pontac

You have added a parameter to your original post - i.e. 7 day cruise limit. Only you can decide what is important to you, therefore I suggest you draw up a chart of the things you want, things that'd be nice but aren't essential and things that you don't want. All the cruises go along the same waterway, so the sights from the boat will be the same, what will be different will be the off-boat excursions, and what is included on board.

Here you are. This is the laundry list from our April 2023 Rhine-Mosel Discovery cruise. Click on image to see it full size

Indeed, which is why I recommend those that come here asking which is the best cruise line to draw up a checklist of the things they want, things they'd like, and things that are not important and then compare the various offerings. I can understand the importance of laundry to those - like you - who have travelled a long distance. For me, a river cruise is just 8 days away from home so laundry is of no importance. My reference to real Champagne was pointed at Canal Archive who praises Scenic. They advertise Champagne is included, but on my trip with them last year they served a substitute instead.

I trust that people who have done this route will answer your request. To me it looks like two standard cruises joined together. Your assumption is correct that it is a land transfer from Lyon to Basel, according to the Viking website which says connection is by motor coach via Beaune. I'm puzzled tho' why they name only one boat.

Who is the 'you' mentioned? Since your post appears directly under mine it reads as if you are refering to me. If so, you are wrong. See I have just returned from another Viking cruise. Luxury, and real Champagne!

Thanks. It was cold, wet and gloomy long the middle Rhine just like last year. Loved the Mosel. We skipped the included excursion to Trier to stay on the boat as at went up the Mosel to enjoy the sun and the views.

I travelled with Viking Basel to Amsterdam last year and am currently on Viking Basel to Trier. By all means check what is on offer as what is included and booking conditions very in different markets, but the highlight of this trip is the Middle Rhine Gorge with 20+ fairytale castles to see Viking's ship design is super and you can sit right at the front of the boat with nothing between you and the river but a waisthigh glass screen. With Scenic the front of the boat is cluttered with dinghys and various clutter and crew access hatches which, when left open, block the view. Looking at other boats on the river, including AMA, I can't see any with such seating. Got to go for safety drill

Useful advice, @tribbs1 , but too late for @lesliew for whom that cruise is probably a fast fading memory, and it's a shame the opportunity to tell us what was done was missed..

You have made a wise choice not relying on JIT (just in time) travel. It's not only strikes, there are delays at French immigration (which takes place at St Pancras) and it's not unknown for train breakdowns to delay travel. I'm not in the camp that finds train travel exciting (having commuted by trains for too many years) but as you enter the tunnel the trains picks up speed and 20 minutes later you'll be whizzing at high speed through the French countryside. And you'll arrive in Paris with no queuing for immigration or customs but be ready to go. Enjoy! I understand the documentary series Emily in Paris tells you all you need to know about life in France 😉

Thanks @GoGAdawgsWin for the review. Glad you enjoyed the cruise.

The only connection the Mateus Place has with Mateus Rose wine is the latter uses a picture of the former on its label. The drinks owner offered the place a payment for every bottle sold, but the palace didn't accept that and took a flat payment. If they'd taken the fraction of a cent or whatever for every bottle sold they'd have made a fortune..... I've been on a cruise that included a tour of the Mateus Palace, attractive gardens on multiple levels. The attraction of the inside of the palace will depend on how many grand historical homes one has previously visited.

Overboard? Not I, just stating the facts. The top cabins eat in a different place from general cruisers every night, i.e. they are in a different class. Yes, the general cruisers get an invite to a 'special' dinner. Whether the meal is better than that generally served is a matter of taste. But in the main dining room diners have a choice of meals and a choice of wines, not so if one accepts the invitation. I'm not sure how I made 'it sound like Queens Grill on Cunard'. It's a place I've never been, so I can't comment. As for pricing, in my report on my Bordeaux trip with Scenic I found that the price for the same number of nights cruising Bordeaux in August is just £4 more expensive than Viking. I rate them about the same, and each beats the other in some ways.

All cruisers do, but it's one per cabin, not per person. It's a small bag, and weight is limited to 1kg. It used to be more prominent but if you look at the website and select the cabin class I found this on Balcony Suite Complimentary laundry concierge and this on Junior Balcony Suite Complimentary laundry concierge plus two pieces of pressed clothing daily so check what's offered on the cabin class you have booked. For an Aussie company, they are very class conscious with separate dining for those in the most expensive cabins and 5 levels of passengers based on how many trips one has taken with them.

Indeed you are joking, because you've never cruised on Viking. I travelled with both Viking and Scenic last year and I rank them together. Some ways Scenic had the edge, in more ways Viking did, and they are in the same price band. My future booked cruises are with Viking which says how I rated them overall. I hope your trip next week with Scenic lives up to expectations. I shall be Viking at the same time. I look forward to reading your trip report. Don't forget to keep an eye on the magic breakfast Champagne.......

Middle Rhine would sate their appetite.. We ailed down there in Aptil last yera (and going agin next week. These are just two of the castles to be seen along the gorge Viking passengers are given this As to how far ahead one can book, as @CastleCritic says, it depends on the line. We booked two 2024 cruises last year, and Viking are taking booking for their 2025 cruises. The advantage of booking early is that one cane get the date and cabin one wants, also there are encouragements to book early - extras and/or discounts. But if you are flexible then there are advantages to booking very late. I don't know how the others operate but Viking advertise different boats in the US/UK and Australian markets. Close to departure when there are unsold cabins they'll open up bookings from all the markets, so you could go on a date r boat that's not shown in your brochure. But as you're booking for your parents, the certainty of booking early is what you want

Ama's description is vague, but I think the boat is at Trier and they are using Luxembourg airport for that end of the cruise. I mentioned earlier in this thread that I am doing the same route, but from Basel to Trier (for Luxembourg airport) with Viking next week. Actually, @notamermaid it's a German company 😉 From Wikipedia: TUI Group is a German leisure, travel and tourism company. TUI is an acronym for Touristik Union International ("Tourism Union International"). TUI AG was known as Preussag AG until 1997

The reason most short cruises are 8 days is that the boat goes one direction with a set of passengers who then get off on the same day a new set of passengers board. The boat then goes back to the starting point, the current set of passengers disembark and the new set arrive. The tours start on the same day of the week from either end, boat goes back & forth. The airport busses and airport staff employed by the cruise line take care of seeing departing customers off and greeting arriving customers. So, although billed as an 8 day cruise, it's really 7 days, with 7 nights accommodation. A 15 day cruise is two weeks back & forth.

Unless you have a suite i.e. bedroom plus living room the cabins on river cruises are small and the only place to store suitcases is under the bed. Scenic probably mention backpack as that is what they used to give their guests up to this year. We put our carry on baggage in our cases which went under the bed, If you can do the same you shouldn't have any problems.

Dear @Dennis_USA First I suggest you rethink your 5 day limit, because the first day of a river cruise will be spent tied up at one place while guests depart & arrive at different times depending where they are going to/coming from and the same on the last day. So your 5 day cruise is 3 days of actual cruising. Secondly, few cruises are shown as 5 days. Riviera has been mentioned but the only 5 day cruise of the Rhine that I can see is Enchanting Rhine and Yuletide Markets River Cruise, which takes place in December. I would suggest you'd find more choice of cruises and cruise companies by looking at 8 day cruises. The 'Middle Rhine' is a gorge with 20+ castles on the banks close together, is in Germany in the northern Rhine. We all have different concepts on temperature, but I think September and October might be cold in Northern Germany. Remember that cruise pricing includes all meals, most include sightseeing tours and beers/wines at lunch and dinner. Prices vary with dates, and class of cabin, and as there is a lot of competition cruise companies are throwing in extras. Also no-one ever pays the quoted price, there are always discounts. I suggest you draw up a check list of what you consider essential, desirable and unnecessary and compare the offerings and prices of several lines. Check the tours: do they visit castles, are they included in the price or an optional extra? Be aware that these castle often require an uphill walk and have worn steep steps and uneven flooring. Are your parents mobile enough to visit the castle on offer, or do they prefer to see them from a distance? And take into account whether it is easy/cheap to get to the departure/arrival port from where you are coming from. FYI we are taking the 8 days Viking cruise from Basel in Switzerland to Trier in Germany, cruising the Rhine, through the middle Rhine gorge to Koblenz the going along the pretty Mosel

Update: Actually 39 years. They were started in 1984. What could be a plus or minus depending on individual choice, and it may be different in the USA marketing, but as standard Riviera do not include alcoholic drinks (house wines/beer) with lunch/dinner. This may be changing as they are throwing in their drinks package with 2023 summer bookings, but it's one of the factors you may like to look at when comparing prices.

Riviera Travel is a family-owned and run British tour company, running holidays of many sorts for 25 odd years and river cruising is their latest venture. As they already have a large base of British customers and started selling river cruise to a British audience that's why their boats have - up to now - mostly British customers. It seems they are now advertising in the USA. I haven't been with them but my friends, who are frequent Viking cruisers, went just before Covid on one of their Christmas market cruises and they are looking at going again with them. They gave a good report. All the river cruise companies appear to have different offerings in the UK and USA so you'll have to see whether price and inclusions are competitive, but I you need have no fear that they are newbies or offer a sub-standard cruise.

From the review* of my August cruise with Scenic:- Two weeks before the cruise start date [I got a ] wallet with air–tickets, cruise details, earpieces and bag tags. Except there were no tickets and no information, instead a card said the documents would be emailed. I then got an email with multiple PDF documents attached, including flight details, taxi arrangements, a health form and a 28 page document of information which I read through twice. Second time I used a highlighter on the important bits, mainly Scenic’s emergency number in Switzerland. The document waffled on telling us that few hotels in Europe had airconditioning, that there was a charge for public toilets etc. It also told us to download the Scenic Tailormade App, but we wouldn’t be able to download the data for our trip until we were on the boat. * Link to review in my Signature, below

100% different? I do hope you'll find it so. I didn't have problems accessing their co.uk website and unfortunately I didn't find the experience onboard lived up to their hype.

Unfortunately there aren't separate CruiseCritic forums for the various markets the cruise companies operate in. UK CruiseCritic main site transfers us to this forum.

It was in a small print footnote in a recent advertising postcard. Big bold print at top (FREE Private Door-to-Door Transfers^), but small print at bottom referenced by the ^ after the big print at top said 'no' to first time cruisers (like I was in August) and second time cruisers (like I could possibly by, though Scenic's attraction has now significantly declined for me.) ^Private door-to-door transfers will be bookable through Scenic for Platinum, Diamond and Emerald Scenic Club members and complimentary within 100 miles of an airport where flights are available from.