Help - trying to choose the right line to be on for river cruisint

[H2Otstr]

In 11 days I will depart for my 10th river cruise, and I have #'s 11, 12 and 13 booked. I have traveled with Viking, Uniworld, AMA, Gate 1 and Grand Circle. I would travel with any of them again, and have trips booked.

 

The first thing that we look at is itinerary. I really don't care how old the boat is, what type of bedding, the size of the cabin, or what type window I have. We have only had problems on one trip and that was due to low water levels. We did have a ditzy CD on one, but that was OK, too.

 

We just like being on the water, docking in town and being able to walk right off the boat and only having to unpack once for a multi-day trip.

 

One has to determine where their priorities are. And as has been mentioned by others, river cruising is not for everyone, but for those that like it (Pacmom :D), we are hooked.

[kazu]

In 11 days I will depart for my 10th river cruise, and I have #'s 11, 12 and 13 booked. I have traveled with Viking, Uniworld, AMA, Gate 1 and Grand Circle. I would travel with any of them again, and have trips booked.

 

The first thing that we look at is itinerary. I really don't care how old the boat is, what type of bedding, the size of the cabin, or what type window I have. We have only had problems on one trip and that was due to low water levels. We did have a ditzy CD on one, but that was OK, too.

 

We just like being on the water, docking in town and being able to walk right off the boat and only having to unpack once for a multi-day trip.

 

One has to determine where their priorities are. And as has been mentioned by others, river cruising is not for everyone, but for those that like it (Pacmom :D), we are hooked.

 

Thanks:)

[sippican]

You might find the blog by Mike Priesman (http://www.thepriesmans.com) of interest.

 

He and his wife did Budapest to Prague with AMA - and his account of his trip was instrumental in our decision to book the same cruise.

 

Fran

 

Hmmmm…. can't seem to get anywhere with that link, or a web search.

I am eager to read this. Can you clarify?

[newfirsttimer]

Hmmmm…. can't seem to get anywhere with that link, or a web search.

I am eager to read this. Can you clarify?

the link is www.thepreismans.com

[kazu]

the link is www.thepreismans.com

 

works great - thanks:):) a big help to us newbies overwhelmed with research:D

[sippican]

You might find the blog by Mike Priesman (http://www.thepriesmans.com) of interest.

 

He and his wife did Budapest to Prague with AMA - and his account of his trip was instrumental in our decision to book the same cruise.

 

Fran

 

the link is www.thepreismans.com

 

Ahhhhh, the old "ie", "ei" confusion. Got it now.

Thanks!

[franski]

Ahhhhh, the old "ie", "ei" confusion. Got it now.

Thanks!

 

 

Guess the cerebral spell check didn't click in on this one... :o

 

Sorry about that!!

 

Fran

[Sylve1]

Sylvie, we took a tour of Parliament in Budapest during one of our stays there. Booked thru Viatours really good tour. Hope your trip is wonderful. Pat[/

 

I like viatour as even if you dont book with them it gives you a great idea of the popular spots to visit. I haven't looked for awhile so I will check it out. Thanks. :o

[pacmom]

Fran, thankfully there are still rivers left to sail. When Uniworld frist had the Po, we looked at it but it really didn't sail up the Po and again it is offered. A good way to see Venice but too much busing.

 

Even tho there have been repeat visits to cities, we still find things to see. We have been to Cologne 3 times with different lines. All three included tours focised on different aspects of the City---one was Christmas markets and another the archectual history of the city.

Budapest is another city that we have spent 3 times---1 winter and 2 summer--still need to spend more time on the Castle side. Our second time in Melk we wandered the town istead of going again to the monastery. One other time we were berthed across from the town of Melk in a lovely smll town and just wandered the town --had a really good beer.

 

Rivers still to go are the Irriwaddy, Girone, Mekong ( but no Hanoi),and the Guadaliver in Spain--hopefully we will get to sail on all of them.

 

Maybe we'll get to meet on a river cruise. Pat

[WhansaMi]

Hello,

 

 

Most of them seem to include tours - is that correct? We're not a fan of big tours but if they are just walking tours then probably ok.

 

 

Thanks so very much:D

 

We got back a couple of weeks ago from our first river cruise, so I can't be a help in choosing a specific line, but I did want to respond to this section.

 

We, too, tend to avoid big tours. Somehow, I imagined that, since the ships would be smaller, the group tours would be, as well. That was not the case. On our cruise, there were about 35 people in each group. Lots of large bus rides. Going anywhere with the group took many times longer, because of people walking slowly, or entering a room and stopping, preventing the passengers behind them from entering. Suddenly I remembered why I had only taken one ocean liner-sponsored tour! I really dislike being herded!

 

The quality of the tour guides was hit and miss...more often miss than hit. There was a lot more emphasis on the architecture and who did the murals than on the stories that bring history to life. Some of the guides' accents were so thick as to render them indecipherable.

 

In general, I did not enjoy our river cruise (sorry folks!). The herding aspect of it was a **large** part of the reason why. If you prefer small groups, or going it alone, you may find yourself more comfortable on an ocean liner.

[kazu]

We got back a couple of weeks ago from our first river cruise, so I can't be a help in choosing a specific line, but I did want to respond to this section.

 

We, too, tend to avoid big tours. Somehow, I imagined that, since the ships would be smaller, the group tours would be, as well. That was not the case. On our cruise, there were about 35 people in each group. Lots of large bus rides. Going anywhere with the group took many times longer, because of people walking slowly, or entering a room and stopping, preventing the passengers behind them from entering. Suddenly I remembered why I had only taken one ocean liner-sponsored tour! I really dislike being herded!

 

The quality of the tour guides was hit and miss...more often miss than hit. There was a lot more emphasis on the architecture and who did the murals than on the stories that bring history to life. Some of the guides' accents were so thick as to render them indecipherable.

 

In general, I did not enjoy our river cruise (sorry folks!). The herding aspect of it was a **large** part of the reason why. If you prefer small groups, or going it alone, you may find yourself more comfortable on an ocean liner.

 

Thanks so much - I appreciate all input and DH really hates being 'herded".

I'll share this with him. Any info is a big help and much appreciated.

 

Really appreciate you taking the time to come on and share.

 

thanks so much:)

[sippican]

Guess the cerebral spell check didn't click in on this one... :o

 

Sorry about that!!

 

Fran

 

Thanks for sharing. It is an amazing travel log!

 

We got back a couple of weeks ago from our first river cruise, so I can't be a help in choosing a specific line, but I did want to respond to this section.

 

We, too, tend to avoid big tours. Somehow, I imagined that, since the ships would be smaller, the group tours would be, as well. That was not the case. On our cruise, there were about 35 people in each group. Lots of large bus rides. Going anywhere with the group took many times longer, because of people walking slowly, or entering a room and stopping, preventing the passengers behind them from entering. Suddenly I remembered why I had only taken one ocean liner-sponsored tour! I really dislike being herded!

 

The quality of the tour guides was hit and miss...more often miss than hit. There was a lot more emphasis on the architecture and who did the murals than on the stories that bring history to life. Some of the guides' accents were so thick as to render them indecipherable.

 

In general, I did not enjoy our river cruise (sorry folks!). The herding aspect of it was a **large** part of the reason why. If you prefer small groups, or going it alone, you may find yourself more comfortable on an ocean liner.

 

Would you mind sharing which line you cruised with?

 

I'm seeing that some companies offer a few options in each port, rather than one. Am wondering if they all end up being large groups?

[WhansaMi]

 

 

 

Would you mind sharing which line you cruised with?

 

I'm seeing that some companies offer a few options in each port, rather than one. Am wondering if they all end up being large groups?

 

We went with Vantage, on the River Odyssey. The full review is in the "member review" section.

 

Our line offered a couple of options at a few of the ports. None of the groups was small. They also offered the "active walker" option several of the ports; again, there was little to no impact on the size of the groups. It is a matter of numbers -- there were four program managers for all the passengers. Typically, we were in one group, but if they structured the day differently (by chosen activity, or by different "level" groups), they would just shuffle the PMs around, but it was still a ratio of 134 passengers to 4 PMs.

 

Now, perhaps other lines do it differently, and I am unaware of it.

 

At one point, I just refused to get on the bus. :-) I told my husband I'd had enough, and, from that point on I think we only went with the group one day. Those were very nice days. However, I was aware that it meant that we had wasted a fair amount of money - we had paid a premium to have these tours included, and now were paying entrance fees, and, in some ports, transportation, on our own.

 

From talking to passengers from other ships (sometimes when you dock, the ships "double park" for the lack of a better word, and the passengers from one boat walk through the lobby of the other boat to gain access -- sometimes you can talk to people on the other boat) the only ones I found that did things significantly differently were the lines that were predominantly European passengers, and had bicycling groups on-board. I don't bike, but if I were to have to go on a river cruise, I'd start training! ;-)

 

There was one other couple who found themselves in the same position we were in, and we spent a fair amount of time with them, and still keep in touch. We all agreed that, if you are generally independent travelers who rarely took ship's excursions on ocean liners, preferring to either go off entirely on your own, or researching the area and finding private guides, then the river cruise experience may not be for you. If, on the other hand, you like having everything planned out for you and a group, and had a good tolerance for large groups, then the river cruise is a good value.

[Wormy53]

We went with Vantage, on the River Odyssey. The full review is in the "member review" section.

 

Our line offered a couple of options at a few of the ports. None of the groups was small. They also offered the "active walker" option several of the ports; again, there was little to no impact on the size of the groups. It is a matter of numbers -- there were four program managers for all the passengers. Typically, we were in one group, but if they structured the day differently (by chosen activity, or by different "level" groups), they would just shuffle the PMs around, but it was still a ratio of 134 passengers to 4 PMs.

 

Now, perhaps other lines do it differently, and I am unaware of it.

 

At one point, I just refused to get on the bus. :-) I told my husband I'd had enough, and, from that point on I think we only went with the group one day. Those were very nice days. However, I was aware that it meant that we had wasted a fair amount of money - we had paid a premium to have these tours included, and now were paying entrance fees, and, in some ports, transportation, on our own.

 

From talking to passengers from other ships (sometimes when you dock, the ships "double park" for the lack of a better word, and the passengers from one boat walk through the lobby of the other boat to gain access -- sometimes you can talk to people on the other boat) the only ones I found that did things significantly differently were the lines that were predominantly European passengers, and had bicycling groups on-board. I don't bike, but if I were to have to go on a river cruise, I'd start training! ;-)

 

There was one other couple who found themselves in the same position we were in, and we spent a fair amount of time with them, and still keep in touch. We all agreed that, if you are generally independent travelers who rarely took ship's excursions on ocean liners, preferring to either go off entirely on your own, or researching the area and finding private guides, then the river cruise experience may not be for you. If, on the other hand, you like having everything planned out for you and a group, and had a good tolerance for large groups, then the river cruise is a good value.

 

You are starting to worry me a bit. I exercise daily and my DH is an avid golfer. We both WALK - we don't saunter. Since they had an "active" walker choice in their excursions, I didn't think we would have a problem. Maybe it is just the "luck of the draw" when it comes to the fellow passengers.

 

We are both 50's and taking our first river cruise. Hopefully we will have time to explore on our own after the town orientation tour. We also usually arrange our own tours (we also hate the cattle calls).

 

I read your review (Very informative - BTW) and appreciated the detail. One of my pet peeves is people that ride an escalator, express sidewalk, etc - then stop when others are coming into the same area. A little situational awareness would be nice.

 

I DO know what currency I will need and where I am going next. Thanks for your views. How many Euros should we bring for a 2 wk trip? - just a general idea would be nice.

[LHT28]

You are starting to worry me a bit. I exercise daily and my DH is an avid golfer. We both WALK - we don't saunter. Since they had an "active" walker choice in their excursions, I didn't think we would have a problem. Maybe it is just the "luck of the draw" when it comes to the fellow passengers.

 

 

Just remember the group does stop for photos & to hear the explanation of the buildings or area you are in

In this case is does not matter how fast or slow you walk

I went with the "easy walkers" & we passed some of the other groups doing the same tour

the only difference I noticed was the "Easy walker" group did not go up steep slopes or places that had a lot of stairs

 

We were with Scenic tours so other river cruises may do things differently

The groups ranged from 20 to 40 people depending on how many were doing that tour

 

as for Euro I took 300E & brought home about 50E ..we only bought coffee/snacks/ ice cream ..did not buy any dust collectors to bring home & all of our excursions were included so no extras to pay for

[WhansaMi]

You are starting to worry me a bit. I exercise daily and my DH is an avid golfer. We both WALK - we don't saunter. Since they had an "active" walker choice in their excursions, I didn't think we would have a problem. Maybe it is just the "luck of the draw" when it comes to the fellow passengers.

 

We are both 50's and taking our first river cruise. Hopefully we will have time to explore on our own after the town orientation tour. We also usually arrange our own tours (we also hate the cattle calls).

 

I read your review (Very informative - BTW) and appreciated the detail. One of my pet peeves is people that ride an escalator, express sidewalk, etc - then stop when others are coming into the same area. A little situational awareness would be nice.

 

I DO know what currency I will need and where I am going next. Thanks for your views. How many Euros should we bring for a 2 wk trip? - just a general idea would be nice.

 

If you are fast walkers, I think you may find it very frustrating. I would guess the average age of the passengers of most river cruises to be well in their sixties, and, of course, the guide must work with the slowest of the group. No one can be left behind. This is the primary reason I don't foresee us taking another river cruise -- I can't see how that can be worked around.

 

Regarding exercising: there was a small exercise room on the ship (about 6'X 10', I think), with an elliptical machine, a stairmaster and a treadmill. There were a couple of hand weights available. I left the yoga mat I purchased in Bratislava on the ship, since it was too heavy to bring home. The friend I made on the ship is a runner, and was mostly able to get off the ship in the morning for her run, but ended up having to be creative sometimes. There were times when she wanted to go for a run,and we weren't docked, or were docked beside another river boat (and couldn't get through to the shore). Because the running track is directly above the cabins, running was limited to 8 am to 10 pm. Just giving you a head's up, as this was something she (nor I) anticipated, and we didn't have a back-up plan.

 

We didn't take a lot of Euros with us. We ensured that our bank would not charge a fee, and we found that the exchange rate was comparable, or sometimes even slightly better than the currency exchange places we saw. We started out with about $500, and then, as we wanted more for purchases, found an ATM.

 

My advice to you would be this: go in with an attitude that, if the groups are annoying you, for any reason (walking too slow, etc.) you will just view the ship as transportation from one port to another, and go on your own. I was much happier when I did that.

 

There were a couple of times that wasn't feasible; sometimes they move the boat while you are off on an excursion, and they can't be 100% sure of where they will dock. In fact, twice we came back to the boat, only to find it wasn't there! To their credit, in both instances they left representatives to either (1) take us to the new dock or (2) let us know that they had moved, but would be back soon. But, it was quite a shock to come back and not see the boat where we were sure we left it!

[sippican]

We went with Vantage, on the River Odyssey. The full review is in the "member review" section.

 

Our line offered a couple of options at a few of the ports. None of the groups was small. They also offered the "active walker" option several of the ports; again, there was little to no impact on the size of the groups. It is a matter of numbers -- there were four program managers for all the passengers. Typically, we were in one group, but if they structured the day differently (by chosen activity, or by different "level" groups), they would just shuffle the PMs around, but it was still a ratio of 134 passengers to 4 PMs.

 

Now, perhaps other lines do it differently, and I am unaware of it.

 

At one point, I just refused to get on the bus. :-) I told my husband I'd had enough, and, from that point on I think we only went with the group one day. Those were very nice days. However, I was aware that it meant that we had wasted a fair amount of money - we had paid a premium to have these tours included, and now were paying entrance fees, and, in some ports, transportation, on our own.

 

From talking to passengers from other ships (sometimes when you dock, the ships "double park" for the lack of a better word, and the passengers from one boat walk through the lobby of the other boat to gain access -- sometimes you can talk to people on the other boat) the only ones I found that did things significantly differently were the lines that were predominantly European passengers, and had bicycling groups on-board. I don't bike, but if I were to have to go on a river cruise, I'd start training! ;-)

 

There was one other couple who found themselves in the same position we were in, and we spent a fair amount of time with them, and still keep in touch. We all agreed that, if you are generally independent travelers who rarely took ship's excursions on ocean liners, preferring to either go off entirely on your own, or researching the area and finding private guides, then the river cruise experience may not be for you. If, on the other hand, you like having everything planned out for you and a group, and had a good tolerance for large groups, then the river cruise is a good value.

 

Thank you for sharing.

We are very active (60s couple who do not make any group wait for us to catch up). We hike, ski, kayak, etc.

I am now rethinking my "spreadsheet". I was placing heavy emphasis on the tours/excursions offered, and the relative value of those. Since we always prefer to book private tours, or DIY in ports, perhaps we should look more to a "value priced" river cruise, and plan to do more independently where possible. We hate "herds".:eek:

Anyone else have any thoughts to share?

Providing specifics on actual cruiselines is very helpful and appreciated.

[WhansaMi]

Thank you for sharing.

We are very active (60s couple who do not make any group wait for us to catch up). We hike, ski, kayak, etc.

I am now rethinking my "spreadsheet". I was placing heavy emphasis on the tours/excursions offered, and the relative value of those. Since we always prefer to book private tours, or DIY in ports, perhaps we should look more to a "value priced" river cruise, and plan to do more independently where possible. We hate "herds".:eek:

Anyone else have any thoughts to share?

Providing specifics on actual cruiselines is very helpful and appreciated.

 

I think that is a wise thing to do. As I just mentioned on the Conde Nast thread, I wish I had seen such information before we made our decision, as it would have probably changed our plans.

 

I would love to see if there are other lines that do things significantly differently. The *concept* of a river cruise appeals to me immensely. We booked nearly 18 months in advance, and it was something we looked forward to for a lot of time! I think that made the reality of it even more difficult; disappointment is always worse after a great time of anticipation.

[newlondon]

WhansaMi, I have now read your review on the member review board. I guess my comment would be why didn't you do more research? If you are trying to save money you get what you pay for. Lines such as Tauck or Uniworld will give you a different experience. All of your complaints about dining I would have thought should have been known ahead of time. I'm not going to comment on your discussion of conversation except to say liberal elitist comes to mind. Glad I didn't have to sit at your table. BTW I responded to you as well on the Conde Nast thread. If you are offended have them removed. I won't be surprised.

[kazu]

WhansaMi, I have now read your review on the member review board. I guess my comment would be why didn't you do more research? If you are trying to save money you get what you pay for. Lines such as Tauck or Uniworld will give you a different experience. All of your complaints about dining I would have thought should have been known ahead of time. I'm not going to comment on your discussion of conversation except to say liberal elitist comes to mind. Glad I didn't have to sit at your table. BTW I responded to you as well on the Conde Nast thread. If you are offended have them removed. I won't be surprised.

 

wow!! research???:confused: that's what this thread was about and I was told to do my own - I don't want this thread turned into attack city thank you very much. if you have research would you mind to share it rather than make us all do our own? It's seems to be a lot harder to research river cruises than ocean cruises IMO and at least on the different regular cruises people are happy to give tips.:rolleyes:

 

There are a lot of us newbies out there seeking help - and I'll take anything I can get.

 

and how the heck do you know this stuff ahead of time???

[WhansaMi]

WhansaMi, I have now read your review on the member review board. I guess my comment would be why didn't you do more research? If you are trying to save money you get what you pay for. Lines such as Tauck or Uniworld will give you a different experience. All of your complaints about dining I would have thought should have been known ahead of time. I'm not going to comment on your discussion of conversation except to say liberal elitist comes to mind. Glad I didn't have to sit at your table. BTW I responded to you as well on the Conde Nast thread. If you are offended have them removed. I won't be surprised.

 

Dear NewLondon,

 

Not to worry. I don't get offended that easily. :-)

 

You are correct, I am a liberal. Elitist, not so much. :-) It implies exclusivity, and one thing I value in life is inclusiveness. That is why I was troubled by the dinner discussions -- the tone and specifics of the conversation did not leave room for any dissenting opinions without it being a big deal.

 

Namaste.

[WhansaMi]

wow!! research???:confused: that's what this thread was about and I was told to do my own - I don't want this thread turned into attack city thank you very much. if you have research would you mind to share it rather than make us all do our own? It's seems to be a lot harder to research river cruises than ocean cruises IMO and at least on the different regular cruises people are happy to give tips.:rolleyes:

 

There are a lot of us newbies out there seeking help - and I'll take anything I can get.

 

and how the heck do you know this stuff ahead of time???

 

Thank you. That has been exactly my point. I didn't ask the right questions, for sure, but I don't know how I was to know the questions to ask, in advance.

 

I *wish* there had been someone like me on this particular board before we scheduled our trip. I do not suggest that my experience is universal; in fact, multiple time, I have said that other lines might do things differently, and suggested that others give specifics about the differences.

 

I believe that the exchange of information is good. People can decide for themselves if it is relevant to their situation, but to only hear from people who enjoyed a particular cruise is not giving a full picture. On the more active boards, I think you get a good smattering of viewpoints. I think that is missing here, which is why I posted.

[WhansaMi]

WhansaMi, I have now read your review on the member review board. I guess my comment would be why didn't you do more research? If you are trying to save money you get what you pay for. Lines such as Tauck or Uniworld will give you a different experience. All of your complaints about dining I would have thought should have been known ahead of time. I'm not going to comment on your discussion of conversation except to say liberal elitist comes to mind. Glad I didn't have to sit at your table. BTW I responded to you as well on the Conde Nast thread. If you are offended have them removed. I won't be surprised.

 

Oops, forgot one thing: regarding dinner, the literature said "open seating, between 5:30 and 7:30". I interpreted that to mean that dinner would be served to you if you came between 5:30 and 7:30, and that you may sit where you wish. I think that was a reasonable interpretation.

 

In actuality, it meant that, depending on the port, dinner would occur sometime between 5:30 and 7:30, the time to be announced the day before, and so, perhaps on Monday we needed to be at dinner at 6:00, on Tuesday, at 5:30, and Wednesday at 7:00. Thee was one seating. Indeed, that is also a reasonable interpretation.

 

For me, that was a downside of the cruise. I know that it is not a problem for everyone. But, it is something I think folks need to be cognizant of, because I think that they could easily read that and interpret differently than it is meant, as I did. Again, information. Research, as you said.

[kazu]

Oops, forgot one thing: regarding dinner, the literature said "open seating, between 5:30 and 7:30". I interpreted that to mean that dinner would be served to you if you came between 5:30 and 7:30, and that you may sit where you wish. I think that was a reasonable interpretation.

 

In actuality, it meant that, depending on the port, dinner would occur sometime between 5:30 and 7:30, the time to be announced the day before, and so, perhaps on Monday we needed to be at dinner at 6:00, on Tuesday, at 5:30, and Wednesday at 7:00. Thee was one seating. Indeed, that is also a reasonable interpretation.

 

For me, that was a downside of the cruise. I know that it is not a problem for everyone. But, it is something I think folks need to be cognizant of, because I think that they could easily read that and interpret differently than it is meant, as I did. Again, information. Research, as you said.

 

well thank you for that from us:) I interpreted the same things when I read some of the stuff - so it is basically fixed seating at a set time, but you don't know the time until the day before?

 

I have no problem to do fixed or open seating if need be - but certainly the few brochures and research I have read led me to believe it was open seating not fixed at some unknown time every day:confused:

[WhansaMi]

well thank you for that from us:) I interpreted the same things when I read some of the stuff - so it is basically fixed seating at a set time, but you don't know the time until the day before?

 

I have no problem to do fixed or open seating if need be - but certainly the few brochures and research I have read led me to believe it was open seating not fixed at some unknown time every day:confused:

 

Jacqui, I can only speak for the one river cruise I have been on, but, yes, that is how it was done on our cruise. Depending on when the last tour was done, the dinner time was set around that.

 

Perhaps others can chime in as to how it is done on other lines.

 

You're welcome. :-)