NickyEWR

Not sure if this is the correct forum for this but I'm looking for suggestions on a Danube River cruise. What is the best time to go- September or October? What is the best cruise line to take? I've been looking at both Viking and Uniworld .

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

KathrynInCanada

We took Tauck and had an incredible cruise.

We took their Magical Musical tour from Budapest to Prague.

The only downside was that it was unlike ocean cruising in two respects. First, you have a different town every day so there was little time to relax (without missing a wonderful tour that I had paid for in my fare.) and secondly, the Danube is very crowded so the ships raft off each other. You have no way of predicting if your cabin will be in the inside looking out onto another ship, inches away. This can be noisy (if their generator is running) or smelly (if you are up near their venting system.) Both happened to us, one night after the next and combined with my exhaustion from day in/day out touring, I decided I would not river cruise again unless I had a long holiday scheduled at the end of it to recover.

As a tour company, I can't say enough about Tauck. Amazing attention to detail (the washrooms at the meeting point were pay, but the guide was handing out the right coins to us), 'backstage' access to things (like the Bratislava Opera which was currently under renovation, or to see the crystal chandeliers down at floor level for cleaning at Vienna's Musikverein Golden Hall.)

We are currently considering Tauck for an African tour because we were so
please with our river cruise. We just won't take a river cruise on the Danube again.

NickyEWR

Thanks KathrynInCanada! Sorry for the delay in replying to your helpful email.

Any other replies/suggestions are greatly appreciated.

UScolorado1k

My family and myself took Uniworld about 3 years ago and loved it. The river boat was fairly nice (as river boats go), and the crew was fabulous.

I believe that we went in either July or August (mainly due to school schedules for my nephew). Would love to do the "Christmas Cruise" someday, but my wife ways that sounds pretty cold !

Hope you enjoy your trip. We sure did !

Out of my Element

In general, for river cruises, the quality lines up like this:

Grand Circle = ****
Vantage = *****
Viking = ******

If you use Tauck or another company, they may not own the boat, or have all of the boat reserved, which some folks may be bothered by, so find out ahead of time if this matters to you.

The owners of at least one of the above mentioned companies also have done things that would make me uncomfortable about supporting with my vacation dollars. Easily googled.

sugarbird

My wife and I did Tauck from Budapest to Prague last year---It was outstanding---like on land tours Tauck is at the head of the class!!!

nabright

My girlfriend and I did Prague to Budapest with Tauck in October 2010. This was the last cruise of the season and some people found the weather a little cold, early September would be a better time.
The Tauck experience was fantastic. They took care of every detail and the 3 guides were always on hand to assist and were very knowledgable about the whole itinerary. Everything ran seemlessly and it was very good value for money as all excursions were included. We also met many like minded people so the dinners were a very social experience. At 54 were were amongst the youngest on the cruise but this meant that we travelled at a good pace. I did not feel we needed a holiday after the cruise because we never felt hurried . All excursions were well run and once we had to return early because my friend was ill and they arranged our return to the ship expertly and with no fuss. You really felt you were an individual who mattered to the crew.
We booked last minute so we had the lowest category cabin which I found very comfortable.
The meals were very good and again everything was included.
I highly recommend Tauck and this year I am looking forward to cruising the Moselle with them.

OzJohnno

I am sorry to say that when it comes to Tauck your observations are far, far from the truth and reality. Tauck have an association with Scylla Cruises who build and crew a number of river boats exclusively for Tauck. It is essentially a Tauck leased boat for Tauck customers. Their attention to detail and service is second to none. We booked a cruise with Tauck last September and I've never received better service in my now considerable lifetime. There a many companies plying their trade up and down the rivers of Europe but none of them are all-inclusive like Tauck and none of them offer the on-board service that Tauck gives. As an Australian the strength of our dollar made Tauck cheaper than any of the other major companies selling in Australia.

Out of my Element

I'm glad your experience was top notch. I know they don't own their boats, and in the past they did not necessarily have all the berths reserved for their own travelers.

OzJohnno

I'm sorry to rain on your parade but again you are totally wrong. During our research last year there was no evidence that Tauck sub-let their boats. In fact Tauck cruises are so popular they are booked out months in advance. Perhaps you are confused with the arrangement the Australian company APT has with AMAWaterways. If you're still not convinced may I suggest you come across to the Cruise Critic board and express your comment on Tauck there.

Out of my Element

I've been on Cruise Critic much longer than I've been here.

See you over there.

ranles

You might want to get a broshure from Avalon!!!!!!

Kagehitokiri

smallest?
most luxurious?
luxury barges outside france?
any actual yachts that take individual bookings?

european companies like www.a-rosa.de ?


so you agree that Out of my Element is correct