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comparison ($$$) of the different companies


suec12
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We have done 2 river cruises with GCT (Danube and Saone) this was several years ago. We were satisfied but I'm thinking that GCT is sort of the budget option. We are thinking of doing another (Budapest is the most important port to us). Our new travel friends did not like that GCT had only twin beds (at least on Danube cruises) so can you please rank the other lines price-wise. The other options I have looked at look waaaaay pricier! We do appreciate good food and wine but not sure to the tune of over $1000 per person! Thank you for your input!

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Prices will depend on date and accommodation. Not sure why you would expect/want others to do this research for you. :confused:

 

A travel agent who knows their stuff can search out promotions and provide pricing.

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Well I thought there might be some folks on this board that might want to give me some ideas from their experiences. I would rather not use a travel agent - GCT does not use them and it is probably one of the reasons they are less expensive. I actually have looked some at the other options and all seem much higher than GCT. I understand that exact prices depend on dates and cabin categories but I am assuming, like ocean cruises, the different brands have different niches. Please excuuse me for asking for free advice.

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This is exactly the reason we need a sticky for the great river cruise info on CC that is impossible to find.

To get a comparison of lines,,try going to CC main page and under SEARCH type river cruise info.Will give all the major lines and pricing ideas.Hope that helps.

Any of the main lines will offer more..like Viking,Avalon,Uniworld,etc.then can go up to more upscale like Scenic,AMA,Tauck.Will pay more and get more perks.THat might help.

I ve been on all the above,tend to get what you PAY for.BUdget is a main factor,lots of research under member review,too.;)

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This question has been asked sooooo many times. That is the reason many of us are asking for the sticky that is very difficult to find. We have been on 19 river cruises and only one with GCT--it was in Myanmar and not the same as the ones in Europe. What you like -no TA-many don't like.

 

We are going on a Christmas market cruise with AMA. We booked thru a TA and got a veranda/French balcony cabin for the price of the lowest deck. It does take a lot of research to find what your comfort zone is cabin and pricewise.

 

Maybe asking some specific questions about one line or another would be easier to answer. Don't stop asking questions!!!!!Pat

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IMHO, I would say that Vantage Travel and Viking would be the cruise lines that I would look at next. Both have some "deals", but you have to look for them. Yesterday I got 4 mailers from Viking for different "deals" they are offering. Some are last minute deals, some offer a discount for repeat customers, etc.

 

Don't forget to get a referral if you do decide to change companies.

 

Please do ask is you have further questions. Hopefully someone will chime in and provide an answer.

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... I would rather not use a travel agent - GCT does not use them and it is probably one of the reasons they are less expensive. ...

Exactly. That's also one of the reason why you'd have to use a TA on other lines: to get a TA discount and therefore decrease the cruise price.

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Just because you *can* use TAs to book other river cruises doesn't mean you *have* to use a TA. I booked our Christmas Market cruise directly with Avalon. I knew what I wanted, did my own research online, and called to book.....

 

(there are consolidator websites online - I cannot name names here - where you can search and get a variety of itinerary/price options with a couple of clicks)

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I think this is one of the best topics on our boards because I believe it's impossible to just compare brochure prices to determine which is the best value for your dollar river cruise. There is just so much to compare and evaluate that in my humble opinion if you just go on price/discount alone then you are doing no more than guessing. I find putting together a spreadsheet that looks at all aspects of the costs of your particular itinerary, and I mean all costs, and breaking that down to a cost per diem is the only way to get an accurate answer.

 

I enjoy this exercise. It's almost as much fun as the holiday itself. You'll get many answers on what's the best value but until you see it for yourself you won't be able to make the right decision for you.

 

No matter what company you choose I'm sure it will be the right one for you. Have fun planning and have a great river cruise.

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This is exactly the reason we need a sticky for the great river cruise info on CC that is impossible to find.

To get a comparison of lines,,try going to CC main page and under SEARCH type river cruise info.Will give all the major lines and pricing ideas.Hope that helps.

Any of the main lines will offer more..like Viking,Avalon,Uniworld,etc.then can go up to more upscale like Scenic,AMA,Tauck.Will pay more and get more perks.THat might help.

I ve been on all the above,tend to get what you PAY for.BUdget is a main factor,lots of research under member review,too.;)

 

This question has been asked sooooo many times. That is the reason many of us are asking for the sticky that is very difficult to find. We have been on 19 river cruises and only one with GCT--it was in Myanmar and not the same as the ones in Europe. What you like -no TA-many don't like.

 

We are going on a Christmas market cruise with AMA. We booked thru a TA and got a veranda/French balcony cabin for the price of the lowest deck. It does take a lot of research to find what your comfort zone is cabin and pricewise.

 

Maybe asking some specific questions about one line or another would be easier to answer. Don't stop asking questions!!!!!Pat

 

Who is going to put together the "sticky?" As I read this, the information OP is requesting hasn't been provided in any of the responses. I suspect that it's because it is difficult to compare apples and apples. I have only traveled on one line; no way to accurately compare it to another line. I can tell you what I like about it, but don't ask me to rate it against the line you have travelled.

 

GCT and Vantage are on the less expensive end of the spectrum. But, with the exception of the Christmas market cruises, their trips run about two weeks. Some other lines seem to generally have shorter trips.

 

Some lines have mostly a standard accommodation on board price differentiated primarily by cabin location; other lines have many types and sizes of cabins with substantial price differences. The spread of amenities and tours included is also pretty substantial and really complicates comparisons.

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I've been getting some great promotions by e-mail a couple times a week.

Why don't you go online to each of the companies most often talked about and request a brochure and asked to be on their e-mail list for special deals.

Most companies also list specials on their website. I have seen some fabulous offers for sailings in the next 4 months.

 

Some of the very large Online TA that specialize in "Luxury" cruises are offering some real bargains a will provide wonderful benefits (OBC, discounts, gratuities) my sure made my trip more affordable!

 

Good luck with the research :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

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There are definitely TAs that specialize in river cruising who offer exceptional and unadvertised discounts and perks that you will not find with the cruise line. To use one costs nothing - I never understand why anyone would choose not to personally.

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I really don't understand the OP's request. She has been on several ocean cruises. River Cruises are priced similarly based on the "brand". Sometimes the companies throw in extras such as low or free airfare, or gratuities. You research River Cruises the same way your research Ocean cruises.

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Everyone has a right to start a new thread. I just don't understand why some questions strike a nerve with some people. You have choices, don't follow the thread and don't waste your time replying if you think there is no merit in the topic.

Life is short :D

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Suec12,

 

If you go to the main page, select find a cruise. Where it says city or port place a city you would like to visit on a river cruise. I used Budapest and there were over 200 selections. You can click on quote to find price. Maybe this will help. Pat

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To use one costs nothing - I never understand why anyone would choose not to personally.

 

I have contacted several over the years - including many recommended to me (offline) by CC members. I have used one for ocean cruises - just for the cruise booking to get an onboard credit but after I had done all the research myself. I did not find anyone able to give me any deals for the river cruise we booked and I didn't feel like spending more time calling & emailing around to save $100 here or there, so I booked myself. That's why I don't/rarely use a travel agent.

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I have contacted several over the years - including many recommended to me (offline) by CC members. I have used one for ocean cruises - just for the cruise booking to get an onboard credit but after I had done all the research myself. I did not find anyone able to give me any deals for the river cruise we booked and I didn't feel like spending more time calling & emailing around to save $100 here or there, so I booked myself. That's why I don't/rarely use a travel agent.

 

 

Need to look harder we got 10% rebated which came out to over $1200. This was a significant budget boost! To me this was worth the effort of using a TA, thru have been super responsive and when I referred someone who booked and then sailed I also got a $150 referral applied to my booking.

 

So yes, using a TA is certainly worthwhile! JMHO

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

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Need to look harder we got 10% rebated which came out to over $1200. This was a significant budget boost! To me this was worth the effort of using a TA, thru have been super responsive and when I referred someone who booked and then sailed I also got a $150 referral applied to my booking.

 

So yes, using a TA is certainly worthwhile! JMHO

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

I agree!

We have booked ourselves and used a TA. To us, even a savings of $100 or so is well worth it. We received over $1000 OBC for our Med cruise a few years back. (That was certainly not the norm.) Some of the larger agencies book tons of cabin blocks when the itineraries are first released, and can pass alond these "group" savings and/or amenities to individual customers, even after the rates have gone up. We got 5% off on our river cruise, $100 OBC per person and the "free" TC berth credit was split among the group. That will pay for cost of one of our private tours.

Why pass up on theses "freebies"? You just need to find a good agent/agency.

Edited by sippican
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I agree!

We have booked ourselves and used a TA. To us, even a savings of $100 or so is well worth it. We received over $1000 OBC for our Med cruise a few years back. (That was certainly not the norm.) Some of the larger agencies book tons of cabin blocks when the itineraries are first released, and can pass alond these "group" savings and/or amenities to individual customers, even after the rates have gone up. We got 5% off on our river cruise, $100 OBC per person and the "free" TC berth credit was split among the group. That will pay for cost of one of our private tours.

Why pass up on theses "freebies"? You just need to find a good agent/agency.

 

 

I find it so hard to understand why getting $900 to $1200 would be a problem for anyone. It took us awhile and recommendations from other cruisers to find the right person. She is fabulous, always get right back to me and if she is not available someone else is covering her desk. They also have 24 hr Emergency service hours. When you are booking expensive vacations of course you do your own research and know pretty much what you want when you call the TA, but she has been invaluable with her wise council and stopping me from making some dumb mistakes. And the Credits (not OBC) but outright credit to my invoice is the frosting on the cake!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

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What is a sticky? I've been using CC for cruise info (both large cruise ships and river cruises) for seven years and have never heard this term before.

 

Most of the info on the River Cruise thread has been repeated many times. I like to see current info rather than stuff two years old. I have often repeated my experiences and have no problem doing so.

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Well, I haven't found a TA who can give me a good deal, so I'm either getting bad recommendations or the itineraries I want aren't ones with deals available. Either way, I personally do not feel like continuing to email or call around 5-7 places every time I want to book a vacation. I'm glad that a TA works for others. But there is never a one-size-fits-all response for everyone. I can only report why I personally don't use them, which is what I've done here.

 

Roger - a "sticky" is a thread that is permanently pinned/stuck at the top of a forum so you see it first, without having to scroll through all the other threads, no matter when the last post was made.

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Thank you for this thread! I have never been on a river cruise before and needed a starting point for my research. Although I have been on many ocean cruises, I made some costly mistakes in pricing, itinery and excursions before I realized that some serious research would help me. I like to hope I learn from my mistakes, so I thank you again for the information here.

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We use a TA for several reasons; one is that a TA can be an advocate in dealings with the cruise line.

 

If I'm a consumer of a product, then having someone "in my corner" could be beneficial, especially if the TA works for a company that has a very large customer base.

 

The TA doesn't cost me anything. (We also get discounts!)

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