Shorter river cruises and info from the Crystal Gala for TAs

[cruisr]

I'm surprised this hasn’t been posted yet. Interesting comments about the River Cruises

https://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/crystal-gala-shorter-river-cruises-bonus-commission?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTlRNNFlXTXlOREppTmpJMiIsInQiOiI5WTREOWh1QzhVayttYVI5OHdBRkpJakdmNDYzZXdiMUZBQ0xGTFN1cW50cmdKRWZRd3JZWWlqK2VLSVRncjNocUNRcVZyMnkzUUhvNElvNHlJeVlaclI5R0FOcWNWTE1UUU1mXC9taWp3Z0o0UllMcjhvQXJHK3p3XC9QNEwzRko1In0%3D&mrkid=2275545

[Roland4]

I'm surprised this hasn’t been posted yet. Interesting comments about the River Cruises

https://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/crystal-gala-shorter-river-cruises-bonus-commission?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTlRNNFlXTXlOREppTmpJMiIsInQiOiI5WTREOWh1QzhVayttYVI5OHdBRkpJakdmNDYzZXdiMUZBQ0xGTFN1cW50cmdKRWZRd3JZWWlqK2VLSVRncjNocUNRcVZyMnkzUUhvNElvNHlJeVlaclI5R0FOcWNWTE1UUU1mXC9taWp3Z0o0UllMcjhvQXJHK3p3XC9QNEwzRko1In0%3D&mrkid=2275545

 

Moving to shorter sailings is consistent with where the entire river side of the industry is going. Where at one time 10 to 14 nights was the norm, now all suppliers are offering predominantly 7 - 10 nights, with some longer sailings included, such as the Amsterdam/Budapest Grand European.

 

Having sailed on Bach for the Christmas Markets last year, I can attest to the truth of this article. We have sailed Uniworld, AMA and Tauck, and Crystal was the best by a large margin. How can you not love a cruise when the Captain sits down in the Palm Court with his guitar and joins the Entertainment Director in playing Hotel California! :) We are booked on Mozart for 11 nights in August and also on one of the Moselle cruises on Bach next year.

[mskatiemae]

Roland4,

 

If you are on the 11 night trip on the Mozart, that is perhaps the last time for Mozart to go down the Danube as far as the Iron Gates. I was originally booked for that trip in October, but it then looked like they might change the itinerary.

 

If you have a chance to post about these experiences on this board, I am interested!

 

Catherine

[RLMSLL]

Roland4,

 

If you are on the 11 night trip on the Mozart, that is perhaps the last time for Mozart to go down the Danube as far as the Iron Gates. I was originally booked for that trip in October, but it then looked like they might change the itinerary.

 

If you have a chance to post about these experiences on this board, I am interested!

 

Catherine

 

We did both the eastern Danube and central Danube on B2Bs. Both itineraries were great, but overall My preference would be for the 11 day eastern Danube itinerary. There were fewer tourists in the ports on that leg, and it was a more natural and enjoyable experience. It is disappointing that Crystal is eliminating the “road less traveled”.

[MightyQuinn]

Thanks for posting this great article. Given our fabulous experience aboard Crystal Bach recently, I'm not at all surprised by the excellent guest satisfaction ratings for the riverboats. The product is exceptional on so many levels. Crystal obviously did its homework and knows how to differentiate itself in the crowded riverboat market. Their plans for the future look exciting. I noticed today that CC is hosting a Q&A with Walter Littlejohn soon and we may learn a few more tidbits.

 

As for shorter river cruise itineraries, I'm not so sure. Our 12-nite sailing (Amsterdam-Amsterdam) was segmented into 6-nites (Amsterdam-Ghent) and another 6-nites (Ghent-Amsterdam). A group of 26 Road Scholars left the riverboat in Ghent and AFAIK no new guests boarded. This dropped occupancy considerably. I chatted with many fellow guests (Europeans and North Americans) on our sailing and few expressed interest in shorter getaway river cruises. But Crystal likely has better market research!