Is the Rhine (Amsterdam to Basel) a good cruise for River Cruise First Timers?

My first river cruise was last July, Viking - Paris to Normandy. It wasn't my first choice since I had been to France several times before. It was GREAT! I loved very minute.

If you are an ocean cruiser, you are in for a treat! It is so easy to connect with the other cruisers, the dining was delicious, and having to split up a couple of times allowed us to get to know the other very nice, fun people! The crew was so much fun, but professional. There was tons of tracking my lost luggage from Delta :( and a daily update. Big celebration had by all when it arrived...

I had read a lot of horror stories about cruises that ran into high/low river problems - bussing instead of cruising. The Seine is a short river, so you have beautiful scenery, more time on land, and less potential problems. It felt like we had the whole river to ourselves. Easy on/off, and treats like music, sweets, or cups of chicken soup, or hot tea upon our return from our tour.

Wish I could I could figure out how to post my "album"!

I'm back here on CC to pick my next cruise. Want to cruise Germany, castles, etc... Suggestions welcome!

You might also consider the Paris to Basel itinerary offered by a couple of cruise lines. Viking will begin it next year (2015) as the Rhine Rhapsody. Assuming that you start in Paris, you'll either bus or train to Luxembourg, and from there you'll cruise down the Moselle and then do the Rhine to Basel.

 

We think that the Moselle valley is the most beautiful stretch of river in Europe, followed by the middle Rhine where you see all the castles. Trier has great Roman ruins, and the little towns on the Moselle are very charming.

 

FuelScience

I am doing Basel to Amsterdam next year having already done Amsterdam to Budapest with Scenic. However I am now looking for a cruise line that just does the Moselle as I don't wish to repeat the Rhine part again.

Hello Tridhos,

cutting out the Rhine from a Moselle cruise is a tricky one, especially as the Moselle is a shortish river as far as navigation for river cruise boats is concerned. the big boats tend not to go further than Trier. Hre is an option that gets close to your wishes:

https://www.rivieratravel.co.uk/river-cruises/rhine-moselle/itinerary

CroisiEurope has an itinerary for the Moselle that includes the Saar but I think they do not offer it to their English-speaking customers.

notamermaid

Hello Tridhos,

 

cutting out the Rhine from a Moselle cruise is a tricky one, especially as the Moselle is a shortish river as far as navigation for river cruise boats is concerned. the big boats tend not to go further than Trier. Hre is an option that gets close to your wishes:

 

https://www.rivieratravel.co.uk/river-cruises/rhine-moselle/itinerary

 

CroisiEurope has an itinerary for the Moselle that includes the Saar but I think they do not offer it to their English-speaking customers.

 

notamermaid

Many thanks for that, it looks very promising and might be just what I am looking for. Anyway I have book marked it and hope I can use it soon.

Hello Tridhos,

glad to have been of assistance. I had another look and found the CroisiEurope offer:

http://www.croisieurope.travel/en-gb/cruises/valleys-neckar-romantic-rhine-mosel-and-saar-formula-portport-without-transfer-2015

An interesting journey, I find. From Saarbrücken there are nice options by train to France or you can head to Cologne to take the ICE and Eurostar to London, etc.

I also find the Amsterdam - Basel itineraries or vice versa a great route for first time river cruisers.

notamermaid

Hello Tridhos,

 

glad to have been of assistance. I had another look and found the CroisiEurope offer:

 

http://www.croisieurope.travel/en-gb/cruises/valleys-neckar-romantic-rhine-mosel-and-saar-formula-portport-without-transfer-2015

 

An interesting journey, I find. From Saarbrücken there are nice options by train to France or you can head to Cologne to take the ICE and Eurostar to London, etc.

 

I also find the Amsterdam - Basel itineraries or vice versa a great route for first time river cruisers.

 

notamermaid

That is one of my next cruises with Scenic Tours Basel to Amsterdam I have already done the Amsterdam to Budapest with them which was my first cruise and best holiday I have ever had. Now I am hooked on river cruising very relaxing with beautiful scenery and those two will definitely be on my short list. Many thanks once again.

Our first river cruise was Viking's Rhine Getaway in December 2013. It was great and I think a great 1st river cruise. We were going back and forth between the Rhine and the Romantic Danube, as I have always wanted to see Vienna. Our Viking representative, Caesar, suggested the Rhine, saying that it is the best European cruise to start with. He was right. We did the Basel to Amsterdam route, which included many of the Christmas markets as we did it during Christmas week. Lots of great sites on the river and great towns and cities. Cologne, Germany is one of the nicest towns I have ever been to. You will enjoy the trip, so go ahead and book it. I would also suggest you consider both the before and after cruise extensions. We spent 2 nights in Amsterdam after the cruise, and it was a great way to continue the trip before returning home. On our second cruise in May 2014, we spent the first 2 nights in Nice, France, and 3 nights in Paris, post cruise. The pre-cruise stay was a nice way to get over any jet lag you may pick up on the long flight to Europe.

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