Which River Cruiseline do you prefer and why?

[marco]

We have done a half dozen or so river cruises with GCT, Vantage and Viking. All were EXCELLENT and I would not hesitate to recommend any of the 3. ON all, the guides were EXTREMELY knowledgeable not only on the sites we saw, but on things to see and do when it was "on your own" time. What venues were available in the cities you overnighted in, approx costs, what to expect, how to get there, etc etc. Ships, staff, dining had more similarities than differences. I would choose based on itinerary and dates that best suit you.

[horatio123]

Lots of knowledgeable people on this thread. I have been on 2 Uniworld and will be going on my third this fall. If this helps you at all....my agent told me once that if you love your first river cruise then stick with the same company for the next. You may also wish to check out the style of the ship as well as the itinerary in your decision making progress. I really like the old world decor of Uniworld..others may not. I remember going though viking and AMA at a port and found they looked too Ikea style in furniture..others may like the more modern minimalist style. All these things play into the decision. I have been told AMA, Uniworld and Tauck are tops, then Avalon a little step down, then Viking, that Viking has so many ships its quality is lacking? Don't kill the messager...someone in the cruise industry.

[caviargal]

Lmy agent told me once that if you love your first river cruise then stick with the same company for the next. You may also wish to check out the style of the ship as well as the itinerary in your decision making progress. I really like the old world decor of Uniworld..others may not. I remember going though viking and AMA at a port and found they looked too Ikea style in furniture..others may like the more modern minimalist style.

 

I am so happy I did not stick with our first river cruise line and instead tried AMA Waterways. I suspect we would not have continued to experience cruising on the river had we not found a line that really worked for us overall in terms of delivering an all around experience that we enjoy.

 

The differences IMO go far beyond decor, though I agree that decor can be a factor. We really find the old world heaviness of Uniworld's decor a turnoff and I do agree that the Viking boats I have seen are very IKEA like. We have not found AMA to be at all IKEA like in terms of decor, rather they are warm and inviting. Personal preference of course.

[horatio123]

I guess my qualifying words were "if you loved"...styles on the ships are different and decor and itinerary are just some of the factors.