alexandra cruiser

That's all very subjective, so I doubt Cruise Critic will keep it as a stick. Cruise Critic has written their own articles and reviews of each river cruise line that would be the most "official" source of information.

but I m sure I read a list.

Think AMA,Scenic,Tauck were listed as luxury.

Uniworld,Viking,Avalan premium(or similar word)

Vantage,Grand Circle,Gate mid to lower range.

But this is just from memory.

companies,rated by price or luxury .That would be a good thing to reprint or have as a sticky under river boats to help us determine which one for the area /price.etc.

Anyone else see it,can it be reprinted? Can a CC rep.look it up and do that??:confused:

to post under river cruise section.I started a thread re whether they re slipping in recent years.

That way more people thinking of river cruise can read them,not just O fans.

Look forward to opinions.Thanks:)

We took our first river cruise 5 years ago and will be on our 7th next month.

 

We experienced a difference on the same line over a 3 year period. Some things improved, like bedding quality and cabin layout, and some things did not, like quality of food and included wine.

 

Then we tried AMA in 2011 and 2012 and enjoyed both equally, and saw no decline in overall quality from year to year. We experienced improvements in tours with the introduction of the active level tours and culinary tours, enjoyed the included specialty dining venue, had lovely dinners in the wine room in the MDR and had even more fun in the evenings than on our first AMA cruise.

 

AmaCerto was really fabulous and will be a tough act to follow. Hoping that AmaPrima will be equally impressive.

But anyone else out there with different companies?

Opinions needed.Thanks

for the photos and info.Will bookmark them and look at them again near cruise time in June.Love the dogs,haha.

You mentioned Transylvania,did you go with cruise or on own?We have an extra day and were thinking about HOHO bus for Bucharest.Or did you use a guide there too?:confused:

Have been reading a thread on Oceania re similar question.

Many seem to think the quality of the experience is slipping,regardless of company due to crowding or other reasons.Seems like lots of double docking,poorer food and service in general.

Have you found this to be true?

I just took an AMA to Vietnam and LOVED the whole thing,found everything almost 5star,but have not been to Europe on one in 2 yrs.Have a Scenic booked next June from Budapest to Bucharest and have seen mixed reviews.

What do YOU think? Sure hope not,love to take BOTH river and ocean cruises.:confused:

in both your review(not of Viking so much,taking Scenic)but photos,info on ports ,etc.I can find VERY LITTLE about this area.

Did read not as pretty(mostly industrial?)but interested in seeing the whole Danube.

Did you have lots of ports where docking next to another ship done>?

Have been to Budapest for 1 day and looking forward to 2 more this time.Did not extend time in BUcharest(2 days),Did you go to Dracula s castle.?Sounds hokey,but fun since there.:confused:

have done this a few times and NO PROBLEMS at all.Easy,not too expensive and NO WAIT.PS.everyone speaks some English too(is seems):)

between river and ocean cruises.Best of BOTH worlds, lots of entertainment 1 time and more laid back the next.Works for us.

Personally, we like the local groups that come onboard(like singers,dancers,musicians,).Hey, if bored go up on deck and watch the scenery go by with an after dinner drink.

Also, river cruises tend to cater to an older clientele.In overnite ports,can go off on own too.;)

and good to know.But still glad I booked full balcony,took one with AMA and now sort of HOOKED.Makes a small room feel much bigger and better views.:)

we have taken 3 /O cruises and have first Scenic planned for next June.

Sorry,but impossible to compare river to ocean.Have taken 10 river cruises and all the major lines.They re just different,due to small ship,small kitchen,etc.BUt still GREAT,for the area to visit and experience.More like a floating hotel that just cruises between ports,very convenient and relaxing way to see parts of world.Remember, you can always start on excursion with group,ie.to museum,etc.THEN go off on own.Not forced to participate(can take bus to town,etc).Very flexible.

Each ship in the line can be different,the country also determines type of cruise(ex.Russia,Egypt).Just make a detailed comparison between all the lines that go to area you want,then you ll get better idea.In general,youGET what you pay for.So ALL Uniworld,Scenic,AMA etc ships and cruises will be somewhat different,,,hard to lump them ALL together for pick out BEST.;)

have a Scenic cruise booked from Budapest to Bucharest and not able to find any info re low bridges.Had similar experience on Danube with Gate 1 but saw many boats that WERE able to go under lower bridges(maybe newer ones?).But I agree it was confining.I had only a french balcony and booked full balcony one this time,just in case.Also, hi river levels affect them too.

Anyone know????:confused:

we always book Business(our BIG splurge)when we go to Europe.But good to hear Coach nice too.Our change also gives us 2 hrs.changeover in Frankfurt to BUdapest,not 1(which we originally passed on,NO WAY would we make that there):confused:

I so hope you're right about this because we're booked in 8054 on Regatta in November 2014. When I saw the posts about 8056 I was ready to email my TA to see if we could change. Knowing how you love the Regatta, I'm going to take your word for it! :)

and you say Regatta.Don t think those two ships are same,are they?

I was in 8056 on REGATTA and did mention loud noises from Terrace in am and pm.Would switch rooms,if possible more toward middle.

And other than that small problem,it was really GREAT.

This is a minor annoyance unless you re a light sleeper,we were usually up already.;)

too say I ve taken 6 Luftansa oversea flights and always had similar experience .

Just had a nice thing happen,they changed my flight time to Budapest and I asked if a charge to move to earlier one(it was 50 min.change)and they said "no problem"and moved me with no charge.

Don t think that amount of time REQUIRED them to do that for no fee,and was surprised and happy.Good job.:)

not Insignia.But essentially same ship design.

Sure the larger,new ships are better at preventing noise from above in PH.

Booked concierge class on next cruise on Riviera.;)

we just got off and it had a lot of Terrace Grill noise in early am and late pm.

Would go for as close to mid ship as possible.

Other than that it was GREAT.Loved the extra room,tub,room service(with HOT breakfast,pm canapes and great butler,Grince.The stewardess was also wonderful,room cleaned fast and completely.

Enjoy,it s worth the extra for the perks.:D

:) I was on the same cruise and found it very enjoyable. The service and staff were great and I've never had better tours or guides. The GPS system on tours was excellent. The bar was open all day and night and there were top brand liquors available. Wine with lunch and dinner was very good and plentiful. I would rate the food 4.5 because there were many different items and I'm not very venturesome with trying new foods. Everything else was definitely 5 star. I would certainly recommend Scenic and would like to travel with them again.

Jackie

from OP.Seems odd,but just shows how everyone is different.

Hoping this one is close to correct,due to booking on Scenic next June.Have read 5 ,5star reviews on Member review section.So feel better about my choice.

but would avoid the holidays.We went over xmas and it was packed at the tourist sites.Was hot and humid,but little rain.Just be in good shape,read lots of reviews,pack correctly,pick good company(LOVED AMA)and enjoy.:)

We are leaving for our first river cruise on the Uniworld S.S. Antoinette in six days. It sounds like I made a mistake and could have saved a few bucks.

think you ll love it.On my 2 Uniworld cruises I thought the total package,cabin,food,shore excursions,staff,etc....was superior to Viking,But,as I stated above,it varies for many reasons.

If pressed, I would rate AMA the best of 10 river cruises..SO FAR.Have Scenic booked for next yr.So may change.Now basing cruises on new itineraries and ship(LOVE the 2 balcony ones).May go on Viking again for new French cruise for 2014.

As said before,fun to at least TRY different companies.You just never know,the NEXT may be the BEST.haha

but based on reader poll.Since its the largest company,seems likely more people take them and thus hi numbers?

Have taken 2 and while I d rate them above average, not my favorite.But every ship,country,date,itinerary can make SUCH a big difference.

Fun to try a few different ones and compare.

Remember everyone is different,and like some things more than others.;)

its very helpful.Appreciate you taking your time.

Love this about CC,always SOMEONE who knows and will help.:D

did I miss the library photo?if so, do you have one?

Also, maybe I missed this too,but is there a magnifying mirror in bathroom?

Thanks,:)

2 wks ago because the Acadia Park was closed for shutdown and with this one I had the choice between going to other areas of island.It was nice,but missed Park ,of course.

Didnt see the other one running.

Would advise to book online because it was busy with 2 cruise ships in port.

Also, very convenient due to location at port.:)

go to member review section and read the last 3 reviews.All 5 star,plus a few current cruisers have been posting mostly positively recently.

As a new cruiser to the company, I was sort of confused my a few negative posts and reviews.But now feeling better about my choice for next yr.

Thanks ALL who take the time to review and post,its such a help to ALL who read them.Keep it up.:)