Best Cruise line for our travel style?

[mapsd]

Looking to take our first river cruise in September, 2020.

Leaning towards a Danube, 7 night cruise.

Our usual preferences:

-Like to explore on our own 50% of the time instead of with the group.  We are fast walkers/hikers.

-Want a private balcony.  Coffee in the AM and a drink in the PM, hopefully with a view.

-Like wine with our meal, but not big drinkers.

-Don't need a lot of onboard entertainment

-Like open seating and casual dress for meals

 

Do the veteran river cruisers have a suggestion for us?

We are looking at AMA vs Scenic right now.

[dogs4fun]

19 minutes ago, mapsd said:

Looking to take our first river cruise in September, 2020.

Leaning towards a Danube, 7 night cruise.

Our usual preferences:

-Like to explore on our own 50% of the time instead of with the group.  We are fast walkers/hikers.

-Want a private balcony.  Coffee in the AM and a drink in the PM, hopefully with a view.

-Like wine with our meal, but not big drinkers.

-Don't need a lot of onboard entertainment

-Like open seating and casual dress for meals

 

Do the veteran river cruisers have a suggestion for us?

We are looking at AMA vs Scenic right now.

The Danube cruises are wonderful. AMA offers twin balconies so you would be able to book a private balcony - have no experience with Scenic.

You will have a view when docked only if you are not rafted next to another ship wherein you must cross the other ship in order to disembark (true for any cruise line).

The remainder of your desires were a given on all of our river cruises: wine with our meal, not much onboard entertainment, open seating and casual dress for meals, Coffee (anytime) & drinks available for purchase.

Walking tours have been included with all of our river cruises & there were optional excursions for a fee - but we DIY in a few ports simply because we didn't want to waste time in a group (examples, Vienna & Salzburg).

Which of the itineraries (AMA vs Scenic) appeals to you the most?

 

Edited January 21, 2020 by dogs4fun

[gnome12]

4 minutes ago, dogs4fun said:

The Danube cruises are wonderful. AMA offers twin balconies so you would be able to book a private balcony - have no experience with Scenic.

You will have a view when docked only if you are not rafted next to another ship wherein you must cross the other ship in order to disembark (true for any cruise line).

 

I sailed with Ama on the Meking, but the twin balconies should be similar. Essentially, the balcony becomes half the size (width-wise) because the other half is a little alcove of the room. Even as a single in a regular double room I found both the balcony and the alcove to be quite small; I'm not sure how comfortable 2 people on the balcony would be.

[dogs4fun]

10 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

I sailed with Ama on the Meking, but the twin balconies should be similar. Essentially, the balcony becomes half the size (width-wise) because the other half is a little alcove of the room. Even as a single in a regular double room I found both the balcony and the alcove to be quite small; I'm not sure how comfortable 2 people on the balcony would be.

It was the same with us - the balcony was small but at least there is a balcony on which one can sit versus the French balconies with no seating area. 

[Hoyaheel]

19 minutes ago, dogs4fun said:

It was the same with us - the balcony was small but at least there is a balcony on which one can sit versus the French balconies with no seating area. 

 

As a counterpoint, I found the "french balcony" on our Avalon european cruise to be delightful. We just opened the window and sat on the loveseat & chair in the cabin. When it was too cold (it was a Christmas Market cruise) we closed the window and enjoyed the same view with our afternoon/evening drinks. This floor plan suited us perfectly - no loss of cabin space, open air when we wanted it. [Avalon Mekong cruises- which we did this past August - do not have the same deck plans - much smaller ships - but we enjoyed even more!!!] 

[notamermaid]

mapsd,

 

welcome to the wonderful world of river cruising. You have already had some very helpful replies and I am sure more are to come soon .

 

Many cruise lines now have bikes on board and offer some more active excursions like walks up to castles, etc.. The Danube is a great river for doing that and I am sure you will enjoy the villages and towns along the way. Both lines you are leaning towards could well offer something for you active lot, but often you might prefer to DIY. Hiring bikes privately can be tricky but others may have suggestions there.

 

You have not asked, but may I briefly mention the water levels. The Danube can have low water problems in Autumn, to avoid this potential impact on your cruise you can choose an itinerary to only goes as far upstream as Vilshofen.

 

On the subject of balconies: ships are very much limited in size due to the locks on the rivers, so on the Danube your maximum size is 135m long by 12m wide. However, two ships that only sail a certain stretch of the Danube are wider - the Crystal Mozart and the AmaMagna.

 

The standard ships do not have balconies that jut out of the hull - it would be a waste of the limited space available. Here is a photo of the Loire Princesse that has such balconies: https://www.croisieurope.com/bateau/ms-loire-princesse#

All others are within the hull, either taken off the space of the cabin or within the cabin, or are no real balcony in that the window "disappears" and you sit seemingly in the open, but still in the cabin.

 

Others can help you with the situation on the AmaMagna, or consult the website.

 

Hope you find the perfect match of ship, have fun planning.

 

notamermaid

 

[gnome12]

47 minutes ago, Hoyaheel said:

 

As a counterpoint, I found the "french balcony" on our Avalon european cruise to be delightful. We just opened the window and sat on the loveseat & chair in the cabin. When it was too cold (it was a Christmas Market cruise) we closed the window and enjoyed the same view with our afternoon/evening drinks. This floor plan suited us perfectly - no loss of cabin space, open air when we wanted it. [Avalon Mekong cruises- which we did this past August - do not have the same deck plans - much smaller ships - but we enjoyed even more!!!] 

I did my Avalon cruise in Myanmar, and enjoyed the panoramic window much more than Ama's twin balcony on the Mekong. There was a loveseat and a table right by the window, and I frequently opened up the window all the way, pulled the screen closed, and enjoyed the breeze. This was of course when I wasn't up on the deck. (There was only daytime cruising in Myanmar, so lots of time to relax between generally morning and afternoon excursions.)

[Hoyaheel]

Yes, in Vietnam & Cambodia, we were up on deck most of the time we were on board, actually. It was quite hot/humid so there weren't always very many of us outside (I'm an introvert and had worried about the small number of passengers but it was fine). 

 

Forgot to note that I also appreciate the way Avalon (ships in Europe) beds face out the window. If (when...according to husband 😉 ) we do another Europe river cruise, Avalon will definitely be the first line we check. I know it's not as inclusive as other lines, but the cost reflects that, and we've been very happy with them so far. My in-laws were on the Christmas markets cruise with us on Avalon, after 4 or 5 previous Uniworld cruises. They really love Uniworld but they didn't have any complaints about Avalon - they would do either again.

[gnome12]

17 minutes ago, Hoyaheel said:

 

Forgot to note that I also appreciate the way Avalon (ships in Europe) beds face out the window. If (when...according to husband 😉 ) we do another Europe river cruise, Avalon will definitely be the first line we check. I know it's not as inclusive as other lines, but the cost reflects that, and we've been very happy with them so far. My in-laws were on the Christmas markets cruise with us on Avalon, after 4 or 5 previous Uniworld cruises. They really love Uniworld but they didn't have any complaints about Avalon - they would do either again.

Not on topic for the OP, but Avalon ships on the Mekong also have beds that face out (as did mine in Myanmar, but they are no longer sailing that route).

[tfred]

that space allotted for the  balcony you want is coming from someplace - generally your own room.  The ships (no matter what line) are the same dimensions.  You would be giving up cabin space (or paying more) for a room that you can move around in.  While you don't spend that much time in the cabin, a small space does make it more claustrophobic.  

 

In general, river cruises are scenic on both sides of the ship so you would find most people on the upper deck in a very comfortable chair taking in the view.  If not, you would be off the ship touring on your own or with the group.

 

Ships don't always dock in town allowing you to what you want.  You can always take a taxi or Uber though to where you want to be.  

 

we have cruised on Crystal twice - Rhine and Danube and love them.  Casual (no jeans though), dine anytime, GREAT food,  wine and booze is included anytime.  

[Daisi]

Hi Mapsd, and welcome to the River Cruising boards.  Not sure if you have already looked, but there are a whole batch of posts at the top of the board that are really helpful in order to explore River cruising.

 

A 7 night cruise is usually recommended for the first one...long enough to really decide if it's for you, and short enough to either make you wish it was longer, or happy to be off the boat.  The Danube is one we are going to do next year, and the main thing I have read about it is it does have water issues at times......to high in the spring or to low in the summer / fall, but it's all depending on weather and you just can't predict that far in advance.  My way of looking at it, as long as you are prepared, and know what might happen with the line you choose, you won't be hit with a nasty unexpected shock if something happens.

 

Most lines offer an included tour in the mornings, and afternoons either spending on your own in port (if you are in port) or on the boat.  You can choose to catch a ride with the tour (not all towns you will visit are located in docking areas, some do require a short bus ride to get to) and go on your own as long as you know where & when to meet back up to pick up the boat.  Sometimes the boat will sail further down the river while people are touring.  It makes it rough to arrange tours, but if you are just exploring on your own, it will work great.

 

Private balconies are ok, however as notamermaid says, most boats take the space for the balcony off of your room.  Viking is one of the few exceptions.  They have the hallway offset, so the french balcony rooms are actually quite a bit smaller.  Guess if you are going to pay more for a balcony, at least you are also getting the bigger room.  French balconies are actually great, you have comfortable seats to sit on while enjoying the view (if there is one, as mentioned, usually you can be either viewing a docking area or another boat).  We really enjoyed our french balcony on Avalon, we had an upholstered chair, small couch, and a table to set our drinks on.

 

As for drinks, you can bring whatever you wish on-board without worrying!  Even if beer & wine are included for meal times, I haven't heard of any line that won't let you bring your own drinks to enjoy in your cabin (or the lounge & top deck, although they may charge you an uncorking fee).  Coffee is usually always available in either the dining room, lounge or snack bars so no problem getting one in the morning, you just may have to go out on your own to get it.

 

As for casual dress for meals, not sure how casual you go.  Most lines have guests who wear collared knit shirts (we call them golf shirts here), and women will wear nicer tops - sleeveless blouses or nicer sweaters (as per weather - I sailed in May, it was warm so I had some v-necked tops with short sleeves).  I don't comment on bottoms, other than shorts for dinner are usually not worn. We had people wearing t-shirts (nicer ones) and jeans, no one seemed to mind.  For our cruise, I recall one guy wearing a sports coat & tie on the final dinner (also his anniversary so that may have had something to do with it!), but that was about the only time.

 

Edited January 21, 2020 by Daisi

[Coral]

One thing to note about balconies - ships in port are docked right next to each other, sometimes 3 deep. When you leave your ship, you often have to walk through other ships to get off of your ship to the street. I think they call this rafting when the ships dock right next to each other.

 

When you look out your balcony, you may be 2' from another ship looking directly into someone else's balcony.. This is important to note if you spend a lot of time in port on your river cruise (like we did). Your view may not be what you want it to be. It may be the ship next to you and someone else's cabin.

[flyingron]

On a lot of the rivers, you get to chose between a smaller room or a balcony.   The locks are only 12m wide, so the boat can't practically be over 11.5.    The central corridor is already pretty narrow on most.

[jeb_bud]

On 1/21/2020 at 8:22 AM, mapsd said:

Looking to take our first river cruise in September, 2020.

Leaning towards a Danube, 7 night cruise.

Our usual preferences:

-Like to explore on our own 50% of the time instead of with the group.  We are fast walkers/hikers.

-Want a private balcony.  Coffee in the AM and a drink in the PM, hopefully with a view.

-Like wine with our meal, but not big drinkers.

-Don't need a lot of onboard entertainment

-Like open seating and casual dress for meals

 

Do the veteran river cruisers have a suggestion for us?

We are looking at AMA vs Scenic right now.

Scenic checks all your boxes.  We enjoy sitting on the balcony watching the view with a beverage and snack.

 

Scenic serves a white and red wine at meals, but they have alternates on hand if you don't care for their offering.  If you like the occasional cocktail, they are included in the fare.

 

When you book your cruise pay attention to which side of the ship your room is.  We cruised in August on the sunny side of the ship and many afternoons the balcony was too hot for us.  The Danube flows predominately west to east so if we do that cruise again we will choose the North side to get afternoon shade.

[Host Jazzbeau]

AMA definitely checks all your boxes.

 

AMA's shore excursions have more choices than other cruise lines I have checked, and almost all are included in the cruise cost.  There is always a 'fast walkers' group, and the headsets mean you don't need to stay close to the guide to keep in the loop – we have found that their local guides do add a lot to our enjoyment.  You may even find that 2 or even 3 excursion choices (morning, afternoon and after-dinner) appeal in a single day – but you can certainly opt out and DIY all you want.

 

AMA offers a wide range of cabin sizes and balcony configurations, so you can get exactly what you decide you want.  Since you are looking at a Danube cruise, note that the AmaMagna is the only double-wide ship now available – big cabins, really big public spaces, and a wider choice of dining and other venues [and she still has that 'new ship' smell...]

 

Wine and beer flow freely at meals, plus bubbly at breakfast (for mimosas) and a happy hour before dinner.  No corkage fee to drink your own wine/booze in cabin or at dinner.  Since you are 'not big drinkers' you don't want to pay for 24/7 open bar that you won't use.

 

No river ship has lots of entertainment.  AMA has an onboard pianist and brings on really good local talent for several nights.

 

Open seating and casual dress:  check.  But note that on most river ships 'open seating' means you can sit anywhere but there is one fixed time for dinner.  This really isn't that big a deal, since the included activities fill up so much of the day that most people are ready to eat when dinner is served, in order to decompress and get ready for the next day's activities.

 

Scenic also has a great reputation, and is one of the most-inclusive river cruise lines.  Compare itineraries and prices – both are great choices.

[NJCruiserBoy]

Open seating on Crystal means show up when you want and dine with your travel mates and/or new friends, that’s rare in river cruising.  And Crystal (river ships) are always casual, and all of the rooms have panoramic balcony-windows.   I would give them a serious look, I’ve sailed them twice and looking forward to my third this Summer.  

[mapsd]

Thanks for all the advice!

We did an apples to apples comparison of Scenic, Crystal, & AMA.  

A promo offer had Scenic come in $1200 per person lower for the same category room (Top deck, with balcony).

 

So we are booked on Scenic for a Danube (Budapest to Nuremburg) cruise for late Sept.

Arriving 2 days early to explore on our own and  traveling to Munich after the cruise for Oktoberfest, & maybe the Passion Play.

Will start a new thread to ask more specific questions.

What a great resource for the clueless!

 

[texasstar]

In Budapest, be sure and book an English tour of the Parliament building before you go.  Have a  great cruise.  This was our first river cruise, (on AmaWaterways) and so far, our favorite.

[bcorre2]

You still have time.

Why not Viking?

Excursions are optional and we always enjoy going our own way.

Works for us. Our 6th Viking experience since 2015 will be in Portugal on the Douro River June 2020.

 

Google: The Viking River Cruise Experience and  What Viking is not

 

https://www.tripsavvy.com/the-viking-river-cruise-experience-1862438

 

https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/why-viking/viking-difference/viking-difference-wvin.html

 

Edited February 8, 2020 by bcorre2
update content

[CPT Trips]

On 2/1/2020 at 8:12 PM, texasstar said:

In Budapest, be sure and book an English tour of the Parliament building before you go.  Have a  great cruise.  This was our first river cruise, (on AmaWaterways) and so far, our favorite.

^ Yes!
 

As for the Passion Play, tickets go fast, are any still available?

[VistaRio]

53 minutes ago, bcorre2 said:

You still have time.

Why not Viking?

Excursions are optional and we always enjoy going our own way.

Works for us. Our 6th Viking experience since 2015 will be in Portugal on the Douro River June 2020.

 

Google: The Viking River Cruise Experience and  What Viking is not

 

https://www.tripsavvy.com/the-viking-river-cruise-experience-1862438

 

https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/why-viking/viking-difference/viking-difference-wvin.html

 

 

Agreed. I read the OP and thought, "sounds like they are looking for the Danube Waltz in a Veranda (A) room."  

[coevan]

On 1/31/2020 at 7:44 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

But note that on most river ships 'open seating' means you can sit anywhere but there is one fixed time for dinner.

 

 

I did not know this, could be a deal breaker as we are looking at the Ama Rhine this summer. What time is dinner served and what is the window of time allowed. This is why we never do fixed dining on cruise ships. What if you are in town later than dinner time, is there anything to eat on the ship?

[Host Jazzbeau]

31 minutes ago, coevan said:

I did not know this, could be a deal breaker as we are looking at the Ama Rhine this summer. What time is dinner served and what is the window of time allowed. This is why we never do fixed dining on cruise ships. What if you are in town later than dinner time, is there anything to eat on the ship?

 

The ship often sails during dinner.  The rhythm of a normal day is:  breakfast onboard, morning tour, lunch onboard, afternoon tour or free time, meeting with the Cruise Director to go over the next day's options (and happy hour), then everybody troops down to the dining room for dinner, then light entertainment in the lounge (resident piano player, occasionally some local musicians), then an early night to get ready for the next packed day.

 

River cruises are not relaxing floats down the river as shown on TV – the ship is your floating hotel but you spend most daylight hours off-ship touring.  Since you have 'paid' for the tours in your fare, everybody takes them.  AMA is distinguished by offering the widest choice of tours – the main tour always has separate groups for fast-, slow- and regular walkers, plus there are other tours aimed at those who have already done the basics on prior trips.  

 

Our first river cruise was our first 'organized' touring experience, and we were concerned that we wouldn't like the apparent regimentation [like you we always choose anytime dining on ocean cruises] – but it was fine and we have gone back for two more river cruises and have others planned for the future.  

 

My advice is not to fight the flow on your first river cruise.  Accept that it is going to be completely different than any trip you have taken, and be open to getting the most that it offers.  If you decide afterward that you don't want to let go of that much control, there are some river cruise lines that offer more flexibility – but they are at the bottom [European lines with no excursions included, and English not the first language] and the top [a few luxury lines have a bit of a time window for arriving at the dining room, still nothing like the early to late seating range on an ocean ship]

[coevan]

thank you so much. We are doing so much research, getting dizzy. Is there a specific time they dine and is there a time window. So they serve 150 people all at once. It's funny you say "fight the flow", exactly what we do on Caribbean cruises😀 

We always tour privately at our leisure. We completely understand the difference and have enjoyed our cultural land trips in Europe. The river cruise has been on our bucket list and we retired last week, hence the travel planning. Ama has checked all our boxes.

[notamermaid]

coevan,

Jazzbeau has summed it up very well and I agree with the daily regimentated scenario that he outlined but when I did my cruise I really enjoyed it. On a Rhine cruise you are likely to have one late sailing (after 10pm) and possibly one overnight stay in a port. It depends on the cruise line. Have you looked around last year's roll calls yet? Perhaps some people have posted their dailies - that is the paper format of "this is what we offer you the passenger today and this is when lunch and dinner are". I think those could help you. Perhaps someone would be happy to post a sample Amawaterways daily here.

 

Have fun planning.

 

notamermaid