Comparing river cruise companies

[artbcpa]

I have been on Uniworld and loved it, but that was my only river cruise experience. It would be really great to hear from someone who has tried several of the companies. If you think that there really isn't much difference between the companies and it is mostly about price and available itinerary, that would be helpful too.

 

I realize these are only opinions, but they do help. Some of the things I would like to hear about:

 

Demographics

Food

Service

Tours

Entertainment other than the ports

 

Thanks,

Art

[shoshona2]

Hi Art,

 

Welcome to the River Cruise section of this wonderful Cruise Critic Board! You will find that we all have our favorite lines for various reasons. I strongly suggest you scroll down and read some of the posts re the various river boat companies.

 

I have taken over 15 tours with Tauck -- some were on small boats or yachts. We took their Rhine/Moselle river boat trip last July and loved it. The service was great, the food was very good, the tours were terrific and the boat was brand new. When you go to compare, you must compare everything. Tauck includes everything but air travel. Tips, port charges, transport from and to airport, all tours, internet and some dining ashore at restaurants are included.

 

We are booked on AMA for September for their St. Petersburg to Moscow river cruise. We had heard very good feedback on this board about this line and booked it.

 

Sheila

[npphotog]

Hello Art - We've done 4 trips with Vantage Deluxe World Travel and have been well pleased. You have to compare what each tour company includes. Some companys are lower proced but have a lot of optional tours. Others are more expensive but incluce more and have fewer options. This is a great message board and I am sure you will get lots of feed back on other travel companys. Willard

[PCruzer]

Hi Art. We are rather new to river cruising. We haven't been on many different river cruise lines, but this is what we thought of our experiences.

We have been on 2 river cruises - the Seine and the Rhine & Mosel. Both of these trips were with Grand Circle Travel (GCT). We enjoyed all aspects of these river cruises. The Seine trip was shorter, and the overall passenger age was younger (50's to 70's). The Rhine & Mosel was a longer trip, so the ages tended to be higher (late 60's to late 80's. There were even some 90's!) We found the food on both trips to be very good to excellent. Not as many choices as a big ship cruise, but we never went hungry! Service was exemplary. Cabins were cleaned promptly and dining room service was outstanding. Also, the Program Directors really went out of their way to make sure that everyone was enjoying their trip. They assisted in simple requests, such as walking directions to different locations, as well as more complex issues, such as finding a dentist for someone who was having a problem. On our two trips, the Program Directors were invaluable. As far as tours go, the included tours were very good. We found that some of the extra cost tours were not worth the money. In the future we will be more selective in choosing extra cost tours. Now to entertainment - It was mostly low-key. Many nights there was a singer/keyboardist in the lounge. The real entertainment was interacting with the other passengers after dinner. There were a few nights that local talent was brought onboard. Again, not as polished as on a big ship cruise; but the real reason we take a river cruise is for the ports, not the entertainment.

We will be on a Vantage river cruise this coming fall - The Danube Odyssey. After that trip, I'll be able to compare companies.

[Talisker92]

We have done 2 river cruises with Vantage and enjoyed both of them. The stories and pictures are on our website http://www.stevekathytravels.com

We will be happy to answer any questions.

I agree with the other posters about looking at the price of the entire package. Years ago I was on a Dieliman river cruise, but, air, transfers, and excursions were extra.

There are some lines offering "2 for 1" pricing, but air, upgrades to better cabins and many excursions are extra.

[franski]

Hi Art -

 

I am not sure where you hail from, but that might affect your choices. GCT and Vantage are both firms that are US owned and operated - so not as available to those of us living in Canada.

 

DH and I have travelled with Uniworld and AMA. There were advantages to both lines - and things that I wasn't as impressed with. The biggest difference (IMHO) is really the cruise director --> and you have no way of knowing that when you book.

 

Food was good on both. Breakfast comparable - AMA had the slight edge on lunch - Uniworld for dinners. I found the tour guides slightly more knowledgeable with Uniworld - but that can be the luck of the draw. The cabin service on AMA was out of this world. Can't say enough about how clean our cabin was kept on the Amalyra. Entertainment is very low key on a river boat.

 

We have enjoyed the other passengers on each cruise - even though each demographic is slightly different. I think that itinerary - and dates would be a good place to start... If you have it narrowed down - and are looking for thoughts on the differences (ie: would A or B be better - and reasons why...) you may get some further assistance. It really is quite a personal decision.

[artbcpa]

Thanks for your replies thus far. I was really hoping to get some responses from people who have tried more than one river cruise company and had a preference for one or the other and could explain why. For instance, when I asked this question regarding luxury cruise lines, there were lots of replies. People preferred Seabourn or Silversea or Regent or Crystal because of the the size of the cabins, the food, the service, the entertainment, open seating etc. and gave examples of what they saw as the differences between the cruise lines (or at least on their voyages). I also got very definitive replies when I asked a similar question on the Couples all-inclusive resort forum. People really prefer one resort over another and can tell you exactly why.

 

While it is nice to hear why people love a particular cruise line, if they haven't tried another, it really doesn't mean they wouldn't prefer a different one if they had tried it. I think this information would be very helpful to those looking to take a river cruise, especially if the cost and itineraries were similar.

[H2Otstr]

Art, I have been on several different cruise lines and there really isn't much difference. Can't speak for the higher end lines; haven't tried those YET. I have no favorite. Would travel with any of them again.

 

First cruise was with Viking in France.

Second was with Uniworld, Castles along the Rhine. (Worst cruise director we ever had). Didn't ruin the trip though.

Third was with Gate 1. Christmas markets on the Danube.

Fourth was with AMAwaterways on the Duoro in Portugal

Fifth was with Grand Circle on the Rhine and Mosel.

Our sixth is coming up in a couple days. Viking China (brand new ship)

And our seventh will be in September with Grand Circle, again. Budapest to Prague.

 

Grand Circle has the worst beds. Pull down from the wall.

All of the dining venues were similar. Grand Circle had the same wine the whole trip. Others served regional wines as we pased thru various areas. AMA even had a small signage about the different wines and what they should be paired with.

 

I look at itinerary first. Prices are all similar. Grand Circle has the most optional tours of any of the trips we have done. Can add a substantial amount of money to a trip.

 

Hope this helps some.

 

You might want to contact each of the cruise lines and ask for one of their DVD's

[Robin G]

Art, I have been on several different cruise lines and there really isn't much difference. Can't speak for the higher end lines; haven't tried those YET. I have no favorite. Would travel with any of them again.

 

First cruise was with Viking in France.

Second was with Uniworld, Castles along the Rhine. (Worst cruise director we ever had). Didn't ruin the trip though.

Third was with Gate 1. Christmas markets on the Danube.

Fourth was with AMAwaterways on the Duoro in Portugal

Fifth was with Grand Circle on the Rhine and Mosel.

Our sixth is coming up in a couple days. Viking China (brand new ship)

And our seventh will be in September with Grand Circle, again. Budapest to Prague.

 

Grand Circle has the worst beds. Pull down from the wall.

All of the dining venues were similar. Grand Circle had the same wine the whole trip. Others served regional wines as we pased thru various areas. AMA even had a small signage about the different wines and what they should be paired with.

 

I look at itinerary first. Prices are all similar. Grand Circle has the most optional tours of any of the trips we have done. Can add a substantial amount of money to a trip.

 

Hope this helps some.

 

You might want to contact each of the cruise lines and ask for one of their DVD's

 

You certainly HAVE tried lots of different ships. I'm looking so forward to my very first river cruise in December, though I'm not a fan of the cold! Any suggestions on clothes to pack?

[franski]

Pack layers.... Coat with a water proof exterior - as it may rain instead of snow. Warm hat and mitts. Water resistant footwear. A collapsible umbrella - although many boats do have them in the room, they are quite large.

 

The day we toured Cologne, it was the coldest December 1st there in over 100 years. By the time we reached Basel, it was raining.

 

I lost my hat (head band, actually) on the train somewhere between Frankfurt and Cologne. I was able to buy one in Cologne - and do love it. (Maybe not a bad thing to have lost the original one....:D ) You always have the option to buy something there, although you may end up paying a somewhat inflated price.

 

I have a small camera, and taking pictures was a bit of an issue, as the batteries got cold so quickly.

 

I had collapsible (nylon) shopping bags - so they packed in my purse until I needed one. If you are doing the markets (which I am guessing you are...) pack tissue and bubble wrap. I took quite a bit with me. I didn't use it all, so had some to give to people that I had met.

[H2Otstr]

Pack layers.... Coat with a water proof exterior - as it may rain instead of snow. Warm hat and mitts. Water resistant footwear. A collapsible umbrella - although many boats do have them in the room, they are quite large.

 

I agree. Also add a pashmina or warm neck scarf to your list. If your legs get cold get Cuddleduds for under your pants. I also carry my own travel umbrella; don't like to huge golf-type that the ship provides.

 

Have fun.

[Provident]

As with ocean cruises, river cruise ships vary from older ships with very small cabins (some pull down beds) to newer larger more inclusive cabins on the newer ships. Some of the tour packagers (Gate 1, Grand Circle Travel, Vantage) lease the ships, some own them. Avalon waterways is part of Globus/Cosmos and has cabins that begin at 170 sq feet. None of their ships is more than 3 or 4 years old. Vikiing has newer and older ships, most cabins are larger. AMA and Uniworld also have good choices. It depends what you are looking for - prices usually reflect what is included - tours, wine, etc. I did a cruise on the Danube with Gate 1, the ship was older and there were more optional excursions but overall it was a good trip. I have done two cruises with Viking - Elbe River on an older ship with very small cabins and the Rhine from Amsterdam on a newer ship. Both good trips, but I didn't like the cramped cabin on the older ship. I am going with Avalon Waterways in April from Paris to Normandy Beaches with a few extra days in Paris - looking forward to the newer ship/larger cabins. I would say to research several companies by itinerary and compare age of ship, size of cabins and tour inclusions. Vikiing is building 4 new ships in the next 2 years, both AMA and Avalon have new ships coming, so there should be some good prices available for the cruises - airfare is another matter, it just keeps going up!

[Robin G]

Thanks for all the great advice. I've gotta admit I've never heard of a pashmina or Cuddleduds, but I'll figure it out! Thanks again.

[gnome12]

A pashmina is a cashmere-like scarf. Cuddleduds? I have no idea.

[bree28]

Cuddleduds are like lightweight long underwear.

[cruisingmimi]

Provident, thanks for your comparisons, very helpful.

 

We are looking to do our 2nd river cruise this year. Depending upon prices, we are thinking Sept. or Oct. Seems like the summer cruises are more expensive. We like to travel in October as that is our anniversary and we want to do something special.

 

Can someone advise as to whether Sept. or Oct. are good river cruise months. I have been told that Sept. is rainy. We did a GCT Christmas Markets cruise Dec. '09 and loved every minute of it. It was rainy/misty quite a few of the days but no snow. We are going w/ some friends so don't think we would cruise that particular time of the year w/ them as they have never done a river cruise.

 

We did Nuremberg to Vienna our 1st cruise. Would love to do Prague and/or Budapest this time around. Some of the ports would be repeat stops but we wouldn't mind re-visiting them again. Melk was one of our favorite places, the Abbey was so beautiful. Would like to see more of Vienna as the ship didn't arrive until 7 pm so it was dark and we had little time to tour there.

 

The 2nd choice would be the Rhine. Any comments would be appreciated.

 

Does anyone know if the Danube has had any water level issues this year that would affect the ships being able to traverse the river? We would prefer not to have to be bussed but I understand that it is what it is.

 

Thanks to all.

 

Mary