Comparing Cruise Lines

[KathyK13]

My first riverboat cruise, I did the same thing that you did. We went with AMA from Amsterdam to Trier plus Paris extension at Meridien Etoile. The ship was beautiful. The staff and the food were excellent. The tours were a mixed bag. Some good. Most crowded and boring. Some of the guides had attitude. On that cruise, we kept hearing people commenting how much better Viking was. Everywhere we docked ( mostly out of town), we saw Viking gangways in town. Next cruise we went with Viking. Location is important. Most of the cruise lines are good cabins and food. For me, the local tour guides are important. Viking excels.

Interesting. Did you share your opinion of the AMA tour guides with the CD? AMA would certainly want to know if you were dissatisfied with the guides. Does Viking have their own tour guides or do they use private tour guide companies? I've wondered if the cruise lines use the same tour guide companies and how the guides are chosen. The guides on our Avalon Seine cruise were mostly excellent. However, our guide for the Notre Dame tour was very informative, but shared too much of his own opinion of the Catholic church that offended some on the tour.

[lourdest]

When deciding which company to select for our first river cruise on the Danube, I did both a spreadsheet and checklist to help with my decision. Besides looking at cost and what was included in the individual cruise lines, I really looked at the cities that were included on the cruise. Based on my research, I determined that I wanted a river cruise that included the most time in Prague, Vienna and Budapest.

 

I narrowed it down to three companies, Uniworld, Ama, and Tauck. These three are fairly close on cost and what they include. This was a better apples to apples comparison of what I really wanted in a river cruise than when I started my research of all the different companies. I also noticed that by starting my cruise in Regensburg instead of Nuremburg I could spend the most time in Vienna. I finally decided on Tauck ‘s Blue Danube because it stayed overnight in Vienna and all the special events that are included. We are leaving July 28, 2016 and can’t wait for our first river cruise adventure.

[notamermaid]

Hello lourdest,

 

you have chosen an unusual itinerary. I looked up your cruise on the Tauck website as I wanted to know about starting the cruise in Regensburg. Just like the other cruise companies they start pre-cruise in Prague but then bus you to Regensburg for sightseeing and from there go to the ship to embark in Vilshofen. A novel idea and why not, for one thing it reduces the risk of getting the boat stuck in that area with the most low water problems and Vilshofen has been used as an embarkation port by Arosa in the past years, so the port there is used to large ships docking.

 

A really interesting choice, I am sure you will enjoy your river cruise very much.

 

notamermaid

[lourdest]

Hi Notamermaid,

 

I think you were looking at the 2017 trip. We are doing the cruise in 60 days, July 28th 2016, and embarkation is from Regensburg. Tauck changed it for 2017, I don't know why they did that. This is our first time river cursing and our first time with Tauck.

For this reason (since things change from year to year) , I feel that you have to do your research on which cities the cruise embarks from and which itinerary meets your goals the most.

For 2016 the cruise is:

3 days/2 night Prague

bused to Regensburg to get on MsSavor

Stops:

Passau

Linz (your choice of doing Salzburg or Cesky Krumlov)

Durnstein

Vienna - stays overnight

Slovakia/Bratislava

Budapest - disembark

Budapest - 3 days/2 nights

For us this seemed the best choice, but I also believe that any of the others would have been great too.

[notamermaid]

Hello lourdest,

 

oh, I am sure you are right. One tends to get the 2017 dates shown now automatically when clicking on the itineraries.

 

Have you had a look at the latest threads (reviews) of the past Danube cruisers yet? Highly recommended. :)

 

It will be interesting to compare your experience on Tauck to those. We do not here much about Tauck cruises here on CC.

 

notamermaid

[jpalbny]

For 2016 the cruise is:

3 days/2 night Prague

bused to Regensburg to get on MsSavor

Stops:

Passau

Linz (your choice of doing Salzburg or Cesky Krumlov)

Durnstein

Vienna - stays overnight

Slovakia/Bratislava

Budapest - disembark

Budapest - 3 days/2 nights

For us this seemed the best choice, but I also believe that any of the others would have been great too.

 

That looks like a fantastic itinerary. We did most of these stops (Except Prague and Regensburg) last month and they are all very nice. Looking forward to your thoughts on these stops and Tauck when you return.

[Shorex]

It's time to add Crystal to the mix for high end river cruising. We've booked the Mozart for 2017, the same itinerary as the inaugural this summer. The Mozart is a former Dielmann boat that has been completely redesigned.

 

Pictures and reviews should be out by late July -- stay tuned.

 

"Crystal will build six new luxury river yachts to be deployed on European rivers with deliveries from 2017 to 2019. The two additional river yachts are the result of continued interest and demands from travel partners and guests, and join the four previously announced vessels - Crystal Debussy, Crystal Ravel, Crystal Mahler and Crystal Bach – planned for embarkation in June and August 2017. Crystal River Cruises makes its official debut this summer with launch of reimagined Crystal Mozart on July 13 in Vienna, Austria."

[Got2Cruise]

It's interesting how each company's itinerary listed as same is actually quite different. You really need to comb through the day by day itineraries to see what is included. For example, our upcoming Danube melodies withAMA ends in Vilshofen not Passau. You go to Passau but then we continue to Vilshofen the same day for an Oktoberfest type meal. To some this might be a waste of time. Not us. lol. Also on our Avalon Rhine cruise we stopped at Speyer and Mainz. Other lines don't stop here but equally interesting places. Lots of work yes but you don't want to be disappointed in not being able to visit some place you had your heart set on

[Riversanddale]

You are on the right track in choosing a cruise to fit your own likes and needs.

 

We weigh itinerary heavy as well as value. We've done 8 river cruises and have 2 more planned using 3 lines. A couple of thoughts - air arrangements are very important to us coming all the way from the west coast so we prefer a great deal on the cruise price itself allowing us to control our air arrangements; some of the new Viking longships are so long that they can no longer dock in the middle of towns making walking off the ship to enjoy meanders harder (Paris, Arles, and others); we've had some wonderful cruises on slightly older ships because they offered extra lounges or other amenities and only one bad ship which was brand new and rushed into service before it was really ready.

 

One other consideration which will show up as you read these forums is how each line handles problems when they arise. Any can have issues but they don't all solve them the same way. We've found almost all great crews but not all great companies (i.e. corporate) when challenges arise.

 

Take your best shot and then enjoy - it's all about the journey and whether you pack a smile in your bags.

 

And, check out holidays (both religious and civil) for the areas you will be traveling. Sundays and holidays can drastically affect your options in different ports.

 

Enjoy whatever you choose!

[4774Papa]

All the mentioned cruise lines deliver a quality product. I usually pick four and compare prices, number of days, tours, amenities, etc. It is not that hard. I include Vantage, which usually has the best value.

 

For example four our Douro River cruise last month, I found that Vantage's 10 day (including 7 day river cruise) tour was a bit cheaper than Viking's 9 day tour. Also, AMA's price for the same cruise was equal to Vantage's 10 day tour. The other cruise lines I checked were even more expensive than those three.

 

The only difference that I could find with Vantage was they don't provided wine with lunch unless it is on a tour off the boat. Viking and others do provide that. Not a bid deal for us.

 

 

We have done AMA and Vantage and don't find the quality varies from one to the other. Another reason we don't like Viking that much is they require full payment from 8-12 months in advance instead of Vantage's 90 days.

[itchtocruz]

Having done several ocean voyages, our first river cruise was with all-inclusive Scenic, just having come back a month ago. We were very pleased with the air travel arrangements, transfers, crew, service, food, open-bar, itinerary, tours, nice sized cabin w/ balcony and not having a bill to pay at the end of the cruise!

[caviargal]

 

 

We have done AMA and Vantage and don't find the quality varies from one to the other.

 

We have only crossed over and through Vantage vessels and seen them up close when rafted. IMO, they are well maintained and attractive vessels but without the luxury touches and large staterooms found on AMA.

 

We enjoy an upscale ambiance, large stateroom, lots of excursion options, very good food and wines. AMA, Uniworld and Scenic all delivered for

us.

 

Viking never has been or will be on our radar for a multitude of reasons. Vantage feels a bit too basic for our preferences, as does Croisi and GCT. Avalon was generic (food, decor, staff, personality) and underwhelming.

 

We do choose based on more than the data that can be plugged into a spreadsheet, as there are other subjective aspects of the overall experience we look for and a certain level of luxury we appreciate. These things may not be as important (or even relevant) to others.

[4774Papa]

We have only crossed over and through Vantage vessels and seen them up close when rafted. IMO, they are well maintained and attractive vessels but without the luxury touches and large staterooms found on AMA.

 

We enjoy an upscale ambiance, large stateroom, lots of excursion options, very good food and wines. AMA, Uniworld and Scenic all delivered for

us.

 

Viking never has been or will be on our radar for a multitude of reasons. Vantage feels a bit too basic for our preferences, as does Croisi and GCT. Avalon was generic (food, decor, staff, personality) and underwhelming.

 

We do choose based on more than the data that can be plugged into a spreadsheet, as there are other subjective aspects of the overall experience we look for and a certain level of luxury we appreciate. These things may not be as important (or even relevant) to others.

 

cavairgal,

I cannot fault you from preferring AMA. We loved our Burgundy and Provence cruise in 2012. What continues to amaze me is the number of people in the US that I find go with Viking because they see an attractive TV commercial or a brochure in the mail, doing no basic research. Finding the right fit for ocean and river cruises is good.

 

We prefer Celebrity for our ocean cruises. After almost six years of post-retirement travel, unless we start doing some cruises over again, we are running out of ocean and river cruises.

 

Also, since we lived in Germany for four, years, we have already toured the places in central Europe.

 

Still, we haven't done a Southern Danube cruise, or one of the Bordeaux region of France. Also, thinking of doing New Zealand and perhaps a transpacific cruise.

A cruise of Norway to the North Cape would be good.

 

We find that many travelers that have traveled a lot, tend to do land trips coupled with a transatlantic in one direction (cuts back on flying). As we get older, the flying seems harder, especially flights to and from East Asia and Australia.

[caviargal]

cavairgal,

I cannot fault you from preferring AMA. We loved our Burgundy and Provence cruise in 2012. What continues to amaze me is the number of people in the US that I find go with Viking because they see an attractive TV commercial or a brochure in the mail, doing no basic research. Finding the right fit for ocean and river cruises is good.

 

 

I agree about Viking. Effective marketing but IMO, when spending this amount of money on a trip it is important to research. All river cruise lines are not created equally. Same for ocean.

[TrulyBlonde]

Hi Notamermaid,

 

I think you were looking at the 2017 trip. We are doing the cruise in 60 days, July 28th 2016, and embarkation is from Regensburg. Tauck changed it for 2017, I don't know why they did that. This is our first time river cursing and our first time with Tauck.

For this reason (since things change from year to year) , I feel that you have to do your research on which cities the cruise embarks from and which itinerary meets your goals the most.

For 2016 the cruise is:

3 days/2 night Prague

bused to Regensburg to get on MsSavor

Stops:

Passau

Linz (your choice of doing Salzburg or Cesky Krumlov)

Durnstein

Vienna - stays overnight

Slovakia/Bratislava

Budapest - disembark

Budapest - 3 days/2 nights

For us this seemed the best choice, but I also believe that any of the others would have been great too.

 

We are taking the Spring 2017 Danube cruise with Tauck, also. We will start in Prague and end in Budapest. Their reputation seems impeccable and the tours offered, hotels, etc. all are top of the line. We had booked Crystal initially, but the itinerary with Prague pre-cruise was the selling point for us along with the Tauck reputation. Crystal is still to new to gamble on.

[garycarla]

I noticed a few comments about ordering brochures. They are nice, but they are slicked up marketing tools.

 

Blend in some actual reviews from folks here in the review section. It will give you a totally different picture and help you find what feels good to you.

 

Pricing? All over the place. Rather confusing in the end.

 

Free air? Might be good, and then again.... Always do some checking yourself. for example, we just found RT air from Nashville to Frankfurt in Business for $1500 total. I think the upcharge to business with some of the cruise offers was that much. And now, WE are in charge of our travel which we prefer.

[Got2Cruise]

The brochures help you compare day to day where you will be going and which tours are included in the price. One can't simply compare a Danube cruise for example without comparing the day by day itineraries.

[Cyber Kat]

What continues to amaze me is the number of people in the US that I find go with Viking because they see an attractive TV commercial or a brochure in the mail, doing no basic research.

 

That may be true for some but not all. I will admit that the Viking commercials got me to look at their web site, but not choose them for our upcoming cruise. I looked at all the different lines and compared them on a number of levels. I chose Viking for a number of reasons. We wanted to do the Rhine cruise - it's been on our bucket list for longer than Viking has been running TV ads :)

 

I liked the look of their Longships. I read reviews of the itinerary and liked what I read. We wanted a stop in Kinderdijk and I none of the other lines I was considering stopped there. The price was in the range that worked for us. While I'd prefer not to have to pay the full amount that far ahead, it wasn't really a major factor for us.

 

I've read a lot of people complaining about their customer service, but so far - again for us - it's been wonderful. I posted on the Facebook page asking where I could purchase the new toiletries they are using. Apparently it's a private brand. The next day I got a call from Viking, asking where I would like the samples sent. Can't beat that in my book. I had one small issue, and I emailed them. That was also resolved very quickly and to my satisfaction.

 

So far so good. We haven't done the cruise yet, but I'm looking forward to it, and I hope it meets my expectations - which I always keep low, while keeping my hopes high. :D Again - works for me.

 

I think everyone has to find their own favorites and what works for them, but quite frankly, I don't understand all the animosity toward Viking. Could change after our cruise, but I'm hoping that won't be the case.

[Daisi]

I think one of the best things about Viking are those adverts. While we chose not to go with them, they were what got us looking at seeing that this trip would be a possibility. Considering the number of people they must put through in a season, it's not surprising that they have the most complaints. The sad thing for most companies is that 90% of their satisfied customers won't comment further, but probably about 80% of their dissatisfied customers will.

 

Our main criteria after selecting the length of cruise we could get away for was the itinerary, and then we looked at what line looked most comfortable for us. We aren't "fancy" people, so wanted something that looked casual and not fussy. It really surprised me when I started doing the "virtual tours" of the various lines just how fancy some of them are....and we didn't think we could be comfortable with that.

[Tedferg]

Viking never has been or will be on our radar for a multitude of reasons. Vantage feels a bit too basic for our preferences, as does Croisi and GCT. Avalon was generic (food, decor, staff, personality) and underwhelming.

 

We do choose based on more than the data that can be plugged into a spreadsheet, as there are other subjective aspects of the overall experience we look for and a certain level of luxury we appreciate. These things may not be as important (or even relevant) to others.

 

Good comments, thanks - I guessed from your handle that you prefer luxury levels :-)

 

My initial premise was that GCT would provide an 'adequate' experience. I know three couples who have enjoyed several GCT cruises and have no complaints. Next I wanted to compare prices and then attempt the subjective approach to compare 'extras'. On Ocean cruising for example, we always take a balcony - but do not see the need for a min-suite or suite. We are happy with Princess, would like to try Celebrity but feel Oceania is too expensive.

Edited June 5, 2016 by Tedferg

[Hydrokitty]

Good comments, thanks - I guessed from your handle that you prefer luxury levels :-)

 

My initial thought was that GCT would provide an 'adequate' experience. I know three couples who have enjoyed several GCT cruises and have no complaints. Next I wanted to compare prices and then attempt the subjective approach to compare 'extras'. On Ocean cruising for example, we always take a balcony - but do not see the need for a min-suite or suite. We are happy with Princess, would like to try Celebrity but feel Oceania is too expensive.

 

I think what most of us find is that if our first river cruise is wonderful and we come home fully satisfied, we tend to book our next cruise with that same company...and once you're repeat business the perks start to kick in....the converse is also true....our first ocean cruise was disaster and we never went back to that company...our second ocean cruise was spectacular and that's the company we've booked with ever since. It's human nature.

[Cyber Kat]

I think one of the best things about Viking are those adverts. While we chose not to go with them, they were what got us looking at seeing that this trip would be a possibility. Considering the number of people they must put through in a season, it's not surprising that they have the most complaints. The sad thing for most companies is that 90% of their satisfied customers won't comment further, but probably about 80% of their dissatisfied customers will.

 

Our main criteria after selecting the length of cruise we could get away for was the itinerary, and then we looked at what line looked most comfortable for us. We aren't "fancy" people, so wanted something that looked casual and not fussy. It really surprised me when I started doing the "virtual tours" of the various lines just how fancy some of them are....and we didn't think we could be comfortable with that.

 

I worked in customer service for a number of years and that's so true, it's too bad the satisfied customers don't make as much noise as the dissatisfied. I do reviews - and generally rave about what I like, but I also mention what I don't like. On the whole, I'm easily pleased - unless the negative is something big, I tend to overlook it.

 

While I do like luxury - I prefer a more relaxed atmosphere. Someone who combines the service of a luxury line - in both river and ocean cruising - with a more casual (not slobby :) ) atmosphere will fill a great look. One of the things that sold us on Viking was a casual dining atmosphere - with tablecloths :) I just want to be comfy in a smart casual way.

 

I read a review of a Viking cruise from a woman who was very upset that people didn't dress for dinner - clearly someone who didn't do their homework!

 

Looking to find an ocean cruise line that has small ships, a casual atmosphere with some luxury touches - and we're looking at Viking for this as well. I'll see after my river cruise if Viking fits the bill!

 

It's a good thing there are so many choices - something for everyone! Find your niche and fill it!

[Daisi]

 

While I do like luxury - I prefer a more relaxed atmosphere. Someone who combines the service of a luxury line - in both river and ocean cruising - with a more casual (not slobby :) ) atmosphere will fill a great look. One of the things that sold us on Viking was a casual dining atmosphere - with tablecloths :) I just want to be comfy in a smart casual way.

 

I read a review of a Viking cruise from a woman who was very upset that people didn't dress for dinner - clearly someone who didn't do their homework!

It's a good thing there are so many choices - something for everyone! Find your niche and fill it!

 

Laughing at your tablecloth reference....one of our favourite restaurants was ran by a Chef from a major city who decided he had enough to the "rat race", and moved to the country. You got a 5 star dinner, but in a very casual environment - I think the first year we went to his restaurant, he was using paper placemats!

I want to be comfortable on my holidays, luxury is all good, but comfort is better for us. I'm more interested in what we will be seeing than how our fellow passengers are dressed.

[Lois R]

I think what most of us find is that if our first river cruise is wonderful and we come home fully satisfied, we tend to book our next cruise with that same company...and once you're repeat business the perks start to kick in....the converse is also true....our first ocean cruise was disaster and we never went back to that company...our second ocean cruise was spectacular and that's the company we've booked with ever since. It's human nature.

 

Truer words were never spoken...(written;)).....

 

AMA came highly recommended to me by 2 people I know and I sailed

with them back in April......it was fabulous:D so much so, I booked again

with AMA for 2017. Talk about a 1st cruise experience.....simply

outstanding and yes, I am going back for a repeat performance;):D:)

[zellers]

Sunsetbeachgal,

 

Please let us know how your river cruise went (first time river cruisers too.)

 

We are going on the Scenic Opal doing the reverse of your trip next June (2017). Hopefully, the flooding hasn't been an issue with your tour. What excursions did you do and how enjoyable were they? Choices of food? The rooms (we booked 315 on the diamond deck) are they as comfortable as advertised?

 

Enjoy and have safe travels! :)