Does anyone else feel that river cruises are overpriced?

We don’t find it an either or proposition, we still do both independent travel along with river and ocean cruises.

Some areas obviously don’t lend themselves to cruises of any sort. The overview tours, of some of the lines are insufficient , so we prefer going to some areas and having/ taking the time to see those cities and sights. Away from the cruises, we can escape the Americanized food and drink and more completely delve into local authentic food and wine. Some prefer the familiar cheeseburger regardless of location, we’re just not in that camp.

On the other hand, some trips we don’t want to pack and unpack everyday or every couple of days. Sometimes, we don’t want to hassle with driving in the horrible traffic, especially if it turns raining or other inclement weather. The luxuries and conveniences of the organized tour has its advantages. One pays for those luxuries and conveniences. Sightseeing, while floating down the beautiful Douro, to us, was far better than making that drive, especially since I was the one that would have been driving!

IMO this is completely dependent on the hotels you choose and the restaurants you enjoy versus the river lines/cabin category you choose. We very much enjoy independent travel in Europe but it is not always less expensive.

 

In August we were in Milan for a few nights pre cruise. We stayed at Park Hyatt, which is our preference. Room was 725 E per night (we used points for part of stay). No meals or drinks are included and we enjoy good wine and great food and choose accordingly. Add in our transport costs, drinks, meals and wine and we were easily at 900E per night. 450 E per night can buy a nice river cruise on a good line.

 

Yes, we do also stay at more budget friendly hotels but it is inaccurate to state that one travel style is more than the other. Choosing a budget river cruise line in their cheapest cabin can be just as inexpensive, all in, as a DIY land trip, once ALL costs are factored in - for an equivalent itinerary. Croisi is just one example. That is anything BUT a luxury experience IMO.

 

A river cruise is not always the more expensive or more luxurious option.

Clearly the sky is the limit on nice hotels in downtown areas in Europe. When I choose to stay in one of those hotels. I almost always use hotel points. For example we spent two nights in the Park Hyatt in Vienna after our first river cruise. My cost was zero. To book the suite we had was almost a $1000 a night. Wonderful room. We spent another night in a HIlton that cost less than $200 a night, and an airport hotel for about $100. Prior to the cruise we spent two nights in the cruiseline's hotel the Hilton Athenee in Bucharest booked on hotwire for $99 a night included 2 drinks a day and a wonderful breakfast had we booked the two nights and the tours with Avalon it was about a $1000 adder, which probably included meals. We saw everything we wanted to see in Bucharest ate at very nice restaurants and probably spent $75 a day including cabs and entrance fees. After the cruise in Budapest we spent 4 nights at the Marriott (Vikings hotel) I think it was $199 per night with a very nice breakfast. We spent around $200 for a full day walking guide the first day and he taught us the ins and outs of the city. We splurged one night and had an unbelieveable meal at a fancy hotel near the Marriott that probably cost $150 for dinner (with a steak aged in lard.... OMG) with a nice bottle of bubbly. Most of the other meals at nice restaurants cost between $20 and $40.

We too love great food and wine, but I don't eat that at home every day for every meal. So, there are clearly times, when for example I bought my wife a Mercedes convertible and did European delivery (one of the best two week vacations ever) we were travelling with two small carry-on bags 2 small backpacks and a small soft side cooler breakfast was usually included in the hotel, but lunch was almost always something we picked up at a grocery store and ate on the side of the road. One day it was that lunch in the ski town (summer) of Helgenblutt Austria, with a wonderful view of the Grossglockner mountain drinking champagne, and eating meats, cheeses and crackers watching helicopters flying back and across the valley and taking in the spectacular mountain views and fresh air. Probably one of the single best days in my travel history.

You don't have to spend a fortune to have a marvelous time. We can afford to travel in whatever style we could want to, but there is a charm that can be missed staying only at the best hotels. There were several quaint and fun moments we had on that European Delivery trip, that I remember fondly and more vividly than staying in a fancy hotel.

JC

For those comments on a Nile cruise, I can say that our Uniworld Nile river cruise this February was spectacular and probably worth more than we paid for it! By the time we got the early “booking and payment “ discount along with the repeat customers discount we came in under $5K each for the cruise in a top cabin. Uniworld and the Nile is not to be missed!

I have taken 7 river cruises with Uniworld and love them! Prior to river cruising my husband and I had taken approximately 40 ocean cruises plus numerous land trips by train in Europe. I love that I have been able to see some smaller places with great guides that I might have missed if left to my planning which is very good! Also we love smaller ships! About 300 is the max. passengers for us now. After three Christmas Market river cruises we are doing a land Christmas Market trip to Berlin and Dresden.

Just as a note to one of your comments. The vast majority of Americans have no concept of bulk wholesale pricing on alcoholic beverages. Honestly, they have no reason to have. However, those bar drink prices and/or retail prices people often see are typically greater than 2X the normal wholesale price and often 4X what bulk buyers like cruise lines pay. All in , that piece of apple strudel, at dessert, probably cost the line as much as a couple glasses of wine or mix drinks. The line’s cost on the wine they are pouring cost them maybe 3 Euro per bottle, forget what you see it sold for. With a little over 6 glasses per bottle, keeping those cruisers happy with wine is inexpensive customer service. You are not subsiding much when watching your fellow passengers quaff their wine or mix drinks.

 

I will agree with you that mediocre food on any line is unacceptable.

I think people get hung up on feeling like they are subsidizing the massive consumption of alcohol by other pax but any restaurant, hotel makes the highest profit on alcohol sales so perhaps it’s something not to worry about. Tauck delivers excellent service in terms of quality of tours, communication to pax and amenities than most cruiselines, river or ocean. Food was very average and a bit disappointing on our cruise so if you had a similar opinion about food I can understand your feelings about cost. But on the other hand there is a huge premium on the top cabin categories so perhaps you would not feel so strongly about lack of value had you booked a more moderate cabin. You would have saved thousands.

So I think in general that you get what you pay for with Tauck and they aren’t over-priced at all.

This further information strongly suggests that you should try other river cruise lines before committing to two more on this same line that disappointed you. Neither of my AMA cruise ships had any vibration (one sailing upstream on the Rhine, and the other with strong downstream currents on the Rhone). "Fool me once, shame on you...Fool me twice, shame on me"

Ditto, one with Viking, one with Vantage, was very happy with how smooth both were.

You could easily 'step down' a class or two of cruise line; if the included booze isn't important to you, and you weren't thrilled by the food on Tauck, you could save quite a bit of money on another line. This may translate into more enjoyment.

Have fun either way, unpacking just once is too nice. Tack on a week or so extra to combine the other part of European travel you love. So nice to walk around on your own for a few days after following a lolipop w/ a voice in your ear. Somtimes you just want to stop for an ice cream then and there, without checking with anyone other than more than willing spouse.

:D

This further information strongly suggests that you should try other river cruise lines before committing to two more on this same line that disappointed you. Neither of my AMA cruise ships had any vibration (one sailing upstream on the Rhine, and the other with strong downstream currents on the Rhone). "Fool me once, shame on you...Fool me twice, shame on me"

I've done two on Avalon and never felt any vibration. I'm a light sleeper so the vibration would have bothered me. I definitely would have spoken to the CD.

To the OP, thank you for starting this thread. It's generated a lot of good discussion, and will be helpful to those considering a river cruise. They're not for everyone.

I agree that river cruising is expensive, but I'm willing to pay the price for the advantages already mentioned - pack and unpack once, smaller number of passengers, small group tours that sometimes go to more obscure sites, all-inclusive (at least for me on Uniworld), more personal service, etc. As a single woman, I've found river cruising to be a great way to travel in Europe. I want and need some hand holding. :) Believe me, when I landed in Bucharest this past September after experiencing severe airport and flight trauma, I was never so glad to see the Uniworld rep holding up her paddle.

In the mid-80s I took a 2-wk. bus tour in Europe with my college alumni association. It was a great experience, but the constant on and off the bus and schlepping my suitcase down to the bus every morning at some ungodly hour isn't an experience I wish to repeat at 65.

One of the ways I'm cutting back on costs is with my cabin choice. On my first Uniworld cruise I chose a Cat. 3 with the French balcony. On my 2nd cruise, I was in a Cat. 4 on the lower deck of the River Duchess. It had a wide horizontal window along the top of the outside wall. The bottom of the window was at water level, creating the effect of being in a front loading washer when a wave came along. :p

The Cat. 4 suited me just fine, so much so that on the 2018 cruise I just booked, I chose a Cat. 5. The bottom deck is very quiet, and with just a few cabins down there, it had a somewhat "clubby" feel because we all got to know each other coming and going to meals and tours. Also, since neither the lounge nor restaurant are located there, it's quieter since you don't have a lot of passengers walking by your door. Space-wise, I didn't detect any difference between the 3 and 4. I think the difference is the location and having a the big window and French balcony.

Roz

This has been a fascinating discussion, many thanks to three4rd for starting it and for the many interesting thoughts from other posters.

That said, my DH and I have only been on one river cruise so far, with Tauck, and had some of the same impressions as three4rd: it is an expensive way to travel. Like the OP, we were underwhelmed with the overall quality of the Scylla/Tauck food: it was perfectly fine, but not anything to get excited about. Our drinking habits are usually limited to a couple of glasses of wine with dinner, but it was nice to have the option of an after dinner drink if we wanted it, or a glass (or 2) of champagne as we cruised down the Rhine gorge. What we really feel that we were paying for, and which we definitely got our money's worth for, was the overall level of service and attention from the Tauck tour directors, the comfort and luxury of the ship itself, and the general feeling of being cosseted, and literally not having to worry about anything at all. That was worth every penny, and is apparently a hallmark of Tauck's product. We certainly got the same level of care and attention to detail from our Tauck small ship cruise to Japan, although the food was better on L'Austral than it was on the river boat.

We're thinking seriously about a river cruise on the Rhone for next September, and while Tauck would have been our first choice, as usual they are completely booked, so we are looking at Uniworld, Avalon, and Ama, and this whole thread has been extremely helpful in sorting out which direction we want to go for that trip.

...We're thinking seriously about a river cruise on the Rhone for next September, and while Tauck would have been our first choice, as usual they are completely booked, so we are looking at Uniworld, Avalon, and Ama, and this whole thread has been extremely helpful in sorting out which direction we want to go for that trip.

Taking you more literally than I'm sure you intended, one detailed piece of advice is to choose the downstream direction on a Rhone cruise. The current is very strong on the Rhone [one of the few rivers in Europe to take the masculine article because of its personality], and sailing is much smoother going with the current than fighting it.

Taking you more literally than I'm sure you intended, one detailed piece of advice is to choose the downstream direction on a Rhone cruise. The current is very strong on the Rhone [one of the few rivers in Europe to take the masculine article because of its personality], and sailing is much smoother going with the current than fighting it.

Thank you, Host Jazzbeau, that is actually excellent advice, and just the sort of thing that is not obvious when you are choosing dates. Am I correct in assuming that this means starting in Lyon would be better than starting in Avignon?

Thank you, Host Jazzbeau, that is actually excellent advice, and just the sort of thing that is not obvious when you are choosing dates. Am I correct in assuming that this means starting in Lyon would be better than starting in Avignon?

Yes. Also Lyon is a wonderful city, so an excellent place for a pre-cruise night or two.

Lyon is the food capital of the world. So many world class restaurants to try.

Our cruise actually started in Burgundy, and we had exceptional experiences by staying in Puligny. Still a good option even if the cruise starts in Lyon.

Back to OP, and anyone else concerned about the high cost of river cruising: you might want to read this new article on Cruise Critic, comparing AmaWaterways and Emerald as two "mid-priced" lines that each offer great value in very different ways:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=3109

Back to OP, and anyone else concerned about the high cost of river cruising: you might want to read this new article on Cruise Critic, comparing AmaWaterways and Emerald as two "mid-priced" lines that each offer great value in very different ways:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=3109

AmaWaterways is midpriced. Yikes. Don't let Caviargal, know. :halo:

JC

AmaWaterways is midpriced. Yikes. Don't let Caviargal, know. :halo:

 

JC

Compared to Tauck and Uniworld that include all drinks and tips (and now Crystal), they are.

AmaWaterways is midpriced. Yikes. Don't let Caviargal, know. :halo:

 

JC

Not if you book Africa with Ama. I was thinking of booking Africa with them and just about passed out from the price.

Not if you book Africa with Ama. I was thinking of booking Africa with them and just about passed out from the price.

But what is AMA's relative price in the market? Africa is more expensive than Europe for most package vacation options. Is AMA the most expensive of all the options? Or is it still in the middle compared to tauck, Uniworld or others?

The cruise portion is also on a MUCH smaller ship, so even less economies of scale than in Europe.

But what is AMA's relative price in the market? Africa is more expensive than Europe for most package vacation options. Is AMA the most expensive of all the options? Or is it still in the middle compared to tauck, Uniworld or others?

In regards to Africa for the land and rails 2 week package for two is 24 grand. Now Tauck's Africa is around 15 grand for two. In comparison to my Viking Danube cruise I paid 10 grand for two including air, insurance and 3 day pre and post stays. And this was with a balcony cabin. I just checked out Ama's and they cost more than Viking. I would put them more in line with Uniworld and Tauck in being more luxury but are not all inclusive.

Rovos rail is also very expensive.

Compared to Tauck and Uniworld that include all drinks and tips (and now Crystal), they are.

Thanks for your review. I have sailed Avalon twice and look to sail Avalon again.

I think you and I have an almost exact view of the river cruise experience. I really really enjoyed both of our cruises, but they are stupid expensive for what you get and do. They surely beat the heck out of a bus trip to Europe that we did when I was 25. So, they are a wonderful bonding experience, unlike other cruises you are likely to make at least 3 times as many friends due to the way dinners and tours happen, with the same people day after day, and there is a value to that which is not monetary.

 

On the vibration point. The night we went into the Rhine Gorge on our last trip was a extreme low water. The captain and cruise director were not sure at least one day before we got there that we would be able to sail through. I was like crap this is going to turn into a bus trip on day 4. Since we were on the middle of 3 decks, we felt a tremor, but according to the captain the ship was dragging over several rocks, and I imagine on the lower deck it would have bee worse than a vibration. We do a lot of rafting and kayaking and I know when I put my kayak over a part higher than I hoped for what that feels like, I can only imagine on a large river cruise ship. The amount of scraping that is occurring.

 

JC

Yikes...if some of what I was feeling onboard the Treasures was indeed due to the sort of scraping you refer to, I'd hate to see what the bottom of the boat looks like.

I wonder if people in the Category 1 cabins on the lowest deck were vibrated right out of bed!

Hi. I have to agree with the OP. We did a UNIWORLD Amsterdam to Istanbul trip in 2015. Whilst it WAS the best holiday to date; I too cringe at the price.

I’ve booked another RC for next year. This time with Evergreen.... they had the itinerary I wanted. It’s a BIG year for us birthday and anniversary wise.... I probably wouldn’t be doing this trip otherwise. But I’ve worked out that’s it’s about $1400:00 per night for us. It IS a lot of money. Much more than what we would pay for any other kind of travel.

It’s our decision to do this so we can’t complain, but I agree that the prices have increased dramatically since this form of travel has become popular.

We are not really noticing the cost as a problem, but only because we have shifted our cabin selection from our normal ocean choice of a balcony suite, to 'aquarium class' on the river cruises.

We simply don't spend enough time in the cabin on the river to justify paying for more space or a better view.

Also the times when you are actually onboard and cruising during daylight hours are so few (in general) that it is easier (... and often better) to be up in one of the lounges or up top on deck if you are actually on the move.

This contrasts with ocean cruises where we greatly enjoy the facility of a balcony for the 'sea days' etc.

Throw in the high probability of being rafted for a good portion of the time and the fact that none of them are really all that spacious, river cruise balcony cabins don't actually add a whole lot of utility for a considerable extra cost.

So when you can avoid paying just for a marginal improvement in cabin utility, the costs really don't get out of hand.