Most Luxury Without Tons of Included Tours?

[cherylgrrl]

My husband and I have been on five ocean cruises with Carnival and Disney, and two adventure cruises with Uncruise in Alaska. We hope to take our first river cruise in 2015, probably one of the 2-week Vienna or Budapest to Amsterdam.

 

We would rather travel on a more upscale cruise line, but they all seem to include lots of organized tours. Our vision of river cruising is more about relaxing, enjoying scenery, stepping off the boat in a lovely town center and wandering. My husband and I love to research our destinations and explore on our own. After reading many reviews, my fear would be that the cruise would consist of a bunch of bus tours! Of course, we wouldn't have to join the tours but I'd rather not pay for them. It would be nice to have the option of selecting and paying for the tours we wanted to join.

 

Any thoughts on what cruise line is nicest in terms of service, amenities, food, rooms, common areas, etc. but with a minimum of tours bundled into the cruise price?

[FuelScience]

What you want will require some serious searching, but it's not too hard. You'll need to first decide where you want to go, i.e., Rhine, Danube, Seine, etc. Then you will have to go to each cruise line's web site and compare itineraries. When I've done it, I use a spreadsheet. You should be able to list all the included excursions for a give itinerary.

 

Your question is not a common one on these forums, so you probably won't find an answer by searching. An easier approach may be to just compare itineraries and prices--don't bother with worrying about paying for tours. Just see who offers the most of what you want at the best price.

 

From what you said, you'd like to explore towns on your own. In some towns, the ship may dock, unload passengers, and immediately take off. The passengers on the tours are then transported by bus up (or down) the river to catch up with the ship. In these cases, you need to be sure that you get all the information you need to be sure that you catch the bus back to the ship in those instances.

 

Good luck!

FuelScience

[Host Jazzbeau]

I think it's a fool's errand. The more upscale cruise lines want that "all-inclusive" claim, so they all include excursions. The middling lines have optional excursions at extra cost, but when you zero in on the lines with the best food you also get the most included excursions.

 

But these included tours aren't like ocean cruise tours: if there's busing involved, it's just what is needed to get you to the center of town. Then the busload breaks up into smaller groups to go off with the guides, and the QuietVox devices mean you don't need to stay that close -- and you can ask the guide when and where to meet the bus for the trip back, and wander off on your own at any point. Many times you are docked close enough to the center that you can walk back to the ship on your own. So don't automatically write off the included tours as a waste of money.

[caviargal]

I don't think any line offers exactly what you are looking for.

 

We do fewer than half of any included tours, as we prefer to explore based on our interests and pace. I research prior to travel to get an idea of what is available in each destination and then we plan from there.

 

Sometimes we head right to the train station and take off somewhere else of interest.

 

Just because an excursion is included does not require participation; this is no different IMO from skipping meals, entertainment, etc., that is included on any cruise.

 

We customize the overall experience based on personal preferences.

 

We have upscale tastes and because we are DIY travelers that prefer to make our own plans for transfers, pre and post cruise hotels, etc., we choose accordingly. Our line of choice is AMA. We have now done 7 river cruises, 3 of those with AMA and our next three are booked with AMA. They fit our style and preferences and we have been very pleased with the overall experience we have enjoyed with this line.

[Got2Cruise]

Many of the towns visited have specific rules as to how many people are allowed per guide, so your tour group will always remain at a reasonable size. Also, if you want to get off the ship and wander off on your own, no problem,just be sure to be back at the sail away time. Same with the tours, even if you need a bus to get to the location the guide will always tell you the time to meet back on the bus if you wish to wander independently. All of the tours are usually 1.5 hours of guide and then another 1-1.5 of independent wandering.

[alexandra cruiser]

I agree with ALL of the above.But if you are just basing on LUXURY for the boat,food,etc.I just did my first with Scenic and out of 10 other lines and cruises ,this was the most upscale.In jr.suite we had butler,room service,tub,full balcony,all tips inc.and drinks,etc....you name it.It DID inc.all the excursions,of course.But we took SOME or did on own.

Have to look at ea.website,brochure,you tube,etc.and find out whats BEST for you.PS.prior to this one,my next favorite is AMA.

YOU DO get what you pay for.Do a lot of research,lots of info out there.

[aquilegia]

River cruising is totally different from ocean cruising and I think you're going to find that they all include tours. But the first thing to say is that they are not all bus tours. Because river boats can usually dock in the centre of a town or city, they are often walking tours. Also, included tours tend to be in the morning and optional (extra cost) tours in the afternoon. You are not obliged to buy any optional tours, you can simply get off the boat after lunch (or stay in town after the morning tour) and do your own wandering around.

[steamboats]

All river cruise lines selling on the US market do include the tours.

 

It´s the opposite for river cruise lines on the German market. Here the tours are not included.

 

steamboats

[cherylgrrl]

Thanks everyone! I agree, as a newbie to river cruising I'm not certain what to expect. I just remember a 12-day Mediterranean cruise where I seemed to be spending most of my time on a bus going to Florence, Rome, etc. but this sounds like it will be a lot less bus time!

 

We decided to split the difference and go with the Viking Grand European 15-day cruise. Not too expensive, not too cheap. Living on the West Coast, we wanted to maximize our time in Europe and this sounds like a wonderful trip.

 

Depending on the stock market, maybe our next trip will be AMA or Scenic Tours!

[caviargal]

JMO but I would start with a shorter cruise in case river cruising is not your cup of tea. Our first was 5 nights which was a perfect intro.

 

Now we will do no more than 7. Personal preference as we prefer to combine DIY in Europe at either end rather than all of our time on a boat.

 

Sounds like you made your decision - hope it works out for you!

[alexandra cruiser]

Sorry but agree with above.

Your original post asked for Luxury line and little tours.Not many would consider Viking such.

But think of it as just your FIRST and can always move up IF you like river cruising.Good luck.

[CasaM]

Because river cruising is different from ocean cruising, I think you will find that you are not spending long hrs on a bus. The new Viking longships are tastefully decorated and beautiful. We've been on 3 cruises with them and found everything to be top notch...the ship, crew, service, food....everything was wonderful. I hope your trip is as well!

[sueswny]

This might be just what you're looking for...Lueftner Cruises. It's an Austrian company, high end, lovely ships, good food. They do all excursions a la carte. English and German used on the ship. No way to know in advance how many Americans/Brits/Europeans will be on a given cruise, but you'll have no language problem. If you don't need a shpi full of Americans, and you are ok with dual language, it would be a great choice for you. Or.... Some cruises do have a group of Americans. ( I'm going on this cruise line late next April with a large group of USA friends on a Rhine cruise organized by my travel agent. Good price, too!)

Note that Gate 1 books Lueftner cruises, but they add a package of excursions and you can't book it without these (I think). I think some other USA companies also book Lueftner, but with excursions packages. My agent does it a la carte. (If you want her contact info, just let me know your email and I'll send it to you)

Happy sailing. Sue

[Floridiana]

All river cruise lines selling on the US market do include the tours.

 

It´s the opposite for river cruise lines on the German market. Here the tours are not included.

 

steamboats

 

I found that to be true. I was looking at a German TUI ship from Passau down the Danube to the delta and back (different port stops) in 2 weeks. The schedule specified just a few Eastern European ports where excursions were included. About luxury: The menu looked VERY enticing, downright luxurious.

[sippican]

Having just returned from our AMA trip I can add that we would not participate in as many of the included tours if/when we book again. We are definitely DIY kind of travelers, and although we did not spend a lot of time on bus tours, we did not find the "dock and walk" tours very enticing. You must have realistic expectations of what can be conveyed in a 90 minute introduction to a new city or town. We did enjoy the "Limited Edition" tours offered by AMA, and appreciated their attempts to offer variety through optional excursions, bike tours, active and gentle walkers, etc.

I agree with the approach of Caviargirl; next time I will do more research and planning to discover what we really want to see or do in each port. I could have easily skipped one of the charming little towns on the Danube for more time in Vienna! I would love for the option of more quality time rather than quantity. Truthfully, those cobbled streets and massive churches all start looking the same after a few trips; we crave the unusual and unique. As river cruising increases in popularity, hopefully the lines will add some theme cruises that attract repeat or independent minded cruisers.