Learning about European river cruises

[Fattony]

We've been on a couple of ocean cruises, on Princess, and were thinking of gong on another (Copenhagen, St. Petersburg, etc.) next year, but also thought we'd again look into river cruises, in Northern or Eastern Europe. In the past, river cruises have struck us as lookinmore expensive than ocean cruises,though I realize that what is included in each can lessen, or increase, this difference, And the ambiance and overall experience are, of course different. I see mainly Viking and AMA cruises mentioned here. Are there others that are recommended? What would be a good place to start about how to research river cruises?

[caviargal]

Spend time over on the main River Cruising boards. It is very active and all of the lines are thoroughly discussed as each has its fans.

 

You can start by using the Search function to pull up threads on each line as well as comparison threads as your question has been asked and answered dozens of times.

[cruisin'tex]

Spend time over on the main River Cruising boards. It is very active and all of the lines are thoroughly discussed as each has its fans.

 

You can start by using the Search function to pull up threads on each line as well as comparison threads as your question has been asked and answered dozens of times.

 

Thanks for info...as above, very interested in a river cruise.

[MURPHY27]

We are just back from Viking cruise of the Danube. It was well worth the experience, although we had to adjust to organized touring as we are very independent travelers, so ended up doing lunches/dinners when in town rather than onboard and also doing the extended per/post tours on our own. That said, many travelers compare Viking, Uniworld, and AMA equal value with Tauck being the premium cruise. So, like anything in life, it depends what you want and where you want to go.

[hcross888]

I also recommend Avalon. It is in the same class.

 

This board is a good place to get information. I'm going on my third cruise this summer, and the information I got before my 2 other cruises were valuable. I knew what to expect.

[KCcruisin07]

River cruises are more expensive. The riverboats' capacity is much smaller (in the hundreds vs. two or three thousand) and demand is high. The price includes your guided tours in the ports, so you won't have much expense for transportation or as many admission fees. It seems more casual and relaxed than a sea cruise.

There is not the same type of entertainment at night. There's no formal night.

You may enjoy the section with reviews. Here is a link:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/

Good luck on finding a match for your interests.

[Ship's Wake]

Here's an interesting video about river cruising and the Viking Neptune cruising the Rhone and Saone that will visually answer some of your questions:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFncTEa5KrI&feature=plcp

[Ripley's Lady]

thanks for the link kc! - we are wondering about a spring river cruise - maybe on the douro. I`ll see if there is anything on the portuguese rivers.

river cruises are more expensive. The riverboats' capacity is much smaller (in the hundreds vs. Two or three thousand) and demand is high. The price includes your guided tours in the ports, so you won't have much expense for transportation or as many admission fees. It seems more casual and relaxed than a sea cruise.

There is not the same type of entertainment at night. There's no formal night.

You may enjoy the section with reviews. Here is a link:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/

good luck on finding a match for your interests.

[YoungDubFan]

You should know that river cruises tend to book up fairly quickly, due to the much smaller ship size compared to Ocean Cruises. If you are thinking about Spring 2013, you may have a difficult time finding cabins open on your preferred sailing date. Not as many companies cruise the Douro - I know that Avalon does not but others do. Good luck. As mentioned, the main river cruise lines are: Ama Waterways, Avalon, Scenic, Tauck, Viking, Vantage.

[tiggypooo]

Don't forget Uniworld. They have a brand new ship on the Douro.

Check their site. They have some good videos under the link "Why Uniworld".

[Ripley's Lady]

Don't forget Uniworld. They have a brand new ship on the Douro.

Check their site. They have some good videos under the link "Why Uniworld".

Thanks to you and Young Dub Fan.

I have the new Rick Sreve's guidebook on Portugal - but there is little on Portuguese River cruising...I'll check out rhe sites and companies you both suggested.