rbiller

No nightlife because the drinks were not free, LOL. All seriousness aside, I agree with you on purchasing a drink package but if it is included in the overall package ala Uniworld and Tauck this year, I like the idea. I myself usually will purchase at least one cocktail during the happy hour but with the cost being quite high, I usually try to limit it to one. On my Avalon cruise last year, most days they had 2 for the price of one and I had no problem finishing off the two cocktails so I am looking forward to my Tauck cruise this October. I might even go for three, and who cares what's for dinner, LOL.

OK roaming, so itinerary is #1. So lets see, lousy food and small portions are ok as is rude and slow service from the staff. A small cramped cabin is ok with poor service from your steward. No free wine or beer with dinner is ok too. To me, the whole cruise experience is important. You can have a great time almost anywhere if your pampered and treated like royalty. Just my humble opinion.

Yes marco, there is an included excursion in each port, however there are usually some optional excursions available in the larger cities for those who are interested. Tauck claims that everything is included and no options are sold. I don't know what Uniworld will do under their new all inclusive pricing.

I don't object to the tipping, it's the inconvenience of always having to have some small bills or change on hand for the guides and drivers. I'm not a heavy drinker either but again it will be much more convenient to walk up to the bar and get a drink w/o signing for it. And I will probably still tip a few of my favorite crew members.

Please let us know how the AMA cruise goes. Uniworld's Eastern Europe cruise was my first with them only we went from Vienna to Bucharest. It was a great cruise only I prefer Western Europe although I really liked Bucharest.

Sure, but you are going to have to wait. My cruise doesn't start until 10-13. I have heard good things about Tauck as well and I am anxious to see for myself.

Yes, there is just something about a Uniworld cruise that others have not quite been able to duplicate. I really can't put it into words.

Tauck is going to be my fifth. I chose it for several reasons. First and foremost is because Tauck has about 6-8 single cabins on each cruise with no single supplement. Some of the other cruise lines waive the SS when they need to fill up the ship. Often this is during the off season and the weather is not as good.

The second reason I chose Tauck is because of the all inclusive feature. Uniworld is starting this in 2014 but Tauck has had it for a few years and have added the free drinks all day long this year probably to keep up with Uniworld.

I also chose it for the itinerary which starts in Amsterdam and ends in Basel. There are only a couple places on the cruise that I have already been to so most of it will be new. Also there are a few out of the ordinary inclusions such as dinner at a 1000 year old castle that I thought would be interesting.

Hope that answers your question. You can PM me if you have any other questions.

I would consider myself an experienced river cruiser in as much as I have been on 7 river cruises, with 4 different companies, with an 8th and a fifth company this fall. Even though my favorite cruise company so far is Uniworld, I do find their cabins and bathrooms especially, too small for my liking. Now in all fairness I have not been on one of their newer ships but the majority of the fleet has small cabins and even very small cabins/bathrooms on a couple of ships. That being said, the experience of traveling with Uniworld is FIRST CLASS. Others come close, but close only counts in horse shoes, LOL.

My priorities for a river cruise are:

1. A cabin of at least 170 sq. feet and very good sound insulation.

2. Great food with much variety.

3. A staff that is happy to serve you and take care of all your needs and wants.

4. Many shore excursions with guides who don't stop every 5 minutes and talk for 20 minutes. I want to see and take pictures of as much as possible.

5. I'm looking forward to my first all inclusive cruise this fall. Not having to tip and free drinks all day long sounds very appealing.

6. Included transfers.

A lot of posters said that itinerary is the most important but when it comes to river cruising, most of the companies have similar itineraries so unless there is some specific place you really want to visit, that is not usually a big item to consider when choosing a cruise line. That being said, last April I took my first Avalon cruise because they went to Maastricht, Holland and others didn't.