River Cruise vs: Barge Cruise

[lsok]

Hope to get some experienced input from the people on this forum--My husband and I were scheduled on a 12 day Mediterranean cruise which was just cancelled and we have 2-3 weeks from mid April to early May in which to plan a trip.

 

We have decided to scrap the ocean cruise idea in favor of a trip to Paris (we've never been) and a river barge trip. I have seen a lot written about the river cruises, but we were thinking more along the lines of 6-10 staterooms and a smaller vessel. What are the pros and cons to the barge vs the larger river cruise boat?

 

What is the usual weather in France in April? It would be more fun if we didn't have to deal with rain every day. Also, I have been reading about low river levels in some areas--will that be a problem in France?

 

Any input on Barge companies and routes will be helpful and/or if another part of Europe would be better at this time of the year, we are open to suggestions. We are waiting for our full refund from the cruise company and we can consider many options for travel.

 

Thanks for your help.

[pjtraveler]

Can't help you out with barge travel, but we were in Paris last April. The weather was delightful, but weather is always the "luck of the draw," I'm afraid.

 

We found a very conveniently located hotel (The Eiffel Seine) very near the Eiffel Tower and across from a metro station. It's a small boutique hotel, but the room was very comfortable with free wi-fi. Grocery and restaurants nearby added to its convenience for us.:)

[Ozjohnno]

I do strongly second the Eiffel Seine Hotel. We spent 5 great nights there last September and was close to everything we wanted. True the rooms are a bit small but we spent so little time in the room that it never mattered. Using the worlds smallest lift is also in a strange way very different.

 

I've done the barge thing in Australia but without locks and I'm sure it's a totally different experience in Europe, so I really can't give you any advice.

[Talisker92]

Dear Isok,

I have been on a number of River Cruises, and cruised the Caledonian Canal in Scotland with a barge that held 4 couples. We enjoyed both types, and I would be happy to send you the story of our barge cruise. The only caveat is that because of the small number of passengers, they are more expensive.

My e-mail address is on our website.

[MrsDave]

Dear Isok,

My husband and I were on Uniworld's River Royale...which was on the Rhone Burgundy/Provence and the extension in Paris...we had never been to Paris and that was the driver for the trip. I can't speak for a barge except a person who's opinion I value said.."what if you don't get along with 2 of the couples..that's kind of half the trip"...we were very happy with the River Cruise, the stops were fantastic...we stayed in a small hotel near the Arc de Triomphe...

Hope this helps.

Tina

[lsok]

Thanks, everyone for your input. I was hoping to get pros and cons of the river boat vs the barge. If anyone wants to answer that question??

[Talisker92]

Dear Isok,

I will try to help. I have the catalog from European Waterways and from Vantage travel.

On a Burgundy cruise, the barges hold between 8 and 12 people.

For a 7 day cruise, the cost is $4550 in July, that does not include airfare or transfers.

We are going on a 14 day Vantage Burgundy cruise that includes air, transfers, tours and hotels in Nice and Paris. The cost for the same period is $5599. That ship only holds 78, so it is more expensive than the regular river cruise ships that hold about 140.

If you are interested in barging, go to http://www.gobarging.com and see what they have to offer. Conversely go to http://www.vantagetravel.com, or any of the other river cruise sites.

Please note that neither of these are travel agents, so I hope I have not broken the CC rules.

When my late wife and I did our barge cruise, there were 2 couples that were friends, and fortunately the fourth couple was involved in electronics like we were. I think the main problem with the barges is that you cannot get away from the other passengers if there turns out to be any problems.

[jcrandle]

Our neighbors were on a barge cruise in Provence last year. They had a wonderful time, felt that the service and cuisine were wonderful. I didn't inquire as to the cost, but got the impression that it was in the neighborhood of $4000 per person for a one week cruise. On the other hand, we went on a 12 night canal boat cruise (you drive it) in Wales with DD and DSIL for about #1800 per person, but we did our own driving, cooking (mostly breakfast and occasional lunch, stopping for dinner at canal side pubs) and had a marvelous experience. You just have to determine what you WANT (most important) and what it is worth to you. Either experience could be a special holiday, or a disaster, depending on what you expect to contribute.

[Talisker92]

I agree with jcrandle, it is a function of what you want to get out of it. We looked into narrowboating, and while it is fun, I would liken it to a land tour in an RV, compared to an all inclusive land tour.

I am not putting it down, but at our age we are not about to be cranking canal locks. There are many narrowboat companies, and the network of canals in the UK is amazing!

[CanalBargeCruises.com]

Hello Isok and other posters,

 

To answer the question about the difference in a canal cruise and a river cruise, canals are smaller waterways with more locks. The canals meander through villages, vineyards, pastures, people's backyards, and offer a really intimate experience of the countryside and local culture. Cruising on a canal allows passengers to get on and off the barge at the locks to walk along the towpath or ride a bicycle through the villages and countryside, and catch up with the barge down the canal. Rivers are larger waterways with fewer locks so it is not conducive to walking or biking as you cannot get off the barge until it is moored for the night.

 

Any other questions? I'm happy to help, Beth

[jeniliadisuja123]

i would like to go for river cruise.it should not be banned ever.it give us so much fun

[marilynfaye]

Dear Isok:

 

I assume your canceled trip was on Riviera. So sorry the ship has been delayed. We travel on Oceania a lot.

 

That said, we have our second river boat trip scheduled for April (B2B on the Rhone & Seine. The first was on the Danube from Budapest to the Black Sea and back to Vienna.).

 

We started our love of cruising years ago with barge trips in France and Holland/Belgium. We selected the first one in France because it was large by comparison - 51 passengers - more people to meet and definitely cost a lot less than the small barges in Provence. It was a week long trip although we probably were never more than 30 miles from Paris. We even sailed through Paris at night which was absolutely gorgeous. The other barge was brand new. It could accommodate 32 passengers, but since it was at the end of the season we had only 11.

 

We loved the barge experience - walking off the boat after dinner and wandering around the small towns where we were docked. The river cruise, of course, meant we visited major cities in several countries we thought we would never see.

 

It's been a long time, but I feel as though the food on the French barge trip was better than the food on our river trip although probably neither compare to Oceania. The food on the Holland trip was not all that great, but we were the last trip of the season and they were pulling stuff out of the bottom of the freezer. We didn't care. Food was the least of it.

 

We had the same guide for all our tours off the barge. We had local guides on the river, but, of course, we were travelling through many different countries and we could not all fit on one bus.

 

I think if I had to choose, I would say I liked the barge better, but I don't think you could go wrong with the river boat. Itineraries, cost and scheduling all go into making your decision. Whichever you choose, it will be a great trip. Enjoy it. And congratulations for taking lemons and making lemonade.

 

Marilyn

[lsok]

Thanks to everyone who took the time to answer my question. Marilyn, I especially appreciated your take on the barge vs riverboat. We would definitely enjoy the smaller experience and also would like to be able to get off the boat and walk through the towns. Which company(s) did you use?

 

You were correct that we were on the Riviera. We have never cruised with Oceania before and, in fact, have not cruised much at all. My DH is an avid photographer and would rather linger in places than be rushed from place to place.

 

I hope we will be able to find a trip this late in the game. We have 2-3 weeks set aside. In your experience, which areas would be likely to have the best spring weather in mid April to early May? I was thinking that since we are only 2 people, we might have a better change of a last minute reservation than a larger group.

 

Thanks again for your advice.

 

LSOK

[CanalBargeCruises.com]

Hello LSOK,

Though weather is unpredictable in the spring, you would have a better chance of nice weather in the south of France, say on the Canal du Midi or Provence. If you want a traditional canal cruise, the Canal du Midi is great for a pretty canal, interesting excursions and the flexibility of walking or biking. It's a great wine region, too, with lots of diversity in grapes and blends. The highlights of Provence river cruises are the excursions to the great Provence sights such as Arles, Avignon, Les Baux, etc. April typically offers value season prices which can vary by the barge.

 

Would be happy to help with more information, Beth

P.S. This is my first experience in chatting on CruiseCritic. It's fun to see what everyone says. Happy travels!

[marilynfaye]

Hi LSOK

 

We booked our barge cruises through A & K because a friend was acting as our travel agent and that was who she booked with. I'm sure there are many other companies that offer the barge experience. I remember there was a couple on our Holland/Belgium trip that got a hotel night and a private tour of Amsterdam as part of their package. We did not and they paid less than we did. So, as always, shop around unless you are lazy like we are or you don't mind paying a little more if you can work with a friend.

 

The river trip we have scheduled is on Viking and departs Avignon on April 15. I heard it was sold out, but people cancel for all kinds of reasons so if you think you might like a larger boat, check it out.

 

I hope you will have an opportunity to sail with Oceania in the future. We have our 9th O cruise scheduled for September. All have been on what is known at O as the R-ships, the ones under 700 passengers. We hope to try Marina in May, 2013.

 

Marilyn

[gatorboy!]

Bonjour ISOK,

Having taken 2 river cruises (Budapest to Trier and Bucharest to Budapest) as well as 4 French barge cruises (3 in Burgundy and 1 in the Champagne area), here are my impressions which mirror other previous comments:

1. Obviously canal barges are smaller than river boats. We have been on 6, 8 and 12 passenger barges. River boats get up around 80-120 passengers. I have had more problems with a large American golf group on a river boat that tried to take it over, than I had on barges with much smaller numbers.

2. More space on the river boats, but you do get more specialized attention on the barges and you can get off and walk off all that great food/drink (or take the bicycles out for a spin). Both will offer daily trips to nearby sights/vineyards/etc. Again, barge side trips will be a lot more intimate and can get you into places that large tours would overwhelm. River boats do offer more "things to do" (e.g., massages) that you won't find on barges.

3. Cost is a variable that fluctuates depending on the "luxe" factor of the barge or boat you choose. Also, on the river boats be sure and compare what is offered in the price. Some offer excursions as part of the deal, some don't. Also, compare drink costs. Again, some have an open bar (usually barges), while some river boats offer wine/beer with meals and cash bar other times.

4. You don't take a barge to cover long distances (maybe 20-40 miles in a week depending on the # of locks to be dealt with). River boats can go hundreds of miles on a cruise.

5. Some barges now have king size bed cabins and are decadent, while others are more "yacht like" in cabin size. River boats have different size cabins based on price (similar to cruise ships). Check the dimensions.

6. Some barges are charter only, while others sell individual cabins per cruise. Barges are often more expensive per day because of the much smaller # of passengers.

7. Food is usually better on the barges. They pride themselves on their cuisine. In fact, my opinion is that "Heaven is one week on a French canal barge, and Hell is two weeks." Mainly because of the food which is too good to refuse. Wine is also better (in some cases their wines will spoil you for almost anything you can afford to drink or even find back home, e.g., Grand or Premier Cru with meals).

8. Weather in Burgundy in the early Spring is iffy. However, the scenery is beautiful and the prices are often lower during that time of the season.

9. In summary, two different types of water-borne travel, with two types of characteristics. I like them both and am planning on doing some additional cruises if I can in the future.

Hope this helps.