Our journey started in Düsseldorf airport after a short flight from Heathrow, upon arrival we swiftly went through the airport where we were greeted by Jorge one of the cruise directors who introduced himself and escorted us to the coach. The coach trip to the ship where we’d be staying for the next 8 days was a quick 45 minutes which we then joined in Cologne. I was immediately impressed when stepping onboard the MS Geoffrey Chaucer, the décor and style of the ship is impeccably classy and the staff were instantly welcoming, each of us got smoothly checked in and escorted by a member of staff to our cabins who gave a brief explanation of where to find everything onboard, how to contact reception in our rooms and some other handy info which I thought was very attentive. In fact, throughout the cruise there were many extra little touches onboard that really took the whole service to the next level for me.
When I entered my cabin, one of Riviera’s ‘Standard Suites’ (which was most definitely far from standard) I was absolutely blown away, everything was just as stylish and elegant as the rest of the ship, really clean and well planned out. The little packs we had on our beds explained everything we needed to know in terms of accessing everything in our cabins and everything else onboard, although everything was so easy to use I didn’t need it, even down to the shower controls all really simple to navigate which I have found can be a bit of pain to work out in other places I’ve stayed! I felt really spoilt with how lovely everything was and very special!
As we arrived later in the evening, we shortly made our way to dinner and were seated promptly for our first meal onboard. The food and service from the waiting staff was absolutely gorgeous! Everything was very well timed, so everyone had the meals together and I was never left wanting anything. After dinner, we headed to the lounge for our welcome social, the Riviera team Annette and Jorge, hotel manager Maria and the captain all introduced themselves and made us aware of all the formalities we needed to know such as fire meeting points etc, however they were all so light hearted and bubbly it made what could have been a bit of a boring talk rather entertaining and fun which I think made everyone feel really relaxed and set the tone for the evening!
After a heavenly sleep in my bed, I awoke to the stunning scenery surrounding us on our way to Cochem. The first thing I wanted to try out was my Nespresso coffee machine in the cabin which I thought was a lovely treat to have if you don’t normally at home. I sat with my coffee looking out onto the river from my French balcony and it was just beautiful, a lovely way to start the day! Breakfast was usually served between 7-9 or occasionally until half 9 leaving plenty of time to get ready for the day and grab something to eat! Breakfast had the same options each day but with lots to choose from including a selection of things to order from the menu such as eggs benedict. The food was always delicious and there was definitely something for everyone from cooked to continental, it was all catered for.
Each day usually shortly after breakfast we had a talk in the lounge given by our cruise directors Annette and Jorge about the plans for the day, including a thorough guide on where we were headed and some insight into what was on offer for us to do where we were going which included a short slideshow so we had some idea of what was what. In our rooms, we are provided with maps of each place, but I really enjoyed this, and it was nice to have some more detailed information to be able to make an informed decision on what you wanted to do whether that be going on the walking tours, doing your own thing or both! It was left entirely up to us, but I felt the extra information really allowed us to have the freedom to choose without not knowing what to do or where to go and took all the stress/thinking out of it. Another little touch I thought was great! The first day they also had a test run on all of our audio devices for the tours and a demo on how to use them, and on other days also hosted other little extras after the daily talks such as a beginners guide to learning German.
The guides we had for our guided tours were always really informative and helpful, giving us suggestions on where we could go in our free time after the tours and directions to other things to do such as cable cars, shops and restaurants. Each of the towns and cities we visited were rich in history and culture, the destinations we visited along the Rhine and Moselle were all really stunning. Lots of picturesque buildings with quirky stories and legends behind them that I really enjoyed immersing myself in. Koblenz and Cologne in particular had a huge amount to do, with a mixture of history, lots of shopping opportunities and monuments, all the locals in the places we visited were also very friendly to us and welcoming which definitely contributed to our experience whilst visiting all these gorgeous areas!
The atmosphere onboard throughout each day was always very relaxed and accommodating, with lots of chatty staff and good entertainment in the evenings as well. Such as pub quizzes, themed music nights, dancing, a Lindt chocolate tasting night and a ‘Guess that Tune’ quiz with prizes to be won which kept all the guests interested and having fun!
Coming towards the end of our trip whilst travelling through the Rhine Gorge, I would have to say this was definitely the highlight for me. The scenery was just completely out of this world and our cruise director Annette gave us some really in-depth commentary, this was broadcasted on the sun deck and in the lounge. Therefore, you were able to hear all the interesting facts on what we were passing and the German tales of the castles and buildings whilst being able to just relax and take it all in which I really enjoyed. We even managed to spot one of the rare eagles that Annette had mentioned whilst passing through that I would have completely missed, all of this and more really added to the specialness of our journey. The pictures certainly do not do this stunning place justice, it was wonderful!
If you would like to hear more about my trip or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch or pop into the Ross-On-Wye branch.
