Royal-ing on a river

Breakfast with a real-life princess? It happened. Now, my timing may have been off, as I arrived just as Her Highness had polished off her granola, but the point is we could have made polite chit-chat over croissants and I may have even shared my pot of jam.

I must be transparent in that this missed tete-a-tete was on a christening cruise but that doesn't mean your clients won't have a similar brush with royalty.

My voyage was the maiden sailing of APT's AmaReina, with Reina translating effectively as queen in Spanish – a fitting title for a river cruise ship that boasts a trifecta of royal experiences.

APT calls river cruising its champion product and owner Geoff McGeary is often involved in the design of the vessels, with the AmaReina being no exception. McGeary lays claim to the twin balcony design of most of the suites. The ship comes with a wine room, heated pool with swim up bar, and an all-hours cafe.

APT's family touch is all-pervasive. Princess Heide von Hohenzollern is godmother to the AmaReina and it was touching to see the princess almost brought to tears as she vowed to look after her godchild during the christening speech, drawing on the friendships made with APT staff who she sees as family.

"When I met my godchild four days ago can you imagine this beauty is still very young but amazingly mature," Princess Heide said.

The personal touch continues once onboard the ship with a welcome by captain Tom Buining, who has captained ships for decades. So much so that his wife calls him Tom Cruise. It's his tenth christening so he's had time to well and truly polish that punch line.

The AmaReina however is the most perfect ship he has had, he tells me proudly. It is the most modern and well-designed ship of the APT fleet and it will service the Magnificent Europe itinerary, a 15-day cruise down the Danube which boasts three royal experiences for guests.

In Vienna, AmaReina guests are invited to a private performance of opera at the Liechtenstein City Palace. Guests are treated to champagne in the decadent Square Room, which is embellished with gold in every feasible place, from the ceiling to the chandelier. Indeed, that candelabra style chandelier is overwhelming enough to dominate a very sizable room.

As one of the most modern baroque palaces in the Vienna of the 17th century, its style informed other copycat buildings. Guests move up a wide, low-step staircase edged by cream coloured balustrades and white statues.

The Palace Orchestra Vienna and Mozart Boys Choir join forces to take guests through a 12-movement program of Strauss and Mozart, Vienna's favourite musical sons. Some of the pieces are instrumental, but every second or third is accompanied by an aria, tenor, duet or the Mozart Boys choir.

This choir is an Austrian tradition that harks back to the 15th century and is made up of boys aged eight to 21. It could be stuffy and serious and indeed no one would expect any different. The pleasure of the performance is that it's not. In fact it's downright cheeky.

The blonde soprano seduces a male member of the audience, sitting on his lap, eliciting laughs from the crowd and red cheeks from him. The show concludes with the Blue Danube Waltz, a perennial favourite recognised by all.

A new signature experience for APT's Magnificent Europe guests in 2015 is the Majestic Imperator rail journey. This experience harks back to an imperial train that once transported the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, namely emperor Franz Joseph I and empress Elisabeth of Austria.

The story began when Majestic Imperator creator Gottfried Rieck held a party for his friends travelling through Eastern Europe onboard an historic steam locomotive. The Majestic Imperator was launched when he sourced a four-axle carriage from the same factory that built the emperor's train and he used the original plans to model the Majestic Imperator into its current incarnation.

The carriages are all fitted with brocade curtains and luxe extras, and each one has a different colour scheme. The journey takes guests through the countryside of Austria's Salzkammergut region.

APT also offers its guests freedom of choice. That applies to how guests want their day to play. In Vienna there are four activities that appeal to artists, explorers, equestrian enthusiasts and history-lovers. For the arty, there's the Fine Arts museum, which on occasion trumps Parisian institutions.

Then there's a tour of Schonbrunn Palace, home to decadent art and antiques. The Spanish riding school is also an option. The excursion I chose contains an instruction to bring my passport, and I am sold. It's a full-day tour to a country that's not even on the itinerary – Slovakia.

That freedom extends to the operations of the ship. Cruise director Sue Obermoser explains that unlike ocean cruising's set seating, guests can choose who they dine with each night. "It's important to have free seating and dining to share experiences and take people out of their comfort zone," Sue said.

The food is high-quality, which is no mean feat given the number of passengers that need to be fed each night. The main dining area has two restaurants split by dining booths, with one side serving Italian fare and the other contemporary European cuisine.

However if you sit on the wrong side, the waiters are courteous enough to offer both menus. There's always an amuse bouche, entree, soup, palate cleanser, main course and dessert. If you're still hungry, late night supper is also served in the lounge.

For special occasions there are two wine rooms with a fire wall. The piece de resistance is Erlebnis Chef's Table, a restaurant at the stern of the ship where diners can see the chef preparing the multi-course meal through a glass window.

A third signature experience for APT's guests is an exclusive and royal invitation by the lady I had breakfast with. German Princess Heide von Hohenzollern has opened her home – well, her castle – to guests. Burg Namedy is Her Highness's ancestral home and APT guests have a behind-the-scenes tour of the property which is topped off by a banquet dinner in the castle's Hall of Mirrors.

After all this royal treatment, it's hard to re-adjust to run-of-the-mill life. Fortunately, even when you've left Europe's gilded palaces the extravagance continues on board the AmaReina. You have your own butler after all.

APT's 15-day Magnificent Europe itinerary departs from Amsterdam and concludes in Budapest with prices starting from $7795

Emirates offers return fares from Australia to Amsterdam, with connecting flights to Budapest, from $1787. Emirates operates 84 flights per week from Australia to Dubai, with onward connections to Amsterdam and Budapest.

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