european river cruises

Am thinking about our first river cruise, maybe from Amsterdam to Budapest? Maybe 15 days? Is this too long for a first time river cruiser (hubby and I are 70, retired, pretty good health). Have no idea which line to go with?? Probably cruising in early Sept. - much risk of rivers being too high or too low? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Am thinking about our first river cruise, maybe from Amsterdam to Budapest? Maybe 15 days? Is this too long for a first time river cruiser (hubby and I are 70, retired, pretty good health). Have no idea which line to go with?? Probably cruising in early Sept. - much risk of rivers being too high or too low? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

We have a river cruising forum: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=191

I'd suggest heading over there for more detailed responses.

We did a Bucharest/Budapest, Budapest/Cologne B2B in 2015. We felt, as long as we had to invest the time & money to fly to Europe we may as well do the whole thing.

We had extremely low water levels (well, it was July). Can't say how September would be.

Be aware that not all river cruise companies use Travel Agents. You have to contact them directly. I'd suggest checking out online several different companies first and comparing prices/itineraries/dates. For the most part you may find they are more alike than different.

Loved it. We plan to probably to the same (or similar) trip in the future.

For one thing, you are traveling a long distance, and at considerable expense. One way I look at it is why try to "amortize" that expense over seven days rather than 14 or 15 days? If you break it into two separate 7-day cruises, you would have to pay twice the airfare.

We have taken both short and long ocean cruises, and we have taken one 15-day river cruise. You are stopping in a different town every day, and there are no sea days on a river cruise, so you are busy the whole time. There are a lot of small towns, and though you might think that one is like the other, they are all unique in some manner. There is a reason each town is selected in making up the cruise, each one has something memorable. Then there are the big cities like Vienna, Nuremberg, etc., which are totally different. There are no long trips to the towns, as the boats dock right along the banks in each stop, and you are right there.

Some of the regular cabins are fairly small, but you are not spending too much time in your cabin anyhow. You tend to use the lounge, library (some boats have them), or frequently up on the top deck as you cruise down the river. I will admit that we had one of the suite cabins, and we really enjoyed it. I had lots of room to use my computer or sit and read occasionally. On the other hand, our companions had a regular cabin and never complained a bit.

For me, I don't necessarily see us doing another Rhine cruise, as that might b)e too repetitive (though there are different itineraries) but I could easily see doing another river cruise elsewhere.

Bottom line, I don't think it is too long for a first river cruise, and actually I would recommend it.

I've done the Blue Danube from Budapest to Prague in early September. Water was low in Melk & we were last ship allowed in. Weather was gorgeous the entire time. Also did the Seine River - Paris to Normandy. Can't recall dates. Fabulous weather. Loved the itinerary for each. Pleased with the river cruise company I chose (Avalon). Going on my 3rd Avalon cruise, this time to The Netherlands during tulip time, in a few weeks.

I've learned there are tiers (e.g., Tauck is in the top tier), & I'm comfortable sailing with Avalon. Other companies on my short list include AMA, Uniworld, and Scenic. They're only my choices. I like the French balconies and I like being mid ship or a little forward. I like being on the top or middle decks. These are just my preferences but there are as many preferences as there are people cruising.

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I hope you have found your way to the River Cruising forum. Make sure you read the informational 'stickies' at the top of the menu. They contain lots of useful information for newbies.

We did our first river cruise on Uniworld in August 2015 from Budapest to Amsterdam and loved it. We were very familiar with the area (lived in Germany and Belgium and travelled to Amsterdam frequently plus my DH traveled to Budapest for work a number of times). We had a great time. Just as importantly my brother, sister-in-law and her mom who were traveling with us and experiencing that part of Europe (and river cruising) for the first time loved the trip. The cruise length was just right - we won't incur the expense of flying for less than a 2 week vacation - and we tacked on an extra day in Budapest and 2 extra days in Amsterdam which I highly recommend.

We had such a great time that before we disembarked we all reserved B2B Uniworld cruises (the Seine and the Rhone) in late May/early June 2016. They were also wonderful. We're taking a year off river cruising this year but next year hope to do the Rhine and the Moselle.

Agree that you should take this over to the River forum here on CC. We have done a 14 day Viking Cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest and its a great trip if you like to unpack once :). The only negative (which can be said about any cruise) is that you spend too little time in some of the places. We did that Viking cruise when we were in our early 60s....and remember watching the cars zipping along the autobahn as we crawled along the river. My thought at the time was that I would prefer to be in a rental car o the Autobahn (we do a lot of extended driving trips in Europe). That was reinforced when we stopped at Bratislava and had less than 4 hours to take in the city (and an entire country). We really enjoyed the boat experience and vowed to take more river cruises when we were too old to rent cars :). Not there yet!

Hank

We did Castles of the Rhine on Uniworld and it was fantastic in every way. I heard from others onboard that all the river ships offer good food. What I like best about Uniworld is the decor of the ship - it is old world style and specifically designed to fit where you are cruising and the food was amazing as the chef was sourcing it locally, including the wine that was included with lunch and dinner - we were thoroughly spoiled! Viking is another good line and they have modern decor. If I were you I would look at different river cruise lines and compare prices and see what the ships look like and decide from there. As far as length, I believe our cruise was 8 days Amsterdam to Basel - but we spent an additional 2 days in Amsterdam prior to the cruise. I don't think 15 days is too long at all, in fact, if anything it is too short. Have a wonderful time on your cruise! I know it will be absolutely great!

river cruising is not for everyone

if OP has found their way to the rivercruise forum then they've probably seen there is a VERY UNHAPPY camper being very vocal over there right now about how EVERYTHING SUCKS on their river cruise ... the food, the room, the river, the crew, the line ... you name it. And btw, they booked a LONG ONE.

I caution all I know to be careful about booking 'too long' on anything they've never tried b4. Ya don't know when you might find it ain't for you.

When dw and I were doing our first river, dw had also never been to EU b4. So altho we planned a 'long' trip (get the $ out of those plane tickets) we split it up into segments and never got bored:

1) fly NYC to Budapest

2) spent a few days in Budapest

3) Viking River, 8 days Budapest to Nuremburg

4) spent a few days in Nuremburg

5) ICE train to Hamburg

6) spent a few days in Hamburg

7) boarded QM2 for westbound TA to NYC via Southampton (9 days) {the QM2 with balcony was less $ than the business class (US business class) air ticket.

I guess dw liked it. We're putting details together for our next one, and looking at longer ....

sorry, I digress. going back to mr unhappy on his river cruise ... note he's an experienced 'ocean cruiser'. Well to this I say, not all ocean cruises are alike. I've a friend who's taken almost as many cruises as I and to them the THING is the ship and how big it is and how many wiz-bangs does it have. 30 places to eat = GREAT. A water slide or 5 = GREAT. On board shopping mall = GREAT. 20 bars and different music in each and a Broadway show, or maybe Mickey Mouse = BETTER.

To me this is UGH .... I want a smaller ship, fewer pass' and a higher crew to pass' ratio = better service IMO. I love WINDSTAR and IMO most river cruising is 'the same' experience. Smaller, casual. Our preferred after dinner entertainment: sitting on deck with new friends, a cool drink and watching beautiful scenery drift by - sometimes including fast moving cars! Yes I DID just say we did QM2 recently and having done it I'd say once was enuf .. altho I do prefer it over flying and I DO have the days to spend <retired> .. so if the planets aligned again I'd do it ... I'm firmly flexible

My point? If big & bling is your thing a river cruise could be torture!

We did that exact cruise on Viking about ?8 years ago. Loved every second of it. My husbands only complaint was the coffee sucked. We had perhaps 90 passengers, all adults (). Our guides while in town, etc were locals. Foods were local cuisine also. I and a friend of mine also did a Viking land/water cruise through China a few years after that.

Really enjoyed Capt B J's post and agree with everything he says. The recent changes (past ten years) in cruise ships and cruising have created a new generation of cruisers with completely different expectations and wants....then many of we long time (and older cruisers). This is not about right and wrong...but about traditional cruising versus modern cruising on mega ships. For those that love the more traditional cruising on mid size and smaller ships....we think River Cruising is usually a good thing. But those that prefer the Oasis of the Seas kind of ship (with many options and amenities) might go crazy on a small river cruise boat. Suffice it to say that river cruising is a very slow paced life....except when in port. And many lines include the shore excursions...which are also designed to appeal to those who like a slower more laid back pace. You are not going to find water slides, 10 alternative restaurants, haute cuisine, late night comedy shows, etc. on river cruises. River cruises tend to work best for the early to bed...early to rise type person. When we cruised the Yangtze, one highlight was sitting on our little balcony as we moved about 7 knots an hour...and sharing a bottle of Orange Vodka with two ladies in the next cabin (we passed the booze between balconies. That was about the most exciting thing that happened on that boat (and it was a fabulous cruise). The European river cruises are somewhat more lively (for those that stay awake after dinner) because they are often tied up at cities/towns where you can go off and explore after dinner.

Hank

We did Viking Bragi, Budapest to Amstrdam. Spent two days prior to river boat trip in Budapest and two days in Amsterdam at conclusion of trip. Simply fantastic trip in every aspect and Viking was outstanding: cabins, food, service, tours, organization, helpfulness.

Definitely go to river cruise boards and read all the stickies concerning the various lines and itineraries. The first thing you need to do is throw away any comparisons to ocean cruising. The boat floats that's about it. Lol. That said if you're open to a different type of travel I'm sure you'll love it.