Amsterdam to Budapest--Viking or Uniworld?

[daphne600]

My friend and I would like to take our first river cruise together before our 70th birthdays. We would like to do a trip from Amsterdam to Budapest in September 2018. We are currently considering Viking and Uniworld, and are looking for any feedback.

 

Neither of us have traveled to Europe before, neither of us are drinkers. We are looking at different room options--2-room suite and/or balcony (one of us is an early riser and may or may not want to explore the boat in the early morning alone).

 

Thoughts on dress? Jeans and tennis shoes okay on any river cruise?

 

We've heard Viking is more multinational and thus have multilingual announcements. Is this an actual concern?

 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts! :)

[Ritabob]

Daphne,

I can only tell you about Uniworld...so perhaps finding a good TA who has experience with both lines would help. Also , read the stickies above with lots of good information about the different lines.

Jeans and tennis shoes are fine for day time. And even evening meals with a nice shirt or top .

I know Uniworld does waive the single supplement on many of their cruises, so perhaps you and your friend could each have a cabin to avoid the different waking hour dilemma.

The ships are not large, and there are staff / crew members around at all times ,so if you are wandering, there is no need to feel uneasy about being alone.

There are many videos on YouTube you can watch to get an idea of what to expect on board.

And the language used on board is English.

Happy planning !

 

RB

[Host Jazzbeau]

My friend and I would like to take our first river cruise together before our 70th birthdays. We would like to do a trip from Amsterdam to Budapest in September 2018. We are currently considering Viking and Uniworld, and are looking for any feedback.

 

Neither of us have traveled to Europe before, neither of us are drinkers. We are looking at different room options--2-room suite and/or balcony (one of us is an early riser and may or may not want to explore the boat in the early morning alone).

 

Thoughts on dress? Jeans and tennis shoes okay on any river cruise?

 

We've heard Viking is more multinational and thus have multilingual announcements. Is this an actual concern?

 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts! :)

 

I think you are confusing Viking with some other river cruise line. Viking is very clear that they market to the English-speaking audience. CroisiEurope and Arosa are European lines that are now marketing to North Americans -- they are the ones I think of as multinational and multilingual.

[Gourmet Gal]

One major difference is that Uniworld is more of an all-inclusive line with no tipping, all drinks and almost all excursions included. There might be just a couple of optional excursions that would be an upcharge. Airport transfers are also included. Food might be better as well based on comments I've read here. The decor is a big difference too with Uniworld being more like a European manor house vs Viking's Scandinavian style.

[OneSixtyToOne]

I can't speak to Uniworld but we did the Grand European Tour last summer with Viking and absolutely loved it. Considering the length of the tour we opted for a suite. This gave us some options when one wanted to go to bed early or sleep late.

 

I have absolutely no complaints about Viking. The food and service were great. If you need something just ask and they will do everything they can to make it happen. You might read some negatives about tipping on Viking but IMO the excellent service warranted a gratuity. Since it's such a small ship you do get to know the staff and it was a pleasure to show our appreciation.

 

I wore jeans or slacks every day with tennis shoes or other comfortable walking shoes. You have tours every day so dressing comfortable for the weather is very important. BTW I doubt that you will be sleeping late since most daily tours are ready to depart mid morning and you want to be sure to have breakfast before a full day of activities. A lot of the tours were conducted by students, docents, and members of historical societies. They were very informative and well organized.

 

We also added the Amsterdam and Prague extensions. Prague was one of the highlights of our trip. It's definitely a city I want to return to someday. Everyone should visit Prague. The pre-extension in Amsterdam gives you time to really explore the city. The Van Gogh Museum is a must see.

 

I also recommend the optional Bruhl UNESCO Palaces tour during your Cologne stop. The Rococo architecture is incredible and the grand staircase is more impressive that the one at the Wurzburg Bishop's Residenze.

 

I don't recommend the Munich or Salzburg optional tours. Those take the whole day and some people who went on them said it was a very long ride with not enough time at the destination.

 

Viking caters to the English speaking market and everyone speaks English. The only international passengers on our ship were Brits, Canadians, Aussies, Kiwis and Israelis.

Edited April 17, 2017 by OneSixtyToOne

[SuiteTraveler]

Uniworld is a more luxurious line than Viking but the price point is extremely similar. The food on Uniworld is considerably nicer and they include different wines every night with dinner - one white and one red. Viking includes the same two wines every single night of the cruise - one white and one red. If you get a junior suite or suite on Uniworld, then you have a butler, but 2 rooms suites on river cruises run $20,000 plus a couple whereas you can each get a separate room for $5,000 per person take or give.

 

If you want to look at something even more upscale at a similar price point, check out the Crystal Mozart - which is brand new and has multiple included wines. It does a round trip Vienna - and looks amazing!

[Host Jazzbeau]

I would also suggest you look at AMA. Their ships have larger cabins than many other lines, so you might be able to share a cabin without the extra expense of a suite or the big expense of two single supplements [although these are sometimes waived on many lines at times of lower demand]. AMA also has terrific food, and their basic wine offering changes every day -- but when we complained [nicely] that we didn't like a particular selection, they worked with us to find something we did like and we got that whenever we wanted it.

 

AMA has been top rated for food and overall in the Berlitz Guide -- but I agree with SuiteTraveler that the pictures and reviews coming from Crystal Mozart are of an entirely different universe! Also Crystal Mozart is a unique ship: twice as wide as most others [which limits it to one itinerary] and therefore it feels more like an ocean ship with vast interior spaces and much better entertainment than any other river ship I have heard of.

[janegraybc]

Also consider Avalon!!! The panorama suites are beautiful

 

 

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[FuelScience]

Also consider Avalon!!! The panorama suites are beautiful

 

 

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I think that Avalon has waived their single supplement for 2018 cruises.

[scluvsrain]

Tauck also waives single supplement on some of their itineraries. I'm going Budapest to Amsterdam this August on them and can't wait.

 

 

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[CarolinaKathy]

We did Amsterdam to Budapest on Avalon and loved it! We had a wonderful time and thought the staff, food and cabins were great. Last year we combined two cruises in France and loved that as well. We leave in about 10 days for another Avalon cruise on the Rhine and Moselle. Be sure you check them out.

 

 

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[Rorygirl4528]

Take a look at Vantage also. We have always been pleased with them. We are going on the Amsterdam to Budapest river cruise in another week.

[nomadguy]

On Avalon Waterways Luminary in The Netherlands now. 3rd sailing with them and very satisfied. Give them a look!

 

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[onespots]

Another vote for AMA. We did Budapest to Amsterdam. Nice size rooms, excellent meals, & wine paired with the country we were traveling through at the time. The quality of the food far exceeded any MDR on the mass market ocean cruises we have taken. In some cases, it even exceeded the speciality restaurants. The shore excursions were great & you could leave the tour anytime you desired. Just know where the riverboat is docked & arrive 20-30 minutes prior to departure. Be prepared for some long walks. I am 70 years old & would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

John