Jetsettersblog

Cruise West will return to Europe in 2010 with three 11-night cruises along the Danube, Rhine, Main and Mosel rivers that visit eight countries between the Black Sea and the Mosel River, traveling west to Germany and south to Switzerland.

Building on this year’s series down the Danube from Bucharest to Vienna, guests in 2010 can choose from the original itinerary or the two newly added itineraries that head farther west. A pre-cruise hotel night is included on all three itineraries.

Cruise West offers early-booking savings of up to $800 per cabin for those who pay in full by Dec.18.

The original 11-night Danube River itinerary, Bucharest to Vienna, departs Sept. 23, 2010. Guests will be greeted at the Bucharest airport before transferring to the Marriott Hotel. The next 10 nights are spent on board the 148-guest Amadeus Diamond cruising through Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Croatia. Excursion highlights include wine tasting at a vineyard near Vukovar, Croatia; a visit to Viminacium, a former Roman settlement that is a working archeological site; a classical music performance in Vienna; and a tour of the historic city of Constanta with lunch in Mamaia.

Guests can add on a two-night stay in Prague or a three-night tour through Transylvania. Rates start at $4,999 per person, before the discount.

New is a cruise down the Danube, Main and Rhine rivers on Oct. 3 traveling for 11 nights from Vienna to Cologne.

The itinerary includes Regensburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; the Altmühl Valley to Nuremberg, the capital of Franconia and historically the unofficial capital of the Holy Roman Empire; and along the River Rhine to Rüdesheim, a wine town in the upper middle Rhine Valley area.

Among the excursions are a visit to a 900-year-old Benedictine Melk abbey; a full day in Salzburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; a wine sampling at Dürnstein in Austria’s Wachau Valley; a full day in Nuremberg; and a meal at the Michelin-starred Stromburg gourmet restaurant.

Guests can add on a three-night Munich and Oberammergau package or a three-night tour of Cologne, Potsdam and Berlin.

Rates start at $4,999 per person, double occupancy, before the discount.

The Rhine, Main and Mosel river cruise offers an 11-night cruise from Cologne to Basel (with Cruise West Chairman Dick West as host), departing on Oct. 13, 2010.

Among the highlights are a welcome dinner hosted by Dick and Leslie West with a midnight sailing from Cologne to view the lights of its Gothic towers; a cruise through the Rhine Gorge passing castles and the Lorelei Rock; and Cochem, home to Riesling wines. Excursions include a piano concert at a 14th century castle in Koblenz; an afternoon tour in Luxembourg’s old city center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; a visit to a traditional Alsatian village for wine tasting; a visit to the Reichsburg castle; and a tour of Luxembourg. Guests can add on a three-night pre tour in Berlin/Potsdam and Cologne or a three-night post tour of the Swiss Alps.

Rates start at $5,299 per person, before the discount.

All three river cruises take place onboard the new Amadeus Diamond, which features cabins with river-view windows, most with large French balconies. Guests cruise in casual elegance, complete with a fitness center, hairdresser and masseuse. As with all Cruise West voyages, the Spirit of Distinction program offers an included excursion at every port and lectures.