Gate 1

[karinad]

I just received a promotion with Gate 1 for a river cruise from Basel to Amsterdam. Great price, but I'm not sure it includes any tours. Has anyone gone with this company? We have never river cruised before. Thank you!

[pixiegirl-loves-travel]

karinad~ From everything I've heard Gate 1 does a great, basic, low budget cruise. My daughter and I considered them for our upcoming Russian River Cruise. Look over the brochure and website carefully to get full details on what is and isn't included. Most of the budget cruises have very basic itineraries and then lots of "options" that can be purchased seperately. This can up the cost of the cruise considerably, but is often still significantly cheaper than the higher end cruise lines. Also, the ships themselves are often more basic. The way I think of it is like hotel lines. Some people are great with a Super 8, others swear by their Best Westerns and others can't get by without their Hyatt/Marriott. Most of the cruise lines offer very similar trips and itineraries. The differences will be in the appearance, luxury (or lack thereof) and spaciousness of your ship and rooms, in the details (you might have to pay for your own pop and water/soap and shampoo on a budget cruise while this is included in a more expensive cruise) and in the inclusives/non-inclusives as far as excursions during the cruise.

Read thru some of the threads here, check out the websites and determine which company best fits with your dream and your budget.

Good luck!

[karinad]

Originally Posted by pixiegirl-loves-travel

karinad~ From everything I've heard Gate 1 does a great, basic, low budget cruise. My daughter and I considered them for our upcoming Russian River Cruise. Look over the brochure and website carefully to get full details on what is and isn't included. Most of the budget cruises have very basic itineraries and then lots of "options" that can be purchased seperately. This can up the cost of the cruise considerably, but is often still significantly cheaper than the higher end cruise lines. Also, the ships themselves are often more basic. The way I think of it is like hotel lines. Some people are great with a Super 8, others swear by their Best Westerns and others can't get by without their Hyatt/Marriott. Most of the cruise lines offer very similar trips and itineraries. The differences will be in the appearance, luxury (or lack thereof) and spaciousness of your ship and rooms, in the details (you might have to pay for your own pop and water/soap and shampoo on a budget cruise while this is included in a more expensive cruise) and in the inclusives/non-inclusives as far as excursions during the cruise.

Read thru some of the threads here, check out the websites and determine which company best fits with your dream and your budget.

Good luck!

Thank you! Without talking to anyone yet from Gate 1, it looks like they're not including any tours. The pictures of the ship, the Amadeus Princess, looks nice, but as you said, does look smaller, then the pictures I've seen of other river cruise ships. The category that has french doors, which is 2nd lowest, the lowest has a high window, is reasonably priced. For the 7 nite cruise it's $2500/2 without air. I've never seen one priced that low. The not discounted price is doubled.

We 've never done a river cruise but have done many ocean cruises. I don't know if we're yet ready to try one. With how high in price they are, not counting this one, we might never be able to afford it. I will keep looking. I love the places they go!

[pixiegirl-loves-travel]

I've not yet cruised ocean or river, but from reading all the threads here, there is a lot of differences between them, but it's all good. A river cruise is a much more intimate experience. It's not about the ship, it's about the sites and the people.

My daughter and I booked a russian river cruise on a discounted line. This is the only way we could afford such an experience. This will be our first time out of the country. Because we got such a great deal, we'll also be seeing London and Amsterdam as pre-and post cruise layovers. Our room is about as basic as you can get, but for us, as long as we're comfortably sheltered and fed, we're cool. We just want to see and experience Russia! We'll be going in early July.

Keep looking around for deals. You should try river cruising at least once, if you can. Some people found great cruise deals thru Travelzoo. I booked thru Goldenring- on a similar scale to Gate 1. If you keep looking, you'll find the one for you. As I said, be sure to check out the different websites and read the threads. That will help you know what's important to you on your trip- and what's not. Good luck!

[H2Otstr]

We took a cruise that started on Thanksgiving day with Gate 1 a few years ago and as I recall most of the tours were included. There were a few optionals, but not that many. Might be different now, though.

[karinad]

Originally Posted by pixiegirl-loves-travel

I've not yet cruised ocean or river, but from reading all the threads here, there is a lot of differences between them, but it's all good. A river cruise is a much more intimate experience. It's not about the ship, it's about the sites and the people.

My daughter and I booked a russian river cruise on a discounted line. This is the only way we could afford such an experience. This will be our first time out of the country. Because we got such a great deal, we'll also be seeing London and Amsterdam as pre-and post cruise layovers. Our room is about as basic as you can get, but for us, as long as we're comfortably sheltered and fed, we're cool. We just want to see and experience Russia! We'll be going in early July.

Keep looking around for deals. You should try river cruising at least once, if you can. Some people found great cruise deals thru Travelzoo. I booked thru Goldenring- on a similar scale to Gate 1. If you keep looking, you'll find the one for you. As I said, be sure to check out the different websites and read the threads. That will help you know what's important to you on your trip- and what's not. Good luck!

Thank you for your good advice! You and your daughter have a wonderful cruise! We were in Amsterdam pre-cruise a few yrs. back. We stayed at the Hotel Pulitzer. We really enjoyed Amsterdam. It's an easy city to walk around and was so pretty and clean. Watch out for the bikes! The affordability is why I'm looking at this cruise. I don't think the price could be beat and it does get nice reviews. Who are you going with?

[karinad]

Originally Posted by H2Otstr

We took a cruise that started on Thanksgiving day with Gate 1 a few years ago and as I recall most of the tours were included. There were a few optionals, but not that many. Might be different now, though.

That's what I thought, that the tours were included. I called Gate 1 today. The agent i talked to didn't have alot to say. I asked him if the tours were included and he said that you really don't need the tours as when you dock everything is right there and you can just walk around. I've been to european countries before and I guess I could agree to some point because on an ocean cruise you mostly dock away from the actual attractions..

[pixiegirl-loves-travel]

We went with Goldenring Cruises. It was a few hundred dollars cheaper for the same cruise on the same ship. For many of the budget Russia cruises, several companies book rooms on the same ship. Not for certain how that works- probably the same way that online trael sites book for the same hotels and flights. All I know is that I read a lot of reviews on the cruise with different dates, ships and companies. Cruising on the ms. Russ thru Goldenring/Travel-all-Russia was the best fit for us. Budget was our biggest factor as my daughter wanted to pay for our cruise herself. Because she was so determined, I said I'd pay for Amsterdam and London and we're both pitching in for miscellaneous stuff.

Do read the cruise reviews. Then analyze them. What is the real complaint? Is it something that would bother you? What one person sees as an issue might not be one for you. The biggest complaints on my cruise were the rooms (camp style cots for beds and a bathroom with a sink rigged shower that requires you to cram between the sink and toilet with a pull curtain surrounding you). The newer ships on the more expensive cruises are much improved than this. My Super 8 cruise takes place on an older ship. The public areas have been remodelled, and the ships are known for being very clean, but the room "is what it is".

I'm a goof who ultimately believes our cruise experience falls mostly on us and our attitudes. I told my daughter that we'll use our senses of humor on our cruise, because our shipboard rooms are definitely NOT the Ritz! But our ship is what I call charming (I've looked at TONS of recent pictures online) and our destination is a dream come true. We certainly could not have taken a trip like this any other way.

I'm hoping we can do a big ship family cruise in a couple of years, so I can boast both experiences!

Thanks for your good wishes. Now that we're 6 weeks from Amsterdam and 7 from our cruise, we are bursting with excitement! It's hard to focus on the day to day stuff knowing we're such a short time away from a big adventure!

[pixiegirl-loves-travel]

http://www.gate1travel.com/european-...slamsp122.aspx This lists, dates, prices, complete itinerary and some reviews.

When I looked at the link, I didn't see any included tours. So in this case, your ship is your floating hotel and restaurant. They drop you off at the city and it's up to you how much you want to spend (or not) for independantly booked tours and excursions. You can go to tripadvisor and probably read reviews of this particular tour as well.

What my daughter and I did for London and Amsterdam was to google "things to do for free" in each of the cities. It was amazing what popped up. So many of the iconic places we dream of seeing cost little to nothing- sometimes just the train fare to get there. Budget travel is definitely possible. Then splurge on the really fun stuff!

[karinad]

I agree, it is what you make it. As long as you know what to expect, like the kind of cabin you're getting, it'll be fine. Everyones experience is different. It's very exciting just being 6 wks. away! I'll keep doing my homework. The guy on the phone told me that the deposit is NEVER refundable without insurance. We never go without it. Have a very safe and fun trip!

[kaudreamer12]

Originally Posted by karinad

I agree, it is what you make it. As long as you know what to expect, like the kind of cabin you're getting, it'll be fine. Everyones experience is different. It's very exciting just being 6 wks. away! I'll keep doing my homework. The guy on the phone told me that the deposit is NEVER refundable without insurance. We never go without it. Have a very safe and fun trip!

karinad:We booked with Gate1 for a 17 day river cruise from Frankfurt to Budapest (8 days land and 8 days cruise). We are cruising on the Sound of Music and bought up to french balconies. You can't beat the price nor the itinerary. The first week we will be traveling by bus and basic city / village tours are included as well as breakfast. There are 3 dinners included, 3 dinners not included and 2 dinner shows which are an optional purchase. There are sightseeing excursions each day included. While on the cruise breakfast, lunch and dinner are included, along with a city / village tour each day. There are optional tours to purchase for the afternoon should we want to that. All in all I think we got good deal even with the added airfare, transfers and buying up. It was diffacult finding infomation on Gate1 reviews but I seen the Amadeus in reviews and it seems more modern than mine. We travel a lot and go with the flow and take things at face value. It's only a week and we didn't take this cruise to stay in the cabin. See if you can find reviews from SteveandKathy they have a fantastic website listing their travels. Have a great time it will be worth it!!

[karinad]

Originally Posted by kaudreamer12

karinad:We booked with Gate1 for a 17 day river cruise from Frankfurt to Budapest (8 days land and 8 days cruise). We are cruising on the Sound of Music and bought up to french balconies. You can't beat the price nor the itinerary. The first week we will be traveling by bus and basic city / village tours are included as well as breakfast. There are 3 dinners included, 3 dinners not included and 2 dinner shows which are an optional purchase. There are sightseeing excursions each day included. While on the cruise breakfast, lunch and dinner are included, along with a city / village tour each day. There are optional tours to purchase for the afternoon should we want to that. All in all I think we got good deal even with the added airfare, transfers and buying up. It was diffacult finding infomation on Gate1 reviews but I seen the Amadeus in reviews and it seems more modern than mine. We travel a lot and go with the flow and take things at face value. It's only a week and we didn't take this cruise to stay in the cabin. See if you can find reviews from SteveandKathy they have a fantastic website listing their travels. Have a great time it will be worth it!!

It is hard finfing info on Gate 1. I think the french balcony was about $500. more then a window that looked obstructed. The rooms look nice and I think the agent told me that there were 70 cabins. I did see that the cruise before the one I'm looking at included some tours. I guess this is a special sailing without that inclusion. It does include wine at dinner. I seen The Sound of Music one, and that looks wonderful too! Have a great time! Are you going in the fall?

[kaudreamer12]

Originally Posted by karinad

It is hard finfing info on Gate 1. I think the french balcony was about $500. more then a window that looked obstructed. The rooms look nice and I think the agent told me that there were 70 cabins. I did see that the cruise before the one I'm looking at included some tours. I guess this is a special sailing without that inclusion. It does include wine at dinner. I seen The Sound of Music one, and that looks wonderful too! Have a great time! Are you going in the fall?

We leave 8/23/12 and return from Budapest 9/9/12. I would have choosen a smaller cabin if one was available but not the cabin on the lower level with a 2 x 4 window. This will be our first river cruise but not our first 17 day vacation. In 2008 we did a 16 day esorted tour through a local trv agency with 44 other people to Italy. It was a whirl wind tour from Stressa to Venice to Rome thru Tuscany, Almafi, Sorrento and Capri in 16 days!! Hawaii is much simpler and less stressful. We have been on cruises to nowhere on the Victory out of NY for 3 ngts twice and do a lot of drive to va ca's ie, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Disney etc.So we are used to traveling and doing our thing. Now I'm looking for the right mix of clothes to pack as I think it may be a little cool in Sept. Thank goodness the dress code is casual!!

[karinad]

We've been doing non-working cruises the last few yrs. I'm getting itchy to see something more. We were never on a river cruise, but I have been looking at them for a few yrs. and they're always so expensive! I know what you mean by not knowing what to pack. It could be hot or cold and you need to be prepared for anything. I think that's the worse thing, especially when you have to fly. You should be going at a nice time of yr. Very exciting for you!

[CruzingCarol]

Originally Posted by karinad

I just received a promotion with Gate 1 for a river cruise from Basel to Amsterdam. Great price, but I'm not sure it includes any tours. Has anyone gone with this company? We have never river cruised before. Thank you!

I went on the Gate 1 Tulip River Cuise a year ago, and really enjoyed it. It was my first river cruise, having always done big ship cruises before that. I believe it was on the Amadeus Princess. The ship was very nice, and the cabins were very clean and roomy enough. We got the French Balcony which, while it isn't a real balcony, to me makes the room seem larger. Note that in some ports, even some of those rooms will only have a view of the cement wall of the dock :-). We thought the food was wonderful! I believe only two excurisions were included in the base price, all others were extra, but in some ports we just went exploring on our own.

A few things that were a bit disappointing: There were other groups on the ship, but we were segragated at dinner, and Gate 1 people had to sit with only Gate 1 people. The Gate 1 representative on board was rather useless - I would have expected her to interact
with us more, but we rarely saw her. And the 'entertainment' was pitiful. The folklore show one night was fine, but other trivia type things they schedule were so poorly attended that
they just canceled them, rather than go ahead with those of us that did show up. All in all, it was a good value.

[karinad]

Nice to hear from someone that was on this ship. The pictures of the rooms look nice, and having a french balcony would be fine with us. We just like to be able to look out and feel the air.

[sjde]

Is Gate 1 more of a budget line than Grand Circle? I had heard Grand Circle rates were low.

A friend took a Gate 1 Italy bus trip and loved it. Said it was much nicer, especially the accommodations, than the Globus bus trip they did.

[karinad]

Originally Posted by sjde

Is Gate 1 more of a budget line than Grand Circle? I had heard Grand Circle rates were low.

A friend took a Gate 1 Italy bus trip and loved it. Said it was much nicer, especially the accommodations, than the Globus bus trip they did.

I don't know if they're budget, as I haven't been on any of their tours. I get email specials and the prices seem pretty good. This one that I'm looking at, the ship looks real nice and the rooms look pretty. The ship was built in 2006.

[cole]

Originally Posted by karinad

I just received a promotion with Gate 1 for a river cruise from Basel to Amsterdam. Great price, but I'm not sure it includes any tours. Has anyone gone with this company? We have never river cruised before. Thank you!

Our first river cruise was with Gate 1 on the Rhine and were very pleased. Excursions were included and there were a couple of optional excursions you could take for a nominal fee. Wine and beer included with dinner and the staff was excellent. Unfortunately our luggage went to Budapest and our cruise left from Nuremberg and one of the staff members tracked the luggage daily until it finally reached us the 3 day. I thought he went beyond what I would have expected. So - we would give Gate 1 a thumbs up!