sailed with Viking.. may try GCT... any major differences between them??

We had a wonderful time on our Viking Rhine Cruise this past summer. We were very impressed with the ship as well as service.

Our church is hosting a Christmas Market cruise for Dec. 2016 and they are using GCT as their river cruise company. We are contemplating joining them.

question: is GCT comparable to Viking? Will we be disappointed with their product or will we be awed by their superior product compared to Viking. The ship we'd be sailing with is the River Aria... (on Viking we sailed on one of their longships)...

Thanks for any input... :)

If you haven't already, check here. https://www.gct.com/about/why-grand-circle/our-fleet/ms-river-aria

And here. https://www.gct.com/about/why-grand-circle/get-the-insiders-view

I'm on the River Aria right now! Disembarking tomorrow..

I've not sailed with Viking, but have sailed twice with Uniworld, which I believe is a slight cut above Viking. This is my third river cruise with GCT...this was from Romania north to Budapest, where we are now. You will get a number of folks saying they would basically not be caught dead on GCT. My view: The beds are fold down from the wall, but I've found them perfectly comfortable. However, you'll sleep in a single bed, so if you can't sleep separately from you spouse, this is not the line for you. Food is fine but not extremely fine gourmet, but I've not had a complaint yet. Our program director is absolutely wonderful, as I've found GCT Pds are. Our local guides were all excellent. GCT is less expensive, but certainly no river cruise is "cheap." I've found that the folks here are somewhat more "down to earth" and friendly. I happen to be part of a group who all met on a previous GCT cruise several years ago and this is a reunion cruise for this various group of folks. There is another group of 5 or 6 who have also done this cruise as a reunion. We are already planning another trip for next fall! I should also mention if night life is what you're looking for, we are not it...there is a pianist playing every evening and we've had entertainment brought on a couple of times, but no one stays up to party. Please feel free to ask if you need more info.

We love Vantage, which always beats Viking in what you pay for what you get.

Check it out.

We just finished our first river cruise and chose GCT. We have traveled extensively in many parts of the world, and we were very happy with the itinerary, food, service, and tours in each port. Our program director is excellent. We are now doing an extension in Bruges with our PD but I will post a thorough review sometime after we get home. Everyone has different priorities so it is hard to guess what you might like, but reading reviews may be helpful for you.