Which River Cruise is Right For Us?

[ducklite]

We are looking at a river cruise--two that are particularly appealing are Christmas Markets and Tulips. The ports and ship are both equally important to us. We are not overly price sensitive--best value for the dollar as opposed to least expensive is our mantra.

 

We are in our early 50's, professionals, active, adventurous to a degree (we draw the line at parachuting, etc. ;) ), seasoned travelers. We are happy to have independent time in ports and are comfortable with DIY both in travel plans and seeing various cities as needed.

 

The decor is important to us. We like a fresh, uncluttered, updated, sophisticated look, both in our cabin and the public areas. No floral wallpaper, no Brady Bunch decor, no Las Vegas style neon colors.

 

We prefer a casual elegant dress code--my husband isn't adverse to wearing sports jacket, but would rather not wear a suit/tie/tux if for no other reason, they are bulky to pack.

 

We like good food. It doesn't need to be gourmet, but it needs to be inspired, flavorful, and well prepared.

 

We would prefer a line that will allow us to bring our own wine for at least a few of the meals, and we have no problem paying a (reasonable) corkage fee for that privilege.

 

The cabin absolutely needs to have a queen size hotel style bed with duvet. No doubles, no convertible sofas, etc. This is a total deal breaker item.

 

We would prefer the cabin be at minimum 150 s/f, but don't need a suite.

 

We don't have any particular cities in mind. We'd like to see Prague, Budapest, Amsterdam, and Brussels. We know we can't see them all in one trip, and are not adverse to starting or ending a few hours away and tacking on a few days on our own.

 

That said, we're looking for feedback on which ships we'd enjoy and which to avoid as well as possible itineraries that you've been on and really enjoyed. Thanks!

[sippican]

We too just booked our first river cruise. The choices are vast. I found the following thread to be very helpful:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1744727&highlight=spreadsheet

Although i had made my own spreadsheet, the one offered in the thread was a bit more comprehensive.

We ended up choosing AMAWaterways Romantic Danube for a number of reasons. The variety of tours available was one plus (from gentle to active, plus the availability of bicycles).

Happy planning.

[hcross888]

I have taken cruises on both Avalon and AMA. Both of them had excellent food and uncluttered updated looks in the cabins and casual areas. Both have casual dress codes at dinner. (Tauck is more upscale and more expensive.) ( I know lots of people like Viking, but the Viking ships we saw didn't seem to be as updated and some rooms have pullman beds.)

 

Both lines have excellent dinners with complimentary local wines. On both lines you can bring on your own wine and drink at dinner or on the sky deck.

 

Both lines have queen beds with duvets.

 

Given the cities you'd like to see, you might consider starting with the Danube (Prague and Budapest) or Rhine (Amsterdam). Both are great cruises. I enjoyed both of them.

[ducklite]

I have taken cruises on both Avalon and AMA. Both of them had excellent food and uncluttered updated looks in the cabins and casual areas. Both have casual dress codes at dinner. (Tauck is more upscale and more expensive.) ( I know lots of people like Viking, but the Viking ships we saw didn't seem to be as updated and some rooms have pullman beds.)

 

Both lines have excellent dinners with complimentary local wines. On both lines you can bring on your own wine and drink at dinner or on the sky deck.

 

Both lines have queen beds with duvets.

 

Given the cities you'd like to see, you might consider starting with the Danube (Prague and Budapest) or Rhine (Amsterdam). Both are great cruises. I enjoyed both of them.

 

Thanks, this is helpful. I had seen some photos of staterooms on some other ships and found them unsuitable for our tastes.

 

Did you like one better than the other for any reason? Does one have better or larger cabins or more interesting public space than the other?

[OkieCruiser49]

You might want to check out some of the new Viking longships. I'm not sure of the square footage of the rooms. Veranda rooms are listed at 205 sq. ft., while French balcony rooms are 135 sq. ft. Looking at the layouts, it may be that a significant part of the extra 70 sq. ft. may be on the balcony on the veranda rooms.

 

Viking does not charge a corkage fee and seems to be happy for people to bring their own wine to dinner. I think that most river cruise lines have similar policies--especially those where wine is included with lunch and dinner.

 

Most cruise line web sites have pictures and videos of ships, cabins, and public areas, so you can gauge the decor there. You'll also find bed dimensions there as well.

 

We've booked the Romantic Danube for late April on Viking's MS Vienna (formerly the Avalon Tapestry). All staterooms are 172 sq. feet. As far as I can tell, the Vienna's first sailing as a Viking vessel will be early April, so we don't know if Viking has done a major upgrade on the interior. I assume that the pics on Viking's web site are accurate, although they appear to be identical to old pics of the Tapestry. If it's changed significantly, we'll post pics after our cruise.

[Huffy2k]

All other things being comparable, you would choose one line over another based on the absence of floral wallpaper? ;)

[OkieCruiser49]

You might want to check out some of the new Viking longships. I'm not sure of the square footage of the rooms. Veranda rooms are listed at 205 sq. ft., while French balcony rooms are 135 sq. ft. Looking at the layouts, it may be that a significant part of the extra 70 sq. ft. may be on the balcony on the veranda rooms.

 

Viking does not charge a corkage fee and seems to be happy for people to bring their own wine to dinner. I think that most river cruise lines have similar policies--especially those where wine is included with lunch and dinner.

 

Most cruise line web sites have pictures and videos of ships, cabins, and public areas, so you can gauge the decor there. You'll also find bed dimensions there as well.

 

We've booked the Romantic Danube for late April on Viking's MS Vienna (formerly the Avalon Tapestry). All staterooms are 172 sq. feet. As far as I can tell, the Vienna's first sailing as a Viking vessel will be early April, so we don't know if Viking has done a major upgrade on the interior. I assume that the pics on Viking's web site are accurate, although they appear to be identical to old pics of the Tapestry. If it's changed significantly, we'll post pics after our cruise.

[franski]

 

We are in our early 50's, professionals, active, adventurous to a degree (we draw the line at parachuting, etc. ;) ), seasoned travelers. We are happy to have independent time in ports and are comfortable with DIY both in travel plans and seeing various cities as needed.

 

The decor is important to us. We like a fresh, uncluttered, updated, sophisticated look, both in our cabin and the public areas. No floral wallpaper, no Brady Bunch decor, no Las Vegas style neon colors.

 

The cabin absolutely needs to have a queen size hotel style bed with duvet. No doubles, no convertible sofas, etc. This is a total deal breaker item.

 

We would prefer the cabin be at minimum 150 s/f, but don't need a suite.

 

We don't have any particular cities in mind. We'd like to see Prague, Budapest, Amsterdam, and Brussels. We know we can't see them all in one trip, and are not adverse to starting or ending a few hours away and tacking on a few days on our own.

 

I would suggest you take a look at Scenic as well. They are quite sleek, and uncluttered. Their basic cabins are 160 sq feet (ie: the Aquarium class cabins on lowest deck...) - and their balcony cabins start at over 200 sq ft. Their balconies are true balconies - not French balconies.

 

Scenic has gone all-inclusive this year. This includes an open bar, and the mini-bar in your room stocked to your preferences... (Don't think they include single malt scotch, or French champagne....) So, no extras to pay for. They have bikes on their boats, and they now have a "DIY" walk in most major cities... If I understand it correctly, it is like a personal GPS that you take and walk around with - and there is commentary to listen to. I will be able to comment more later this year - as we are sailing with them a 2nd time this September.

 

Scenic doesn't market heavily in the US - but a TA should be able to help. Or, visit their website to see if their package is of interest to you.

 

I do agree that the Danube would be a good place to start. Depending on the time you have, you could fly into Amsterdam - so Brussels on your own - then cruise down to Budapest. You could do Prague on your own also.

 

Or, sail between Budapest and Nuremberg or Passau - and then overland to Prague. There are a number of companies that offer this itinerary.

 

Have fun planning!!

 

Fran

[hcross888]

Honestly, I loved both AMA and Avalon. They were both tastefully decorated and extremely clean. On a river cruise you spend very little time in your room. Most of our time was touring the European towns and after dinner and some conversation with fellow shipmates, we were getting ready for bed.

 

When you are docked, sometimes you walk through other ships to get to yours. It is neat because you get to see other ships. Tauck ships are extremely elegant (IMHO) but they are very expensive.

[caviargal]

We cruised with Avalon 4x before trying AMA and have now cruised with AMA twice with a 3rd booked. For us, there are significant differences.

 

-We enjoyed the food much more on AMA, both selection and taste

-Wine served was better quality

-Main dining room layout is more logical and it felt less congested and less noisy

-More tables for 2

-We enjoyed having items served to us at breakfast and lunch that were self serve on Avalon (soup at lunch, juice at breakfast, etc). This also eliminated congestion in the small dining room

- Entertainment on AMA had more variety and was more fun! We were up late most nights enjoying ourselves while on Avalon, things were boring in the evenings after dinner. We are on the younger range of river cruisers and not ready to head to bed after dinner, or listen to a talk, see a skit. Most nights we were out dancing until after midnight and had a blast!

-The crew and staff on our two AMA cruises was outstanding, warm and delightful

- We enjoyed the active tour options AMA offered as well as bike tours

-We found the demographic younger and the staff as well. The energy and personality of the ships we were on with AMA was just delightful and suited us very well

- The attention to detail and personal touches on AMA were exceptional. Both their wine cruise and holiday cruise were very special.

 

We may try another line one day but for now, we look no further than AMA. It suits our travel style and personality very well and with the cost of this type of travel, that is important to us.

 

The devil is in the details and we find AMA to be the best fit.

 

I have posted detailed reviews of all of our cruises on CC in the review section.

[bobalink]

We cruised with Avalon 4x before trying AMA and have now cruised with AMA twice with a 3rd booked. For us, there are significant differences.

 

-We enjoyed the food much more on AMA, both selection and taste

-Wine served was better quality

-Main dining room layout is more logical and it felt less congested and less noisy

-More tables for 2

-We enjoyed having items served to us at breakfast and lunch that were self serve on Avalon (soup at lunch, juice at breakfast, etc). This also eliminated congestion in the small dining room

- Entertainment on AMA had more variety and was more fun! We were up late most nights enjoying ourselves while on Avalon, things were boring in the evenings after dinner. We are on the younger range of river cruisers and not ready to head to bed after dinner, or listen to a talk, see a skit. Most nights we were out dancing until after midnight and had a blast!

-The crew and staff on our two AMA cruises was outstanding, warm and delightful

- We enjoyed the active tour options AMA offered as well as bike tours

-We found the demographic younger and the staff as well. The energy and personality of the ships we were on with AMA was just delightful and suited us very well

- The attention to detail and personal touches on AMA were exceptional. Both their wine cruise and holiday cruise were very special.

 

We may try another line one day but for now, we look no further than AMA. It suits our travel style and personality very well and with the cost of this type of travel, that is important to us.

 

The devil is in the details and we find AMA to be the best fit.

 

I have posted detailed reviews of all of our cruises on CC in the review section.

 

Thanks, caviargal, for outlining the differences. Your experience and observations are helpful to all of us newbies.

 

I am so looking forward to our first river cruise on the AmaLyra this August!

[ducklite]

All other things being comparable, you would choose one line over another based on the absence of floral wallpaper? ;)

 

The floral wallpaper I saw in a photo of one of the cabins on one of the web sites made me dizzy, I could not have stayed in that room for 10 minutes, let alone throughout the cruise.

[caviargal]

The floral wallpaper I saw in a photo of one of the cabins on one of the web sites made me dizzy, I could not have stayed in that room for 10 minutes, let alone throughout the cruise.

 

LOL:) and I agree!

 

We have been docked next to a few of their boats, balcony to balcony and the decor really is a turn off for us. And walking through to get to shore they appear very old fashioned and traditional. Just not something we care to live with for a week.

[newfirsttimer]

Having cruised with both AMA and Scenic, I think I found Scenic more fun. Both had great entertainment in the evening and if you want to dance till midnight, generally the piano player with stay on and party with you. Scenic's #1 market is Australia so the majority of the passengers were Australian and they love to have fun and party! Scenic also had wonderful tours with no optional costs. We thoroughly enjoyed the night at Marksburg Castle and the day in a German town with a vineyard tour, BBQ and fantastic entertainment afterwards. We are booked again with Scenic for south of France this fall. I agree that the floral wallpaper on other ships is a big turn off for me and sets the wrong type of mood for my vacation.

[ducklite]

We aren't partiers or dancers, so while Scenic sounds like it would be a lovely choice for those that are, I'm not sure it would be right for us.

 

We prefer a quieter after dinner experience--maybe a nightcap and some conversation and then head to our cabin and call it a night.

 

caviargal--Thank you for the comparison, that was very helpful. Food and wine are very important to us. I'm going to go read your reviews. :)

[tennisfan08]

Just booked my first river cruise, after many hours of research. Booked AMA Sonata on the Danube for 2014. Check out all their newer ship Certo, Prima, Sonata. Seem to beautiful and understated. The reviews on food and service is too notch. Good luck.

[Familygoboston]

Hi Ducklite- I recognize you from the RCL boards! :D

 

We are also making our first foray from sea cruising to river cruising. I found the folks in this board extraordinarily helpful! One of the things I did (and do with sea cruises too) is read reviews of lines/ships I am considering. I can usually tell a lot by the pictures and by what the folks reviewing enjoyed. Most folks here have " blogs" or picture hosting sites linked rather than reviews on the boards. Another thing we did was spend some time reading and figuring out how river cruising is different from other kinds of travel we've done. We are looking forward to giving it a try!

 

Based on our research we chose AMA (AMAPrima, Black Sea voyage) because we were looking for an active, casual environment with decent options for excursions. The ship itself really didn't matter much, but this one is brand new (not sure it's sailed yet:eek:) so I expect it would be at least modern, if not tasteful! Although we prefer not to have an AI, (we won't drink much and prefer not to pay for others booze, unless we chose to buy then a drink!;)) AMA is making a change to beer and wine inclusive, although other drinks are additional.

 

We are looking forward to seeing the Balkans and trying river cruising for the first time!

[caviargal]

The ship itself really didn't matter much, but this one is brand new (not sure it's sailed yet:eek:) so I expect it would be at least modern, if not tasteful! Although we prefer not to have an AI, (we won't drink much and prefer not to pay for others booze, unless we chose to buy then a drink!;)) AMA is making a change to beer and wine inclusive, although other drinks are additional.

 

 

The AmaCerto, sister to AmaPrima, is a stunning vessel and the best of the 6 cruises we have taken so far.

 

AMA has always included beer and wine with dinner, it is lunch that is new.

 

Enjoy!

[ducklite]

Hi Ducklite- I recognize you from the RCL boards! :D

 

We are also making our first foray from sea cruising to river cruising. I found the folks in this board extraordinarily helpful! One of the things I did (and do with sea cruises too) is read reviews of lines/ships I am considering. I can usually tell a lot by the pictures and by what the folks reviewing enjoyed. Most folks here have " blogs" or picture hosting sites linked rather than reviews on the boards. Another thing we did was spend some time reading and figuring out how river cruising is different from other kinds of travel we've done. We are looking forward to giving it a try!

 

Based on our research we chose AMA (AMAPrima, Black Sea voyage) because we were looking for an active, casual environment with decent options for excursions. The ship itself really didn't matter much, but this one is brand new (not sure it's sailed yet:eek:) so I expect it would be at least modern, if not tasteful! Although we prefer not to have an AI, (we won't drink much and prefer not to pay for others booze, unless we chose to buy then a drink!;)) AMA is making a change to beer and wine inclusive, although other drinks are additional.

 

We are looking forward to seeing the Balkans and trying river cruising for the first time!

 

Thanks so much! Your PG reviews have been very helpful as I plan for next year. :)

[Familygoboston]

Thanks so much! Your PG reviews have been very helpful as I plan for next year. :)

 

Ah, that's right, that's where I've " seen" you!;) good luck with your research.

Are you between the 2 trips? We had that debate about whether to go back on PG or whether to do the river cruise. We went with someplace new, but if I hadn't done either yet, I would do PG first!

 

Carviargal- thanks, my TA told me there was a new policy, but I didn't know what the old one was;). I'm just glad it's not full bar, no need for us to pay for that! On PG everything was included (except top shelf) but that was such a unique destination, I didn't mind spending the extra! And even though I only had ONE glass of wine each night with dinner, I got my monies worth ( because they never stopped refilling that ONE glass!:p:o)

 

I read your comments and review of AMA Certo, and can't wait to travel on AMAPrima!

[ducklite]

Ah, that's right, that's where I've " seen" you!;) good luck with your research.

Are you between the 2 trips? We had that debate about whether to go back on PG or whether to do the river cruise. We went with someplace new, but if I hadn't done either yet, I would do PG first!

 

We're booked on the PG and not going to cancel that one. :) We're just musing about options for something later in the year next year or perhaps that we can combine with our planned London trip in 2015.

[Familygoboston]

We're booked on the PG and not going to cancel that one. :) We're just musing about options for something later in the year next year or perhaps that we can combine with our planned London trip in 2015.

 

Oh, good, you will love PG! Hmmm, never heard of planning trips 2-3 years out, don't know anyone who does that ;):o We've booked the AMAprima for fall of 2014 and have an eye on an Antarctic cruise in winter 2015/6 :o

Happy researching !