Jump to content

Need Advice On Scenic European River Cruises


frisbeewife
 Share

Recommended Posts

DH and I, together with another couple who are avid cruisers, are starting to plan a European river cruise for summer 2015. This would be the first river cruise for everyone in our group. The first thing to consider is the itinerary. I do not know much about these cruises but I do know we would prefer to have more "scenic" views and avoid industrial areas as much as possible.

 

Are some itineraries better than others at avoiding the not-so-scenic areas? Is there a way to tell from a published itinerary which ones are going through "nicer" areas? Or do we just need to spend hours reading reviews of the various cruises? We can (and will) do that, but it's good to get feedback from seasoned river cruises on where to concentrate our searches.

 

As background, we will all be in our late 50's or early 60's. The other couple like their drinks and consider the alcohol inclusion to be a wonderful feature. DH and I don't drink much, but do want to see the scenery and take excursions that show us the sights and history of the areas we are in. We are not rich and would probably not get suites, but do want to be able to sit and enjoy the scenery sliding by so French balconies would be nice. The other couple enjoy dressing up, DH and I not so much although we can if we have to.

 

Thanks for any advice to help with our preliminary planning!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Took my first river cruise in October on the Scenic Sapphire (you can read my review) it was wonderful. No dressing up is required, we usually changed into nicer clothes for the evening but nothing "dressy". The nice thing about Scenic is everything is included, drinks, tours and tips (including tips for port tour guides). The port tour guides were the best I have I ever had (15 ocean cruises). We took the Amsterdam to Basel cruise and the scenery was great, going through the Rhine Gorge was stunning. However, the last day heading to Basel was quite industrial but I don't think there is any way around that.

 

Most Scenic ships don't have French Balconies, they have real ones and the great thing is that there is a window that closes so you can still sit out there even in bad weather.

 

You will thoroughly enjoy your cruise on Scenic; have fun with your planning!

Edited by cruiseryyc
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have taken a number of river cruises with Vantage (see our website). For a first cruise I would suggest a Budapest to Amsterdam, then spend a couple of days in Amsterdam on your own.

There is no limitation on wine or spirits on the river cruises, so you can bring whatever you want. We normally take a 4 to 5 liter box of wine, which is much lighter than bottles.

We also purchase wines locally. There are a great number of local wines that never make it to the States, but are nice.

We are always happy to answer any questions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is no limitation on wine or spirits on the river cruises, so you can bring whatever you want. We normally take a 4 to 5 liter box of wine, which is much lighter than bottles.

 

All alcohol is included on Scenic cruises - there is absolutely no need to take any onboard with you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was initially confused by the thread title, because Scenic is the name of one of the river cruise companies. I think you asking more generally about the scenery of different itineraries.

 

Some people love river cruising from the get-go (we did), but others hate hate hate it. Since you can't know which reaction you will have, I would advise against a long cruise like Budapest to Amsterdam.

 

The single most scenic stretch is probably the Rhine Castles between Koblenz and Rudesheim. So I would suggest a 7-day cruise between Amsterdam and Basel. Fly in to Amsterdam a day or two early and enjoy the city, then perhaps visit nearby Switzerland (Lucerne and Zurich) at the end. We did this itinerary this summer on AMA Cello and had a wonderful time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was initially confused by the thread title, because Scenic is the name of one of the river cruise companies. I think you asking more generally about the scenery of different itineraries.

 

Some people love river cruising from the get-go (we did), but others hate hate hate it. Since you can't know which reaction you will have, I would advise against a long cruise like Budapest to Amsterdam.

 

The single most scenic stretch is probably the Rhine Castles between Koblenz and Rudesheim. So I would suggest a 7-day cruise between Amsterdam and Basel. Fly in to Amsterdam a day or two early and enjoy the city, then perhaps visit nearby Switzerland (Lucerne and Zurich) at the end. We did this itinerary this summer on AMA Cello and had a wonderful time.

 

You raise some good points We did our first river cruise with Vantage and went from Budapest to Amsterdam in 21 days. The entire cruise was pretty scenic and the only place that was kind of industrial was Cologne to Amsterdam. We weren't bored for an instant; we loved the informality of river cruising; everyone eating together with open seating at dinner; not having to pack up and put bags out by 6 am. or getting on a bus at 8 a.m.. It's quiet, serene and restful. If those things appeal to you, and you have the time, don't worry about the length of the trip no matter how long your cruise is, it won't be long enough:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We did the Saone & Rhone river cruise from Lyon in the South of France in 2010 in mid April and loved it..went thru 17 locks each way

As long as you understand that River Cruises in Europe are much more laid back than a Carribbean mega liner cruise...you can actually sit on the observation deck and enjoy the incredible scenery and waive at folks on both sides of the river...most evenings local entertainers from the town will come onboard...there were 122 German retirees who spoke English in various degrees and 12 Americans who could not speak a word of German..it worked very well

A big part of our River Cruise experience was the journey to/from Lyon (in the South of France)..we flew to Paris and rode the 200 mph high speed train (1st Class tickets each way, well worth it) spent 2 days in Lyon...on our return train ride, we spent a long (4days) weekend in Paris did some tourist attractions but the best part for us was every night we did the world famous Jazz Clubs

River cruising is very much a romantic couples cruise..which ever one you cruise you will enjoy...good luck

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are some great cruises, and some that can be the complete opposite.

Do a lot of research as to which company you wish to use, and how they treat their guests when there is a problem.

 

For example, http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1892421 shows how guests are forcibly shoved onto busses although the company knew that the rivers were not passable.

 

Lucky us received almost 7 days of cruising out of 15, others only received 2 days!

 

A class action against that company "Scenic Tours" is comencing shortly!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

frisbeewife, we did our first river cruise this year, yes I am over the top in doing research and spent 100's of hours reading CC, going to cruise company evenings, and talking to at least 20 friends who had previously completed at least one and in some cases 6 or 7 river cruises. Here are some of the facts I knew before the cruise and some since doing cruise.

 

We had 3 couples in same age group as you.

 

We were advised by many people only to do 7 or 8 days + add a few days at each end. Reason if you find the river cruising doesn't fit with you or if you end up with a unsuitable mix on board its not too long.

 

The Rhine Amsterdam to Basel (we did it opposite way as were advised timetable is better) is rated the one of the best scenic (viewing) cruises, our Cruise Director rated it best by far with Prague to Budapest next ( yes we have booked that for 2014)

 

We decided on Avalon due to timetable of port stops, French balconies on 2 levels, larger size standard staterooms, lower number of people on boat (130)the selection of free tours each day and also the extra paid tours, overall cost & payment terms

 

We enjoy our drinks at night and found Avalon free drinks with diner more than enough, if fact girls had to slow the refills as they don't let you glass drop below 1/2 full.

 

No need to dress up, smart causal if fine.

 

Having attended many international conferences and also arrange many conferences, I am very picky on organisation, food, service etc, etc. As I have said to many people in the last 6 months, I could not fault anything on the Avalon Cruise from check in at start of cruise to departure of Avalon transport at the end of tour.

 

Stay away from Scenic Boats - A class action against that company "Scenic Tours" is commencing shortly due to their shocking customer service this year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello frisbeewife,

 

As you mention finances I would like to point out that the river cruises early in the year are often a little cheaper but as regards the Rhine and Danube you have a higher risk of flooding in April and the landscape might still be a little wintery. I would also not travel in mid-November as the landscape is again not so spectacular and there are no Chrismas markets open yet. Having said that, people on CC have favourably mentioned the Holland spring cruises.

 

Or have a look at the google pictures option when you check out the itineraries perhaps something will stick out that you want to see.

 

For wine and European (and Roman) history I would recommend looking at the Southern France cruises. I admit I prefer French wines to German ones...

 

And sticking to the shorter itineraries is a good advice. You could even go as far a looking at the European companies that offer 5-day-cruises.

 

notamermaid

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 10 months later...
I was initially confused by the thread title, because Scenic is the name of one of the river cruise companies. I think you asking more generally about the scenery of different itineraries.

 

Some people love river cruising from the get-go (we did), but others hate hate hate it. Since you can't know which reaction you will have, I would advise against a long cruise like Budapest to Amsterdam.

 

The single most scenic stretch is probably the Rhine Castles between Koblenz and Rudesheim. So I would suggest a 7-day cruise between Amsterdam and Basel. Fly in to Amsterdam a day or two early and enjoy the city, then perhaps visit nearby Switzerland (Lucerne and Zurich) at the end. We did this itinerary this summer on AMA Cello and had a wonderful time.

 

We will be doing this same cruise next June. Any particulars you would tell us not to miss or anything about it we would benefit by knowing ahead? We have never been on a river cruise, but this was highly recommended. We will fly into Zurich a few days early and stay in Amsterdam 2 days after.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some people love river cruising from the get-go (we did), but others hate hate hate it. Since you can't know which reaction you will have, I would advise against a long cruise like Budapest to Amsterdam.

 

 

I completely agree! A 7 night cruise with some time before and/or after in Europe would be more balanced, in case you do not enjoy the river cruise experience. For us, even though we do enjoy many aspects of river cruising, we would never choose an itinerary longer than 7-10 nights as that is would just be too much for us.

 

The most scenic river cruise we have taken was "Vineyards of the Rhine and Moselle" in fall. While we loved the scenery, we enjoyed the itinerary the least overall.

 

The least appealing scenery was our April 2014 Tulip Time cruise, but the itinerary was great. Rivers here were industrial and lacked the charm of the Rhine (lots of castles) and Danube (some castles as well as pretty towns and pastoral scenes).

 

We try to avoid long periods of cruising time as we prefer to be experiencing the ports. We also enjoy going into town after dinner so we look for overnight stays.

 

We loved our Budapest to Prague cruise at the market season and some of the scenery was spectacular, including an evening cruise to see Budapest lit at night.

 

River cruising does not have the dress up nights of the ocean ships. We have encountered just a handful of other passengers (across 7 river cruises) where they dresses up as if for a formal night on a cruise ship and they looked totally out of place. A sport coat and occasional tie are the most dressy we have seen and ties were very rare and sport coats on 5-10% of the men for special evenings. It is even more rare to see a cocktail dress. Even on our holiday cruises over NYE, it was rare to see people dressed up.

 

We choose AMA as our preferred line and they do not include alcoholic beverages. Our bar tab is generally $100- 150 for 7 nights.

Edited by caviargal
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will supplement caviargal's post by pointing out that AMA does include beer and wine at lunch and dinner, and they allow you BYOB pretty freely (you're encouraged to top up at the end of dinner and bring your "free" wine to the lounge, no corkage fee on wine at dinner, no problems in your cabin, and I don't see how they could stop you from bringing a glass from your cabin to the lounge).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We will be doing this same cruise next June. Any particulars you would tell us not to miss or anything about it we would benefit by knowing ahead? We have never been on a river cruise, but this was highly recommended. We will fly into Zurich a few days early and stay in Amsterdam 2 days after.

 

Zurich is nice, but we really loved Lucerne -- old town, the famous Lion monument, Mount Pilatus, and a boat ride on Lake Lucerne were highlights -- definitely worth 2 full days. Zurich is a larger city and more congested -- it does have really nice Chagall stained-glass windows in the Fraumunster.

 

Don't remember much about Basel. We got off the boat, had a short tour of the town hall and a break for lunch on our own (at the market in front of the town hall), and then it was time to get on the bus to Lucerne. I don't know what they'll include for you in Basel, since you're starting your cruise here.

 

Colmar and Riquewihr were really cute. AMA also offered a German option -- Breisach and Freiburg -- but those who did that didn't enjoy it as much as we did the French towns.

 

Strasbourg is very nice. The Cathedral has a complicated Astronomical Clock that performs at 12:30 -- you need tickets (AMA gave them to us) and you must enter the Cathedral well before the performance and kill your feet standing on the cold stone floor -- but it's absolutely worth it. The buses park far away from the old town so don't go back to the boat for lunch -- stay in town and get a tarte flambée at a cafe. I think the canal cruise here would have been very nice, but it was so hot when we took it that all we could do was pray for it to end (or death, whichever came first...).

 

Heidelberg is a long bus ride from the river, but worth it. Our boat docked in Speyer, and we were able to see all we wanted by walking around after the bus got back.

 

Rudesheim was one of our favorite stops on the cruise. We visited a vineyard with the owner, and after dinner came back into town for Siegfried's Mechanical Music Cabinet Museum -- we expected this to be cheesy, but we loved it!

 

The sail through the Rhine Valley is the scenic highlight of this trip -- it's one castle after another and at some points they come pretty fast. Get up on the top deck so you can swivel 360 degrees while you follow the narration.

 

Cologne has a Roman Archeological Museum that looks very interesting -- unfortunately it was closed when we were there so we didn't get to see it.

 

The stretch of river between Cologne and Amsterdam is the least scenic on the trip (part of it is a canal), so this is a good time to pack. ;)

 

Amsterdam -- both the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum have recently been redone and are worth as much time as you can spare (if you like art). There's also a branch of the Hermitage museum with exhibits from the St. Petersburg collection that change several times a year. The canal cruise is nice, but will probably be included as an excursion on your river cruise along with a panoramic and/or walking tour. If you want to see the Anne Frank house, it's a good idea to buy tickets online before you go.

 

For more details and lots of pictures, see my:

• Blog:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1916435

• Picture archive:

https://jazzbeauxrhinecruise.shutterfly.com/pictures/8

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Edited by Host Jazzbeau
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...