Prepared for a river cruise?

Okay, in August 2014, I will be travelling with my husband (he who must be obeyed) on an Evergreen arranged tour called 26 Day Grand Alpine. Will be a new ship for the newbies and I guess I am posting this to see if anyone else has booked so far in advance or have I been a tad too forward in my planning?:D

Okay, in August 2014, I will be travelling with my husband (he who must be obeyed) on an Evergreen arranged tour called 26 Day Grand Alpine. Will be a new ship for the newbies and I guess I am posting this to see if anyone else has booked so far in advance or have I been a tad too forward in my planning?:D

With the popularity of the river cruises, I think booking that far out assures you of the cabin of your choice, etc. We are booked on the Po River cruise I April 2014. So there are at least two of us who like to plan ahead.;)

B. Cole

Okay, in August 2014, I will be travelling with my husband (he who must be obeyed) on an Evergreen arranged tour called 26 Day Grand Alpine. Will be a new ship for the newbies and I guess I am posting this to see if anyone else has booked so far in advance or have I been a tad too forward in my planning?:D

No, not too forward... We booked a number of months ago with Avalon for June 2014 - and DH and I are already talking about booking for 2015 when the brochures come out next spring.

Fran

My husband and I have booked a Vantage trip in China for October 2014. Some of us DO like to plan ahead!!!

July 2014, lots off pre-planners out there!

If you look for river cruises this summer, you'll find they are sold out already...not so with ocean cruises. Granted ocean cruises are more plentiful and hold more people. If you want to go on a river cruise, you HAVE to plan ahead!!

We booked in Feb for June of 2014, to get the ship and cabins we and our friends wanted. ;)

You are far from alone, we booked our Sept, 2014 holiday a couple of weeks ago :)

We booked in August 2012 for cruise in November 2013, 15 months for obsessive research!

We booked our cruise over a year ahead. It seemed necessary to get the cabin we wanted during their busy season. It was hard to wait though!

I booked the Viking cruise for March 2013 in November, 2011...

I am definitely in a minority, but we booked our Viking Ukraine cruise for July this year a month ago. And believe me or not it was the best deal available with an onboard $200 credit. But I agree it is a matter of a personal preference: I just can’t resist last minute deals :)

We booked our fall 2014 Provence wine cruise with AMA at the first of this year. It is very popular and we knew what we wanted so best to get it reserved early IMO.

Now we get to research and plan which is something I really enjoy.:)

My husband and I have booked a Vantage trip in China for October 2014. Some of us DO like to plan ahead!!!

Hi

We have also booked Vantage China trip, Oct 18,2014.

Tom:)

We booked our upcoming June 21st cruise with Viking almost a year in advance. The ship has been sold out for almost as long.

I'd say definitely not too far in advance.

January 2013 we booked for an August 2013 cruise and managed one of the last 2 cabins...March 2013 we have booked for June 2014 and looking at that cruise now it says 'please call'....so cabins must be very limited.

We booked our October 2014 Viking Bordeaux cruise in December 2012 - but that's beacuse we knew we wanted that cruise and were afraid it'd sell out fast since its a new itinerary.

Thank you all for the responses I do feel a little less silly now......only hope my patience allows me to last the distance

Hi,

We are off in a few weeks for our 2013 26 day Alpine/River cruise so when I get back I am sure you will have some questions for me. By the way we booked ours in April 2012. Kerrie

Not really to get the choice of cabins you have to get in early

We were lucky to get a two for one cruise with uniworld in April,l 2014 and paid deposit last month to avoid disappointment

They say over 50% pay 100% 12 months in advance to get the 10% disc.

Several mention booking far ahead to get cabin of choice. What cabins are those that you prefer? Certain part of the ship and cabin type? We are just beginning research for our first river cruise which we hope to take in fall, 2014.

Thanks.

Several mention booking far ahead to get cabin of choice. What cabins are those that you prefer? Certain part of the ship and cabin type? We are just beginning research for our first river cruise which we hope to take in fall, 2014.

Thanks.

This is really a personal choice. Many here won't travel without at least a French Balcony, and prefer the extra space of a suite.

DH and I actually prefer lowest category (aka Aquarium Class) - as we don't spend much time in our cabin anyway. We prefer to save money and put it towards the next cruise... :D

You might want to book something away from the pathway to the dining room if you don't want people traipsing by your door.

Fran

Just booked for Sept '14 to get a larger suite, one of 2 available. The last one is also gone now.

MaChere - it's a personal choice as to how YOU want to travel. Many swear by the french balcony or suites but remember that you may end up being tied to another ship in port and when you open those curtains first thing in the morning you may well be staring into the cabin of another ship.

It's nice to be sitting in your room when cruising looking out of your balcony but like Franski said you may only be in your cabin for short periods. There is much to do and see while in port and we enjoyed talking with our new found friends on the upper deck or lounges while cruising.

I guess it really depends on how much money you are willing to spend and how much time YOU are going to spend in your cabin.

It also may depend on the time of year you cruise. On our first river cruise, although it was mid- April, it was unseasonably cold, so we we unable to enjoy the lovely sun deck. Therefore, we very much enjoyed our French balcony for the lovely views of the countryside as we sailed. Yes, we did have several occasions of double-docking while in port, but that didn't bother us, as we spent as much as time as allowed in port, not lounging in our cabins.