GDANSK, Poland --
Think river cruising in central and eastern Europe, and the blue
Danube or Russias mighty Volga might come to mind. But Peter
Deilmann Cruises has been adding unlikely and undervisited Polish
rivers to its roster of cruises.
The German
company this year became the first river line to offer leisure
cruises on the 663-mile Vistula since the outbreak of World War II
and is tinkering with other Polish itineraries, trying out various
water- ways in the country.
Deilmanns
eight-day Vistula cruises have been aboard its five-star,
79-passenger Frederic Chopin, which uses the Baltic port of Gdansk
as a base, sailing to Warsaw and to Kaliningrad, Russia.
Deilmann in 2000
launched modern river cruising in Poland, using older ships, with
the debut of an itinerary on the Oder River, which forms Polands
western border with Germany.
Next year,
Deilmann will reposition the Chopin on the 530-mile Oder, returning
after two seasons of sailing the unpredictable Vistula.
This years Poland
itineraries out of Gdansk will be replaced with a 13-day
land-cruise tour -- Historic Poland and the Baltic Coast -- that
combines stays in Warsaw and Krakow with an Oder cruise between
Potsdam and Stralsund, Germany, with stops in Poland at Szczecin
and several islands.
At press time
there was last-minute availability on this months final three
sailings via the Vistula; the cruises depart Oct. 16, 23 and 30, on
Gdansk-to-Warsaw, Warsaw-to-Gdansk and roundtrip Gdansk-Gdansk
itineraries, respectively.
An
untamed river
Despite
respectable bookings, Deilmann is replacing Vistula itineraries due
to the river itself; it turned out the Vistula, or Wisla in Polish,
is an attraction and a problem, cruisewise.
As Europes last
great, untamed river -- with just one dam and no embankments -- its
effectively a nature preserve free of naval traffic: a European
Amazon of sorts.
For an entire
week, maybe even two or three, you might not see another ship, said
Frank Buerger, the Chopins shipboard hotel manager. Its a different
experience than on other rivers.
But those
attributes make river cruising on the Vistula -- infamous among
sailors for its varying water levels and shifting sandbars -- a
challenge.
According to
Buerger, the rivers depth has risen or sunk by as much as three
feet in one day.
To navigate the
shallows, the Chopin -- built specifically for river cruises --
uses powerful thrusters to make tight turns and push off
sandbars.
The
state-of-the-art vessel is packed with other instruments, but on
the Vistula it only used its depth meter. A local sailor familiar
with the river helped the captain steer clear of peril by darting
from shore to shore.
Zigzagging
between river-banks lent accuracy to the German term for cruising,
kreuz- fahrt, which means cross-drive.
I have to say, on
the Vistula, cruising took on its true meaning, joked
Buerger.
But the
unpredictable water levels meant Vistula itineraries couldnt be
guaranteed; not once in 2004 was the Frederic Chopin able to reach
Warsaw as planned, said Ron Santangelo, president of Deilmann
Cruises.
The farthest
south the ship got was Plock, but reaching Warsaw was essential to
offering this product, he said. And theres only so many times you
can reasonably alter itineraries.
Indeed, the July
3 Best of Poland cruise on which I sailed -- scheduled to travel
north from Warsaw to Gdansk -- was rerouted due to a shallow
Vistula and instead took a shorter roundtrip route from
Gdansk.
In repositioning
the Chopin, Deilmann must write off its investment in the
historical Gdanska Glowna lock, which connects the Vistula to the
scenic Szkarpowa canal. The company had upgraded and modernized the
manually operated lock to accommodate its ship.
Although the
Warmian and Pomeranian towns I visited will be out of reach,
Deilmann clients still can enjoy other Polish destinations as well
as the charms of the Chopin itself.
A first-time
river cruiser, I was surprised at the ships size and luxury; the
272-foot vessel has 41 outside cabins -- three singles, 16 queens
and 22 doubles -- on two indoor decks. There is also an upper
public sundeck with chairs and tables.
My double cabin
in the aft of the lower Polonaise deck, which also houses the
restaurant, was spotless, relatively roomy and outfitted in
top-notch style. For example, my bathroom, while compact, was
better than in many landlubber hotels. Best of all, the U.S.-style
shower had powerful pressure and plenty of piping-hot
water.
Other standout
room features: built-in closets, satellite television and radio,
feather pillows and eiderdown bedding.
My midsummer
cruise was half-full. Over half of the passengers were Germans. The
rest were Britons and Americans.
Onboard
announcements and restaurant menus were presented by the
comfortably bilingual staff in German and English. On shore,
English-language tour guides were provided.
Six meals were
served in a single seating daily: breakfast, lunch and dinner in
the restaurant, and late-morning bouillon, afternoon tea and a
midnight snack in the bar/lounge. English speakers sat together,
with four or more at most tables.
Breakfast
consisted of a buffet, with hot selections served a la carte, while
lunches and dinners featured anywhere from four to nine courses as
well as at least one vegetarian selection. Wait staff impressed me
by remembering exactly how long to hard-boil my morning
eggs.
The first-rate
cuisine onboard could generally be described as consistent, generic
continental. We also were treated to one Polish dinner; an outdoor,
Bavarian-style freuhschoppen, or buffet-and-beer snack; and a
pirate- themed meal and cabaret.
Entertainment was
provided nightly, from lounge music to traditional Polish dance and
a miniconcert of piano works.
Cruising
ahead
Next years
cruise-tour will include sightseeing in Poland and Germany.
Optional add-ons include city tours of Krakow, Warsaw and Szczecin,
Poland; Oderberg in Germany and the islands of Wolin (a Viking lair
in Poland); and Usedom, Hiddensee and Rugen (an ancient Slavic cult
site) in Germany.
Prices for a la
carte tours in 2005 were not available at press time, but this year
ranged from $33 to $72 per person. Deilmann Cruises will offer its
Historic Poland tour nine times in 2005, with departures on June 6,
13, 20 and 27; July 4 and 11; and Aug. 1, 8 and 15. Cruise-only
rates for the Potsdam-to-Stralsund portion, or vice versa, range
from $1,825 to $3,025 per person.
Prices include
transfers; two nights hotel stay in Krakow and Warsaw, with taxes
and breakfast; and the cruise, in an outside cabin, with American
Plan meals.
Travel agent
commission on all Deilmann products is 10%. Call Peter Deilmann
Cruises at (800) 348-8287 or visit www.deilmann-cruises.com.
To contact
reporter Kenneth Kiesnoski, send e-mail to [email protected].