Dazed and confused

After many large cruise ships we have decided to try the River Cruise Way! It all looks wonderful! Certainly Viking is doing a ton of advertising and so they get your attention! But our TA is recommending AMA or Uniworld... We are looking at the Rhine cruises, Basel to Amsterdam.. Anyone done different lines and willing to share opinions? I always get such good info and love to share when I can too.. Thanks!

Conde Nast Traveler mag does an annual cruise review issue with maybe 25 ships reviewed by thousands of readers. Do a search for it online.

After many large cruise ships we have decided to try the River Cruise Way! It all looks wonderful! Certainly Viking is doing a ton of advertising and so they get your attention! But our TA is recommending AMA or Uniworld... We are looking at the Rhine cruises, Basel to Amsterdam.. Anyone done different lines and willing to share opinions? I always get such good info and love to share when I can too.. Thanks!

Hello Sueajp,

A river cruise is a great choice and an unriveled way to travel through Europe.

Yes, Viking tend to do a lot of TV and other advertising. Other cruise lines do not as they work with & depend on travel agents to sell their cruises for them.

Don't get me wrong, the new Viking longships are nice but I wasn't impressed when I toured one of their older ships a while back. It was very brown & bland like a Hilton (could be anywhere in the world). Also, they only serve international wine & not regional wine with dinner (important to some).

It all depends whether you want your ship to be a part of your whole holiday experience.

Uniworld are my personal favourite. They own beautiful bright, colourful ships and are the only boutique river cruise line and each ship is uniquely decorated with plush & quality furnishings. They are now all-inclusive and serve regional wines and locally sourced food.

AMA are a very close second. They are more contemporary in their decor but just as beautiful. They are not all-inclusive but wine is served with dinner.

Another lovely cruise line is Avalon. They offer floor to ceiling windows with panoramic views on their new ships.They are also very contemporary in their decor.

A-Rosa are up and coming and there ships are fabulous. A different style as they are young, trendy & colourful and offer a more flexible dining plan. You can eat dinner anytime in the evening up until 9pm rather than a specific sit down time.

All meals, fine wine, shore excursions, transfers and flights with most companies are all included.

There isn't the entertainment you have on large ocean liners, but days are very busy and you will be grateful for dinner & a few drinks at the bar with fellow passengers...and then bed.

Good luck.

You might also consider Vantage. They do not deal with travel agents but directly with you. While their office people are consistently slow in returning calls and e-mails...if you wait and speak to reservations they are knowledgeable and very helpful. I've done 6 cruises with them and have 2 booked. Most shore excursions are included and while there are a few optional tours they usually involve transportation, admissions and a meal. The food is very good, the service is excellent and the rooms are very comfortable. The public areas are also very comfortable but not "glitzy". Many trips include wine with dinner, some do not. When you visit their website or brochure be aware that two prices are listed: one does NOT include airfare other one does.

We took our first river cruise last year, from Basel to Amsterdam with a pre-stay in Lucerne. We sailed with Vantage on their newest ship, at that time, and the experience was so wonderful, we took a second river cruise this fall and are booked for another next year! :)

The Basel to Amsterdam is an awesome itinerary especially for a first timer. We used Avalon this past summer and we had a very lively crowd on board. Many were from Australia. I would compare the day to day itinerary of each line. Where you go each day and what is included. Also compare the square footage of the cabins you are considering and the number of guests onboard. Finally look at the decor if those things matter. Each line has a distinct style.

The Basel to Amsterdam is an awesome itinerary especially for a first timer. We used Avalon this past summer and we had a very lively crowd on board. Many were from Australia. I would compare the day to day itinerary of each line. Where you go each day and what is included. Also compare the square footage of the cabins you are considering and the number of guests onboard. Finally look at the decor if those things matter. Each line has a distinct style.

Thanks Got2Cruise and all! I wanted to offer you any tips I can on your upcoming Mediterranean cruise. That has been my favorite of all and would be glad to share our experiences.

Cruiseeze.. that is some good information! I appreciate all opinions! Keep em coming!

Well, what the heck. Visit GCT.com and take a look at their ships and itineraries. If you decide you might like them, there are several on here that can offer more detailed information.

Also look at the "referral" stickies and save yourself a couple bucks! :)

We took our first river cruise last year, from Basel to Amsterdam with a pre-stay in Lucerne. We sailed with Vantage on their newest ship, at that time, and the experience was so wonderful, we took a second river cruise this fall and are booked for another next year! :)

That's what happens with river cruising! We took our first trip with Vantage, Castles on the Rhine, and had such a good time we booked Egypt and Jordan followed by Tulips and Windmills, then came Costa Rica, Russia and Ukraine,

Budapest to the Black Sea and coming up? Trans-Canada by train, Switzerland the Rhine and Moselle and the Elbe: Berlin, Dresden and Prague for a revisit! Even when their office people frustrate me, I still love the tours! :D

I would start with the sticky's on top of this forum to get some ideas then use the search function as this is often discussed on this forum.

We are just back from river cruise #8, and #4 with AMA. We did our first few with Avalon and then discovered AMA and have never looked back. The overall quality, attention to detail and personalities of their boats and crews simply won us over and are a great fit for us. As a comparison, Oceania is our preference when ocean cruising. We enjoy their boutique style, high quality food, excellent service and sophisticated onboard ambiance.

We would not choose to cruise with Viking. We have been aboard to see their boats and they are just not for us. Very IKEA and generic, too many passengers aboard and feedback from trusted sources is enough to know that we have no interest in that line.

We might consider Uniworld or Scenic in the future but are in no hurry to experiment as we really enjoy what AMA consistently delivers.

Find the itinerary you want, then see who sails that itinerary for the dates you can cruise. Then compare ports, and the ships sailing your itinerary.

Next compare the prices and what is included in each fare. When comparing the ships, check total passengers per ship, and size of the cabin you can afford to book.

Pictures of cabins and diagrams are all online with each companies websites. As well as pictures of the ships and around the ships. Another place to get great visuals is on YouTube, lots of passenger videos.

Have a great time researching and just start reading old threads on the River boards.

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We just completed our first River cruise on AMA, VilshoFen to Budapest. It was wonderful from start to finish. SInce this was our first, I can't compare AMA to other lines but I don't need to, the cruise was amazing and I would not hesitate to book another with this line. I did do a lot of research and reading on this forum prior to choosing AMA.

I suggest that you go back several pages on this forum and read the posts from last spring, summer and early fall. That would be the peak of the river cruise season. This will give you information on several lines. It is important to learn how each handles problems such as high or low water levels, broken locks etc. The more you read, the more you will learn and your decision will be easier to make....in my opinion....for what it is worth.

Hello- I'm interested in the Basel-Amsterdam route also. To date I've only done one river cruise, w/ Viking. I received a great last minute deal and was very happy with them. I do understand that some people wouldn't like the IKEA style. And there are more people on board than other lines .

BUT, I had never done any cruising at all, and my vacations usually involved tents or a lot of kids piled into Embassy Suites...this trip and Viking were great. We did Amsterdam to Budapest. The longer cruise really allowed you to get into the mood and relax.

Vantage does Basel-Amsterdam a little different, they take a sidetrip up the Moselle and add a few extra nights onto the itinerary. Vantage is a 15 day trip, Viking it's 8 days. You also get on the boat the first day, there are no hotel nights. That way you are on the boat 14 nights. A lot of cruises will be listed as 14 days....that includes the travel day, first and last 2 nights in a hotel. AMA splits it up like that. If I'm spending that much money, I'd like to be on the boat.

I do have questions for people for those who have been on Vantage and other cruises, does Vantage seem to have an older average passenger age than other lines. I thought I read that somewhere...they make gorgeous travel videos, and when they have shots w/ real passengers in the background, they do seem kinda old.

Also how do the Vantage tours stack up against the other lines you were on?

Vikings were hit and miss. Some guides good, some not so good. Pretty much vanilla, and not very many options other than the main tour for that day. No option options for wast walkers, and on some days it seemed like all the tours turned into the leisurely group.

One guide in Budapest was very good (I thought), giving us more recent history with stories of Russian gas, employment rates, etc. Very interesting to me, later on found out people complained that he was being too political. It was the last city of a 2 week tour. I had heard so much about events from the Hapsburg era...the Ukraine was about to burst as we were standing there.

We wound up doing a lot of wandering around on our own, which is always great. We lived overseas for a few years so I'm a very good people watcher, and can point in numerous languages. :rolleyes:

To the OP- Enjoy your trip, book it and count the days.

After many large cruise ships we have decided to try the River Cruise Way! It all looks wonderful! Certainly Viking is doing a ton of advertising and so they get your attention! But our TA is recommending AMA or Uniworld... We are looking at the Rhine cruises, Basel to Amsterdam.. Anyone done different lines and willing to share opinions? I always get such good info and love to share when I can too.. Thanks!

We have done one AMA, it was great, but cost was significantly more than

Vantage.

Check out Vantage, they provide a quality product that we have found always beats AMA, Uniworld and Viking on price.

They don't accept TAs, so you make your own reservation.

Here are reviews of both our Vantage trips.

Russia, Kiev and Baltics

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1478384

China

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1718320

Like Hydrokitty and 4774Papa, I also like Vantage and have done a number of trips with them. Here is the link to the Budapest to Amsterdam cruise we took.

http://stevekathytravels.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/europe2010.pdf

We are always happy to answer any questions

Hello-

 

BUT, I had never done any cruising at all, and my vacations usually involved tents or a lot of kids piled into Embassy Suites...this trip and Viking were great. We did Amsterdam to Budapest. The longer cruise really allowed you to get into the mood and relax.

 

A lot of cruises will be listed as 14 days....that includes the travel day, first and last 2 nights in a hotel. AMA splits it up like that. If I'm spending that much money, I'd like to be on the boat.

 

I do have questions for people for those who have been on Vantage and other cruises, does Vantage seem to have an older average passenger age than other lines. I thought I read that somewhere...they make gorgeous travel videos, and when they have shots w/ real passengers in the background, they do seem kinda old.

 

Also how do the Vantage tours stack up against the other lines you were on?

Vikings were hit and miss. Some guides good, some not so good. Pretty much vanilla, and not very many options other than the main tour for that day. No option options for wast walkers, and on some days it seemed like all the tours turned into the leisurely group.

One guide in Budapest was very good (I thought), giving us more recent history with stories of Russian gas, employment rates, etc. Very interesting to me, later on found out people complained that he was being too political. It was the last city of a 2 week tour. I had heard so much about events from the Hapsburg era...the Ukraine was about to burst as we were standing there.

 

We wound up doing a lot of wandering around on our own, which is always great. We lived overseas for a few years so I'm a very good people watcher, and can point in numerous languages. :rolleyes:

 

To the OP- Enjoy your trip, book it and count the days.

Good morning Ural guy...I've taken 6 vantage trips and have 3 booked. Our first trip was the one you took only we went from Budapest to Amsterdam and was called Castles on the Rhine. We too lived in Europe (London) and I can usually recall enough to get by in 3 languages, including hand gestures and pointing. Interesting because like you, during the "kid" years (5) our vacations all centered around campers and tents, too.

Anyway, your questions about Vantage passengers. One of the reasons we chose Vantage is that they seem to cater to the senior citizen, but in a good way. The passengers are generally retired professionals and well-traveled. Age is just a number, my friend, and while some like DH at 76 can keep up with the 50 year olds, I, due to a serious accident, cannot. Vantage guides for the most part try to keep the slow movers together but no one is ostracized. Vantage guides have ALL been excellent from their English language skills to their ability to impart their knowledge. Some can ramble on a bit, especially if they sense their audience is really interested. When that happens some of us will wander off and take pictures or find a place to sit. With the whisper headsets they use you can actually wander off a fair distance and still hear the guide talking. There are included shore excursions included in every port and in some ports there will be optional excursions in the afternoon. These usually include a bus ride, admission and sometimes a wine tasting or lunch off the ship. There will be no pressure to take them, you can book them on the trip, and they are, with very rare exceptions, well worth the money. As for hotel nights vs. boat nights, it depends a lot on the first and last ports and when arriving and departing flights are landing. For instance: we landed in Budapest and went right to the ship and from Amsterdam we went directly from the ship to the airport. However, in Russia we landed in Moscow spent 3 nights in a 5* hotel and then boarded the boat for our cruise to St. Petersburg. In St. Pete we got off the boat and spent 3 nights in another 5* hotel before flying home. This was due to the traffic in both Moscow (horrid) and St. Pete (even more horrid and quite a ride from the city proper). All of the companies count the day you fly in and the day you fly out as "tour days"...I can't explain why, they just do. One thing I like most about Vantage is dealing with them directly. I know many people (probably most) like to use a TA because they make all the arrangements and have certain perks available. I am a total control freak and need to make my own arrangements plus I'm willing to sacrifice the perks since they don't usually give me anything I want anyway. Let me or Papa or Talisker know if we can help with any Vantage questions. Between the 3 of us I think we have most Vantage trips covered! :)

thanks everyone for all the feedback! I did read the Conde Naste reviews and as suggested I will go back some pages to read up. I had never heard,of Vantage but leaning towards AMA now. Will price out the dates. One of our travel friends has mobility issues so the varied excursions sound good too. This is such a great resource!

After many large cruise ships we have decided to try the River Cruise Way! It all looks wonderful! Certainly Viking is doing a ton of advertising and so they get your attention! But our TA is recommending AMA or Uniworld... We are looking at the Rhine cruises, Basel to Amsterdam.. Anyone done different lines and willing to share opinions? I always get such good info and love to share when I can too.. Thanks!

Another vote for Uniworld. Did our first European river cruise with them in March, Castles on the Rhine, Basel to Amsterdam like you're considering. Very enjoyable week and we have booked another week this spring on the Rhone with Uniworld.

As mentioned, they serve regional wine and cuisine which was quite nice. The decoration onboard is somewhat ornate and some find it off-putting (we liked it). Great staff.

If you want more details from our cruise, I did a picture review (link in signature below). There are a few other picture reviews of this itinerary, on other cruise lines, scattered throughout these boards. So lots of information to help you choose. Have fun.

If you want a two week trip that includes the Mosel and you are willing to forego Amsterdam and see Antwerp instead, here's a cruise to consider. http://www.gct.com/trips/river-cruises/europe/romance-of-the-rhine-and-mosel/2015?icid=global:smallshiprivercruises:rivercruises:sab2015

thanks everyone for all the feedback! I did read the Conde Naste reviews and as suggested I will go back some pages to read up. I had never heard,of Vantage but leaning towards AMA now. Will price out the dates. One of our travel friends has mobility issues so the varied excursions sound good too. This is such a great resource!

You can't go wrong with AMA. One of the couples we met on our Rhine Cruise (same itinerary you are planning) was two sisters; the older one needed the gentle walkers group so they did very well. The rest of us chose the fast walkers group when available, but once the gentle walkers got established in their group we found the regular groups moved just fine. If you go Amsterdam to Basel, I recommend taking AMA's post-cruise tour to Lucerne and Zurich. You can do this on your own, but after the coddling of a good river cruise it's nice to have your same friendly Cruise Director stay with you all the way to the final airport check-in gate! If you stay with Basel to Amsterdam, be sure to spend at least two days in Lucerne -- it was one of the highlights of the trip. You don't need the AMA extension in Amsterdam -- it's very tourist friendly on your own.

We did our first cruise from Basel to Amsterdam with Avalon, they were so good, were booked again with them this year, again extremely polished.

Very good tours and tours guides, great food, great mix with people from American, Canada, UK, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Points that make Avalon first choice for us.

Mix of Guests

Large staterooms all 200 sqft

Refrigerator in rooms

Full room wide glass doors with 2/3rd of wall opening

Large comfortable beds facing the window

Less people on board

Great staff

Good pricing

Almost most important - Their performance when things go wrong, they are industry leader in doing the right thing and are very generous in refunds etc - check out how badly many others treated customer over the last 2 years. There are many issues with river levels, high and low, locks broken and closed for up to 5 days. Some company ships too high and draft to deep to handle even modest variations in river levels.

At the end of the day it is a personal choice, but when travelling 24 hrs to do a cruise we need assurance that we will be looked after the best if something does go wrong

We did our first cruise from Basel to Amsterdam with Avalon, they were so good, were booked again with them this year, again extremely polished.

Very good tours and tours guides, great food, great mix with people from American, Canada, UK, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Points that make Avalon first choice for us.

Mix of Guests

Large staterooms all 200 sqft

Refrigerator in rooms

Full room wide glass doors with 2/3rd of wall opening

Large comfortable beds facing the window

Less people on board

Great staff

Good pricing

Almost most important - Their performance when things go wrong, they are industry leader in doing the right thing and are very generous in refunds etc - check out how badly many others treated customer over the last 2 years. There are many issues with river levels, high and low, locks broken and closed for up to 5 days. Some company ships too high and draft to deep to handle even modest variations in river levels.

At the end of the day it is a personal choice, but when travelling 24 hrs to do a cruise we need assurance that we will be looked after the best if something does go wrong

Some corrections to the above info, stated as facts:

The Suite ships of Avalon have the Panorama cabins described above. They also have category D and E which are 172 square feet, not 200. The older boats (Affinity, Luminary, etc) have cabins averaging 172 sq ft, with a few suites as well.

With 83 total cabins on Panorama class (described above), the passenger count can be 168. One their older boats, the count is smaller. Tauck has far fewer guests aboard. Many of the Uniworld boats and Scenic as well have less passengers aboard as well. AMA's fleet ranges from 148 to 164 in Europe. Most lines sail with a mix of generations and not all vessels in the same line are the same size and configuration and cabins can vary significantly from vessel to vessel.

As far as performance when things go wrong, Avalon did a very good job of dealing with high water issues aboard Luminary when we had to leave port early one day in Regensburg and some guests were left ashore.

We have had two experiences with more significant water issues with AMA, both of which were handled extremely well. One was two weeks ago on AmaDagio when high water affected our embarkation port as well as the overall itinerary. The way it was handled was impressive to say the least and we did not miss any of the scheduled ports. Another was a Rhine and Moselle cruise we did with them several years where we had very low water. Many other boats had disembarked passengers and become bus tours. We did our complete itinerary with AMA. For the Rhine Gorge the river was too shallow to allow the boat to make the journey. AMA chartered a brand new 600 passenger day boat and provisioned it for the day with food and drink so we would not miss that special stretch of river.

This is my opinion based on personal experience with both lines on multiple cruises (4 each so far with Avalon and AMA).

I have limited experience (but a pretty comprehensive AMA review in my signature if you are interested!) and what I did was keep trolling the boards...I sized up the kinds of things and the kind of people who were taking the cruises and could get a good sense of who was interested in the same stuff I was and which cruises lines they liked the best.

I read a bunch of reviews because even a "bad review" tells you something. If I hear, "what a terrible cruise, all we did was see nature and there was no shopping"; I would know might be a cruise for me! If a "good review" says it's all about the great food and wine so we didn't care about the bad excursions"; then I know that's NOT a cruise for me, no matter how wonderful it was for them!

Good luck!!:D

Thanks everyone! And Go Boston.. we are from that area too!! I am learning so much from everyone! In the past I have always been aware that what one person loves the next one dislikes and you do have to read all and make your own choices. These boards are always invaluable when planning. I would like to extend our trip to Lucerne as suggested.

Cold here in Massachusetts and reading reviews is a great way to spend the evening!;)