Which lines handle weather issue the most fairly and professionally?

[reunion cruiser]

I am trying to choose between AMA and Avalon and know water levels can be a major problem. I am looking for feedback on which companies were the most professional , fair, and helpful in dealing with these problems.

I have had difficulty finding this information, though I am sure it is somewhere on this site.

Edited February 2, 2015 by reunion cruiser

[caviargal]

We were on AMA during both a low water and a high water situation. In both cases, they handled the situation extremely well.

 

We had low water on a Rhine and Moselle cruise with AMA a few years ago. Unlike some of the other lines who parked their boats and turned the trip into a bus tour, we completed our itinerary without incident. We were unable to navigate the Rhine Gorge due to very low water. AMA did a full charter on a brand new day cruiser (capacity 600 and was just for us) and catered it with plenty of food and drinks so all guests could experience it. They met passengers with chartered buses at the conclusion to take us to Rudesheim so that would not be missed. Very impressive!

 

Last fall we were on the Provence sailing with AMA. The Rhone was flooded and they were unable to get to the Soane to pick up passengers as scheduled. They contacted me by phone and assisted with arrangements to get us to the new port of embarkation. Then they met us at the train station to help with bags and took us to a bus chartered just to bring our group (there were 18 of us) to the boat. We then sailed to where the rest of the passengers were waiting.

 

Guests on the pre cruise to Barcelona were taken by first class high speed train (instead of the original coach transfer) to meet the ship in the new embarkation port.

 

The itinerary ended up being reversed but we did everything we were scheduled to do. They even brought on two extra cruise managers to deal with all of the changes. They did an amazing job.

Edited February 2, 2015 by caviargal

[JVilleGal]

I don't think you can go wrong with either AMA or Avalon. This would be based on reports during the big floods a couple years ago and times of High or Low water as reported here on Cruise Critic.

 

 

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[jpalbny]

Avalon did fine by us in June 2013 during the massive Danube flood. They canceled our 6/10 sailing on 6/3, and offered a full refund which we had credited back to our credit card within 5 days. Our timing was lucky in that the floods started about a week before our cruise was set to depart, and with that much advance notice, it was easy for them to make the decision.

 

They also covered my change fees because we had to modify our pre-booked train tickets. Though that total amount was small, €30, it was nice of them to do that. Their original offer was only to cover airline change fees - which we did not need, as we kept our airline tickets and went to Germany on our own in lieu of the river cruise.

 

Here is their offer, copied from my e-mail - we chose (2):

 

1) if you change to another sailing (must sail by 12/31/2014) you will receive $500 discount per person and they will refund you up to $250 per person for the airfare change fee. If you take the same itinerary, they will also credit any difference in price. If it's a different itinerary you would pay the prevailing rate.

 

2) Cancel and not rebook: you will be refunded 100% and refunded up to $250 per person for any airline change fee.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Avalon did fine by us in June 2013 during the massive Danube flood. They canceled our 6/10 sailing on 6/3, and offered a full refund which we had credited back to our credit card within 5 days. Our timing was lucky in that the floods started about a week before our cruise was set to depart, and with that much advance notice, it was easy for them to make the decision.

 

I agree that this was an easy decision for the cruise lines to make -- so why did certain cruise lines refuse to do so? Those are the ones that I would never consider sailing on.

[tassietravellers]

We thought Avalon handled the low water levels, barge accident and bridge repairs very well that we encountered in August 2012, on our cruise form Budapest to Amsterdam.

 

A portion of our cruise became a bus tour , well that was the plan, but only about 30 people wanted to take that option. The rest of us stayed on board even though we knew that the ship wouldn't be stopping along the way (as due to all the delays the ship had to make up time), we did miss a couple of towns on the river but we didn't mind, we had a leisurely cruise, lazing about watching the world go by, it was in the middle of a 2 week cruise, we may have taken the bus option if it had been a shorter cruise. The people that took the bus tour also enjoyed their time too.

 

Avalon organised another CD to be on board with us for that time, with very short notice, he came by train from Amsterdam and actually jumped on board as we were going through one of the lochs.

 

I have taken a cruise with Avalon since then and definitely would again.

[peterdkiwi]

We were also with Avalon on the River the week after Tassietraveller, there were still major problems and many cruise lines had boats moored 3 deep on the river side in various places, just not going anywhere, we came across many people in various town moaning about the way they were being treated by other cruise lines and not being kept up to date with delays or any offer of alternatives or credits. From our 2 cruises with Avalon and also extensive reading on CC they are one of the best for looking after their guests if there are any issues, that alone is a reason we will always use them

[Host Jazzbeau]

I agree that both these lines seemed to do very well by their passengers in 2012 and in subsequent water-problem periods. They are not the ones I was referring to above.

[Ozjohnno]

If I remember correctly and I'm sure it will be pointed out to me if I'm wrong but I don't recall one complaint against Tauck for the way they handled the situations.

[Otis]

Can I also ask about Uniworld in this context? Very helpful thread.

[fred111]

We've been on Uniworld and they have handled weather and other issues outside of their control extremely well. We continue to sail on them because we know that they will do the right thing.

[Second seating]

We were on this ship in December and had problems due to a lock closure near Passau. We met the boat in Passau not Nuremberg. Uniworld could not have handled this problem better. We did spend more time on a bus but they gave us 20 euros each for lunch for two days plus a very nice credit for a future cruise!

 

Second seating

[Valley Girl of VA]

We were on AMA during both a low water and a high water situation. In both cases, they handled the situation extremely well.

 

 

Last fall we were on the Provence sailing with AMA. The Rhone was flooded and they were unable to get to the Soane to pick up passengers as scheduled. They contacted me by phone and assisted with arrangements to get us to the new port of embarkation. Then they met us at the train station to help with bags and took us to a bus chartered just to bring our group (there were 18 of us) to the boat. We then sailed to where the rest of the passengers were waiting.

 

 

The itinerary ended up being reversed but we did everything we were scheduled to do. They even brought on two extra cruise managers to deal with all of the changes. They did an amazing job.

 

 

We are thinking about doing that cruise next year and booking it shortly.What did you think of the hotel in Paris? I've read some reviews that said it was an old ship and that the food was not very good. I've river cruised once before with Avalon. Would appreciate your first hand opinion.

 

Jane

[Talisker92]

As I remember, there were a number of complaints about the way Scenic and Viking handled the situation.

We were on a Vantage cruise that got stuck in Deggendorf for 2 days because of high water and one low bridge.

They arranged bus trips to Straubing to see the Durer stained glass window of Moses, to Regensburg to have brats at the oldest brathaus in the world,a Bavarian Forest Museum that was really interesting, and to Nuremberg. The river level dropped enough to let our ship slide under the bridge and we were on our way!

[caviargal]

We are thinking about doing that cruise next year and booking it shortly.What did you think of the hotel in Paris? I've read some reviews that said it was an old ship and that the food was not very good. I've river cruised once before with Avalon. Would appreciate your first hand opinion.

 

Jane

 

We DIY our hotels and transfers. In Paris, we rented an apartment for 4 nights then trained to Lyon. We wished we had skipped Paris altogether and spent those days in Lyon, which was just lovely.

 

We have done several cruises with Avalon and with AMA and hands down prefer AMA. The age of a boat is not nearly as important as the overall experience for us; the devil is in the details. For our tastes and preferences, the food, wine, service, excursions and staff and crew on AMA continue to impress us. When choosing a river cruise, Avalon is not a line we consider.

 

I have posted detailed reviews of all of my cruises on Cruise Critic if you would like more information.

 

Here is a link to my detailed review of our AmaDagio cruise: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=267632

Edited February 7, 2015 by caviargal

[Got2Cruise]

We DIY our hotels and transfers. In Paris, we rented an apartment for 4 nights then trained to Lyon. We wished we had skipped Paris altogether and spent those days in Lyon, which was just lovely.

 

We have done several cruises with Avalon and with AMA and hands down prefer AMA. The age of a boat is not nearly as important as the overall experience for us; the devil is in the details. For our tastes and preferences, the food, wine, service, excursions and staff and crew on AMA continue to impress us. When choosing a river cruise, Avalon is not a line we consider.

 

I have posted detailed reviews of all of my cruises on Cruise Critic if you would like more information.

 

Here is a link to my detailed review of our AmaDagio cruise: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=267632

 

Caviargal, even though you now prefer AMA, you did cruise several times on Avalon. Is there a price difference in Avalon and Ama?

[JVilleGal]

Caviargal, even though you now prefer AMA, you did cruise several times on Avalon. Is there a price difference in Avalon and Ama?

 

 

I know Caviargal will also answer your question from her experience BUT I booked an Avalon cruise last Feb for a (now sold out) cruise in Sept. I wanted to sail AMA and used a TA who rebated about 10ish percent of the fare. She provided the same benefit for either line.

 

The long and the short of it is that on a middle deck French Balcony/Panorama cabin, so same category AMA was enough higher about $1000pp (sorry don't remember a 14 day trip) that we booked Avalon and I am sure we will have a great cruise.

[caviargal]

Caviargal, even though you now prefer AMA, you did cruise several times on Avalon. Is there a price difference in Avalon and Ama?

 

Avalon offers more promotions and discounts on a wider range of sailings than AMA does and is generally less expensive.

 

A river cruise, with all expenses factored in, is a considerable financial investment. We would rather pay more for the experience we prefer overall. We fly Premium Economy for the same reason. We are willing to pay more for what is, for us, a better experience.

[Valley Girl of VA]

We DIY our hotels and transfers. In Paris, we rented an apartment for 4 nights then trained to Lyon. We wished we had skipped Paris altogether and spent those days in Lyon, which was just lovely.

 

 

Here is a link to my detailed review of our AmaDagio cruise: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=267632

 

Caviargal - appreciate you taking the time to tell me your experience. You now have us rethinking our trip. Thinking about doing Paris on our own have enough hotel points) and then to take time to see Lyon. Was there anything special about Lyon that you really liked that e shouldn't miss seeing? This is my first time to France other than cruising down the Rhine. Would you say about 3 days in Paris and 2 in Lyon (plus a day of travel in between) would be enough of a start to see this region?

 

Thank you

Jane