I caught the River Cruise "bug"

I returned from Viking's Rhine Getaway in November. I have the bug and want to go on another river cruise soon or at least book one soon.

I want to know what your favorite river cruise was. Tell me the company and the cruise name and why it was your favorite.

We have no certain allegiance to Viking, but we did enjoy their atmosphere and service.

I want to go somewhere different, but am not opposed to more of Germany.

I am 29 and I traveled with my 59 year old mother. We like trying new foods, wines and beers, and we are big walkers.

Thank you for your advice!

Our first river cruise was AmaWaterways' Enchanting Rhine -- we loved it, but that is the itinerary you have just done. Our next river cruise (this past year) was AMA's Provence and Spain -- the full package starts in Paris and ends in Barcelona, but we did the cruise only from Lyon to Arles -- we again loved it (maybe even more). The next one we plan to book is AMA's Port Wine & Flamenco, which starts in Madrid and ends in Lisbon. [We are avoiding the Danube because it hold less interest for us and also because of the recurrent problems with high or low water.]

I did a lot of research before booking the first cruise, and everything pointed to AmaWaterways as the cruise line of choice for us. Both of our cruises have proved out all the good things that research promised: the ships are furnished tastefully at a high level, the food is excellent [the Berlitz Guide says that AMA spends more on food per passenger than any other river cruise line], the included wine and beer at lunch and dinner was all the booze we needed, the tours are all included (even optional choices and even "limited edition" tours), the crew is friendly and service-oriented, and I have been trying to think of anything to criticize but can't! Also AMA designed their ships to be able to sail in high and low water situations when other cruise lines [especially Viking] have to resort of "bus tours" -- and all reports from the 2013 floods and last year's drought were that AMA did keep sailing and took very good care of their passengers when things didn't go completely according to plan. They also [like almost everything except Viking] don't require payment until 90 days before the cruise starts.

We've also caught the river cruise bug! We completed our second this November, also with Viking on the Rhine. Our first was our favorite - the Viking Danube, which went from Budapest to Nuremberg. Besides Germany, had stops in Hungary and Austria, then we extended on our own to Prague.

Great walking stops and a different area of Germany to explore. We next want to take the southern France cruise with time in Lyon.

Our first cruise was Castles on the Rhine with Vantage and we had such a wonderful time that we've just finished our 8th cruise with Vantage! I have 4 cruises that tied for "favorite": The Rhine cruise because it was just so beautiful; Holland when the tulips were in bloom because it was just so beautiful; Russia because it was so very different from what I expected and Egypt because it was just such a wonderful adventure. Our last cruise was Switzerland: Rhine and Moselle and that was wonderful too. Given your ages I am going to suggest that you do physically difficult trips first whether by river, ocean liner, train or wheels...places like Greece, Egypt, Russia, Africa, China where there's so much to see and you need a certain level of physical stamina to really get the most out of them. You can see the Louvre in a wheelchair but you gotta be able to walk up the hill to the Acropolis! :D

Reason we chose Vantage the first time...their brochure arrived at just the right moment!! Thereafter we discovered that with very few exceptions all shore excursions were included in the price of the cruise. There were a couple that were extra but they included admission to places like Schoenbrun Palace and Peterhof and usually included lunch in a restaurant. We weren't being nickel and dimed to death every time we wanted to do something. We also found their tour managers to be exceedingly knowledgeable, competent and speak perfect English. I think many times if your first trip is perfection you tend to repeat with the same company and that's why we're still booking trips with them....and the perks after 3 trips are really great!!

We have been on 4 Viking river cruises and enjoyed them all and 1 river cruise with land extension in Vietnam/Cambodia with AMA

VIKING :

Grand European - Amsterdam to Budapest

Ukraine

Elbe River

Tulips and Windmills.

I suggest you spin the globe and let your finger pick the next destination! LOL

Seriously, read the itinerariesand see which interest you more (destination, types of sites, food, etc).

Carol

We also like AmaWaterways very much. We cruised the Danube in 2014 in early June and were so impressed that we booked the Rhone trip for 2015. We went 3 days early to Budapest and saw most of the sites. If you do this one, make sure you book a tour of the parliament building before you go. It is amazing. We were to glad we did see the city prior to the cruise because the ship's pre-cruise tour was mostly spent in traffic trying to get around Budapest. We loved the small towns we visited along the Danube.

We spent a week prior to the Rhone trip touring the Luberon and Cote Du Rhone areas by car. The Rhone cruise was also very enjoyable. The tour guides were outstanding. We were on the Rhone in early October, and it was cold and rainy. I would try to do this in June or September if you can. Remember to book early as these destinations sell out about a year in advance.

Happy travels.

Only 1 river cruise under my belt, and I too caught the bug. It was the 8-day Enchanting Danube itinerary on Uniworld's River Beatrice. Everything, especially the service, was first class. It truly was an all-inclusive experience. The food was the best food I've had on a cruise. Prior to this I did 20 ocean cruises on Carnival, HAL, and Princess. Shorex on Uniworld were wonderful, especially the "Do as the Locals Do" tours.

Roz

Howdy, and yes like the rest of you we as well have caught that very contagious River Cruisin Bug.

So stress free and so so much more intimate than that of Ocean Cruising.

We did our first last year with Scenic a company out of Australia and just had such a Great and Wonderful time. Our Cruise was The Jewels of Europe from Amsterdam to Budapest and we spent three days in both and enjoyed to the Fullest.

Scenic was an ALL Inclusive and didn't Nickle and Dime you to death as in the case with Viking.

From Limos picking us up at The Airport and taking us to our hotels and taking us to the ship, to Private Butlers , to all excursions, to never having your glass go empty, to swimming pools on the new ships Jasper ,Opal,and Amber ours was the Jasper to having the largest current cabins on The Rivers at 475 SQ. Ft in The Royal Panorama Suites and also having there Electric Bicycles, and also what is called Tailor made GPS systems. All Just top notch from start to finish. Also nice was having about 100 Australians and 40 ish Canadians and the rest a mixture. Those Australians just know a secret and that is in how to enjoy Life to the fullest. So much FUN.

All I can say is that I am sure that all the various different cruise lines have there good points and there bad points and I'm sure that depending on whom you may talk with that they have there favorite for us Scenic as they could only do EXCELLENT.

Yes we have already Pre Booked for another unfortunately not until September of 2017 as we shall be spending April and May in Hawaii. Is called Spectacular South of France with Paris and Nice. Ahh I can certainly Taste Those Wines Now..

Hoping and Wishing For All Smooth Sailings and Most importantly is

All For Fun and Fun For All. ENJOY!!

Loungin" Laughin" Lovin" n Libations"

Lisa and Gary

LoneStarCruisinCouple

We have done 11 river cruises so far and have two more booked.

AMA is our preference and the line that really sold us on river cruising. We had taken several prior to AMA with another line and doubt that we would have continued to travel on the rivers had we not found AMA. It just fits us very well.

We also had a great experience with Uniworld last year on the Rhone and would certainly cruise with them again, on their newer "SS" ships only.

We are trying Scenic next as the itinerary was perfect for our dates and interests.

Welcome to the club!

The only problem with the River Cruise Bug is there is no cure, only treatments. My most recent treatment was on the Douro River in Portugal. Sadly, while taking the treatment was effective, once the medicine wore off I was worst than before.

My next treatment isn't until next November. DH says I am looking a little pale, so may try to fit in a Rhine River this summer.

The only problem with the River Cruise Bug is there is no cure, only treatments. My most recent treatment was on the Douro River in Portugal. Sadly, while taking the treatment was effective, once the medicine wore off I was worst than before.

 

My next treatment isn't until next November. DH says I am looking a little pale, so may try to fit in a Rhine River this summer.

Dear Rosethorn....I can only offer my professional opinion and some advice as to what may help you suffer through this affliction, which I fear is probably permanent...I do not recommend that you take treatments too often lest you find yourself unable to pay for them....unless of course you hold one of the winning powerball tickets in which case will you adopt me? :D You might temporarily treat the pain of withdrawal by pouring over river cruise brochures and researching new places to go for treatments. For instance France is very popular right now but I prefer the Rhine, Moselle or Danube Rivers as possible alternatives. Take as many trips as you can, but don't say we didn't warn you!!! :D

If you pour stuff on your brochure the pages will stick together. Better to pore over them.

If you pour stuff on your brochure the pages will stick together. Better to pore over them.

It was all spell check's fault?

It was all spell check's fault?

Sorry Kitty, it was a cheap shot. I get a little anal about spelling and lately there has been an epidemic of people pouring over various things and each time it bugs me. Your post was the one that pushed me over the edge. I must lead a pretty good life if pouring vs poring is all I need to be bothered about.:)

Sorry Kitty, it was a cheap shot. I get a little anal about spelling and lately there has been an epidemic of people pouring over various things and each time it bugs me. Your post was the one that pushed me over the edge. I must lead a pretty good life if pouring vs poring is all I need to be bothered about.:)

Well jeb, either it really was spellcheck's fault or people have been pouring stuff over your things and you're in a really bad mood and I don't blame you!!!! LOL!!!

I wasn't upset, I thought it was pretty funny, I just couldn't think of a good "comeback".....but you're right, if that's the worst thing that happens to either of us today, we're both leading pretty good lives. :)

Dear Rosethorn....I can only offer my professional opinion and some advice as to what may help you suffer through this affliction, which I fear is probably permanent...I do not recommend that you take treatments too often lest you find yourself unable to pay for them....unless of course you hold one of the winning powerball tickets in which case will you adopt me? :D You might temporarily treat the pain of withdrawal by pouring over river cruise brochures and researching new places to go for treatments. For instance France is very popular right now but I prefer the Rhine, Moselle or Danube Rivers as possible alternatives. Take as many trips as you can, but don't say we didn't warn you!!! :D

Ah, Hydrokitty, your are right. One cannot take treatments too often (Sadly, I do not hold one of the winning powerball tickets worth 1.5 BILLION. I do however, hold one of of billions of worthless tickets). You did manage to make me chuckle, and a good laugh is priceless.

Ah, Hydrokitty, your are right. One cannot take treatments too often (Sadly, I do not hold one of the winning powerball tickets worth 1.5 BILLION. I do however, hold one of of billions of worthless tickets). You did manage to make me chuckle, and a good laugh is priceless.

Darn...I have millions of worthless tickets too!!! Glad I made you laugh...one can never laugh too often.

Thank you all for your suggestions! We are thinking either the Danube or France. Hard decisions.

Thank you all for your suggestions! We are thinking either the Danube or France. Hard decisions.

Well at least you don't have to worry about making the "wrong" choice....and neither of them is going anywhere any time soon so you can pick one for now and one for later....if only all of life's decisions were so easy!!! :D

AMA designed their ships to be able to sail in high and low water situations when other cruise lines [especially Viking] have to resort of "bus tours" -- and all reports from the 2013 floods and last year's drought were that AMA did keep sailing and took very good care of their passengers when things didn't go completely according to plan. They also [like almost everything except Viking] don't require payment until 90 days before the cruise starts.

We have not taken a river cruise yet, but are giving some serious thought to doing one sometime in the near future. The water level is very important of course, and I'm glad to know this line is able to sail in high and low levels.

It's also good to know they don't require payment as early as the other lines.

These are two very good points! Thanks for posting!

Let me weigh in with a vote for Uniworld's Grand Christmas and New Year's cruise. we enjoyed it so much the first time we did at again two years later. it was great to get away from the tacky commercialism at home. Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve with a boy's choir equal to the Vienna boy's choir in a gothic church ...wow! New Year's Eve in a palace in Vienna..another wow!

It was a terrific two weeks seeing the sights along the Danube with hardly any tourists.

RB

Let me weigh in with a vote for Uniworld's Grand Christmas and New Year's cruise. we enjoyed it so much the first time we did at again two years later. it was great to get away from the tacky commercialism at home. Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve with a boy's choir equal to the Vienna boy's choir in a gothic church ...wow! New Year's Eve in a palace in Vienna..another wow!

It was a terrific two weeks seeing the sights along the Danube with hardly any tourists.

RB

Interesting thought... We've tried to get out of the US for the past two Christmases, but we still ran into decent amounts of tourists in Paris (2014) and Barcelona (2015). We'll have to see if there's a city in this region that would make a nice getaway for Christmas this year.

In terms of our favorite, it would be hard to top Castles on the Rhine with Uniworld, but Burgundy and Provence last year came close. I think that if the weather had been better in France, it could have come out on top, but the Rhine was a fantastic experience. We would visit either area again tomorrow if we had unlimited time (well, we have been back to the Rhine two times already, so that says something).

We will hopefully see how a Danube cruise fits into the rankings in another month. Our flight leaves 5 weeks from today!

Interesting thought... We've tried to get out of the US for the past two Christmases, but we still ran into decent amounts of tourists in Paris (2014) and Barcelona (2015). We'll have to see if there's a city in this region that would make a nice getaway for Christmas this year.

 

In terms of our favorite, it would be hard to top Castles on the Rhine with Uniworld, but Burgundy and Provence last year came close. I think that if the weather had been better in France, it could have come out on top, but the Rhine was a fantastic experience. We would visit either area again tomorrow if we had unlimited time (well, we have been back to the Rhine two times already, so that says something).

 

We will hopefully see how a Danube cruise fits into the rankings in another month. Our flight leaves 5 weeks from today!

Wow, JP and Chris, I hope this means another great trip report and picture review!! I'm still recommending your Rhine River review to everyone with upcoming Rhine River cruises---in fact I've referred to it as "required reading" for folks planning such a cruise. I think I fell in love with river cruising by reading your review---and I haven't even been on a river cruise yet!! (We fly out exactly 6 weeks from today!!)

Which cruise line are you using for this upcoming cruise? Also which lines have you used in the past? I'd be interested to hear your comparisons---if you have been on other lines beside Uniworld.

Wow, JP and Chris, I hope this means another great trip report and picture review!! I'm still recommending your Rhine River review to everyone with upcoming Rhine River cruises---in fact I've referred to it as "required reading" for folks planning such a cruise. I think I fell in love with river cruising by reading your review---and I haven't even been on a river cruise yet!! (We fly out exactly 6 weeks from today!!)

 

Which cruise line are you using for this upcoming cruise? Also which lines have you used in the past? I'd be interested to hear your comparisons---if you have been on other lines beside Uniworld.

Thanks wandb, glad you found my chronicles of the Rhine cruise useful. Other than a Nile cruise with A&K, we have only cruised with Uniworld in Europe. So I can't offer any meaningful comparisons between other lines.

I will try to put out a trip report for the Danube trip as well. I just have to find the time!

We're on the River Beatrice this time - a slightly older Uniworld ship with smaller rooms, so we splurged on one of the suites. Should be fun!

Hope that you have a great trip!

Thanks wandb, glad you found my chronicles of the Rhine cruise useful. Other than a Nile cruise with A&K, we have only cruised with Uniworld in Europe. So I can't offer any meaningful comparisons between other lines.

 

I will try to put out a trip report for the Danube trip as well. I just have to find the time!

 

We're on the River Beatrice this time - a slightly older Uniworld ship with smaller rooms, so we splurged on one of the suites. Should be fun!

 

Hope that you have a great trip!

Thanks, JP. I will so look forward to your review---whenever you get to do it! Do you know where you will post it? I think you were going to do a review this past year, but I never could find it.

Hope y'all have a wonderful time on the Danube!