Favorite River Cruise Line & Ship? New to River Cruising- HELP!

[nini]

We are contemplating going on a river cruise next year (Europe).

I have absolutely NO CLUE about the various companies. Our ocean cruises

have been on Princess, Celebrity and HAL (will not go on HAL again, it was an

older ship, dirty and was like a "bucket of bolts").

Please tell me about your favorites and why.

After poking around the River Cruise category, I have seen mention of a few.

Thanks!

[acwmom]

I would read the stickies at the top of the page. There is a lot of information on the various lines, as well as the different rivers. We have been on Uniworld four times, and Avalon once. We plan to do more river cruises, and will either sail with Uniworld again, or try Crystal.

 

One word of caution...you may want to limit your first river cruise experience to a 7 night itinerary. Some cruisers find that river cruising isn't for them, and a longer cruise will add to that "misery".

 

We tend to do the 7 night sailings, with a pre-stay of 2-3 nights, which we do on our own, and sometimes a post-stay of 2-3 nights. We enjoy the European rail system, and have had no problems going it on our own.

 

Robin

[Wings55]

I agree with acwmom's advice to read the stickies to get you started on your search. As you said there are lots of options so you want to find the cruise line that fits your style and your needs. We enjoy the truly all-inclusive companies and are willing to pay extra for those perks. If you're not going to take advantage of things like free drinks, you may want to choose a less inclusive company and save on the price of your cruise. If you do your homework you'll find what's right for you.

 

Paul

[Lois R]

HI, I also agree with Robin:D……..there are many River Cruises and it seems like everyone has their preference.

I know Robin loved her Uniworld cruise (from reading her review:D) and I have only 1 river cruise and mine was with AMA Waterways and I loved mine:D…..those are only 2 (of many). Check that top thread and you can get a good idea of the different lines and which ones are inclusive and which are not. I am looking for another river cruise for 2019 and am starting my research. Not sure who I am going with this time but it sure is fun to check everything out:D

[Cbtours]

We are contemplating going on a river cruise next year (Europe).

I have absolutely NO CLUE about the various companies. Our ocean cruises

have been on Princess, Celebrity and HAL (will not go on HAL again, it was an

older ship, dirty and was like a "bucket of bolts").

Please tell me about your favorites and why.

After poking around the River Cruise category, I have seen mention of a few.

Thanks!

 

We’re in exactly same boat. Pardon the pun lol. Planning our first river cruise next year and wading through all the options.

We don’t drink (alcohol) so thinking it’s anarea we could save on. Have been tempted by the APT offerings but wondering if the higher price is really worth it too. Also has anyone stayed in the twin window cabins which are the lower priced? Seems similar size room to balcony??? It seems you really would spend most time on deck with the scenery?

 

Looking forward to following the thread

[Lois R]

We’re in exactly same boat. Pardon the pun lol. Planning our first river cruise next year and wading through all the options.

We don’t drink (alcohol) so thinking it’s anarea we could save on. Have been tempted by the APT offerings but wondering if the higher price is really worth it too. Also has anyone stayed in the twin window cabins which are the lower priced? Seems similar size room to balcony??? It seems you really would spend most time on deck with the scenery?

 

Looking forward to following the thread

 

 

There a lot of people of who stay in the window cabins:)……..I stayed in one and it was just fine:) most river cruises have way less (waaayyyy less) cabins than ocean cruises so there is always a good % of people who book windows. Have fun

researching:)

[gnome12]

Remember that because of the size of the ship it is very easy to get to an outdoor space to get fresh air.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[cruiser02]

After 40+ ocean cruises I booked our 1st river cruise with Viking.

I went thinking "I am not going to like this - too small, not enough to do, I will be bored " Well - 14 days later I declared that I had not one negative thing to say. I had a great time ! Comparing river to ocean is an "Apple / Oranges" thing.

We did have a suite for we like space. Great bathroom and separate living / sleeping areas

The highlight was the socializing with fellow passengers who you know - unlike large ocean cruises

Go for It

[sbjornda]

We've been on only one river cruise so far, with Scenic, had a great time despite having to do a ship swap for low water. They treated us really well (we had extra perks because we were in a Royal Balcony suite), so we've booked with them again in a Royal suite for our 2nd river cruise next year. Every passenger has access to butler service, and the Royal class of suites have unlimited laundry service which is an extra special perk if one of you is usually the person that ends up being responsible for laundry when on vacation. :D Those suites tend to sell out more than a year in advance nowadays, it seems.