A German family-owned firm headquartered in Neustadt in Holsetin, Peter Deilmann Cruises commenced its program of river cruises in 1983 under the direction of founder Peter Deilmann. His two daughters, Gisa and Hedda, now head the company that operates eight riverboats and the 513-passenger deep-sea cruise ship Deutschland built in 1998, featuring grand Edwardian and Art Nouveau interiors and operating year-round on worldwide itineraries.
Fleet
Seven riverboats with elegantinteriors are rated Five Star with one Four Star, the differences primarily incabin size and arrangement, while the food, service and passenger-crew ratioare the same. The one oceangoing ship, the Deutschland, was Peter Deilmann’spride and joy in a successful attempt to create a real liner of yore.
Itineraries
Deilmann cruising destinationsinclude the Rhine, Neckar and Moselle valleys in the Netherlands andGermany; the Danube from the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal in Germany to the BlackSea coast of Romania; the Elbe from Berlin to Prague and Hamburg to Dresden;the Oder from Berlin into Poland; the Seine from Paris to the Normandy coast;and the South of France along the Rhone and Saone. Sailings operate betweenlate March and early November. The Deutschland operates worldwide thoughconcentrating on northern European itineraries in the summer.
Dining and Decor
The predominantly German-speaking clientele likes the fixedseating for all meals and long lunch menus. Americans normally eat much less at midday, and some ships cater better to this preference than others with theirbuffet selections. Deilmann gets very high marks for its food, offeringmultiple courses for lunch and six to eight courses for dinner.
The riverboats and the Deutschland have a formal Europeandécor and lots of artworks.
Programs
Deilmann riverboat passengers are mainly German andEnglish-speaking with widely varying numbers depending on the cruise. Overall,English-speakers represent 40-45 percent of the total. Both languages arespoken on board and during shore excursions (optional costs), and programs andmenus are equally bilingual. The Deutschland carries few Americans.
Onboard Experience
The atmosphere is formal and a bit staid when Germans are inthe majority, but they do liven up at night. Americans interested in makingcontact will most likely have to make the first move.
Competitors
Unlike Viking River Cruises, a major competitor drawingEnglish-speaking passengers and having open seating in the restaurant, Deilmannships have fixed seating for all meals. That is something to consider as wellas whether the preference is a mixed language cruise or just English-speaking.
