Tauck, Crystal or Uniworld

Currently considering an Amsterdam to Budapest itinerary next Oct. on Tauck, Crystal or Uniworld. The pricing is the least of the factors and the timing and itineraries are very similar. I have sailed Uniworld previously, enjoyed it but I am curious about Crystal and the brand new ship Mahler that will hopefully be in operation by then. But I am also intriqued by the wonderful reputation for service and food with Tauck. The Tauck ship is MS Treasures with the cabin being almost half the size of Crystal.

What other factors should I be considering? Should I be cautious about whether or not Crystal can deliver the ship to service on time? The recent shift out of the planned France itineraries makes me concerned that Crystal is moving too quickly and doesn't really have their act together. Thoughts?

We have sailed the Danube on Uniworld for the Christmas Markets.

We were little disappointed at the quality of food and small size of our cabin. Yes, we knew the size prior to sailing, but could not imagine HOW cramped it was. There were 4 of us, in 2 cabins and not going back to Uniworld. Just a little let down

In December, we are sailing Tauck Inspire down the Rhine for the Markets. We are expecting more. Do not mind paying for what we want. The cabins are much larger and that is a real consideration. 2 choices for dining, a real plus.

We booked Tauck for the same itinerary. We looked at Uniworld and AMA. I would not book Crystal yet. Let them get their act together for a year or two

Our research led us to believe Tauck would be the best fit for us. I've never met anyone who has not raved about Tauck river cruises.

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Tauck is excellent. We are also on a land tour to Morocco in March.

I must say that the food is a big factor in my choice and we are on the Scenic Amber right now sailed out of Nuremberg to Budapest. Have not had a bad meal since we left. The quality is excellent. From breakfast to dinners. All is fresh daily.

I also might mention that the ship is new and the balcony is nice that it is an extension of your living space (balcony deluxe suite) 225 sq. The design is wonderful. Every space is used and worked well.

We booked Tauck for the same itinerary. We looked at Uniworld and AMA. I would not book Crystal yet. Let them get their act together for a year or two

 

Our research led us to believe Tauck would be the best fit for us. I've never met anyone who has not raved about Tauck river cruises.

 

 

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We were on two Tauck river cruises. The latest was Sept of this year. The only other one was Avalon but that was 13 yrs ago and times have changed in the river boat explosion . Tauck k is great. Everything is included. They carry 125 passengers vs 170 on other ships the same size. Never crowded. We are even booked for next September on the Rhone. Ask away if you want further info.

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I must say that the food is a big factor in my choice

Always! For us, AMA wins for food and service (as well as their twin balcony cabins at 235 sq ft), followed by Uniworld for food and wine quality and Scenic for service.

We just did a Tauck family river trip in July and, although it was enjoyable, we liked the AMA trip we did about a year and a half ago. This surprised us as we expected to be totally wowed by Tauck, but we weren't. Thought the cabins on AMA were bigger and the food was better as well as the choice of tours. There really was no choice of tours on Tauck.

Would not do another river cruise on Tauck.

I think you need to look at some of the reviews for the particular boats and itineraries you are interested in. We did Uniworld from Amsterdam to Basel on the SS Antoinette and it was nothing short of phenomenal. Food and service were over the top. We didn't hesitate to book a second trip with them on the Antoinette's sister 'super ship' for this year.

That said, for future trips, I recognize there are other competitors out there who may offer a better product for certain other itineraries, and we'll compare the features that are important to us - and read lots of reviews - before selecting one.

I think you need to look at some of the reviews for the particular boats and itineraries you are interested in.

That is sage advise. We were on the SS Catherine and would not travel with Uniworld on a non SS class ship as cabins are just too small for us.

That is sage advise. We were on the SS Catherine and would not travel with Uniworld on a non SS class ship as cabins are just too small for us.

On this particular itinerary the Tauck cabins are the same size as a Uniworld ship we did a few years ago, only 150 sq.ft.. For a two week cruise it does become small. But I thought Tauck was pretty much the best in terms of service and food so perhaps that makes up for the small cabins? BTW, we really enjoyed our Uniworld cruise but just want to try something different.

On this particular itinerary the Tauck cabins are the same size as a Uniworld ship we did a few years ago, only 150 sq.ft.. For a two week cruise it does become small. But I thought Tauck was pretty much the best in terms of service and food so perhaps that makes up for the small cabins? BTW, we really enjoyed our Uniworld cruise but just want to try something different.

For us, 150 sq ft is a deal breaker. And for two weeks, most definitely.

We are back from a wonderful Tauck cruise. We had a large cabin and it was very ample. The food was excellent. I am gluten free and they catered to me perfectly even making sure they had notified restaurants on land and putting a litlle blue sign in front of my plate. The cruise directors were fantastic and so full of knowledge. All of our local guides were hand-picked and many told us they love working with Tauck. You will not be disappointed.

Yes, they are small on Tauck but plenty of storage. Another plus is that you don't have to bring as much in the way of clothes for a river cruise. Also. You are gone most of the day.

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Looking at category 6 301 or 302 at 183 sq.ft. on Tauck Esprit. They are at least a little bigger. Is anyone familiar with those cabins? They are either midship or at the rear of that deck but I thought the rear would have engine noise. Can anyone comment?

Tauck also have suites of 330sq ft. They also carry far less passengers than their competitors and the crew/passenger ratio is also much better. I've cruised twice with Tauck and the 150sq ft cabin didn't put me off and wasn't a game changer either. If you spend that much time in your cabin then you're not enjoying your cruise.

I'll be able to respond with more details about Crystal when I return from my cruise on the Mozart next month. The reports we have heard have been very good. Food is a huge part of travel for us and the fact that they include dinner at a Michelin star restaurant gave us the impression that they care about food as well. Certainly having choices of restaurants aboard the ship and 24/7 room service doesn't hurt either. The reason given for the move of the two new builds from France was the overwhelming response to the German/Austria itineraries as well as the general opinion in the travel industry that people are less likely to travel to France given the recent terrorist attacks.

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This is a link to my blog from our cruise on the Crystal Mozart this past July which was only the second sailing of the Mozart.

I don't have other river cruise experience to compare it to but I hope the information in my blog will help you decide what's best for you.

http://claudiayvrmozartdanube.blogspot.ca/2016/07/from-wide-open-seas-to-meandering.html

Here's a piece that might help: Tauck vs. Uniworld.

 

We have a few comparison pieces on Crystal Rivers too that haven't been published yet. Will do so when they come out.

Excellent comparison. Thank you so much!

We've decided to go with Tauck Budapest to Amsterdam. WE really like the itinerary and the timing of the available departures. As tempting as Crystal is, I think we'll wait and consider them for another voyage after they've ironed out the kinks.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my query.

Chris, these comparison articles are great! But how do we find them on the Cruise Critic website [other than the links in your posts]?

We are back from a wonderful Tauck cruise. We had a large cabin and it was very ample. The food was excellent. I am gluten free and they catered to me perfectly even making sure they had notified restaurants on land and putting a litlle blue sign in front of my plate. The cruise directors were fantastic and so full of knowledge. All of our local guides were hand-picked and many told us they love working with Tauck. You will not be disappointed.

So good to know that Tauck took good care of your gluten issues. We are doing a Tauck river cruise in Aoril, and I am also gluten free. Just sent an email last week to assure that they knew of my needs. I was especially concerned about scheduled restaurant meals on land.

We are also doing a 15 night Budapest to Amsterdam cruise in July on Scenic. It will be interesting to compare the two. Waiting until Crystal has more experience with rivers to book them, although we love Ocean cruises on Crystal