Newbie Interested in the Danube

Hello all,

I've been reading for about 4 hours online trying to get my arms (and brain) around the various options for a desired river cruise summer of '16. We are two couples in our early 50s. Based in the US (major airport hubs). Each of us were thinking a $10K budget would be totally doable (but I'm thinking I may have been fooling myself).

So....we are also into luxury and enjoy great food, lovely ambience and like the all-inclusive idea. Good wine and beer are are nice to have but spirits aren't such a big deal. My ideal trip would take us to Budapest, Prague and Vienna but not sure that such an itinerary exists!

My husband is Dutch (has lived in the US over 20 years) and at 6'4", really wants a decent sized stateroom and bed (do any have Kings?). We also really enjoy a balcony that allows one to sit outside.

The lines that have sort of spoken to me are Tauk, AMA and Scenic but I'm afraid they're over our budget once we consider air (though not sure if the lines offer decent discounted airfare). Which leads me to booking and pricing. Is it best to get pricing directly from the cruise lines or is it more cost effective to work with a travel agent of some sort?

Thank you in advance for helping with my questions. It's very much appreciated!

My ideal trip would take us to Budapest, Prague and Vienna but not sure that such an itinerary exists!

 

A Danube cruise takes you to Vienna and Budapest. Prague would be an extra land trip via plane or train from Budapest or Nuernberg. You save money by doing this extension on your own. The train ride from Nuernberg to Prag is ~ 5 hours.

A Danube cruise takes you to Vienna and Budapest. Prague would be an extra land trip via plane or train from Budapest or Nuernberg. You save money by doing this extension on your own. The train ride from Nuernberg to Prag is ~ 5 hours.

The bus is the better option between Nuremberg and Prague and takes just over 3 hours.

We are big fans of AMA and they have several Danube itineraries. You should be able to do this with a budget of 5k per person with flights, depending on date and cabin choice.

Most cruise lines offer Danube itineraries that include Vienna and Budapest (many start or end in Budapest, so you can add a day or two on your own). Prague is not on the Danube, but you can find some itineraries that include it as a starting or ending point if you don't want to take on all the planning and connections yourself. For example, AMA's The Romantic Danube is an 11-day itinerary that starts with 3 days in Prague, then takes you to the ship for a 7-day cruise that includes a full day and overnight in Vienna, and ends with a full day and overnight in Budapest -- some of these sailings are Wine theme cruises too. I think you could make the prices work within your budget [assuming you mean $10k per couple] -- especially since some of the 2016 sailings have savings of $750 per person at the moment. For example the Oct. 30 wine cruise on the brand-new AmaViola is marked down by $750 pp so the cheapest cabin is now $3,029 pp (for the full 11-day trip). That should leave plenty of budget room for airfare and an extra day in Budapest. [High summer rates are higher and the discounts lower, so your budget will be stretched or snapped if you must do in July or August.] I can vouch that AMA fits your requirements for luxury, great food, lovely ambience and good wine and beer included at lunch and dinner (but not spirits, which helps keep the fare lower than all-inclusive lines). But most cruise lines are seeing weak bookings at the moment, so you may find deals like this on other lines too -- note that you may need to tunnel into their websites, as I only found these AMA sale prices when I exploded the "dates and rates" plus sign for the particular sailing.

You will also find that some river cruises include offers of cheap airfare -- but read the fine print because some of these are very restrictive and don't allow you to select the carrier or connections, or to fly in early or stay afterward.

As to how to book: I strongly recommend finding a TA who specializes in river cruises. [sorry, discussing particular TAs isn't allowed on Cruise Critic.] They will be able to give you advice based on their personal cruising experiences plus feedback from their customers, and you should get either a discount off the price or some OBC [but I would press for the discount, since it may be hard to use up OBC on a river cruise]

Forget to mention -- since it seems you have already done a lot of homework -- that you should look at the Sticky at the top of this forum called New to RIVER CRUISING??? START HERE!!! There's also a new sticky with links to many Cruise Critic articles about river cruising itineraries, including one for the Danube.

In 2013 we did an Avalon Danube cruise that began with 3 days in Prague and ended in Budapest.

Be sure to check out Avalon Waterways. They have Suite Ships which have a sliding door to the water. The bathrooms are lovely. Not sure about King beds but my 6' guy had no problems. You will love the Danube.

Be sure to request the paper catalogs from all the cruise lines. We booked our air with Avalon the first time but this time (we depart 7/19 for a Main/ Rhine cruise) I booked air on our own. We paid extra for airport transfers.

Enjoy the planning.

Thanks for the info! I appreciate all the advice. I am sort of reeling from the prices as I just got an online estimate from Avalon that was $11K, excluding air. Now granted I asked for a room with a balcony but honestly going in the cheapest room category will kill our plans entirely. Appears the summer months might need to be reconsidered :confused: --though I really would have a tough time managing cold or wet chill when touring every day.

Somehow thought our budget was sufficient. Certainly open to ideas!! :)

Oh, and yes, I've been through the threads and stickies. All very useful!

If being in the lowest tier cabin would ruin your experience entirely, your budget might be tight. I cruised a 10-day Danube itinerary from Vienna to Prague on Uniworld last September, and we added some extra days in Prague at the end. All told, I think our cost was $13,000 per couple when including airfare, and the lodging/tours/etc for 5 days on our own.... and we were in the lowest tier cabin. If next summer plays out like this summer, you'll see sales for summer departures in early spring. Or, you might not. There was a point this spring where you could get certain late spring and early fall itineraries for 1/2 off on Uniworld.

So, if you get estimates from a few travel agents for a few lines that do the itinerary you want, at the cabin level you want, and you just can't swing it ... you could always sit back and wait (hope) for a sale.

Thanks for the info! I appreciate all the advice. I am sort of reeling from the prices as I just got an online estimate from Avalon that was $11K, excluding air. Now granted I asked for a room with a balcony but honestly going in the cheapest room category will kill our plans entirely. Appears the summer months might need to be reconsidered :confused: --though I really would have a tough time managing cold or wet chill when touring every day.

 

Somehow thought our budget was sufficient. Certainly open to ideas!! :)

 

Oh, and yes, I've been through the threads and stickies. All very useful!

Keep looking--if you sign up for emails you'll know about any new discounts! I understand the sticker shock, as we booked our first river cruise earlier this year. Thanks to a special we were able to book a cruise on Uniworld (which includes gratuities, all alcohol and most excursions) for less than a similar cruise on Avalon, and only a bit more than an AMA cruise that was five days shorter.

Make sure you check dates/pricing, as there are some summer dates that are cheaper than others, for some reason.

Hiccups, sign up for emails from the cruise lines? Did you book through them or an agent? Just confirming....

Hiccups, sign up for emails from the cruise lines? Did you book through them or an agent? Just confirming....

I signed up for emails from all the cruise lines when I requested brochures (I find it easier to compare that way). I found our deal on Uniworld's site, but booked through a TA to get their "extra," which was a two-night pre-cruise stay in our departure port of Amsterdam.

Former Ardmore resident here, BTW :)

Hiccups, sign up for emails from the cruise lines? Did you book through them or an agent? Just confirming....

These ideas are not contradictory -- you should do both. Get all the info from the cruise lines that you can, including any notices of sales. Then contact your TA -- who will be able to get you those sale prices plus add their own discount.

I signed up for emails from all the cruise lines when I requested brochures (I find it easier to compare that way). I found our deal on Uniworld's site, but booked through a TA to get their "extra," which was a two-night pre-cruise stay in our departure port of Amsterdam.

 

Former Ardmore resident here, BTW :)

No way, Ardmore! My mom lives there! I'm in Media, Upper Providence.

I'll start joining mailing lists! Thanks much.

No way, Ardmore! My mom lives there! I'm in Media, Upper Providence.

I'll start joining mailing lists! Thanks much.

One of my old roommates lives in Media, and my uncle was in an assisted living facility there for a short time. I used to trek over that way to go to the mall!

A lot less costly. https://www.gct.com/trips/river-cruises/europe/old-world-prague-and-the-blue-danube/2015?icid=global:smallshiprivercruises:rivercruises:edr2015

I got the 2016 Scenic book in the mail yesterday, and several of the cruises are offering free airfare. If you must have a balcony room the prices might still be out of reach, but I'd take a look. When I was researching cruises back in February for this summer, Scenic was about the only one that was sold out for this year. From what I read here, the specials offered by most lines this summer to fill cabins are a first--generally most ships sell out a year or more in advance.

We decided to go with a line that was mostly all-inclusive and take the lowest level cabin, since everyone says you spend very little time in your room (plus as I mentioned earlier, it was a great price). If we don't like the aquarium cabin, then we know for next time! I'd rather spend a bit less on the first cruise and decide we need a full window, rather than spend thousands more and decide we didn't.

We also really enjoy a balcony that allows one to sit outside.

Bear in mind that balconies on river cruise boats are very small, that you get the view from only one side of the river, and that there is ample open air seating on the top deck, and often on the prow, and covered seating with panaoramic windows in the lounge. From all you can observe scenery on both sides of the river.

Factor in the amount of time spent on included sightseeing trips, plus meals, and you'll find you are not long in your room except for sleeping.

Bear in mind that balconies on river cruise boats are very small, that you get the view from only one side of the river, and that there is ample open air seating on the top deck, and often on the prow, and covered seating with panaoramic windows in the lounge. From all you can observe scenery on both sides of the river.

 

Factor in the amount of time spent on included sightseeing trips, plus meals, and you'll find you are not long in your room except for sleeping.

All of that is true but we really enjoy the open air balconies on AMA and often enjoy a glass of wine in the afternoons, a coffee in the morning, etc., while sitting on our balcony.

We have also cruised multiple times with a French balcony and enjoyed it as well.

My husband and I just booked a river cruise from Budapest to Prague on Uniworld for August 2016 and yes it is expensive but when you factor in that it includes pretty much everything from your tips to your drinks it really is not that bad. We booked a french balcony and it was around $11,000 for two and then airfare was $1399 each. Again expensive but I am so looking forward to this trip.

After reading your original post, my sympathies go out to your husband. I'm 6'5" and I can relate to this. It's not the cruise but the flight there and back.

Try for the Coach Plus or whatever the first upgrade is. They usually don't cost too much and your husband will thank you for it.

The bed in the ships cabin will probably be big enough. Many people consider the cabin as just a bedroom. If they are awake, then they are probably in a public space where there is service and a better view.

The 'Aquarium' class cabins work great for that. I know with Viking, there was a coffee station near the cabins so you could sneak out half put together and get coffee in the morning before really going public.

If comparing cabins on the same ship remember to consider square footage and amenities of class of cabin. For example I know thAt on Avalon all cabin sizes and amenities are the same regardless of Panorama or Aquarium. On other cruise lines that is not the case. Consider all options and chose what is important to you

If comparing cabins on the same ship remember to consider square footage and amenities of class of cabin. For example I know thAt on Avalon all cabin sizes and amenities are the same regardless of Panorama or Aquarium. On other cruise lines that is not the case. Consider all options and chose what is important to you

Panorama cabins are substantially larger than larger at 200 sq ft than Aquarium at 172 sq ft.

That being said, Aquarium Class on AMA (160-170 sq ft) and Avalon both are larger than the French balcony staterooms on Viking Longships.

The devil is in the details.

Thanks for all the great info. Making progress in that I've found a knowledgeable TA and she's working up a quote. Leaning toward AMA Romantic Danube trip but we'll see how the numbers look. I'll keep everyone posted!

Just got off AMA romantic Danube last Monday. I did take a picture of the Aquarium class room and was very pleasantly surprised at how light it was. We just had the French balcony but friends of ours had the full balcony. They felt they couldn't use improve as much as they thought as ships were docked right next to them.

Bear in mind that balconies on river cruise boats are very small, that you get the view from only one side of the river, and that there is ample open air seating on the top deck, and often on the prow, and covered seating with panaoramic windows in the lounge. From all you can observe scenery on both sides of the river.

 

Factor in the amount of time spent on included sightseeing trips, plus meals, and you'll find you are not long in your room except for sleeping.

I think this varies by individual preference. Some people will spend more time than others in the room.

We were very glad indeed that we booked a blacony room with Scenic for our recent trip.

And while the balcony is small, it is large enough to have two chairs, which were the most comfortable place to sit in the room.

Note taht if you do have a balcony, the Right hand side of the ship is preferable for the danube, as all the moorings we stopped at were on the right bank (which means left when facing upstream as you will be when mooring, regardless of direction of travel). So a right-hand side cabin gives you river views (when not rafted), rather than shore views.