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Days of Wine and Cruises: Float Down the Danube at 2001 Prices

You can't get more romantic than cruising down the Danube on a deluxe boat, visiting little wine villages and having a glass (or two) while ashore, then ending up in glorious Vienna or exciting Budapest. (Do you hear violins yet?) Peter Deilmann Cruises, based in Virginia, is keeping its 2002 prices at 2001 levels now, and is offering cost savings on some of its October sailings during the fall value season.

Prices for the seven-night cruises currently start at $1,525 on the Danube Princess, those on the Mozart from $2,025. From October 15 on, the Princess prices drop to $1,455 and up, while the prices for boarding the Mozart drop down to $1,745 and up. Rates are per person, double occupancy, for an outside twin cabin.

The 5-star Mozart departs on Sundays from Passau in Germany through October 25, 2002. The 4-star Danube Princess pushes away from dock at Passau on Saturdays through October 24, 2002. In each case, the ships make their first stop at Durnstein, an Austrian wine village of narrow, hilly streets, lined with town houses from the 16th and 18th centuries and boasting the ruins of a medieval castle.

The Mozart then goes on to Vienna, where you can go ashore to enjoy sightseeing and relax in any number of cafes, while the Danube Princess goes straight to Budapest, where seven bridges connect the two sides of the city (Buda and Pest). The ships stay overnight, then take passengers to one or more of several destinations in three countries--Austria's wonderfully baroque Abbey of Melk, the Hungarian city of Esztergom with its marvelous cathedral, or Bratislava, the quaint capital of Slovakia.

The company also offers 11-night cruises/tours that combine the seven-night Danube sailings with four days in Munich and Prague. Departure dates for this combination are August 7 and 27 and October 9. Prices for these journeys start at $3,040 on the Danube Princess and at $3,340 on the more-luxe Mozart. The price includes the seven-night cruise, plus two nights each in first-class hotels in Munich and Prague, daily breakfast, taxes, shore excursions, and bus transport from Munich to Passau and from Passau to Prague.

The ships are known for their high quality service, with English-speaking staffs boasting of one crew member for every 2.5 passengers.

For details, contact Peter Deilmann Cruises at 800/348-8287 or by e-mail at pdcmail@deilmann-cruises.com. The Web site is www.deilmann-cruises.com.

 

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