River cruising - a good value or not?

[Ship's Wake]

With so much demand for river cruising now, prices have been going up at a fairly decent rate.

 

There's no question that it is a great way to travel for many. But when you factor in the per diem rate that you are paying, it is in many cases more expensive to take a river cruise than to take a land trip and stay in similar quality accommodations and pay for guides as needed and enjoy quality local dining.

 

We're starting to reach the point where land trips make more sense than taking a river cruise.

 

What do you think? Do you consider river cruising to be a good value?

[Hoyaheel]

What do you think? Do you consider river cruising to be a good value?

 

No, for the money - I'd much rather do a land vacation on my own. But I've been overruled by my other half :p I'm ok trying everything once and then making a decision on whether or not I'd do it again.....

[rogerdawhip]

As a solo traveler taking a river cruise is a much better value than a land base tour. This may not be true for couples since they can share a car, room and other amenities.

[Talisker92]

Having done both, we love to cruise. You unpack once, sleep in the same bed, know where your meals are, and your tours are arranged.

We took a 7 day New England land tour, and loved it, but it was bags outside at 7 AM on the bus at 9, check in to the next hotel, etc.

The best compromise we found was on a Bernese Alps trip on our own, we stayed in the same hotel for a week and used a rail pass to go all over!

[Hoyaheel]

To clarify - my favorite vacation is renting an apartment somewhere and exploring that area (we've just done cities so far). I have absolutely no interest in doing a bus tour with other people. Cruising (ocean so far, and river to come) in my opinion is a nice way to get a quick overview of areas I have not yet visited to see where I might want to spend more time....

[Got2Cruise]

Having done both, we love to cruise. You unpack once, sleep in the same bed, know where your meals are, and your tours are arranged.

We took a 7 day New England land tour, and loved it, but it was bags outside at 7 AM on the bus at 9, check in to the next hotel, etc.

The best compromise we found was on a Bernese Alps trip on our own, we stayed in the same hotel for a week and used a rail pass to go all over!

 

We have the same opinion. I would not like a bus tour at all. We rode for two hours to get to Normandy from Rouen, and I found myself falling asleep, not paying attention. I would rather travel independently over a bus tour. The thing I hate the most about traveling independently is dinner. Usually if you choose a place, then you have to wait long for a table, or if not, you need to research extensively on line before you leave and then stay to a set schedule. I like not having to "think" on a river cruise. You have your meals, you have your appointments at all of the attractions.

 

What we like to do is stay post and pre tour independently and then you get to experience two major cities in depth.

 

River Cruising is not for the "value" it is more for the convenience and pleasure.

[franski]

If you only look at per diem rates, then river cruising is expensive.

 

But - when you factor in the food, the drinks and the excursions - I doubt it would be that much more expensive.

 

It would be interesting if someone actually did a head-to-head comparison. Looked at the price of a hotel room, added in the cost of meals and beverages (and actually compare apples to apples... if you had a 4 course meal with wine at a comparable restaurant, what would the cost be??), the transport in the cities, and the transportation to get between cities, some type of tour etc. Then add in your time to do all of the arrangements.

 

Could you get the same experiences for less money? Perhaps - with lots of planning.

 

We enjoy the experience of the cruise itself. So are willing to pay for that.

 

I do lots of research before we book anything (well, usually... some bookings have been a bit "spur of the moment... :D) and look at the end price. If it is what I am willing to pay for the "vacation" then I book. This is no different than any other holiday. IMHO, if you get caught up in the "value" or the "per diem rate", then you will spend much of your vacation worried that you spent too much - or that you could have spent your money "better". And - the vacation will be a disappointment if *anything* doesn't go according to plan.

 

Fran

[Ship's Wake]

As a solo traveler taking a river cruise is a much better value than a land base tour. This may not be true for couples since they can share a car, room and other amenities.

 

Hadn't thought about this, but you make an excellent point here. Especially if you are able to obtain a rate with no or minimal single supplement.

[honumaui]

I think river cruising is probably more expensive but when you factor in all the time wasted changing hotels, looking for restaurants, etc etc..it is a good value...esp if you want to visit multiple cities...you are usually docked just a short walk to the town centers. If you are only going to one or two cities ,renting a place to explore from would probably be less expensive..depending on the accomodations & restaurants you choose. We like knowing exactly what we are getting for our $$$ and have booked our third rc ( on Avalon) in 2014. Plus we enjoy meeting lots of interesting people on the boat. No way would we enjoy a bus tour. Hubby would miss most of the scenery sleeping.

[LucasLounger1]

I'm often tempted by river cruises because we love Europe so much! We've traveled a lot in Europe, and independently. In the end I just can't book the cruise, because for the price of an 8-day cruise itinerary I can design a three-week trip with car rental (or train travel, depending on country), nice accommodation and beautiful meals.

 

(I am factoring airfare into both the river cruise and land vacation costs)

 

Also, often the included excursions on the river cruise aren't really what I'd want to do in that port anyway.

[Ship's Wake]

No way would we enjoy a bus tour. Hubby would miss most of the scenery sleeping.

 

No way would I want a bus tour either.

 

Perhaps I was not clear in my post - I was referring to independent travel.

[janmcn]

Some things that need to be factored in also are the "extra days" that a land trip would need to cover the same amount of ground. We figured that in on one of our cruises and there's no way we could have done it for what the cruise cost.

Meals, accommodations, car/train/plane, tours, PLUS extra meals,accommodations, trains/cars, etc…for the 'in-between' days

[coolerchick]

I went through the same thing about a year ago before I booked the cruise.

 

I am not a "bus person" either - I like to do my own thing BUT I determined that the cost was comparable IF I should plan a land trip.

 

Bear in mind, the RC will take us to 3 countries. That's where the convenience comes in. If you don't mind going by train from country to country, it won't be as much as taking a flight.

 

Then food - Switzerland is incredibly expensive but then there are other countries where food is cheaper.

 

Bottom line, depends on where you want to go and if it's one country or more.

 

For 2015 - I'll be arranging a land trip for Italy. Rome, Florence and Venice. Not looking forward to trying to arrange that. So please let me know what you decide.

[Got2Cruise]

You really can't put a price tag on the value of cruising the Rhine, Danube, Seine etc

It also depends on your personal preference of quality if travel. For me aquarium class is true value. Others couldn't consider it

[franski]

It also depends on your personal preference of quality if travel. For me aquarium class is true value. Others couldn't consider it

 

I'm with you.... Did spring for a French balcony - once - and decided it wasn't worth it for us.

 

I decided I would sooner put the money towards the "next trip".... (DH has no option but to agree... I do the bookings!!! :D )

 

Fran

[CPT Trips]

You really can't put a price tag on the value of cruising the Rhine, Danube, Seine etc

It also depends on your personal preference of quality if travel. For me aquarium class is true value. Others couldn't consider it

 

LOL, aquarium class . . . where you sleep "underwater". Combine that with last minute and you get real value.

[cruzersky2]

OMG - I just wrote a BIG post & lost it... sorry if it reposts.

 

First of all, I had a great time on every trip. I travel with people I like, connect with fellow travellers, and overlook the small stuff.

 

Anyhow, I am coordinating a trip for four female friends. I did a spreadsheet on land tours (bus), large cruise ships, river tours, Canadian train tours, and "on our own". I factored in every cost I could think of; tour price, air fare, extras such as port taxes, # of meals included, add-on tours, extra hotel days, tips, etc.

 

Land tours - you can see a lot, but you are on a bus. Assigned seats, claustrophibia, boredom. Also, packing & unpacking. However, it is uauslly cheaper. You will be with a group of about 35-40 people, probably a few families, some couples, small groups & some singles. If you are lucky, you will like most of them.

 

Big cruise ships - I have only done the Caribbean, since I live in FL. Bad food and the bigger the ship, the more time & walking it takes to get around. Forget something in your cabin, 20 mins there & 20 mins back. Enough said.

 

On your own - Unless your are a fantastic planner, you can waste a lot of time. But you can do what you want. Change your idea, ok, lets go! Except for one trip I did many years ago in my younger days, it aways seems like we are "mad wanderers". When a few of us did an Ireland land tour, we added a week on our own. Got a flat tire and spent a day in a garage. When we got to Scotland, the Queen was arriving for a visit and we could only find rooms for one night. We had to leave early and take a sleeper train to London so we had a place to sleep!

 

This next trip is a river cruise, Viking Paris/Normandy. The verdict is still out on river cruising, but we are adding on four days in Paris. The plan is to rent an apartment by the day. There are many recommended on this site. NO regular tourist sites. I like the chocolate & pastry tour, and some other off the beaten track ideas.

 

Hope this helps. Sometimes the snafu's are the most memorable

[travelfirst]

After more than 20 land trips out of the country and 12 ocean cruises and 3 Viking river cruises (plus one more in November), I love the river cruises the best.

I think they are more relaxing and I just have to pack and go and everything is taken care of.

[TravelBugM]

We love independent travel and our first cruise this past June was a HUGE leap of faith. We enjoyed it and have booked another river cruise next June mostly so we can take my mom with us. We probably would not have booked another river cruise so quickly.

 

I LOVE planning our independent trips. I'm a research nerd and find the planning very relaxing and extremely enjoyable. This will problably be our travel mode of choice until we are no longer able.

[SeaTheWorldBySea]

This thread has been very interesting - I think especially for those of us new to river cruising. We have done many ocean cruises and do not expect river cruising to be the same - but welcome the opportunity to try something new. We might enjoy the river more than open ocean cruising - no getting seasick for me! Pre and post ocean cruise travel has been done independently and we enjoy that too.

 

We are so grateful to be able to experience travel of all kinds!

[Hydrokitty]

OMG - I just wrote a BIG post & lost it... sorry if it reposts.

 

First of all, I had a great time on every trip. I travel with people I like, connect with fellow travellers, and overlook the small stuff.

 

Anyhow, I am coordinating a trip for four female friends. I did a spreadsheet on land tours (bus), large cruise ships, river tours, Canadian train tours, and "on our own". I factored in every cost I could think of; tour price, air fare, extras such as port taxes, # of meals included, add-on tours, extra hotel days, tips, etc.

 

Land tours - you can see a lot, but you are on a bus. Assigned seats, claustrophibia, boredom. Also, packing & unpacking. However, it is uauslly cheaper. You will be with a group of about 35-40 people, probably a few families, some couples, small groups & some singles. If you are lucky, you will like most of them.

 

Big cruise ships - I have only done the Caribbean, since I live in FL. Bad food and the bigger the ship, the more time & walking it takes to get around. Forget something in your cabin, 20 mins there & 20 mins back. Enough said.

 

On your own - Unless your are a fantastic planner, you can waste a lot of time. But you can do what you want. Change your idea, ok, lets go! Except for one trip I did many years ago in my younger days, it aways seems like we are "mad wanderers". When a few of us did an Ireland land tour, we added a week on our own. Got a flat tire and spent a day in a garage. When we got to Scotland, the Queen was arriving for a visit and we could only find rooms for one night. We had to leave early and take a sleeper train to London so we had a place to sleep!

 

This next trip is a river cruise, Viking Paris/Normandy. The verdict is still out on river cruising, but we are adding on four days in Paris. The plan is to rent an apartment by the day. There are many recommended on this site. NO regular tourist sites. I like the chocolate & pastry tour, and some other off the beaten track ideas.

 

Hope this helps. Sometimes the snafu's are the most memorable

 

You've hit the nail right on the head!! I've done all three and spent a month in a rented flat in London and loved each and every trip. But, we're not as young as we used to be and river cruising becomes more appealing with each trip (we've done 6). I think if you're physically up to it, independent travel is marvelous....you do what interests you and spend as much time doing it as you want. We did bus tours to Italy, Greece and France and after France decided we would never get on a bus again! Tour was great but the bags out at 6 a.m., breakfast at 7 and on the bus at 8 was exhausting! River cruising seems to give you the best of both. You get to relax, do on your own exploring if you want and don't have to spend a second of your time thinking about where to sleep, eat or what the heck is that noise the car is making? Plus you have the added plus of an experienced guide telling you interesting stuff about where you're going, some of it not appearing in the guide books we all read.

 

Bottom line is there's not one best way to travel...it's whatever appeals to you at the time. That's why there's so many different options. As for saving money, unless you're in your 20's and staying in youth hostels, travel is expensive no matter which you choose. And I agree, sometimes the unexpected problem turns out to be an unforgettable bonus....like getting stuck in Frankfort by an airline strike and spending a couple of days in a fancy hotel seeing stuff not on the itinerary and all on the airline's dime!!:D

[marco]

They sometimes look pricey to begin with, but we've found that after paying for the trip, we've spent virtually nothing more whilst on the trip. The guides are so knowledgeable, what you see and learn, as well as what they know about a town or city that you overnight in, and give you information about what/where to see and go based on your interests is invaluable. The scenery and vistas you enjoy whilst on the rivers has an added value in itself. I think after the trip is over and taking every facet into consideration "experience" of the river cruise is worth the price. However, we've never done a pre/post city add on adn I do think they are pricy. We are going to Prague next month for 9 days. We are paying $300 more than what a river cruise line is offering for a 4 day stay, we're getting a comparable hotel and our airfare R/T from JFK is INCLUDED.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

This is the #1 reason you unpack once...

[newlondon]

Hydrokitty, Imo you hit it out of the park! River cruising is a GREAT value as one gets older and rejects bus travel. We were always independent travelers and now for our 50th anniversary are going to do one more with the family in the Dordogne. Our opinion, however, is it is a lot of work and either river cruising or ocean cruising are our preferred choice.

[lahlah57]

It's a matter of taste!

For us....it's a bargain cause for two weeks everything was included. Tours with the best of local guides! All meals...on or off the ship. No pack and unpack over and over again:mad: This I would despise!!!!

Floating down a river and stopping at various cities with time to explore on your own too. Who would not love it?!:confused:

Alcohol on the other hand was not an all inclusive for those who enjoy to drink at great length but wine and beer at lunch/dinner was great!

Having been on Viking 2 times....they are our river shipline as well as our ocean in 2 yrs!:p