River cruise ( alcohol not included in price)

I didn't see any heavy drinking on Viking. I'm not much for alcohol but I did enjoy the free wine at dinner. It certainly made the meal more satisfying! No one will force anyone to drink.

Hi Redfran1,

I'm going to splurge this year (Viking China Imperial Jewels) and take less clothes and send a few items to the on-board laundry. I usually go for 2 weeks, and foolishly over-pack. I definitely can't do that this time since we combine cruise & some inter-China flights so I can't be lugging a huge suitcase with me.

I also have a TA $100 credit, so I may use it there. I don't know about your cruise line, but I'm pretty sure they all have laundry service. I checked FAQ section for laundry prices so I can figure out my budget. It's not that bad. Bring lots of space saving undies, and send out a couple of tops and pants to the laundry. Also, check out the thread "Ladies Who Pack Light" for tips.

The drink thing is another story! Not going there...

Nancy

Thanks all for your responses, have been away and unable to get on line which is why haven't responded earlier.

I had several reasons for asking my question, yes price was some of it, as i wasn't sure if it impacted on it much. But a couple personal reasons why I didn't want to be somewhere where the alcohol was included. again thanks for your input. I will do some more research on it,

Redfran1 thanks for your info I will be looking into that , and would love to hear later what you think of your cruise.

again thanks for all the information, Happy cruising:)

I realize this is an old thread, but it came up during some research I was doing, and it's a recurring question, so...

There are currently no "tea-totaller" cruise lines. Alcohol is part of the cruise experience, like it or not. At the low end of the price range, it is an extra cost option, yet the people some of us wish didn't have access to alcohol always seem to have the unlimited alcohol package (or sneak booze aboard). At the high end of the price range, it is always included, to some extent, but the people who can afford to sail on those ships are far less likely to become obnoxiously drunk.

If you have mysterious reasons for wanting to avoid any ship that serves alcohol, like the OP, there are "luxury river barges" and small boats that offer an experience comparable to regular river cruises, in terms of luxury and service (but not excursions and amenities), but which are small enough to be chartered exclusively. If it's your charter, you set the alcohol policy for your cruise.

And, don't forget, on a river cruise most people get off the ship every day, so banning alcohol on board wouldn't stop anyone from getting drunk every day, if they were so inclined.

or sneak booze aboard

There's no "sneaking" on river cruises - it's allowed ;) Not sure what "River" king is referring to....

We were on Tauck in early August. It was all-inclusive. It appeared people were responsible. Drinks were never "pushed." Quite often we saw people simply drinking water. It was very hot while we were there and I can say I don't ever remember drinking so many Cokes at one time in my life. We would return to the ship and almost run to a machine near the lobby that dispensed wonderful crushed ice, and then we would pour, pour and pour cokes over the ice and gulp it down to quench our thirst.

So even if you're not a "drinker," it is nice to have soft drink and even non-alcoholic mixed drinks from the bar at your disposal.

Actually in Europe "soft drinks" often much more than local beer and wine... Wonder if the OP knows & understands that.

There's no "sneaking" on river cruises - it's allowed ;) Not sure what "River" king is referring to....

I was referring to ocean cruises, since that's where almost all of the drunken louts I've met have been, and I was just reading about that practice becoming more common. The conversation was all generalities, so I generalized my comment to ALL cruises.

Most only incl Beer and Wine at meals. Grand Circle may not incl even that much. But don't discount a wonderful opportunity with a great provider simply because of wine with dinner. Uniworld and Tauck the only ones completely All-Inclusive.

 

 

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Tauck and Scenic are fully inclusive. Uniworld does charge extra for certain brands of liquor, wine and champagne, as well as some excursions.

Tauck and Scenic are fully inclusive. Uniworld does charge extra for certain brands of liquor, wine and champagne, as well as some excursions.

Well, Uniworld is fully inclusive unless you want to pay for something totally (IMO) above and beyond. ;) We enjoy our high end cocktails and wine but never saw the need to venture to their (short) premium list as the wines/beers/liquors/etc. were excellent. And yes, they do include a short list (3 in our case) of extended excursions, but I'm not sure any other cruise line includes them as standard (correct me if I'm wrong: Black Forest, Heidelberg Castle, etc.) and their included excursions kept everyone plenty busy and were very well done. Just trying to ensure we're comparing apples to apples ... It would be interesting to do a side by side comparison of everything from beer/wine/alcohol brands offered to excursions by each cruise line.

(And apologies to the OP for continuing to take this thread so far afield!)

Well, Uniworld is fully inclusive unless ... And yes, they do include a short list (3 in our case) of extended excursions, but I'm not sure any other cruise line includes them as standard (correct me if I'm wrong: Black Forest, Heidelberg Castle, etc.)

Several cruise lines include the Black Forest, although the tour doesn't generally get very good reviews, and AMA for one includes Heidelberg as an option on cruises that stop in Mainz. It is surprising, but this is the one area where Uniworld doesn't live up to their "all-inclusive" claims.

And sometimes the quote button is helpful

Several cruise lines include the Black Forest, although the tour doesn't generally get very good reviews, and AMA for one includes Heidelberg as an option on cruises that stop in Mainz. It is surprising, but this is the one area where Uniworld doesn't live up to their "all-inclusive" claims.

GCT has itineraries that have either the Black Forest or Heidelberg as included tours.

Well, Uniworld is fully inclusive unless you want to pay for something totally (IMO) above and beyond. ;) We enjoy our high end cocktails and wine but never saw the need to venture to their (short) premium list as the wines/beers/liquors/etc. were excellent. And yes, they do include a short list (3 in our case) of extended excursions, but I'm not sure any other cruise line includes them as standard (correct me if I'm wrong: Black Forest, Heidelberg Castle, etc.) and their included excursions kept everyone plenty busy and were very well done. Just trying to ensure we're comparing apples to apples ... It would be interesting to do a side by side comparison of everything from beer/wine/alcohol brands offered to excursions by each cruise line.

 

(And apologies to the OP for continuing to take this thread so far afield!)

On our recent Rhone cruise, there were quite a few excursions that were additional (at least 5 that I can recall). Three of these were included on AMA on the same itinerary (Rhone) and were among our favorites. We did only two of the included tours as there not many that were Active, our preference, and the others were not of interest.

Heidelberg Castle and the Black Forest were also included on AMA.

Heidleberg Castle, along with a walking tour of the city, was an included tour with Avalon.

Interesting re: the inclusions. I stand corrected. :o It does make me wonder why Uniworld has the optional add-ons. If they say they're all inclusive, they should stand by that. (All of that said, having a bill at the end of a cruise in the hundred dollar range for the two of us doesn't give me much heartburn. ;) )

ETA: Just curious, do all of the all inclusive cruises include tips?

Interesting re: the inclusions. I stand corrected. :o It does make me wonder why Uniworld has the optional add-ons. If they say they're all inclusive, they should stand by that. (All of that said, having a bill at the end of a cruise in the hundred dollar range for the two of us doesn't give me much heartburn. ;) )

 

ETA: Just curious, do all of the all inclusive cruises include tips?

There has been a great deal of discussion on this board the past year or so regarding definition of all inclusiveness. As a fellow Uniworld fan after the same itinerary you were on and 2 more scheduled I have always said that Uniworld is all inclusive by my definition as there were free excursion offered in lieu of the optionals. Its interesting that Heidleburg is an included excursion on other itineraries with Uniworld.

Uniworld, Scenic, and Tauck all provide all gratuities. Uniworld seems to be the only one of the three that offers optional excursions for a fee. However they do provide things like free laundry service for suites or past cruisers, open seating for dinner(you don't have to show up at appointed time), and other perks that the other two don't.

Bottom line is that all three appear to be wonderful lines and I think I would be pleased with any of the three. I was just so impressed with them the first time that I'm going to stick with them unless an itinerary with one of the others appeals to me.

In addition, AMA really looks attractive but is less inclusive then the other three in regards to tips, alcohol, transfers, butler service, etc... Caviargal did a nice comparison back in the summer of Uniworld and AMA. She has sailed both and found things that stood out about each and would sail with either even though AMA is her favorite.

You can probably do a search on all inclusive and find a number of threads where this subject has been debated.

As a further hijack😀 I took the Christmas Markets cruise with Uniworld--Nuremberg to Vienna ---and a horse drown carriage ride thru the Black Forest was included.

Re: Alchohol on cruises. I've seen a few drunks on ocean cruises (too many to remember) and none on river cruises (4 so far)---just my experience.

There has been a great deal of discussion on this board the past year or so regarding definition of all inclusiveness. As a fellow Uniworld fan after the same itinerary you were on and 2 more scheduled I have always said that Uniworld is all inclusive by my definition as there were free excursion offered in lieu of the optionals. Its interesting that Heidleburg is an included excursion on other itineraries with Uniworld.

 

Uniworld, Scenic, and Tauck all provide all gratuities. Uniworld seems to be the only one of the three that offers optional excursions for a fee. However they do provide things like free laundry service for suites or past cruisers, open seating for dinner(you don't have to show up at appointed time), and other perks that the other two don't.

 

Bottom line is that all three appear to be wonderful lines and I think I would be pleased with any of the three. I was just so impressed with them the first time that I'm going to stick with them unless an itinerary with one of the others appeals to me.

 

In addition, AMA really looks attractive but is less inclusive then the other three in regards to tips, alcohol, transfers, butler service, etc... Caviargal did a nice comparison back in the summer of Uniworld and AMA. She has sailed both and found things that stood out about each and would sail with either even though AMA is her favorite.

 

You can probably do a search on all inclusive and find a number of threads where this subject has been debated.

Thanks for all the info. I will do a search for the threads and Caviargal's post. All of that said, we had such a wonderful experience on our first Uniworld cruise that we, too, have no reason to switch to another line at this point.

As a further hijack😀 I took the Christmas Markets cruise with Uniworld--Nuremberg to Vienna ---and a horse drown carriage ride thru the Black Forest was included.

 

Re: Alchohol on cruises. I've seen a few drunks on ocean cruises (too many to remember) and none on river cruises (4 so far)---just my experience.

Great to know. We're booked on that cruise for next year in the opposite direction.

Interesting re: the inclusions. I stand corrected. :o It does make me wonder why Uniworld has the optional add-ons. If they say they're all inclusive, they should stand by that. (All of that said, having a bill at the end of a cruise in the hundred dollar range for the two of us doesn't give me much heartburn. ;) )

 

ETA: Just curious, do all of the all inclusive cruises include tips?

Every single one of the "all-inclusive" lines has stuff they don't include. On Tauck, it's several meals ... and they force you into pre- and post-cruise itineraries that I would rather do on my own. On Scenic (probably the most inclusive of the lines), it's spa and laundry. (I've since discovered that the "all-inclusive" ocean cruising lines have their own sets of exclusions.)

I don't say this to denigrate or depreciate any of these lines, and I know they all provide an excellent cruising experience. Just advising that, whenever you book a cruise, you ought to make sure that what you think is included actually is.

Yes, all the above is true. Some cruise lines like Scenic may include alcohol at all times (which the OP may not like) but they also include ALL tours in the fare. (There are no "extra cost" tours) which the OP may like. And it must be remembered that Scenic offers all non-alcholic beverages at no extra cost at all times. My wife drinks mainly diet Coke and has run ut some considerable diet Coke bills on non-inclusive lines.

Every single one of the "all-inclusive" lines has stuff they don't include. On Tauck, it's several meals ... and they force you into pre- and post-cruise itineraries that I would rather do on my own. On Scenic (probably the most inclusive of the lines), it's spa and laundry. (I've since discovered that the "all-inclusive" ocean cruising lines have their own sets of exclusions.)

 

I don't say this to denigrate or depreciate any of these lines, and I know they all provide an excellent cruising experience. Just advising that, whenever you book a cruise, you ought to make sure that what you think is included actually is.

Good points, and I agree completely with your last sentence. Before we took our first cruise, we got a list of everything that could potentially be extra - including the list of "premium" beverages and associated pricing.

Yes, don't rely on cruise line promotional material. It is (IMHO) often a bit deceptive. And as I recently learned, don't even rely on s telephone conversation with a rep of the line! As for an email.As said above, none of this means that a bad cruise in involved. Just that promotional material may wee not give us a accurate idea of what we are getting (or not getting) for our money.

The worst I ever experienced of this was in a TV ad for Carnival which stated "It is just like an all-inclusive land resort that goes from place to place". Those of you who have experience with Carnival know that it is nothing like an all inclusive land resort. It is more "ala carte" than any other cruise. I actually reported that to the FTC. Don't know whether the FTC did anything or not. But at least the ads rather quickly went away.

We are newbies to river cruising and booked with GCT before remembering to check with Cruise Critic. :( Our trip will be Rhine Christmas Markets 2015 (56 days until we go!)

We were attracted to GCT because of included 1) gratuities for local guides and drivers on all main trip and extensions 2) they have dedicated Program Directors who are on the boat and stay with you throughout your entire trip 3) complimentary beer, wine, and soft drinks with onboard lunches and dinners 4) only 2 opt. excursions to Heidelberg/Black Forest and one dinner with wine/food and dance in Rudesheim so everything but final crew gratuities are included and 5) only 140 passenger max.

That said, I have been very interested in learning about all other river cruise lines and will post my experience when I get back. I hope we made a good choice!

I took the Christmas Markets cruise with Uniworld--Nuremberg to Vienna ---and a horse drown carriage ride thru the Black Forest was included.

Fabulous!