Best Cruise line for our travel style?

[Lois R]

We can all just agree we all have different priorities...what is important to one person doesn't necessarily matter

to someone else.   It is like any other part of cruising......some folks only want big ships with bells and whistles.....

other people prefer a smaller, much more laid back experience.

 

I agree,  I would not decorate my home the way Uniworld decorates their riverboats but I loved my cruise with them

and the décor did not have any negative affect at all---nothing--nada. 

 

Ama was a more toned down décor. I am sailing on a new boat in April, on the AMADouro so will see how the decor

is on this new boat and looking forward to it very much

[bcorre2]

We don't spend a lot of time on-board when river cruising.  It's why we enjoy Vikings understated elegance with comfort in mind.

 

 

[coevan]

19 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

It has been described as if Marie Antoinette exploded in the bedroom...

 

now that's funny🤣 

 

We are the new Ama Sienna. We never heard of Crystal will check them out sounds interesting. We agreed we could deal with the early dining, usually eat 8-9.

[coevan]

I looked at Crystal, surprisingly, it was very close to Ama in price when you add in gratuities, port charges, liquor, and transports. What we did not like was the "window balconies" kind of an oxymoron. The ship is stunning and the open dining with a few dining options is also quite attractive. On Ama we liked the double balconies and 10 days was $6600 +++. Crystals 7 day all inclusive was $6200, tough choice. 

[Lois R]

So on AMA for 400.00 you get an extra 3 days? Not a tough choice for me

[Coral]

35 minutes ago, coevan said:

I looked at Crystal, surprisingly, it was very close to Ama in price when you add in gratuities, port charges, liquor, and transports. What we did not like was the "window balconies" kind of an oxymoron. The ship is stunning and the open dining with a few dining options is also quite attractive. On Ama we liked the double balconies and 10 days was $6600 +++. Crystals 7 day all inclusive was $6200, tough choice. 

The one thing to be aware of is that the balconies are probably used less on river cruises than ocean cruises. For example - when you are docked, you maybe docked 1 foot from another river cruise so your view is going to be another person's balcony on another ship. Ships can be "rafted" 3 in a row often in port. We were in port all day most days (except 2 half days on a 10 day trip) and only sailed late at night. We had to often walk through 2 other ships to get off of our ship. One other thing to factor is excursions and prices. I paid for more excursions on Ama than Crystal. All of the ones I wanted on Crystal were included. I think some of the ones I took that were included may have a charge now - now sure. I had a couple of hundred dollars booking through a certain travel company and could not use it for anything on the ship.

 

French balconies are not uncommon on river cruises.

 

I just wanted to make you aware of the balcony issue. I would make a decision on itinerary.

Edited February 9, 2020 by Coral

[need2cruisesoon]

On 2/1/2020 at 5:13 AM, NJCruiserBoy said:

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.  

 

Is Crystal the only line that offers Open seating and open times for dinner? Like NJ Cruiser I'd like to eat when I want for dinner and not dining with everybody at the same time.

 

Thanks,

Need2Cruise

 

[coevan]

2 hours ago, Lois R said:

So on AMA for 400.00 you get an extra 3 days? Not a tough choice for me

 

 

not really, add $270 port charge and the recommended $400 in gratuities, hence the +++  more like $7200, plus alcohol

[Lois R]

8 minutes ago, coevan said:

 

 

not really, add $270 port charge and the recommended $400 in gratuities, hence the +++  more like $7200, plus alcohol

Oh, ok.  Well, book what is best for you.  I was just giving my opinion on AMA.

[Casey12]

I think we did have to pay port charges on Crystal. I have done both Amawaterways and Crystal and really thought Crystal was worth the extra money. The food on our ship is the best food I have ever experienced on any type of cruise. The service was also above and beyond what I would expect on any trip. As Coral said -- look at the tours involved and itinerary to get a better picture of both lines.

[djh1959]

17 hours ago, 4774Papa said:

Gate 1, which we have never used, but hear is it a good line, usually has optional tours, that might work for you.  If you want to decline all tours.  All four our river cruise, Russia, China, Rhone River and Douro River have had great ship tours.  In many cases, just staying in the port you would lose out on quite a bit.

Thanks for that 4774Papa.  I have heard some good things about Gate 1.

I don't mean that we would miss every tour, I agree some are worthwhile, but a lot of them were too rushed and too early to be enjoyable.

 

For example, Strasbourg was going to be a 90 minute bus ride to have an hour in Strasbourg, as the ship changed its docking location at the last minute.  We had spent five days in Strasbourg only six months earlier, so that simply didn't seem worthwhile.  Instead we had a leisurely breakfast and spent a couple of hours wandering around the little French town not far from where we docked.

[AllisonJames]

When we chose Crystal for our first river cruise, AMA was a close second...I really wanted to try the AmaMagna and thought it might be an excellent choice for a first-timer since it’s larger.  It ended up being significantly more expensive (maybe the new boat was getting a premium). It’s still on my list for the future, particularly since they have a golf program which my husband would love!

[acwmom]

On 2/8/2020 at 7:19 PM, coevan said:

looks my grand mother's house, and I'm 68, the most gaudy design I have ever seen. Not sure what I mean, have you looked on their website? 

I have done four cruises on Uniworld. While the decor may not appeal to some, I will say the textiles used are very rich, and the seating/bedding very comfortable. It takes about 15 minutes to get used to it, and enjoy the cruise. We loved the flexibility of dining time at dinner on Uniworld. Most nights had a 2 hour window for arrivals. On the Rhine, we stayed up on the top deck with four others, until 8:30, as we passed through locks, then proceeded to the dining room, where we were served with a smile. 

 

Robin

[acwmom]

17 hours ago, need2cruisesoon said:

 

Is Crystal the only line that offers Open seating and open times for dinner? Like NJ Cruiser I'd like to eat when I want for dinner and not dining with everybody at the same time.

 

Thanks,

Need2Cruise

 

Uniworld does as well.

[coevan]

4 hours ago, AllisonJames said:

When we chose Crystal for our first river cruise, AMA was a close second...I really wanted to try the AmaMagna and thought it might be an excellent choice for a first-timer since it’s larger.  It ended up being significantly more expensive (maybe the new boat was getting a premium). It’s still on my list for the future, particularly since they have a golf program which my husband would love!

 

 

We now are narrowing our trip down to Ama and Cyrstal. The only thing we don't like about are the oxymoronic "balcony windows" We now have to choose double balconies or open seating

[cruisewmn]

25 minutes ago, coevan said:

 

 

We now are narrowing our trip down to Ama and Cyrstal. The only thing we don't like about are the oxymoronic "balcony windows" We now have to choose double balconies or open seating

I was nervous about the “balcony windows” on Crystal, as well. So glad it didn’t keep me from booking. Turned out to be a fantastic feature. When lowered, the window can either be left fully open or with a screen. We had it open for picture taking and while sailing in the Rhine gorge.  It turned the whole room into a luxury balcony. We would use the screen at night. It was almost like camping on a river bank. You could hear the gentle flow of water and look at the twinkling lights of little towns as you floated by. Truly magical. 

[gnome12]

17 minutes ago, coevan said:

 

 

We now are narrowing our trip down to Ama and Cyrstal. The only thing we don't like about are the oxymoronic "balcony windows" We now have to choose double balconies or open seating

I have used both panoramic windows (on Avalon) and the twin balcony on Ama, and I far prefer the panoramic windows. (Crystal uses a drop down window which isn't quite as nice..)

 

On Avalon I had a 2 seater sofa, a small table and a chair (or 2; I can't remember) by the window. The window opened like a sliding door, and I used it fairly often. (This was in Myanmar, but it shouldn't make a lot of difference.) I got plenty of air, and very much enjoyed it.

 

On Ama (on the Mekong) I had a twin balcony. Neither the inside portion, nor the balcony portion were large enough for any real use, and I was alone in the cabin. And I found that it made the cabin quite cramped, because the only way to add a balcony is to take away from the cabin space. The width of any ship on European rivers is limited by the size of the locks; to have a cabin on either side and a hallway in the middle limits the width of the cabin. (Viking deals with this differently, they don't have the hallway in the middle, so the balcony cabin side is wider, and the French balcony cabins are narrower.) Having an actual balcony just makes the cabin even narrower. I had been excited about the fact that all of the cabins on the AmaDara were twin balcony cabins, but I really didn't like it. I would have been much happier with a French Balcony cabin.

 

If the twin balcony is the only reason you would go with Ama over Crystal, take Crystal. I think you will find that the twin balcony is really wasted space.