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Seeking middle of the road river cruise in Europe

twl

By twl,
in River Cruising

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reeves35 Great Review Rare

reeves35

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What country are you from?  There are a few cruise lines that offer good value cruising such as TUI (if you are UK based) or Gate 1 Travel (US Based).  Obviously, at this point, you are giving up some included extras but that may suit you.  The next level up are lines such as Emerald or Travelmarvel which include more and are operating newer ships but the price-point is higher.

 

On my Travelmarvel cruise in August, there were a number of Brit seniors who bought their cruise on a last-minute deal which appeared great value, included flights and no single supplement was charged so maybe that is also an option for you if you can afford to book late in the process.

 

 

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Canal archive

Canal archive

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Just a thought twl what you might consider a middle/reasonable price could be another’s really inexpensive (note I didn’t use the c word) or absolutely OTT it’s horses for courses. If you look - think I’m safe with this at Ralph Grizzels  rivercruiseadvisor.com they have a comparison chart of inclusions of most of the different river cruise companies this could be helpful as a starting base, happy researching.

 

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pontac Great Review Rare

pontac

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7 hours ago, twl said:

Can anyone tell me which river cruise is the middle/reasonable price for seniors?

 

As @reeves35 says, it depend which country you book the tour in. 

 

AFAIK, no cruise company has lower prices for seniors only. Many companies don't allow under 18s, Many couples older than that have children under 18, and cannot travel so the age of cruisers tends to be older.

 

If in the UK you may like to look at Saga which only does holidays for over 50s and if you're in U3A you can get discounts with some cruise companies.

 

But there are so many discounts and special inclusions when booking early or last minute deals you need to

1) decide what is essential - e.g. drinks with meals, sightseeing, gratuities

2) compare offerings

 

Look at several cruise companies and get a feel for them OR just look at prices and pick one that suits. If you enjoy the experience travel with that company again or next time book with someone else.

 

 

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twototravel "Live from...." Rare

twototravel

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Check out Gate 1 for European river cruises. They are cheaper than Viking, and I really didn't see much difference. Yes, Gate 1 has less ships, but they are very nice. Cabins only have French balconies on the 2nd and 3rd decks. Complimentary wine and beer is served with dinner only. Food is great, and so is the crew. 

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Daisi

Daisi

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First, if you've never river cruised, check out the stickies on the top of the main page so you know what to expect. That way, you can get some idea as to what you want out of your tour. Are you both fairly fit? Walking around Europe on rough cobblestones can be tough, especially if you are using a walker, and most tours involve about 1 1/2 hr minimum walking on hills, stairs etc., so it's best to be prepared.

 

My next suggestion is to talk to a travel agent (can't recommend any here, but do some research, you can talk to a couple until you feel comfortable choosing one), and ask what cruises they have been on. If they have covered a couple of lines, they should be able to find one to suit both your expectations of what you want (how much included and how much extra you wish to pay), and your budget.

 

River cruising isn't for everyone, but I'll warn you...if you do like it, you can get hooked pretty quickly!  Enjoy your planning, come back and ask any questions you wish, we are a friendly bunch that are all hooked.

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UDChE89 "Live from...." Rare

UDChE89

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I will put in a vote for Viva Cruises.  When comparing costs, I found them to be competitive and they’re all inclusive except for excursions which worked fine for me.  It is German oriented but I still had a great time.  Uniworld would be my second choice.

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Coral "Live from...." Rare

Coral

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On 10/27/2023 at 2:58 AM, Canal archive said:

Just a thought twl what you might consider a middle/reasonable price could be another’s really inexpensive (note I didn’t use the c word) or absolutely OTT it’s horses for courses. If you look - think I’m safe with this at Ralph Grizzels  rivercruiseadvisor.com they have a comparison chart of inclusions of most of the different river cruise companies this could be helpful as a starting base, happy researching.

 

Great site IMO!

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CielBleu

CielBleu

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If you are located in the USA or Canada, then I would recommend Avalon, Ama, or Gate 1 since you want middle/reasonable price.  It's best to research the information on each company's site and perhaps use the comparisons on CruiseCritic and RiverCruiseAdvisor.  We did a lot of research and chose Avalon.  It fit best for our wants and needs, and we enjoyed it very much.  

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franski Excellent Advice! Rare

franski

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On 10/29/2023 at 11:06 AM, CielBleu said:

If you are located in the USA or Canada, then I would recommend Avalon, Ama, or Gate 1 since you want middle/reasonable price.  It's best to research the information on each company's site and perhaps use the comparisons on CruiseCritic and RiverCruiseAdvisor.  We did a lot of research and chose Avalon.  It fit best for our wants and needs, and we enjoyed it very much.  

If you are in Canada - I am not sure if Gate 1 is a great option for you.

 

I live in Ontario - not far from Toronto.  In Ontario we have TICO - which is "Travel Industry Council of Ontario".  This is a consumer protection group. that assists with travel related issues.  For example, if you took a trip the Caribbean and your travel company went out of business while you are away (this happened here a number of years ago)... then TICO would assist in getting you home.  My TA and the company she worked for would not book anything that did not have TICO certification. 

 

You could book Gate 1 on your own, but if something went wrong - isn't it nice to know that TICO could potentially help?

 

Fran

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sjde

sjde

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Grand Circle (GCT) has great per person per day costs and I didn't see much difference from the pricier AMA. (Maybe the wine was not quite as good and most only have twin beds). They usually have some 7-10 nt Christmas Markets cruises. Their others tend to be longer. I've not taken a Gate 1 cruise (we had to cancel summer of 2020 due to the pandemic ) but a friend loves them and they are reasonable. This year we got what we think was a great deal on a Viking river cruise, compared to others  ($300/pp/nt).

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CPT Trips

CPT Trips

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13 hours ago, sjde said:

Grand Circle (GCT) has great per person per day costs and I didn't see much difference from the pricier AMA. (Maybe the wine was not quite as good and most only have twin beds). They usually have some 7-10 nt Christmas Markets cruises. Their others tend to be longer. I've not taken a Gate 1 cruise (we had to cancel summer of 2020 due to the pandemic ) but a friend loves them and they are reasonable. This year we got what we think was a great deal on a Viking river cruise, compared to others  ($300/pp/nt).


I think we have cruised on all the river boats GCT uses. All have only twin beds. 

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RobInMN Great Review Rare

RobInMN

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My parents love GCT. My wife and I are not fans. The twin fold down bunk things are a no-go for us. And the bathroom was barely acceptable. We much prefer AMA.

Besides the rooms, probably the biggest difference between the 2 are the cruise managers/excursions. On the GCT we were on, there were 4 Cruise Managers and they led all the excursions. We were assigned to one as our primary, but there were a couple places where there were a couple options and we went with a different CM. On the AMA cruises we've done, there is one Cruise Manager and they/AMA arrange for local guides at all the stops. AMA typically has multiple excursion options. 

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sjde

sjde

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It may have changed from about 10 years ago when I took a couple of GCT river cruises but back then, it was about 1/2 to 1/3 the cost of AMA.  I didn't think the slight difference was worth it. Now it's hard to see AMA's prices-you have to Request a Quote.

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CPT Trips

CPT Trips

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8 hours ago, sjde said:

I found two GCT that have queen size beds -the M/V Corinthian and the M/V Clio.

 

https://www.gct.com/about/leader-in-river-cruising/our-fleet/corinthian

 

https://www.gct.com/about/leader-in-river-cruising/our-fleet/mv-clio


Indeed those small ocean going ships do bedding that can either be separate singles or one larger bed. They are not river ships. 

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