Recommend a river cruise line for us please

I'm in the process of trying to plan 2 cruises for next year. The ocean cruise is not proving to be too much trouble but trying to decide on a river cruise with my mom feels like a challenge. My mom is in her late 70s with mild arthritis but otherwise pretty active. I'm 46 and like to stay active but I also enjoy history and architecture. My mom has expressed interest in doing a river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest or vice versa, and I would plan on extra hotel nights on both ends. I'm looking at the various lines, and reading reviews both here and on other sites and it's not clear to me which line might be a good fit. I've talked to a TA but didn't feel real comfortable with her answers as I felt like she was strongly steering me towards only 1 line.

These are some of the things that are important to us:

• Good guides is probably my #1 must have.
  
• Quality of the food. Not every meal needs to be 6* but I want the food to be fresh and of good quality.
  
• Alcohol is not as important as neither of us are big drinkers. My mom does like her coffee.
  
• Looking at either french balcony or balcony cabins.
  
• Would like to have more than one included tour available at stops.
  
• Would prefer a relaxed, down to earth atmosphere.
  

We were originally looking at Viking. I have now also looked at Ama Waterways, Scenic, Tauck, Avalon, Emerald and even Crystal and my head is spinning. Any I should definitely rule in or out?

There are two or three active threads that talk about which cruise or company to select. You might want to read these for some great input.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2364189

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2360234

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2365407

Why limit yourself to lines that deal with TAs? You might find that GRand Circle or Vantage are a good fit.

All are good, some much better than others. Do make sure you purchase Travel Insurance immediately after your deposit (first 14 days) for both of you. One purchased up front will protect for medical issues & pre existing conditions.

For the record I am not a fan of Viking and will never sail them. All the others are worth looking at. :)

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Which ocean cruise line do you prefer? Host Jazz has a sticky comparing the river cruise companies to the ocean cruise lines.

Which ocean cruise line do you prefer? Host Jazz has a sticky comparing the river cruise companies to the ocean cruise lines.

I suggest you read all of the Stickies above posted by our host. They are short and full of good info.

• Good guides is probably my #1 must have. SUBJECTIVE. WE HAVE GUIDES RANGING FROM OK TO EXCELLENT ON MOST OF OUR RIVER CRUISES.
  
• Quality of the food. Not every meal needs to be 6* but I want the food to be fresh and of good quality. AMA, UNIWORLD
  
• Alcohol is not as important as neither of us are big drinkers. My mom does like her coffee. A NON INCLUSIVE LINE MAY BE THE BETTER VALUE FOR YOU
  
• Looking at either french balcony or balcony cabins. MOST HAVE FRENCH. WE PREFER ACTUAL BALCONIES AND AMA HAS THOSE, AS DOES SCENIC.
  
• Would like to have more than one included tour available at stops. AMA, UNIWORLD, SCENIC
  
• Would prefer a relaxed, down to earth atmosphere. MOST RIVER CRUISES MEET THAT CRITERIA. WE FIND AMA TO BE VERY WARM AND WELCOMING. SCENIC AS WELL. UNIWORLD WAS A BIT MORE FORMAL.
  

There are several excellent river cruise lines.

I started becoming interested in a river cruise when we received a brochure in the mail from Viking.

However, before I booked our cruise, I researched the cruise lines and picked Vantage.

We have had great cruises with Vantage and done one with AMA that was great as well.

From my research and from talking with others the following lines are worth taking a look at:

Scenic, Viking, Avalon, Uniworld, AMA, Tauck, and Vantage.

There are more. Some people like the budget line Gate-1, but there you get something of a stripped down tour.

Compare what they offer in terms of tours, ships, itineraries and of course price.

I like to come up with a price per day since if one line offers a 10 day tour and another offers the same river cruise with a total of 9 days.

After nine European River cruises (Rhine, Main, Danube, Elbe) I offer the following bits of advice.

1. The guides are a roll of the dice. All cruises had great tour guides and a stinker or two.

2. The cheapest price is not necessarily the best value for the money, especially if you like history, architecture, and location close to the center of the city. :(

As Teddy Roosevelt once said, "Comparison is the thief of joy". My guess is that most all of the cruise lines have their good things and their not so good things. When I was looking to book our upcoming cruise I looked at three companies (at the time I didn't realize how many lines were out there). The 3 things that were the key points for us were destination, accommodations and price. We wanted to do a Rhine River cruise (I was stationed at Rhine Main Air Base near Frankfurt in the late 1960s) and even though we won't be in the room that much a double bed and other room amenities were important. And then price did play a role in the decision. If this trip is a hit and another river cruise should come into the picture we may select another line to get a variety of joy.

We have done a couple of ocean cruises and have used both Royal Caribbean and Carnival. And next time we may use Norwegian.

We are so looking forward to our trip in 9 weeks. This river cruise is a first for us.

So enjoy your search, take the leap of faith that you picked a great one and have a wonderful time.

As Teddy Roosevelt once said, "Comparison is the thief of joy". My guess is that most all of the cruise lines have their good things and their not so good things. When I was looking to book our upcoming cruise I looked at three companies (at the time I didn't realize how many lines were out there). The 3 things that were the key points for us were destination, accommodations and price. We wanted to do a Rhine River cruise (I was stationed at Rhine Main Air Base near Frankfurt in the late 1960s) and even though we won't be in the room that much a double bed and other room amenities were important. And then price did play a role in the decision. If this trip is a hit and another river cruise should come into the picture we may select another line to get a variety of joy.

 

We have done a couple of ocean cruises and have used both Royal Caribbean and Carnival. And next time we may use Norwegian.

 

We are so looking forward to our trip in 9 weeks. This river cruise is a first for us.

 

So enjoy your search, take the leap of faith that you picked a great one and have a wonderful time.

Well I am confused??? Who did you decide to go with and why!

A new poster may not catch your "user name" or know to search your posting history. So be sure and share the secret with the OP. That's why he asked!

• Good guides is probably my #1 must have. SUBJECTIVE. WE HAVE GUIDES RANGING FROM OK TO EXCELLENT ON MOST OF OUR RIVER CRUISES.
  
• Quality of the food. Not every meal needs to be 6* but I want the food to be fresh and of good quality. AMA, UNIWORLD
  
• Alcohol is not as important as neither of us are big drinkers. My mom does like her coffee. A NON INCLUSIVE LINE MAY BE THE BETTER VALUE FOR YOU
   
  
• Looking at either french balcony or balcony cabins. MOST HAVE FRENCH. WE PREFER ACTUAL BALCONIES AND AMA HAS THOSE, AS DOES SCENIC.
  
• Would like to have more than one included tour available at stops. AMA, UNIWORLD, SCENIC
  
• Would prefer a relaxed, down to earth atmosphere. MOST RIVER CRUISES MEET THAT CRITERIA. WE FIND AMA TO BE VERY WARM AND WELCOMING. SCENIC AS WELL. UNIWORLD WAS A BIT MORE FORMAL.
  

What would be some good non-inclusive lines to look at?

I think Uniworld is probably a bit too formal for us. The TA was recommending AMA. They are only offering 6 sailings, plus one in December between Amsterdam and Budapest (or vice versa). The last sailing, other than the Christmas market cruise, is September 6 and I was hoping for something a bit later in September. Price-wise, Scenic ends up being less than AMA as Scenic would include air, port charges and gratuities already.

There are several excellent river cruise lines.

 

I started becoming interested in a river cruise when we received a brochure in the mail from Viking.

 

However, before I booked our cruise, I researched the cruise lines and picked Vantage.

 

 

 

We have had great cruises with Vantage and done one with AMA that was great as well.

 

From my research and from talking with others the following lines are worth taking a look at:

 

Scenic, Viking, Avalon, Uniworld, AMA, Tauck, and Vantage.

 

There are more. Some people like the budget line Gate-1, but there you get something of a stripped down tour.

 

Compare what they offer in terms of tours, ships, itineraries and of course price.

 

I like to come up with a price per day since if one line offers a 10 day tour and another offers the same river cruise with a total of 9 days.

Vantage does have one sailing that is marketed as a Unesco / History themed cruise between Amsterdam and Budapest in 2017 that looks really interesting.

This is what I normally do with our ocean cruises. I agree this is a good way to compare.

What would be some good non-inclusive lines to look at?

I think Uniworld is probably a bit too formal for us. The TA was recommending AMA. They are only offering 6 sailings, plus one in December between Amsterdam and Budapest (or vice versa). The last sailing, other than the Christmas market cruise, is September 6 and I was hoping for something a bit later in September. Price-wise, Scenic ends up being less than AMA as Scenic would include air, port charges and gratuities already.

 

 

Vantage does have one sailing that is marketed as a Unesco / History themed cruise between Amsterdam and Budapest in 2017 that looks really interesting.

 

This is what I normally do with our ocean cruises. I agree this is a good way to compare.

Only line I would not consider is Viking....too many negatives regarding customer service when there's a problem...We've done 8 trips with Vantage, including Amsterdam to Budapest and Budapest to the Black Sea (Bucharest) and have been very satisfied with the tour guides, food, cabin and excursions. We originally chose Vantage because they included all shore excursions with only 1 or 2 optional tours (all of which were worth paying extra for). They now include wine with dinner (not sure about lunch) and their customer service (not to be confused with corporate) is outstanding. But they do not book with TA's, so if you don't feel comfortable dealing with the cruise line directly, I would recommend any of the others mentioned (except Viking)

If you enjoy Royal and NCL you will be happy with Avalon. It's not a luxury brand but you are not spending luxury prices. We've taken two Avalon cruises and were very happy with the experience. Another analogy can be autos. You can drive a Ford with many of the same features of a Mercedes. You will be very happy with the Ford. Unless you spend thousands more on the Mercedes. Then of course you never want to drive a Ford again.

Only line I would not consider is Viking....too many negatives regarding customer service when there's a problem...

I'm placing a knock wood on this because we haven't actually cruised yet, but I've been dealing with Viking for a year and their customer service has been outstanding. I had one small issue with a rep regarding shore excursions on their My VIking Journey web site. I wrote to that email they always provide, and I got a call the next day from a person who was more than helpful.

I was hoping to find a place to buy the Freyja products they have recently switched to (not knowing at the time that it is proprietary. I asked on the Facebook page where I could purchase it. Again, I got a phone call from one of the reps offering to send samples. I gave him my address and he said he would send them. I got an email from him yesterday, saying that the samples had been shipped. That's above and beyond in my book, and I worked in Customer Service for quite a few years.

Price-wise, Scenic ends up being less than AMA as Scenic would include air, port charges and gratuities already.

 

To me, that would make the decision easy.:) If Scenic truly includes all of that (especially air) for less than AMA, why look further? Both are very good.

Another analogy can be autos. You can drive a Ford with many of the same features of a Mercedes. You will be very happy with the Ford. Unless you spend thousands more on the Mercedes. Then of course you never want to drive a Ford again.

I love that! And I agree. I knew I never should have driven that darn Mercedes :D

I love that! And I agree. I knew I never should have driven that darn Mercedes :D

And the prize for laugh of the day.....thank you very much..goes to Got2Cruise with a second to Caviargal!!! :D

I'm placing a knock wood on this because we haven't actually cruised yet, but I've been dealing with Viking for a year and their customer service has been outstanding. I had one small issue with a rep regarding shore excursions on their My VIking Journey web site. I wrote to that email they always provide, and I got a call the next day from a person who was more than helpful.

 

I was hoping to find a place to buy the Freyja products they have recently switched to (not knowing at the time that it is proprietary. I asked on the Facebook page where I could purchase it. Again, I got a phone call from one of the reps offering to send samples. I gave him my address and he said he would send them. I got an email from him yesterday, saying that the samples had been shipped. That's above and beyond in my book, and I worked in Customer Service for quite a few years.

Fair enough, CK...I have never sailed with Viking either....what you describe is certainly above and beyond...maybe they're listening to CC posters after all.

To me, that would make the decision easy.:) If Scenic truly includes all of that (especially air) for less than AMA, why look further? Both are very good.

On the shorter itineraries, AMA seemed to be a bit less but on the 15 day one for some reason it's more expensive. Maybe because they have fewer sailings to fill? Scenic offers more sailings of that itinerary including spring and fall sailings.

The last AMA sailing in 2017 was Sept 6, where Scenic has sailings through the rest of September which we would prefer in a balcony cabin for the same price as AMA's French balcony/balcony cabin. The only way to be a bit cheaper on AMA is to do the Cat C French Balcony (smaller) but when I add in the gratuities & port charges that eats up most of the savings, and that's not including the Scenic air offer.

On the shorter itineraries, AMA seemed to be a bit less but on the 15 day one for some reason it's more expensive. Maybe because they have fewer sailings to fill? Scenic offers more sailings of that itinerary including spring and fall sailings.

 

The last AMA sailing in 2017 was Sept 6, where Scenic has sailings through the rest of September which we would prefer in a balcony cabin for the same price as AMA's French balcony/balcony cabin. The only way to be a bit cheaper on AMA is to do the Cat C French Balcony (smaller) but when I add in the gratuities & port charges that eats up most of the savings, and that's not including the Scenic air offer.

We were happy with Scenic and if we had that choice to make we would do the same (except that we have no interest in a 15 day cruise).

Scenic had very good guides (mostly), great buses, a nice choice of excursions in every port and a relaxed atmosphere. Staff was excellent as was service.

We were happy with Scenic and if we had that choice to make we would do the same (except that we have no interest in a 15 day cruise).

 

Scenic had very good guides (mostly), great buses, a nice choice of excursions in every port and a relaxed atmosphere. Staff was excellent as was service.

My main concern with the 15 day cruise is that I may be one of the younger people onboard at 46 (47 at the time of the cruise). :confused:

My main concern with the 15 day cruise is that I may be one of the younger people onboard at 46 (47 at the time of the cruise). :confused:

We met lots of fun Aussies and Brits on our Scenic cruise and many were pretty active. Our was 10 days, which was the longest river cruise we have ever taken.

We very often do our own thing in port, even to the point of getting on a train and heading elsewhere for the day if we are not interested in the included tours. I would estimate we opt to be independent more than half of the time, on all of our river cruises. We are more active than many, but on Scenic many of the Aussies were quite the outdoorsy type and really were a lot of fun!

If you have the time, love the itinerary, and it is a good value, then I say go for it! Research the ports well and have some contingency plans.

Having Aussies on a cruise is a bonus!

Only line I would not consider is Viking....too many negatives regarding customer service when there's a problem... snip

One thing to say for Viking on this itinerary is that they have a lot of ships. Friends of ours did this cruise last year when there were low water problems. Their Viking ship couldn't get through, but one day they just made sure their bags were packed before the left on the day's excursion. They were bused upriver, did their excursion (Regensburg?), and then were bused up river again where their bags were waiting in their new stateroom on an identical Viking longship. Sometimes bigger is better.

FuelScience

One thing to say for Viking on this itinerary is that they have a lot of ships. Friends of ours did this cruise last year when there were low water problems. Their Viking ship couldn't get through, but one day they just made sure their bags were packed before the left on the day's excursion. They were bused upriver, did their excursion (Regensburg?), and then were bused up river again where their bags were waiting in their new stateroom on an identical Viking longship. Sometimes bigger is better.

 

FuelScience

Bigger isn't always better. The Viking longships are larger and deeper than other riverboats and get stranded in low water more easily.