Danube River Cruise vs. DCL luggage space in rooms and food allergies

[Raya]

We recently returned from a Disney Cruise to Alaska, and were surprised to find that our luggage could fit under the bed on the cruise ship. Is this also the case for the River Cruise boats? Can someone who's been aboard give me an idea of how much space there is stash luggage?

Also, food question - I have rare, life threatening allergy to all forms of squash (pumpkin, zucchini, summer squash, butternut, etc.). I also have seizures triggered by certain foods (preserved meats, spicy foods, caffeine, aged cheese, etc.). Our first waiter on the DCL blew me off, brought food I couldn't eat, and then argued with me about it. The wait staff at Beach Blanket was amazing and really listened to me about my options. The next set of servers we got were overly cautious. For example, they wouldn't serve me sweet potatoes or apricots because those are the same color as squash. Eventually it got to the point where I had to pre-order every meal a day in advance. Has anyone with allergies or food sensitivities taken the river cruise? I'm hoping for the middle option - concerned but not treating me like a freak.

 

[aggiedog]

The river cruise is a partnership with AMA Waterways. I'd be surprised if ABD brought in their own kitchen staff, so it might be a good idea to contact AMA.

 

[carpenta]

There was a review of a current ABD river cruise and two had food allergies. They reported the kitchen crew was perfect and they never had a problem. In today's world in dining they are very accustomed to allergies. European airlines are very strict on luggage size and weight so pack lightly.

 

[sayhello]

I have GERD, and there are several foods I just can't eat. It *was* the AMA staff onboard the ship, and they were WONDERFUL about it. Since they don't have as large of a kitchen as an ocean cruise ship would (only 158 passengers) they asked me to choose my meals each morning ahead of time, so they could prepare it for me without the things I couldn't eat. I had no problems. On the couple of excursions that included lunch, the Guides had already worked it out with the restaurants to be sure there were options I could eat. Again, I don't have any severe allergies, but I didn't want an upset stomach for the whole trip, either.

As far as the luggage is concerned, you could fit *some* luggage under the bed. I had my carry-on and my "personal item" under there, but my checked bag, which is a hybrid duffel that looks like this was too big to fit under the bed.

Also, there was a shallow storage box under half of the bed (I assume for use by your room steward, since it was too big to just roll out from under the bed. It was probably for the very thick mattress pad they used to combine the 2 beds into one). So that half of the bed was not usable for luggage storage.

There *was* a lot of closet space.

Sayhello

 

[nifferearly]

Our medium size (25 inch) suitcases both fit under the bed. Lots of storage space in the closet. And my husband put most of his clothes in that box that was under half the bed (our was empty). For as small as the room was, we thought they did a great job making functional space to store everything.

 

[sayhello]

Our medium size (25 inch) suitcases both fit under the bed. Lots of storage space in the closet. And my husband put most of his clothes in that box that was under half the bed (our was empty). For as small as the room was, we thought they did a great job making functional space to store everything.

I totally agree with this! The room was amazingly set up, with tons of storage. It didn't feel nearly as small as it actually was!

Sayhello

 

[Carolann4]

We put our carry on bags, ( a Vera Weekender and a large backpack) in the large box under the bed, one suitcase under the bed and another tucked under the desk area. Plenty of room for storage.