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New to River Cruising


swanmark
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Hi Guys, we are really interested in river cruising, but we are a little unsure. We have done 3 sea cruises around the med, but we are getting a bit fed up with the same itinerary's, so we are considering a river cruise. Trouble is we feel they may be a little bit on the stuffy snobby side, but we could be wrong, Do you have to eat at large tables as we are very private and prefer a table for 2. Also are there any fully all inclusive river cruises ?. Can anyone recommend a good river cruise and Itinerary. Hope you can help take away our doubts, thanks in advance.

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I've only cruised on Uniworld, so I'm offering my opinion from that perspective.

 

Even though Uniworld is a higher end line, I don't find it stuffy or snobby at all. You will find that your fellow cruisers may be a little better educated than the general population, and most have traveled abroad previously. One my first Uniworld cruise, I had dinner every night with 3 other ladies I met on the ship who were also traveling by themselves. We were a nurse, a teacher, a librarian, and an urban planner. Hardly a stuffy or pretentious group.

 

From my standpoint, Uniworld is all-inclusive. On my first cruise, the only thing on my onboard account was a charge for postcard stamps. On my second, there was a charge for some earrings I purchased using OBC. I had to add a few euros to cover the cost. I have a 3rd Uniworld cruise coming up in October.

 

All meals, beverages (unless it's high end alcohol), tips, tours, and transfers are covered.

 

If you have specific questions about Uniworld, please post them and I'll try to answer.

 

Roz

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Thank you Roz

 

I've only cruised on Uniworld, so I'm offering my opinion from that perspective.

 

Even though Uniworld is a higher end line, I don't find it stuffy or snobby at all. You will find that your fellow cruisers may be a little better educated than the general population, and most have traveled abroad previously. One my first Uniworld cruise, I had dinner every night with 3 other ladies I met on the ship who were also traveling by themselves. We were a nurse, a teacher, a librarian, and an urban planner. Hardly a stuffy or pretentious group.

 

From my standpoint, Uniworld is all-inclusive. On my first cruise, the only thing on my onboard account was a charge for postcard stamps. On my second, there was a charge for some earrings I purchased using OBC. I had to add a few euros to cover the cost. I have a 3rd Uniworld cruise coming up in October.

 

All meals, beverages (unless it's high end alcohol), tips, tours, and transfers are covered.

 

If you have specific questions about Uniworld, please post them and I'll try to answer.

 

Roz

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Another vote for Uniworld. My husband and I have now done four. Agree with the others that the attitude is far from snobby and stuffy. On Uniworld it is open seating, and you can choose to dine whenever you want, within the confines of the dining room hours. On our most recent cruise, on the Joie de Vivre, from Paris to Normandy, there were four two-tops in the dining room. I don't think they were ever all filled at the same time. However, if you tend to be late diners, or don't want to sit through a dinner which lasts as long, then head to the dining room about an hour after it opens. We have always found new friends on our cruises, but by going late, you can find an empty table.

 

With regard to inclusiveness, Uniworld does offer at least one included excursion/day, and often choices of more than one. On our Paris-Normandy cruise, golf at Etretat was one of the included excursions. We did pay extra for a trip to Mont St. Michel, but it was very much worth it. As Roz said, nearly everything at the bar is included, and the included list of alcohols was greatly expanded this year, compared to last. Gratuities for everyone, both on the ship and on the shore, are included. There are self-service laundries on most, if not all, ships now.

 

As far as itinerary goes, for a first river cruise, I would choose a shorter one, meaning 7-8 nights. That way, if you decide river cruising isn't to your liking, you're not stuck for another week or more. We have done Venice and Italy (no river cruising, just lagoon, due to low water on the Po); Paris-Normandy twice (great for history, but not a long distance sailed, and not a lot of scenic cruising compared to the Danube and Rhine); the Danube (our favorite for a mix of scenery, bigger cities, and small villages) and the Rhine (great if you want to spend time in Switzerland/Alps either pre or post cruise-we did Lucerne on our own for 2 nights) and also great for smaller, older fairytale villages and the castles, of course.

 

I have posted three long running reviews of our most recent Paris, Rhine, and Danube cruises, which I can send you a link to, if you'd like. Even with the included tours, we often venture off on our own. We like to climb church towers and hike to castles.

 

Like Roz, happy to answer any questions.

 

Robin

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As far as itinerary goes, for a first river cruise, I would choose a shorter one, meaning 7-8 nights. That way, if you decide river cruising isn't to your liking, you're not stuck for another week or more.

 

Agree with Robin on this. I did an 8-day from Budapest to Passau for my first river cruise and was smitten. Some friends of mine did a 21-day :eek: Russian river cruise and hated it, thought it was a gigantic waste of money. First of all, 21 days is a long time to be away, especially if you're trying something new. Also, I don't think they were prepared for what they would encounter in Russia. It's not France or Germany, and you have to have a different mind set when going there.

 

Roz

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We have taken two river cruises and are looking forward to another next year. Our first was a two week cruise with Scenic from Budapest to Amsterdam. After two weeks I was ready to hide out on board and catch the return trip. We loved it. Last summer we enjoyed a twelve night cruise with Uniworld from Amsterdam to Basil and thought it was marvelous too.

Both cruise lines are all inclusive and provide terrific service but I'd rank Scenic higher due to the quality of the shore excursions and special events. We found our fellow passengers to be very warm and we made friends easily on both cruises. With Scenic we enjoyed some very fun and entertaining Aussies.

I'd recommend you do some homework and study the various cruise lines to find the one that fits your personality. Viking provides an excellent product for the price but we found we'd prefer to pay a little more and get a little more. I'm sure you'll find a trip that you'll love.

 

Paul

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Hi Guys, we are really interested in river cruising, but we are a little unsure. We have done 3 sea cruises around the med, but we are getting a bit fed up with the same itinerary's, so we are considering a river cruise. Trouble is we feel they may be a little bit on the stuffy snobby side, but we could be wrong, Do you have to eat at large tables as we are very private and prefer a table for 2. Also are there any fully all inclusive river cruises ?. Can anyone recommend a good river cruise and Itinerary. Hope you can help take away our doubts, thanks in advance.

 

Really want something new and different? Try a cruisetour to China. We did it 8 years ago with Viking. It was our first river cruise and it was absolutely amazing. Viking has been operating in China for a dozen years now and they have it down to a science. They offer three different itineraries of varying length but all based on a five night cruise between Wuhan and Chongqing plus optional pre and post cruise opportunities.

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Yet another vote for Uniworld! My husband & I have done 2 (Paris & Normandy & Venice) & are repeating Normandy again in July. As the others above have stated Uniworld is all inclusive (w/ the exception of just a very few shore excursions) with at least one if not two excursions offered each day.

The ships, food, crew, etc are terrific. As for dining, you can either eat on your own or with others if you like. We usually ate breakfast on our own & then did a mix of tables for two & joining others for lunch/dinner on occasion.

Don't worry at all about river cruising being stuffy (as an example-my husband is a teacher & I'm a housewife). Most people we've encountered have been very nice & down to earth-we're all on the cruise because we enjoy travel & want to see different sights, etc. We did Paris to Normandy as our first river cruise for 3 reasons: we were able to fly direct both ways, it was Paris (we love Paris) & we are WWII buffs as well. I would suggest you think about your interests/what you would like to see first-art, history, castles, scenery...then what country/countries you'd like to see & go from there. Also, as was previously posted-stated start with a 7/8 day cruise & maybe add a day or two on land before your cruise to get over any jet lag. Enjoy your research & take the plunge into river cruising without worry.

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At the risk of being redundant, we also like Uniworld, and like Robin, I've done trip reports of our three cruises here.

 

Tauck also should be mentioned in the all-inclusive group. See the trip report currently in progress for their Seine cruise itinerary. It sounds awesome!

 

Reading trip reports is a good way to get a feel for what river cruising is all about. We enjoy it very much, but we find it fairly slow-paced compared to the way we travel when independent. So we like to combine a river cruise with some pre- or post-cruise independent time, and use the river cruise as a forced rest. YMMV depending on how active you are or aren't.

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

Edited by jpalbny
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I have sailed both Uniworld and Avalon, and much prefer Uniworld. I found the passenger mix on Uniworld to be more our age (50's), and Uniworld was much more inclusive. I feel the staff, including the cruise director and reception staff, to be much more interactive and engaging with the passengers. For the Uniworld staff, it's a passion, for the Avalon staff (at least on our one cruise) it was a job.

 

Robin

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I have sailed both Uniworld and Avalon, and much prefer Uniworld. I found the passenger mix on Uniworld to be more our age (50's), and Uniworld was much more inclusive. I feel the staff, including the cruise director and reception staff, to be much more interactive and engaging with the passengers. For the Uniworld staff, it's a passion, for the Avalon staff (at least on our one cruise) it was a job.

 

 

I've never cruised with Uniworld, but have done 2 cruises with Avalon. I can't compare the staff, but must respectfully disagree that for Avalon staff it's just a job. We found Avalon staff very attentive and engaging. I have dietary restrictions that I only needed to mention once to our waiter; he would make recommendations to me at each following meal. I was surprised how quickly the staff remembered our names and always greeted us by name with a smile. The bartender knew our names and our preferred drink by the second day. I can't imagine what else the staff could have done to be more welcoming.

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We just got off an Avalon Rhine cruise, and were very happy with both service & touring. The passengers ranged from 2 girls (with parents) in late teens to early 20's and up, and everyone mixed well. We had a wide variety of countries represented as well, NZ, Australia, China, Thailand, the UK and of course Canadians & Americans.. They were very eager to do whatever they could to make our trip more enjoyable, and also had a gentle walker group (which a lot of photographer's took so we would have lots of time for pics). I think that Wings55 says it best.... research and find something that fits you. We didn't want anything fussy, but something relaxed and casual, and we got it in spades....well as relaxed as 2 tours a day can be. :)

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I have sailed both Uniworld and Avalon, and much prefer Uniworld. I found the passenger mix on Uniworld to be more our age (50's), and Uniworld was much more inclusive. I feel the staff, including the cruise director and reception staff, to be much more interactive and engaging with the passengers. For the Uniworld staff, it's a passion, for the Avalon staff (at least on our one cruise) it was a job.

 

 

I've never cruised with Uniworld, but have done 2 cruises with Avalon. I can't compare the staff, but must respectfully disagree that for Avalon staff it's just a job. We found Avalon staff very attentive and engaging. I have dietary restrictions that I only needed to mention once to our waiter; he would make recommendations to me at each following meal. I was surprised how quickly the staff remembered our names and always greeted us by name with a smile. The bartender knew our names and our preferred drink by the second day. I can't imagine what else the staff could have done to be more welcoming.

 

Kathy, this is why I qualified my observation with "at least on our one cruise". I realize many people have a great experience on Avalon. We had only an "okay" experience.

 

Robin

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I will add to your confusion with a vote for AmaWaterways. We cruised the Danube from Budapest and ended up with a bus trip to Prague. The ship AmaSonata, was brand new at the time and was beautiful. The food was outstanding, all excurions are included, wine and beer at lunch and dinner are included, and the staff was lovely. We have also sailed the Rhone with AmaWaterways, but preferred the Danube. The fellow passengers were delightful. Hope you decide to give river cruising a try.

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Hi, I have only been on 1 River cruise and it was also with AMA Waterways.....loved it.:D….food, service,

tours, entire vibe...…..my cruise was called TULIP TIME and it was Amsterdam/Amsterdam round trip.

 

Looks like many of us have enjoyed our experiences, whatever the cruise line was:D………….so you have a lot to think about!

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I've only sailed Avalon but I found nothing stuffy or snobby about any of it. We were much younger than most of the other people on the boat. The staff treated us wonderfully. Everyone was relaxed and friendly. Most of the time hubby and I sat at a private table. Only once or twice we had to share an 8 top. With the new way that Avalon is doing meals now, you have more of a chance to eat at single tables. We did the Central European experience from Prague to Paris and loved everything about it.

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