Does anyone else feel that river cruises are overpriced?

Hi,

I hate to post any sort of negative-sounding threads, but having recently completed our first river cruise, I really feel it's significantly overpriced. I realize it's all inclusive (in our case ALL tipping as well), and that their food is more expensive to bring on than is the case for the larger ships, and that port taxes can be high, etc. I get all that. And I've read that their staff is paid a good deal more than on the bigger ships as well, including dining attendants.

But, all that being said, I just feel like I paid good money for other people to drink copious amounts of top shelf liquor (in some cases way too much for a few folks if you ask me judging from some of the behavior I witnessed on board). Were I among this group, perhaps I wouldn't be writing this, but since I hardly ever drink it just seems that I paid for things that I really didn't get the value out of.

This is why I recently also posted to one of the luxury cruise line boards inquiring as to how much value there is in sailing with one of those lines being that they also seem to include all drinks, specialty restaurants and such. I guess part of my problem is that I have absolutely zero interest in any sort of "beverage package" when booking a cruise. If it's offered as a 'perk', I wouldn't even consider taking it if something else - such as free gratuities - is offered. I hear about the much better service and much better food to be found on some of these smaller lines, but how much more is that worth monetarily? I can understand paying more for river cruising, but paying 2-3 times as much for the same length cruise in comparison to a cruise on one of the mainstream lines really is hard to justify. Even if you figure in the costs of the unlimited alcoholic beverages, all the shore excursions, etc., I still don't think you'd come anywhere close to what the total would be on a bigger ship even when figuring in the cost of an equal amount of beverages and excursions. I think the river cruise cost has evolved into what it is as a result of it being "what the traffic will bear", as the saying goes.

Don't get me wrong...it was a very nice trip, and I really enjoyed it and will probably do more river cruising, but I still feel it is vastly overpriced relative to other cruises I've taken. Other family members have done a river trip and said it was the best food they've ever had on a cruise ship. I'm not sure I can even make that blanket statement. Some food we had was indeed very good. Fruit was probably the best we've ever had on any larger ship, but some food was certainly no better than what I've had on bigger cruise lines. Dining attendant service was definitely NOT as good as what we've had on bigger ships. We were quite honestly disappointed at times. I mean...not even once during the entire trip were we offered coffee after dinner. Seriously?

Once again, I'm sorry to be negative, but the cost of this trip has been bothering me ever since we got back. I guess I expected a bigger "wow" factor that might have helped to justify the extra dollars. I think that the extra costs incurred with any small, luxury, or river cruise lines has to be viewed purely subjectively. If someone feels it was an experience significantly above and beyond what is offered on the mainstream lines, then it's probably worth the extra money (?) It's also ultimately linked into one's threshold of standards and expectations relative to any cruise. I'm pretty easy to please, so if I'm not offered a 'free' after-dinner cordial every night in the lounge (or actually even any alcoholic beverage during the entire cruise), I'm fine without it.

My husband and I do drink but we are not on the ship long enough to drink copious amounts due to tours and early wake ups. That being said we, also, think the fares are quite high. We have been 4 river cruises and probably will continue. Don't like the prices but what is the alternative. We go on Tauck which is top of the price range. We are far from monied classes. We are are mere white collar workers but love the wonderful experience and that makes us happy. We don't look into it too much and just go with the flow.

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In choosing a river cruise company there is a lot that you have to factor in to determine which lines' amenities suit you and fit your budget. I am a "value for the money" traveler who usually travels independently (no long fully escorted tours) I've done two cruises with all inclusive Scenic and have been quite happy with the price I paid and the amenities and services provided. For me, research prior to booking paid off. There are some cruise companies where my research leads me to think that there is no way the priced being charged is worth the product provided.

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It appears from your posting history that the river cruise you took was on Tauck, which is at or near the top of the price scale. They have also historically had very good reviews, although this year there have been some complaints about the food. There is no getting away from the 'diseconomies of small scale' on river cruising -- it isn't fair to compare river cruise prices to Royal Caribbean, for example; Regent would be closer with included excursions etc. but even there Regent has far more than 150-190 passengers per sailing. You might feel that the value proposition is better on the slightly less-inclusive river lines like AMA (top quality food and excursions, but only wine and beer at meals and tipping is extra).

All German river cruise companies do offer cruise only - no all inclusive. Some do have beverage packages. No tours included - some offer packages for tours too. And of course no flights involved for us.

But of course it´s different for us. We are used to explore the towns on our own (and of course speaking the language).

And most of the river cruise lines on the German market are not that upscale as the US are.

steamboats

Agreed, steamboats. We in Germany have not had this all-inclusive drinks attitude with river cruising companies. And no multiple dining venues, either. That no doubt adding to costs, ie. mantaining such an option. The drinks policies have slightly changed in recent years. "X included with dinner" or "X with lunch and dinner" I have read in some brochures in Germany. CroisiEurope is heading in that direction as well, not sure what the 2017 brochures say, I am talking of what I read last year.

Sorry to be blunt, but "drinks flowing freely" always for me has this notion of an overnight ferry from Amsterdam to Newcastle, I have heard stories of those...

So I am not a favour of the all-inclusive policy and really enjoyed choosing drinks when I wanted and what I wanted on my cruise, adding it to the bill each night and knowing others did likewise, be it just a beer or two glasses of wine or stuff from the bar.

notamermaid

There is quite a wide range of river cruises, as there are ocean cruises. Tauck is most definitely at the luxury (and pricey) end of the spectrum.

A fully inclusive package is never a determining factor for us and AMA remains our favorite line of the 4 lines (and 14 river cruises) we have traveled with (AMA, Scenic, Avalon, Uniworld). Next year we are trying Amadeus as we are independent travelers and like the option of selecting and paying for only the excursions we are interested in. We quite often strike out on our own in port and generally prefer that than being part of a group. Amadeus does not include alcoholic beverages (wine and beer at meals only), tips, tours, transfers and the prices for those extras are quite reasonable.

We don't ocean cruise much but, when we do, it is not mass market. Our last ocean cruise was on Ponant this summer and that was pricier than any of our river cruises and included far less (though their advertising would lead one to believe otherwise). Before that we were on Oceania and - all in - it was at the higher end price of any river cruise we have taken.

As with everything, the devil is in the details and you can certainly river cruise without breaking the bank.

To OP you pose an interesting question, and one that is somewhat difficult to answer. I've been on three European river cruises, all with Viking. On two of those I received free airfare. Other costs such as transfers to/from airport/ship were included as were a daily tour that may have included admission into a church, castle or other historical site. And of course 3 meals as well as wine/beer with lunch & dinner.

I went to a travel booking site and looked at airfare from IAD to Charles de Gaulle and checked current airfare for the first week in April (2018) , about $750 pp, a week in a Paris hotel at $200 a night, and allowed $75 pp per day for food, and came up with $3950. That's about what I paid for our last river cruise (Not including the 3-day Paris extension, gratuities or optional tours). Granted, we stayed in the lowest cabin category.

The most I paid for any trip was a 12 day cruise to the Baltics on a major cruise line. I had no idea I was spending as much as I was (And I thought I had gotten an excellent deal on both cruise fare and airfare that I had purchased separately) until I sat down and added up the costs from the cruise, airfare, transfers, independent tour operators, etc. To this day I refuse to tell my husband how much it cost. However, it remains as my all-time favorite vacation.

In the end I think its not how much something cost, but how much value did you receive, and that's a question each person needs to determine for themselves.

Happy Travels!

All of the tours are included in the fare also.

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All of the tours are included in the fare also.

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Not with all lines, including some who market themselves as all inclusive.

As stated there are many options for river cruising, to meet different budgets. I have done 2 cruises on Avalon & have been very happy with the value, service, food & inclusions. I have saved money by cruising on the older ships vs. the newer “suite ships”. I like that beer & wine are only included at dinner. If I want to drink more, I’m fine with paying extra. Everyone needs to do research & pick the options that work best for them.

I agree that river cruises cost more than I wish to spend at this point - because they tend to include more "amenities" than I might want to pay for (or pay their prices for). I like some of the experience, so I stay on email lists in case there's a great fare where I'd be willing to do my own thing while paying their price. My main problem is skipping their tours because I've already paid so much, even though I'd prefer to do my own thing....

My husband and I do drink but we are not on the ship long enough to drink copious amounts due to tours and early wake ups. That being said we, also, think the fares are quite high. We have been 4 river cruises and probably will continue. Don't like the prices but what is the alternative. We go on Tauck which is top of the price range. We are far from monied classes. We are are mere white collar workers but love the wonderful experience and that makes us happy. We don't look into it too much and just go with the flow.

 

 

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Tauck is the company we just used for an Amsterdam to Budapest trip. We've been with Tauck several times on land tours, but this was the first cruise with them. They are definitely a top-drawer tour company.

three4rd- You just answered your own question. "Tauck is the company we just used for an Amsterdam to Budapest trip."

You paid for high quality inclusive and that is what you got.

I do agree that river cruising is more expensive than independent travel. My wife, one daughter and myself spent 17 nights in Ireland, driving ourselves around, for about $7,000 for everything.

For $6800 my wife and I will be sailing Basel-Amstedam, Rhine and Mosel, with Vantage. 14 nights. It is the last sailing of the year for that route, 1 November. Middle deck with a French Balcony, same ship and a few cabins down from our Budapest-Bucharest cruise last September.

Since it was already discounted, I was surprised to see an offer that included the post trip extension to Bruge, 3 nights, no additional charge. Roughly $230/night/per person. Alcohol only included at dinner. Not a super luxury experience, but more than nice enough for us. Some of our favorite meals were the barbeque cooked on the back deck for the second dining room.

For us, that's a fair price...and the roughly $3,000 it will cost to have 2 of our adult daughters fly over to share the Bruge stay, and an additional 5 extra nights over Thanksgiving week. That is definitely worth it! If the Army will just loan me my oldest daughter back for a week, that would just be the cherry on top.

:)

three4rd- You just answered your own question. "Tauck is the company we just used for an Amsterdam to Budapest trip."

 

 

You paid for high quality inclusive and that is what you got.

 

 

I do agree that river cruising is more expensive than independent travel. My wife, one daughter and myself spent 17 nights in Ireland, driving ourselves around, for about $7,000 for everything.

 

 

For $6800 my wife and I will be sailing Basel-Amstedam, Rhine and Mosel, with Vantage. 14 nights. It is the last sailing of the year for that route, 1 November. Middle deck with a French Balcony, same ship and a few cabins down from our Budapest-Bucharest cruise last September.

 

 

Since it was already discounted, I was surprised to see an offer that included the post trip extension to Bruge, 3 nights, no additional charge. Roughly $230/night/per person. Alcohol only included at dinner. Not a super luxury experience, but more than nice enough for us. Some of our favorite meals were the barbeque cooked on the back deck for the second dining room.

 

 

For us, that's a fair price...and the roughly $3,000 it will cost to have 2 of our adult daughters fly over to share the Bruge stay, and an additional 5 extra nights over Thanksgiving week. That is definitely worth it! If the Army will just loan me my oldest daughter back for a week, that would just be the cherry on top.

 

 

:)

Granted about paying top dollar for Tauck, but for the money I must say I expected a bit more "high quality" in certain areas. I think I'm basically hung up on the amount I probably paid for other people to drink top-shelf liquor. I did like that there was no tipping anywhere along the line. But still, in excess of 20k (NOT including our flights) for the 2-week river trip really seems a bit much.

I think the solution for the OP is obvious--book with a cruise line that only includes beer and wine with meals, and let the heavy drinkers subsidize themselves.

I believe the OP should only book with a line that provides ala cartel services and see if that fits her needs. No included beverages, tours, airfare, tips, or even meals. Everything ala carte.

My first reaction when I saw her comments on how much others drank, compared to her, was if she had the same feeling about the food? If she ordered chicken and someone else ordered steak, was she subsidizing the steak eater? What if she passed on dessert, was she subsidizing the dessert eaters? She needs a line where people pay for only what they order just like in a restaurant. Food, wine, tours, tips, even nightly entertainment all ala carte. If one chooses to go to bed after dinner, as many do, why pay to subsidize entertainment for others?

My feelings are she made a poor choice in selecting Tauck, or any all inclusive Line, and would be best served by one with a different operating model.

Wow 20K is a lot of money. We did a very upscale Amsterdam to Budapest with APT for about a third of that including flights from the UK. Everything was included, the food was truly amazing and the trips unbelievable, honestly I feel it is one of the best value trips we have taken and cost less, per person per day, than our next ocean cruise.

However we booked very early taking advantage of a promotion, sailed at the end of the season and were very happy with our aquarium view room. No doubt we could have spent more. As for some people drinking more than others we chose a cruise with an open bar precisely because we like our wine. Others on the ship certainly eat our share of the cakes, ice cream and decadent desserts but we all had a great time.

I believe the OP should only book with a line that provides ala cartel services and see if that fits her needs. No included beverages, tours, airfare, tips, or even meals. Everything ala carte.

 

 

My first reaction when I saw her comments on how much others drank, compared to her, was if she had the same feeling about the food? If she ordered chicken and someone else ordered steak, was she subsidizing the steak eater? What if she passed on dessert, was she subsidizing the dessert eaters? She needs a line where people pay for only what they order just like in a restaurant. Food, wine, tours, tips, even nightly entertainment all ala carte. If one chooses to go to bed after dinner, as many do, why pay to subsidize entertainment for others?

 

 

My feelings are she made a poor choice in selecting Tauck, or any all inclusive Line, and would be best served by one with a different operating model.

First of all, the "she" is a "he" :) I think you're carrying this a bit too far, though your points are certainly well taken. Extrapolating what you're saying a bit farther, I guess you could say that perhaps I shouldn't cruise at all since my share of the total cruise cost relative to all the food served on board also goes to help pay for whatever any and all passengers consume. Same for port taxes, salaries of the entertainers, staff, etc. on and on. It's like saying I would prefer not to fly since I'm helping to pay my share of the flight crews' wages.

I mentioned that I loved the fact that all gratuities and tips were included with Tauck - one of the reasons I like them and have traveled with them several times already. I'm simply saying that a great percentage of the overall trip charges devoted to the available alcoholic beverages is probably the least cost effective item for me out of the total package price. I have no interest in any sort of ala carte trip (short of my own car trips wherein I have complete control of what I choose to spend). I probably delved too much into specifics and should have just left it at my general feeling that river cruising - at least the all-inclusive variety - appears to be overpriced in comparison to other (ocean) cruising. Doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it or won't do it again.

Since you do mention my feelings about the food, though, I must admit that (and I think I already said this) while some food was very good, other items were no better than I've had with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. I didn't expect that. And I surely didn't expect that the waiters would not once offer coffee after an evening meal. I found the attention to personal service in the dining room to be significantly greater with either of the cruise lines I mentioned. So some of these items, put together, IMHO, just don't justify the cost of the river trip being 2-3 times higher than other cruises I've been on. I obviously knew going in what I was paying, but based on what some others have told me about the service, food, etc. being SO much better than on a typical ocean cruise, I figured the extra cost might well be worth it. Don't get me wrong....I really enjoyed it and will likely go again - probably with Tauck. You want the trip, you have to pay for it, but having done it now and some time to reflect back on it, it just seems overpriced.

I think the solution for the OP is obvious--book with a cruise line that only includes beer and wine with meals, and let the heavy drinkers subsidize themselves.

Actually, the beer and wine would be fine for me! And all of the wine on board was dry anyway - which I really don't care for as much as a sweeter variety. I drank it since it was offered and included, but would never go out and buy a bottle of dry wine for at home.

Wow 20K is a lot of money. We did a very upscale Amsterdam to Budapest with APT for about a third of that including flights from the UK. Everything was included, the food was truly amazing and the trips unbelievable, honestly I feel it is one of the best value trips we have taken and cost less, per person per day, than our next ocean cruise.

 

However we booked very early taking advantage of a promotion, sailed at the end of the season and were very happy with our aquarium view room. No doubt we could have spent more. As for some people drinking more than others we chose a cruise with an open bar precisely because we like our wine. Others on the ship certainly eat our share of the cakes, ice cream and decadent desserts but we all had a great time.

No kidding about the 20k being alot....that's my point. I went all the way to Antarctica for over 10k less than that (cruise only again..not including flights). I wish I could feel that it was, as you say, one of the best 'value trips for the money' I've ever taken, but I don't. Then again, I did spend an extra few thousand for the highest category room - still an overall high total cost though no matter which category of cabin.

It appears from your posting history that the river cruise you took was on Tauck, which is at or near the top of the price scale. They have also historically had very good reviews, although this year there have been some complaints about the food. There is no getting away from the 'diseconomies of small scale' on river cruising -- it isn't fair to compare river cruise prices to Royal Caribbean, for example; Regent would be closer with included excursions etc. but even there Regent has far more than 150-190 passengers per sailing. You might feel that the value proposition is better on the slightly less-inclusive river lines like AMA (top quality food and excursions, but only wine and beer at meals and tipping is extra).

Jazzbeau - interesting about your mentioning some complaints about Tauck food. I have to look into that. As you say, 'diseconomies of small scale' are unavoidable with any smaller line. I hate any sort of tipping on a cruise - just a pain in the butt to figure it all out, so I guess you pay for the convenience of having someone else work all that out. I'm wondering if the dining staff feels they don't have to work as hard at providing top service being that they are already most likely getting paid better than on RCCL, etc.? It's like my Dad always used to say...why should the waitress in a small diner get less in tips (due to the cost of the meals being so much less) than one who works in a gourmet restaurant where the average meal cost might be 3-4 times higher? Hopefully the difference in 'base salary' between the two waitresses makes up for it. I'm always amazed at how the dining staff on RCCL, etc. goes out of their way to please you, always requesting that you rank their services as high as possible on the after-cruise survey and so forth, let alone if you make some sort of comment about the food preparation or quality during the cruise. THEN, the next few nights in the dining room the level of attention is way over the top from the entire dining staff - almost sort of ridiculous really. Not that I was looking for anything like that on the riverboat, but it just seemed they were much more laid back in their service than I ever would have expected...again...for the price of the trip.

It'd be interesting for me to compare the food and overall service, etc, between the Tauck river trip and a cruise on any of the other smaller luxury lines...Silversea, Regent, Oceania, Pearl, etc. I'm sure a decent percent of the Tauck cost went to the 3 onboard tour guides - who were definitely all excellent and took great care of us the entire way. The whole trip really ran like a fully-escorted land tour that happened to take place on a boat. I expected a bit more time to simply enjoy cruising the river - which one could do if you'd opt out of some of the daily excursions, but then it would seem you're missing out on what the trip has to offer sightseeing-wise. There was only one all-cruising day. It is no secret that Tauck packs aLOT into all their trips. I get their brochures all the time, and I'm always amazed when I see they do things like visit 4-5 national parks in the western US over a span of the same number of days. They really keep you hopping. They are great, and I like them alot, but I didn't expect the same level of activity to extend to the river trip. Guess I should have since I knew what the itinerary was...but reading it and actually experiencing it are two different things. Another thing I didn't expect is that the boat sails during the course of the day while you're out sightseeing...you have no access to it unless you decide to stay onboard instead of do excursions....and then you wind up on the bus to catch up to wherever they are docked. It sometimes made for getting back to the boat fairly late in the day, and then the discussion about the next day's activities would often take place only 20-30 minutes after everyone got back onboard. Well organized, to be sure, but a bit rapid-paced at times.

No kidding about the 20k being alot....that's my point. I went all the way to Antarctica for over 10k less than that (cruise only again..not including flights). I wish I could feel that it was, as you say, one of the best 'value trips for the money' I've ever taken, but I don't. Then again, I did spend an extra few thousand for the highest category room - still an overall high total cost though no matter which category of cabin.

Ok so to reply to your original question are river cruises over priced I would say not.

As you paid for the most expensive cabin on the most expensive line was your cruise over priced? In your opinion yes, but that is hardly a reason to think that other lines and options do not offer exceptional value.

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.

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.

Interesting info....thanks.