best line for longest tours, time in town - first timers

[World Gallery]

My husband and I are new to river cruising. We both turn 50 next year and decided to finally book a river cruise for spring 2018. We have done many ocean cruises, three in Europe. On ocean cruises, we rarely take the ship excursions (I book private tours that cover a lot) but from what I am understanding, river cruising is different and some of the tours are included. We do not like sea days and find them boring so that is one reason for the river cruise interest.

My questions:

Which river cruise line gives the longest time in town? Grand Circle Tour was recommended to us but some of the newest reviews stated that the tours were short and very slow paced (we want the opposite).

We are considering the Rhine or Danube but are open to others. What would be the most scenic and/or the "most active" regarding things to see and do along the way? We both love history (I use to teach junior high history).

Things that do not matter to us: Do not need a "floating palace", a pool or onboard services like massages but would like a view and to be comfortable. Thanks.

[Roz]

I can only speak to Uniworld, as I've taken my one and only river cruise with them and have another booked with them for this fall. In most of the ports, we were offered a "Go Active" option, which is generally what I took. I was happy with the length (time wise) and pace of the tours. There was also a gentle walkers group. There were a couple of bike tours offered also. I was very pleased with the included tours.

 

Roz

[Lois R]

Hi,:) I have only cruised with AMA but I agree with Roz about tours......they usually offer different level of tours.....

Active, medium and gentle.....

 

After many years of Ocean cruising I took my first river cruise last year and absolutely LOVED IT:D.......as for touring,

I was off the ship every day and offered multiple tours each day. All the tours were included in the price of the cruise but

if you prefer to go on your own, you can do that as well. There was a Limited edition tour and it was extra $....I chose to

do it and was glad I did.....it was wonderful too:) I can say, no need to worry about being bored on a ship all day.....

each day was filled with different options:D

 

There is a stickey at the top of this forum that you probably need to check out.......lots of good information on different

River Cruise lines....

[notamermaid]

Uniworld and AmaWaterways have consistently been very highly recommended here on CC over the last few years, but other river cruise lines have been very popular as well. Top of the range (at least at first glance) as regards price might be Tauck. That is apart from the new line Crystal (branching out from ocean cruising). I find their itineraries very interesting and they seem to have an emphasis on "history lessons" from what I have read.

 

But I also find the Avalon 13-day itinerary on the Rhine and Moselle intriguing.

 

I agree, the stickies by our host jazzbeau are very helpful with some great information.

 

Some itineraries are marked as more active than others, offering bike rides and similar excursions.

 

By the way, the Rhine and Danube are equally good for first timers, but many people like the Seine very much.

 

Booking private tours is rare in river cruising, the included excursions cover the ports very well. But for a special interest you can try and get a guide but it is probably easier to order a taxi and DIY in port. The small towns are covered so well by the offered excursions that it normally makes no sense to book something privately.

 

Depending on the time you can devote to your holiday a nice pre- or post-cruise extension could be great. You could fly into London perhaps then take the train to Amsterdam to board a ship, for example.

 

For Roman history, if your itinerary does not include Trier, I would recommend the Rhone itinerary. Pre-cruise Paris perhaps. Or the Danube with Vienna, of course, for medieval, Jewish and 19th century history. Art at the Secession building, etc. Nuremberg for 20th century.

 

It really depends on where your interests mostly lie.

 

Oh, and I do not think you will get bored, river cruising can be quite intensive with lots of viewing, walking and listening to guides. Some people have reported being worn out (regardless of age) at the end of the day and going to bed early. :D

 

 

Edit: I have just found this page that might give you an insight of what you can choose as regards excursions on a river cruise: Uniworld and AmaWaterways have consistently been very highly recommended here on CC over the last few years, but other river cruise lines have been very popular as well. Top of the range (at least at first glance) as regards price might be Tauck. That is apart from the new line Crystal (branching out from ocean cruising). I find their itineraries very interesting and they seem to have an emphasis on "history lessons" from what I have read.

 

But I also find the Avalon 13-day itinerary on the Rhine and Moselle intriguing.

 

I recommend reading the stickies by our host jazzbeau for some great information.

 

Some itineraries are marked as more active than others, offering bike rides and similar excursions.

 

By the way, the Rhine and Danube are equally good for first timers, but many people like the Seine very much.

 

Booking private tours is rare in river cruising, the included excursions cover the ports very well. but for a special interest you can try and get a guide but it is probably easier to order a taxi and DIY in port. The small towns are covered so well by the offered excursions that it normally makes no sense to book something privately.

 

Depending on the time you can devote to your holiday a nice pre- or post-cruise extension could be great. You could fly into London perhaps then take the train to Amsterdam to board a ship, for example.

 

For Roman history, if your itinerary does not include Trier, I would recommend the Rhone itinerary. Pre-cruise Paris perhaps. Or the Danube with Vienna, of course, for medieval, Jewish and 19th century history. Art at the Secession building, etc.

 

It really depends on where your interests mostly lie.

 

Oh, and I do not think you will get bored, river cruising can be quite intensive with lots of viewin, walking and listening to guides. Some people have reported being worn out (regardless of age) at the end of the day and going to bed early.

 

Edit: I have just found this page that might give you an insight into the choice of excursions on a river cruise: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/articles/save-money-european-river-cruise-excursions/

 

I hope you find your dream itinerary.

 

Have fun planning.

 

notamermaid

Edited May 8, 2017 by notamermaid
additional info

[beesKate]

The good thing about the Rhine and the Danube (also the Main) is that the distances between ports is actually rather short, so a good amount of time is spent in town. My experience is only with Uniworld, and on their website, if you click "already booked" then "cruise companions" https://www.uniworld.com/en/already-booked/cruise-companions/ they have much more detailed explanations of their tours, and indicate if you have extra time to explore on your own. We found that on the Rhine and Main the tours did fill up most of our port time. On the Danube, we seemed to stay in one place longer and had more free time to explore.

[World Gallery]

Thanks for all of these insights! They are very helpful. I had only heard from friends about Grand Circle and Viking so it is nice to know there are many other options.

Notamermaid - The plan of flying into London is great and one I hadn't thought of. We are from New Orleans and now have a direct flight from New Orleans to London in the spring and summer. How long is train ride from London to Amsterdam? Ease of getting to the port is also something we are considering. Would prefer not to have a ton of connections then a long drive to board ship.

If there are any other insights, I would love to hear them!

[notamermaid]

World Gallery,

 

glad to here you find my suggestions helpful. Sorry, something went wrong with my post during editing, some things are printed double. Train is relatively easy, I found it o.k. as regards luggage and train connection. I went from London to Cologne via Brussels. For Amsterdam you also change in Brussels: http://www.eurostar.com/us-en/node/6414

 

Paris to Nuremberg (short version, there are longer itineraries) is also a nice itinerary but involves coach or train - between four and six hours I believe - to get to a ship. That port would be either Remich or Trier depending on the river cruise company.

 

notamermaid

[CPT Trips]

Grand Circle's walking tours are not fast paced. But, they usually provide at least an hour free time. And, if you want, you can extend the free time by grabbing a snack in town rather than going back to the ship for lunch. Often the afternoon also is free, so you can arrange a lot of time. Eiropean cities have good transportation, so you really don't need a guided tour.

 

On GCT trips we have done a lot on our own in free time. Highlights: Antwerp - visited Red Star Line Museum, went up MAS, walked the St. Anna tunnel and sampled Belguim beers.

Paris - went up Eiffel Tower, took English tour of Notre Dame, and visited d'Orsey museum.

Vienna - toured Schoenbrunn, visited Prater (rode Reisenrad), visited the Secession Museum, And visited the Belvedere Museum.

Smaller cities also offer time to visit Remegen from Bonn, climb to Vierseenblick from Boppard, and visit the Trier Museum and two Roman ruins.

I could go on with many more examples.

 

Except for scenic areas there is limited touring time lost to cruising between breakfast and dinner times on the eight GCT river cruises we took.

[xmaser]

To maximize time in ports it is better to sail 'downstream' rather than 'upstream'. This would be northbound on the Rhine, south/east bound on the Danube, and south on the Rhone. Check the direction of the itinerary. This has been true for several different cruise lines.

[wheezedr]

To maximize time in ports it is better to sail 'downstream' rather than 'upstream'. This would be northbound on the Rhine, south/east bound on the Danube, and south on the Rhone. Check the direction of the itinerary. This has been true for several different cruise lines.

But if you do the Rhine Main Danube you will of necessity be upstream for part and downstream for the other as you are essentially crossing the divide.

[dogsarepeopletoo]

I have read that on-board Viking staff will assist a passenger with a special interest excursion -- finding a driver or private guide (at your own expense). When I booked, I asked about heading off on my own to a nearby town where my ancestors lived. He assured me that was fine, being mindful of the boat's departure time.

 

We will see -- my first trip is soon!