AARP Travel Launches Exclusive Member Events with Danube Charter Cruise

 

 

Feb 21, 2008 – Keene, NH – General Tours World Traveler, a select partner of AARP Travel, has chartered Peter Deilmann’s 5-star MV Mozart for a one-week cruise through the golden, autumnal landscapes of the Danube River. Delighting in the camaraderie of sailing together aboard the former State Ship of Austria, AARP Members will explore the passions of the mighty Hapsburg Dynasty and the cultural, artistic, and architectural legacy of the Empire they ruled for seven centuries.

 

It was more than 500 years ago when Hapsburg Emperor Maximilian I set in motion what would become his everlasting musical legacy. In 1498, he moved his court musicians from Innsbruck to Vienna, with specific instruction that there be six boys among them. Today, the Vienna Boys Choir counts 100 members, with 250 students enrolled in their private palace school at the glorious Augartenpalais.

 

This former Imperial hunting lodge was built for the Hapsburgs in the 17^th century and is rarely opened to visitors, but AARP Members will be treated to a private Vienna Boys Choir Palace Concert featuring a selection of Austrian folk songs and best-loved works by Strauss and Mozart. Then an elegant dessert reception on the Palace grounds offers a taste of the sweet, languorous Imperial life in the time of the Hapsburgs.

 

The last Austro-Hungarian ruler, Franz Josef, and his wife Empress Sisi often retreated to the Hungarian countryside to their beloved summer residence at Godollo Palace. Built in the mid 1700’s, this lovely estate has recently been restored to its Baroque splendor. AARP Members will alight in Budapest for a champagne reception and tour of this resplendent Palace followed by a private concert of operetta selections performed by the renowned Hungarian ensemble, Marquise, dressed in period finery.

 

Bratislava, a little-known gem on the Danube, witnessed the coronation of 19 Austro-Hungarian rulers, including the Empress Maria Theresia. She in particular heavily influenced the royal character of this ‘City of Kings,’ endowing Bratislava with impressive Baroque architecture. AARP Members will be greeted here with fittingly royal fanfare from the Brass Orchestra of Bratislava before a private escorted tour through the magnificently-restored Old Town.

 

Privately-arranged excursions and events in Vienna, Esztergom, Dürnstein, Budapest, and Melk further explore the lasting legacy of the Hapsburgs. In Vienna, AARP Members have a special invitation for a rehearsal at the Spanish Riding School - testament to the breadth of the Empire’s reach across nearly all of Europe - and in-depth Budapest sightseeing visits the grand Opera House, a legacy of the Hapsburg’s generous patronage of the arts.

 

A private wine-tasting on a castle terrace, specially-planned shipboard parties, and exciting pre- and post-cruise tours to Prague and Munich complete this once-in-a-lifetime AARP Travel event.

 

This 8-day luxury cruise, September 14 to 21, 2008, with fine dining, all shore excursions, private events, and port and fuel charges is priced at $3,999 per person, double occupancy for Main Deck outside staterooms and $4,899 for Upper Deck. Single-traveler rates begin at $5,099. The pre-cruise Prague package and perfectly-timed Munich Oktoberfest post-cruise tour are $1,599 per person, double occupancy. Attractively-priced economy and business class airfares are available on Lufthansa and United.

 

AARP Members save $280 per couple on all of General Tours World Traveler’s European river cruises, including this special private charter luxury cruise.

 

For complete details on this cruise, click GeneralToursEvents.com/aarp or call 800-858-0908