River cruise rookie - Drink prices

[jlocole]

Researching for a April 2020 river cruise to celebrate our 40th anniversary. I like the idea of all-inclusive (Scenic, Crystal) but wonder if I would spend $1000 per person for drinks and gratuities on AMA or Emerald, etc. over 7 - 8 days.

Is there a thread that shows drink prices and gratuities expectations? Looking at Danube cruises that go to Budapest on most of the river cruise lines. We like to drink and are used to Mexico's all-inclusive vacations.

[franski]

I think you would be hard pressed to spend $1000 on drinks and gratuities. Beer/wine is free flowing (REALLY free flowing) at lunch and dinner. And many have champagne available at breakfast for mimosas...

 

Look at Uniworld - it is also all inclusive.

And Emerald includes gratuities - so it would just be your bar bill.

 

 

Most companies have the gratuity suggestion in their brochures.

 

Fran

[sbjornda]

Drinks, yeah, I agree most people probably won't drink that much. Gratuities though... it depends on how comfortable you are doing that math in your head at the moment. For some people that comes second nature. But, if you have the budget and you don't want to waste brain power figuring out how much to tip to whom, it might be worth paying a bit of premium for the all-inclusive and just have that peace of mind that someone else is taking care of the tips. It reduces anxiety for some.

 

We went with Scenic, and we literally did not have to take our wallets out except for some local souvenirs, chocolate in Cologne, and the famous Rüdesheimer Kaffee. You literally could do the cruise without taking out your wallet if you wanted. That contributed to making the cruise a "breeze". So it comes down to price vs. convenience, and that's a decision everyone has to make for themselves. And once we're more experienced with European river cruises we might at some point decide to economise a bit and do more cruises for cheaper cost. But not quite yet; we like being pampered for now. :D

[Hoyaheel]

One note to consider is you can bring alcohol on board to consume in your cabin (or up on the sundeck - hey, it was cold in December and we needed warmth!) We had wine, local beer, and even a bottle of bourbon for nightcaps. Avalon (when we sailed) had LOTS of wine/beer included with dinner, a sparkling wine at breakfast, and decent half price bar happy hours in the afternoon (pint of german beer for 2.5E, wine for 3 or 4E? Which means that regular price was 5-8euro. Not sure cocktail prices but in line...)

 

Another thing to remember is that when you are in port/on excursions, you'll have to buy your own beer/wine anyway (maybe lunch -depends on timing of your port - you should be able to check on the daily itinerary online and it will note what meals are provided on the ship that day) So you'd be out of pocket for that no matter what line you select. We've drunk our capacity at a couple of all-inclusives and frankly the days on a river cruise just aren't set up to do that. I find myself too active (and then, too tired ;-) We made it a priority to have a local beer (and wurst at each Christmas Market) but otherwise it might not have been easy to eat/drink so much on shore.

[JPH814]

I love all inclusive trips.

 

Imagine walking up to a bar and asking for a glass of wine. On one ship the bartender hands it to you. On another they ask for your card, they swipe it, print out the paper. Then you add on the top and sign one copy and you stick the other copy in your pocket.

 

And at dinner, imagine waiters walking around with bottles of wine to pour at your request. Versus hailing the drink waiter, ordering the drink and waiting at the end of dinner to sign the check.

 

Silly, maybe. But it makes for a very different experience.

 

 

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[franski]

I love all inclusive trips.

 

Imagine walking up to a bar and asking for a glass of wine. On one ship the bartender hands it to you. On another they ask for your card, they swipe it, print out the paper. Then you add on the top and sign one copy and you stick the other copy in your pocket.

 

And at dinner, imagine waiters walking around with bottles of wine to pour at your request. Versus hailing the drink waiter, ordering the drink and waiting at the end of dinner to sign the check.

 

Silly, maybe. But it makes for a very different experience.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

But, on river cruises, wine and beer are included and free flowing at meals... so no "hailing the drink waiter". (Unless you want hard liquor....) We usually find we have to say "no" at some point in the meal, or we wouldn't be able to make it back to our cabin!!

 

For the bar, they just ask your cabin number and write it down.

No tips expected.

You get an interim bill the night before you disembark - so you can check to see if the account is correct.

 

Gratuities are given in at the end of the cruise and split among all staff (except for the cruise director) - so no expectation you tip every time you head to the bar.

 

Fran

[Wings55]

We too prefer the all-inclusive lines and choose Scenic for our first river cruise. One thing to remember is that along with alcohol, Scenic includes extras like special events (concerts etc) and their 'Sundowners' that the mainstream cruise lines do not include. For us there was a lot of value in all the added perks Scenic offered.

 

Paul

[jlocole]

Thank you all for the information.

I really want a Scenic or Crystal river cruise because of first hand recommendations, and the all inclusiveness of drinks, transfers and the little extras that add up.

I'll be first inline for early bird savings as soon as their 2020 itineraries are out for Budapest cruises.

Anyone know if water depths are an issue in April?

[sbjornda]

We really enjoyed Scenic, and if you can snag one of the Royal suites you get extra perks and are treated especially well. Quite the luxury; perfect for a 40th anniversary. The Royal suites sell out fast, though, so see if your travel agent can get you on a pre-release list.

 

Anyone know if water depths are an issue in April?

 

Sometimes the water is too high due to spring runoff and more rain than later in the summer. If the boats don't have room to fit under a bridge, you're stuck.

 

Sterling