Amsterdam to Budapest

[Shiwa]

Hello there. We want to book a river cruise next August - September and would love to know other peoples' experiences with cruise lines, time of year, queues, heat, etc. Looking at the 15 day cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest but could be vice versa. We are spending time in the UK first. Home is New Zealand. Although we have cruised on the sea before, never on a river and really looking forward to it. Has anyone had experiences with APT, Viking or others? Would be grateful for any help.

Edited November 25, 2014 by Shiwa

[CJcruzer]

we cruised with Viking for Amsterdam to Budapest Grand European tour and really enjoyed it..we travelled in the fall and the foliage/colors were amazing.

 

Carol

[nana541]

We are booked on Sept 11 sailing Amsterdam to Budapest on Avalon. Our sailing has been sold out for some time so you need to immediately see which company has space available and start there. Many of these sailings especially in September are sold out a year or more in advance. Check Viking, AMA, Unaworld, Avalon, Vantage, I am sure I have overlooked somebody. You will find similar pricing and be sure and keep in mind what each company includes in the price that makes up the difference. Uniworld is All-Inclusive ( drinks. Tours, tips,) others provide different options. Note that Vikings 2 for 1 is an advertising gimmick, the 2 for 1 price is actually the per person price and that "special" is always available.

 

Happy hunting but if you want to sail this Sept then you better book ASAP and you will be limited by what is available but they are all wonderful.

 

Have fun planning!

 

 

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[Host Jazzbeau]

APT is the Australian partner of AMA; they charter the AMA boats for many cruises on a variety of itineraries. The experience on APT should be similar to any reviews you see for AMA (except that APT includes gratuities in the cruise fare).

[harbourside]

APT tours are all inclusive. Tipping, all tours (no optional extras, all included even Vienna concert and trip to Salburg which is now on a luxury Vintage train). Also, all drinks including drinks from the bar (spirits etc).

Same AmaWaterways food and service, but with the trip being modified for Australians and New Zealanders to give an all inclusive experience. Did the Amsterdam to Budapest in August on the brand new AmaReina and it was fantastic. Could not fault anything.

[nana541]

I did not check the OP profile so missed that he is from NZ.... APT may be a great option, might also check Scenic.

 

 

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[Ozjohnno]

We did Amsterdam to Budapest in September 2011 with Tauck and had a great time. Tauck too is an all inclusive company with everything but your laundry costs included in the fare. The highlight for us (amongst many I should add) was the 5 course dinner and concert in the Palace Pallivacini in Vienna. There are many companies to choose from and I'm sure you'll really enjoy river cruising.

[peterdkiwi]

Hi Shiwa

We are also from Auckland have done same cruise but in 2 halves over last 2 years, both with Avalon, extremely good. sent us an email to pad62@xtra.co.nz or call on 021922178 and we can have a chat

Pete

[cruisemom123]

my husband and I did the budapest to amsterdamin the fall of 2012. we did a pre pkg and stayed in budapest for 4 nights before the cruise. We did one night on our own we jsut booked the same hotel the ship used and 3 night with vantage.

We loved the cruise . it was not hot and the locks were veryy interesting I think yu go through like 50 something although many are at night.

[Talisker92]

We did the Budapest to Amsterdam cruise a few years ago. Here is the link to our trip story:

http://stevekathytravels.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/europe2010.pdf

We are always happy yo answer ant questions

[deec]

We (5 couples) all enjoyed our first River Cruises on Viking's, Lif in late September. We spent 3 days in Budapest pre-cruise and 2 in Amsterdam after. One couple was on the lowest level the other 4 were in French Balconies all cabins were portside. I will always opt for a french balcony in the future. We were very happy with that amount of time.

 

The ship was immaculate, staff engaging, informative and very organized, food was fine, wine and beer plentiful, itinerary perfect (bring binoculars for the days on the rivers) , weather changeable (think layers and packable rain gear), most of the guides EXCELLENT.

 

The only criticism was the size of the individual tour groups....the quiet boxes certainly mitigated the issue but still felt they were too large when walking in the cities or wandering in the castles, churches or forts.

 

For sure try a River Cruise and this itinerary is fabulous!!!!

[jules71]

We did the Budapest to Amsterdam cruise a few years ago. Here is the link to our trip story:

http://stevekathytravels.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/europe2010.pdf

We are always happy yo answer ant questions

 

Thank you for a wonderful review!

 

Just curious if anyone knows when the rivers are most likely to be impassable?

[caviargal]

 

Just curious if anyone knows when the rivers are most likely to be impassable?

 

Mother Nature decides this and is not predictable. We are just back from France and had high water conditions which changed our route. We have traveled two other times in fall, once with low water and once in high; other trips in fall and winter we had no issues.