New to all Cruising, Planning a European River Cruise

[Ritabob]

The biggest differences between a bus tour and a river cruise are 

You unpack once, and if you want to sleep in and skip a tour you won't miss the bus.

[Marshyone]

Hi!  Marcia and Andy on Uniworld June 18. My first river cruise  have 60 ocean cruises. Really looking forward to this one. Anyone else on this trip?

[JoyMBee]

Decisions, Decisions.  My TA has come back with the Romantic Rhine Cruise on the Avalon Panorama. Almost the same dates, 2 extra days.  It would be Basel to Amsterdam.  Two nights in Zurich and one night at the end in Amsterdam included, gratuities etc.  The cost is more, but there are two extra days cruise days  and Category A instead of B.  Thoughts?

[Gourmet Gal]

1 hour ago, Marshyone said:

Hi!  Marcia and Andy on Uniworld June 18. My first river cruise  have 60 ocean cruises. Really looking forward to this one. Anyone else on this trip?

You could try creating a roll call.

[Gourmet Gal]

1 hour ago, JoyMBee said:

Decisions, Decisions.  My TA has come back with the Romantic Rhine Cruise on the Avalon Panorama. Almost the same dates, 2 extra days.  It would be Basel to Amsterdam.  Two nights in Zurich and one night at the end in Amsterdam included, gratuities etc.  The cost is more, but there are two extra days cruise days  and Category A instead of B.  Thoughts?

Does it include the Moselle?

[JoyMBee]

2 minutes ago, Gourmet Gal said:

Does it include the Moselle?

I don't think so, I havent seen it on the itinerary

[Host Jazzbeau]

My one thought about that itinerary is that Zurich was ok, but it was another big city.  Lucerne, OTOH, is a charming medieval small city on a lake with a scenic cog railway to a mountaintop.  I would swap the two days in Zurich for two days in Lucerne, then take the railway direct from Lucerne station to the Zurich airport for my flight.

[JoyMBee]

6 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

My one thought about that itinerary is that Zurich was ok, but it was another big city.  Lucerne, OTOH, is a charming medieval small city on a lake with a scenic cog railway to a mountaintop.  I would swap the two days in Zurich for two days in Lucerne, then take the railway direct from Lucerne station to the Zurich airport for my flight.

Thank you, I will take a look at that if we decide to go with the Rhine cruise.

[Host Jazzbeau]

10 minutes ago, JoyMBee said:

Thank you, I will take a look at that if we decide to go with the Rhine cruise.

It's been a few years now [I looked it up: 10!  time flies!!!], but you might want to look at my blog of our first river cruise, Amsterdam to Basel with Lucerne on AmaWaterways:

jazzbeauxrhinerivercruise2013.wordpress.com

[CPT Trips]

21 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

all modern ships are 135m long and the same width too

For a moment I thought you meant the ships are square. 🤔😎 Then my other brain kicked in. 😉

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 minute ago, CPT Trips said:

For a moment I thought you meant the ships are square. 🤔😎 Then my other brain kicked in. 😉

Not even garbage scows are square.  Maybe a 1930s music theme cruise would be 'square'? 🤣

[CPT Trips]

@JoyMBee I can’t imagine that you can go wrong with any of the options you are considering. And chances are that you will book again with the first line you travel with. 
I would recommend that once you settle on an itinerary you spend time researching the places you will visit. You usually can stay in town after the morning excursion and then do something on your own if you find that there is something that interests you more than the ship’s excursion(s). Skip lunch on board and hit a museum or whatever and get back in time for the port talk. The exceptions are when the ship is due to leave “early” such as to cruise the Rhine castles or if it makes a short stop to  drop you off for a bus tour and then pick you up at another location. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

30 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

Skip lunch on board

If you do take the Rhine cruise and have a stop in Strasbourg, definitely stay over lunch and have the local specialty tarte flambée [or Flammkuchen in Alsatian].

[texasstar]

I will second Jazzbeau's recommendation concerning Lucerne.  You don't want to miss this, if you are in that part of the world.  You can take the train from Lucerne directly to the airport.  The train station is within walking distance of some of the hotels.

[Canal archive]

JoyMBee wow they’re getting very intense here, I can understand why as we are all really river cruise fans (fanatics). For your first river cruise step back, decide if you want active or more laid back, old history or newer, you could go to the extent of a pro’s and con’s list. Or make a list take a pin blindfold yourself stick in the pin and go for it. We went on our first cruise after seeing an advert in a Sunday newspaper we’re just about to go on our tenth so just a word of warning it’s addictive. 
Whatever you choose enjoy.

[UDChE89]

I guess I went a bit of the unconventional route for my first cruise being an American taking a cruise from a German company and being the only non-German speaker on board.  I had a fantastic time and felt very relaxed.  It was also great that they offered their excursions a la carte.  I wound up going after watching a YouTube video and getting a deal I couldn’t pass up.

 

Went on a cruise with a different line this year and though I had a good time, partially because I was traveling with a cousin not alone, I would say that I preferred the last year’s cruise.  They did cover a bit of the same itinerary (Passau to Budapest) but I’d say your excursion experience is largely in the hands of the guide.  We had one fantastic guide, one okay guide, and one guide where we ditched the tour at the first opportunity.

 

Since it’s your first, beyond reading the board I’d also suggest watching some YouTube videos.  I’m sure there are ones specific to your cruise company but there are also general ones (Tips for Travelers is my favorite) that give you an overall view of what river cruising is all about.

[sharkster77]

Both Basel to Lucerne and Lucerne to Zurich Airport are easy 1 hr train rides.  We just visited Lucerne for the second time.  Lovely lovely small city.  Extensive medieval old town along the river Reuss.  Medieval town wall has 8 towers, at least 3 can be climbed.  Walk along the lake is also delightful. 

 

Can't say enough good things about Lucerne!!  

[CastleCritic]

I would just take a little time with both itineraries and see which one speaks to you more, or even look through Avalon (or another lines) site at both rivers and see if there is an itinerary that you like more.  Thats how I did it initially and basically ended up on what they just to the point call "The Rhine and Moselle" itinerary which is 11 days so would be more expensive. Their Rhine cruise strikes me as a tad bit rushed.

 

I can see pros and cons of both having done both and both would be good river trips, Im a bit lower on the land extensions on the Rhine though.

[tulok]

You can’t go wrong with your decision. After your first one, it will be easier to know what you want when it’s time to book the next one.  And there will be another one 🥰

I love Basel and a great place to start a cruise. We spent 2 days  pre-cruise and went back a few other times as it’s such a cute small city.

I also agree Lucerne is not to be missed and in the fall won’t be as touristy. 

Personally, I will say my favorite cruise at this point is the Avignon Lyon cruise during Lavender season. But I have a large list of upcoming river itineraries I want to do. 

 

So many choices, so little time. 

 

 

[notamermaid]

14 hours ago, JoyMBee said:

My TA has come back with the Romantic Rhine Cruise on the Avalon Panorama. Almost the same dates, 2 extra days.  It would be Basel to Amsterdam. 

It also sounds good. Highlight of that cruise is the Rhine Gorge as regards landscape. If you like castles go for that one. Think about what languages and cultures you want to hear and experience. The Rhine is probably closer to you as regards culture than Slovakia and Hungary (unless your community at home has lots of Slavic and Eastern European folk). But none of the countries you will visit will be "exotic". Is there a building or landscape you need to see? Any photos or videos that could help you with a decision? Gut feeling is this: the Danube with extensions a bit better than the Rhine with extensions, the Rhine a little preference over the Danube.

 

A pleasurable but difficult decision.

 

notamermaid

 

[Got2Cruise]

15 hours ago, JoyMBee said:

Decisions, Decisions.  My TA has come back with the Romantic Rhine Cruise on the Avalon Panorama. Almost the same dates, 2 extra days.  It would be Basel to Amsterdam.  Two nights in Zurich and one night at the end in Amsterdam included, gratuities etc.  The cost is more, but there are two extra days cruise days  and Category A instead of B.  Thoughts?

For a first time on the river I’d choose the Rhine one. Why? Because I think it fits more with what most imagine a RC would entail. You will have an entire day sitting on deck looking at all the castles. Lots of quaint towns to visit. Plenty of beer and pretzels. Amsterdam is great. It’s easy to get a trip to the alps from Zurich. If Avalon doesn’t offer it, look on Viator. 
 

That said, I think you’ll love your first river cruise and you can take the other itinerary next time. 

[Daisi]

15 hours ago, Gourmet Gal said:

Does it include the Moselle?

 

No, Avalon's Romantic Rhine is only on the Rhine.

 

We did the Romantic Rhine in 2018 with Avalon, and they have changed things a bit. I agree with Jaz, do the 2 days in Lucerne instead of Zurich. That was one thing we missed, because of needing to get back to work, but will do it on another cruise or trip.  Amsterdam is a very easy city, so if you can squeeze in another day there, you won't need to book any tours, just wander around...well worth it.

 

Let us know what you decide...then get prepared for all kinds of suggestions of what not to miss!

[TMLAalum]

18 hours ago, JoyMBee said:

Decisions, Decisions.  My TA has come back with the Romantic Rhine Cruise on the Avalon Panorama. Almost the same dates, 2 extra days.  It would be Basel to Amsterdam.  Two nights in Zurich and one night at the end in Amsterdam included, gratuities etc.  The cost is more, but there are two extra days cruise days  and Category A instead of B.  Thoughts?

Can your TA price out cruise cost only without the extensions? As others have posted, Lucerne would be a better choice than Zurich and, if your Romantic Rhine on Avalon itinerary is exactly like ours, you will overnight aboard the boat before cruising down the Rhine so do you really need that extra night as part of your cruise extension?

 

If you are comfortable doing so, DIYing to Lucerne would provide you flexibility as well as significant cost-savings! The train ride from Basel is @1hr. A double room price range 200-300CHF night. Mt. Pilatus excursion 100 CHF pp. Walking tour 25 CHF pp. Flying into AMS from the US you will probably want to arrive the day before the start of the cruise, so plan on a double room there between euro 200-300. So maybe 600 per person total vs???

 

We are adding on 7 nights in Switzerland after our cruise ends in Basel at @1100 CHF per person for train travel, the Berner-Oberland pass, 2 nights w/ breakfast at the Continental Park Lucerne, 4 nights in a VRBO in Wengen, and the final night at the Radisson Blu Zurich airport.

[Host Jazzbeau]

12 minutes ago, TMLAalum said:

Can your TA price out cruise cost only without the extensions?

I agree with your entire post, but thinking back to our first river cruise (which was also early in our entire European travel history) we thought we would need to have our hands held.  Not so much in Amsterdam, where we even flew in the day of the cruise! [it started with an overnight, and everything worked out except that jet lag made Amsterdam a bit of a blur...]  But in Switzerland because while we had high school French, we never learned German at all.  But looking back on it now, it wasn't a worry and we could easily have done the post-cruise excursion exactly as you lay it out.  And there would be a huge cost saving!

[Gourmet Gal]

Switzerland is incredibly easy to drive in.  The roads and especially the tunnels are a dream.  After disembarking in Basel we took the ship’s shuttle to the airport, picked up the rental and drove all over, stopping wherever we wanted on the way to Lake Geneva, followed by Lake Lucerne with a stop in Interlaken between. After several days in Lucerne we dropped the car at Zurich airport.  Of course you can piece together the same itinerary by train and tour but we enjoyed the freedom after following a tour guide around for almost 2 weeks.