Comparing costs...help, please

[Mystic1113]

Hi, all. We're looking at booking our first river cruise. We're reasonably experienced at ocean cruises, but understand this is a very different animal.

 

I've skimmed the first 5 pages of posts and read many of them trying to educate myself before I asked any questions. I've found some very helpful info, but I still have questions. Thought I'd start with costs since I need to be sure we understand that before going further.

 

I've read the caution to be sure to compare "true" costs of the various lines for similar cruises, especially as it relates to Viking's 2-for-1 offers because V hikes up prices and then the 2-for-1 winds up being about the same as other lines.

 

We had our TA get us "final" prices per person -- no air, no insurance -- for (1) the Viking Treasures of the Rhine, 11/14/10 sailing, Cat D and (2) Uniworld's Legendary Rhine & Moselle, 11/3/10 sailing, Cat 3. These seem to be the most similar itineraries, cabins & dates we could select for comparison. This came out to V -- $2562/pp vs. U -- $3097/pp.

 

To us, the total difference of almost $1100 (for 2) is not "the same". The only things that I can see different is that Uniworld includes the use of bicycles and a variety of alcoholic & non-alcoholic beverages with dinner.

 

We don't plan to use bicycles and are very happy simply drinking water with our meals. So, are there still "perks" that Uniworld offers that would make the $1100 difference worth it?

 

BTW, we have since decided we will not likely book a November cruise because of weather issues, but I figure the price difference will be similar for other dates as well based on what I see in the brochures.

 

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

Melodye

[pacmom]

If the Viking trip is on the Sun--it holds 198 passengers. No Uniworld boat is that large. The plumbing noises on the lower level are horrible-from personal experience. CD very green. Too many people in a tour group. NO elevator. On all of our Uniworld trips there was a professional atmosphere not present on the Sun. Our viking trip on the Elbe was a good cruise with an excellent Cd. They can make or break a trip. You really need to compare day by day what each offers. Next year the Rudesheim tour will be optional with Viking--this year it wasn't. Viking also had us berthed in industrial areas or at the end pier because of the length of the boat. Would not recommend the Sun. Good luck. River cruising is addicting, we leave on our 9th this coming Mon. Pat

[Mystic1113]

Thanks for your reply. The specifics you listed are quite helpful.

 

I'm now looking at Tauck and GCT as well as Uniworld. I'm trying to take into consideration what is included for each to see if the price difference is worth it. Opinions on that?

[Carhut]

Thanks for your reply. The specifics you listed are quite helpful.

 

I'm now looking at Tauck and GCT as well as Uniworld. I'm trying to take into consideration what is included for each to see if the price difference is worth it. Opinions on that?

 

I only can vouch for GCT as that is the only line that I've traveled with. Six river cruises to be exact. Their prices are usually cheaper than the competitions but they have several optional tours that you pay extra for. However, you don't have to take all of them. My most recent cruise, I took 4 optionals. Two of them were cancelled because of not enough people signed up for them. The four that I took cost an extra $310.

Since you are retired, and like me can go at short notice, look at GCT's last minute deals.

The last two river cruises have been "last minute" with considerable savings. And by last minute we actually had about 6 weeks to prepare for the trip. That's plenty of time to pack and stop the newspaper. Maybe some of the other lines have last minute deals, too. I've not found them, other than Viking's 2 for 1 deals, which are no bargain.

If you do decide to go with GCT and want an added discount, contact me. My email is in my profile.

[Mylisa]

Mystic this has been my experience going through the process of picking the "right" cruise line. I preface my comments by saying that our up coming cruise will be our first river cruise but we have been on numerous standard cruises on many different lines.

 

I did not want to be nickle and dimed to death. I would rather pay more at the start and get just about everything I want without having to pay for this or that. For example consider transfers to and from the airport, Uniworld includes them and Viking doesn't, U gives you bottled water in your cabin to start with and then pitchers of filtered water to refill the bottle to take with you on tours, U has a 24 hour coffee/tea bar, U included wine, soda, beer at dinner and the use of free bikes. And who knows what other small charges we would have incured on V. Things we may not have even thought about. I've found that small items tend to add up to a large bill at the end of the cruise.

 

I know you said that you'd drink water and not use the bikes but it's not the bikes or the wine that matters here rather it is Uniworld's attention to details. It is the fact that U thought of these details and included them for our comfort and enjoyment. It means to me that they are looking out for their passengers and are constantly, even while we're on the cruise, looking for ways to make us more comfortable and enjoy our cruise more.

 

Also other reviews I've read showed how U cares for their guests by doing such things as meeting them at the boat with cold towels, ice cream cones, helping an elderly guest with their suitcases to their transportation, or the captian of one of the ships overhearing a guest state that he wished there were weights in the workout room and at the next stop the captain bought the weights.

 

The sum of all of the above and I must say the comments of pacmom and others and ultimately my own GUT feeling is what made us go with Uniworld. We figured that the worst thing that would happen is that we would spend a little more and see the other ship during the cruise and say "well it would have been ok, but we're still very happy with our cruise". And the best thing that will happen is we see the other ship and go "we're soooo glad that we went with Uniworld". To me it was a win, win, win any way you looked at it.

 

Good luck in your decision and listen to what your gut tells you. Mine doesn't tend to be wrong often. And it's telling me right now to go and get something to eat. ;)

[newlondon]

Mystic, I'm glad to see you're looking at Tauck. Many posters dismiss them because they look more expensive, but when you include everything the per diems are not that much higher-unless you book a suite. As the PP said the attitude and little things make a difference as well as not being nickled and dimed. Our experience with Tauck was outstanding and having checked out other boats, when possible, we felt the standard was slightly higher on Tauck. In addition the Tauck boats are smaller-imho a big plus.

[MSEm]

The Tauck River Cruises do not have a separate tips for the cruise director or group escorts. The other cruise lines will give you a recommended amount to tip the cruise director and the group escorts.

I belive they all encourage the tipping of the day guides and the bus drivers.

 

Tauck is an almost All inclusive rate with no optional tours.

 

You are very correct to look at the total cost on of the trip.

 

Also look carefully at the cabins shown for the catagory you are booking. Remember that many of the cabin pics may be of the top priced suite.

 

MSEm

[shoshona2]

Hi,

 

We looked at AMA and Tauck and compared each day for a Rhine/Moselle River Cruise for 2010. The Tauck river cruise included 12 days on the ship with meals and the AMA river cruise was 7 days on the ship and four days at two hotels (without dinners included). They came out to the same price after we added to AMA's price taxes, tips for all, taxis from airport to ship and back to airport at end of cruise, tips, dinners for four nights at the two hotels. When I called AMA they did not know which hotels they were using in Switzerland and didn't know when they would know this info. We have taken 12 tours with Tauck -- some on their Small Ship Sailings and have been very happy with them. So, it was a no-brainer -- we went with Tauck because of their good reputation and great service. Tauck's prices are all inclusive except for air.

 

Sheila

[mike35]

Having booked well-traveled and critical clients on both AMA and Tauck, the feedback that I've received on both companies has been uniformly outstanding. As Sheila says, Tauck is pretty much all-inclusive, which begs comparison to such ocean lines as Regent Seven Seas. AMA, on the other hand, does have additional charges for tips, transfers, and alcoholic beverages - comparable to say ocean cruise companies Oceania or Azamara.

 

It will be interesting to see the impact of the recent arrival of Ron Santangelo to AMA's senior management team. Ron was the North American president of Peter Deilmann river cruises - a top-of-the-line European river cruise company that recently ceased its river cruis operations. We already love AMA Waterways' ships, service, cuisine and ambiance, so we'll look for any changes when we sail AMA next April.

[shoshona2]

Hi Mike,

 

How are you and Carol doing? We just returned from an Azamara cruise to Iceland and now we're off to Egypt/Jordan and a Nile Cruise with Tauck the end of October. I'll be interesting in reading about your AMA river cruise next year after you return. I still tell everyone the story about our rental car in Okinawa when we couldn't turn off the Japanese directions.

 

Sheila

[newlondon]

MSEm, Actually Tauck does not expect you to tip the day guides or bus drivers. They do it themselves.

I did contribute to the crew fund as the service was so outstanding, but that was a personal decision.

[shoshona2]

Hi newlondon,

 

When we were on Tauck's Dalmation Coast Cruise on the LeLevant, our little group of six also gave the restaurant crew an extra tip. They were remarkable and the service was so wonderful.

 

Sheila

[Mystic1113]

Thanks for all the input, everyone. I'm still researching, thinking and (pretty much) giving myself a headache! ;) Actually, I've ruled out Viking at this point. I'm still looking at Uniworld, GCT and Tauck.

 

I did view the AMA website, but discovered that most of their 2010 dates for the itinerary we want are already sold out. I also figured out that AMA is the line used by Exploritas (formerly Elderhostel) for their river cruise. Both of those facts probably attest to their quality, but for some reason they don't appeal to me as much as the ones I'm considering. Maybe it's just their website --- I find it difficult to read and not visually appealing.

 

I'm working on a spreadsheet to help us actually compare the differences in what is included in the cost for each as well as places visited & tours included. I'm glad that Uniworld has extended their special (up to $2000 off per couple on certain cruises) until the end of October. A little longer to consider before booking without missing out on that if we do decide on Uniworld.

 

And, I've also thought about just "booking" ourselves by holding a couple of months free to try to get one of the last minute deals next fall. However, because this cruise is to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary (and one of those big zero birthdays for me), I'm a little afraid to wait and try to catch that kind of deal.

 

At any rate, all of your input is quite helpful and I truly appreciate it. Thanks, again!

[shoshona2]

Hi again Mystic,

 

Good luck deciding. I know the work that goes into comparisons between travel companies. Just wanted you to kow that if you have traveled with Tauck before, they are giving a $750 per couple "Past Guest Appreciation Reward" for their 2010 river cruises. Our friends received $500 since they are traveling with us.

 

Sheila

[MVPinBoynton]

Mystic1113,

I would not recommend delaying on booking a river cruise. The best times and itineraries sell out quickly, as you found out with AMA. That is why we booked over a year in advance and we are so glad we did. We had a wonderful first European river cruise experience with AMA. To get an idea of the differences with river cruising, you can check out our the review of our recent cruise on our website at www.thepreismans.com . Good luck on making your selection.

[franski]

Mystic -

 

I would second Mike's comments re: booking now. If you know which itinerary you want, and are doing this to celebrate a significant anniversary and BD - then you don't want to miss out. Also, I wouldn't let a "sold out" posting on a website completely deter you... We spoke with someone on our Uniworld cruise last year who said the website indicated a "sold out" cruise, but their TA called the company and did find a cabin. If you book with a TA, it should be an easy phone call for him/her to make to confirm availability (or lack thereof...).

 

I think the spread sheet is a great idea... You can highlight what is *really* important, and then look at what are the "nice to have" items after that.

 

I *love* the planning portion... Being on the CC boards is a great way to help with planning and making a decision.

[wallygator]

Hi, all. We're looking at booking our first river cruise. We're reasonably experienced at ocean cruises, but understand this is a very different animal.

 

I've skimmed the first 5 pages of posts and read many of them trying to educate myself before I asked any questions. I've found some very helpful info, but I still have questions. Thought I'd start with costs since I need to be sure we understand that before going further.

 

I've read the caution to be sure to compare "true" costs of the various lines for similar cruises, especially as it relates to Viking's 2-for-1 offers because V hikes up prices and then the 2-for-1 winds up being about the same as other lines.

 

We had our TA get us "final" prices per person -- no air, no insurance -- for (1) the Viking Treasures of the Rhine, 11/14/10 sailing, Cat D and (2) Uniworld's Legendary Rhine & Moselle, 11/3/10 sailing, Cat 3. These seem to be the most similar itineraries, cabins & dates we could select for comparison. This came out to V -- $2562/pp vs. U -- $3097/pp.

 

To us, the total difference of almost $1100 (for 2) is not "the same". The only things that I can see different is that Uniworld includes the use of bicycles and a variety of alcoholic & non-alcoholic beverages with dinner.

 

We don't plan to use bicycles and are very happy simply drinking water with our meals. So, are there still "perks" that Uniworld offers that would make the $1100 difference worth it?

 

BTW, we have since decided we will not likely book a November cruise because of weather issues, but I figure the price difference will be similar for other dates as well based on what I see in the brochures.

 

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

Melodye

 

Read all you can about where you want to go. Come up with a choice based not on money but what you want to see/do. Extras are up to you. I have to believe that none of us are hurting for money. That being said book your heart and enjoy.

 

You will love your river cruise. I did!