MS Elbe Princesse: paddle wheels for a river too shallow for propellers, and Berlin to Prague in 9 days
The MS Elbe Princesse is 95.4 m long by 10.50 m wide, has 2 decks and 39 cabins, and carries 77 passengers with 25 crew. Built in 2016, rated 5 anchors, driven by paddle wheels: 10 years of hull and no published refit. She sails the Elbe and the Vltava between Berlin and Prague, at 3.1 guests per crew member.
Why paddle wheels
The Elbe is an awkward river: shallow, without continuous regulation, with summer low water that uncovers sandbanks. Propellers suit it badly, because they need water beneath the hull. Paddle wheels work the water at the surface and allow a very shallow draught. CroisiEurope reserves that architecture for 3 of its 64 boats: this one, the MS Loire Princesse of 2015 and the MS R.E. Waydelich L.J. of 2018.
Seventy-seven passengers, and what that is worth
At 0.81 guests per metre, this boat is, after the Waydelich, the least dense in CroisiEurope's European river fleet, hotel barges aside. Against the crew, that is 3.1 guests per crew member. On a 9-day route between two capitals, that difference is lived daily, in the restaurant as much as at disembarkation.
Berlin to Prague, a route few boats run
The itinerary links Berlin to Prague in 9 days, by the Elbe then the Vltava, in both directions. It is one of the few European river routes joining two capitals without using the Rhine or the Danube, and it crosses Saxony, Dresden and Bohemia. Published departures are 16 October and 1 November 2026 Prague to Berlin, and 24 October and 9 November the other way.
Added to those: a Berlin-Prague Christmas markets cruise in 9 days on 11 December, a Christmas in Prague in 5 days on 23 December and a New Year in Prague in 5 days on 29 December.
Neither Berlin nor Prague has a non-stop flight from Montreal-Trudeau. Plan at least one connection, usually through Paris, Frankfurt or Amsterdam, all three served non-stop. Allow a night before embarkation.
Choosing a cabin
The 39 cabins sit on two decks. Upper deck cabins have large picture windows with a French balcony, main deck cabins have windows. A French balcony is a window opening onto a railing, not a place to sit. Categories A, B and C differ by location. Cabin size is not published for this boat, while CroisiEurope states 10 m² on the MS La Bohème and 13.50 m² on the MS Gérard Schmitter.
Two decks, so no lift
CroisiEurope fits lifts only to its three-deck boats. This one has two, so she has none. The restaurant is on the main deck, the lounge bar with its terrace on the upper deck, and the sun deck carries armchairs and loungers.
What the fare includes and what it does not
Included: full board, drinks with meals and at the bar, Wi-Fi, port taxes and onboard entertainment. Not included: shore excursions, gratuities, the premium wine list and transfers. Over 9 days between Berlin and Prague, with Dresden and Saxony to visit, the excursion budget matters and deserves pricing before departure.
Who this boat is not for
Anyone who cannot manage stairs. Anyone who wants to board without a connection. Anyone looking for a pool, a spa or a gym, none of which are on board. And anyone who needs a route guaranteed to the metre: on a river with marked low water, a low level can alter a stretch, and that is precisely why this boat exists in this form. See also the MS Mona Lisa, the other boat in the fleet to touch the Elbe, and our CroisiEurope page.
