Seabournites, Please Advice on Lux River Cruising

[Ithaca]

DH and I would like to enjoy a river cruise under the same (or very much the same) luxury standards of Seabourn. We are interested in the Rhone-Saone cruise from Paris to Nice. My research finds Scenic and Emerald as the two lux companies. Is this true? What would your recommendations be? Any comments about other companies I should review? Thanks!

[Host Dan]

I've heard that Scenic is quite nice. That said, you might want to post this over on the river cruise forum.

[jenidallas]

I've never river cruised, but the topic has come up with dining companions on Seabourn. I keep a notebook of things that others have mentioned for future research and under river expeditions/cruises, I have written "Tauck, Uniworld, Abercrombie & Kent" in my notes.

 

Take that as the $0.02 it's worth.

[Jim Avery]

Tauck and Uniworld get consistently good ratings/reviews. We are looking into the same sort of criteria for a river cruise as well. Scenic seems to have improved much in the last year. Initially they had some problems. Scenic is an Australian company so you will have many more Aussies/New Zealanders than say on Viking. I usually find that to be a good thing. :D

[Ithaca]

Thank you Host Dan, Jenidallas and Jim Avery for your replies. I value the comments/recommendations from Seabourn sailors.

[LEESRE]

We have sailed with Seabourn a few times and this year we have also sailed with Emerald Waterways. I have done a review on this if you would care to look.

 

Please don't go and expect what Seabourn gives you as you will be disappointed, it is a very different type of cruise.

 

We really enjoyed the Emerald Star, the dining was good, buffet breakfast and lunch but served dinner. You had beer, wine and soft drinks with lunch and dinner these were included in the price, also all the excursions, which were many, and extremely well done.

Please note that there were tables for two, but these were very close to a table for four, it was open seating, first come first served. Also they tended to want you to all dine together in the evenings. Dinner was normally around 7 to 730pm.

The ship was very modern with lots of glass and chrome it had a nice lounge where there was nightly entertainment. Local people were brought on some nights to entertain us, ie Hungarian dancers, a German Umpah band etc.

 

I am sure if you go with an open mind you will enjoy this type of cruising but it is NOT an Ocean type cruise at all.

[jackom]

We sailed with Uniworld and very pleased with them.

A USA resident who had sailed with several river cruise companies including Uniworld advised us that AMA are far and away the best.

[Joc123]

We sailed on Uniworld SS Catherine in April and loved it. We went Avignon to Lyon. The crew were lovely, the food and wines very good (in fact better than our last Seabourn cruise) the boat, although not decorated to my taste, was very comfortable( we did book a suite because the rooms are very small) and the the tours were excellent. It is all inclusive which we like. Remember, river cruising is very different from ocean cruising and to be honest I was not keen on trying it, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. We would do it again.

[oregon50]

Please don't go and expect what Seabourn gives you as you will be disappointed, it is a very different type of cruise.

 

Two different industries. One has nothing to do with the other, except a shared relationship to water.

 

Three years ago, MS Royal Crown was under contract with Select. 90 passenger capacity and probably lux for river cruise. You can check their website. We did five days, booking an hour before departure in Amsterdam.

I'm in AMS today, looking at a dozen river cruise boats. Difficult to describe the variety set before my eyes. Be careful......very careful.

[Jim Avery]

Another difference is that most river cruise boats now offer free wifi.:D Many have gone all inclusive or nearly so. Worst part for us lately though is airfare. Costs more to get to and from the river cruise than the cruise costs. I simply refuse to pay more for the aluminum stool sample than the place you are traveling to.

[Patti22]

We have done two cruises on Seabourn and two river cruises on AMA. Loved AMA and we are thinking about a Christmas Market cruise with them. They are a different experience from Seabourn, but very nice. Good food and well organized excursions.

[Chairsin]

Some food for thought re: river cruising. There have been a number of news article the last few days about stranded river boats due to lock problems. One boat I believe sat for five days and ended up taking the PAX out on buses every day. Another was referenced as well --- that of high or low water levels. High water made going under some bridges near impossible and low water left them with other mobility problems. Suddenly they don't seem like the worry free alternative to ocean cruising with it potential for tempestuous waters.

 

 

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[foxland]

DH and I would like to enjoy a river cruise under the same (or very much the same) luxury standards of Seabourn. We are interested in the Rhone-Saone cruise from Paris to Nice. My research finds Scenic and Emerald as the two lux companies. Is this true? What would your recommendations be? Any comments about other companies I should review? Thanks!

 

 

As I understand it Emerald is owned by Scenic .. and is the lower standard of the two brands .. you might like to check out riverboat ratings dot com ..

 

Allan

[juicyjuju]

My hubbie really wants to go on a river cruise but my impression, which may be wrong, is that there isn't any dancing opportunities on a river cruise...and I love to dance...both regular dancing and ballroom. Do any of the lines have dancing on them?

[Patti22]

Hi, Julie

Nice to hear from you. We were with you in Stockholm. There is really no dancing on AMA. There is a very small dance floor and sometimes a piano after dinner. No band that I am aware of. Of couse, AMA has some new ships so things may have changed.

[lellystuart]

Hi,

 

We have used AMA...very good.

 

Regards:)

[whystayhome]

Hi,

 

We have used AMA...very good.

 

Regards:)

 

We were pleased with Viking and Avalon and very pleased with Peter Dielman. Uniworld was so-so.

 

After dinner entertainment consists mainly of going to bed. Rooms are generally on the small side, but well-designed and comfortable. Sightseeing is usually included and worthwhile.

 

Overall it is a very enjoyable experience. People tend to be mature (lots of active folks in their 80's and even 90's), well-educated, interesting and well-traveled. Most people are convivial and easy to get along with.

 

For sites that are some distance from the river, some lines run a separate excursion section for the slower-moving or for people who need to get closer to the attractions and therefore need transport in a smaller vehicle.

 

If all's well with the river, it is a very convenient way to travel - nothing like pulling up in the center of Prague!

 

However, it is nothing like a Seabourn cruise and you really can't make a meaningful comparison between the river and ocean cruise experience. They are totally different products other than, as someone noted above, they both involve water. We enjoyed all our river cruises (although Russia was a trial) and are almost sorry that we are running out of rivers!

[Winner]

I highly recommend Tauck, which is the top tour operator and, in my opinion at least, the top riverboat operator. Their on-board guides are highly trained so daily excursions are very professional. The boats are comfortable and nicely furnished. There is not room specifically set aside for dancing.

 

Typically tour by day and cruise from the center of one town to the center of the next destination during the night so you can enjoy the river in daylight,

 

If you do choose Tauck I recommend a cabin with French doors and a small balcony; there is nothing like waking up and seeing swans drifting by!

Edited August 6, 2014 by Winner

[Host Dan]

I highly recommend Tauck, which is the top tour operator and, in my opinion at least, the top riverboat operator. Their on-board guides are highly trained so daily excursions are very professional. The boats are comfortable and nicely furnished. There is not room specifically set aside for dancing.

 

Typically tour by day and cruise from the center of one town to the center of the next destination during the night so you can enjoy the river in daylight,

 

If you do choose Tauck I recommend a cabin with French doors and a small balcony; there is nothing like waking up and seeing swans drifting by!

I agree with Winner- Tauck is first class. I tried Uniworld once-never again.

[FKGirl]

My parents LOVE Seabourn, and did a Tauck river cruise but were disappointed. While they had a good time, the food was sub par, and service was lacking as well. Both areas, which different from a cruise ship, should still be excellent. Especially for the price!

 

AMA is a good place to start looking.

[wripro]

Tauck, Scenic and Uniworld are your best bets. AMA if an itinerary is better.

[Ithaca]

Thanks to all sharing comments! I guess the field narrows to Scenic, Tauck, AMA and Uniworld. Will let all know which one wins out. Thanks again.

[CruisingAlong4Now]

As has been said many times, river cruising has nothing in common with ocean cruising.

 

River cruising has more in common with a bus tour, albeit an upscale bus tour where your hotel moves with you. And don't forget, that many river cruises become bus tours when the rivers "don't cooperate", as in 2013 and now!

 

My French balcony became useless when river boats are tied side by side. Imagine my surprise when I opened my curtain in the morning and was face to face with a cruiser on another river boat staring at me! From then on, doors shut at night, not only because of the sight lines, but we could hear conversations through the open balcony doors during the evening and night. We could even hear the TV from the other ship!

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if you must river cruise, I would go with Tauck. They are very customer focused and understand the needs of well travelled customers.

[Ithaca]

Cruisig4along, my DH is a wine enthusiast, and that's why we were wanting to do the river cruise in France. However, you are not the first one to warn us about the one-to-one docked river boats, and that would be a real no-no for us. Food for thought!!

[Patti22]

This side by side docking was kind of charming when we were in Austria and Germany. There were actually three river ships one time and two times with two ships where we had to go through them to get to our ship. What is wrong with that? We enjoyed seeing the other ships and were met with very friendly crew as we passed through. If this kind of thing bothers you, then perhaps you should rethink river cruising. There are only so many places to dock and sometimes this double/triple docking occurs. I thought it was fun.