MS VistaFlamenco

MS VistaFlamenco cruise ship is a 4-star, hotel-ranked riverboat owned by Premicon AG and operated under charter by 1avista Reisen. The ship is stylishly furnished, featuring spacious interiors and excellent service delivered by professional staff and crew. Vista Flamenco cruises on the Danube River, with roundtrip departures from the homeports of Passau and Cologne. Passengers are predominantly German.

Shipboard facilities

MS Flamenco has four passenger decks, a complimentary Panorama Restaurant (5-star Dining Room, accessible via stairlift), a Foyer/lobby area (with ship entrances, 24-hour Reception Desk, and Tour Office), a Panorama Salon-Bar (show lounge with dance floor), a Boutique Shop (selling souvenirs, logo merchandise, branded clothing, jewelry, cosmetics, toiletries, and sweets), and a Library (reading lounge with books, puzzles, and board games). The Sun Deck features shaded seating (windscreens, retractable hard roofs and awnings, four-seat tables) and a sunbathing area with deckchairs and loungers. On the Main Deck, the ship offers a wellness area with a Finnish sauna (6-person, free of charge with 1-hour advance reservation) and a Gym fitted with modern equipment.

Laundry and ironing services, bicycle rental, Wi-Fi (WLAN), Internet access, and shore excursions are available at an additional charge. Smoking is permitted only in the designated area on the Sun Deck. Bicycles carried on board can be rented at the Reception Desk.

Onboard dining is complimentary, fixed (assigned seating), and includes buffet breakfasts and lunches, and waiter-served 4-course dinners with themed menus and regional (itinerary-based) specialties. The main dinner course is selected at noon from an à la carte menu. All meals are served at pre-assigned dining times. Afternoon tea and coffee with cakes and pastries, as well as late-night snacks, are also included. An open bar with table drinks—draft beer, house wine, soft drinks (sodas, juices, mineral water), tea, and coffee—is available complimentary from 8 am to midnight. Special diet dishes (gluten-free, lactose-free, diabetic, etc.) are available upon request at no extra cost. Dietary requirements, allergies, and intolerances must be communicated in advance. The traditional Captain’s Reception and Captain’s Dinner are formal events held respectively in the Bar-Lounge and the Restaurant.

The well-stocked breakfast buffet (7–9 am) includes assorted breads and rolls, eggs, bacon, sausages, cheeses, dairy products, yogurts, fresh fruit, and muesli varieties. Lunch buffet hours vary depending on the itinerary, coordinated with port calls and shore excursions. Lunch offerings typically include one fish dish, one meat dish, hot side dishes, soup, a salad buffet, and a dessert station. On embarkation day, coffee, tea, and cakes are served briefly in front of the Restaurant. On days without shore tours, cake with tea and coffee is served in the Lounge. On tour days, the afternoon offering is limited to coffee/tea and midnight snacks (canapés).

The 4-course dinner is table-served and includes two appetizers, one soup, one main course (pre-order required in the afternoon), and one dessert. Main course options always include both a meat and a fish dish. Light diets, vegetarian meals, and special dietary needs are accommodated. The German-speaking waiting staff (mainly from Eastern Europe) is well-trained, friendly, and attentive.

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

Cabins

MS VistaFlamenco has a total of 98 staterooms (all outside). Double cabins measure 13 m² (140 ft²) and feature two separate lower beds (80x200 cm), arranged either parallel or in an L-shape. One bed converts into a daytime sofa, while the other is a foldaway bed. Single cabins include one lower and one upper (bunk) bed. Some double cabins can be booked for single occupancy at a 50% supplement. Main Deck cabins have non-opening windows and can accommodate 3–4 guests via additional folding upper bunks. All Middle and Upper Deck cabins are fitted with French Balconies (floor-to-ceiling sliding windows opening to a railing).

All MS Flamenco cabins offer standard amenities, including French Balcony (slide-opening floor-to-ceiling windows) or fixed/non-opening portholes, en-suite bathroom (single-sink vanity, WC, shower, under-sink storage, magnifying mirror, hairdryer, razor socket), flat-screen TV (satellite channels, ship info channel, real-time bow camera views, weather forecast), telephone (onboard calls only—Reception Desk, passenger cabins, wake-up service), wall-mounted mirror, round table with chair, above-bed shelf, mirrored wardrobe (with hangers, no drawers), radio, electronic safe (in the closet), 220V power sockets, and individually controlled air-conditioning. VIP cabins also receive a welcome basket with a bottle of sparkling wine and a gift.

Cabin categories include:

• Double, Triple, and Quad Cabins (with fixed/non-opening porthole windows located near the ceiling) in categories HD2, D3, and HD4 (Main Deck).
• Double Cabins (with French Balcony) in categories GLK (Glücks), OD2 (Superior), ODA, and ODV—all located on Upper Deck.
• Double Cabins (with French Balcony) in categories GLK (Glücks), MD2, and MDA—all located on Middle Deck.
• Single Cabins (with French Balcony) in categories MD1 (Middle Deck) and OD1 (Upper Deck).

For two full-paying adults in a 2-bed stateroom, or one full-paying adult in a single cabin with an extra bed, children and teens (ages 2 to 19) travel free when accommodated in a folding bed.

The cruise ship is not suitable for wheelchair users, as moorings are often not accessible.

1avista VistaFlamenco cruise itineraries

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

• 6-day “Christmas Markets Danube” cruise visits Vienna (1 pm – 11 pm), Budapest (3 pm – 9 pm), Bratislava (2 pm – 7 pm), and Melk (12 pm – 4 pm). Passau departure is at 4 pm, arrival at 9 am.
• 6-day “Danube Metropolises” cruise visits Vienna (1:30 pm – 10:30 pm), Budapest (2:30 pm – 7 pm), Bratislava (1 pm – 7 pm), and Melk (11 am – 1:30 pm). Passau departure is at 5 pm, arrival at 9 am.
• 8-day “Christmas & New Year” cruise visits Dürnstein (10 am – 1 pm), Budapest (10 am – 2 pm; 2 days/overnight), Bratislava (8 am – 1 pm), Vienna (8:30 pm – 11 pm; 2 days/overnight), and Melk (9:30 am – 1:30 pm). Passau departure is at 4 pm, arrival at 9 am.
• 8-day “Danube Romance” cruise visits Melk (10 am – 12 pm), Vienna (8 pm – 5:30 pm; 2 days/overnight), Budapest (9 am – 1:30 pm; 2 days/overnight), Esztergom (7 pm – 7:30 pm), Bratislava (8 am – 1 pm), and Dürnstein (3:30 am – 11:30 am). Passau departure is at 6 pm, arrival at 9 am.
• 11-day “River Cruise & Wellness” itinerary includes the same ports and times as Danube Romance. Passau departure is at 6 pm, arrival at 9 am.
• 15-day “River Cruise & Wellness” itinerary also follows the Danube Romance schedule. Passau departure is at 6 pm, arrival at 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 travellers booking single cabins pay a discounted surcharge of EUR 50 pp.

The table below lists the port cities in Germany and Holland visited on roundtrips from the homeport of Cologne (Köln).

1avista Reisen cruise deals include:

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

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