First Timer Random Questions

[alwalaska]

I am just starting to seriously look at a European River Cruise for the first time. Answers to any or all questions (plus whatever extra you want to throw in) will be greatly appreciated.

 

1) How far in advance do most lines post their schedules?

2) How far in advance do you recommend booking? (We are thinking fall 2017 for the cruise)

3) I know it can vary, but do prices normally go up or down as you get closer to sailing?

4) Other than these forums and the pdf that I already downloaded from CC - where do I start?

5) Is there somewhere legal to post web site where I can see all or most of the lines itineraries together?

 

A little background. We will be two couples in our late 40s and early 50s. We love learning about different cultures, historical places, etc. None of us drink, so all inclusive usually means more money and fewer benefits for us than others. We have a few picky eaters and shy people.

 

6) Any lines better suited to us than others?

7) Any recommendations, etc? I saw the referral thread and will post there when we are ready to make some decisions.

 

If you have off topic suggestions, ideas, etc, you can email me at annjunk at sbcglobal dot net. Thanks in advance! :)

[ewizabeff]

You said "other than this thread," but I still strongly recommend reading all the threads linked from the "New to River Cruising - Start Here" thread at the top of the page.

 

1) 2016 schedules are starting to come out on some lines now. Generally, you can book a River Cruise at least 18 months in advance.

 

2) Book as early as possible, especially if you're planning on going in the least expensive cabins. Sometimes there are only 2-4 cabins of this type on each boat, and they tend to be the first to go. There are also early booking discounts on most lines.

 

3) The only time I see prices go down is for last-minute sailings (about 45-90 days prior to sailing). Then, it's limited itineraries and dates.

 

4) If you search you library for "river cruises" there are a couple books out on the market, but honestly, this forum has been my #1 source of information. The only other source of info is to browse each line's website and/or request their literature or DVDs. You may also want to see if you can find bloggers that took a cruise similar to what you're looking at and wrote about it. There are a few of us on this board.

 

5) I don't know that that type of comparison exists, but maybe someone else will jump in.

 

Re: all-inclusive—it's not just about booze. I drank very little on our Uniworld cruise compared to others, but I really enjoyed having unlimited access to coffee, tea, and soda ... and there's always a non-alcoholic drink of the day. Then of course there are the lines that includes tips in the all-inclusive price (not all do), and a vast majority of the excursions.

 

6) I'm biased to Uniworld because it's the only line I've used, and we're booked again on a Uniworld cruise next winter. Lots of history and additional information available during on-ship lectures, but this is not unique to Uniworld. All lines will provide you with "plain" food choices at dinner. I recently spoke with a friend who was considering a river cruise with Road Scholar - they charter out part of a boat (seemingly on AMA or CruisiEurope) and provide more of an intellectual program. They might be worth looking into for you.

 

7) I highly recommend the trip we took in the fall, but others will highly recommend many other itineraries and lines. My travel blog is linked in the signature below; my most recent post is a review of our Uniworld Danube cruise, and I did a day-by-day recap in September/October.

 

My suggestion: Learn about the regions that the river cruises go to, and pick your desired region first. Then start looking at cruise lines that offer itineraries in that region during the time you're looking to go. You can look at 2015/2016 itineraries and assume they'll be similar in 2017, when you plan to go.

[Hydrokitty]

Ewizabeff answered your questions, so there's no need to repeat. I'll try to add different insights to help you decide. As she said you'll get a boatload of info on CC from people who have actually taken these trips and will often provide info and insights that you'll NEVER get from a company! I love my computer, but I also love a hard cover book that I can hold. Two that I purchased in 2011 and still use are Cruising & Cruise Ships by Berlitz and Frommer's European Cruises & Ports of Call. Both are primarily for large ships but also include river cruises and the ports don't change (except where you dock). River cruising has become so popular now however, that I would imagine Frommer or Berlitz puts out a book devoted to small ship cruising,in which you would be able to compare all the lines for ratings, room size, food and what they offer. You will find that we all have our favorite cruise line and mine is Vantage, which doesn't deal with travel agents, but IMHO gives the most for the money. Main reason I chose them for the first time was the inclusion of all shore excursions. There were only a few "optional" tours and they usually included a bus ride, admission and often lunch which was either as a group in a restaurant or they gave us money to buy lunch on our own (or spend however you liked). I've gone with Vantage a total of 6 times to date and have 2 booked for this spring and fall. Only caveat for you is you might find the general passenger age to be a bit old for you. You might look at Viking as they seem to have a younger crowd or AMA,which seems to appeal to a more active crowd. Most of them now include wine and beer with dinner and some with lunch. We're basically non-drinkers except for wine at dinner but in all honesty, I think if you were to request a credit for not drinking any alcohol it wouldn't come to more than $50, if that. Itinerary is the MOST important factor you should look at. If the boat goes where you want to go, take it, if it doesn't, then keep looking!

[alwalaska]

Thank you both so much. That is why I love CC so much. The only reason I said somewhere "other than CC" for info, was that I was already planning on reading everything in these threads and had already started on the "sticky" threads.

 

You have now given me several recommendations for companies I didn't even know existed. I can't wait to go explore your blog ewizabeff, and to go see if I can find the books Hydrokitty was talking about.

 

Booking 18 months out means I have about a year to play around before I think about booking. Good to know. :D

[Talisker92]

I second the recommendation of Hydrokitty. We have taken a number of river cruises and land trips with Vantage, and IMHO, they give you the most bang for the buck.Below are the links to three river cruises we took with them.

The first is a Russian River cruise. Vantage puts you up in hotels at both ends. Some others keep you on the ship the entire time, but you are bused into the city every day. Traffic in both cities is horrendous!

http://stevekathytravels.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/russia2013.pdf

The second was a cruise up the Rhone in Burgundy. Vantage has now moved a larger ship to do this cruise than the one we took.

http://stevekathytravels.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/burgundy2012.pdf

The third was a cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. We were stuck for 2 days because on one bridge, which I believe has since been raised.

Vantage took us on tours during those days that were very interesting.

http://stevekathytravels.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/europe2010.pdf

We are happy to answer any questions.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Berlitz also publishes a book that focuses on river cruises: "River Cruising in Europe." I haven't read it, but it is mentioned on the AMA website because AMA ships took the top 11 spots in the rankings (out of 280 rated ships). You might find it at your local library.

[Got2Cruise]

Another thing to consider is the overall price. Some folks want everything top of the line, and are willing to pay for it. . .others rather have a more moderate amenities and extras. You want to compare the ports visited, the time spent at the port and the venues visited in that port. A case in point is that I noticed that many of your cruises are on NCL, you know the NCL product. You know that when you sail NCL it is different than some cruise lines but at the same time many things are similar to other cruise lines. Sometimes it all comes down to a matter of personal preference.

 

You want to pay close attention when reading how certain cruiselines deal with acts of nature such as flooding or labor strikes or lock breakdowns. Some companies have been very proactive and consumer friendly, while others leave much to be desired.

[cruisecriticmember]

Berlitz also publishes a book that focuses on river cruises: "River Cruising in Europe." I haven't read it, but it is mentioned on the AMA website because AMA ships took the top 11 spots in the rankings (out of 280 rated ships). You might find it at your local library.

 

This book is worth your time as a newbie to river cruising. Just remember it is one person's opinion even tho he calls himself an "expert". I think he gave my favorite line, Uniworld, short shrift compared to how I have experienced it. This line really focuses on the onboard experience,( as well as destinations and tours), while other lines have less fancy ships and accomodations.

[ewizabeff]

I read the Berlitz River Cruising book as well (got it from the library) and would definitely recommend it now, at the beginning of your search, rather than towards the end. It lays a good foundation, but I read it after spending over a year on these forums and didn't really find that much new information in it.

[Hoyaheel]

There are consolidator websites I cannot name here that will list cruises by itinerary & date if all you want is to know who is sailing when & where. As with most consolidator sites, not all lines will be represented. Google appropriate terms and you should find what I'm talking about..

Edited February 2, 2015 by Hoyaheel

[alwalaska]

Another thing to consider is the overall price. Some folks want everything top of the line, and are willing to pay for it. . .others rather have a more moderate amenities and extras. You want to compare the ports visited, the time spent at the port and the venues visited in that port. A case in point is that I noticed that many of your cruises are on NCL, you know the NCL product. You know that when you sail NCL it is different than some cruise lines but at the same time many things are similar to other cruise lines. Sometimes it all comes down to a matter of personal preference.

 

You want to pay close attention when reading how certain cruiselines deal with acts of nature such as flooding or labor strikes or lock breakdowns. Some companies have been very proactive and consumer friendly, while others leave much to be desired.

 

Thanks. Great info. I've pretty much figured out the major players in the Ocean Voyages, even those we haven't sailed, but I'm finding I know nothing about River Cruise companies. I have lots of reading ahead of me.

 

A quick question though, most of the web sites I have been visiting have very generic itineraries that don't mention the hours they are in port. Am I missing something? It seemed like one I was looking at spent almost no time in the ports.

[alwalaska]

Thank you all for the book info (library here I come) and also the info on the Consolidator sites.

[caviargal]

 

A quick question though, most of the web sites I have been visiting have very generic itineraries that don't mention the hours they are in port. Am I missing something? It seemed like one I was looking at spent almost no time in the ports.

 

Unlike ocean cruising, river cruise itineraries do not specify port arrival and departure times. They say things like "enjoy your morning cruising and arrive after lunch" or similar. They do specify overnights in port which is something we look for as we like to maximize our time in our destination.

 

We have 9 cruises on the river with two more booked. Our preference is AMA which is not all inclusive. For us, we plan our own transfers, prefer to tip as we choose, and are happy to pay for whatever drinks we order. We enjoy participating in some but not all excursions. We have not experienced a river cruise that includes all of these and that is simply not important to us in our decision making process. I know that others find it preferable to have everything taken care of and included in the fare.

[Hoyaheel]

And the reason (or at least one reason) that river cruises cannot give very specific info about hours in port is that things can & do change at the last minute. Due to river traffic or water conditions, you might not be able to dock where or when originally planned. A good company will take care of the customer to the best of its ability when the changes are drastic....

 

The "worst" that happened to us on our Christmas market cruise in Dec 2014 is that we were unable to dock in Speyer as planned and had to dock in Mannheim instead. The cruise director was up much of the night getting transportation options figured out so passengers could do either a full day in Heidelberg or a morning in Speyer and afternoon in Heidelberg....

[alwalaska]

Thanks all!

 

2 more questions:

 

1) Do you feel like you get enough time in port? One of the itineraries we were looking at seemed to mostly sail a lot of the day and went into the towns mainly in the evenings. I would enjoy passing by the countryside - seeing castles, etc., but after a day or 2, I would be done with that and wanting to do more.

 

2) If I would rather walk around some of the towns rather than bus tours all the time, which companies fit that need better? It sounds like AMA is more flexible, but what others?

[Second seating]

Uniworld is very flexible I sometimes have spent time in towns instead of the bus tours if I wanted to. I do love most of the tours as the guides are the best I have ever had.

 

Second seating

[caviargal]

Thanks all!

 

2 more questions:

 

1) Do you feel like you get enough time in port? One of the itineraries we were looking at seemed to mostly sail a lot of the day and went into the towns mainly in the evenings. I would enjoy passing by the countryside - seeing castles, etc., but after a day or 2, I would be done with that and wanting to do more.

 

2) If I would rather walk around some of the towns rather than bus tours all the time, which companies fit that need better? It sounds like AMA is more flexible, but what others?

 

 

1) We are very careful when choosing itineraries as we prefer to minimize our time spent cruising in daytime hours. We are active and like to be out and about as much as possible.

 

2) We are more of the DIY frame of mind and have not had issues with that on any of our river cruises. IMO, it depends more on the itinerary and where the docking location is. We recently returned from Provence with AMA and had a LOT of time in port and quite a few overnights; and docking locations made the towns easy access. That was also the case on our Tulip Time cruise this spring with AMA.

[Got2Cruise]

Avalon is very flexible. You have a guided tour of the town every morning. Most of the time you are docked in town no need for the tour if you don't want it. Even with the guided tour they give you ample time on your own. After lunch there is usually a choice of optional tours or you may go back into town.

[caviargal]

Avalon is very flexible. You have a guided tour of the town every morning. Most of the time you are docked in town no need for the tour if you don't want it. Even with the guided tour they give you ample time on your own. After lunch there is usually a choice of optional tours or you may go back into town.

 

We have sailed 4x with Avalon and had no issues with flexibility; we did as we preferred. We took taxis when there was no transport provided at the times we wanted.

 

However, there are quite a few locations when we were not docked walking distance from the center. Nuremberg, Vienna, Wurzburg and Bamberg all required a bus transfer and 3 were on the same itinerary.

 

This is why I suggest researching the itinerary carefully as there is no generic answer.

 

Tours are not always in the morning as they are generally tied to arrival time in port, which can be afternoon or even evening.

 

The devil is in the details.:)

[YoungDubFan]

I also suggest doing a search of these forums for trip reports. These are where people have posted fairly detailed reviews of their river cruises - on many different lines. As you get further into your research, if you've picked a company or even the river that you are interested in, you can probably come back here and ask if anyone still has the daily newsletters that mentions time in ports. I still have these from my Basel to Amsterdam river cruise with Avalon from 2012. I also posted a fairly detailed trip report. Read a few of these and then come back with specific questions.

 

I have a deposit down on a May 2016 Paris to Normandy beaches cruise with Avalon. They just released their 2016 itineraries. As has been mentioned, it is good to get a deposit down rather early, to secure your cabin category of choice and dates. It is very rare for prices to go down. Normally they are lowest the farthest out and can go up as inventory decreases. Remember - most ships only carry 150 - 200 passengers. Some lines will offer some select savings on a specific sailing that is not selling for some reason, and if this is the one you are on, you can often get a price reduction.

 

One other thing to look at is size of the cabins. You will find that there is a large difference in size based on the age of the ship, which line, which cabin category, etc. This was an important factor that helped us pick Avalon. Granted you aren't in the cabins much, but we were very happy to have every inch of space that we did have when we were in there.

 

Good luck with your research.

[Hydrokitty]

Thanks all!

 

2 more questions:

 

1) Do you feel like you get enough time in port? One of the itineraries we were looking at seemed to mostly sail a lot of the day and went into the towns mainly in the evenings. I would enjoy passing by the countryside - seeing castles, etc., but after a day or 2RiI would be done with that and wanting to do more.

 

2) If I would rather walk around some of the towns rather than bus tours all the time, which companies fit that need better? It sounds like AMA is more flexible, but what others?

 

Hi again....

 

1) We always felt we had enough time in port. River cruises are more scenic than ocean cruises, this is one of the things that's appealing about them, therefore much sailing is done during the day especially through scenic areas.

If you're going from one port to another and NOT going through an especially scenic area they'll cruise at night. On Castles on the Rhine, we usually arrived at port in the morning and left port around dinner time, but this depends on the port and the company. when we were on Vantage Castles we had one day of sailing through the most scenic part of the river and while most of us were on deck there were small groups playing bridge or reading in the lounge. Nobody is going to "make" you do something you don't want to do.

 

2. As for touring the ports on your own, I don't think any cruise line will insist that you join the walking tour, bus tour or optional tour. Many people on this site like to strike out on their own and discover a port by themselves and nobody is going to stop them from doing so. We tend to enjoy the guided walking tour because we get an orientation of what and where things are. These walking tours generally last about an hour and you can leave them at any time if you wish, although they do ask you to tell the guide you're leaving, for obvious reasons.

 

For the most part river cruising is just as laid back as ocean cruising. There's plenty to do if you want to and you don't have to anything if you don't want to. The only thing that is more controlled is meal time because everyone eats together in the same place.

[alwalaska]

I also suggest doing a search of these forums for trip reports. These are where people have posted fairly detailed reviews of their river cruises - on many different lines. As you get further into your research, if you've picked a company or even the river that you are interested in, you can probably come back here and ask if anyone still has the daily newsletters that mentions time in ports. I still have these from my Basel to Amsterdam river cruise with Avalon from 2012. I also posted a fairly detailed trip report. Read a few of these and then come back with specific questions.

 

I have a deposit down on a May 2016 Paris to Normandy beaches cruise with Avalon. They just released their 2016 itineraries. As has been mentioned, it is good to get a deposit down rather early, to secure your cabin category of choice and dates. It is very rare for prices to go down. Normally they are lowest the farthest out and can go up as inventory decreases. Remember - most ships only carry 150 - 200 passengers. Some lines will offer some select savings on a specific sailing that is not selling for some reason, and if this is the one you are on, you can often get a price reduction.

 

One other thing to look at is size of the cabins. You will find that there is a large difference in size based on the age of the ship, which line, which cabin category, etc. This was an important factor that helped us pick Avalon. Granted you aren't in the cabins much, but we were very happy to have every inch of space that we did have when we were in there.

 

Good luck with your research.

 

OK - So I have to ask, do you have Irish ancestry - or do you live in the same VERY GREEN town in central Ohio that I do? :D

 

Thanks for the info. My friend said she was interested in the Rhine, but now as I am researching, I think she is more interested in the Danube.

 

I would LOVE to stop in Strasbourg (I lived there for a month a VERY long time ago, but it isn't a must.)

 

You all are so wonderful. I thank each and every one of you. Time to hit the web, library, and start reading my brains out - Oh wait - I'm supposed to be working. Oh well, trip planning is so much more fun. :D

[papa B me]

We sailed from Amsterdam to Basel down the Rhine with Uniworld this past July. There was only one morning we were sailing and that was the stretch of the Rhine Gorge where are the castles dot the Rhine. Most of the time we were docked early morning and didn't leave until dinner time or most of time well after dinner. Several overnights and several like at 11:00 at night. My wife and I got off the ship virtually every night for a walk or a bike ride after dinner.

 

We have a Danube Christmas market cruise scheduled for this December with Uniworld from Budapest to Passau. The itinerary seems similar with little daytime dialing other then the scenic portions in the Wachau valley(sp?)

 

I agree with the other posters that you can enjoy as many of the organized excursions or as few as you choose. As long as you communicate will with staff to be sure you know when to be on the ship to leave. With Uniworld we always had a schedule placed in our room during dinner that outlined the next days time frames and events.

 

I think you will have a wonderful time regardless of which line you choose or itinerary. Its a matter of deciding where you want to go and what level of inclusiveness or luxury you are looking for.(This can be difficult since everyone has a different expectation as far as luxury) But as other posters have suggested there are great reviews with day by day and pictures to help you get a good feel.

 

Good luck

[ewizabeff]

Another thing to keep in mind is that on many river itineraries you may not actually be going that far. Our waiter commented to us on the last day (when we told him we wished the trip lasted longer), that it would be tough for us to go any slower, since we'd taken a week to cruise a distance he could drive in a day. :)

[Hydrokitty]

Another thing to keep in mind is that on many river itineraries you may not actually be going that far. Our waiter commented to us on the last day (when we told him we wished the trip lasted longer), that it would be tough for us to go any slower, since we'd taken a week to cruise a distance he could drive in a day. :)

 

LOL! It's funny how we don't think of things like that....our TM on Castles on the Rhine as from Bratislava and was flying from Amsterdam to Vienna and then taking the ferry to Bratislava....I asked him how long it would be before he was home and he said, Oh, I'll be home by the time my wife gets home from school at 3! Things are so much closer in Europe than we Americans are used to.