First Time River Cruise Guidance

[nana541]

Very good reasons! Thanks for the advice :)

[Jeep61]

Well, since it was raining in southern California for days I spent the time researching the various Danube river cruises. The advice and guidance from this forum are very helpful but I found the exercise of digging into each itinerary and cruise line also enlightening. This is probably more info than anyone wants or needs but it showed me the differences in inclusiveness and optional excursion issues. I know there are errors but I am attaching the completed forms in case they can help another newbie. We would not be traveling until spring 2014 and the attached information is based on 2013 options.

 

Now for the question: Is there a preference in cruising upstream (Budapest towards Prague) or doing downstream (from Prague to Budapest) for mid to late May travel? Yes, I know Prague is not on the Danube but it could be the beginning or ending of a trip. Many thanks.

River Cruise Comparison Chart.pdf

[5326jan]

Well, since it was raining in southern California for days I spent the time researching the various Danube river cruises. The advice and guidance from this forum are very helpful but I found the exercise of digging into each itinerary and cruise line also enlightening. This is probably more info than anyone wants or needs but it showed me the differences in inclusiveness and optional excursion issues. I know there are errors but I am attaching the completed forms in case they can help another newbie. We would not be traveling until spring 2014 and the attached information is based on 2013 options.

 

Now for the question: Is there a preference in cruising upstream (Budapest towards Prague) or doing downstream (from Prague to Budapest) for mid to late May travel? Yes, I know Prague is not on the Danube but it could be the beginning or ending of a trip. Many thanks.

 

Hi Jeep, your spread sheet looks a lot like mine, but soooo much neater! ;) So, after all the rainy days of research, did you decide which company?

[sippican]

Well, since it was raining in southern California for days I spent the time researching the various Danube river cruises. The advice and guidance from this forum are very helpful but I found the exercise of digging into each itinerary and cruise line also enlightening. This is probably more info than anyone wants or needs but it showed me the differences in inclusiveness and optional excursion issues. I know there are errors but I am attaching the completed forms in case they can help another newbie. We would not be traveling until spring 2014 and the attached information is based on 2013 options.

 

Now for the question: Is there a preference in cruising upstream (Budapest towards Prague) or doing downstream (from Prague to Budapest) for mid to late May travel? Yes, I know Prague is not on the Danube but it could be the beginning or ending of a trip. Many thanks.

 

Wow, what a wealth of information, and so generous of you to share. I found many of the posted fares do not include taxes or port charges. (I just don't recall which lines do or don't. It's one of those things buried in the fine print.)

I'm sure you'll find more to add next time it rains! :D The fact that AMA offers different touring styles (active vs slower paced) and bicycles were important factors for us.

We are booking for the summer of 2014. We decided to cruise downstream based on some info I read, but the factors were not very compelling either way.(I'll see if I can dig it up.)

Can't wait to hear what you decide.

[sippican]

Now for the question: Is there a preference in cruising upstream (Budapest towards Prague) or doing downstream (from Prague to Budapest) for mid to late May travel? Yes, I know Prague is not on the Danube but it could be the beginning or ending of a trip. Many thanks.

 

Here you go.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1482573&highlight=which+direction+danube

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1578477&highlight=which+direction+danube

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1664388&highlight=which+direction+danube

 

http://www.hillmanwonders.com/river_cruise/river_cruise_danube.htm

 

I skimmed through them again and am convinced there is not a clear advantage either way.

[franski]

Jeep61 - great job.... I know the amount of work that takes, as I did something similar for our Tulip Time cruise.

 

Just a couple of corrections...

 

Under included beverages, Scenic will be starting with all inclusive/all day starting in 2013. This includes a mini-bar in your room. A couple of things are not included (high end spirits - am thinking single malt scotch, and French champagne) but these are outlined in their brochure. I believe Tauck may offer the same - but perhaps someone who has travelled with Tauck can confirm.

 

Under transfers, Uniworld offers airport transfers on day of embarkation and disembarkation even if you do not use their air. So - unless you are going in earlier, or staying longer, you are OK for transfers with them.

 

One other thing to look at is the inclusions in both Budapest and Prague. If there are extra days in a hotel as part of the package, what is included? Most will include breakfast at the hotel, and perhaps one walking excursion - but is anything else included?

 

There is so much to consider... One other thing is the type of early booking discount. Do you need to pay in full? If you booked now for 2014, can you lock in the 2013 price? Or, do you put a deposit down - that they will refund if the price goes up more than "x" %?

 

Can't help with the direction... we started in Budapest when we went, and were very happy. Going back to the Danube next year - and starting in Budapest again!! The dates worked better for us...

 

Enjoy the planning. Let us know who you decide to book with. And, it would be interesting to know what ultimately was the deciding factor.

 

Fran

[John99]

I've done several river cruises with various different companies. My favorite has been by far Viking. I've done different itineraries with them and did the one you are thinking of last year. It was amazing. I usually don't check here often so email me if you want more information as I was helped out a lot when I first looked into it and want to pay it forward. pablo.pjrodriguez@gmail.com with more questions. It's an amazing experience and you will love it!

 

 

Hi John,

 

You stated on CC --

"I've done several river cruises with various different companies. My favorite has been by far Viking. I've done different itineraries with them and did the one you are thinking of last year. It was amazing."

 

We are looking at our 1st river cruise after many ocean cruises. Leaning towards the Danube -- Prague to Budapest. Currently, performing research on what river cruise line to chose. We're an active retired coupe in our late 60's.

 

Looking at: Viking, AMA waterways and Avalon. From your comments on CC, these are the same lines you have used in the past. As of this date, we are really looking at Viking. Price has played a heavy role with that cruise line. Also, the new longboats look very interesting. When I performed a spread sheet comparison, AMA and Avalon appear more expensive than Viking. But price is not the only consideration. The only thing I don't like (so far) is "paying" up front and the "2 for 1" marketing. That's really deceiving . Also, of lesser consideration would be "slow " moving tours. You can only go as fast as the slowest person in the tour. AMA's "active" tours look interesting. But, again there are so many other things to consider. So, I have few questions:

 

What made Viking your favorite? How about the itinerary? Value for the money? Service? Pricing? How about the demographics? Was Viking easy to work with?

 

Any comments (also from CC members) would be welcomed.

 

Thank you in advance.

 

John :)

[Jeep61]

Yesterday we made our reservations for the Danube River cruise in May 2014. Based on your comments and various cruise reviews we reserved a cabin on AmaPrima which is launching in 2013. We chose one of the cabins on the bottom deck because we have done such on small ship cruises in Alaska and Galapagos without any concerns. The friends we are traveling with will be in a French Balcony cabin on one of the upper decks. At this point we have decided to do our own hotels in Prague (4 nights) and Budapest (2 nights) but we have purchased the transfer from AmaWaterways from Prague to the ship. Too early to do anything concrete about hotels and flights but will most likely use KLM/Delta through Amsterdam.

 

It is a long time to wait but everything indicates it will be a grand experience along the Danube! Thanks again for your help and opinions.

[sippican]

Yesterday we made our reservations for the Danube River cruise in May 2014. Based on your comments and various cruise reviews we reserved a cabin on AmaPrima which is launching in 2013. We chose one of the cabins on the bottom deck because we have done such on small ship cruises in Alaska and Galapagos without any concerns. The friends we are traveling with will be in a French Balcony cabin on one of the upper decks. At this point we have decided to do our own hotels in Prague (4 nights) and Budapest (2 nights) but we have purchased the transfer from AmaWaterways from Prague to the ship. Too early to do anything concrete about hotels and flights but will most likely use KLM/Delta through Amsterdam.

 

It is a long time to wait but everything indicates it will be a grand experience along the Danube! Thanks again for your help and opinions.

 

How much did they charge for the transfer add on? We will probably DIY in Prague too, so I am interested in our options. Thanks.

[Jeep61]

How much did they charge for the transfer add on? We will probably DIY in Prague too, so I am interested in our options. Thanks.

 

AmaWaterways charged $90 per person for the transfer from Prague to the boat at Vilshofen for our May 2014 cruise. It appears on our reservation as do the port charges and 5% discount.

[caviargal]

Yesterday we made our reservations for the Danube River cruise in May 2014. Based on your comments and various cruise reviews we reserved a cabin on AmaPrima which is launching in 2013. We chose one of the cabins on the bottom deck because we have done such on small ship cruises in Alaska and Galapagos without any concerns. The friends we are traveling with will be in a French Balcony cabin on one of the upper decks. At this point we have decided to do our own hotels in Prague (4 nights) and Budapest (2 nights) but we have purchased the transfer from AmaWaterways from Prague to the ship. Too early to do anything concrete about hotels and flights but will most likely use KLM/Delta through Amsterdam.

 

It is a long time to wait but everything indicates it will be a grand experience along the Danube! Thanks again for your help and opinions.

 

We sailed on AmaCerto in November, which is a sister to AmaPrima. It was the best of our 6 river cruises to date.

 

We really enjoy AMA and the boat was stunning. We had two of the Aquarium class cabins, two French balconies and three of the double balconies, all in different categories. The A class cabins were nicely done and comfortable. Would not hesitate to book again.