Viking vs. Tauck vs. Uniworld vs. Avalon??

[robynindc]

Looking for any guidance on how to decide between these lines! Has anyone tried more than one, and can offer a comparison? Many thanks in advance; it's so hard to figure out from website descriptions!

 

-Robyn

[Paulinda]

Sorry I'll be on my first river cruise next spring so I can't answer your question specifically. I did choose Avalaon vs Uniworld and Viking because I liked the fact that Avalon did not require immediate payment. I have until March 1 to complete payment. I don't know abut Tauck at all.

 

From the reviews I've read here on Cruise Critic I am happy (so far) with my decision. Hope to see some more responses to your question, I'll be watching.

[cohengm]

and all the lines chosen can give you a great time. Of course, your co-operation will help, i.e. relax, make friends, enjoy the scenery, have reasonable expectations. (P.S. My next river cruise in April will be my first.)

[shoshona2]

Hi Robyn,

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic -- it's a great board with so many wonderful people sharing tips and reviews of their cruises and tours. We chose Tauck for our first venture into River Cruising after cruising on all sizes of vessels for over 40 years and have done 13 tours with Tauck. We got brochures from several of the top companies and did a spread sheet. Tauck is all-inclusive -- tips are included as well as wine, beer, bottled water and soft drinks, all tours are included and pickup and dropoff at the airport or your hotel is also included. So, if you do this search, remember to add up ALL the extras and see what you come up with.

 

If I were you, I would spend several hours and read the reviews of the various river cruises which members of this CC board have taken before you make the final decision.

 

Sheila

[sitraveler]

I agree with all the previous posters. In my mind, a river cruise is not so much a cruise as a bus tour on a boat. All the cruise lines you mention are geared towards English speakers, the tours are well designed and informative, not too demanding. Most passengers are 50+. Depending on which route you choose local transport is often on foot and 2-4 hours long touring. Then the boat moves to the next town.

[pacmom]

The best way to determine which line you want to use is a day by day spreadsheet after you determine your itinerary and when you can travel. Look at the inclusions offered--airfare, wine with dinner, bikes, etc. As I have said before most of us have only travelled an itinerary once so can't make an exact comparison of lines. Many of us have travelled with more than on line, but still have a favorite line. Many have only travelled with one line and will only travel with that one line. You should enjoy the research as part of your trip. Please be mindfull of the lock closures in April of every year--can lead to disappoint in regard to time spent on the river. Good luck and Merry Christmas. Pat

[cohengm]

Since I teach a short course using spreadsheet, I found this use of it interesting. May work great if saving money is your final determinant but ... there are some intangibles which may vary by personal preference, such as size of stateroom, newness of ships, passenger demographics, etc. I love doing research but I'm not too sure that detail of calculating would really be beneficial (unless I'm looking for bottomline figures) but even then, what happens when a limited time special comes along, aka Avalon's 2 for 1 deal in late Sept/Oct). Sometimes you've got to "bite the bullet" and then do the best to enjoy yourself.

[webfoot]

We also used a spreadsheet to make our comparisons. Our first criteria was the itinerary and then started looking at each company, costs, ship size, room size, what's included, etc.

 

Each company has great tours and does a good job. But we did find the spreadsheet helpful in our planning and we haven't been disappointed with our choice for our cruises.

[franski]

Robyn - Do you have any idea of where you want to travel?? That might be a good place to start... And then, how long you want to go for. IMHO, I would suggest a 7 night cruise to start. River cruising is a very different animal than "big ship" cruising - and I would hate to think that you booked 14+ days on a river boat - only to discover that you hated the the experience.

 

We have done 2 cruises - Paris/Normandy with Uniworld - and Blue Danube Discovery with AMA. I would happily cruise with either again. I would also be open to Avalon. I know that Tauck does have loyal followers as well - but it is that bit more expensive at the outset. I am doing some research into where I want to go next - and always have my eye open for a "too good to pass up" deal.

 

I always enjoy the research - and have found this site to be an amazing source of information. Enjoy the search, and good luck!!!

 

Fran

[Steamboatin]

We selected Uniworld over Viking because Viking had too much free time in its daily schedules.

 

We like being led by a local tour guide. We do not like going out in some unknown city in search of things to see on our own.

 

We were well pleased with Uniworld.

 

Read cruise line literature very carefully as you will spot differences. One may say you will "see" or "pass" a certain spot where another will say you actually visit.

 

Watch for words that mean you will just go by vs. you are actually going in for a visit.

 

Watch for wording that you will spending a lot of time wasted on shopping vs. spending that time in port sight seeing.

 

These are things we have learned over our combined 30 or so cruises and escorted tours.

[trvlgirl99]

Robynindc,

 

We have cruised on Uniworld (multiple times) and AMA, and have walked through many Viking and Avalon ships when tied up next to them in ports (we try to walk around the other ships whenever possible in case we decide to try a different line in the future), so I can offer my thoughts based on those experiences. It all comes down to personal opinion, what we love you might not like, so all I can do is offer our thoughts based on our own likes/dislikes.

 

We have been extremely impressed with every cruise we've taken on Uniworld, the food has been excellent, the service impecable and the ships beautiful and very comfortable (I want to bring the duvet home with me!). Plus, we love the fact that everything is included - daily tours, bicyles (that we used often), bottled water, beer, wine, soft drinks during dinner, cappacinos and espressos - and they provided airport transfers free even when we've used miles for the air. When we compared, all of the other lines were going to charge us for transfers if we used miles and it wasn't cheap! The only thing not included was the tips and that was fine, we prefer to do the tipping ourselves based on the service we actually received rather than having it included upfront before we've received it!

 

AMA - experience was fine but we weren't overwhelmed. The ship was fine, about what we expected. We weren't very impressed with the food, found myself walking away saying "not hungry but not satisfied either". The service was fine, but again not overwhelmed by the experience. Other than the food there wasn't any one thing I could pinpoint as bad, it was just "fine", met our expectations but at the same time there wasn't anything I felt I could really rave about.

 

Avalon - haven't sailed personally, but have walked through a few of their ships when tied up next to them. They had a look that is a cross between Carnival Cruise Lines and IKEA - cabins were very stark and IKEA looking, lounge was purple/blue/red/brass, looked like our first cruise on Carnival back in the early 90's. Some people like that look, for me personally I like the richer, classier look of woods and rich materials so it didn't appeal to me but that is a very personal choice.

 

Viking - haven't sailed personally, but have walked through 4 of their ships when tied up together at various ports and I was disappointed in what we saw in terms of upkeep - someone used the term "mass market" on another thread and I felt that was a good description. Also, when we did the comparison's trying to choose this year's cruise Viking didn't inlcude anything that the other lines did - there was a charge for almost everything including the wine and transfers but they were priced the same or higher as the other options that appeared to be more upscale. I know that a lot of people enjoy them, we would just have difficulty trying them after having the great experiences we've had and seeing the differences in what is offered.

[hcross888]

I have cruised on both Avalon and Amadeus. Both were excellent. First I chose on itinerary. Both offered plenty to do, interesting tours and wine with dinner. Both lines have very new ships and are extremely clean. I would recommend both of them. River cruises are a perfect European vacation as you have no worries as soon as you come aboard.

 

We saw other ships at the ports and I thought the viking ships looked a little older and the Tauck ship was tremendously upscale.

[nordski]

Judging the relative merits is a highly subjective matter.

 

From our experience, having sailed on both, I would return to either Uniworld or Viking while my DW would choose Viking. Our judgements are influenced primarily by the ships/itineraries we experienced. We too have walked through/observed other lines' ships, but to assess them on that basis would require more insight than we enjoy.

 

In making our choices, we start and end with itinerary. The rest is important but not deal-breaking. As for what is or isn't included, well, again, that issue comes down to what is important to you. For example, my wife doesn't drink wine so complementary drinks are irrelevant.

 

Finally, in our experience, since river ships are small the friendliness/helpfulness of your fellow cruisers is an important aspect. Since we come from a traditionally more reserved culture (Canada), we love to cruise with our more gregarious cousins to the south. Indeed, most of our fondest memories return to our fellow passengers. In our experience, Uniworld has a more diverse clientelle than Viking, but I can't speak for all itineraries and the other cruise lines.

 

Finally, all cruise lines enjoy high satisfaction and loyalty ratings. Whichever you choose, you'll likely return.

[caviargal]

For us the number of inclusions are not as important as time in port, comfort of the cabin and bedding and food variety and quality.

 

As for Avalon ships looking similar to Carnival, I respectfully disagree based on my cruises on Carnival and trip on Avalon. On the Affinity, the colors and materials were elegant, the furnishings understated and of very nice quality.

 

Carnival ships IMO are garish and cheap looking as is the entire cruising experience on their ships.

[letsgo39]

I also disagree with the statement that the Avalon ships are garish. The Avalon Tranquility is a lovely ship with beautiful wood and brass and elegant furnishings.