Day One Highlights and Other Musings

The Mozart is simply beautiful.  The ship was taken down to the metal and completely re-imagined and refurbished in a way that is elegant, fresh and stunning and at the same time completely consistent with the two sister ocean ships.  We felt right at home from the moment we set foot on her and that feeling is accentuated by the sense of familiarity.  The looks of the Palm Court, the Bistro, and even the Cove, for example, are completely different from those on the Symphony and Serenity, but they have the same feel.

 

The Blue is the one dining venue which really has no counterpart on the other ships. It has a short menu, beautiful decor and sliding doors opening to the back of the ship.  We had lunch there (it is not open for dinner which is a pity) and enjoyed some phenomenal burgers (even better than the ones from the Trident Grill according to Blake) and some local specialties, like Sacher Wurltz served with a wonderful pretzel and a Reuben sandwich.  All washed down with a beautiful Viennese Rose.  By the time we embarked on Saturday we decided to skip the "Vienna in a Nutshell" tour we had signed up for, in favour of getting a little lunch and some rest. Dinner was at Waterside, the main restaurant. The evening entertainment included a wonderful performance by an Opera singer and a concert pianist.We enjoyed it a lot but were struggling to keep our eyes open.  Unlike on most other River cruise lines, there will be several special performances onboard throughout the cruise, highlighting local artists.