Family cruise-- Tauck vs. Uniworld?

[Doh15]

Hi,

 

We are thinking of a multi-generational cruise (parents, kid, grandparent) on the Danube next summer and we are looking at Tauck ("Bridges") and possibly Uniworld ("Generations"). This will be our first river cruise and our child will be 14. Our child is well-behaved (if sometimes bored) in adult company and enjoys travels and new foods but it seemed like a family cruise would make it more enjoyable for everyone by having more comparable ages on board.

 

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on the differences between the family cruises on these two cruise lines (the ages they are targeted at, or how much the excursions divide by age, or something I am sure I am not thinking of).

 

My sense is that Tauck and Uniworld are fairly comparable but any observations on the differences generally would also be appreciated.

 

thanks!

[Fa-Li]

We are going on the Tauck family river cruise next month. Haven't done the Uniworld. We have done many family land trips with Adventures By Disney. I can't help with your actual question, but one thing I always ask before booking is how many kids and what ages are already booked. Your 14 yo will enjoy it much more if there are a few other young teens than if the trip has mostly 8s & 9s, or mostly 17s & 18s.

 

Also, seems that you, like me, have an only child. Triples are at a bit of a disadvantage room-wise both for pricing and because your (not-so-little) kid will have to make do with a sofa bed. I have not looked into Uniworld, but we were thrilled to find that we could book our child into her own little cabin with no single supplement on Tauck. Now, she is 18 so this was no issue at all. For a 14 yo, you might have to book the single in an adult's name thorn switch around on board.

 

Let us know what you find out, and I'll post a review next month!

[acwmom]

I would also recommend looking at the Adventures by Disney cruises on AMA. I have a friend taking her kids on their Danube cruise this summer, and her youngest is 14yr old. While I don't doubt that Tauck and Uniworld offer excellent family cruises, when it comes to entertaining kids of all ages, Disney can't be beat. In addition, the ships have connecting rooms.

 

Robin

[alidor]

We have done Tauck Bridges trips and they are excellent. I honestly couldn't find any fault with them and our grandkids had a wonderful time! In fact, we are doing a river cruise with them next month in France with the Bridges program.

 

I don't know about Uniworld but I can't imagine them being as good as Tauck is for families.

 

I'm sure Disney will be excellent as well but, for some reason, I think they would be better with younger cruises. Don't know why I think that. AMA is an excellent cruise line, though.

[Doh15]

I also have the impression that the AMA Disney cruises skew a little younger although that's not based on very much (just looking at the website). I also have a softer impression that Uniworld may skew a little younger, and in general am very impressed about what I've heard about Tauck.

 

At 14 we might still go for the triple and figure at least we are getting a larger room out of it, but I did wonder if anyone let their older child have their own room on board even if it's not technically allowed. It's a little funny how they market these cruises to families but there are limited options for lodging families.