Our trip of a lifetime - need your advise - please

[peterseaford]

G'day the wife and I are both in our mid seventies and would love to see Europe but not up to the rigors of a bus tour so a river cruise fills the bill.

 

We would need to fly ta and from Melbourne but because of distance would appreciate a break over night each way .

 

We were looking at Scenic Tours but have been advised that Amadeus is a better way to go as we would like wine with meals but not necessarily all day free.

 

We have been told that a nice trip is to fly to Paris for a few days then train to Amsterdam for the boat trip to Budapest and then be driven to Prague for a few days and then fly home.

 

We would ask if this is sane thinking and which month should we look at and how much in Australian Dollars would such a trip involve remembering that we are aged pensioners and on a SKI adventure

 

Really value your opinions

 

kind regards

 

peter

[alexandra cruiser]

With a trip of this magnitude you NEED a TA who specializes in both river cruises and the rest of what you need.They can also give you a better idea of cost inv.

If I had choice between the 2 cruises,would go with Scenic(everything would be taken care of for you)but AMA is also great and would be my second choice.Get brochures from ea.,look at videos on you tube,read reviews,etc.

Yes, Paris is great place to start.Would spend at least 2,pref.more,of course,days pre cruise.

Try the shorter river cruises to see if you like them.Then can use train,if desired to stay in other cities you mention.

BUt DO get prof.advice,they give lots of info, good incentives,etc...no downside that I can see.

[4774Papa]

I never use a Travel Agent. Do the research on your own and only use a TA if you get a price discount.

 

Readers of this forum will know that Scenic sunk to new lows the way they responded to the river flooding in central Europe. Read some reviews on cruise critic for the cruise lines.

AMA is a wonderful river cruise line. I highly recommend it. However, compare it with others prior to booking.

 

If you haven't been to Paris, it is wonderful. For hotels, I use kayak to find the lowest pricing coupled with tripadvisor for reviews of quality. Booking a hotel is about neighborhood in Paris. Get a Rick Steves or Frommers and find out what you want to see in Paris, then go to the neighborhood that best suits you and your price. Tours are great in Paris, but the METRO is excellent and you see more walking.

 

As for the oneway train trip to Amsterdam, suggest going to the French rail site, SNCF

http://www.sncf.com/en/passengers

[cbb]

I respectfully disagree with the advice not to use a TA. To me a TA is your advocate if something goes wrong....like flooding and a non responsive cruise company.

 

Our TA specializes in river cruising and his company does massive amounts of business with both ocean and river cruise companies. He has a pretty big $ weapon to hold over a cruise line for us--just 2 people.

 

He can steer us and his clients to other lines if he thinks it would be to our benefit and I'd certainly follow his advice.

 

That said, I always do massive research, talk it over with Mr. Wonderful, and email the TA who makes it all happen!

[Host Jazzbeau]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

I note that you are from Australia, which often raises issues around tipping. [Even for us from the US, the recommended tipping levels were quite a shock!] Be sure to factor this in to any cost comparisons.

 

I second the recommendation that AMA provides good value with a high degree of luxury (not the top and not all-inclusive). You would deal with their Australian partner APT which includes all gratuities in the fare price.

Edited May 22, 2014 by Host Jazzbeau

[purduemom1]

If you can find a good TA then I would certainly use them to help you make decisions and work out details. However, even with a really good TA it is important for you to stay on top if the details and do your own research. We use a TA who came very highly recommended by several friends but I have found that she has made several mistakes with details of our trip. Fortunately I caught them in time to make needed corrections.

 

You have many facets to your desired trip and unless you also do the research, you won't know if the trip includes all you want it to or all your TA thinks it should include......not necessarily the same thing.

[KLRDUKS]

I agree with the others that recommend using a TA, especially if you are not that net savvy. I always do my own research and normally book my own travel but for this kind if trip, at least for booking the cruise (and the "worry free" travel insurance)

Also, as others have pointed out, they will help if things don't go quite right like missing a flight connection or problems with a reservation etc.

 

As for companies, I too recommend AMA for value for your money. I would pick the area you want to travel and then read the ship specific reviews here on Cruise Critic. They often get into very specific details that may address your concerns and questions.

 

Hope you do end up going and have a wonderful trip!!

 

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[peterdkiwi]

Unless you are use to doing booking on internet I suggest you ask friends who have travelled a lot, which TA they use. Personal recommendation is best way to find good TA. Also suggest you write out your plans and give it to 2 TAs to give you price and details.

You need to break your trip with at least a one night (24hrs) stop over each way from Aussie to Europe

Suggest you also consider Avalon who we have use and are about to go again.

Cost for 3 1/2 to 4 weeks including Avalon cruise approx Aust $23 to $26,000 total cost including spending money, insurance etc.

 

This is based on trip last year and another this year

Hope this helps

[aussietraveller58]

Hi Peter, I travelled with my parents (in their 80's) with APT ( AMA to US customers) , the Amsterdam to Budapest "classic" tour and it would be perfect for you. We have done two other river cruises and have two booked for August this year - again with APT! but I do think the Amsterdam to Budapest itinerary is the absolute winner.

 

I cannot rate APT highly enough- wonderful in every way. In South Australia, it is Phil Hoffmann travel who specialises in APT and you can't actually book APT direct with them , only through an agent, but I think that is a great idea as the agent gave us a load of good suggestions. I am sure there would be an equivalent agency in Melbourne.

 

We did not do the APT extensions, instead we flew to Prague from Budapest and had a few days there independently - wonderful small city. and very easy to manage. We started in Amsterdam, but your idea of a few days in Paris then train to Amsterdam could work well too. Much much cheaper than the APT extensions and we enjoyed going at our own pace.

 

Don't forget that you can now fly direct via Dubai with Emirates - we do this every year, the flight times are excellent as you leave at 9pm ish and then arrive for a day in Dubai, leaving there again at 11pm and get to Paris/Amsterdam mid morning. You can even book a Dubai hotel for day use if you need it.

 

I am happy to add more details about our trip if you are interested.

[cbb]

On our last cruise with Avalon several of the passengers we met were from Australia and New Zealand and practically all of them were going through Dubai. They thought it was a wonderful way to break up the flight to western Europe.

[peterseaford]

Thanks very much everybody - have a lot to work on now and we value your assistance and advise

 

kind regards

 

peter