River cruising with Gate 1 (with travel tips)

Travel and Leisure

Editor's note: I'm not a travel agent, nor am I affiliated with Gate 1, and any references or links are purely for your information only.

With the ongoing Hollywood writers' strike, things are a little slow for me right now. Not Covid slow, but certainly there is much less going on than there should be in Vancouver's booming TV & film industry. I've written tons (too many?) posts about river cruising, and I mention Gate 1 often, as they are one of our preferred operators.  But I have not done a detailed piece on our end-to-end experience, so I thought I'd waste some time doing it.

Introduction

"I've never heard of Gate 1" is a common statement I hear (read) on the FB group I belong to. That's because they don't do any traditional marketing, and essentially rely on word-of-mouth and 3rd party marketing sites like Travelzoo.com to promote their offers. I had signed up a while ago, and on their weekly email, sometimes a river cruise deal comes up. In this instance, it was for a last-minute (last-couple-of-months) deal for a 12-night Danube cruise with extensions in Budapest and Prague, in a Cat B (upper deck Panorama room) for $1,899! And this wasn't some heat-of-the-summer or chilly late fall cruise; it was a very desirable late May departure. Even though she had been a travel agent, she hadn't heard of Gate 1, so we did some Googling, and sure enough, they are a worldwide tour company, and while I don't know when they started doing river cruises, they certainly were not new to Europe's waterways. Tip: You can also find great deals from Gate 1 by signing up for their weekly email called "The Deal", as well as checking periodically on their website and clicking on "Specials" to see their last minute deals page.

Pre-cruise experience

When you see a deal on Travelzoo, it likely re-directs you to the vendor's website or lists a promo code that you need to (or your travel agent needs to) quote when booking. So I picked up the phone and got to the Gate 1 agent. After selecting our room on the ship, the conversation went like this:

"That will be $8,398 total."
"Oh, I've got a Travelzoo promo code."
{sound of agent typing in promo code}
"Your new total is $3,798; how would you like to pay?"

Since we were within about two months from departure date, we paid in full at booking. Tip: Note that there was an option to pay via cheque, which would have saved us 5%, but by using my VISA, I get additional insurance coverage, which you don't get unless you pay the entire tour on your premium credit card. Since we used my airline points to buy our tickets, we did not get transfers to and from the airport included, and so the only other communication we received from Gate 1 prior to our embarkation date was the tour package sent via email (on the date of booking) and then another welcome email three days prior with some final details and answers to some FAQs. We didn't receive any backpacks, travel folios or baggage tags.

Budapest pre-cruise extension

As mentioned, since we did not buy air through Gate 1, we had to make our way to the Hilton on our own. We simply grabbed a taxi at the airport, and a half-hour later, we were checking in. Note that the Hilton we stayed at is no longer part of the brand (now a Crowne Plaza), and Gate 1 might still use that hotel, or I have seen that they also use the Corinthia Hotel Budapest; not riverfront like other cruise operators' selected hotels, but still on the edge of Pest's old town. So depending on which hotel you get put up in, you might be in for a 20-minute walk (Crowne Plaza) or 5-minute walk (Corinthia) to the old town area. The Hilton was very comfortable accommodations, and we found the included breakfast to be amazing. The hotel was attached to a popular shopping mall called Westend, which made it convenient to grab a quick bite that afternoon. Tip: If you're coordinating your own pre-cruise extension in Budapest, we recommend booking a hotel on the Pest side; it is where most of the interesting sights, shops and restaurants are. We attended an evening welcome briefing at the hotel, where they served us a drink, outlined the highlights of Budapest, and gave some restaurant suggestions. We were introduced to our other travel companions that would be joining us on the river cruise, and then headed out for dinner on our own.

The next morning, we had an included tour of Budapest, which required a bus to get us around. First stop was Heroes' Square, which is decent jaunt from the old town area. Then we went back via coach over to the Buda side where we visited the attractions on Buda Hill: Fisherman's Bastion, Matthias Church and the Royal Palace. In the afternoon, our local Gate 1 host took us on an included walking tour of the Pest side of town, starting at the Parliament building. We didn't get far before a rainstorm blew in, so we ditched the rest of our tour. We still got soaked walking back to the hotel however, which leads me to another tip: bring a packable rain jacket or compact umbrella on your daily outings, unless you are absolutely sure it isn't going to rain. After drying ourselves out, we grabbed another dinner nearby on our own.

Embarkation day

Our stateroom on the Baroness

Since we were on a pre-cruise extension with Gate 1, all we had to do was set our luggage outside our rooms by a certain hour, then we were free to do some more exploring, until it was time to report to the coach outside our hotel. The brief bus trip deposited us at our ship, the Monarch Baroness; this is one of the ships that Gate 1 leases, and has had a slight update since we were on it. It was certainly not a new ship, but was comfortable and tastefully appointed. Unlike our recent Emerald trip where the room was very sleek and bright, the Baroness staterooms were more of a traditional decor (sorry about the dark photo; should have waited until we were not next to another ship). A quick Google search will bring up other current Gate 1 ships' interiors, and they all seem to have the same style of decor... not overstated, but also not "Euro" design. I think ours was 165 sq. ft., which is typical for a French balcony room, except Viking’s at only 135 sq. ft. As indicated in my description of a typical river cruise day, you don't spend a ton of time in your room, but the fresh air and light ingress is nice vs. the "swan view" rooms in the bottom of the ship. 

Monarch Baroness bathroom 

Bathroom was small of course, and many other operators' ships will have the slightly triangular shower (I guess technically a pentagon) that we had; functional, but not as large as the ones on our Emerald or Vantage cruises. Note: the Vantage River Voyager we've been on is now being leased by Gate 1 and sails under the name Monarch Queen. There is also one ship that was purpose-built for Gate 1 - the Monarch Empress; these both have large(r) bathrooms, and my tip would be to try and get on one of those ships if it is possible for your itinerary and schedule. 

We were in a cabin second from the back before the gym (which almost no one used). I don't recall any noise from the engines at night, but our room's door did rattle when at sail; we fixed that ourselves by stuffing a face cloth in the jamb at night. We didn't have a choice for category of room, but as with most river cruise ships, the standard panorama "balcony" rooms on the middle and upper deck are the same; a tip to save money would be to purchase Cat D staterooms, as they are typically only $400 more than the bottom level. However, I noticed recently that the handful of Cat D rooms sell out quickly. After the obligatory welcome cocktail reception, the Cruise Director introduced the crew, then went through the basics of river cruising that we've become familiar with, and then we joined our new friends for dinner downstairs.

Meals and dining

Monarch Baroness dining room

The format for the restaurant on our Gate 1 was the same as all the rest of the river cruise experiences we've had. If you got up really early, you could grab a continental breakfast in the lounge; I used to run there in the am for a banana and coffee to kick start the morning. There was a buffet breakfast each morning in the dining room with a number of options, as well as the made-to-order egg and omelette station. I like to nab a muffin or put a slice of cheese and ham into a bun for a mid-morning snack. At lunch, there was again a buffet, and if I recall correctly, a pasta station; beer and wine was an extra cost at this meal. Unlike other cruises we've been on, there was no afternoon snack or high tea service in the lounge mid-afternoon, and only some cookies at the self-serve coffee and tea station. Seating was ad hoc, and there were a number of seating combinations, with mostly tables of 4 or 6 chairs per table. The dress code for Gate 1 is casual, but I like to wear smart casual attire for dinner; some took the casual attire note a little too far, unfortunately. We had "tank top guy" that eventually was requested to up his game, as he stopped showing up in the restaurant wearing it. I've posted my thoughts and tips on packing for European trip here. Dinner was 4 courses each night (with three choices for the main), except on the Captain's farewell dinner night, featuring 5 courses. 

4 of 5 courses for Captain's dinner

In general, food quality was great with beautiful presentation, and over-the-top service; we find that we dine better on river cruise ships than we would choose to eat if on our own. I don't recall ever seeing the bottom of my wine glass, and believe you me, I tried! I did find the soups to be a little lacking in substance... sometimes just a light broth or in the case of the Captain's dinner, a "porcini mushroom cappuccino". What we did like however, is that they served a local recipe as one of the options each night (and sometimes at lunch); e.g. goulash in Budapest, Wiener Schnitzel in Vienna, etc. Don't leave the dining room with an empty glass; the servers will be only too happy to send you on your way with your wine glass full!

Tours and excursions

Ships moor close to old town areas

Since we were on the upper Danube, most of the daily excursions were simply a walking tour that embarked right on the edge of the river as you stepped off the boat. However, when a coach was required, Gate 1 had a first-come, first-to-depart procedure. Once the first bus had enough passengers, off it went, and you didn't have to wait for the folks who had to run back to their room for their Quietvox device, or the slowpokes who felt "the bus will wait for us". This did break down on the return trips however, as folks had left their extra stuff on the bus, so we had to wait for these passengers to return prior to leaving. There might have been a slow walkers group, but we never saw them. The local guides were fine; as I have mentioned before, they are going to be the same guides that the Viking and other cruise ships use. Having to make sure that you had some local coins for a tip at the end of each walking tour was a minor inconvenience, but something you needed to be prepared for. 

Rest stop Austrian vista

We only opted for one optional tour, which was the day-trip to Salzburg; at $100 each and almost 3 hours coach-ride each way, it was a substantial commitment. But the alternative was to spend the day in Linz, and we felt that we'd have a better time in Salzburg instead. The bus stopped at a beautiful rest stop (think Bavarian restaurant perched on the edge of an Austrian lake surrounded by mountains), breaking up the long drive. We felt that the included lunch at the Abbey took too long, detracting from time we could have spent doing more exploring. And as much as I love schnitzel, I had eaten it twice in the last two days, and would have preferred another option.  

Leaving Passau for Regensburg

The only other tour that required a lengthy coach was the Regensburg trip. We were docked in Passau (I think water level was low, otherwise we'd have docked in Regensburg itself), and did a morning walking tour there, and then you had the option to go via coach to Regensburg for the afternoon. After a long day on the bus the day before, we debated not going, but we're glad we did, as Regensburg was one of the highlights of the many cities that we visited. We only sailed during the day once, when we went through the beautiful Wachau Valley. This would be the equivalent to the section of the Middle Rhine, but without all the castles. It was the same day that we visited the postcard-cute town of Durnstein and then Melk Abbey, so it was a nice change versus the big city of Vienna and our following day trip to Salzburg. The one option that we didn't get that is usually featured on other operators, is the Cesky Krumlov excursion, which is supposed to be amazing.

Onboard entertainment

Loot won during evening games

Since this was our third river cruise, we had set our expectations low for evening activities onboard. Unlike other operators who hire a snoozy piano player, or some local folk music band, the Entertainment Coordinator on our cruise was very flamboyant and entertaining all to himself! We would look forward to topping up our wine glasses after dinner and heading to the lounge for an hour and a half of fun games and laughter. This might also have something to do with the average age of the cruisers on our Gate 1 trip; we were still the youngest on board, but would estimate the average age to be in the mid-60s, versus others like Uniworld and Vantage where the average was mid-70s or higher. Similar to those two cruises as well, the guests were mostly American, with a small smattering of Canadians and others; not surprising, given that Gate 1 is a US company.

Disembarkation and Prague post-cruise extension

Powder Tower and Municipal Hall

After disembarkation in Passau, we had a 3-hour coach trip to Prague (with rest stop too), but since it was too early to check in, we were given a brief orientation walk near the Powder Tower and Municipal Hall. Then once we got into our rooms, we freshened up, and we gathered again for the bus tour of Prague. We asked why we were jamming this all into one tiring day, when we had two other full days there; perhaps they've changed this for subsequent travellers? We were essentially on our own for the remaining two days, but we had no trouble filling them with things to do.

The hotel selected for us was the Art Deco Imperial Hotel, which was walking distance to pretty much all the sights in Prague; it was a great hotel, and we would recommend it if you are travelling there on your own. The included breakfast buffet was excellent, and their croissants were amazing! Anyhow, my next tip is to use the Rick Steves Audio Europe App to take a free walking tour of the old town area. You'll hear him tell you things that you didn't get on the Gate 1 tour, and you can pause the tour anytime if you feel like a cold drink or see a shop you'd like to investigate. 

Additional fee items & non-inclusions

As indicated earlier, we didn't get free beer and wine with lunch, which wasn't too much of a concern for me, and she doesn't drink alcohol. I can't remember what the à la carte drinks cost, but I believe they were in line with other river cruises we've been on. Wine selection was fine for my palate, but wine snobs might be disappointed in the selection on board; I don't recall an option for premium wines. Tip: I like to try local beers, and would stop at the local supermarket on the way back to the ship to grab a few (at a fraction of the price onboard) when in each new country. 

Getting to/from the airport is easy

Gate 1 only includes transfers if you buy your airfare through them; this is common among the other operators except a few (like Emerald) who provide free transfers regardless. However, as we usually like to show up a day or two early to help shake the trans-Atlantic jet lag, the free transfer on arrival is not applicable anyways. This is an important tip: getting in a day or two earlier not only helps you acclimatise, but if there are any unforeseen delays, you still have a good chance of catching your ship at embarkation. Similarly, since you probably want to maximise your European vacation, you'd need to find your own way to the airport after your own post-cruise extension, as an included transfer on the end won't have any value either. Another tip: Gate 1's extensions were included for us, but normally if you are looking at optional pre- or post-cruise extensions, they will be far more expensive with the operator than what you could do on your own.

No free water bottles

You won't be getting any free Gate 1 branded items like backpacks, travel wallets, baggage tags or reusable water bottles; however there will be ample bottled water provided daily in your room. The main thing that you need to be concerned with is tipping, which is outlined in your welcome package email. You will likely need some euros/local currency on your trip, but not a lot, since almost all your dining takes place on board; most stores will take credit cards too. Tip: I find that I can get the best exchange for euros at my home bank, and can even barter a little with the teller, versus the foreign exchange at the airport on arrival. If you're going to use an ATM in Europe, make sure you use one attached to a local bank or clearly branded as one, and not some dodgy one in a pub; always let your home bank perform the currency conversion too.

You'll need to make some minor purchases so that you will have coins available for the onshore local guides as well as public toilets. Bathroom tip: WC facilities will be free at sites like museums and major chain hotels; take off your Gate 1 lanyard, and walk into the lobby like you own the place, and head towards the restaurant or bar to find the bathrooms.
For the onboard tipping, we had a strange requirement that the Cruise Director be paid in cash, while the rest of the crew and the Entertainment Coordinator could be added to our final bill; I learned later that this was because the CD was a contractor. This was a minor inconvenience, and they gave us enough notice for us to stop at a bank machine prior to disembarkation day.

One omission on Gate 1 was the lack of bicycles for guest use. However, we found on this Danube itinerary, that there wasn't an opportunity to use them, as our days were filled with activities without needing to do further touring via bicycle. However, for those that are going on say, a Tulips n' Windmills cruise, you'd probably find an afternoon or two where you could have taken advantage of them. We certainly could have used some for Budapest, but we weren't on the boat at that time yet.

Conclusion

As mentioned in other posts, I'm cheap I like to save money, and so Gate 1's tag line of "see more of the world for less" resonates with me. And I might have given you the impression from the previous section that Gate 1 is a no-frills brand, but they're not. You get 95% of the experience that you'd get on say, Viking, for almost half the cost. Sure, apples-to-apples comparisons are hard to do, as most of the time Viking is giving you free or reduced airfare, but if you know what you're doing, you can come up with a reasonable comparison. And as I wrote about before, the friends we met on this cruise that went on a subsequent Viking one, indicated that they preferred Gate 1, and won't sail with Viking again. Based on our four river cruises (Uniworld, Vantage, Gate 1 and Emerald), Gate 1 comes out on top by a small margin. These river cruises aren't light years apart; but depending on what you want to get out of your trip, you might have a different viewpoint. i.e. We are relatively easy-going, and can roll with the punches, so-to-speak. We like the river cruise experience because we unpack once, and get to see a variety of new European places and countries with relative ease; it's a small, boutique hotel and restaurant that floats down the river with you. But if you are the type that is looking for a "cruise experience" foremost, and "where you visit" is a secondary consideration, then you might feel a little underwhelmed by Gate 1; I'd probably suggest Scenic or Tauck in that case.