Interview with the receptionist
Jelena Jovanovic is the receptionist on the 4****Sup. MS Primadonna and welcomes guests on their cruises along the Danube. As the first point of contact on board, she ensures that everything runs smoothly at reception and is on hand to help and advise travellers with questions and requests. With her friendly manner, she plays a key role in ensuring that guests feel completely at ease.
In this interview, she talks about her varied everyday life on board, reveals her personal highlights on the Danube and gives tips for a relaxed and unforgettable river cruise.
Profile
Name: Jelena Jovanovic
Family: Married
Place of residence: Temerin - Serbia
With Donau Touristik since: 2023
What are your tasks on board and what do you like most about them?
My position on board really covers a wide range of tasks. The work at reception is very varied - from welcoming guests and communicating with them to organising various events on board and ashore.
I enjoy the moments when the bike tours take place the most. Then it's my job to introduce the guests to the tours they will be travelling on the next day. To be able to do this to a high standard, I have ridden all the tours myself. I particularly enjoy this part of my job. Especially because I love cycling and am a passionate traveller and adventurer - it all feels like a dream come true for me.
How did you get this dream job?
I came across this job completely unplanned. After many years of experience in the hotel industry, I wanted to make a change and was actively looking for a new career direction. I came across a job advert for a receptionist on the MS Primadonna and thought it could be a really exciting experience. I could utilise my previous professional skills - but in a new and completely different way. From the first day of work on board, I felt that this was exactly the change I needed. It was a perfect match.
What has been your favourite experience on board so far?
What I particularly like about working on board are the guests who return home satisfied and enriched after our trips together. When a guest tells me that they enjoyed their time with us, that the whole crew is very friendly and hard-working, then I feel that my work is really appreciated.
Which part of the Danube cruise is your favourite section / where do you experience the most beautiful and touching moments?
My favourite stretches along the Danube are the Wachau and the Schlögener Schlinge. Whether you're travelling by bike or by boat, the landscape is simply magical.
At Schlögen, the fantastic green hills and the beautiful, meandering Danube are impressive. In the Wachau, you cycle through vineyards and small, picturesque villages, each of which is home to several wineries.
My favourite moment is when I come across a small stall selling fruit near Weißenkirchen - without any vendors. You simply take a small bag, throw a few coins into the till and enjoy the flavoursome fruit that grows in the garden right next door.
Do you have any tips for travelling along the Danube?
Oh, I could write a whole book on this question! Starting with Passau - with its three rivers and the old town, a place where miracles happen - to the stretch from Schlögen to Linz, where you should definitely stop for a "Steckerlfisch" in the restaurant just after Aschach.
Then, of course, the aforementioned Wachau with its vineyards and wineries scattered everywhere. The route continues to Krems, the first university town, but before that lies Krummnußbaum - a small village with its own nutcracker museum, where I drank the best nut liqueur I've ever tasted.
And of course you should definitely get to Serbia and the Iron Gate - but via Budapest, which enchants with its beauty, especially on night-time boat trips through this incredible metropolis.
How do you spend your free time? What hobbies/activities do you pursue?
Leisure time? Well, I have so much fun on board that every moment feels like free time. What I particularly enjoy doing - when time permits and the ship is in harbour - is getting off the ship and spending time in nature. Walking barefoot, enjoying the sun and breathing fresh air - that fulfils me completely.