A lot of questions regarding river cruising Christmas - need answer

[Trekker954]

We are trying to figure out if river cruising is for us for 2016 Nov/Dec. My daughter (31 yo) and I cruise often and travel often. We've talked about a river cruise as our next biggie. DD says, if doing a river cruise she wants to do a Christmas cruise. Meaning she'd like to see these European cities lit up, not necessarily the market part. Sure walking through a market will be done, but we aren't that much into shopping when we travel. And these cruises seem very port intensive, I doubt we'll want to walk through every cities christmas market, but we love, love, love christmas lights, themes and such.

 

Are the Christmas "market" river cruises all about shopping. More importantly, what are the time itineraries. Are we only at the ports daytime, like most ocean cruises we've been on? Are some of the excursions in these ports, to see the christmas themes/decorations, or is it all about the markets? If these ships pull out before dark, these may not be what we had hoped.

 

DD is a very picky eater, if she can get pasta every night, simple pasta and olive oil she'll be fine. But I understand these ships are very small, entries limited. Will they be able to work with her. If meals are limited, are the times limited also?

 

We have always enjoyed the entertainments on board, trivia, cocktails, etc. but aren't into late nights. Do they have trivia on board?

 

We are excited, yet apprehensive.

 

Also there are so many options. Its my understanding Uniworld includes drinks (alcohol??) and some excursions. all the others are pay extra for those extras. It seems Viking has the best prices.

 

Are my options limited if doing the Christmas markets. Which lines sail in late November/December?

 

I've done Neckar river day trip a few years back from Heidelberg, going through a couple of locks and seeing a lot of castles.

 

Any thoughts or advice on where to start would help me a lot.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Trekker954

[Rosethorn40]

Well, I guess you better start with the Sticky at top "New to River Cruising"

 

I can answer a few of your questions, and there are others who can answer a whole lot more:) First of all, river cruising in not like an ocean cruise at all.

 

I sailed on Viking and there was no trivia. Usually just before dinner the Program Director would give a talk about the next day events; time we docked, what time the tours left, etc. After dinner there would be some type of program, but it was rather limited. one night we had folk dancers, another night it was a Christmas Song Sing-a-long.

 

Breakfast and lunch were both served during a window of time. The start and end time was determined by what time we docked, what time the included tours started and finished. Dinner was served at 7:00 pm, except the night of the Captains Farewell, which was 7:30. Very picky eaters may have a problem. While I am sure they will try to accommodate your wishes and desires, it just not possible in a kitchen that small to cater to everyone. Only speaking about the Viking Longships, there was a casual venue that had burgers, Caesar Salad with chicken or steak and a few other items.

 

Your best place to experience Christmas is at the markets as they are normally quite festive, don't expect to see extravagant light displays like in the USA.

 

Finally there are a number of reviews about the Christmas Market cruises on Cruise Critic. I would read as many as you can, regardless of the cruise line as each review may mention something you hadn't thought of. Many of the reviews are positive, but not all. Some people find that a river cruise just isn't their cup of tea.

 

several people who have posted reviews, including myself, have blogs or vanity web sites with photos that you can peruse that may help you as well.

[notamermaid]

Hello Trekker954,

 

as Rosethorn has stated very well, looking at other people's experiences who have travelled at that special time of year is probably your best bet.

 

Something you need to know: in Germany traditionally Christmas lights are put up after the last Sunday in November, so do not take a cruise that starts before that. Also, November is often a miserable time as regards the weather.

 

Some countries might be more into Christmas lights and decorations than others in Europe. Again, you can probably find this out in the reviews.

 

For the lights and darkness, compare the sunset times on a internet site to the ship itineraries. This will give you an idea of what can be best experienced where. The early sunset, of course, means you will see less of the landscape than you would in Summer. Please note that the markets are fabulous but can get very crowded, especially in the evening.

 

As regards demographic - for your daughter's sake - I personally might steer away from Viking and also look at what the relatively "new" company Arosa offers. They are a very reputable company in Germany but have only been available to the American market for a couple of years. They tend to have a slightly "younger" image. Would you be comfortable with sharing the boat with non-native speakers of English? Then the European companies are definitely an option. They have mixed language cruise itineraries. So you might hear commentaries both in English and German or French and English.

 

There are a couple of youtube videos - a sort of marketing channel - for Christmas markets in Germany.

 

Any special interest among you two? This might give you a clearer idea as regards country or emphasis on river.

 

You could, for example, include a classical concert on the 23rd December in a port, etc, etc.

 

Also, I am not sure if I have understood this correctly from your post, would you prefer a pure Christmas cruise? The markets close on the 23rd December in most towns, some reopen on the 26th for a few days. The Christmas cruises have special itineraries, festive dinners, I have even heard of an option to attend a Christmas day church service.

 

Always be aware that, river cruising is a laid back, relatively safe way to travel, but being in the close proximity of other people in winter, bugs spread quickly. I mean the common cold, etc. Christmas is also one of the high times for flooding, so your cruise might be cancelled or altered at short notice. I mean short notice as a day before you travel or from breakfast to lunchtime on your cruise. I hope I have not scared you off the experience, it is great to see the lights and the early sunsets.

 

The Neckar, by the way, is a river that hardly any river cruise companies offer. One of them that does is CroisiEurope. On a lot of river cruises of Germany i.e. the Rhine, Heidelberg is offered as an excursion. Best for castles, most people agree, is the stretch from Rüdesheim to Koblenz on the Rhine.

 

Have fun planning.

 

notamermaid

[caviargal]

We are trying to figure out if river cruising is for us for 2016 Nov/Dec. My daughter (31 yo) and I cruise often and travel often. We've talked about a river cruise as our next biggie. DD says, if doing a river cruise she wants to do a Christmas cruise. Meaning she'd like to see these European cities lit up, not necessarily the market part. Sure walking through a market will be done, but we aren't that much into shopping when we travel. And these cruises seem very port intensive, I doubt we'll want to walk through every cities christmas market, but we love, love, love christmas lights, themes and such.

 

Are the Christmas "market" river cruises all about shopping. More importantly, what are the time itineraries. Are we only at the ports daytime, like most ocean cruises we've been on? Are some of the excursions in these ports, to see the christmas themes/decorations, or is it all about the markets? If these ships pull out before dark, these may not be what we had hoped.

 

DD is a very picky eater, if she can get pasta every night, simple pasta and olive oil she'll be fine. But I understand these ships are very small, entries limited. Will they be able to work with her. If meals are limited, are the times limited also?

 

We have always enjoyed the entertainments on board, trivia, cocktails, etc. but aren't into late nights. Do they have trivia on board?

 

Also there are so many options. Its my understanding Uniworld includes drinks (alcohol??) and some excursions. all the others are pay extra for those extras. It seems Viking has the best prices.

 

Are my options limited if doing the Christmas markets. Which lines sail in late November/December?

 

We have done 4 Christmas market river cruises and also visited Europe another 8 or so times for the markets. For us, it is not at all about the shopping.

 

We love Christmas and the markets are a unique way to celebrate the season. Local foods, drinks, music, entertainment and traditions abound and it is just wonderfully fun and festive!

 

On each of our Christmas market cruises, the demographic has skewed younger than on other itineraries, especially on our AMA cruises. Our Rhine cruise last December had the youngest crowd we have ever seen on a river cruise.

 

All the lines will offer Christmas market cruises. We have done the Rhine, Danube, Moselle for the markets and each was fun. Castles on the Rhine with AMA was a lot of fun - 4 countries in 7 days, lots of port time and a nice mix of smaller towns and larger cities.

 

Budapest to Nuremberg on AmaCerto was our all time favorite cruise.

 

The markets are gorgeous at night. You need to read the itineraries carefully to see which ones include late nights and overnight stays. We have been on a couple that included Vienna and on those we were there at night. Also in Linz, Bamberg and Nuremberg. Sometimes we were offered an excursion but we are DIYers and happily take public transport or grab a taxi to go off when there is no transport provide.

 

While I have read a lot about Uniworld being all inclusive, I have already discovered, just from this board, that 3 of the the excursions included on our AMA Provence cruise are optional ($$) with Uniworld. If we add up those three for 2 of us, the cost of those alone is more than any bar tab we have ever had on a river cruise and covers most of the gratuities as well. The devil is in the details, IMO.

 

I have not seen Trivia on AMA but honestly never looked for it. We like to head off the boat after dinner when we are in town. Some of our cruises have had better entertainment than others. On AMA, at least one night has been a high energy evening where we danced until quite late and had a blast!

 

As for food, I would have your TA note meal preference in advance. I would not expect your daughter to have a problem getting the same/similar bland dish in the evenings.

 

I have not and will not cruise with Viking. AMA is our current favorite and you can read my detailed reviews here on CC. We have also cruised with Avalon but much prefer AMA and our Christmas market cruises with AMA were far more memorable with AMA. We are on Uniworld in a few months for the first time.

Edited April 6, 2015 by caviargal

[papa B me]

We are going on our first Christmas Market cruise with Uniworld(our second overall) December of this year. It is on their newest ship the SS Maria Theresa and sails from Budapest to Passau with stops in Slovakia, Vienna, Linz, day trip to Salzburg, etc...

 

The Markets are certainly a focus but merely part of the excursions and process. Virtually every city will include a city tour hitting the highlights that may end in a Christmas market. I know in Vienna that after an early dinner there is a Mozart/Straus concert at a recital hall. I belive it is Passau where there will be an organ concert after touring the cathedral. Virtually every port will have more then once included excursion to choose from. These usually range from a walking tour, an active tour that may include a lot more walking, and at times a "do as the locals do" tour. It is true that Unworld in addition to all of their included tours will have 2-3 optional tours that are usually in the afternoon after lunch when you have the option to stay in the village/city for free time or take the optional tour.

 

I know that the first night is an overnight in Budapest(if you start from Budapest) and the last night I believe is overnight in Passau. In addition I know that we will be in Vienna late into the evening due to the concert. It will be dark around 5 pm in December so I believe we will get to see virtually all the cities after dark.

 

Uniworld is all inclusive(some argue that point here on CC due to the couple of extra excursions offered) but for me it is all inclusive due to all gratuities, alcohol at all times, transfers from and to airport, etc... As I have done on another current thread on CC I encourage you to add the value of the included things up and add it to the Viking costs for a fare price comparison.

 

I don't believe you will find trivia on board but Uniworld is often providing different types of demonstrations that are appropriate to the cruise, bringing local talent on board, informative talks, and generally shipboard entertainment is a musician or two at night. The place will shut down though about 10-11. Your daughter will no doubt be one of the youngest on board but I don't think that will be a big deal.

 

If you go to Uniworld's website you can download a 2015 brouchre or 2016 preview brochure and find a brief day to day description of each of their Christmas Market cruises. They do several on the Danube, Rhine, and France. I would encourage you to look at the ones on one of their 3 new SS(super ships). The newest is the Maria Theresa(Danube), then from last year the Catherine(France), and the original we sailed on last July the Antoinette(Rhine). In a month or two you will be able to go to their website and download a Cruise Companion guide for 2015. It will show you in detail the day to day excursions of each. If you google for 2014 you may be able to find a copy now.

 

Uniworld is a wonderful experience. I think most any of the main companies are going to provide you and your daughter a once in a lifetime memory. You will find each person who responds will try to sway you to their line of choice(as you can see I'm no different). Feel free to ask any specific questions.

[steamboats]

Just two points:

 

It´s getting dark in December by 4:30/5 pm. You won´t have any problems to see the Christmas lights. Most markets close by 8 pm, some by 9 or 10 pm.

 

All river cruise lines on the US market do offer cruises during December. The itinerary does not differ compared to river cruises during the other months. The cruise lines might change an excursion but as they are mainly city tours (most of them walking) there´s no need to change much.

 

steamboats

[Trekker954]

Thank you all for your comments that I will share with Emily. Its probably time for me to make a spreadsheet.

[caviargal]

 

 

Uniworld is all inclusive(some argue that point here on CC due to the couple of extra excursions offered) but for me it is all inclusive due to all gratuities, alcohol at all times, transfers from and to airport, etc.

 

 

Transfers are included on itinerary begin and end date only. Since we are arriving by train, we are paying for our own private transfer. Again, the details are important when evaluating what inclusive really means. There are some call brands not included on Uniworld as as well as an upgraded wine list. I am not sure exactly how many extra cost excursions there will be on our upcoming cruise but have already identified 3 and that is without looking. This is versus the same itinerary on AMA last year.

[Hoyaheel]

We loved our Avalon Christmas Market cruise (Nuremberg to Basel, Dec 5-15 or so) However, we were not in any of the ports at night to see things *really* lit up. We arrived in Nuremberg early and stayed one extra day in Basel, so we saw the markets at night on our own, but I think our boat was only docked late in town twice (and once was Breisach, which didn't have a market - that was the port for the drive in to the Black Forest, which we didn't do - we just walked through the old town of Breisach - if there was a market, it was in the more modern part of town and we didn't head there)

 

We also had a fairly young (well, actually, diverse) age range on our boat. My husband and I are early 40s and we were with 2 sets of our parents. There were many other multi-generational groups on board.

 

Avalon's standard/always available menu for dinner didn't have a pasta - steak, chicken, salad, salmon I think are the basics they always had.

[hiccups]

All cruise lines include some sort of excursions at each port. Most offer optional tours that will be an additional fee. On our upcoming Uniworld tour, every morning provides a choice of included tours, and then some afternoons offer optional tours. From my research that seems to be pretty standard for the majority of cruise lines. I think Tauck is the only cruise line that includes all excursions with no additional charges.

[hiccups]

While I have read a lot about Uniworld being all inclusive, I have already discovered, just from this board, that 3 of the the excursions included on our AMA Provence cruise are optional ($$) with Uniworld. If we add up those three for 2 of us, the cost of those alone is more than any bar tab we have ever had on a river cruise and covers most of the gratuities as well. The devil is in the details, IMO.

 

I'd be curious to compare the excursions for the cruises side by side. I'd be surprised if it's as cut-and-dried as Uniworld charging for excursions without offering something else that's included. Devil's in the details, indeed. You'd have to compare what's offered with what you want to see.

[caviargal]

I'd be curious to compare the excursions for the cruises side by side. I'd be surprised if it's as cut-and-dried as Uniworld charging for excursions without offering something else that's included. Devil's in the details, indeed. You'd have to compare what's offered with what you want to see.

 

First, I never said that " it's as cut-and-dried as Uniworld charging for excursions without offering something else that's included" - those are your words and not mine. They do offer excursions in each port of call.

 

There is a live thread active right now for the itinerary we are sailing on in July that mentions three excursions specifically as being extra cost and that is what got my attention. That poster also commented that there were substantially more optional ($$$) tours this cruise than on his previous Uniworld sailing.

 

Since I have read often about the appeal of Uniworld due to the all inclusive nature of their cruises, I was quite surprised that 3 of the excursions included in our AMA cruise were extra charge with Uniworld. In looking at the daily programs posted, it appears that many of the complimentary tours are walking tours versus what we are used to with AMA. If that is important to someone doing their research and comparing, it is worth noting.

[papa B me]

Linda,

It's so easy to get overwhelmed when you first start looking at your first river cruise. Especially, when you have each of us biased to the line we have used in the past. I actually think that should give you a good sense of confidence that most people become an ardent promoter and defender of their line of choice. I think it means most of them are pretty darn good. Just different based on what is important to you. I think Uniworld is great. But I've spent a great deal of time and energy researching Tauck, AMA, and Scenic as well and think I would love any of them. Not as thrilled about Viking based on some of the service issues I've read about, the number of people on the longboats(200) and the lack of some of the amenities I prefer like a work out room, pool, bikes, and spa. My wife and I are in our early 50's but are really active to burn off all the calories of the great food.

 

To help you and your daughter I thought I would actually take the time to give you a day to day breakdown of the excursions(both included and optional). I think most of the lines will be similar if you choose a similar itinerary. Viking was at virtually every excursion we were at with Uniworld last July. The big thing I notices was much larger groups then ours and it seemed we had more time to explore then they did(I think that is a direct result of the smaller groups).

 

This is for the Uniworld Danube Holiday Markets that sails from Budapest to Passau. So here we go:

 

Day 1: Arrive in Budapest(As Caviargal correctly asserted the transfer is included from the airport to the ship if you arrive day of embarkation). It will be there overnight as the tours start the next morning

 

Uniworld does allow you to drop your luggage off if you arrive in the morning even though the room won't be available till about 3. We arrive around 9 am having stayed a couple of days in Munich prior to. We plan on exploring the central market and the parliament bldg on our own that morning then getting back to the ship for lunch and check in. Since we are there overnight I've reserved tickets for the Nutcracker at the opera house for that evening. But it will also be a great time to tour the city at night

 

Day 2 Budapest

Included Excursion: City tour that stop on the pest side at Heroe's square and takes you by most of the major sites to get a feel of the city then goes across bridge to Buda with a tour of S Matthias Church and Fishermans Bastion then ending at Vorosmarty Square for the Christmas market.

 

The afternoon is free if you want to go back to the markets, tour other things, etc..

 

Optional Excursions available in the afternoon:

 

#1 Jewish Budapest including the Dohany temple and Holocaust Memorial

#2 Szentendre Artists Village(baroque town about 30 min from Budapest)

 

Day 3: Bratislave walking tour with Christmas Markets

At end of tour can come back to ship with guide or stay in town

 

Day 4: Vienna

 

Included Excursions:

#1 Vienna City tour with National LIbrary visit and Christmas Markets OR

#2 "Taste of Christmas walking tour"

#3 Evening Mozart and Strauss concert at a Viennese concert hall

 

Optional Excursion:

Schonbrunn Place with Christmas Market(this is in the afternoon as opposed to free time in Vienna

 

Day 5: Krems and cruising Wachau Valley

 

Include Excursion:

Gotttweig Abbey tour with private organ recital

 

Day 6: Linz(Salzburg or Linz/Steyer

Included Excursions:

 

#1 Full day Salzburg with walking tour and Christmas Market OR

#2 Linz and Steyr with Christmas Markets(less bus time then Salzburg)

 

Day 7: Passau

Included Excursion:

 

Passau walking tour with Christmas market, gingerbread-making and floral decorating demonstrations

 

Will stay overnight in Passau to go back into city

 

Day 8: If you are flying out this day they will provide transport back to airport.

 

Hope this helps you or others who are trying to see what is included and what is optional. On our Uniworld cruise from Amsterdam to Basel last July there were 3 optionals offered from 39-59 Euros each. We felt there were more then enough included excursions but we did decide to take 2 or the 3 optionals instead of spending that time touring on our own during those 3 free afternoons.

[papa B me]

Linda,

I also wanted to give you a little feedback about food on Uniworld based on your daughter being picky on food. This really was my greatest concern as my wife is not overly adventurous when it comes to food. But there really was no reason to be concerned. The breakfast and lunch buffets certainly have some local flair available but most of it is normal choices of salads, sandwiches, hot entrees and deserts. Dinner is fairly fancy in the choices and a little more exotic at times. But they always offer an alternative menu that was a choice of chicken, steak or salmon. They also always had a normal salad available instead of the more interesting appetizer choices. There is always a vegetarian option which was often some form of Pasta. But in all honesty we both only ordered off the alternative entree menu once during the week as there was always something we wanted to try or liked. My wife did ask a couple of time is they could bring her a side of broccoli and they always did. We sat all week with the most pick eater I've ever seen. All she had for lunch every day was a specially made grilled cheese. Dinner was always grilled salmon with no sauces and a side of broccoli. Her desert was always a chocolate chip cookie(they were able to do this for her all but on meal), Bottom line is if they have the ingredients in the kitchen they will do it for her. If you let them know in advance they will have it ready for you. Unbelievably good food.

[papa B me]

Caviargal,

This thread and a couple others both of us have contributed to has had me wondering whether I was missing something by not sailing AMA and saving money or if I was right that the price difference isn't that great between two great companies. Having taken the time to provide the prior information I gave the OP I have come to the conclusion we are both 100% right for us individually. I took a look at my AMA catalog vs my Uniworld. AMA has the "Christmas Time Cruise" which which is similar to the Uniworld "Danube Holiday Market. 5 of the ports are the same. So certainly the desired itinerary would trump what I'm about to say about price and inclusions. I'm basing the below solely on the catalogs with no discounts for prepayment, early booking or return guests. I'm comparing both the least expensive cabin and since I'm booked in a suite on Uniworld I also am comparing those rates as well. They both sail from Budapest on Dec 1, 2015

 

AMA:

 

Cheapest cabin $2799 pp

Suite $5448 pp

 

Uniworld:

 

Cheapest cabin $3299

Suite $5948

 

So in both cases about $1000 savings per couple with AMA

 

Uniworld includes:

 

All gratuities

Alcohol at any time

transfers on day of sailing and day of departure

Vienna Concert(optional on AMA)

Salzburg Excursion(optional on AMA)

 

You have shared in your posts that you like to do alot of touring on your own, wouldn't take advantage of transfers. So you are 100% right from a pure cost perspective your tips and alcohol probably wouldn't make up the $500 pp difference.

 

I think I'm 100% right because I certainly will take advantage of the Vienna concert and Salzburg excursion and with the alcohol, and gratuities and transfers I believe I'm at a wash as far as cost. HOWEVER, because I'm blessed to be able to book the suites I pick up with Uniworld quite a few additional things with the Butler, free laundry services and exceptional perks in the suite that I don't know how AMA compares to. So bottom line for what I want Uniworld turns out to be a better deal

 

All of this is to say that based on what a person wants and likes will certainly make one line better for them but not for others. I hope you find your upcoming Uniworld cruise worth the extra money.

 

Finally for others reading this (Caviargal points this out regularly in her posts) after you come to grips with the costs then you have to compare the individual ships. I personally really like the boutique style of Uniworld where it has the feel of traveling in an 18th century palace vs the more elegant understated decor of AMA. Can't wait to hear what you think Caviargal about the decor, food, and service as compared to Ama after your upcoming trip.

 

Sorry to all for dominating this thread over the past 3 posts. Just trying to help.

Edited April 7, 2015 by Host Jazzbeau
Fixed typos at OP's request

[Host Jazzbeau]

Jazzbeau,

That's what I get for trying to think too much at the end of a long work day.

 

Can you edit and correct both where I mistakenly wrote Avalon instead of AMA and the suite price for Uniworld to $5994.

 

My apologies to all for not catching my own mistakes.

 

All fixed. We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread. ;)

Edited April 7, 2015 by Host Jazzbeau

[caviargal]

Caviargal,

This thread and a couple others both of us have contributed to has had me wondering whether I was missing something by not sailing AMA and saving money or if I was right that the price difference isn't that great between two great companies. Having taken the time to provide the prior information I gave the OP I have come to the conclusion we are both 100% right for us individually. I took a look at my AMA catalog vs my Uniworld. AMA has the "Christmas Time Cruise" which which is similar to the Uniworld "Danube Holiday Market. 5 of the ports are the same. So certainly the desired itinerary would trump what I'm about to say about price and inclusions. I'm basing the below solely on the catalogs with no discounts for prepayment, early booking or return guests. I'm comparing both the least expensive cabin and since I'm booked in a suite on Uniworld I also am comparing those rates as well. They both sail from Budapest on Dec 1, 2015

 

AMA:

 

Cheapest cabin $2799 pp

Suite $5448 pp

 

Uniworld:

 

Cheapest cabin $3299

Suite $5948

 

So in both cases about $1000 savings per couple with AMA

 

Uniworld includes:

 

All gratuities

Alcohol at any time

transfers on day of sailing and day of departure

Vienna Concert(optional on AMA)

Salzburg Excursion(optional on AMA)

 

You have shared in your posts that you like to do alot of touring on your own, wouldn't take advantage of transfers. So you are 100% right from a pure cost perspective your tips and alcohol probably wouldn't make up the $500 pp difference.

 

I think I'm 100% right because I certainly will take advantage of the Vienna concert and Salzburg excursion and with the alcohol, and gratuities and transfers I believe I'm at a wash as far as cost. HOWEVER, because I'm blessed to be able to book the suites I pick up with Uniworld quite a few additional things with the Butler, free laundry services and exceptional perks in the suite that I don't know how AMA compares to. So bottom line for what I want Uniworld turns out to be a better deal

 

All of this is to say that based on what a person wants and likes will certainly make one line better for them but not for others. I hope you find your upcoming Uniworld cruise worth the extra money.

 

Finally for others reading this (Caviargal points this out regularly in her posts) after you come to grips with the costs then you have to compare the individual ships. I personally really like the boutique style of Uniworld where it has the feel of traveling in an 18th century palace vs the more elegant understated decor of AMA. Can't wait to hear what you think Caviargal about the decor, food, and service as compared to Ama after your upcoming trip.

 

Sorry to all for dominating this thread over the past 3 posts. Just trying to help.

 

All good points and it further illustrates that there is more to a river cruise than just the itinerary.

 

We would not do the concert in Vienna (lack of interest) and we love Salzburg but would choose to hop the train and make our own day rather than be on a structured bus excursion. We have done this several times when a port is near to a place we enjoy or wish to explore. For our upcoming cruise, the places we wish to visit are not included; I am looking now at how we can get there via public transport as the included excursions (posted by someone just back from the same cruise) are not of interest to us.

 

We did not actually choose this trip (dear friends are celebrating a milestone occasion and really wanted us to join them) and would not have booked if it were not a SuperShip as their other ships have cabins too small for us to consider. With AMA, even their smallest cabins on their oldest ships are larger than all but the suites on Uniworld, unless booking a SuperShip.

 

I expect we will enjoy Uniworld overall. The decor of their boats has always been off putting to us but their bedding looks very nice! I am curious about the food, as I am an adventurous eater but not at all a fan of rich foods and the menus I have seen posted seem heavy on the fat and calories :). I expect we will dine off the boat as much as possible as we enjoy local restaurant experiences. There are a few places we spotted last time we were in the area that we plan to reserve in advance.

 

With AMA we generally do use their transfers as they are complimentary to us as a perk of their loyalty program. As with Uniworld, they are offered on scheduled days only. With AMA, these have always been private transfers, which we prefer.

 

I will be posting a detailed review when we return.:)

[rothbury]

Wow!! I almost don't want to "stick my head in the door" here! We did a Christmas Market cruise (Our 1st river cruise by the way) this past December. I believe it was Dec 6 - 13. It was on Viking and it was the Rhine River from Amsterdam to Basel.

 

I would like to address the OP's questions only. I'm not going to comment on all the other postings.

 

Your first question was about the shopping. The actual guided part of the excursions mostly took us to cathedrals or castles. Cathedrals in Cologne and Strasburg and castles in Heidelberg and Marksburg. The excursions were not within walking distance of the boat. I guess you could have walked but not being familiar with the city and the distance we stuck to taking the buses and the excursions. In most cases the Christmas Markets were in the market squares adjacent to the cathedrals. I would say most of the decorating we saw was in the markets and not throughout the city. There was food & drink as well as Christmas themed things to buy at the markets. However, if you wanted to.....you didn't have to go to the market. The tour guides would tell you when & where the buses would be for pick up back to the ship and so long as you made the connection you could pretty much do as you choose. We didn't stick solely to the markets and we "ventured out" within a few blocks for lunch. We felt it was too much of a hassle to take the bus back for lunch and come back.

 

As for seeing Christmas lights you might be disappointed. The only lights we saw were in the markets and with the exception of Rudesheim we were not in the markets after dark. In a lot of areas we were passing more cityscape without much for Christmas lighting.

 

I can't answer the food question. We sat with some eaters who choose certain things from the menu and avoided others. There was always selection on the menus and always a meat, poultry, seafood or salad selection. We always found something to our liking.

 

For entertainment we had some young American children sing Christmas carols one night. We had traditional German music and entertainment one night and we had French entertainment one night. It was pretty much regional depending on where you were. We did have trivia in the lounge on a few nights and it usually devolved into more of a party atmosphere as opposed to a real competition.

 

And lastly, about the drinks and shore excursions. It seems you might have gotten some misinformation about free drinks and shore excursions with Viking. Regional wine was free with lunch and dinner as well as draft beer. In our case it was Bitburger which was a good beer IMHO. I believe you could even get mimosa's or champagne type cocktails for breakfast but not sure. The glasses were always filled to the top and the waiters always topped off the glasses so you could continue your drink in the lounge. As for excursions...there were free excursions at every stop. Some ports/stops also had optional excursions which required an extra fee.

 

For reasons unknown to me.....Viking always seems to get a lot of negativity here. We thoroughly enjoyed our Christmas market cruise and were pleased enough with Viking that we bought vouchers for a future river cruise with them.

 

I guess the only other comment I would have is you are running out of time for reservations. I wouldn't wait too much longer.

[papa B me]

Rothbury

Thanks for sticking your head in the door. What a great thing on this one thread we have hard that Viking, AMA, Avalon, and Uniworld all provided a great experience for a Christmas Cruise. Although at times we can all get a little too biased about our line of choice or negative towards another line I still say that as a whole it proves that River Cruising in general is such a great way to travel and you are likely to have a good experience regardless of line if you go with an open mind and a sense of adventure if the unexpected happens.

[corpkid]

Not to hijack this thread (and hopefully add to it) - we are considering a Christmas River cruise (first river cruise) and have been looking at Uniworld and AMA. We are seasoned ocean cruisers, and have finally landed on, and enjoy the luxe-light nature of Oceania Cruises. Not all inclusive in terms of excursions and alcohol, but really great food, service and ships/staterooms plus no photographers, off-ball upcharges, etc.. We have no problems paying for our alcohol as we usually don't drink that much on the ship while traveling. We also really enjoy getting into a roll call and making small private group plans (some have been absolutely mind blowing and moments one could never forget - in a good way!) Oceania's shore ex's are very expensive and of the medium to large format. NO thanks. We prefer a group of 4 to 8 people if not venturing out as just the two of us. And we like to customize them (particularly into the food culture and even cooking classes).

 

That all said, what line would you go with? We would most likely want a stateroom around 250 sq ft as we find we trip over each other much smaller than that. I've heard comparisons that AMA is like Oceania whereas Tauck or Uniworld were more like the Regent/Seven Seas luxury lines... Any crossover comparisons even though I know these are apples to oranges?

[roothy123]

Not to hijack this thread (and hopefully add to it) - we are considering a Christmas River cruise (first river cruise) and have been looking at Uniworld and AMA. We are seasoned ocean cruisers, and have finally landed on, and enjoy the luxe-light nature of Oceania Cruises. Not all inclusive in terms of excursions and alcohol, but really great food, service and ships/staterooms plus no photographers, off-ball upcharges, etc.. We have no problems paying for our alcohol as we usually don't drink that much on the ship while traveling. We also really enjoy getting into a roll call and making small private group plans (some have been absolutely mind blowing and moments one could never forget - in a good way!) Oceania's shore ex's are very expensive and of the medium to large format. NO thanks. We prefer a group of 4 to 8 people if not venturing out as just the two of us. And we like to customize them (particularly into the food culture and even cooking classes).

 

That all said, what line would you go with? We would most likely want a stateroom around 250 sq ft as we find we trip over each other much smaller than that. I've heard comparisons that AMA is like Oceania whereas Tauck or Uniworld were more like the Regent/Seven Seas luxury lines... Any crossover comparisons even though I know these are apples to oranges?

 

Since Oceania is my favorite ocean line as well, I'll give you my two cents. We are very happy on Viking, and don't even really care about trying the others, as Viking has always been perfectly suited to us. I don't care about liquor (even wine), bicycles, suites or even large staterooms, and ultra lux would be wasted on us. Unless another line's itinerary is much more appealing than what Viking is offering, I will likely continue to use, and recommend, Viking. Our favorite cruises have been China and the Paris to Prague (with Luxembourg and Germany in between).

 

Some friends of ours looked into river cruises a year or so ago. We recommended Viking. They went on Cruise Critic and found some negative stuff. I was pretty surprised, but didn't really push them one way or the other, as I had not taken any river cruises on any other line. They ended up booking with Viking, and came home raving about the trip.

 

Cruise Critic is a wonderful source, but I always take others' opinions for what they are - opinions. What I like is what I like. At least my husband and I are united in our love of Viking for rivers and Oceania for oceans!

[papa B me]

Corpkid,

As I've already shared on this thread I'm a big Uniworld Fan but I do believe that AMA would be a great comparison to Oceania and Uniworld may fairly be compared to Regent. But I think that is only because all alcohol and gratuities are included with Uniworld. All of the lines provide the majority of the excursion in the price. The difference will be in what type of optionall excursions are offered(view my day by day in my prior post of the Uniworld Christmas cruise I''m going on). Uniworld is well known for high quality food much in the way that Oceania is but a total different experience in that on a River Cruise everyone generally eats at the same time in the same place. I didn't think I would like that but it was great for getting to know people. I think you will have a challenge meeting people on the roll calls to plan excursions. However, you will probably meet people on the ship right away that you can be with on the excursions. If you have the time and budget to do a precruise package with the line you sail with it is a great way to make friends before the cruise. We did this last July and there were about 8 of us that ended up eating together most meals and hanging out together on excursions. Feel free to ask any specific questions in regards to Uniworld.

[Host Jazzbeau]

corpkid -- The weakest area of Cruise Critic is the River Cruising Roll Calls. The boats are so small (most have around 150 pax; some are even smaller; the new Viking longships only go up to about 200) and so few river cruisers seem to even know about CC that it is rare for a Roll Call to get more than 2 people. I have tried to get larger numbers by encouraging "omnibus" Roll Calls (e.g. "All Scenic river cruises roll call," which has 695 posts) but that still won't help you find people to share shore excursions with. On the other hand, since the cruises include at least one guided tour in each port you shouldn't feel the need to plan private shore excursions in advance. Also note that many lines show you combination tours with some pre- or post-cruise days built in -- you can usually just book the cruise itself and save a lot of money by adding your own DIY time.

 

As to choosing a line, the comparison of AMA to Oceania and Uniworld (and Tauck) to Regent is valid because Uniworld and Tauck are more inclusive than AMA -- at least in terms of open bar all the time [AMA only provides free wine and beer at meals], and included gratuities. It isn't clear that Uniworld is as inclusive as AMA when it comes to excursions, but in general they are considered an "all-inclusive" line [and let's not restart the debate about what that means :)]. So you might be able to swing the large cabin you want on AMA with the price savings from the cocktails you won't be paying for. Cabins do tend to be smaller on river boats, and you don't spend that much time in the cabin, but most boats have a few larger suites if that's really important. For example, on AMAdagio the regular cabins are all 170sf (some have a French balcony, which doesn't take away any space) but there are four suites with 255sf. This is one of AMA's older boats; the newer ones have a wider range of cabins sizes from 160/170 to 210/235 (with twin balconies) plus three suites with 300sf. I found that 170sf with a French balcony is adequate for a couple, so the 210sf cabins would probably be ok for your wants. But cabin sizes and layouts are shown on each line's website, so check this out and make your own assessment.

 

If food is your focus, I have read great things about the food on both AMA and Uniworld. [Tauck has very few boats, so there are just very few reports about them and I don't recall what people said about the cuisine.] Another thing to keep in mind is that the river boats do try to reflect the area you're in with localized cuisine -- so you might think about that in choosing the itinerary. Lyons is called the culinary capital of France, so cruises on the Rhone may have food more to your liking than some other regions (or not, if you prefer mittel European recipes).

 

So many choices! But the good news is that almost all river cruisers have a great time no matter which line, boat, or itinerary they choose.

Edited April 9, 2015 by Host Jazzbeau

[caviargal]

Since Oceania is my favorite ocean line as well, I'll give you my two cents.

 

Same here and other than SeaDream or Windstar we really would not cruise on the ocean (we rarely do anymore) if not on Oceania. We enjoy the high quality food, service and accommodations as well as the smaller number of passengers, lack of nickel and diming and lack of constant announcements and sales pressure.

 

We cruised with Regent prior to the line becoming all inclusive and loved it but have not returned as we are not interested in an end to end inclusive cruise; we would be paying for things we would not use and that is throwing money away.

 

We enjoy the boutique style of AMA ships and the personal touches throughout the cruise. Food has almost always been good to excellent (AmaReina was the exception) and the focus on local dishes and wines is important to us.

 

We do have an interest in certain other lines (Scenic is one) but do not feel that the additional cost is worth based on our personal tastes and priorities.

 

We are looking now at itineraries for next fall and very likely will choose AMA, as they deliver what we enjoy. And their wine cruises are the best!

[papa B me]

Corpkid

 

As Jazzbeau pointed out, cabins are much smaller on a River cruise. This is why with Uniworld on our first cruise last year we went with the Suite. They were 300 sq ft on the SS Antoinette and 305 sq ft on the SS Catherine and the SS Maria Theresa. I believe there are 8 suites on the Antoinette and Catherine and 10 on the Maria Theresa. The suites do have a balcony with the electric window that you can close and make it more of an atrium. I loved this feature because I wake up earlier then my wife. I could go out there in the morning with my coffee and read till she was up and ready. Used this space a lot to stay out of the way when she was getting ready as well. The suites also have double sinks in the bathrooms, Nespresso machine, Selection of spirits, and a stock frig with beer, wine, soft drinks, water, juices.

 

Although I've mentioned some of the perks in other posts, here are the other items I can remember:

 

Butler Service

Free Laundry Service

Room Service for Breakfast

1 in room spa treatment per person

Daily news/paper

Daily fruit tray

Daily cookie tray

Daily evening snack

1 alternative dining served by Butlers(nice change of pace)

choice of soaps

 

I wouldn't pay the difference in price just for these services but if you want the extra space these services to ease the pain a little. So much so that I have booked a suite for our Christmas Markets cruise this December and for our Italy cruise in 2016. Keep in mind that Uniworld's older ships have smaller suites and no butler service.

 

Caviargal. What is the sf of the cabins you usually are in with AMA. I know that they are larger then Uniworlds and certainly something I need to look at.