If you’ve followed our adventures for any length of time, you’ll know this is our second European River Cruise with Gate 1 Travel.
December of ’24, we did a German Christmas Market River Cruise sailing from Regensburg to Frankfurt. Ironically, this cruise was also on the beautiful Monarch Queen.
When we booked, we tried to get the same cabin, but it was already booked. So this trip, we were just down the hallway on the Starboard side.
Our cabin on the MS Monarch Queen.
Aside from the beautiful Christmas decorations, the ship is still the same ship.
However, as the cuisine and onboard activities change on the ship based on sailing and region, we’ll be doing a deep dive into our time on this sailing.
Travel Tip:
We bought fresh tulips at a market in Amsterdam. While you can find flower shops that also sell inexpensive vases, we opted to use our ice bucket in our cabin!
It was so nice having fresh flowers in our cabin!
Breakfast on the Monarch Queen
Breakfast on board the Monarch Queen is always buffet-style, generally from 7 AM to 9 AM, with an early-risers breakfast in the Lounge from 6 AM to 7 AM.
The Lounge has a 24/7 coffee machine that dispenses coffee/decaf, espresso, cappuccino, and hot water. There was always a nice selection of teas and packets of a delicious hot chocolate mix.
For the early risers, breakfast there is a display of rolls and pastry, usually some fruit, juices, and milk.
The Breakfast Buffet had a Chef making omelets to order every morning, a sizable hot-food station with Scrambled Eggs, Breakfast Meat, Potatoes, and Hot Cereal, as well as Baked Beans and Roasted Tomatoes.
Omelets made to order!
It also included a wide selection of Cold Cuts, Cheeses, Breads, Pastries, Fresh Fruit, a small Salad Bar, and Mark’s favorite: a display of Smoked Salmon with all the fixings.
Lastly, each day the tables were set with a Breakfast of the Day, a hot plated specialty item ranging from Hot Cakes or Waffles to Eggs Benedict or some other interesting item.
If You’re on the Ship for Lunch
Most days, we were off the ship, exploring the ports and enjoying local foods along the way.
However, every day, a lunch buffet was served on board, usually from about 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM.
Each day, the buffet included a Salad Bar and a Live Cooking Station that rotated among carved meats, made-to-order pasta, and similar items.
Every day, Hamburgers, Cheeseburgers, and Vegetarian Burgers were available through the waitstaff. These came with sides like French Fries, Cole Slaw, and Potato Chips.
Each day there was also a Sandwich of the Day with hot sandwiches like “Tuna Melt.’ There were also two soups available through the servers.
The hot buffet included hot entrees. These usually included a seafood, a meat or poultry, and a vegetarian option, along with a few side dishes.
There was always an Ice Cream Bar with Assorted toppings, sometimes a fun dessert like Belgian Waffles with Ice Cream, and they always offered Fresh Fruit and a selection of Cheeses.
With lots to explore, we either ate lunch off the ship or snacked on local treats along the way.
Dinner On the Monarch Queen
Typically, dinner was at 7:00 PM, and just before that was the next day’s Port Talk in the Lounge with our Cruise Director.
Dinner was a great way to relax, enjoy wonderful food, and catch up with friends about their adventures that day.
Fellow travelers, we enjoyed dinner together for most of the trip!
Dinner is a plated, multi-course meal with a huge number of options. We were extremely happy with the variety and quality of food offered. Given that the dining room has one seating and serves approximately 150 people per seating, the service was smooth, and we never had a meal arrive cold or overcooked.
Each night, the menus offered wine pairings with each of the entrees served. The menu lists that “Supplemental and Half Portions are Always Available.” We found that most items were more of a ‘tasting size’, so we never ordered half portions. And at the other end, we enjoyed having multiple courses and never requested supplemental portions.
Additionally, they always offered an “Alternative Appetizer.” This was generally a “Buddha Bowl,” a lighter, vegetarian option to the items on the set menu.
Similarly, each night they offered an “Alternative to Entrees.” This list offered more simple dishes like Grilled Chicken Breast or Salmon Filet, Baked Potatoes, and Steamed Vegetables, as well as a Chicken Caesar Salad.
Generally, we stuck to the standard menu for the evening. On a few occasions, Chuck opted for Caesar Salad without Chicken as an appetizer.
Buddha Bowl
A few nights, one of us had a Buddha Bowl.
A Buddha Bowl with Quinoa, Green Beans, Lentils, and Avocado.
A Buddha Bowl of White Beans, Sweet Potato, Cabbage, and Carrot in a Sesame Orange Dressing.
A Multi-Course Dinner
Each evening dinner consisted of one Appetizer Selection and the choice of two soups. Entrees typically included three options, often a meat, a seafood, and a vegetarian option. Dessert included a special dessert, a selection of ice cream, fresh seasonal fruits, and the buffet used during the day was set with a cheese display.
Here are a few of our favorites across the week.
Appetizers
Dutch Crabcake
Trio of Bruschetta – Tomato, Olive and Basil Salsa, Parma Ham, and Grilled Vegetables served with Arugula Salad.
Dutch Asparagus and Chantrelle Ragout – White Asparagus, and Chantrelle Mushrooms with Truffle Essence.
Quiche Lorraine – Savory Quiche with Bacon, Creme Fraiche, and Spring Onion.
Caprese with Cheese Croquette – Heirloom Tomatoes, Mozzarella Cheese, Goji Berries, Arugula, and Garlic Ciabatta.
Chicken Satay Salad – Grilled Chicken with Cabbage Slaw, Pineapple-Cucumber Pickles and Peanut Dressing.
Crispy Truffle Gnocchi – Lightly fried Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Truffle Oil and Parmesan Cheese.
Soups
Spinach Cream
Beef Consume with Diced Vegetables and Tortellini.
Root Vegetable Essence
Dutch Cheese Soup
Cream of Wild Garlic Soup
Entrees
Turkey Porchetta – Sous Vide Turkey with Smoked Ham Wrap and Fresh Herbs served with Creamy Mustard Sauce, Brussel Mash, Brussels Sprouts, and Carrots.
Pistachio Crusted Lamb – New Zealand Lamb Loin with a Pistachio, Herb and Panko Crust. Served with a Cherry Red Wine Reduction, Herb Roasted Root Vegetables, Celery, Radish, and Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
Vegetable ala Parmigiana – Eggplant Parmigiana with Tomato Basil Sauce and Arugula Salad.
Chicken Ballontine and Oxtail Rillette – Chicken stuffed with Mushrooms and Duck Pate, served with Red Onion-Chili Jam, Barolo Sauce, Roasted Carrots, Parsnips, Truffled Flavored Mashed Potato.
Filet of Cod – Pan Fried Cod Filet with Garlic, Lemon Oil, Shaved Fennel, Lentils, and Baby Roasted Potatoes
Tender Flank Steak – Thin-sliced Flank Steak with Onion Confit, Green Pepper Sauce, Grilled Mediterranean Vegetable Tower, and Baked Potato
Spinach Ricotta Tortellini – Spinach Stuffed Tortellini with Ricotta Cheese and Tomato Sauce.
Dinner! Surf and Turf – Herb Crusted Filet of Beef and a King Prawn with a Port Wine Reduction, Bearnaise Sauce, Cauliflower Mousseline, Root Vegetables, and Chateau Potatoes.
Desserts
Tiramisu
Chocolate Lava Cake with Coffee-flavored Mousse and Stracciatella Ice Cream.
Dutch Pancake with Chocolate Mousse and Vanilla Rum Sauce.
Apple Strudel
We always had a great Cheese Display!
Food Allergen Information
One of the things we really love about sailing on the Monarch Queen is that each menu offered lists allergen information next to each menu item.
Additionally, there are small green leaves next to vegetarian items, or that can be prepared vegetarian.
On Board Activities
One major difference between a river cruise and a sea cruise is the entertainment. On a large ship on ocean sailings, there are often multiple venues with entertainment ranging from musicians and magicians to comedians and stage shows. This is NOT the case on a river cruise.
The Lounge is your home base, serving the Early Risers Breakfast, your observation point watching the ship pass through the locks, and a place to relax and read a book or catch up on some writing. It’s also your cocktail lounge, the place where your Cruise Director hosts Port Talks and your Activities Host offers games at night.
Hosted activities included Trivia, Battle of the Lounge, Cornhole, A Night of Movie and Musical Cabaret, and Sjoelen- a Dutch tabletop shuffleboard style game, and One Hit Wonders Bingo.
Additionally, a few nights, local entertainers came on board to perform. One night there was a Dixieland Jazz Band, and another, a group called “Backyard Roses.” Both were entertaining.
One of the members of the Dixieland Jazz Band.
One afternoon, there was an opportunity to visit the wheelhouse with Captain Branslav. Chuck took some time to check it out. It’s rather small but interesting nonetheless.
Chuck with the Captain.
A very compact console inside the ships wheelhouse.
Another unusual opportunity on a river cruise is to head to the bow of the ship and watch the ship maneuver through the multiple locks along the river. While we passed through many of them during the night, it was fun to watch in the morning. Mark, who is typically a very early riser, managed to capture much of the movement through the locks.
One of the locks we passed though.
In one of the locks alongside a barge.
Review of the Monarch Queen
This was our second sailing on the Monarch Queen in six months. While a number of the staff members changed the level of service from our room steward to the people staffing the front desk, bars, servers, the Cruise Director, and the Activities Host, the service was incredible!
Two of our incredible servers. Amir remembered us for the Christmas Cruise and took very good care of us!
The food was incredible. Mark, especially coming from a culinary background, watches everything and loves the food.
The ship is clean, well-appointed, and very comfortable. We highly recommend booking a Category A Deluxe Suite with French Balcony, if possible. The views and fresh air from the sliding windows were a huge plus. And for two bigger guys, we loved having the extra space and a bathroom with a big shower.
We would ABSOLUTELY sail on the Ms Monarch Queen again!
