"Disappointing Christmas market cruise"

Sailed on the Arosa Aqua 6th to 19th December .Advertised as a Rhine Christmas markets cruise.However it was very disappointing
1.Itinerary changed and we were only made aware week beforehand.Instead of sailing from Cologne we were leaving from Bonn.As a result our time at Cologne markets was greatly reduced as we only arrived in at noon had to be bussed to Bonn at 2.45
2.Due to problem on Rhine itinerary again changed day 2.We were brought to Konlenz and off boat from 9 to 11.30 which we only discovered that morning.And shops only opened at 10 and Market at 11.
3.Day 4 stops were reversed so we went to Mainz first.Docked 8 am and left at noon.No Christmas market open at all there during that time .
Very disappointing trip as we went for purpose of the markets.Was expensive as we travelled from Ireland.Instead of experiencing 5 Christmas markets we got 2.5.Have complained to Arosa and still await reply.

"A Wonderful Cruise"

A wonderful cruise to some great locations. Fun onboard and fun ashore - brilliant.

"Lovely river cruise"

Lovely river cruise. Much more intimate than a sea cruise with much more to see and visit.The staff were excellent. While it doesn't have the variety or quality of food and drink as a sea cruise its still good enough. Will definitely be doing another one.

"English speaking on a German cruise - a delightful experience!"

I'll start my review by saying I was sceptical about A-Rosa. A scan for reviews on CruiseCritic, Tripadvisor and Trustpilot are not the best. I was also concerned that we would be bored/too young for the cruise (36 & 41 years old)

But booking was easy, their website is friendly and well laid out. I received all my documentation in English, and a few days before the cruise received a guide explaining how to install their APP. Their APP provided all the cruise details, worked well and during the cruise provided the dinner menu and excursion details.

On boarding day, we arrived early to make sure we were at the right place. They do clearly advise that boarding only starts at 15:00, but were happy to accept our luggage early so we could explore the town.

The boarding process was quick and easy, and they gave all the ladies a red rose as we embarked - a nice touch. As we said thank you, the A-Rosa team member asked us if we speak any German, and when he realised we didnt, asked us to please stand aside so he can speak to us. He introduced himself, and explained that if we have any issues on board with regards to not understanding or need help - we were welcome to contact him or his team anytime.

The checkin process was seamless, and we were off to explore our room. Our bags were waiting for us, and the rooms while a little dated - were neat and clean.

All our meals were amazing, different each day (5 nights) and a good selection.

At this stage I just want to touch on one point in the negative reviews, as a ton of feedback seems to revolve around the fact that it's not for English speaking guests. It's a German owned cruise line, run in German speaking countries! While I understand that people are reading that it's an "International" cruise, you also need to realise that this does not default to English - it seems to be a common trend that English speaking people expect the entire world to speak English, which is simply just a narrow and uneducated mindset.

It became rather evident by our first evening that they are trying really hard to work on the negative reviews, as A-Rosa clearly had made some sort of note and informed the entire crew to keep a lookout for us. The minute anyone heard us ranging from the bar staff to the chefs / waiters and even management would ask us if we needed any help without us saying a word. What eventually gave it away was when a senior team member walking past us, stopping, turning back around and coming to ask if we were his "English Speaking Guests" - informing us that we were the only 2 on the entire ship.

So what to expect?

- All correspondance was in English, website and APP was in English.
- EVERY SINGLE STAFF member we spoke to, spoke English - and EVERY SINGLE person was EXEPTIONALLY friendly. For those reviews who say the staff did not speak English or were rude, I would love to know what your attitude to them was to start off with.
- Yes, presentations are in German. Some reviews mention that they do a summary in English, this did not happen on our cruise and nor would I expect it for only 2 people. All information in the presentations are available easy online.
- The guests on the cruise were very friendly too, most of our meals involved the table next to us curiously asking where we were from. My fiance was building a public puzzle and by the time we left, knew a huge amount of other ladies also building the puzzle.
- They do random announcements about sights as you sail past, these were in English too.
- The tour we booked with them was unfortunately cancelled, so I cant comment on the tours.

With regards to the entertainment, they do music in the lounge at night. We kept ourselves entertained with provided boardgames while having drinks and watching the world go by. If you are expecting a cruise ship type party vibe, you need to adjust your expectations - this is a relaxing and intimate romantic experience.

When the ship stops it's easy to get on and off as you wish. The ship stops were all very close to public transport, city centers and attractions.

Negatives?

- When first entering our room we noticed it had a smell. We thought it may have had something to do with the docking, but by the next morning we went to ask reception if anything could be done. On return that evening the smell remained, which was dissapointing. The next day we were randomly summoned to go to reception to discover that another room had also complained, so they moved both of us to new rooms. Why it took 2 days and other people complaining to decide to act was somewhat dissapointing - but they did handle it well when they realised the issue was real.
- A day after booking, they reduced the price for the same room by 200 euros - bad luck.

In summary - the food was excellent, the staff were amazing and the entire trip was relaxing. Definately recommended and will try do a video review next time!

"A-Rosa Silva, nein Danke!"

Die "Premium Kreuzfahrt" mit der A-Rosa Silva war ein totaler Reinfall. Es gab zu wenige Sitzplätze, um sich Abends mit Freunden ein Glas Wein zu trinken. Ohne Zusatzkosten für einen reservierten Tisch hätten wir wohl nicht mit unseren Bekannten speisen können, pro Tag für zwei Kabinen 20,--€. Tassen waren Mangelware, das Geschirr wurde sehr langsam abgeräumt. Das Buffet hatte nicht den Standard den wir erwartet hatten, eher den Charakter einer Betriebskantine.

"Excellent cruise"

Staff were friendly, professional and helpful throughout. Food and drink available on the premium plus package was of high quality and plentiful. The ship was comfortable, clean and managed with the clientele in mind. All in all an excellent 5-day cruise that satisfied all in our party of 6 and all of us would gratefully return. A heartfelt thanks to the exceptional crew :-)

"Gorgeous ship"

Beautiful ship,lovely staff,spotlessly clean, good food & drink

"Nie wieder A-ROSA"

Unsere 4. A-ROSA Fahrt war vom 02.09.-16.09.23 auf der Rhone mit der Luna.
Ausser Landschaft und Wetter war es ein riesen Reinfall.
Das angepriesene Gourmet-Buffet bestand täglich aus einem Fleisch/Fischgericht, Tomatennudeln und etwas Gemüse, geschmacklich eine Katastrophe, abends kein Kaltanteil, auf Nachfrage einen fertigen Käseteller, Essen wiederholte sich in den 14 Tagen ständig. Auf die im Katalog versprochenen raffinierten und edlen Gerichte hofften wir vergebens. Das Obstbuffet bestand aus Bananen, Äpfel und harten Birnen. Cappuccino mußten wir aus Müslieschalen trinken da kaum große Tassen vorhanden waren. Tische wurden selten abgeräumt und abgewischt. Personal war unfreundlich, sehr langsam und gereizt.
Der Hotelmanager, Hr. Reinelt wurde von ca. 20 Gästen aufgefordert, Stellung zu den Misständen an Bord zu nehmen. Es änderte sich nichts.
Die Mängelliste könnte ich weiter fortsetzen.
Trotz 3 schriftlicher Beschwerden seit dem 17.09.23 keine Reaktion von A-ROSA.
Man kann nur noch von dieser Reederei abraten.

"The crew were great but not the management"

The crew were great, but the management not so, our problems didn't seem a priority despite the cabin dampness smell ruining her holiday.

"Lese doch tatsächlich die jetzigen Preise"

Lese doch tatsächlich die jetzigen Preise bei Arosa für 5 Nächte auf einer Donautour von Engelhartszell bis Bratislava im November 2023 incl. dem (berühmten ?) All incl. für ab 198.-€. Hätte ich nicht diese enttäuschende Reise mit Arosa schon gemacht, dann müsste man wohl "zuschlagen". Lieber nicht und sich des Lebens freuen.