alexandra cruiser

I took one in Norway and no problems at all, of course.

But thinking of one to Australia and New Zealand.A few reviews offer varying opinions.

What was your experience?Realize they are smaller than mass market one,and can feel waves more.But is it THAT BAD??

Somehow 3 days at sea in rough Tasman Sea make me a little concerned.

But I HATE the large ships,love Seabourn,so am really confused.HELP>:confused:

have Emerald listed.

Wonder how that is determined and if the company is reviewed in some way prior?

Do like the heated pool,and even French balcony that has windows that fully open(not half).

Will be interested in seeing future reviews.;)

I fully paid for a Russian river cruise on Viking with insurance. I called Viking yesterday and they said the cancel for any reason insurance they sold us only covers medical issues and they could not answer any questions regarding insurance claims, that we would need to contact the insurance company.

 

NOT HAPPY!!!

 

Alohaaa

our insurance was also booked with cruiseline.Have now learned my lesson,TRY to look at all the details before I buy one online and NOT FROM cruise co.

Sadly the cancel for any reason clause costs triple and must be purchased at time deposit made.So can be very early.

Seems sort of a catch 22,right?Have no real solution to this,anyone?:confused:

but before final payment.Filled out a document sent to me from original(online,large company one) to a bricks and mortar one.

Got much better help and had no problem.

Any TA s out there with more details?

It was for a river cruise,but doubt that would be any difference.

I d give it a try and ASK.;)

around New Zealand? Could always do Aust.later,and avoid the dreaded Tasman Sea.

Regent is one I m looking at,only problem is I ve been on the Voyager(and very aware of the vibration problems it has.Would go on the Mariner,since I ve been on it and loved it.So may have to wait to see which ship is doing that area for Jan 2016.

Looking at Seabourn and Oceania also.

Terry, so funny you mentioned DR.(cause DH IS ONE,haha).I m a retired RN and afraid he s used to giving orders,but I tend to ignore them.Ex.for collecting the needed MONEY.:o

on Tasman Sea crossing,since my DH had NO problems with sea sickness.Of course, I do.

We also took SB on Norway cruise,with NO SEA at all.

BUt,made the mistake of taking a RCCL in suite for 3 day TRY IT cruise.Whew,he hated it.Was first in line to get off.Where do I start?too loud,too many people,too many lines,bad food and service,you get the point.

Stated no more mass market,large ships,even in Presidential Suite!!

So ,now you see my problem.I PLAN the trips,he PAYS.

Guess I llhave to stock up on sea sickness meds,etc.??:confused:

Scenic and AMA.

As I ve stated before, I prefer a full balcony.Like all inclusive with tips on and off ship,room service,free drinks all day, tubs,transfers from airport(even on private bookings)all shore exc.Only one with all these,that I could find,is Scenic.

That being said,also love AMA and have many,not all,of above features.

Get brochures and check out websites,can even see boats on you tube and river cruise advisor(google).

:)compare all the things that are important to you.Good luck:)

was agreeing with YOU and meant for Judy and others to reconsider.

Glad you pointed out the mistake.

I look forward to my FIRST Scenic cruise,as stated.;)

Judy you do realize that Scenic wasn't the only cruise line that ended up busing their passengers during the flood last June?

 

I had a wonderful cruise on Scenic and wouldn't think of using any other company.

a subsidiary of Scenic ,,is the one Marty took(acc.to Host Jazzbeau on another thread??).I am aware of MANY cruise companies that had this problem also.Agree customer service could use an improvement for Scenic(is seems)and many others.Do a search under this topic on top of CC webpage..lots of articles.

Am TRYING my first Scenic cruise in June, looks good in brochure,many review,s and my Aussie TA hi ly recommends it.Of course , really HOPE I don t have the problems Marty listed.That was awful for him and others,I agree.BUt will not let that effect my TRYING Scenic,at least once.You may want to reconsider when you read all the facts,posts,etc.;)

for NEXT May.for same area.You MUST let us know all the details.

Im on the Budapest to Bucharest one in June,how about that one next?Will let you all know how THAT was,of course.

Wanted to do one in April,but the cold weather held me back.Like it WARM,but hey I m from Florida,haha.

I want to have breakfast on balcony,with top down if raining.Just to experience room service on a RIVER CRUISE SHIP.That s one of the reasons I opted for jr.suite(and tub).

Also ,the new Bordeaux river cruise for 2015 in France sounds great.Many options.:)

been on,but for varying lengths of times and more often in larger ports.

A few have been overnite,which was uncomfortable because your right up against the balcony of another ship.No privacy.and DARK.

Worst was Vienna where we had to walk thru 3 ships to get off.

Just something you have to expect,I guess.But NOT LIKE,that s for sure:(

the smaller,luxury lines,But didn't realize that ocean stretch was so ROUGH.Could make those sea days miserable.

Sadly,my DH HATES large ships with loads of people.So that sort of limits it.

Looked at Celebrity but for a suite,then added fees,tips,seem a little "nickel and dimed" to get experience we prefer.Like Balcony,tub,roomservice,inc.specialty rest.,,etc. The bottom line seems almost the same as Seabourn,Regent,Oceania,when you add it all up.Sure we could go less expensive with room selection,etc.But,WHY?

So still not sure what to do.Thanks for letting me sort of vent.haha:confused:

love fresh air at nite,but unable to open door due to BUGS.So trapped in AC.Did mention this to staff and front desk,also to an AMA rep taking the cruise.Guess it was NOT FIXED,since cruise was last Jan.

Also, even then we had the long bus ride and slippery ,mud steps to ship on river bank.With crew helping,but could have been handled better.Wood planks,etc??Not what I expected.

But,other than that,still LOVED it.Was on my bucket list and GLAD I went.

AMA,wonder if those changes have been considered??:confused:

It was also confusing trying to follow Marty156's posts about the flooding last year. If I understood it correctly, he was on Evergreen but focused his anger at Scenic because they are the parent company. That made it hard to figure out whether passengers on Scenic were treated well or poorly last year.

 

[i wouldn't expect service at a Chevy dealership to be at the same level as a Cadillac dealership, but if GM allowed Chevy to operate unethically that would raise concerns about Cadillac too. Oh wait, Chevy did do that!]

I too was confused about this.Made me very concerned about my Scenic cruise(as I have posted on a few threads).

I also got the new Emerald brochure and looked nice,but would hold off and any bookings till I read some reviews.

Can t believe how popular river cruises are now.Fear the ships will be REALLY stacked up next to ea.other in popular ports now.NOT FUN>and sure don t show you that fact in brochures!D!:rolleyes:

certainly help me feel I ve made the right choice. I even put a HOLD on northern France on Scenic for 2015.They do fill up so fast,So I REALLY DO hope I like this first one in June.

They HAD ME at the extras,such as TUB, room service,no tips to pay(on and off ship),all exc.inc. and on and on.Love the balcony concept too.

Will let CC know what I think after,of course.:)

and found MANY articles about MANY different river cruise lines that had numerous problems and complaints during both the flooding and drought conditions.

Agree,the worse seemed to be Viking and Scenic.But posts were made re Avalon,AMA,etc.

Not trying to PICK on any line,it was an awful mess.Just hope they ALL learned a little more re customer relations.

Was NOT a factor one way or other why I picked Scenic.Good dates,itinerary,ship perks,etc.major factors.

As said above, that s how I base my cruises now.;)

and do hope my experience is similar to later,since I did read Martys posts re poor treatment during floods.But then MANY other companies were also very bad.Must just HOPE no repeats.

Not sure about "digital enhancement"since I ve been on 10 other river boats and realize everything in photos tend to look bigger.

Like to TRY new lines and see for myself.Have taken a few I won t go on again.

Oh,thanks for Tauck tip.As said before,,would DEFINITLY go on one,,,but for lack of balcony.Which SORRY is a deal breaker.Maybe in future??:)

that I d like to take.Before Viking was only line doing Bordeaux(in France),now I see both Uniworld and Scenic offering them NEW for 2015.

Good to have options and so happy to see new itinerary .:)

and agree that MIGHT??have something to do with it.But was denied as above posts say.

Host Jazzbeau was honest and did say he picked AMA,and taking them again.

Guess everyone will have to make their own interpretation of what BEST is to them.

I just always wonder about how the results are obtained for any poll.:confused:

As I understand it, agents who do give rebates threaten their relationships with and even ability to book with some cruise lines. Probably not wise to even mention the city and state of agencies which offer such rebates.

this one limits to lines that are luxury(or premium)NOt mass market.

Have used them for yrs.and have had NO PROBLEM>others have also used and recommended them.

Please give more details about your comment.

and such a difference in same cruise on same ship last yr.at this time.

We had NONE of the problems you faced. Let s hope it was a fluke.

I did a LOT of research on member reviews,boards,etc.so really knew what to expect.Like,,not buying those books,etc.Not giving money.AMA handled our Cambodian visas with no hassle.

We also only had drinks during lunch and dinner,but that's what was said prior.So no false expectations.We had a few audio probls with headsets,but quickly fixed.

Look

ed at you tube videos prior,so knew what rooms looked like on ship,junks,hotels,etc .

So for future AMA Vietnama cruisers, best to do a LOT of research so you know exactly what to look forward to,no surprises like above poster.

In summary, we LOVED our cruise and hi ly recommend AMA and Vietnam.

Sorry, about your trip and really hope the standards are not slipping.;)

I too have picked AMA as best all a round,but will TRY Scenic in June.Mostly for itinerary.But also sounds very 5 star.Am aware they did NOT do well in last yrs. river probs, so really HOPE its not a repeat.

After 10 river cruises,now have to focus on places I ve never been too.So ships must vary now.Realize ea.ship,crew,food manager,country,etc.....can ALL affect how the cruise is rated.

Many things to consider.:)

Hi

We are just back from the Sydney to Auckland cruise on Marina. It was awesome & this itinerary should be on any adventurous travelers list. The countries are so beautiful & the people are beyond friendly. We particularly loved the Art & the flowers & greenery in the Botanical Gardens.

Anyway we have Vancouver to S.F., August 19 on Regatta and the Nov. 29, '14 on Riviera. We have NOT been to most of these Caribbean ports

Suzy & Barry

University Park, Fla

and THat cruise above sounds FANTASTIC.Do post a review under member review section.Love to hear all the details.See you re from FL>too.Maybe we ll meet onboard.:)

you ARE being charged.I always get and receive an air credit.

All you need is one cruise air mistake,and get a little leary.

Now also tend to go with cruiselines that have FREE TRANSFER to hotel or ship,,,inc. HAHA ,know I paid for it,but when they tack on extra exorbitant charge to pick me up when I book on own,its A pain.

Would rather have it all inc.,,plus, get cash back for whole trip from TA,,so saving money.:)

member reviews.But,must say from own experience,it is more complicated and time consuming.Easier to put on reg.thread.Have even gone to the trouble on 2 occasions,and had it not put in,for various reasons.Not in depth enough,long enough,port inclusions,etc..

That MIGHT BE A REASON.

Do notice,Host,that YOU have not inc.Viking in your list of river cruises?

Agree,we all have our favorities.But price DOES MATTER and you DO generally get what you PAY for.I also prefer those that work with TA s.

Thanks for the clarification,but can t say I agree with the term BEST,but now see how you came to conclusions.;);)