Love on the Danube: Royal Getaway on the Hallmark Channel is the second film in a trilogy of movies that all take place aboard a river cruise in Europe. Using real locations along the way, these romances all feature strangers who fall in love while aboard the ship. In Royal Getaway, a prince (who is hiding his identity as a royal) meets an art dealer from Chicago while on vacation and sparks fly. While the gorgeous, historic backdrops of Eastern Europe add to the romance of the movie, the problem lies less in this particular movie’s plot and more with the fact that Hallmark has made three movies that are all a little too same-y. Maybe one trip down the Danube was enough?
Opening Shot: Ava (Jessica Sipos) wanders aimlessly through the Chicago art gallery where she works. Ava hasn’t quite been herself since her wedding was called off last year, so her coworker Eugene (Francesco Martino) suggests she take some time off for herself and take the honeymoon cruise she was meant to take months ago but never used.
The Gist: As Ava decides to embark on this cruise adventure, so too does Jozsef (Dan Jeannotte), the Duke of Baldonia. Jozsef is next in line for the throne of his European kingdom, but he’s a bit of a black sheep, causing headaches for his family and insisting on being a free spirit. Jozsef’s father, the king, gives him an ultimatum to get his act together and decide whether he really wants to be king, and he has two weeks to decide. Jozsef has been busy helping his family procure great works of art for an upcoming charity auction, so he decides to kill two birds with one stone by taking this cruise: he’ll not only travel to some of Europe’s great art cities to gather some priceless works of art, he’ll also get to take a little trip and clear his head in order to decide his future.
Jozsef, who tries to disguise himself as a commoner and calls himself Joe, meets Ava on the cruise and they immediately hit it off discussing art, something they’re both well-versed in, as Ava helps Joe select the pieces he’s collecting. Ava is a brilliant art historian, but she also believes art should be for the people, so she herself is on a quest to find a reclusive artist whose work and ethos she loves. (As it turns out, this artist’s greatest work belongs to Joe’s family. But since Joe is hiding his identity, he can’t tell her that.)
Joe insists on keeping his true identity a secret, and as the days pass, it becomes more difficult to keep up the lie. He’s caught feelings for Ava, but at a certain point, he’s in too deep and to reveal that he’s a royal would upend the connection they’ve developed. When she does find out, it’s because a paparazzo publishes photos of Joe and Ava alomgside an article speculating that they’re engaged. This makes the lie all the more devastating to Ava who feels completely betrayed. Eventually, Joe wins Ava back with a little bit of grovelling and an idea to turn his family’s palace into a public art gallery, which is the most direct path to her heart.
What Movies Will It Remind You Of? Ahh, there are so many of these royal-pretending-not-to-be-royal movies out there, aren’t there? The Prince and Me, The Royal We, Royally Ever After…
Our Take: Love on the Danube: Royal Getaway is the second film in the Love on the Danube trilogy which originally streamed on Hallmark+ last fall. The three films share the same name and feature the same “strangers finding love on a river cruise” theme, and they feature three recurring supporting characters aboard the ship (the captain, the cruise director Teddy, and Betty, a cruise-loving social butterfly). And while they are not identical stories, they’re perhaps a little too similar to really warrant there being this many of them.
The thing is, these films all make similar stops (shot on location in the very real European cities along the Danube), and make use of the beautiful scenery, and while the character arcs are all different and the actors are likeable enough, it’s more Danube than we need. Joe and Ava’s story is perfectly sweet, although the hidden identity ruse tends to be my least favorite trope in a romance movie, and I can’t help but wonder if I’d like the movie more if it was the first – or only – Love on the Danube movie on Hallmark, because it’s perfectly fine romantic fare. But I guess I’m critical of this one simply don’t think there need to be three movies that use the same conceit (nor do they even try to form a cohesive trilogy in terms of plot), so I’m taking my grievances out on this one.
Parting Shot: Joe and Ava kiss in front of the painting that Ava spent the film looking for. It has been gifted to them by Joe’s family, knowing how much it means to Ava.
Memorable Dialogue: “She’s a commoner,” the King tells Jozsef, expressing concern about Joe’s feelings for Ava. “I can’t help who I fall in love with, father,” Joe says, a classic trope of these royal-themed Hallmark joints.
Our Call: While I tend to give most Hallmark movies the benefit of the doubt and find a reason to recommend them, as stated above, Love on the Danube: Royal Getaway, the second film in a trio set on a cruise ship, simply feels redundant. SKIP IT.
Liz Kocan is a pop culture writer living in Massachusetts. Her biggest claim to fame is the time she won on the game show Chain Reaction.