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KD River Cruises

MS Helvetia

Your Rating:
Reviewed by: Kim Coleman
# previous cruises: 4
Date of Trip: June 4, 2000
Itinerary: European Rivers

This was an 8 day cruise down the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basil, Swizterland. I have also taken their 8 day cruise down the Danube from Nuremberg to Budapest on the Heinrich Heine. The Rhine is more beautiful, IMO. They also cruise on the Elbe - haven't tried that yet!

KD (Koln-Dusseldorfer) has been on the Rhine for something like 150 years. They have a regular ferry service in addition to the cruise line. Every little village you go by has a KD dock. They sold the cruise line to Viking River Cruises in 2000. I didn't find the service substantially changed when I sailed with them again in 2001. It may change more over time.

This is a wonderful, leisurely vacation, but they are not for everyone: The ships are small, so the amenities are minimal. But the scenery is wonderful, the staff friendly, and the passenger mix very eclectic. I also found it very comfortable as a single traveller - with fewer than 100 passengers, you get to know everyone.

Even if you take every shore excursion, this is not a hectic trip. Portions of every day are spent cruising on the river. They tie up in some town every afternoon/evening (though they sometimes pull out in the middle of the night).

The Amsterdam docking area is right around the corner from the main train station (though it may not feel like right around the corner if you're lugging suitcases!). Staff does an excellent job of arranging taxi's etc. at debarkation. And unless they're running behind (as they were on my Rhine cruise, but not on the Danube), they're perfectly happy to let you hang around on board for awhile if your train or plane isn't leaving right away. The next cruise usually boards afternoon of the same day, though, so they'll chase you out eventually.

The staff is mostly German, as you'd expect. Certainly, it is all European. They're all friendly and professional, but not gushy - they're German, after all! The staff you're most likely to have contact with all speak English. Deck hands and custodial staff doesn't necessarily.

Singles supplement is 25-50% of double occupancy, though on my first trip, they waved it because the ship wasn't full.

Public areas are limited to a lounge with bar, dining room, very small reading/game room, sauna and outside decks. I did not try the sauna. The lounge is small enough to be intimate, without being crowded and has a lovely view out the front of the ship. The Heine (on the Danube) also has a very small indoor pool.

But who needs inside accommodation? Frankly, I spent most of my time on the upper deck, like a dog with it's head out the window, soaking up sun (or occasionally getting soaked :-). The deck is spacious, with both covered and uncovered areas. Furnished with tables, chairs, and loungers w cushions.

There is only one seating for each meal and there is no alternative food service. You sit at an assigned table for 4-6, designated at the first meal. They generally seat you with passengers who speak your language.

Though meals are at a fixed time and most people show up within 5-10 min. of each other, you can drift in any time the dining room is open and be accommodated.

Food is very good, but not spectacular. You generally have a choice of 2 entrees; lunch and dinner are 3-course meals. Breakfast is buffet-style, with a large selection of hot and cold items. Staff will try to accommodate special dietary requirements or make you something special if you don't like any of the choices.

Service is outstanding. Prompt, professional, friendly. The best I've had anywhere, on or off a cruise ship.

Meals are included in the price, of course, but alcohol is not. I am not a drinker, so I can't vouch personally for the quality of the wine list, but my table mates seemed very pleased.

Tea is served in the lounge in the afternoons.

All cabins are outside. Some suites are available. Cabins are about what you would expect: Small, but functional. Layout varies, but most are 2 lower bunks, one of which serves as a sofa during the day. There's a small desk, an overhead bookshelf and a wide shelf in front of the window to stack your "stuff". Decor is nothing to write home about.

Bathroom is tiny, with the sink & mirror in the cabin, with separate shower/toilet. But it met my prime criteria: Good water pressure in the shower!

Since I didn't have to share my cabin with anyone, I found it more than adequate, but I expect it's real squeeze if two people are trying to get washed and dressed at the same time.

There's a TV in each cabin. Sometimes, they get local TV feed when tied up, but not reliably. And of course, most of the channels aren't in English. Most nights there's a movie available, though not always in English.

Entertainment is whatever the staff can put together - talent shows, games, etc. There's a professional musician on board, generally a singer w electric keyboard, mostly playing muzak. There's a small dance floor in the lounge.

I'd rather read a book than be entertained by other people, so I'm not really the best judge of the entertainment. But it certainly isn't what you'd get on a large cruise ship - don't go on KD/Viking for the floor show. :-)

The ship puts in to 1-2 port most days. The stops range from quaint little towns like Cochem am der Moselle to bigger cities like Koln (Cologne), Strasbourg, and Heidelberg. A nice mix of both. The small towns are the best, IMO.

There are shore excursions, VERY reasonably priced even if they're not included in your package. Especially in the small towns, the ship ties up right in heart of things, so you need not go on the escorted tours if you don't want to. In the larger cities, you need to get a taxi or public transit to get to the typical tourist attractions on your own. Staff will help you arrange this, if you desire. Except for the evening stopovers, the boat is usually only in town 2-4 hours.

A few of the excursions, like the wine tasting in one of the small towns, are led by members of the staff. They do a great job.

Excursions are usually through local tour companies. They arrange groups by language, usually English and German (it is a German company), but it depends on the passenger mix. An escorted walking or coach tour is most common.

But the best part of the trip isn't an excursion at all. It is the scenery. Part of every day is spent cruising along the river. One section of the Rhine is heavily populated with castles; it takes a full afternoon to sail through here and the staff narrates the sites through this section.

The least interesting part of the trip is the first day and half out of Amsterdam. Not much to see but a lot of rolling countryside. There are also a few industrial areas that won't be the highlight of the trip, but they're more than drowned out by the miles and miles of scenic hills, villages, and castles.

The Rhine also rises substantially from Amsterdam to Basil, so there are many locks to go through. I just a dumb city girl, so I actually found this quite fascinating. Some of the locks, especially on the side trip up the Moselle are VERY small and the boat just squeaks through - the wheel house can even be lowered into the deck.

Mostly older people. The average age is probably in the 60's. But I'm in my late 30's and did not feel at all uncomfortable. Give me a ship full of older people over a bunch of young party goer's any day!

Most Americans will probably book through Viking. They tack on some extra land times on the ends, which jacks up the price, and they book you on "American" tours - most of the passengers will be Americans. If that's what makes you most comfortable, go for it. I think every other sailing is an American tour.

But I came at this both times through the old KD web site and booked myself on the European tour. I'd guess at most than the passengers were from English speaking countries on both my trips. A few Americans, Brits, New Zealanders, Australians and South Africans. Quite a few Germans. A really wonderful mix - much more interesting than a boring ol' boat full of Americans. :-) To give you some idea:

On the Rhine, I shared my table with an New Zealand couple who were leading a tour group of about 25 people. He was something of a celebrity in New Zealand - a well-known business man with a late night radio show popular with the older crowd - so he was the hook for the tour group. His wife was a professional film makeup artist. Both of them were great fun.

On my Danube trip, I shared a table with a retired Australian general and his wife. They'd lived in Indonesia, India, and the UK; she runs part of the tourist authority in Canberra. Both of them were full of the most wonderful stories from their years abroad.

Young or old, single or married: Take this trip if you're looking for a relaxing vacation amidst beautiful scenery. Avoid these trips if you like a fast pace or a lot of night life.