Several river cruise companies advertise " for the American traveler"

Several river cruise companies( Vantage, Tauck, GCT...) advertise " for the

American traveler" or "designed for American tastes". What does this mean?

( American food rather than European? or American travelers only? or ...?)

Just guessing

but maybe more amenities that North Americans are use to

as well as tours gear to people that like to be lead around

English speaking guides/staff

Europeans are much more DIY

Maybe someone has the answer

I know Uniworld markets itself to English speakers, but draws Americans, Brits, Aussies, Canadians, etc. It is so that only one language is spoken on board, but I don't know why there would just be a limit to Americans.

Vantage and GCT were started with AARP as "safe travel for Americans" You must book thru them and they still cling to the "American" outlook. Don't know about Tauck. The other lines are geared to English speaking clients. It usually means that English is the only language spoken on the boat and by the local guides. But they all have regional dishes on the menu along with the safe chicken, salmon or steak. Pat

Grand Circle will only accept booking from people who are US residents. They won't even mail a brochure to a non-US address.

Vantage and GCT were started with AARP as "safe travel for Americans" You must book thru them and they still cling to the "American" outlook. Don't know about Tauck. The other lines are geared to English speaking clients. It usually means that English is the only language spoken on the boat and by the local guides. But they all have regional dishes on the menu along with the safe chicken, salmon or steak. Pat

If you mean that you must book GCT through AARP that is not correct. We booked our cruise with them directly. I do not know about Vantage.

Cheers,

Hi Pat,

Tauck's passengers are an International mix -- English is the language spoken aboard their river boats. We have met many people from other countries on our tours. Our friends were surprised on their AMA Danube river trip last Spring to hear all announcements in Spanish first -- half the passengers were Spanish.

Sheila

Several river cruise companies( Vantage, Tauck, GCT...) advertise " for the

American traveler" or "designed for American tastes". What does this mean?

( American food rather than European? or American travelers only? or ...?)

Less smoke and more ice.

GCT was a subsidiary or AARP. That is no longer the case. They are totally separate.

Yes, GCT is now on its own. Vantage split off from GCT--that's what happens when brothers fight. Neither company uses TAs--you must book directly with them. Have been on one Vantage trip. It was good, but some of the pax were a bit standoffish( like my new word?).

Thanks, Sheila, knew you would tell the OP about Tauck.

Being geared towards Americans really means hotel style beds, more upscale bathrooms and English as the language of choice. There are many good lines out there, you just need to find the one that best suits your idea of a good vacation. Pat

Less smoke and more ice.

Too funny!

"for the American traveler" could just mean we're too coddled and too stupid to possibly think outside of any samsonite suitcase.

I would need an explanation on that one. Bet our european travelers would have their own take on the "American traveler";)

"for the American traveler" could just mean we're too coddled and too stupid to possibly think outside of any Samsonite suitcase.

I would need an explanation on that one. Bet our European travelers would have their own take on the "American traveler";)

I think your statement is too strong. Since you can travel the US from coast to coast speaking the same language and using the same currency, many Americans are off put when they get to Europe. A minority of Americans, unfortunately, have the attitude "I am American, so speak English".

It costs little to purchase a small phrase book to learn a few words of the language. The demographics on river cruises tends to be an older group of passengers who may not want to struggle with another language, and perhaps be "coddled" a little.

If you read International Travel News instead of the glossy travel magazines, you will read of travelers of all ages taking independent trips, dealing with local customs, and enjoying themselves.

We are going on a river cruise in June, but we will be going to Switzerland for a week prior on our own. We are both retired, and look at it as an adventure.

In the summer of 2010, we took a 14-day Mediterranean cruise on Celebrity's new Eclipse that started and ended in Southampton. We were advised by our travel agent that this UK-based ship was heavily promoted to the Brits and that we should be made aware of that in case we had a problem with that scenario. We've been to the UK many times with fond memories, and saw nothing that would negatively influence us.

In fact, there were relatively few Americans on board, but a preponderance of British people who strolled down the "wrong" side of the passageways whenever we saw them coming.

The thing that was interesting to us was that almost all of the people on the shore excursions were Americans. More often the not, the casino was empty. The shops were empty, the bars only partially filled and everyone drinking beer. Not much wine ordered with dinner.

We inquired about this to some of the ship's service people. They diplomatically told us that few British people spend any money onboard, they're lousy tippers, they feel that once they've paid the price of admission for the cruise (We can drive there!), they were disinclined to spend any more.

When we got back home, we contacted our travel agent and mentioned our impressions. We were told that this is a well-known fact. I then asked why Celebrity and other cruise lines cater to the UK market if there is relatively little on-board money spent. The answer I got was that the British pay significantly more in cruise fare than Americans for the same accommodations, and the cruise line makes it up that way.

Everyone is different.

I just received a GCT catalog the other day. In the blurb about only accepting Americans, it says we'll travel with "like minded people".One of the things we loved about Uniworld was the variety of nationalities represented... Brits, Aussies, and some Germans too. (We've traveled with OAT too, hence the GCT catalog. All "like minded people..." but a variety nonetheless.

One of the reasons we crossed GCT off of our list was because of the American policy. We need an English speaking ship, but prefer folks from different nationalities, after all, that's the point of travel, isn't it? To experience other cultures, folks, and traditions?

I totally agree. Experiencing different cultures is all part of the fun! If I wanted the same old, same old, I'd stay home.

I totally agree. Experiencing different cultures is all part of the fun! If I wanted the same old, same old, I'd stay home.

I take it to mean American food and I even had AMA Waterways email me their menus to make sure they offered local dishes at all meals when were in Cambodia and Vietnam. I think I would have jumped ship if they had only offered an American menu

Yes, GCT is now on its own. Vantage split off from GCT--that's what happens when brothers fight. Neither company uses TAs--you must book directly with them.

Vantage and GCT were never part of the same company. The owners are brothers and were partners in buying the MS Paul Gauguin. In the past Vantage has chartered some of GCT's river ships but the two companies have always been separate.

It's mostly a communications thing but other things as well. The 'target' market is Americans with AMA, Avalon, Viking, Uniworld, Tauck and Scenic Tours are marketing to Americans now. (they are an Austrailian company)

River cruising is booming right now and experiencing explosive growth very quickly. Much of it is coming from the North American market. Most river cruisers come from the ocean cruise market and are experienced travelers. They are looking for new experiences and smaller ships with more port time.

There are other river cruise lines that cater to other countries out there too.

It's mostly a communications thing but other things as well. The 'target' market is Americans with AMA, Avalon, Viking, Uniworld, Tauck and Scenic Tours are marketing to Americans now. (they are an Austrailian company)

 

River cruising is booming right now and experiencing explosive growth very quickly. Much of it is coming from the North American market. Most river cruisers come from the ocean cruise market and are experienced travelers. They are looking for new experiences and smaller ships with more port time.

 

There are other river cruise lines that cater to other countries out there too.

Yes, we did Vantage Russia, and all on the tour were Americans. The food on the riverboat was a mix, breakfast had American bacon and eggs, but plenty of local choices. Dinners emphasized Russian cuisine, which was good.

I had looked at a Grand Circle river cruise on-line a couple of years ago that I liked. I asked my TA about booking with them and she said that if anything went wrong she could not help us with anything as it was an American firm and she had no authority in the U.S. Needless to say we did not book with them. I do not know why we are able to book easily with Viking, AMA and Avalon but we have had no problems booking with them over the years. We did a Danube cruise back in 2001 and back then very few Canadians had done river cruising they told us. It was mostly the U.S. and Europeans love river cruising we were told. I love it to but usually the flight costs kills us!!!

cormike1 -

I had the same discussion with my TA.

The other lines are affiliated with TICO (Travel Industry Council of Ontario) - so there is an insurance (of sorts...) if something goes wrong. Not really willing to take the chance just to save a bit of money.

I hear you about the flights. We have been able to do a number of cruises (after our 1st in 2008) - but only because I watch carefully for the sales - and usually book lowest category cabin. Figure that helps with the cost of the flights.

I also have an amazing TA - who works hard on flights for us.

Fran

 

We inquired about this to some of the ship's service people. They diplomatically told us that few British people spend any money onboard, they're lousy tippers, they feel that once they've paid the price of admission for the cruise (We can drive there!), they were disinclined to spend any more.

 

The answer I got was that the British pay significantly more in cruise fare than Americans for the same accommodations, and the cruise line makes it up that way.

This of course creates a vicious circle. When we went on our Princess cruise, we used a friends address in the States. We work in the hotel business, because of that we are good tippers, but if I am paying literally 5x as much as a American on the same cruise and am discriminated against purely on the basis of my country of residence, I am going to spend as little as possible on board. This is because I don't HAVE any money to spend on board anymore because the cruise line has just ripped me off big time. If Europeans would pay American prices, I am positive they would spend money in the bar, because they have the budget for it.

Peter Deilman formerly ran river cruises on the Elbe River, but discontinued them a few years ago "because of the economy". They were dual language with German being the first language and English second. At dinner you were seated with people speaking the language with which you were most comfortable.

Breakfasts were more European in that cheese and "lunch meats" were as much or more prevalent than "bacon & eggs". You would also see pickles and other relishes that most Americans would think of only serving at lunch times.

With respect to dinners, my husband inquired as to why more German food was not served. The answer was that the German passengers said that "we cook better at home".

As someone mentioned previously, our tours were included in the price of the trip (with several optional excursions), but the Europeans paid extra for theirs.