European River Cruise Summer 2016
Oct 13, 2015, 7:51 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2009
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European River Cruise Summer 2016
My sister and I want to take our Mom on a European River Cruise next summer for her 65th birthday, she's wanted to go on one for years!
Suggestions on the which company / route that won't break the bank? Thinking less than 10 days, looked briefly at Viking and Tauck so far.
Thanks!
Suggestions on the which company / route that won't break the bank? Thinking less than 10 days, looked briefly at Viking and Tauck so far.
Thanks!
Oct 13, 2015, 8:19 am
#2
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: UA-1K, MM, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Titanium
Posts: 4,424
You will get the best information at Cruisecritic.com. They have a separate forum for River Cruises. River cruises are a totally different experience then ocean cruises.
I have been on 7 River cruises, covering all major rivers in Europe. There are tons of different itineraries. You can do the Seine, RT from Paris. You can do the Douro, RT from Porto. Do you want an emphasis on wine or history or architecture? Do you like to visit cities or villages? I will tell you the most popular is a seven day from Nuremberg or VIlshofen to Budapest or reverse. This would guve you Passau, possibly Krems or Durnstein, Vienna with an overnight (though you cannot walk into town from where the River boats dock) and Budpaest where you will have an overnight.
I recommend AMAWaterways. They are the best in terms of service and cuisine and customer service as compared to U I world, Avalon and Viking River, Tauck is more $$$ but is all inclusive and better cuisine.
Viking has the best advertising but the worst customer service. If anything goes wrong you end up fighting with them forever to get a resolution.
My personal favorite is the Rhine and Mosel. Gorgeous scenery, charming small towns, great wineries and all the castles along the Rhine,
I have been on 7 River cruises, covering all major rivers in Europe. There are tons of different itineraries. You can do the Seine, RT from Paris. You can do the Douro, RT from Porto. Do you want an emphasis on wine or history or architecture? Do you like to visit cities or villages? I will tell you the most popular is a seven day from Nuremberg or VIlshofen to Budapest or reverse. This would guve you Passau, possibly Krems or Durnstein, Vienna with an overnight (though you cannot walk into town from where the River boats dock) and Budpaest where you will have an overnight.
I recommend AMAWaterways. They are the best in terms of service and cuisine and customer service as compared to U I world, Avalon and Viking River, Tauck is more $$$ but is all inclusive and better cuisine.
Viking has the best advertising but the worst customer service. If anything goes wrong you end up fighting with them forever to get a resolution.
My personal favorite is the Rhine and Mosel. Gorgeous scenery, charming small towns, great wineries and all the castles along the Rhine,
Oct 13, 2015, 8:29 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2010
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Posts: 14,727
Definitely agree with the suggestion for AMAWaterways. Had a fantastic cruise with them this summer, and the customer service from beginning to end (even after the cruise) was wonderful.
When comparing pricing between lines, remember to compare what is and isn't included.
With Viking, you are paying for all that advertising - but getting much less included than most other lines and usually much smaller cabins than other lines.
When comparing pricing between lines, remember to compare what is and isn't included.
With Viking, you are paying for all that advertising - but getting much less included than most other lines and usually much smaller cabins than other lines.
Oct 13, 2015, 8:37 am
#4
Join Date: Jul 2009
Programs: Delta Gold, silver, what yr is it?
Posts: 2,415
We did a family trip on Avalon (Dec 2014 - Christmas Markets) It was a fabulous cruise and exceeded all my expectations. That said - I'm never traveling with family (my mom & stepdad, my husband's parents) again, and I'm not really a good river cruiser - you pay for too many things that I don't want included. Like all the tours. I'd much rather explore on my own, since half the time I just want to explore a market or a pub. Ah well.
Agree that Cruise Critic is a great place to look - there are a couple of threads stuck at the top of the forum with broad information for those who are new to river cruising.
(what we especially loved about Avalon are the cabins - so well laid out and comfortable, the beds face the window, and the window slides open - you don't lose cabin space to a balcony but you can be in open air if you want. And a fridge to keep our German beer cool^)
When we were researching, I created an excel matrix with various companies & itineraries, broken down to get a per diem price (so hard to compare apples to apples with the variations in itineraries) cabin size, included amenities etc. I'm that kind of a dorky travel planner ;-) Also note when you look at river cruise itineraries they can be misleading because they often include travel days as a day of the cruise - just look at the daily itinerary to confirm how many nights you'll be on the boat.
Agree that Cruise Critic is a great place to look - there are a couple of threads stuck at the top of the forum with broad information for those who are new to river cruising.
(what we especially loved about Avalon are the cabins - so well laid out and comfortable, the beds face the window, and the window slides open - you don't lose cabin space to a balcony but you can be in open air if you want. And a fridge to keep our German beer cool^)
When we were researching, I created an excel matrix with various companies & itineraries, broken down to get a per diem price (so hard to compare apples to apples with the variations in itineraries) cabin size, included amenities etc. I'm that kind of a dorky travel planner ;-) Also note when you look at river cruise itineraries they can be misleading because they often include travel days as a day of the cruise - just look at the daily itinerary to confirm how many nights you'll be on the boat.
Oct 13, 2015, 9:01 am
#5
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: SFO/SMF
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Would love a copy of your spreadsheet, PM me if your willing.
That said, I'm sitting here on the Uniworld River Royale in Libourne, France (we're on the Bodrdeaux chateau cruise). The boat is older and in need of updating, but the service and "can do" attitude by staff is amazing. It's like the Four Seasons hotel of river boats; they don't know the meaning of the word no. Can't wait to book my next luxury river cruise; very interested in Avalon.
That said, I'm sitting here on the Uniworld River Royale in Libourne, France (we're on the Bodrdeaux chateau cruise). The boat is older and in need of updating, but the service and "can do" attitude by staff is amazing. It's like the Four Seasons hotel of river boats; they don't know the meaning of the word no. Can't wait to book my next luxury river cruise; very interested in Avalon.
Oct 13, 2015, 9:18 am
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2009
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Thanks all for your comments so far! I will definitely look into AMA and Avalon as well as cruisecritic. Just need to figure out the most economical way for 3 people to cruise. May some cruise lines will let 3 people in a suite or other cabin type?
Oct 13, 2015, 10:04 am
#7
Join Date: Jul 2009
Programs: Delta Gold, silver, what yr is it?
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Don't have my spreadsheet at work - I hope it's on my laptop or it's archived- I'll send when I find ;-)
There are some recent threads on Cruise Critic about singles - there are a couple of new boats that actually have single cabins, and others that will offer certain cruises with discounted single supplements. But I'm not sure even the larger suites (of which you'll only have 2 or 4 on any ship) can fit 3 people.
On our trip, 4 of us were river cruise virgins (and my stepdad has still never been on an ocean cruise) My in-laws had previously done 5-6 cruises in Europe with Uniworld and liked them, but they liked Avalon as well. I was the only person out of the 6 of us who didn't get sick, and I know that affected everyone's perception of the trip. Uniworld has gone more inclusive in the past year - now includes all alcohol, gratuities etc like Tauck. Still variations on how many tours are included (this issue can get very nitpicky and can be somewhat difficult to parse on various websites).
There are some recent threads on Cruise Critic about singles - there are a couple of new boats that actually have single cabins, and others that will offer certain cruises with discounted single supplements. But I'm not sure even the larger suites (of which you'll only have 2 or 4 on any ship) can fit 3 people.
On our trip, 4 of us were river cruise virgins (and my stepdad has still never been on an ocean cruise) My in-laws had previously done 5-6 cruises in Europe with Uniworld and liked them, but they liked Avalon as well. I was the only person out of the 6 of us who didn't get sick, and I know that affected everyone's perception of the trip. Uniworld has gone more inclusive in the past year - now includes all alcohol, gratuities etc like Tauck. Still variations on how many tours are included (this issue can get very nitpicky and can be somewhat difficult to parse on various websites).
Oct 13, 2015, 3:29 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2010
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AMA is coming out with some ships next year though that will accommodate more than 2 people (also some that will connect) so that may be an option for you. They will also have some cabins that are connecting.
Oct 14, 2015, 5:17 am
#9
Join Date: May 2011
Location: San Antonio, TX
Programs: AA EXP, DL Silver, Global Entry
Posts: 1,863
We'd like to do a European river cruise, particularly one of the Russian cruises so my wife could visit some of the historical sites she's so interested in. Because of her position with DoD she has to have all her foreign travel reviewed and approved and Russia is "off limits" right now. Personally having lived and worked in Germany for several years I'm not all that interested in the other European river cruises.
Last edited by Randyk47; Oct 14, 2015 at 5:23 am
Oct 22, 2015, 6:33 pm
#10
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 4
Just finished a Tauck Cruise Amsterdam to Budapest in summer. Absolutely the best company as everything is included. All excursions, all alcohol, including Champagne. Wonderful dining. Lovely ship and cabin with around 100 people. Superb guides, they cannot do enough for you. I was hugely impressed. It is an American company so most of the passengers are from the US.
Oct 23, 2015, 12:15 am
#11
Join Date: Jan 2013
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Oct 23, 2015, 5:36 am
#12
Join Date: May 2011
Location: San Antonio, TX
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Posts: 1,863
To the best of my knowledge it does not apply to all DoD personnel and certainly not to US citizens in general. In my wife's case it's a combination of her clearance and position. It's kind of applied in a generic way in the sense she trips certain thresholds attach to her position rather than specifically attached to her as an individual.
Oct 23, 2015, 12:40 pm
#13
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 71
We just completed a river cruise down the Danube on the Avalon Illumination,
and the ship, crew and food was very good.
That notwithstanding, we started in Budapest, visited Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania, and I have to say I found the day trips in the latter 3 quite depressing, once you get 5 miles outside the large cities. It was like
'set your watch back 100 years' to a way of life we do not see in the USA.
A lot of folks got sick - some folks were sick on the tour bus so most of us, in turn, got sick as well, but that happens, NOT a fault of the cruise line.
That said, one thing of note is if you need cough drops, take them with you because they don't exist over there, not even behind a pharmacy counter. Take anything you might think you need med-wise, you won't find it over there.
Check to make sure you can bring these things IN to the countries.
We like Avalon and plan on many more trips with them in the future.
and the ship, crew and food was very good.
That notwithstanding, we started in Budapest, visited Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania, and I have to say I found the day trips in the latter 3 quite depressing, once you get 5 miles outside the large cities. It was like
'set your watch back 100 years' to a way of life we do not see in the USA.
A lot of folks got sick - some folks were sick on the tour bus so most of us, in turn, got sick as well, but that happens, NOT a fault of the cruise line.
That said, one thing of note is if you need cough drops, take them with you because they don't exist over there, not even behind a pharmacy counter. Take anything you might think you need med-wise, you won't find it over there.
Check to make sure you can bring these things IN to the countries.
We like Avalon and plan on many more trips with them in the future.
Oct 23, 2015, 8:21 pm
#14
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Hawai'i Nei
Programs: Au: UA, Marriott, Hilton; GE
Posts: 7,132
To the best of my knowledge it does not apply to all DoD personnel and certainly not to US citizens in general. In my wife's case it's a combination of her clearance and position. It's kind of applied in a generic way in the sense she trips certain thresholds attach to her position rather than specifically attached to her as an individual.