New River Cruiser needs help!

[Fleetcat]

On deciding we would like to try a river cruise through Germany this summer we were shocked to find out how popular they are and our limited choices. We have been offered the Avalon Affinity - Zurich to Amsterdam and the Riviera William Shakespeare - Cologne to Brussels. Both appeal and if we enjoy river cruising we will no doubt be able to return to either. Just wondered if anybody had any thoughts as to which would be more luxurious and / or offer better views / dining facilities / wine / stuff (?)! We cruise with Silversea and Seabourn regularly so you know what standard we are hoping for.

[notamermaid]

Hello Fleetcat,

 

welcome to cruisecritic!

 

As regards the choices you have been given, I am a little puzzled by Cologne to Brussels. Brussels is not normally a choice for a river port. It has a small river, navigation to the sea is via a canal (mostly freight). Might you be bussed from a port to Brussels to return to the UK? I am wondering this, as Riviera is usually for the British market. If it is a cruise ending in Brussels, it sounds good though, Brussels is a very interesting town, a mix of old and new.

 

Are you based in the US?

 

Riviera's site gives you the ship details: https://www.rivieratravel.co.uk/river-cruises/rhine-strasbourg-heidelberg/ships/ms-william-shakespeare

 

Zurich to Amsterdam is the "typical" long Rhine cruise which others can tell you lots about.

 

Avalon Waterways has its ship details online as well.

 

For deciding on a summer cruise in 2014 you are, well, perhaps a little late. Others might call it "last minute". ;) No offence, river cruises just seem to work this way, people are busy booking Christmas market cruises 2014 and the 2015 cruises now.

 

Another choice might be to try Arosa - a German company -, they have a representative in the US and an English language website:

 

http://www.arosacruises.com/

 

I am sure others on Cruise Critic are happy to help with comparisons to the ocean cruise companies you mentioned.

 

notamermaid

Edited March 20, 2014 by notamermaid
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[Fleetcat]

Don't know where I got Brussels from! It is Cologne to Cologne.

[FuelScience]

Unfortunately, as notamermaid said, river cruises fill up early. With ships holding between 150 and 200 people, there aren't that many cabins available. Now is a good time to reserve a cruise for 2015.

 

You might check some of the lines for unfilled cabins on a Paris to Prague cruise. For my money, this is one of the most scenic routes. You typically go from Trier, Germany to Nuremberg or Bamberg on a ship, with bus or train transportation to or from Paris or Prague.

 

FuelScience

[FuelScience]

Fleetcat,

 

You might want to move this thread to the main river cruising board. It typically gets more traffic and more general comments on cruise lines rather than specific ports.

[YoungDubFan]

I did Avalon's Basel (Zurich) to Amsterdam in 2013 and loved it. Here is the link to my post about our trip.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1646466&highlight=avalon+trip+report

I was on the Felicity, which is a sister ship to the Affinity. I really enjoyed my trip. If there are still openings, I would recommend it.

[Hoyaheel]

We have been offered

 

Does that mean you work with a travel agent and those were the only options available through YOUR travel agent? If so, you might want to explore alternative booking methods, just to check. Though it's true about booking in advance:D Though my in-laws (who are retired and able to travel without notice) have been able to book great last minute fares on Uniworld (who did their airfare so they weren't penalized by late booking either)

[ewizabeff]

I just received an email from Uniworld today advertising cruise+air deals for 2014 if you book by March 31. Select dates were available for the following itineraries:

• Bordeaux, Vineyards & Châteaux (8 Days)
  
• Venice & the Gems of Northern Italy (8 Days)
  
• Enchanting Danube (8 Days)
  
• Splendors of Northern Italy, Venice, Florence & Rome (13 Days)
  
• European Serenade (15 Days)
  
• Portugal, Spain & the Douro River Valley (11 Days)
  

 

It looks like you can access info about this offer on the Uniworld homepage.

[Shmoo here]

Does that mean you work with a travel agent and those were the only options available through YOUR travel agent? If so, you might want to explore alternative booking methods, just to check. Though it's true about booking in advance:D Though my in-laws (who are retired and able to travel without notice) have been able to book great last minute fares on Uniworld (who did their airfare so they weren't penalized by late booking either)

 

Agreed. Vantage doesn't book through travel agents. You must contact them independently.

[Hoyaheel]

I really meant that a travel agent might only be checking a couple of lines s/he is familiar with, and not ALL of them. I don't use a travel agent- I do my own research and book directly with whomever I choose, whether that company uses travel agents or not.....

[caviargal]

Travel agents also sometimes reserve blocks of rooms and can offer significant benefits to those that book within these groups. These are not advertised deals or available to the general public. An agent that specializes in river cruises can make a lot of difference overall, as long as they really understand the pro's and con's of the different lines.

[Hydrokitty]

Have you tried Vantage's website? They will have all their available cruises and dates and cabin classes that are still open. Sometimes people book a year ahead and then change their minds and opt for a different cruise which will free up space. As pp said, they don't use travel agents, but you can easily find them on the web. One caveat: through experience, I have learned that Vantage is notoriously poor in responding to e-mail . If you want information, I suggest you telephone toll free number and speak to a live person. Otherwise, I've completed 5 trips with them and have 3 more booked so I can recommend them as a top of the line business (except for e-mail:D)

[Grandma of Lily]

We have done 2 river cruises so far, one with Avalon and one with Riviera.

We are booked on a further cruise with Avalon this July. As far as comparisons between Avalon and Riviera are concerned I would say that you get what you pay for.

 

We were not overly impressed with the meals on Riviera's Lord Byron (advertised as 5*) although some were excellent compared to our previous experience with Avalon. The tours and overall admin were excellent with both (we joined the ship in Cologne ((the Riviera tour) via Eurostar to Brussels and then coach to Cologne - a boring journey).

 

It was just little things - soap dispenser rather than individual bottles, poor cheeseboard, running out of items on the buffet. Wine is included on Avalon.

 

But if cost is a factor then Riviera have a good product and we would probably use them again.