The river trip on the Monarch Queen from Amsterdam to Budapest surpassed our expectations. Our room was very nice, the bed comfortable. The food was out of this world. All of the tour guides were right on with their facts (I was a World History teacher), connected things to our present day situations and were amusing. You can't for any better cruise director than Mick (Miklos) nor piano player than Peter. What a bang for the buck! Thanks for a wonderful time. We look forward to more travels with Gate 1.

Our trip was excellent. The company, weather, food, scenery was all up to standard. We had an enjoyable time, and saw and ate a lot. Many thanks.

It was the trip of a lifetime. I can't believe how friendly, informative, comfortable and well organized it was. Miklos, our Cruise Director, provided a wealth of historical and technical (locks and dams) information all along the way, bringing to life the richness of each location with colorful descriptions and tips about what to see. He kept all things organized which is impressive given the number of local guides and logistics (busses, tickets etc) at hand. Each night he prepared us with a talk for the next day. In between, he responded to the interests and needs of individual passengers. Our Entertainment Director, Amir, offered morning yoga and evening dance, games, and group activities that helped everyone have fun. Maitre d, Ivan, and all the dining room staff were delightful, responsive to individual diets, and served lovely meals with classy presentation. Our Hotel Director made sure all were welcomed and comfortable. Housekeeping was thorough, quick, and friendly. During meals we enjoyed the company of a diverse, fun, and interesting group. We chatted about our countries, cultures, and families. Did I mention drinking lots of good wine and local beers? I cannot emphasize enough what great service all provided on this spectacular trip. My only regret is that we had too little time in Vienna and Budapest. Thanks for your help on the front end and keep those trip brochures coming!

OMG it was incredible! Tanya made the trip. She was everything and more. Lena was a quiet wonder. She made sure we were all accounted for a million times. There was not one local guide that was a slacker. They were all top notch and made sure we saw only the best at each place with as few crowds as possible. Best of all, each and every person told their personal stories along with the local lore. This was the first overseas trip my husband has made since the 1970's and I think we've created a traveling monster......where are we going next? Everyone felt so taken care of and we now love Russia. Who would have thought! Just FYI there was a single woman there who was making her 13th Gate 1 tour. That spoke volumes of your company. Thanks for asking!

We really enjoyed our trip to Russia!! We learned a lot, and every day was filled with new things. Gate 1 trips never disappoint!!

It was excellent, everything was first class and we were very well taken care of from start to finish. The hotels and tours were excellent, and the river cruise had excellent amenities, including great food and a comfortable lounge. We saw so many wonderful places. We definitely want to travel Gate 1 again and will recommend to all our friends.

Our trip was everything we were hoping for. Very impressed with crew, food and activities. We are looking forward to 2018 to go on another River Cruise with Gate 1. We have been talking you up to everyone we met especially aussie. We are now on a land tour of Country roads of Croatia then after that we are going to Rome.

Our trip was wonderful! Everything went exactly to plan, our accommodations were terrific, guides were extremely knowledgeable, helpful and friendly, and the staff on board the ship were incredible. Even the weather was perfect! All in all we could not have expected anything more and had a fantastic time.

Great trip. Wonderfully arranged. Good boat and great crew. Will take another with Gate 1 soon.

After completing the Gate 1 trip, my travelling companion and I extended our travel and we are now in Berlin airport awaiting the long flight home to Sydney. Everything about the Gate 1 package was fabulous! It's certainly a well-oiled machine that assists guests in every way possible. The Monarch Empress, ALL of the staff, the excursions and local tour guides and tour managers could not be faulted. I hope to travel again with Gate 1 and have already recommended the company to friends and family who ate likely to travel.

Our trip was fantastic! There is not one thing we could recommend that would have made our trip anymore enjoyable. Your attention to details was faultless. The crew and all Gate 1 travel personnel went out of their way to insure our every needs and desires were taken care of prior to our need to ask. The food was gourmet quality, the variety was appreciated and the service was excellent! The pace and organization of the trip was perfect. The included tours at each stop covered all the important highlights and then the free time we had to do as we wished were in perfect balance. Our days were full without being rushed and of course we could opt out of anything we didn't want to do. We very much appreciated the option to stay in town for lunch and added free time rather than having to go back to the boat and go back with the group. This was our first trip with Gate 1. We met other couples who have taken up to 9 previous Gate 1 tours. We now understand why they choose Gate 1 and we'll follow in their footsteps!

We had an awesome time thanks. Everything about the cruise was fantastic and we had an amazing holiday. We would definitely book through Gate 1 again.

The trip was excellent. The staff were friendly and helpful and the cruise was brilliant. We will be recommending Gate 1 to others.

We had a fantastic, relaxing and a memorable trip to Russia. Tour manager Asya and our coordinator Lina, were excellent and friendly. Thanks to both of them. They were always smiling and very helpful. They made our trip sail smooth.

We had a fantastic trip! We had previously done the 15-day land tour of (Romantic) Italy with Gate 1, but this was our first river cruise. The countryside along the Rhine is so beautiful, that any free time we spent viewing the scenery, whether from the upper deck or lounge, was a highlight of our cruise. We enjoyed sightseeing in the charming cities, villages, and towns, and the daily tour guides provided us with lots of information, each in their own unique style. The entire crew on the Monarch Baroness were outstanding and they all should be commended! They were friendly, cheerful, knowledgeable, extremely accommodating, and solicitous. They really helped to make our trip a memorable experience!! Our cabin was quite comfortable, despite its compact size; we thought it was great that there was actually room for a comfortable armchair near our French balcony, in addition to the desk chair. And, the public spaces on our river boat were kept immaculately clean. In short, we loved this trip - it was such a nice way to travel! In fact, I'm already starting to plan our next European river cruise for 2018 in my head! Thank you Gate 1 Travel. You never disappoint!!

It was wonderful! We loved the accommodation, food, service and Itinerary of the River Cruise and I would definitely recommend it to friends. It was great to have a day on board at Amsterdam so we could do some exploring. We look forward to taking other Gate 1 trips in the future.

Our trip was amazing and the gate1 folks were fantastic. We especially enjoyed the guides at each city, they were well informed about sites and history and gave us a different view of each city we visited. The boat crew was amazing. Thank you!

Great trip. Very well organized, excellent staff. We are ready for more trips with Gate 1.

We had a wonderful time. Very impressed with the tour guides and how smoothly all the arrangements went. Will definitely book a tour or cruise with Gate 1 again in the future!

We had a wonderful time!! Our trip was everything we hoped for and more. The Monarch Empress was a beautiful ship and the staff was so friendly and accommodating. We were very impressed with Gate 1 and will certainly book with you again.

Wonderful trip. Enjoyed the tours and loved the ship. Very nice. The staff and the crew were helpful and accommodating. Most of all, Adrien Kiss made the trip comfortable and pleasant. She is a caring and considerate person that is easy to approach with questions. She will always come back with an answer. Very helpful. Thank you.

We loved every minute and everyone from Gate 1 we had contact with on the River Cruise. The scenery was gorgeous and we had wonderful weather. The new ship was a dream. Everything went so well and was so enjoyable!

Fabulous! We enjoyed ourselves tremendously. Your staff was incredible. From the ship crew to the tour guides, we cannot say enough great things about them. Will definitely use Gate 1 again. You were recommended by friends and they were right.....

We absolutely loved our trip. The Monarch Empress was beautiful with well-planned spaces and an attentive, cheerful, well-trained crew. Our Tour Director, Mick, was exceptionally knowledgeable with regard to the ports we visited. The tours were well-planned. Both Mick and Adrien went out of their way to make sure we had everything we needed. We are already looking forward to another Gate 1 vacation.

Just got home. It was a fabulous river cruise. Gate 1 delivered everything we expected. Great food, great service, great tour director. The number of guests on the boat made it very comfortable.

It was great! We enjoyed sailing the Danube on Sound of Music and the relaxed casual atmosphere. The ports were interesting and fun to visit. We will be looking forward to doing something like this again.

I highly recommend the Gate 1 Rhone River cruise. The boat, itinerary, tours, guides were all great. And the fact that we paid thousands less made it sweeter. The food was what I would expect on any cruise. So you can book it with confidence, and maybe even take it yourself!

It was well organized. Excellent tour director, Erika, interesting itinerary. We specially enjoyed the new ship with good service and delicious food. We will recommend this trip to our friends.

Just returned to Sydney. Everything went very well. Excellent trip. I believe I will be getting a letter from Gate 1 soon. At that time I will highlight the most impressive things about the trip - the crew. The guides, the food and the sights we saw.

The trip was great. We were very happy with every aspect of the cruise - particularly the tour directors (specially Herbert - a real champion!) who were outstanding. Peter, the Executive Chef and his team also produced superb meals and all the service and housekeeping staff were terrific - unfailingly friendly and incredibly helpful. Amelia's service and wine knowledge were impressive and Stefan's bar service (especially his bloody marys) was legendary. The Master and crew did a great job getting us through without falling prey to shallow and obstructed waterways. We'd happily very strongly recommend this cruise to anyone.

We enjoyed our Russia and Eastern Europe trip very much. Lots of rain & cold weather in Romania which we were told was unusual for this time of year. All in all, everyone made the best of it. Best guide we have ever had on any trip was Radu. Most caring, knowledgeable, humorous and everyone just loved him!! He made the trip an event to remember!!

Thank you for the trip of a lifetime. The entire staff on the boat made our trip exceptional and our tour directors were so knowledgeable and so helpful and organized. I cannot say enough good things from the meals to the rooms to the tours to the entertainment on board. Thank you thank you I will be recommending Gate 1 to all my friends, relatives, acquaintances and strangers.

The trip was great! Loved the itinerary. Our travel director Soma was the best. He was very knowledgeable and did a great job keeping us entertained. The Monarch Empress staff were great. The ship itself is beautiful and the food very good. Would do Gate 1 again.

The Russian River Cruise trip has absolutely highlighted the essence of Russia, introducing me to the country's history, beauty, and culture. The itinerary offered a great perspective in comparing and contrasting the uniqueness of Russia's major cities with the small villages/towns. The excursions, optional tours (especially the two folk dance shows: Bagatitsa in St. Petersburg and Kostroma in Moscow), and the special ship's activities (learning the country’s language, songs, and dance) have certainly been instrumental in authenticating the richness of the Russian culture. Furthermore, the local guides did a great job in giving tourists a detailed insight of their city/village--past and present. As for the MS Zosima Shashkov, the room was clean, the staff was friendly and accommodating, the food was fine, and the musicians were enjoyable, even though I felt that a variety of entertainment was needed. Hiring young on-board guides to assist the tour managers was a wonderful idea because these young personnel were personable, full of fun and energy, and established a positive rapport with the passengers. Overall, this trip was extremely educational and enjoyable. Thank you!

Fabulous trip. I want to say that our tour guide, Tanya, was absolutely the finest tour guide I have ever encountered. She was so knowledgeable and personable and took such good care of everyone. She deserves a raise and a promotion!!! I will surely recommend the Russian tour to my friends. Thank you for all the help!!

The trip was great -- good weather, good food generally and wonderful sights! The National Folk Show in Moscow was fantastic!!

My trip was wonderful... I had a great time... From the moment that I stepped off the plane, until I got back on... Everything was taken care of for me... The hotel was lovely, the staff was friendly and sooooo helpful.. The tour guides both in Amsterdam, and on the trip were great. The ship and the crew were great.Enjoyed all the tours, and information about each location.. It was my first trip abroad, and first river cruise. I found it a very positive experience, and would recommend it, and Gate 1 to others.

I had no idea that when we booked with Gate 1, that we would be treated so royally. Our Russian River Cruise was a surprise from the beginning. It was a LONG taxi ride from the centre of St Petersburg to get to the ship, and I was SO happy when I saw that it was there. At this time, I did not know about the high standard of Gate 1 tours. When we boarded, we had information in our cabins about meeting with the Gate 1 travel agent. WOW! Our own travel agent??? And what a fine person she is. Tanya ‘made’ our trip. The Gate 1 group really bonded. Not that we didn’t interact with the French, the Italians, and the Hungarians, but by eating together, bussing together, and touring together, we became a cohesive group. My previous experience in cruising was on a BIG ship with people from everywhere. It was like living in a small city. We would meet people in passing, but there was no coordination. No personal touch. The other positive aspect of this experience was in hearing people talk about their previous Gate 1 tours. Everyone spoke so highly of the company. When flying home, I happened to be sitting beside a woman who had just come off the Budapest cruise, and she, too, spoke highly of her experience. It was her second tour with you. I have not been too big on organized tours. My sister and I like to rent a car and explore. However, we thoroughly enjoyed the river cruise. We saw places that we could not have reached by car. The local guides were really informative, too. Over all, 10+. I am SO glad that we happened to find your advertisement online. Would I recommend Gate 1? Most definitely! Would I book again with Gate 1? I think so. We had three weeks of ‘exploring’ the Balkans before joining the Russian River Cruise. It made a really good balance.

Great trip, Tanya was a perfect tour guide, fun, informative, and professional. Ship was comfortable if a little small in the staterooms. Enjoyed the food, and entertainment. We will see you again soon.

The trip was amazing, thoroughly enjoyed the cruise. The people were great, the food was great, entertainment and on board activities were well thought out and the crew were fantastic. A great choice of local tour guides, we really enjoyed their knowledge and sense of humour. All in all, a great time was had :)

We have returned home after 5 weeks away in Europe The gate 1 river cruise was wonderful. The boat a little tried but the staff, crew & cruise director & guides were absolutely fantastic We could not fault anything The mix of Aussies, Canadians & Americans were a great bunch of people & everyone got on & we never had a problem with waiting for anyone which is usually The food was fantastic alway too much but you didn't have to eat all of it. Chef was a great guy, as was the Captain. Very approachable & knowable Lorin our cruise guide for the green team was so,so good. So much knowledge & history of the area we cruised & the beautiful old towns. He normally looks after the French rivers & if we ever did that area we would ask to be on his boat. That how good he was & had a great sense of humour Thank you Gate 1 for a very well organised 16 day cruise

We had a fabulous time the itinerary was amazing the guides on board were extremely knowledgable but also witty and humorous as was the onboard Entertainment which I felt was a great time for all on board to relax and mingle. We also met some very nice people whom we hope to to stay in touch.

We are still overseas,as we are catching up with family in Europe. Our cruise was really wonderful, the staff from the cruise directors, the chefs and service staff, reception staff, crew, cleaning, all personnel were exceptionally good. Thank you for your service too., we hope to travel again with you one day.

It was above expectations. Absolutely fabulous. We could have not asked for anything more. The ship was beautiful and absolutely spotless. The staff was always there, always in a great mood with a smile on their face. The food was gourmet and the presentation was worthy of a photograph We will definitely use Gate 1 on our next tour. Many, many thanks

We had an amazing trip! I can't tell you how impressed I was....from the hotel accommodations, the beautiful ship, our tour restaurants in Cesky Krumlov (Cave) and Salzburg (Monestary) were beyond our expectations, and most importantly our tour guide, Soma from Hungary was the best . For someone who is so young, he showed immense maturity and his knowledge and passion of all the ports and historical background was quite impressive. He had a great sense of humour and a lot of patience dealing with the varied age groups. Annick and Barbara were the guides who joined us on the boat and together they complemented each other so well and also worked seamlessly together. Our cabin steward was Kevin and he was most pleasant and attentive. We will definitely consider another Gate 1 river cruise or land tour. The crew of the ship were also great and we enjoyed the "talent show" that they put on for the guests. Our first Gate 1 trip......and it won't be our last