Opinions

Looking into our first River Cruise. Just a couple of questions (to start). What would be the "luxury" lines? And (I know this is subjective) but forgetting itineraries, length of cruise, prices, and just focusing on the boat, suites,, balconies, service, food.....what is the best line (boat)?

Thank you .

This is very subjective but I think Tauck is the best. They are totally all-inclusive and I've not found a better company. I took their Amsterdam to Budapest cruise in Early September 2011 and we're booked for two tours with them this coming August. A land tour of Great Britain and a Rhone river cruise immediately afterwards. We all have our favourite lines and there are arguments over which line is the most luxurious/best on almost a weekly basis. My vote always goes to Tauck. May I suggest you have a look at what they have to offer.

Scenic and AMA.

As I ve stated before, I prefer a full balcony.Like all inclusive with tips on and off ship,room service,free drinks all day, tubs,transfers from airport(even on private bookings)all shore exc.Only one with all these,that I could find,is Scenic.

That being said,also love AMA and have many,not all,of above features.

Get brochures and check out websites,can even see boats on you tube and river cruise advisor(google).

:)compare all the things that are important to you.Good luck:)

We've done several on Vantage, GCT and Viking. I'd recommend any of the 3 in a heartbeat!

"Luxury is very subjective but on all, the boats were pretty much comparable as was the dining experience. ,Most importantly all offered EXCELLENT tour guides, which is for us anyway, the most important factor. They knew a LOT about the cities and towns we stayed in and were a wealth of information regarding things to see and do during "free time" as well as what was included on the included tours.

We will jump in with Uniworld...one of their newer ships, although each one has it's own personality.

Would also demote Viking and Scenic to the bottom of the list.

IMHO

Looking into our first River Cruise. Just a couple of questions (to start). What would be the "luxury" lines? And (I know this is subjective) but forgetting itineraries, length of cruise, prices, and just focusing on the boat, suites,, balconies, service, food.....what is the best line (boat)?

 

Thank you .

As you say, this is very subjective. Are you looking for a luxury line or the best ship? What is your idea of luxury? This may be helpful to others in knowing what it is you are seeking, Since the river cruise lines have various boats which are cruising differing itineraries, the most luxurious boat from one company may be cruising a different itinerary from the most luxurious boat of another line. Are you more interested in the ship or the destination? As you can see from the posts, everyone has their favorite. Can you provide a clearer idea of your expectations? Have you done ocean cruises? If so, which lines did you like (or not) and why? I'm sure you'll find lots of suggestions here. Reading the reviews section may also be helpful.

We river cruised with Tauck in 2008, Brugge to Amsterdam; this time, we're going on AMA Waterways, Nuremberg to Budapest, with 3 days pre-cruise in Prague. We were very pleased with Tauck and all the little things that made the trip extra special. A travel agent friend of mine recommended AMA. From what I've read, I'd put it second to Tauck. Sounds like they handled the Danube flooding last year in stellar manner.

Would also demote Viking and Scenic to the bottom of the list.

 

IMHO

Hi -

Am curious what is was about your cruises with Viking and Scenic that moved them to the bottom of the list?

As sippican has said, "best" is quite subjective, so I am always interested in what didn't measure up.

In my experience, AMA is at the bottom. This is because of the less than stellar CD - and the experience in the dining room. Very inexperienced wait staff resulted in very long waits. They were nice, just very "green".... (Arrived on the boat when we did!!!)

I compared AMA with Viking, Scenic and Uniworld - and our overall experience was "less" than expected. Would sail again with them, but if dates/itinerary/price was similar to another line - would choose the other line...

JMHO here.

Fran

Tauck is recognized as a luxury river cruise experience and their boats look lovely from what we have seen in port. They are not our choice as we choose not to pay for the inclusions that are part of the package, as we are prefer to choose our own activities, transfers, hotels. We are independent travelers.

I do not consider GCT or Vantage to be luxury lines, certainly not luxury as I define it (Ritz, Four Seasons).

Viking IMO is the Carnival of the rivers. I have no interest in cruising with them.

We have done 6 river cruises (Avalon and AMA) and are headed to Europe in 6 days for our third with AMA. We enjoyed each of our AMA cruises very much and found the overall quality and attention to detail excellent. We have another AMA cruise booked with friends in November.

AMA handled a low water issue extremely well on our cruise with them in 2011, while the boats from other companies were empty and bussing their passengers around.

There was a recent article about choosing a line to fit your taste based on your hotel preferences, which I found to be spot on. It compared AMA to Oceania (which we very much enjoy) and Four Seasons hotels. We agree. You may find it interesting reading: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2003726

Tauck is recognized as a luxury river cruise experience and their boats look lovely from what we have seen in port. They are not our choice as we choose not to pay for the inclusions that are part of the package, as we are prefer to choose our own activities, transfers, hotels. We are independent travelers.

 

I do not consider GCT or Vantage to be luxury lines, certainly not luxury as I define it (Ritz, Four Seasons).

 

I've done 5 trips with Vantage, and have traveled with Tauck (land only) and I am curious as to why you consider Vantage not to be a luxury line? Not challenging your opinion, but I am interested in your criteria. :)

Hi -

 

"Am curious what is was about your cruises with Viking and Scenic that moved them to the bottom of the list?...."

 

Subjective is the operative word. Although the original question dealt with the physical looks of the ships it is difficult to separate emotions from your memories.

 

Scenic with their fare price baiting and both lines with how they treated their passengers during last year's flooding. Passengers deserve to treated fairly....they are the reason for a company being in business. Customer care is paramount

Again, it is only my opinion :-)

There was a recent article about choosing a line to fit your taste based on your hotel preferences, which I found to be spot on. It compared AMA to Oceania (which we very much enjoy) and Four Seasons hotels. We agree. You may find it interesting reading: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2003726

Please help me find the article - just can't seem to see it there.

Thanks!

Something to consider if you take an all inclusive line is if you will get your moneys worth out of the "free drinks". No way would we so if stay away from them. Tipping at the end on the other lines really isn't a big deal so we don't add that as a priority either. Therefore, Viking was perfect for our needs. It wasn't equal to Carnival by any means. We won't even consider ocean cruising with Carnival so that may say something about our personal taste. We were on a Viking Longship and it was gorgeous. Food was good. Staff was wonderful. CD very caring and informative. Room was well appointed. Bed was comfortable. Size was good. Tours were good. We bought their air and transfers and it went flawless. Nothing to complain about at all on our entire cruise which also added a pre cruise stay. As you said, this subject is very subjective and can be quite a touchy subject.

Scenic with their fare price baiting and both lines with how they treated their passengers during last year's flooding. Passengers deserve to treated fairly....they are the reason for a company being in business. Customer care is paramount

Again, it is only my opinion :-)

 

Hi -

 

Have travelled twice with Scenic - and don't remember any issues with their fares. I actually found Scenic quite competitive (price wise) both times that we sailed with them.

 

By any chance did you mean Viking? Many people here are not impressed with the 2-for-1 sale that never ends.

 

I do agree with customer care. We did not have any issues with Scenic when we travelled with them. We had an issue with the air conditioning when we did our cruise with Viking last year - but I felt their customer service response was reasonable.

 

As you have said, it is all very personal. I was just curious as to the reason for your rating. If you had poor experiences with Scenic & Viking, I completely understand your comment re: moving them to the bottom of the list.

 

Fran

Xxx

Hi -

 

"Am curious what is was about your cruises with Viking and Scenic that moved them to the bottom of the list?...."

 

Subjective is the operative word. Although the original question dealt with the physical looks of the ships it is difficult to separate emotions from your memories.

 

Scenic with their fare price baiting and both lines with how they treated their passengers during last year's flooding. Passengers deserve to treated fairly....they are the reason for a company being in business. Customer care is paramount

Again, it is only my opinion :-)

 

Ritabob, I don't understand what you mean by 'fair price baiting'. Would you mind explaining. It is not a term that I understand.