A word about the staff...........
In addition to the itinerary and the pleasant company of our travel companions, much of our enjoyment this cruise can be credited to the staff. A multi-cultural group, mainly from Central Europe and the Philippines, they are unfailingly polite and cheerful.
This kind of bonhomie is difficult to fake; it stems from genuine interest in their guests. An unflagging energy level belies the long working hours as many are cross trained. Several of the young ladies who maintain our staterooms are often found passing canapés during the social hour.
I could easily find something nice to say about everyone, but here are a few highlights.
Marc, our hotel manager, is six feet seven inches, of good cheer. Don't let the teddy bear persona fool you; he rules with an eye on every detail. One day while I was in the lounge composing, I overheard his very specific instructions to the gathered staff. Supplies fall under his aegis. On the next cruise leg from Budapest to Bucharest, which we are not taking, there is no reliable supply chain for paper goods. Consequently, one month's worth of toilet paper, napkins, and paper for printing ship information was loaded yesterday in Vienna.
Zoran, our Maitre 'D, is from Serbia. Ever present in the dining room, in addition to deconstructing our wines for the day he watches over every place setting. He is very excited, much as we were two weeks previously before we started our adventure, to begin his vacation home when we dock in Budapest.
The cast of characters in the dining room include the dark-eyed Lucia, jolly Liza with a complexion like cream, prankster Georg, cool blonde Djana and Damir, with his wry sense of humor.
Last evening, per usual, our somewhat raucous table of six was closing down the dining room. Enter Damir, placing his hands on someones shoulders, he leans in and invites us to enjoy a glass of wine up in the lounge. Teased that he was trying to get rid of us, he replied...Well only if you want breakfast tomorrow!
Mixologist, Yanto, from the Philippines, rules the lounge. Star employee here is the lovely Alzbeta. Tall and trim with the sweet face of a Madonna, she committed to memory everyone's drink preference by day two. Whisper quiet, she magically appears with soda spiked with bitters, Glenfidich, Crown Royal, mojitos....you name it; she remembers it.
Then there is Azmi who provides our back ground music on the piano and synthesizer. He is an expert in keeping the volume level adjusted so that we can continue our conversations as we rehash the day, plus he is just plain talented.
The reception staff is always assisting us with handing out tour passes, umbrellas and managing our gift shop purchases. Trust me they are aware of everything that's going on. One night the telephone rang about 3:30 AM. Remembering our early day, I thought it was perhaps a wake-up call requested by Paul, so I am up brushing my teeth. Only when I see the time do I realize I need to go back to bed.
The following morning, Corina, so neat in her pink oxford cloth shirt, silk scarf knotted around her neck, approaches me in the breakfast room to apologize. Apparently, the night person on duty needed to call the engineer and mistakenly got us. She knew about it and took the initiative to acknowledge the mistake. I never expected this and it was most professional and appreciated.
Then we have the Tauck staff. They are led by Cruise Director, Yner, who is somewhat behind the scenes managing the transfers, ordering special equipment and trouble shooting any problems the guests might have. This morning we each received a personalized print out of our disembarkation when we leave in Budapest. Yner reviewed the instructions at a morning briefing in his typically amusing style. A former travel agent and guide, he is very knowledgeable. A mere glance out the window and he can pin point our location.
He is assisted by Emil, cosmopolitan and urbane, he knows the catalogue of every museum, the path of every bike trail, the vagaries of public transportation and the premier place to purchase anything. His tongue in cheek commentary as we cruise down the storied stretches of the Rhine and Danube made our experience complete.
We have come to expect the stately calm of Iris who so effortlessly manages our in- port activities. Known for excellent lectures in her modulated voice, Iris's maturity and common sense streamline any touring experience.
Then there is Julia, originally from Romania, she is up to speed on operating any camera and helps us record our adventures with her group photos. The lot of our cruise staff are always crisply and professionally attired.
We also like that the Tauck staff dine among us and circulate with their cocktails during our social hours. This insures that we feel as one big happy (for the most part) family.
So Cheers! to everyone, behind the scenes or otherwise, who have made our journey so much fun!
In addition to the itinerary and the pleasant company of our travel companions, much of our enjoyment this cruise can be credited to the staff. A multi-cultural group, mainly from Central Europe and the Philippines, they are unfailingly polite and cheerful.
This kind of bonhomie is difficult to fake; it stems from genuine interest in their guests. An unflagging energy level belies the long working hours as many are cross trained. Several of the young ladies who maintain our staterooms are often found passing canapés during the social hour.
I could easily find something nice to say about everyone, but here are a few highlights.
Marc, our hotel manager, is six feet seven inches, of good cheer. Don't let the teddy bear persona fool you; he rules with an eye on every detail. One day while I was in the lounge composing, I overheard his very specific instructions to the gathered staff. Supplies fall under his aegis. On the next cruise leg from Budapest to Bucharest, which we are not taking, there is no reliable supply chain for paper goods. Consequently, one month's worth of toilet paper, napkins, and paper for printing ship information was loaded yesterday in Vienna.
Marc
Zoran, our Maitre 'D, is from Serbia. Ever present in the dining room, in addition to deconstructing our wines for the day he watches over every place setting. He is very excited, much as we were two weeks previously before we started our adventure, to begin his vacation home when we dock in Budapest.
Zoran..I don't think you can order anything cuter than this..
The cast of characters in the dining room include the dark-eyed Lucia, jolly Liza with a complexion like cream, prankster Georg, cool blonde Djana and Damir, with his wry sense of humor.
Last evening, per usual, our somewhat raucous table of six was closing down the dining room. Enter Damir, placing his hands on someones shoulders, he leans in and invites us to enjoy a glass of wine up in the lounge. Teased that he was trying to get rid of us, he replied...Well only if you want breakfast tomorrow!
Mixologist, Yanto, from the Philippines, rules the lounge. Star employee here is the lovely Alzbeta. Tall and trim with the sweet face of a Madonna, she committed to memory everyone's drink preference by day two. Whisper quiet, she magically appears with soda spiked with bitters, Glenfidich, Crown Royal, mojitos....you name it; she remembers it.
Yanto
Sweet, lovely Alzbeta
Then there is Azmi who provides our back ground music on the piano and synthesizer. He is an expert in keeping the volume level adjusted so that we can continue our conversations as we rehash the day, plus he is just plain talented.
Wonderful Azmi...where else could you find a Filipino playing country western music on the Danube as you leave Bratislava.....D.P. Macbeth
The reception staff is always assisting us with handing out tour passes, umbrellas and managing our gift shop purchases. Trust me they are aware of everything that's going on. One night the telephone rang about 3:30 AM. Remembering our early day, I thought it was perhaps a wake-up call requested by Paul, so I am up brushing my teeth. Only when I see the time do I realize I need to go back to bed.
The following morning, Corina, so neat in her pink oxford cloth shirt, silk scarf knotted around her neck, approaches me in the breakfast room to apologize. Apparently, the night person on duty needed to call the engineer and mistakenly got us. She knew about it and took the initiative to acknowledge the mistake. I never expected this and it was most professional and appreciated.
Corina
Then we have the Tauck staff. They are led by Cruise Director, Yner, who is somewhat behind the scenes managing the transfers, ordering special equipment and trouble shooting any problems the guests might have. This morning we each received a personalized print out of our disembarkation when we leave in Budapest. Yner reviewed the instructions at a morning briefing in his typically amusing style. A former travel agent and guide, he is very knowledgeable. A mere glance out the window and he can pin point our location.
Yner
He is assisted by Emil, cosmopolitan and urbane, he knows the catalogue of every museum, the path of every bike trail, the vagaries of public transportation and the premier place to purchase anything. His tongue in cheek commentary as we cruise down the storied stretches of the Rhine and Danube made our experience complete.
Emil
We have come to expect the stately calm of Iris who so effortlessly manages our in- port activities. Known for excellent lectures in her modulated voice, Iris's maturity and common sense streamline any touring experience.
Iris
Then there is Julia, originally from Romania, she is up to speed on operating any camera and helps us record our adventures with her group photos. The lot of our cruise staff are always crisply and professionally attired.
Julia
We also like that the Tauck staff dine among us and circulate with their cocktails during our social hours. This insures that we feel as one big happy (for the most part) family.
So Cheers! to everyone, behind the scenes or otherwise, who have made our journey so much fun!
Who ordered the Crown Royal? Opulence indeed!
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