Select Ms William Shakespeare - Frankfurt

“special”

It was a special experience to sleep on a floating hotel, but it was so relaxing as there are no cars nearby, no screaming people and the benefit for me was that the generator is making a snoozing sound, which makes it very easy to sleep.

“Very pleasant way to see the Rhone & Saone”

Just returned from a river cruise on board the MV William Shakespeare sailing northwards on the rivers Rhone and Saone from Avignon to Lyon. The ship was built in 2014 and surprisingly is already looking a little dated although the accommodation and facilities throughout are 4*. Staff were uniform… more

Just returned from a river cruise on board the MV William Shakespeare sailing northwards on the rivers Rhone and Saone from Avignon to Lyon. The ship was built in 2014 and surprisingly is already looking a little dated although the accommodation and facilities throughout are 4*. Staff were uniformly excellent and knew and understood exactly how to deal with their - relatively elderly - passengers. Although the cruise was along a French river none of the staff on board, apart from the Captain, was actually French (not a complaint just an observation!). Our cabin was small (it would not suit anybody with a propensity for being untidy) but perfectly comfortable and the large sliding picture window was a bonus. Housekeeping staff kept the room looking spotless. Meals were very good and whilst plentiful were not over-facing. Again, the Chef and his staff worked miracles in maintaining such a high level of excellence - how on earth do you produce 150 perfectly formed and delicious souffles all at the same time from a kitchen on the back of a boat? Amazing! Minor criticisms would be firstly that there was really no alternative sitting area than the main lounge which at times could be quite crowded and noisy - the piped music was at times totally inappropriate for an elderly clientele (sort of garage funk) and during the evening the entertainer played a fairly repetitive mix of songs on the keyboard which were designed to get people onto the dance floor. Regrettably he wasn't very good although he was very enthusiastic! You should be aware that occasionally the view from the cabin windows could be spoiled and indeed obliterated altogether if,as happened a few times,another cruise ship moors directly alongside - in which case your view faces either to the side of that boat or, more disconcertingly, directly into someones cabin on it! All in all a great way to see the sights, cities and towns of a major river and the MV William Shakespeare was not far short of being a perfect way to experience luxury river travel. Some new vessels will be joining the fleet next year - look out for the MV Geoffrey Chaucer - and no doubt the new ships will provide an even greater level of comfort and amenity.

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“It's a boat, be clear...”

Booked late during a trade fair, so rooms were limited. Found a decent deal at this place so booked without looking at reviews, which is quite unlike me. Arrived and very quickly realised, it's a boat. However, rooms were ok, but small, the bar was well stocked and serviced, and served me well for … more

Booked late during a trade fair, so rooms were limited. Found a decent deal at this place so booked without looking at reviews, which is quite unlike me. Arrived and very quickly realised, it's a boat. However, rooms were ok, but small, the bar was well stocked and serviced, and served me well for what I needed. Breakfast was probably above average for similarly priced hotels, so that's good.

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“Okay hotel. Horrible Wifi. One day no hot water!”

We stayed at the William Shakespeare for 3 days for a trade show. On the first morning, we had no hot water on the entire ship. It was impossible to shower before leaving for our meetings. We have terrible Wifi service everyday. We are unable to connect for more than 90 seconds – 3 minutes at a… more

We stayed at the William Shakespeare for 3 days for a trade show. On the first morning, we had no hot water on the entire ship. It was impossible to shower before leaving for our meetings. We have terrible Wifi service everyday. We are unable to connect for more than 90 seconds – 3 minutes at a time before the service drops us. It makes it impossible do conduct business. When I ask to access the non-guest, regular WS-Hotel Wifi, I am told that no one has the password. The boat-hotel is a cute idea, but the quality of some of the services were very disappointing.

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