An assortment of cruise lines

I can't monitor all the cruise lines because I find it overwhelming. So, I thought I would narrow my research to only three: Uniworld, viking, vantage.

What do you think of my choices? You can be brutally honest and it won't hurt my feelings. Please share your thoughts if you feel that I should substitute a company for one of the above.

I am looking for a cruise line that gets generally good reviews and is somewhere in the middle pricewise. Not too high-end but not steerage either. Our budget is $5.000 per including airfare.

Once again, thank you. I am learning so much but still have a LONG way to go.

Hi there -

First off, Uniworld is going "all inclusive" for 2014, and their prices are going to rise as a result. Uniworld offers a quality product - and you couldn't go wrong traveling with them IMHO. I suggest you figure out what your air will cost, and then visit the website. They have a great tool there that will let you pick the area you want to cruise, the length of the cruise - and the price (below $3,000, $3,001 - $5000 or above $5000).

Viking is a different animal. They don't offer all of the little extras that Uniworld offers, but it is still a great product. And, they do offer air. I suggest you get on their mailing list - and you will get LOTS of mailings identifying their specials (cruise and air). Realize that gratuities will NOT be included (as they will be with Uniworld in 2014) so factor that into your bottom line. Also - you will be on your own for transfers unless you book your air with them.

Vantage is different again. They don't use TAs, and really don't market outside the US - so the passenger list is fairly homogenous. Many people prefer a wide mix of nationalities - but if that isn't a priority for you, then Vantage may suit your needs. Lots of satisfied Vantage customers here (hopefully some will chime in....) - but we aren't among them as we haven't traveled with them, and most likely never will as we don't live in the US. It appears that they do have a pretty reasonable cost/day - and usually include air fare.

Avalon and AMA are the two other players that you might want to look at. If you can narrow down a date and itinerary (I notice by a previous thread that you are looking at a relatively short booking time) then look at these two companies as well. Most offer similar itineraries - and you might get a "surprise" opening if you look at all of the major players.

Hope this helps.

Fran

We have traveled on 3 Vantage trips and enjoyed them thoroughly. We have a Russian River cruise and an Elbe cruise booked with them.

There others who have posted reviews on Viking and Uniworld, o look for those.

The stories and pictures of our cruises are on our website.

Uniworld will also provide air if you request it, and their prices have always been lower than we could get on our own.