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Danube river cruise?


marthalee
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We were going on a Viking cruise on the Danube in September. Now canceled of course. Not totally happy with vikings terms. What other cruise lines can people recommend for the Danube. Hoping to go September 2021. . 

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What section of the Danube are you interested in?  I've done Budapest to Passau, and Bucharest to Budapest on Uniworld.  If you look thru this forum, you'll see lots of posts about how different cruise lines are handling cancellations.  What specifically didn't you like about Viking's terms?  You may run into the same thing with another cruise line.  

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2 hours ago, mskaufman said:

Didn't Viking offer you a refund when they cancelled?  We were cancelled later this month and were offered a refund.

Yes of course, but we still want to go and next year's prices are much higher.  PLUS I had a single cabin and now they say they have no single cabins and want me to pay double!  We are looking for other cruise line recommendations.

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2 hours ago, Roz said:

What section of the Danube are you interested in?  I've done Budapest to Passau, and Bucharest to Budapest on Uniworld.  If you look thru this forum, you'll see lots of posts about how different cruise lines are handling cancellations.  What specifically didn't you like about Viking's terms?  You may run into the same thing with another cruise line.  

See my other reply about terms.  We are looking for recommendations on another cruise line.  I had no luck searching for Danube cruises on this site.  We want to go Budapest to Prague or similar.

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Avalon is a good company to start with and compare to what Viking had planned for you. AmaWaterways is a possibility for solo travel, not sure about the supplements. Do include looking at Vantage and Gate1 and some European lines. Riviera Travel UK have dates mostly intended for solo travel for example. But there are also Scenic and Emerald.

 

You need to bear in mind that Budapest to Prague - while a standard for North Americans - is not a typical itinerary for Europeans in that companies may offer a round trip Passau to Budapest or go Vilshofen to Budapest or vice versa. The extension from Vilshofen or Regensburg or Nuremberg to Prague might be something you will need to leave out with European lines. But look around what suits you best.

 

Not necessarily a deciding factor but something for the back of your mind. The Danube is prone to low water issues in October, sometimes September. To completely avoid that problem on your cruise choose an itinerary from Budapest to Vilshofen. Straubing, Regensburg and Nuremberg are past the low water section and might become inaccessible company coming from Budapest on a 135m ship. The ships with 110m or less fair better. The companies are used to that scenario and will adapt, but I thought I'd mention it.

 

Have fun re-planning.

 

notamermaid

 

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We are (hopefully) sailing from Budapest to Prague with Avalon next year.  There are several lines available if you google for them.  You have to look at the ports you will be visiting, and consider what is important.  If you have never been on a river cruise, I would suggest reading the "stickies" on the top of the main page to explain what to expect.  Things are changing rapidly with what is and what is not offered with river cruising, so they may be a bit outdated, but on the whole, they will be accurate. 

 

You say "we" are looking, but you are looking for a single cabin fare?  Are you travelling with another couple?  What do you expect from a river cruise?  Before anyone can make recommendations, we need to know if you are looking for entertainment ( U by Uniworld may be better as it does evening trips to town), all inclusive (Crystal, Ama come to mind there), etc.  Everyone on the board generally has one line they prefer to sail with, and almost all lines will sail from Budapest with an add on trip to Prague at the end.

 

If you let us know what you don't like about Viking's terms, then maybe we could also help.  Right now, most companies are only offering FCC for cancelled cruises if you are in North America.  Some only require 90 day booking, some will give extra discounts for paying in full in advance.

 

Sorry, but we need more info to be more helpful.

 

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Thanks for all the ideas.  Yes going with a couple.  Budapest and Prague are our main goals.  We'd love two days in Vienna.  But also looking for a better price and a single fare.  I had a single booked with Viking but they took that ship out of service and now will not honor my single fare.  I am going to try once more to get them to honor the price I paid, but meanwhile looking for other options.

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I didn't realize Viking had single fares or single cabins.  As a solo cruiser myself, I can tell you solo discounts are out there but take some searching, and aren't necessarily offered on all the cruises of a given cruise line.  You may want to check out AMA, Avalon, Gate 1, Vantage, Grand Circle, and Tauck.  Flexibility is the key, and you may have to compromise on itinerary, cabin, or fare.  

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We did the cruise you are wanting on AmaWaterways several years ago.  Prague was an extension.  The cruise went from Budapest to Vilshofen.  We took the transfers from Vilshofen to Prague, but then did the Prague stay on our on.  It is a lot less expensive that way.  We stayed at the old town Hilton, and were able to walk everywhere we needed to go.  It was our first river cruise and we loved it.  Be sure and plan on staying a few days on your own in Budapest also.  In Budapest, book an English tour of the Parliament on-line before you go.

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  • 3 weeks later...
3 minutes ago, deec said:

Did Viking honor your "single" room payment.

No, they did not which I was not happy about.  The one ship that had a single cabin is out of service.  They did soften the blow a bit by giving us 125% credit and they happened to be running a promotion with a free beverage package, a cabin upgrade, and some onboard credit.  But I still will owe more money.

Edited by marthalee
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On 7/12/2020 at 5:41 PM, texasstar said:

We did the cruise you are wanting on AmaWaterways several years ago.  Prague was an extension.  The cruise went from Budapest to Vilshofen.  We took the transfers from Vilshofen to Prague, but then did the Prague stay on our on.  It is a lot less expensive that way.  We stayed at the old town Hilton, and were able to walk everywhere we needed to go.  It was our first river cruise and we loved it.  Be sure and plan on staying a few days on your own in Budapest also.  In Budapest, book an English tour of the Parliament on-line before you go.

We definitely plan on adding a few days at each end - Budapest and Prague.  I checked out the AMA trip and it looked pretty good - they had a bit of a single supplement - not half, but then it was too expensive for my traveling companions

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On 8/2/2020 at 6:26 PM, marthalee said:

No, they did not which I was not happy about.  The one ship that had a single cabin is out of service.  They did soften the blow a bit by giving us 125% credit and they happened to be running a promotion with a free beverage package, a cabin upgrade, and some onboard credit.  But I still will owe more money.

Which ship were you on.  We have booked the Prestige in Nov. 21 and all sailings now say sold out.  That ship had a few single cabins.

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5 hours ago, rcaruso said:

Which ship were you on.  We have booked the Prestige in Nov. 21 and all sailings now say sold out.  That ship had a few single cabins.

 Don’t recall the name but it was one scheduled for this September and that ship is being retired. They told me there were no others with single cabins. Is this Viking on the Danube?

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On 8/3/2020 at 3:35 PM, Ktwofish said:

@marthalee  How frustrating to not be able to get the same “single” deal when rebooking.  I’m glad you were able to get some discounts, though.  We booked the Danube Waltz for Dec. 2021.

We opted for the romantic Danube since it had two days in Vienna. 

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23 minutes ago, marthalee said:

 Don’t recall the name but it was one scheduled for this September and that ship is being retired. They told me there were no others with single cabins. Is this Viking on the Danube?

 

Yes, the Danube Waltz.

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