Ep. 638 - Adventures by Disney Danube River Cruise: An Honest Family Review

DCL Duo Podcast: A Disney Cruise Line Fan Podcast

Brian Flock

Hobbies, Places & Travel, Society & Culture, Leisure

4.9 • 575 Ratings

🗓️ 18 March 2026

⏱️ 74 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Lauryn is a Disney-specialist travel advisor who has sailed DCL to Norway, Alaska, and back — but her holiday Adventures by Disney Danube River Cruise was a different kind of trip entirely. Traveling with her 11-year-old, her 6-year-old, and her 76-year-old mom, Lauryn booked one of the last two cabins on a sold-out sailing, celebrated two family birthdays on board, rang in the New Year watching fireworks light up the Danube from Vienna — and then got stranded in Budapest for three extra days when a storm canceled their flight home. She'd do it all again. In this episode: What the "Magic Holidays" post-Christmas itinerary includes — and how it differs from the Christmas markets sailing Sam and Brian took What really happens when a broken lock or low water levels force a mid-cruise ship switch (twice) — and why it's less disruptive than you'd think The salt mines, the marionette show, the Spanish Riding School, the Buda Caves — which excursions were the biggest hits with the kids New Year's Eve on the Danube: what it's actually like to watch fireworks from the river in Vienna A full DCL vs. ABD Danube rapid fire: food, service, cleanliness, cabins, kids activities, and the ultimate "which would you pick tomorrow?" question Can a 6-year-old really hang on a European river cruise? (Short answer: yes, if she's Lauryn's daughter.) "We're on the river and the fireworks are going off all on the river. The whole Danube is just glowing with fireworks... everyone was like, can we be on a river cruise every year for New Year's?" — Lauryn Fischer You can connect with Lauryn at: LaurynETFamilyTravel@gmail.com Support the Show: Book your next Disney Cruise Line vacation with our show sponsor, My Path Unwinding Travel! DCL Magazine — your ultimate guide to Disney Cruise Line tips and tricks! Subscribe today and use promo code DCLDUO for 10% off at the WDW Magazine store. Stay Connected with the DCL Duo: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group We're Ranked as a Top Podcast by Feedspot: Top 30 Disney Cruise Line Podcasts (#1) | Top 20 Cruise Podcasts (#2) | Top Disney Podcasts (#4) | Top 20 Disney Cruise Line Influencers (#12) The views expressed in this podcast are our own and do not reflect the views of the Walt Disney Company, Disney Cruise Line or any other travel provider discussed or mentioned.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I don't think my daughter's ever stayed up to midnight before, but she was up partying, you know, with the ABD guides and all the kids until midnight.
0:08.3	And then we're on the river and the fireworks are going off all on the river.
0:12.2	The whole Danube is just glowing with fireworks.
0:15.7	That was like really sealed the deal.
0:17.3	Everyone was like, can we be on a river cruise every year for New Year's?
0:19.9	I think.
0:20.7	Yeah. sealed the deal. Everyone was like, can we be on a river cruise every year for New Year's? I said.
0:55.0	Welcome back, everybody, to this week's episode of the D.C.L. Duo podcast brought to you by my Path Unwinding Travel. And Sam, we can't let this recording go unacknowledged as it is Super Bowl Sunday. Yes, Super Bowl. Go see Hawks. Go see Hawks. This will sound ridiculous like six weeks from now when we lose. We're not going to lose. We're not going to lose. Don't, don't jinx it, Brian. We're going to win.
0:55.8	We're going to win.
0:56.2	Listen, um, we, we said that we would make it to the Super Bowl. I didn't know this sounds crazy, but there's apparently like this pattern of every time there's a new Pope, the Seahawks make it to the Super Bowl. And one time we won and one time we lost,
1:09.6	and so we're due for a win.
1:11.7	So that's what I say.
1:13.4	There you go.
1:13.9	All right.
1:14.3	Well, if there's an abrupt editing like cliff here, it's because the Seahawks did not win. And I asked our editor to take this piece of it out. But if they win, go Hawks. Great job. All right. So we're going to start as we usually do with a listener review. Sam, we've gone through the UK. We're, I think, done with Australia, New Zealand, but we might have one or two left there. But I've headed back over to Canada. Okay, but first you got to, I have to do simply the best, better than all the rest. Much better than I was yesterday when we recorded.
1:45.0	You've been practicing in the shower.
1:46.0	I've been doing my vocal exercises, yeah.
1:49.6	Unique New York.
1:50.7	Unique New York.
1:51.6	All right.
1:53.1	So this review, this week comes from Canadian DCL fan
1:57.6	who writes, reliable, fair, and objective.
	...

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