Danube Cruise with Dr. Paul Tucker

Depart on an overnight flight to Munich. Dinner & Breakfast will be served on the flight. Group air pricing will be available in December of 2023. Add-on flights and optional premium econ-omy and Business class fare quotes are available upon request and will be quoted starting 120 days before departure. Specific seat requests are available at the airport or upon receipt of travel documents three weeks before departure, where you may be able to go online and choose seats.

Welcome to Germany! We are greeted at the airport by our English-speaking tour guides and transferred to the city for Mass and time at leisure before our 4 PM hotel check-in. Our hotel is located in the center of Munich, enabling us to drop off our luggage at the hotel while we explore the city. Overnight Munich. (Dinner is at the hotel)

This morning we travel by bus to Dachau Concentration Camp, and visit the camp where more Catholic priests died at the hands of the Nazi regime than in any other place. Mass will be celebrated. In the afternoon, we have a one-hour walking tour of the Munich City Center followed by a welcome dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight in Munich. (B. Special dinner)

Following breakfast, we board our bus and drive through the beautiful Bavarian countryside to Altotting, often called “The Lourdes of Germany” due to the thousands of pilgrims coming here every year for healing. Today, the shrine attracts over one million pilgrims each year. Many crutches and other votives on display here testify to the healings attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Altotting. In 1980, Pope John Paul II made a pilgrimage here. A young Joseph Ratzinger came here with his father when growing up, and was known to be one of his favorite shrines long before he became Pope or even a Cardinal. Many young people from Germany make pilgrimages here in the summertime, often walking for 50 miles or more on their journey. Here we see the “Black Madonna,” a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary. Opposite the altar, the hearts of the Bavarian Dukes, Kings, and Electors are stored in richly decorated silver urns as a special sign of their deep loyalty to the Bavarian National Shrine. Among them is also the heart of the fairy tale King Ludwig II. We also visit the Basilica of St. Anna, the Holy Chapel, the Collegiate Church, and the treasury, housing the gifts donated to the Basilica. Celebrate Mass at St. Konrad Monastery. Following time for an independent lunch, we depart for Passau, where we embark on the cruise ship, our comfortable home for the next seven nights. Settle into our luxurious cabins, and enjoy a welcome cocktail and dinner on the ship. Overnight Cruise. (B.D)

We wake up in the city of Regensburg this morning! Meet our local guide for a private walking city tour of Regensburg, the ancient city founded nearly 2000 years ago. We see the University of Regensburg, where Pope Benedict XVI taught theology from 1969 to 1977. Visit St. Peter′s Cathedral for a guided tour of one of Germany’s most prominent examples of Gothic architecture. We celebrate Mass in Regensburg before returning to the ship for lunch (included) or have an independent lunch (at leisure) on land. This afternoon there is an Optional Tour to Weltenburg Abbey*, the oldest beer-producing Abbey in Germany, or you may choose to stay on the ship and relax. We experience a Bavarian evening with lively traditional music and a dinner of local specialties tonight. Ship sails from Germany to Austria—overnight Cruise. (B.L.D)

We arrive in Linz, Austria, and enjoy a walking tour of the lovely town, followed by Mass. After lunch, we board our buses to travel to St. Florian Monastery to visit the Monastery and enjoy a private choir concert. We return to the ship for some leisure time and dinner. Ship sails. Overnight Cruise. (B.L.D)

We arrive in Emmersdorf, a small Austrian town, where we board our bus for a short drive to Melk Abbey. The magnificent Baroque-style structure is surrounded by a gorgeous town with Renaissance homes and winding streets reminiscent of the Middle Ages. The Abbey is the setting for Umberto Eco′s novel ′The Name of the Rose′. Among the treasures housed here are paintings, sculptures, and decorative art from the 9th to 15th centuries. We celebrate Mass before returning to the ship for lunch. The afternoon is at leisure on the ship to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery. We disembark in Weissenkirchen to enjoy a wine tasting in a charming local winery. Dinner is on the ship tonight. Overnight Cruise. (B.L.D)

Our day in Vienna starts with Mass at the Polish Church, which contains a small St. John Paul II relics museum and a lovely little gift shop. Our panoramic tour of Vienna is followed by a visit to St. Stephen Cathedral and a guided walking tour of the city center, including Donners′ Fountain, Belvedere Palace Gardens, Hofburg Palace, and the Spanish Horses training site (external visits only). You may choose to stay in the city for lunch on your own, followed by an afternoon at leisure to explore or return to the ship for an included lunch. Following an early dinner on the ship, we recommend an optional private visit to the famous Schonbrunn Palace and the Sound of Vienna classical music concert in a nearby private villa. Overnight Cruise. (B.L.D)

The ship arrives in Bratislava. We tour Bratislava Castle this morning and hear a lecture by Dr. Marcellino on St. Elizabeth of Hungary. We see the famous statue of the saint at the Castle (arduous walking). We celebrate Mass at St. Martin Cathedral. Enjoy time at leisure to explore Bratislava on your own. The ship is docked in the city center. You may have lunch on the ship or in town on your own. Tonight, enjoy a beautiful gala captain’s dinner. The ship departs Slovakia sailing for Hungary. Overnight cruise. (B.L.D)

The ship arrives in the magnificent city of Budapest in the morning. On our city tour, we see the Fisherman′s Bastion, which takes its name from the guild of fishermen responsible for defending this stretch of city walls in the Middle Ages. We tour St. Matthias Church and take in the breathtaking view of the Buda side. We continue our exploration of this beautiful city with a tour of the Buda side of the city and a Mass celebration. Tonight enjoy one of the highlights of the cruise as we see Budapest by night from our ship. Overnight Cruise. (B.L.D)

After breakfast, we are transferred to the airport for our flight home. (B)