oscarwild

Fantastic review, Circe -really enjoyed all the details. We are hoping to go to Africa in 2016 and were leaning toward AMA - your review has pushed us into making that choice. It is so exciting just beginning to plan our trip. Hope you are still on the boards until that time as I'm sure we'll have more and more questions as time goes on and consulting with you would be great. Thank you!

Thank you so much to those of you who took a stab at ranking the different lines. While I realize the rankings are subjective in nature, it does give me a framework from which to work. I appreciate it!

Thanks for all of the helpful advice -it is a lot to take in. Every post yields more info and I think I'm starting to get a feel for it. Can anyone rank the river cruise companies from low to high budget? I know this will be subjective as the services and fees vary so much per line, but it might give me an idea of where to start in looking at individual lines. Again, thanks for all your great input!

We took a Princess cruise years ago, but are now thinking about taking a river cruise. France is high on our list of where to go. However, we are wondering if anyone can advise on the atmosphere on different river cruise lines and different itineraries - is there a dress code for any of these cruises? Do some cater to particular age groups? Are some more open to personal choice as to schedules or do most have a set schedule to which passengers must adhere? Is there an overall average to the amount of time the ships dock in each port? Do some dock overnight, and if so, do you have the option of staying overnight on land? Are there opportunities to do your own shore excursions while in port, and if so, what are the pros/cons of doing so on your own? Wondering if some cruises are "stuffy," more formal and others are more relaxed and casual - will we be surrounded by world travelers, highly educated or a more diverse mix of fellow travelers?

TIA for any helpful hints you can give us. Just beginning to explore river cruise travel :-)

PS-this is my first post, please be kind.

Oops! Thanks, I will do that.

We took a Princess cruise years ago, but are now thinking about taking a river cruise. France is high on our list of where to go. However, we are wondering if anyone can advise on the atmosphere on different river cruise lines and different itineraries - is there a dress code for any of these cruises? Do some cater to particular age groups? Are some more open to personal choice as to schedules or do most have a set schedule to which passengers must adhere? Is there an overall average to the amount of time the ships dock in each port? Do some dock overnight, and if so, do you have the option of staying overnight on land? Are there opportunities to do your own shore excursions while in port, and if so, what are the pros/cons of doing so on your own? Wondering if some cruises are "stuffy," more formal and others are more relaxed and casual - will we be surrounded by world travelers, highly educated or a more diverse mix of fellow travelers?

TIA for any helpful hints you can give us. Just beginning to explore river cruise travel :-)

PS-this is my first post, please be kind.