Christmas Cruise?

[ddschur]

Can anyone suggest/recommend the "best" Christmas Cruise" available?:confused:

 

Best in terms of the River Cruise line, service, food, itinerary...etc.

 

Let's say that the price is a consideration...albeit a minor one.;)

 

Thank you in advance for anyone who responds!

[pacmom]

We all seem to think the one we took was the best. We went on Vantage. It was a good cruise--all tours included with knowledgeable guides and program directors. Our only hangup was only USA citizens. We knew this in advance. Our cruise line of choice did not offer our itinerary this past season--Nurmberg-Cologne. You just have to determine what cities you want to see. what type of beds in your cabin you want and what the cruise line includes. For the Christmas market cruise, most include all the tours. If price is important, as it should be, look into doing your own air. Depending on when you want to cruise, the line's air may be the way to go. There are 2 threads about Christmas markets--2008 and 2009. Good luck. It really is wonderful to see how Germany celebrate the season before Christmas. Pat

[ddschur]

Hate to be ignorant...but where are the two threads for Christmas Markets cruises that you refer to in your reply?

 

Thanx again!

[Ship's Wake]

Many of the Christmas traditions that we have in North America originated in Germany and Austria. Because of this, for me, the stops in Germany and Austria are more festive in regards to Christmas markets and general holiday atmosphere.

 

We've taken two Christmas cruises so far - 2005 on the Uniworld River Queen Wurzburg to Cologne (Main and Rhine rivers)and 2008 on the Uniworld River Empress Passua to Vienna (Danube). On our last one, the stops in Passau, Linz/Salzburg, and especially Vienna were wonderful. Bratislava and Budapest were interesting stops, but did not have the same Christmas market experience as in Austria or Germany. Because of this, I would focus on a Christmas cruise in those countries.

 

Many posters have a positive impression of the lines that they have cruised on in the past, and indicate that they will be travelling with that line again. This means that most river cruise lines are offering a very good product.

 

We have only done river cruises on Uniworld, so I can only give you feedback on this line. We find Uniworld to be a top-notch line that caters to English speakers from the US primarily but with a nice mix of passengers from Canada, UK, Australia, and South Africa. This is important because passengers freely mix and mingle. Other lines that cater to more Europeans (such as Viking) will have a mix of non-English speaking nationalities onboard who naturally tend to associate with those that they can communicate with. This means that your dining companions and tours will be segregated based on language.

 

Uniworld is very detailed oriented, taking care of the special touches that make a cruise memorable. Excursions are included in your price, so other than shopping you shouldn't have any add on expenses. We very highly recommend Uniworld.

 

Here is a link to a review of the food on our most recent Uniworld Christmas cruise:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=890494

 

When comparing prices, you should look at the final price - what will the overall trip cost me? Some lines include more (such as transfers to/from the airport, which can be costly if you arrange them on your own), complimentary wine, and excursions.

 

Uniworld is not the cheapest, but based on our past experiences, we willingly pay a little more to get a quality experience. We plan to take another Christmas cruise in 2010 and will definitely book with Uniworld.

 

Joe

[ddschur]

Joe,

 

Thank you for your very informative response.

 

Walt

[pacmom]

Use the search engine--Christmas Market cruises. It will bring up lots of useful info. Pat

[odblnt]

Check out this review by ChefPeg: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=901463

 

Based off our previous experience with AMA doing the tulips and ChefPeg's review we are doing the Christmas Markets this year (Prague to Budapest).

[fred111]

We took the Uniworld Christmas Cruise - Budapest to Regansburg this past year and couldn't have been more pleased. Uniworld is an outstanding company that goes out if its way to provide a great tour. I would recommend the same tour to anyone. I also recommend visiting Budapest and Brataslava. Although they don't have the history of the German and Austrian markets, they are different and well worth the visit. The Budapest market is predominately locally made products that you will not see anywhere else and the food and Gluhwein is among the best on the trip. The Brataslava market brings out the locals and is more locally oriented then the rest. Great food and interesting entertainment. Also prices are particularly good.