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OT: Which River Cruise Line is Preferred by Silversea Cruisers?


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We're thinking of a river cruise in Europe (likely the Rhone) next year and I was wondering if there is a consensus on cruise lines amongst Siversea cruisers. What say the Board?

 

Not sure that I can offer precise, personal experience on this exact question. BUT, I can share a suggestion I would look at and consider. And, the reasons why!!

 

We are getting ready in early 2018 to do a Mekong River cruise. We are going with Avalon for several reasons. Their cabins are larger than Viking and others. Plus, they a newer ship and an impressive "window wall" with the bed facing in that outward, scenic direction. Avalon is also connected with Globus Travel and that allows them to have a better ability to get the "better" guides in local areas as you do tours and immersion experiences into areas/sights along the river. In checking various reviews and other sources, Avalon gets very, very good marks and seems a step above for SE Asia compared to the other companies.

 

Check more for this part of Europe, ask lots of questions, talk with folks who have done a wide variety of cruising, etc. Viking in the past has been more difficult in the payment term, but I have heard that they have loosened up in that area more recently. Viking's TV ads are very attractive and appealing, but you want to dig much deeper to get the right, best fit for your style and interests. Keep researching and planning. There are many good options to consider.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 218,509 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

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The only river cruise we have taken was a Mekong cruise with APT (trading under the name TravelMarvel) and it was excellent. We accepted that the river boat had smaller cabins, a more restricted menu and fewer diversions but the quality of what we did receive was of the highest order. We particularly appreciated the truly all-inclusive nature ie porterage, excursions (which were uniformly excellent), drinks at any time, gratuities etc. Of particular note was the quality of the food prepared for us ranging from local specialities to more international choices.

 

Undoubtedly someone will point out that you can't really compare an ocean cruise to a river cruise but this is only true up to a point. You will have certain expectations from any mode of water-borne cruising. In terms of river cruising there seems to be less of a range of differences between the companies but if you are used to the 'six star' lines then you really need to look at the more upmarket river cruise providers.

 

On balance we would prefer ocean cruising as we found the river cruise quite intensive - that, of course, would be a plus for many - and prefer to lounge away the time bouncing around on the ocean with no destination in mind other than the venue for the next meal!

 

In summary, then, based on our sole river cruise, we think an SS sailor would find APT a good fit.

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We like totally all inclusive travel and Tauck is who we booked with for our French Waterways cruise two years ago. They are a little more expensive than some river cruises, but so worth the money! The tour started with two night stay in Paris(luxury hotel) and high speed train to Lyon. Swiss Emerald was our ship, which Tauck uses for French Waterway cruise of the Rhone. Beautiful ship with great staff, yummy food, and top shelf alcohol. Tauck has very knowledgeable tour guides that go the extra mile to make your trip an experience to remember. They take the worry of luggage, transportation, and tips away from you. Everything is taken care of before hand! Highly recommend them!

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Uniworld. Service and food quality comparable to SS, and all-inclusive.

 

Agree. Uniworld is excellent. Sailed on the Maria Theresa last year (although I am not a fan of river cruises), they did a great job with tours and dining is 4-star quality. We had the best butler ever on this cruise, as well. But, unlike Silversea, butler service is only provided for suites.

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Our TA highly recommends Tauck, but we booked AMA instead as friends we're cruising with wanted an "outside" balcony, not just a Juliet balcony. Personally, I think some of the Uniworld ships look really cool.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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No one has mentioned it yet, but I've been told that Viking doesn't have casinos on their ships. I don't gamble, but a casino is a make or break for some folks.

 

 

I think this thread is about river rather than ocean cruises, and I do not believe (though I may be wrong -- I have never taken a river cruise) that any river cruise boats have casinos.

 

I think you are correct about Viking ocean liners, and for some people the absence of a casino may be a great plus. :)

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No one has mentioned it yet, but I've been told that Viking doesn't have casinos on their ships. I don't gamble, but a casino is a make or break for some folks.

 

I did a lot of research before my river cruise........none of the riverboats have casinos on them.....well, none that I looked at.

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Thanks, all, for the feedback. More research to do on Uniworld, Tauck, and Scenic.

 

Hi, I thought AMA was outstanding:).......wonderful food, excellent service, the tours were great too:)

Just to give you another opinion.

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Nope! Here's another vote for Viking.

We went on four Viking Longships and loved them all. ( Danube, Christmas Markets on the Rhine, the Rhône, and to Bordeau.) We took the biggest cabins each time and enjoyed everything. Good food, good enough wines, friendly service, sleek Scandinavian decor, pleasant passengers, excellent guides. We rather liked the no nonsense approach on Viking. Traveling to culture rich ports was stimulating enough. We appreciated coming back to our clean, modern boat and savoring Viking's very clean, comfortable simplicity.

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We have our third Silversea cruise booked (& our fifth on Regent). Recently returned from our first river cruise - with Scenic. We enjoyed it, the Danube was wonderful, the excursions really well organised & the crew friendly & efficient. The cabins were very small. The food in the evening was disappointing & we didn't like having a set dinner time. Food is important to us so, primarily for that reason, we would probably not choose Scenic again. Others we met onboard thought Uniworld & Tauck superior so if we should ever be tempted again, we would look at those two.

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I wish I could remember why we chose to sail with Viking the first time.. but..for whatever reason, the choice, for us, was a good one. I remember being worried about a line so focused on the American market...but, then I realized that all the advertising was on our quite esoteric Public TV.

As I posted earlier..Viking worked out very well for us. I'd book another Viking river cruise, in a minute. We especially loved the Danube trip. The beautiful monastery complex in Melk still haunts me...in a very good way! And The Christmas Markets cruise was extremely COLD, but absolutely unforgettable... such a fun experience.

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Very happy with Uniworld (traditional) and AMA (modern). Would have tried Scenic but they have always been booked up when we were considering them.

 

Just one word of warning about European river cruising - we have had some great trips but have also been subject to some major changes owing to "not enough water" in the summer and "too much water" in the winter. Can mean that you end up spending a lot of time on a coach and using the boat as a hotel!

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