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, with most spacious interiors and excellent service delivered by professional staff and crew. Vista Flamenco cruises on Danube River, with roundtrip departures from homeports Passau and Cologne. Passengers are predominantly Germans.

Shipboard facilities

MS Flamenco has 4 passenger decks, complimentary Panorama Restaurant (5-star Dining Room, also accessible via stairlift), Foyer / lobby area (ship entrances, 24-hour Reception Desk, Tour Office), Panorama Salon-Bar (show lounge with dance floor), Boutique Shop (selling souvenirs, logoed merchandise, brand clothing, jewelry, cosmetics, toiletries, sweets), Library (reading lounge with books, puzzles, board games), Sun Deck with shaded seating (windscreens, retractable hard roofs and awnings, 4-seat tables) and sunbathing area (with deckchairs and sun loungers). On Main Deck is boat's wellness area with Finnish Sauna (6-person, free of charge, 1-hour advance reservation required) and Gym area (with modern fitness equipment).

Laundry and ironing services, bicycle rental, Wi-Fi (WLAN) connections, Internet and shore excursions cost extra. Smoking is permitted only at the designated area on Sun Deck. The ship carries bicycles that can be rented at the Reception Desk.

Onboard dining is complimentary, fixed (with assigned seating) and includes buffet breakfasts and lunches, and waiter served 4-course dinners with themed menus and local (cruise itinerary-based) cuisine specialities. The main course for dinner is selected at noon, from an a la carte menu. All meals are served in pre-assigned dining times. Tea, coffee with cakes and pastries are offered in the afternoon as well as late-night snacks. Open bar and table drinks like draft beers, house wines, soft drinks (sodas, juices, mineral water), tea and coffee (from 8 am to 12-midnight) are provided complimentary (included in the cruise fares). Dishes for special diets (gluten-free, lactose-free, diabetic, etc) are provided complimentary upon request. Special dietary requirements, food allergies and intolerances must be notified in advance. The traditional Captain's Reception (cocktail party) and Captain's Dinner (gala dinner menu) are formal events held, respectively, in the Bar-Lounge and the Restaurant.

The well-stocked breakfast buffet (7-9 am) offers various breads-rolls, eggs, bacon, sausages, cheeses, dairy products, yoghurts, fresh fruits, muesli varieties. Lunch buffet's opening hours are cruisetour itinerary-based (synchronized with ports and shore excursions). At lunch are offered 1 fish dish, 1 meat dish, hot side dishes, 1 soup, salad buffet, dessert station. On embarkation day, coffee-tea-cakes are available in front of the Restaurant, but for just about 30 min. On days without tours, cake with tea-coffee is served in the Lounge. On tour days, the offers are limited to coffee-tea and midnight snacks (canapes).

The 4-course dinner is table-served and includes 2 appetizers, 1 soup, 1 main course (pre-order in the afternoon is required), 1 dessert. Main course choices always include 1 meat and 1 fish dish. Dietary requirements, light diets and vegetarian preferences are catered for. Waiting staff (mostly from Eastern European countries) is German-speaking, well-trained, friendly and helpful.

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

Cabins

MS Vista Flamenco has a total of 98 staterooms (all outside). Double cabins are sized 13 m2 (140 ft2) and have 2 separate lower beds (80x200 cm, parallel or L-shape arranged). One of the beds is convertible to daytime sofa (during the day can be used as couch) while the other is foldaway bed. Single cabins have 1 lower plus 1 upper bed (bunk). Some double cabins can be booked as singles (at 50% supplement). Main Deck cabins don't have opening windows and can be occupied by 3-4 people via 3rd/4th folding beds (upper bunks). All Middle and Upper deck cabins are with French Balcony (floor-ceiling sliding windows opening to a railing).

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

Cabin categories include:

• Double-Triple-Quad Cabins (with fixed / non-opening Porthole windows located near the ceiling) are in categories HD2, D3 and HD4 (Main Deck).
• Double Cabins (with French balcony) are in categories GLK (Glucks), OD2 (Superior), ODA and ODV - all located on Upper Deck.
• Double Cabins (with French balcony) are in categories GLK (Glucks), MD2 and MDA - all located on Middle Deck.
• Single Cabins (with French balcony) are 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 extra bed), kids and teens (ages 2 to 19) travel for free (sleeping in a folding bed).

The cruise ship is not suitable for wheelchair passengers as moorings are often not handicap-accessible.

1avista VistaFlamenco cruise itineraries

Next are listed all 1avista Flamenco itineraries (roundtrips from Passau Germany) as call ports and port times.

• 6-day "Christmas markets Danube" cruisetour visits Vienna (1 pm - 11 pm), Budapest (3 pm - 9 pm), Bratislava (2 pm - 7 pm), and Melk (12 - 4 pm). Passau departure is at 4 pm, with arrival at 9 am.
• 6-day "Danube metropolises" cruisetour 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, with arrival at 9 am.
• 8-day "Christmas, New Year" cruisetour visits Durnstein (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, with arrival at 9 am.
• 8-day "Danube Romance" cruisetour visits Melk (10 am - 12 am), Vienna (8 pm - 5:30 pm; 2 days / overnight), Budapest (9 am - 1:30 pm; 2 days / overnight), Esztergom (7 - 7:30 pm), Bratislava (8 am - 1 pm), and Durnstein (3:30 am - 11:30 am). Passau departure is at 6 pm, with arrival at 9 am.
• 11-day "River Cruise and Wellness" visits Melk (10 am - 12 am), Vienna (8 pm - 5:30 pm; 2 days / overnight), Budapest (9 am - 1:30 pm; 2 days / overnight), Esztergom (7 - 7:30 pm), Bratislava (8 am - 1 pm), and Durnstein (3:30 am - 11:30 am). Passau departure is at 6 pm, with arrival at 9 am.
• 15-day "River Cruise and Wellness" visits Melk (10 am - 12 am), Vienna (8 pm - 5:30 pm; 2 days / overnight), Budapest (9 am - 1:30 pm; 2 days / overnight), Esztergom (7 - 7:30 pm), Bratislava (8 am - 1 pm), and Durnstein (3:30 am - 11:30 am). Passau departure is at 6 pm, with arrival at 9 am.

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

The next table shows the port cities in Germany and Holland visited on roundtrips from homeport Cologne (Koln).

1avista Reisen cruise deals are inclusive of:

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

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