/onboard calls only—Reception Desk, cabins, wake-up service), radio, mirrored vanity table (writing desk with chair), bedside cabinets with reading lamps, a lounge area (round table and chair), wardrobe (hangers only), electronic safe (in the closet), 220V outlets, and individually controlled air-conditioning (thermostat).

Cabin categories include:

• Main Deck cabins with non-opening portholes in categories HD1 (Single), HD2 (Double), and HDA (Aft).
• Middle Deck cabins in Comfort categories MD1 (Single), MD2 (Double), MD3 (Triple), MDA (Aft), and MDV (Forward).
• Upper Deck cabins in Superior categories OD2 (Double) and ODA (Aft). Superior cabins 353, 354, 359, and 360 are fitted with bathtubs instead of showers.
• Single cabins in categories HD1 (Hauptdeck), MD1 (Mitteldeck), and OD1 (Oberdeck).

When two full-paying adults share a double stateroom, or one full-paying adult occupies a single cabin with an extra bed, children and teens aged 2–19 travel free of charge when sleeping in a folding bed.

1avista VistaFidelio cruise itineraries

Listed below are all 1avista VistaFidelio cruise tour itineraries (roundtrips from Passau, Germany) with call ports and port times.

• 6-day “Danube Compact” cruise visits Vienna (2 pm–10 pm), Esztergom (8:30 am–9 am), Budapest (1:30 pm–9 pm), Bratislava (1:30 pm–6 pm), Dürnstein / Rossatz (8 am–1 pm). Passau departure 6 pm, arrival 8 am.
• 6-day “Danube Metropolises” cruise visits Vienna (1:30 pm–11 pm), Budapest (1:30 pm–6 pm), Bratislava (1 pm–5 pm), Melk (11 am–1:30 pm). Passau departure 5 pm, arrival 9 am.
• 17-day “From Passau to the Black Sea” cruisetour visits Vienna (1 pm–11 pm), Budapest (2 pm–10:30 pm), Mohacs (9 am–10:30 am), Vukovar (4:30 pm–9 pm), Belgrade (6 am–5 pm), Vidin (3 pm–7 pm), Giurgiu (10 am–11 am), Oltenita (3 pm–4 pm), Vilkovo (2 pm–6 pm), Tulcea (6 am–11 am), Rousse (4 pm–11 pm), Nikopol (7 am–8 am), Oriachovo (2 pm–2:30 pm), Lom (7 pm–7:30 pm), Passage “Iron Gate” / Donji Milanovac (2 pm–4:30 pm), Mohacs (9 pm–10:30 pm), Budapest (3 pm–3:30 pm), Visegrad (7 pm–7:30 pm), Bratislava (11 am–4:30 pm), Dürnstein / Rossatz (7:30 am–1 pm). Passau departure 6 pm, arrival 9 am.

1avista customers booking B2Bs / back-to-back cruises (two consecutive itineraries with a minimum combined duration of 7 days) receive EUR 40 per person in onboard credit. Solo travelers booking single cabins pay a discounted surcharge of EUR 50 pp.

1avista Reisen cruise fares include:

• river cruise and stateroom accommodation
• shipboard dining – breakfast (buffet), waiter-served lunch, afternoon coffee/tea with pastries, waiter-served dinner, late-night snacks
• Captain’s Dinner (special menu) and Welcome Cocktail Party (Bar Lounge)
• Unlimited beverages (8 am–12 midnight): house wine, draft beer, soft drinks (cola, lemonade, juices, mineral water), coffee, tea
• use of onboard facilities and live entertainment program
• German-speaking tour guide
• luggage transport (embarkation and debarkation)
• all government taxes and port fees

Not included in 1avista cruise fares are arrival/departure transportation and transfers (to/from the ship), personal expenses, shore excursions, and gratuities (recommended EUR 7 pp per day).