Travel on the Danube from Austria to Romania

Hello,
am planning a trip starting this summer/autumn with my backpack from Austria to India and further on...

I would like to start this trip with going by ship along the Danube from Vienna to Romania and would have some questions to you:

1. Did anybody of you this trip already?
2. Is it possible also to do this trip with a cargo ship?
3. If it is possible wiuth a cargo ship can you share any contacts with me?
4. Or is it possible to get a lift from other watrer transports on the danube?
5. Cruises seem to be very expensive... but which one is the cheapest and best value in case a public transport doesn't work?

Many thanks for your replies, Georg from Austria.

All Danube cruise boats are extremely expensive. 80 per cent of the passengers are usually older than 70 years.
Unlike high sea cargo boats, river boats have usually no cabs for passengers. The lingua franca on board would be Ukrainian or Russian anyway.

Hi meckerdv,
many thanks for your answer.

However, what do you exactly mean with? --> The lingua franca on board would be Ukrainian or Russian anyway.

I mean that the staff of Danube Cargo boats come often from Eastern European countries and that you cannot expect them to know the Englisch language. If you speak Rusian, you might be fine; but as I told you they usually don't take passengers.

As to the cruise boats, I could just add that the many land excursions are usually adapted to the age of the passengers.

Liked the idea, innovative and sensational.
To my understanding, following link will help you out if you explore it reasonably.
http://www.ferrylines.com/en/

hello cuppidabbas,
thanks for you comments and the link you sent me...

i checked it out quite thoroughly yesterday however i couldn't find a connection on the river danube, looks like this link only covers sea ferries... or have i missed something?

Thanks for your help, Georg.

You misssed nothing; I checked the link too. For river cruises, you may have a look at
http://www.rivercruise.com/ticker.cfm

if you get until the Black See, do not miss the Danube Delta. Maybe it is more interesting then all the cruise from Wien.
I

Hi
Interesting Itinerary. ;z)

I posted somewhere else, that I am interested in going from Greece to India.
I am open to go by both Sea or land, (then continueing south or west)
I won't leave in summer or Fall probabilly 2013.

I'll check out the seafaries link above. I have looked at cargo ships before. and some seafaries...
I like the idea but the cost is more then flying. and I intend to travel fairly light anyway. If traveling heavy or moving then it makes a lot of sense--otherwise.

Meanwhile I'm checking out a cheap side trip to the black sea (Romania is looking much better then Bulgaria at the moment).
flying up from Athens and then taking the bus back one town at a time.. - advice?

Why does no one talk about the other side of the Black sea? ;z))
I can believe the tours in this area are for 70 year olds.. from previous trip to Bulgaria.. It was very easy easy trip. (but my GF spoke some russian.. ..