Tauck, Crystal or Uniworld

But how do we find them on the Cruise Critic website [other than the links in your posts]?

I came across another one of "those" comparison articles - Crystal v Scenic which may be relevant to this discussion - the article is here

I know this is an older thread, but I am interested in getting any new opinions on the topic. Last summer we sailed on Uniworld's SS Antoinette from Amsterdam to Basel. It was our first river cruise (actually our first cruise of any kind), so we have nothing to compare it to - but we enjoyed it very much. Service was outstanding. Food was very good - maybe not quite as good as we'd expected, but again, this was our first cruise, so we didn't really know what to expect. Excursions were also also very good - although did not allow much free time for souvenir shopping or exploring on our own. We are looking forward to our next river cruise and are considering Uniworld's Enchanting Danube & Prague. But we are also open to trying another comparable cruise line - possibly AMA or Tauck. Would appreciate any additional feedback on how these lines might compare to our Uniworld experience. Has much changed in the last couple of years? Thank you.

We actually sailed the Danube on Uniworld a few years ago. They do a super job and the staff is excellent. Last year, we sailed the Rhine River for the magical Christmas Markets with Tauck. There is pro and con to either. Uniworld, the cabins were SOO small. After 8 days, we were ready to get off.

Tauck on the Rhine, offered larger cabins and we were more comfortable. We do not book smaller cabins and always outside. Truck Tours is partially known for their meal choices. This was fair. The beautiful ships belong to Podant, so it is their crew who prepares the food. It is a French company.

Of I had to compare, I would probably go with Tauck. So much comfort and there are many opportunities to "do your thing."

We are going on their new ship this summer to Iceland.

We actually sailed the Danube on Uniworld a few years ago. They do a super job and the staff is excellent. Last year, we sailed the Rhine River for the magical Christmas Markets with Tauck. There is pro and con to either. Uniworld, the cabins were SOO small. After 8 days, we were ready to get off.

Tauck on the Rhine, offered larger cabins and we were more comfortable. We do not book smaller cabins and always outside. Truck Tours is partially known for their meal choices. This was fair. The beautiful ships belong to Podant, so it is their crew who prepares the food. It is a French company.

Of I had to compare, I would probably go with Tauck. So much comfort and there are many opportunities to "do your thing."

We are going on their new ship this summer to Iceland.

Tauck's river ships are owned and operated by Scylla, a Swiss-owned company.* Their Iceland ocean cruise is a partial charter on Ponant.

* https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2549

I cruised from Bucharest to Amsterdam with Tauck in 2014, and found the flavour of the food to be rather bland.

Was that a one off occurrence?

Your responses are very helpful - thank you. Hope to hear from others.

Another question I thought about is whether Tauck is more 'formal' (stuffy?) than Uniworld? We appreciated that Uniworld dinners (other than welcome and farewell dinner) did not require coat/tie for my husband and that I could get by with dressy slacks and a nice top/sweater. And how might AMA compare?

There is no need for a coat and tie on AMA, even at the Chef's Table, La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs dinner, or the Captain's farewell dinner. Also their food is rated higher than Tauck or Uniworld by Berlitz. AMA is not all-inclusive, so you have to figure on the cost of alcohol per your habits (they do provide very good wine and beer at meals) and tips. AMA is all-inclusive when it comes to excursions (or at any rate more inclusive than Uniworld).

Thank you!

I've only sailed Uniworld(3 times) but certainly would consider Tauck if they had an itinerary that I preferred. Just a reminder that since you have sailed previously with Uniworld you are part of the heritage club which will give you a 5% discount(occasionally they raise it to 10%), a free bag of laundry, and if available a cabin upgrade(except suites). There have been a few threads this past year that thought the food on Tauck was lack luster but the cruise itself and especially their tours were exceptional. As Jazz says AMA food is rate excellent. It's just a little less inclusive then Uniworld and Tauck. I personally think I would be happy with any of the 3 but the return perks have been worth it to me to stay with Uniworld until I exhausted the itineraries they offer and need to look at other lines

Friends of mine sailed on the Crystal Bach in November and said it was outstanding. They particularly raved about the food, service and spaciousness of the ship as it only carries 106 guests with 68 crew. The reviews and pictures have been nice too.

I have done one Uniworld cruise and two on the Crystal Mozart. So I can compare those two. After my Uniworld cruise, I said "river cruising is not for me and I would stick to oceans". However being a Crystal regular, I was enticed back to try another river cruise. I loved it and the experience could not be more different.

Both are all inclusive (alcohol and speciality tea/coffee all day long). I think the reason why Crystal works for me is that the staff give more individual service so even on your first cruise, you feel like a regular. Crystal offers more different spaces around the ship with a Bistro and the restaurant and a lounge, etc. You have three dining venues to choose from for lunch and on many nights, two dining venues to choose from for dinner as well. On Uniworld, it was the one lounge cum bar and one restaurant. Everyone gets room service on Crystal all day long. On my Uniworld cruise, the River Empress, only the four Penthouses got a room service breakfast and that was it.

By the way, something not widely advertised. Pressing by the butlers is complimentary for all guests on Crystal's river boats. So you do your own washing and tumble drying in the self laundry and get the butler to do the ironing for you.

The food on Uniworld was good but pales in comparison to Crystal's offering. Crystal river cruises offers some of the best meals around. Way better then Crystal ocean cruises and way way better than many one Michelin star restaurants I have visited around Europe. Meals on board Crystal river boats are so much nicer than the one Michelin star restaurant excursion offer on the river cruise.

For me the key difference is the evening entertainment. Crystal offers an entertainment host cum piano bar entertainer. These are normally of UK heritage (they need a UK/EU passport to work on the rivers), are very fluent in English and play music that you would expect on an ocean cruise. All Crystal entertainment hosts have worked previously on the Crystal ocean cruises in the Avenue Saloon where they are tested out for a predominantly American audience. The entertainment host on my Uniworld cruise was terrible on his electric organ. Very European is style. Even night, we would have to abandon the dreadful music in the bar and take refuge on the open top deck because the music was so bad. The local entertainment options offered by Crystal were also better compared with Uniworld.

Maybe we just lucked out on our Uniworld cruise since Uniworld has an avid following. Personally, it was not for me.

I have done one Uniworld cruise and two on the Crystal Mozart. So I can compare those two. After my Uniworld cruise, I said "river cruising is not for me and I would stick to oceans". However being a Crystal regular, I was enticed back to try another river cruise. I loved it and the experience could not be more different.

 

Both are all inclusive (alcohol and speciality tea/coffee all day long). I think the reason why Crystal works for me is that the staff give more individual service so even on your first cruise, you feel like a regular. Crystal offers more different spaces around the ship with a Bistro and the restaurant and a lounge, etc. You have three dining venues to choose from for lunch and on many nights, two dining venues to choose from for dinner as well. On Uniworld, it was the one lounge cum bar and one restaurant. Everyone gets room service on Crystal all day long. On my Uniworld cruise, the River Empress, only the four Penthouses got a room service breakfast and that was it.

 

By the way, something not widely advertised. Pressing by the butlers is complimentary for all guests on Crystal's river boats. So you do your own washing and tumble drying in the self laundry and get the butler to do the ironing for you.

 

The food on Uniworld was good but pales in comparison to Crystal's offering. Crystal river cruises offers some of the best meals around. Way better then Crystal ocean cruises and way way better than many one Michelin star restaurants I have visited around Europe. Meals on board Crystal river boats are so much nicer than the one Michelin star restaurant excursion offer on the river cruise.

 

For me the key difference is the evening entertainment. Crystal offers an entertainment host cum piano bar entertainer. These are normally of UK heritage (they need a UK/EU passport to work on the rivers), are very fluent in English and play music that you would expect on an ocean cruise. All Crystal entertainment hosts have worked previously on the Crystal ocean cruises in the Avenue Saloon where they are tested out for a predominantly American audience. The entertainment host on my Uniworld cruise was terrible on his electric organ. Very European is style. Even night, we would have to abandon the dreadful music in the bar and take refuge on the open top deck because the music was so bad. The local entertainment options offered by Crystal were also better compared with Uniworld.

 

Maybe we just lucked out on our Uniworld cruise since Uniworld has an avid following. Personally, it was not for me.

I recently sailed on Uniworld’s newest ship, my first river cruise, and had similar reactions to it. Although I enjoyed it very much, I felt that there were things missing. I am now looking into a Crystal river cruise and wonder how the excursions compared? Were they included? Were they comparable or even better?

Thanks!

All river cruses will have small cabins, limited night life on board, and minimal activities. We have had good experiences on Viking. The food varies with the region traveled. Bordeaux to Bordeaux was amazing food and wine. Russia was terrible.European cruises were good to average.

We were just on Crystal Symphony, newly refurbished, and very disappointed. Crystal was nice, but, no better than Celebrity, just smaller. Still not as nice as Seabourn or Regent. That said, I'd not rush to their river cruises.

We are looking at uniworld Cairo trip.

We select by date and itinerary at this point.

All river cruses will have small cabins, limited night life on board, and minimal activities. We have had good experiences on Viking. The food varies with the region traveled. Bordeaux to Bordeaux was amazing food and wine. Russia was terrible.European cruises were good to average.

We were just on Crystal Symphony, newly refurbished, and very disappointed. Crystal was nice, but, no better than Celebrity, just smaller. Still not as nice as Seabourn or Regent. That said, I'd not rush to their river cruises.

We are looking at uniworld Cairo trip.

We select by date and itinerary at this point.

That depends on what you mean by 'small cabins.' AMA's current class of ships has low-cost cabins with only 160-170 sf [small, but not as small as some cabins we have had on ocean ships] but the bulk of the cabins are 210-235 sf, and if that's not enough there are four suites with 350 sf. Don't judge all river cruise lines by your experience on Viking, where the low-cost cabins are 150 sf and the more expensive French balcony cabins are only 135 sf -- but even there the bulk of the cabins are Veranda Staterooms with 205 sf and there are 7 suites with 275 sf and 2 with 445 sf.

As Jazz says AMA food is rate excellent. It's just a little less inclusive then Uniworld and Tauck.

One way to deal with that is book one of the 'Luxury' grade cruises from APT. as they use AMA ships but take the inclusive elements to the same level as Tauck.

I’ve sailed both Taick and Uniworld and as others have mentioned they each have their plusses and minusses. You have to decide what your priorities are. Uniworld has better food than Tauck by far but it still is just okay. Tauck had far better tour guides, tour organization, education and enrichment. The service staff is outstanding and friendly with both companies. Of course each ship varies a little bit. Cabins were pretty comparable on both lines. On my most recent Tauck cruise I would have booked Crystal had the timing been better. It was a good thing I didn’t because it turned out the Crystal ship we were considering was not ready in time and my cruise would have been cancelled. I don’t really consider Crystal ocean to be all that great but the idea of new ships with reports of excellent food was intriguing enough for me to consider. In the end though, the incredible care, service and enrichment with Tauck was really my priority and what I will remember from the cruise. They were really excellent.

Currently considering an Amsterdam to Budapest itinerary next Oct. on Tauck, Crystal or Uniworld. The pricing is the least of the factors and the timing and itineraries are very similar. I have sailed Uniworld previously, enjoyed it but I am curious about Crystal and the brand new ship Mahler that will hopefully be in operation by then. But I am also intriqued by the wonderful reputation for service and food with Tauck. The Tauck ship is MS Treasures with the cabin being almost half the size of Crystal.

 

What other factors should I be considering? Should I be cautious about whether or not Crystal can deliver the ship to service on time? The recent shift out of the planned France itineraries makes me concerned that Crystal is moving too quickly and doesn't really have their act together. Thoughts?

I just noticed the date on your original post!!! By any chance were you on the Oct. 7 sailing? Anyway.....here are my thoughts on it...not quite as glowing as yours.

We just completed AMS to BUD on the Treasures back in October. I posted a review about the trip over on the Tauck forums. If you'd like, I could copy it and paste it in here.

As I just posted in another thread, while we really enjoyed the trip (with the exception of some rather poor weather), it will not remain as one of our favorite trips. I actually expected consistently better food based on some things I heard from other people who have done river cruising and raved about the food quality. Service in the dining room did not meet my expectations either. Tauck, as always, takes wonderful care of you all the way through. Great (actually excellent) guides were with us during the trip. Ship is beautiful. No complaints there whatsoever. We were in Category 7 so had plenty of space. Great evening entertainment and onboard lectures (most by the guides). Shore excursions (as would be expected from Tauck) were well organized and very enjoyable. I was disappointed to find how much the ship vibrated though during the overnight sailing. Almost every night. I sometimes felt like I was back on Amtrak's auto train. Also disappointed with the relatively little time we had to be up on the sun deck. It was often closed due to passing under low bridges. I could have used a bit more 'cruising only' time. It's a very busy itinerary so there is really relatively little time to just enjoy cruising on the river.

We were on Esprit, Oct.2. We had no vibration issues possibly because we were on the opposite itinerary and traveling downstream rather than against the flow...at least on the Rhine and Main sections. Food was somewhat disappointing but with the exception of one waitress we tried to avoid, the dining service was outstanding.

Wish I could say the same for the service. Can't recall being on any previous cruise where they never once came around and asked if we wanted coffee after dinner. Interesting that you also thought the food was a bit disappointing. You may well be correct about the vibration issues being associated with traveling against the current. Guess now we have to do the trip in reverse to find out LOL!

Wish I could say the same for the service. Can't recall being on any previous cruise where they never once came around and asked if we wanted coffee after dinner. Interesting that you also thought the food was a bit disappointing. You may well be correct about the vibration issues being associated with traveling against the current. Guess now we have to do the trip in reverse to find out LOL!

I have also heard that going with the current leads to a smoother ride -- but unless you are trying to test Einstein's theory of insanity, why would you do it with the same cruise line that so disappointed you? ;)

three4rd,

one needs to be aware that with all three companies there will be no difference to the "sundeck closed due to low bridges issue". It appears that this is not made clear in brochures or documents that much. Many people have reported this here on CC in the past, i.e. they were surprised and/or disappointed with the sundeck being closed. For future cruisers I would just like to note that applies to the Main and Main-Danube-canal, the other rivers due not present that problem or not to a great degree.

Good to read that overall you had a good time, though, even it the experience was lacking in some aspects.

notamermaid

I have also heard that going with the current leads to a smoother ride -- but unless you are trying to test Einstein's theory of insanity, why would you do it with the same cruise line that so disappointed you? ;)

I'd definitely go again...and probably will...with Tauck. The good outweighed the bad. I probably overused the term 'disappointed' and perhaps should have expressed it instead as having 'expected more'. I think one of the biggest "disappointments" though (and here the term is definitely applicable) was the lack of really good weather for a substantial part of the trip. I suppose, when I look back on the journey, that the rainy, damp, overcast weather we often had sort of cast other aspects of the trip in a somewhat negative light. Were we to have had sunshine every day, I would probably have a more positive view of some of the other aspects I mentioned.

three4rd,

 

one needs to be aware that with all three companies there will be no difference to the "sundeck closed due to low bridges issue". It appears that this is not made clear in brochures or documents that much. Many people have reported this here on CC in the past, i.e. they were surprised and/or disappointed with the sundeck being closed. For future cruisers I would just like to note that applies to the Main and Main-Danube-canal, the other rivers due not present that problem or not to a great degree.

 

Good to read that overall you had a good time, though, even it the experience was lacking in some aspects.

 

notamermaid

Interesting...thanks. You raise a good point about perhaps brochures and/or documentation being sure to mention the sun deck / low bridge issue. I seem to recall ours did, but I guess I just didn't expect the extent to which it occurred.

On Tauck Esprit there was an area at the bow of the ship that was lower than the rest of the sundeck so even if the main sundeck was closed you could still sit in this area while going under low bridges.

Yes..had that on the Treasures also. Thing is, there really wasn't all that much time to just enjoy cruising. Expected a bit more. Funny...some of the people on our sailing opted to not do certain excursions in favor of just staying on the ship while it relocated to the next passenger pick-up spot later in the day. They said it was great..like "having this big yacht all to ourselves" for the whole day! Not a bad idea...especially if one has been to the ports before and saw the key sites. The few times we elected to come back to the ship for lunch instead of staying ashore was similar - had a great lunch with only like a half-dozen people in the dining room! Nice and quiet.