Avalon, Uniworld or Viking? How to Pick

My husband and I will be celebrating our 25th in June 05, and wanted to do something special. We have done alot of traveling including many island vacations and have done a good amount of cruising. We want to try something new and different.

We like upscale vacations, but not stuffy, and are fairly open to itinierary as we have seen things that have interested us in all three brochures. The only difference would possibly be for Uniworld where we were considering cruising in Italy. We are considering either of the Danube cruises on Avalon or Viking.

Things that are important to us would be overall quality of the vacation, regarding the ship, food and accommodations and service.

Do you feel that all three river cruise lines would fit the bill? Is there a "better" choice for us in this group?

I would appreciate any help or information which might help us to choose what I hope to be a good fit.

Thanks

Sounds like you are on the right track. River cruises must not be compared to ocean cruises. They are totally different products. There are two other lines doing European river cruises that you might want to consider. They are Vantage and Grand Circle. All of the lines mentioned cater mostly to the American trade. We have been on 4 river cruises and had the opportunity to talk to other travelers who have been on the lines that you mentioned. The consensus that we heard was that they are ALL very good so your choice might be governed by the itinerary, dates of departure, cabin availability and price. If you want a top deck cabin, which I certainly recommend, it is important to book early as they are the first to go. We have booked as early as a year in advance and found that the cabin we wanted was not available on all dates as they had already been booked. They WILL take reservations for dates beyond their current brochure dates and often add departure dates to those listed if the demand is strong. Be aware, tho, that the Euro is now up to $1.29 which makes EVERYTHING, including the trips, more expensive than ever. Don't be surprised to pay the equivalent of $3US for a cup of coffee ashore! Clarence:)

I've cruised with Viking (on the Rhone and Saone), and I was extremely happy with the ship, crew, food, excursions, etc. You can read my cruise review at:

http://europeforvisitors.com/europe/cruising/viking-burgundy.htm

Viking's SUN (new in 2005) sounds interesting if you like the idea of a larger ship with state-of-the-art amenities. See:

http://europeforvisitors.com/europe/cruising/viking-sun.htm

Peter Deilmann is another cruise line to consider, especially if you're interested in more of a European cruising experience. Unlike Viking, Uniworld, etc., Deilmann caters to a multinational audience, so you avoid the "I'm in an American bubble" feeling when you're onboard. (I just got back from a cruise on Deilmann's five-star, 96-passenger CASANOVA, which will be moved from the Po to the Rhine and the Danube next year, and I can vouch for the quality of the Deilmann cruising experience. One caveat: Deilmann's shore excursions are optional--they aren't bundled with the fare, as they are at Viking and some other lines--which is good if you prefer independent travel but not so good if you prefer bus tours to exploring towns and cities on your own.)

One comment about river cruises in Italy: Except for Venice, the ports included in Po River cruises are mostly industrial harbors or villages of no great interest. The shore excursions to Cremona, Mantua, etc. are the main drawing cards. If you dislike spending a lot of time in a coach, you might be better off sticking with the Rhine, Danube, Rhone, and other rivers where ships dock in cities and towns that are interesting in their own right.

Mrs Captain and himself returned 10/20/04 from Uniworld's River Duchess cruise; Amsterdam to Vienna, with a few extra post-cruise days in Vienna. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip. The ship is only 1 year-old, and beautifully appointed. For the most part, the food was very good to excellent; the service-staff we found to be outstanding. We greatly enjoyed the itinerary; took almost 200 pictures; you can see them at http://gallery.ashbean.com/floridawoodward. The few extra days in Vienna were a real treat, especially if you are a music lover. The cruise director (Tony) was extremely knowledgeable, and the local guides were great. We too have been on a number of ocean cruises (hard to relate apples to oranges) but rank this as one of the best vacation trips yet. We feel we got excellent value for our $$$. We're considering Uniworld's Italy cruise for next year -- maybe taking a train from London to Venice.

Best wishes from the fabulous Florida Keys,

Captain George

We're considering Uniworld's Italy cruise for next year -- maybe taking a train from London to Venice.

You might want to look into CroisiEurope's MICHELANGELO cruises, too. The MICHELANGELO caters mostly to a French audience, but the company does market to English-speaking travelers. I walked through the MICHELANGELO in Venice about half a dozen times when the CASANOVA was moored next to it in Venice last week, and the ship seemed comfortble enough (though not as luxurious as Deilmann's five-star ship). See:

http://www.croisiere.com

One caveat: The Po has had its share of problems with river levels over the past couple of years, so you could find the itinerary changing fairly drastically if waters are low or (as occurred less than two weeks ago) unusually high.

I would also suggest checking out Vantage. We did a Christmas cruise with them and enjoyed it thoroughly.

I have a trip story that I can e-mail. My address is highlandpark@mindspring.com

We just booked a river cruise with Grand Circle from Basel to Antwerp for Sept. We have had positive comments on that cruise and decided after researching Viking and others this was the best. There are many on the board that have given advice. This will be our first river cruise and we liked the idea of not unpacking and packing like on land tours. it stops in towns where you get off with a guide so everything is done for you. Hope this has helped.

A postscript regarding Uniworld's Po River offerings: When I was in Venice about a week and a half ago, the VENEZIA was the only one of the four river cruisers in town with rust on its hull. Granted, the ship was nearing the end of its season, but the fact remained that the CASANOVA, RIVER CLOUD II, and MICHELANGELO looked a lot spiffier--at least on the outside.

We have had several sets of friends who are experienced cruisers (river and ocean) go on river cruises with Viking, Uniworld, Grand Circle and Vantage. They have enjoyed all of them and would travel with each group again on a riverboat cruise. For several of them Viking is their preferred line, but state that they have no complaints about the other ones I mentioned.

We did Grand Circle's Great Rivers of Europe cruise from Amsterdam to Vienna last summer. Of 19 cruises, this was our first river cruise. We were completely satisfied- the ship was perfect, the food outstanding. Our cabin had a balcony, that we especially enjoyed.

Most of the shore excursions were included, I think in the 14 days, there were three "optional tours." We thought the cruise was exceptional value for the money, even with the weak dollar. I should mention that this was our 8th travel experience with Grand Circle, and they have never disappointed us. After leaving the ship in Vienna, we did our own "post tour," we stayed in Vienna an extra day, then traveled by train to London, with stops in Munich and Brussels. It was a super vacation.

:) Last August we took our first (and not the last) European river cruise. We checked out several cruise lines and ended up with Amadeus Waterways. We just completed a 12 days "Legendary Danube" cruise aboard the MS Symphony. The tour started in Prague and ended in Budapest. Everything was great. The hotels in Prague and Budapest were outstanding and the Ms Symphony surpassed our highest expectations. The crew was extremely friendly and knowlegable and the food was fantastic --- especially the sumtuous breakfast buffet. Amadeus Waterway's state-side office was very helpful. The same cruise program is sold by various tour operators. We found UET on the web --- http://*****amade1.html --- and booked with them since UET offered the cruise at the best price. We saved substancially with them and our booking was handled very professionally. One thing we found out was important: to book early to get a cabin of your choice.

tban

:cool: Did you see the avalon review ?:D