Oceania veterans who have cruised on Scenic river cruises

[pacheco18]

wow - tough crowd here for river cruising! We did 2 river cruises, probably a "lower end" choice - GCT. The first was the Danube - Budapest, Vienna, Prague. We did this because we wanted to see that part of the world, esp. a stop in Bratilava as my husband is 1st generation child of Slovakian immigrant. Me, I will never do another bus tour - waaaay too much moving and packing and unpacking so the river cruise was the best choice for the itinerary. Also my impression was that I would not like the country cuisine in that part of the world and hoped for better on the ship. Our 2nd river cruise was in France on the Saone and Rhone.

 

Yes, the food on O was much superior and the dining, everyone eats at the same time on the river cruise, a very different experience. But I have reached the point in my life where I have had so much good food that every meal does not have to be a home run! I still want to eat tasty food BUT we wanted to visit the places on the itinerary so fine dining could be sacrified a bit!

 

We loved the first river cruise, esp. Budapest! And the second was pleasant as well - yes, the shore excursions (all included) were not small groups but for the most part the guides were fine. I really liked traveling along the river seeing the country side and usually docking right in the middle of the city. As far as entertainment, we are happy to chat with fellow travelers at night or play cards - met some bridge players. We thought the city visits were fine, some tour time, some free (or optional excursions time). We did not spend much time on buses except when we needed to go overland at the beginning / end of the trip. We did not notice going thru the locks at night.

 

A river cruise is just very different - I guess whether you decide to go or not probably depends how much you want to go where it goes. Again, I'd never do a bus tour - I think even a Rick Steves (probably the best of the bunch) would move too often, too many up and out in the mornings for me. I'd do a slow paced land trip on my own before a tour bus! Where are you thinking of going on your river cruise (if you have read all the way thru this "river of blather")

 

I have been convinced I will hate it!

We were leaning toward Basel to Vienna 14 day and then a side trip to Budapest (I have been but want to return). I think we can do those areas on our own. We have driven the Romantic Road in Germany before. This may be an independent land trip after all.

I will either do a land based independent tour, a cruise (but really running out of itineraries) or maybe look at Tauck or A & K. I really do not like organized touring and I avoid buses so I doubt the latter will be a choice.

[LAexNY]

You should also look at Odysseys Unlimited. They have small group tours of 12-24 people. They have several in Europe. Friends took their Vietnam tour and raved about it.

[pacheco18]

You should also look at Odysseys Unlimited. They have small group tours of 12-24 people. They have several in Europe. Friends took their Vietnam tour and raved about it.

 

I just looked

Very interesting tours

For the region we are interested in they include a tour of Auschwitz. We did that just recently and I am not sure I want to do that again.

 

I will keep them in mind.

[robbie21]

Since I raised the option I thought I would try to dispel some of the assumptions that have been expressed about Rick Steves tours. They are quite different from what we generally believe about group bus tours in Europe. I was dragged kicking and screaming into the first RS tour I took but I really like their system now.

 

Yes - they are bus tours :( They use 55 passenger tour buses with a maximum of 28 in the group (sometimes fewer) so everyone gets a seat to themselves, if they want. I take the right side and Karen takes the seat across the aisle. Same bus and driver the whole trip. They always have water and one driver had beer, wine and an espresso machine :). Travel between stops is usually broken up with intermediate stops for sightseeing and, usually, lunch on your own. I am anti bus but these are quite tolerable.

 

Since they make a big deal of humping your own bags and being able to stand and walk for 2-3 hours at a time there is no waiting for the lame, and, in our experience, no laggards. Everything moves along at a good pace.

 

They nearly always stay 2, sometimes 3 nights in each stop. Typical routine is to arrive somewhere in late afternoon, check in and clean up and then meet in the lobby for a walk about with our guide who points out restaurants and bars and orients us to the town. People peal off for dinner as they wish. The next morning we meet a local guide and see whatever the special sights of that place are (usually walking but sometimes by bus). Afternoons are often free for personal sightseeing or shopping, sometimes with a museum pass or whatever. About half of the dinners are with the group. The rest are on your own. None of the group tours are mandatory - you can drop out if you wish - just let the guide know. They also have "on your own" tours that just provide transportation and hotels.

 

Guides - RS has the best guides of anyone. Because they pay well and provide steady work they are able to select really personable, reliable and knowledgeable people.

 

It is definitely a different experience than a cruise on Oceania but I find these tours fun and educational. Perhaps, for me, the biggest benefit is that I can get to a lot of smaller towns, stay in historic, inside the walls, hotels and see unusual off the tourist map places without having to worry about driving, parking and reservations in out of the way places. I have done that on my own but the hassle factor does wear one down. It is nice to have this stuff reliable taken care of so you can sit in the café with an espresso or a glass of wine.

 

Ron

[Jancruz]

yuck

reconsidering

 

FYI on our Viking cruise May of 12 it rained for 14 days and almostb all day trips were walking trips..had to change boats for 2nd week and to top it off when you got a shimp cocktail..they meant it..ONE shrimp!! We laughed and cried for 14 days..

Jancruz1

Edited November 6, 2013 by Jancruz

[Paulchili]

FYI on our Viking cruise May of 12 it rained for 14 days and almostb all day trips were walking trips..had to change boats for 2nd week and to top it off when you got a shimp cocktail..they meant it..ONE shrimp!! We laughed and cried for 14 days..

Jancruz1

 

LOL

I bet it wasn't the size they serve in Polo (or Terrace grill) either :D

[LHT28]

to top it off when you got a shimp cocktail..they meant it..ONE shrimp!! We laughed and cried for 14 days..

Jancruz1

must be a river cruise thing

we had the same thing on Scenic

1 scallop or 1 shrimp

[pacheco18]

U have all done a great job of talking me out of a river cruise lol

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[LHT28]

LOL

I bet it wasn't the size they serve in Polo (or Terrace grill) either :D

not even half the size of the O shrimp :D

[Jancruz]

not even half the size of the O shrimp :D

 

Everytime I think of it, I start Laughing..

Jancruz1

[LHT28]

Everytime I think of it, I start Laughing..

Jancruz1

Ours came in a glass with shredded lettuce on the bottom & 1 lonely shrimp ...people were go up to the counter & bringing several glasses back

I was funny when you look back :D

 

desserts were another joke

again in a glass, piece of fruit on the bottom then some kind of mousse or pudding on the top changed daily or you could have ice cream 1 small scoop over a piece of fruit

 

 

I forgot the garnish

Edited November 6, 2013 by LHT28

[LHT28]

This was one of the better entrees

Filet with garlic butter & fries

[Mura]

We were on that April 2012 Viking cruise in France with Jan, and I have to say we weren't as upset as she was. (I didn't try the shrimp cocktail!)

 

But we did agree that Viking -- which we really liked in Oct 2003 -- was no longer the wonderful experience we remembered.

 

It is true that our 3 river boat experiences were with Viking: Oct 2003, Amsterdam-Basel; May 2008, China; April 2012 France (B2B). The first two were most enjoyable, especially China.

 

Yes, they give you large group walking tours for the most part. Some people have talked about long bus trips from one dock to another ... I have to say that we did have that experience a very few times, but it was not typical. Depending on where you are, it CAN happen. But none of our three riverboat cruises was that the norm.

 

In China, we were in large buses ... limited to about 30 people per bus. All the guides were wonderful. But there was a lot of driving around in China, obviously.

 

I think on our Amsterdam-Basel trip we had one bus trip from one port to the next. I don't recall this happening with the Viking France trip.

 

That MAY be because we opted to take the "Canadian" tour to the Beaches because we had done Normandy on our own back in 2002 and we wanted to return to the Bayeux Tapestry. This visit was on the Canadian tour but not on the US tour. And we were only 5-6 people.

 

Generally, we've had good walking tours and these days they use the earphones so that you don't have to be on top of the guide in order to hear what he/she is saying. Yes, I agree, larger groups than I would like but generally we've had excellent guides.

 

Our biggest objection on the French trip was that the river is now so terribly crowded. And I know Laraine wouldn't like this part! In at least half of the ports on the Rhone and Seine Rivers we were double or triple parked, and we were always on the outside. So we had to walk over to the neighboring boats to get to shore. And our top level cabin became worthless because often our view was of the neighboring cabin, not of the shore.

 

I was nursing a cold one day so I skipped the walking tour of Rouen since we'd been there for three days on our land trip years earlier, and I heard the captain saying that there are now 1,000 boats on the Danube....

 

I would say that the overcrowding (given the vast expansion of boats now on the rivers) is the worst problem. A river boat experience 10 years ago was much more pleasurable.

 

By the way, the first river boat on Jan's 2012 cruise was the same one we were on in 2003. Now it had internet, which it did not have in 2003. But dinners were INTERMINABLE! They weren't back in 2003. The same number of passengers, but lots more wait staff. Five servers cannot serve 150 for dinner, especially with a tiny galley, in a reasonable amount of time. So it appears that Viking, at least, is now cutting corners.

 

We won't do another riverboat experience either, although we HAVE enjoyed them in the past.

 

Mura

[pacheco18]

This thread has gotten really interesting and thanks to all your comments I have decided what to do in May 2015 (NOT a European River Cruise -- probably never)

 

I am going to do Viking CHina after all.

I have a friend who may go with me

If not, Bob has "agreed" to go. LOL

He's a "prince."

 

Itineraries came out today so I am booking with my TA tomorrow.

 

Somehow I always end up back where I started

[Paulchili]

I believe that the Viking in China is very good - better than in Europe with some new ships and better food.

At least this is what I've heard from friends who used them in China.

Good luck.

[pacheco18]

Gets rave reviews. Very different from the European operation. I have been researching for over a year

[kiawahdon]

Did Amsterdam to Budapest -14 days - on Scenic. All I can say is if you are considering a river cruise in Europe, Scenic sets the standard in my opinion. Our Aussie companions (80% of the ship's passengers) were fabulous to tour with- better than many of our sea cruises. They have the best, most modern ships with balconies. I would only suggest you investigate before you dismiss out of hand a river cruise and Scenic.

[Mura]

We did the China trip with Viking in May '08 and it was a class act. Excellent guides. (Each group of 30 thought they had the best guide.)

 

Hotels also excellent. The group dinners before shows were rushed and okay food, but still worth it for the experience. The Shanghai a show was beyond fabulous.

 

The Viking ships were new at the time and far more comfortable than the European boats.

 

My only real complaint was that I wished they gave us more time in Shanghai. The time in Beijing -- 4 days as I recall -- was sufficient. But Shanghai was short.

 

Mura

[pacheco18]

Agree

I am extending time in Shanghai

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[TERRIER1]

This thread has gotten really interesting and thanks to all your comments I have decided what to do in May 2015 (NOT a European River Cruise -- probably never)

 

I am going to do Viking CHina after all.

I have a friend who may go with me

If not, Bob has "agreed" to go. LOL

He's a "prince."

 

Itineraries came out today so I am booking with my TA tomorrow.

 

Somehow I always end up back where I started

 

Our friends who travel extensively and well (like A&K, Natl Geo, Lindblatt) liked their Viking China trip. Perhaps different river boat companies have strengths in different parts of the world.

[pacheco18]

Our friends who travel extensively and well (like A&K, Natl Geo, Lindblatt) liked their Viking China trip. Perhaps different river boat companies have strengths in different parts of the world.

 

Viking is not highly regarded for Europe -- ranked lower generally than Tauck, Uniworld, Ama, Scenic. Viking is more of a mid range line for European river cruising. Jan and Mura hated it LOL I probably would as well.

 

But Viking shines in China. People just rave. 5/6 star hotels, great guides, every detail taken care of. I have friends who have done it and I have been in contact with many others who have taken the Viking China trip. The CC board for Viking China must have 2000 posts -- they are on thread number 2!

I have been researching this for more than a year and even looked at Uniworld, A & K and Tauck. I think Viking is the way to go in China.

[Paulchili]

They also stay in top notch hotels in Beijing and Shanghai - a real plus.

[rodan]

My wife has been wanting to take a river cruise in Europe but I hate the idea. We have been to most of the port stops and I luv doing my own thing on land. The trains in Europe are great and getting to smaller stops is easy. I think that river cruising is best for more exotic locations such as Egypt or China where not having command of the language or lay of the land can be a downer.I also feel that inexperienced travelers are more apt to take a river cruise in addition to older passengers (75 and up). I will have to get my wife to read some of these comments.

 

Thanks,

Irwin

[Mura]

When we took our first riverboat cruise (Viking in Oct '03) I was struck by how well travelled the passengers were. Yes, they were in general older than those we were seeing on Oceania, but then we were 10 years younger ourselves.

 

We considered ourselves to be well traveled, but we were novices compared to many of these people. The vast majority of passengers on that cruise were doing independent travel before and after the cruise and the reason they were doing river boat travel was because they'd been just about everywhere else already.

 

I am not saying this is true of all river boat trips but it was most noticeable on that first trip.

 

Mura

[Noxequifans]

We are Oceania cruise veterans and seriously considered taking a European river cruise. We spent a good amount of time examining all we could about the river cruise experience. For what it is worth, here are our conclusions:

 

The food on river cruises is not in the same league as Oceania. All sit at one seating and are served by a usually busy wait staff. The menu is limited due to the size of the galley. In many cases going through the lock system during the night can be noisy or jarring.The European river levels (up or down) can interrupt a trip and make it more of a bus tour. The floods last year wreaked havoc on river cruises. The uppermost deck is many times closed due to passage under bridges. Some of the river views are less than scenic and more industrial. The price/value equation did not prove in due to the small ship size. Activites are very limited. On the positive side, river cruising permits inland exploration not accessible from an ocean port.

 

Bottom line, we remain Oceania fans.