River Cruise Lines That Require You to Book Directly With Them?

[Roz]

I know, we should all have such problems LOL........so what are you doing in the spring?

 

This fall I'm river cruising on Uniworld from Basel to Amsterdam, and spending an extra day in Amsterdam. It's a 9-day called Remarkable Rhine, and includes optional Jewish Heritage tours in each port. I've been to a couple of the ports before, so I thought the Jewish Heritage tours would offer a different perspective.

 

For next spring, I booked a 6-day Pacific Coastal on the Nieuw Amsterdam that includes Santa Barbara and San Francisco. It ends in Vancouver and then does its first Alaskan itinerary of the season. After I booked the first cruise I thought to myself, I'm in Vancouver and on the ship anyway, why not do Alaska again? I'll be changing cabins in Vancouver. The first 6 days I'm in a suite, and then I'll do Alaska in an inside.

 

Roz

[rogerdawhip]

I agree with Thom and everone else regarding GCCLs small ships. The Adriatic, from Split to Athens is my favorite trip in my 30+ years of international travel.

 

I have been GCCLs small ships six time so far. I leave on May 1 for their Malta to Venice cruise. I have OATs new Egypt trip booked for September 2018.

[TravelerThom]

Since Grand Circle is getting rave reviews here I will comment further.

--IIRC their three 48 passenger boats were custom built in Croatia (Split I think) about 10 years ago. There are references to them as 50 passenger boats, but the 2 single cabins are generally assigned to the 2 Program Directors, but possible this varies depending on what has sold. I think they originally sailed under Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT), a wholly owned division of Grand Circle Travel (GCT). A few years after being built they and other boats were designated as Grand Circle Cruise Line (GCCL). When I was on Arethusa June 2017 I was under the impression that they were being re-designated OAT. None of this seemed to change the quality or the experience, but might be confusing.

--These boats have no elevator.

--Most (not all) GCCL boats offer only twin beds. I have been in Category A, C and D cabins in the Croatian boats. Most recently in Cat D and I'm sure that it had twin beds; I think the other categories did also, but might be wrong.

--GCT and Vantage are owned by brothers, both sell only directly (no Travel Agents), the brothers seem to sue each other regularly.

 

None of this would keep me from using GCCL boats again in a heartbeat, but most of us do not like surprises so I am attempting fuller disclosure.

 

Thom

[TravelerThom]

I have been GCCLs small ships six time so far. I leave on May 1 for their Malta to Venice cruise. I have OATs new Egypt trip booked for September 2018.

Rodger: Please email me at TravelerThom8 at aol dot com

[H2Otstr]

Since Grand Circle is getting rave reviews here I will comment further.

--IIRC their three 48 passenger boats were custom built in Croatia (Split I think) about 10 years ago. There are references to them as 50 passenger boats, but the 2 single cabins are generally assigned to the 2 Program Directors, but possible this varies depending on what has sold. I think they originally sailed under Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT), a wholly owned division of Grand Circle Travel (GCT). A few years after being built they and other boats were designated as Grand Circle Cruise Line (GCCL). When I was on Arethusa June 2017 I was under the impression that they were being re-designated OAT. None of this seemed to change the quality or the experience, but might be confusing.

--These boats have no elevator.

--Most (not all) GCCL boats offer only twin beds. I have been in Category A, C and D cabins in the Croatian boats. Most recently in Cat D and I'm sure that it had twin beds; I think the other categories did also, but might be wrong.

--GCT and Vantage are owned by brothers, both sell only directly (no Travel Agents), the brothers seem to sue each other regularly.

 

None of this would keep me from using GCCL boats again in a heartbeat, but most of us do not like surprises so I am attempting fuller disclosure.

 

Thom

 

We have travelled three times on the Corinthian. On our last trip we were in room 506 and the room was huge and the twin beds were put together. The fist time we were on the 4th floor and there were twin beds that were separated by a night stand. The room was still a nice size.

 

On the Croatia to Venice trip on the M/Y Harmony G yacht, with Vantage, there were only 46 guests. The rooms were all very small as was the whole yacht. The Corinthian holds 98 passengers.

[Host Jazzbeau]

--GCT and Vantage are owned by brothers, both sell only directly (no Travel Agents), the brothers seem to sue each other regularly.

 

None of this would keep me from using GCCL boats again in a heartbeat, but most of us do not like surprises so I am attempting fuller disclosure.

 

Thom

 

I had heard about these two feuding brothers [rather like the famous castles in the Rhine Valley], but the details are close to 'reality TV'

http://archive.boston.com/business/articles/2009/10/23/money_changed_everything/

[CPT Trips]

I can't see the Lewis brothers reconciling any more than the Dassler brothers (Adidas and Puma) or the Albrecht brothers (Aldi Nord and Aldi Sud) did.

 

The GCT small ocean going ships have beds that can be put together as a double/queen. Also their small river ship, mv Provance.

[Cruise Critic Chris]

A reminder that Emerald Waterways is also entering the Croatian coast market next year. We also have a writer going on Tauck Small Ships, which uses Ponant vessels, later this spring.

 

Finally, to answer the original question, I believe Gate 1 Travel also does direct booking.

[Roz]

A reminder that Emerald Waterways is also entering the Croatian coast market next year. We also have a writer going on Tauck Small Ships, which uses Ponant vessels, later this spring.

 

Finally, to answer the original question, I believe Gate 1 Travel also does direct booking.

 

Yes, that's correct Chris. Thanks for jogging my memory.

 

Roz

[rogerdawhip]

The Boston.com article is nine years old.

[TravelerThom]

...The GCT small ocean going ships have beds that can be put together as a double/queen. Also their small river ship, mv Provance.

To add: As far as I know all GCCL Rhine/Main/Danube and the Seine river boats offer only fixed twins that can be turned into sofas during the day. M/S River Chanson in Bordeaux has fixed non separable Queens on the upper deck. The R/M/D and Seine boats and 3 Croatian built Med boats were built for GCT; I think their other boats were acquired used, hence the lack of consistency. If bed arrangements are critical do your research. What I have found consistently on my GCT trips were excellent staff and program directors (which I think is generally true of all river and small boat companies).

[CPT Trips]

Nine years hasn't improved their relationship.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Nine years hasn't improved their relationship.

 

I can't find the source, but there is a famous cynical quote that goes something like "A friend is good only so long as he is useful, whereas a good enemy can be made for life."

[hjpurcell]

Unforgetablecroatia.com also has 7 day island cruises all summer. You might check them out. Never been with them, but I am currently researching 7 day Croatian coast cruises for 2019.

Judi

[sjde]

So is that how Grand Circle keeps their costs so much lower than other lines? We have sailed with them and thought the quality matched, or very nearly matched, lines that charge 3 times as much.