Danube - Passau to Budapest 2020 - Uniworld, Ama or Crystal?

[skinnylegs]

Hi,

We are hoping to book a 2020 cruise on the Danube - Passau to Budapest or vise versa.  This will be our 3rd river cruise and we always travel the week before Labor Day to take advantage of the extra vacation day from work.  The three lines we are looking at are: Uniworld, Ama, and Crystal.  My major concern about the Danube is water levels, making the draft of the boats something to think about.  Cruises are a lot of money and I would prefer not to end up on a bus.  I read somewhere that Ama might have an advantage here.  I looked at the itineraries and they are pretty similar. Here's my quick anaIysis:

 

Uniworld - We love the line and have had two great experiences.  The staff have been wonderful and other guests have been friendly.  We don't mind the "over the top" decor because it makes it a somewhat unique experience.  We also get nice price breaks for being repeat customers and paying in full (by Sept. 30!) The all inclusive nature makes it easier, even though we aren't big drinkers and would fine running a tab for drinks.  My biggest concern is draft and the ability to swap ships in case of low water levels.  We would sail on the SS Maria Theresa.

 

Ama - I guess after Uniworld I find the decor kind or boring.  I read (not sure if it's true) that they might have an advantage regarding the draft of the ship.  They also seem to score higher in the fitness offerings and maybe the demographics are on the younger and active side?  We are in our late 50's - so not exactly young ourselves!  I like the two balconies and the rooms may be slightly larger for our price point. I also like having a hairdresser on board.  If we were to go with Ama - we might try the AmaMagna, but does the larger ship loose some of it's charm and intimacy?  What is the downside regarding it's size? We are also looking at AmaSonata and AmaCerto.  I did not really like the decor of the AmaLea.  

 

The Crystal Ravel is a very classy, upscale looking boat and they seem to have more unique offerings on their itinerary (or better write ups).  Our friends will be trying this line in a week or so.  There aren't many reviews on line and they only have a few river boats so I would be concerned about how they handle water level issues.  They are on the higher end of our price range.

 

I read reviews and understand that there are many variables that can make or break a cruise.  However, I welcome your input, especially if you have traveled more than one cruise line!

[Host Jazzbeau]

I would suggest a slightly modified itinerary:  Vilshofen to Budapest (or vice versa).  This will avoid the worst low-water spots, so the draft of the ship is less important.

 

AmaMagna does this itinerary (so do some of their regular-size ships).  AmaMagna is very new, so we don't have many reviews of it yet – but it is similar in size to the Crystal Mozart.  Reviews of all Crystal river cruises have been stellar, but those of Mozart have been even better!  So there's no reason to worry about the larger ship costing you in charm and intimacy.  Since the ship is nearly twice as large as the regular ships [72' wide vs. 38' = 1.89] but the number of passengers is only slightly larger [196 vs. 156 = 1.26], there is more room for everything.  This would be my top choice for a Danube cruise.

[Got2Cruise]

A couple of things. You talk about the hull and also swapping ships. If you choose the AmaMagna there won’t be any comparable ship to swap, plus I doubt it has the hollow hull as the smaller ships. 

 

Also, the Danube is very port intensive. I would look closely at the day to day excursions and make my decision from that. For example, a recent cruiser was disappointed that Melk Abbey wasn’t part of her particular ship’s itinerary. There’s no reason to be disappointed. Choose the itinerary that suits you. Fortunately you have three good options available. 

 

 

[skinnylegs]

Thank you both for your input!  I'll take a closer look at the itineraries.  

[KY Deb]

We sailed on the AMALea in August.  Ending on 8/23.  There were no issues with water levels on the Danube then, so I guess it’s just weather luck.  We had fabulous weather, warm enough to enjoy the pool and sun deck, but not too hot at all.  I thought the ship was very nice and the staff was outstanding.  The food was excellent. There is a hairdresser on board.  Shore excursions were very well organized, and the ship seemed to dock in very convenient locations.  The best was the Octoberfest celebration that AMA organizes right next to the ship in Vilshofen.  We loved our cruise.  My review is posted in the review section.   

[notamermaid]

That is US Labor Day in September, right? Water level issues are most likely to arise North of Vilshofen. Vilshofen or Passau to Budapest is fine, or vice versa. A ship swap would not be necessary then, but it does not rule out your ship arriving late for example or being bussed to an alternative dock.

 

The AmaMagna could do a bit more sailing upstream from Vilshofen as regards lock size, but I could not see such an itinerary. A wise decision by Amawaterways I should think - whichever reason there might be for it.

 

Like the others suggest I would look at the itineraries closely, for example overnight in Vienna, Melk versus another town, etc.

 

notamermaid

 

[Coral]

I did Crystal (Mozart) last year. I am afraid they ruined me for life because it was "perfect". They did do excursions in ports that other lines did not do which I really appreciated. Food and service exceptional. Everyone has a butler, no tips and drinks included at all times. I don't drink but I appreciated being able to get a virgin drink whenever I wanted. They maybe higher up on the price range but I can tell you I did not spend a cent onboard. I had $200 OBC and had no way of using it. I spent much more on my AMA cruise previously.

[skinnylegs]

Notamermaid, yes US Labor Day in 2020 is September 7, so we would prefer to sail around that date.  It's good to know that water level issues aren't as typical in this section of the river.  It appears like these are three great cruise lines. 

 

Thank you all for your input.   

[helpmesailaway]

6 hours ago, Coral said:

I did Crystal (Mozart) last year. I am afraid they ruined me for life because it was "perfect". They did do excursions in ports that other lines did not do which I really appreciated. Food and service exceptional. Everyone has a butler, no tips and drinks included at all times. I don't drink but I appreciated being able to get a virgin drink whenever I wanted. They maybe higher up on the price range but I can tell you I did not spend a cent onboard. I had $200 OBC and had no way of using it. I spent much more on my AMA cruise previously.

 

Hi Coral

I'm looking for a Danube river cruise for 2020 - and I value your opinion. 

 

How was AMA more $$ than Crystal?  I find it so challenging to compare some of these cruises because they all have different levels of "inclusiveness"!!

 

Thanks 

 

 

[Coral]

10 minutes ago, helpmesailaway said:

 

Hi Coral

I'm looking for a Danube river cruise for 2020 - and I value your opinion. 

 

How was AMA more $$ than Crystal?  I find it so challenging to compare some of these cruises because they all have different levels of "inclusiveness"!!

 

Thanks 

I had more optional excursions on AMA that cost $$$. We had to pay for drinks outside of dining times on AMA. My AMA cruise was awhile ago. On Crystal there were some optional excursions but I was more interested in the free ones (regardless of price). For example - I wanted to go to Salzburg which was free though there was a 3 hour tour with a Chef on making a Viennese tort which did cost money on Crystal. That would have been fun but my first choice was Salzburg.

 

I do think there are different levels of inclusiveness (from reading these boards). I think Uniworld, Tauck and Crystal are at one level and AMA is right below that. For example, AMA doesn't include tips in their price.

Edited September 16, 2019 by Coral

[helpmesailaway]

Thanks Coral 

We enjoyed our Uniworld Rhine cruise and appreciated not having to think about the gratuities or anything else.  This was very relaxing having that all included.

 

I'd like to try a Tauck or Crystal river cruise and would certainly go back to Uniworld.

 

I'm collecting brochures now!