Recommend a river cruise line for us please

[CPT Trips]

That is a good point about the balcony cabins. My main interest in the balcony cabins was that they are generally larger than the non-balcony cabins. I'm thinking we might feel pretty cramped especially with the twin bed arrangement in some of the non-balcony cabins. Since we are looking at sailing during holiday market season, it's not that we're really planning to spend much time on the balcony anyway.

 

On several lines the standard cabins actually are larger inside than the standard cabin with balcony. The balcony takes away from the inside space.

Just using made up numbers . . .

The regular cabin is 10 feet wide and 15 deep. The balcony is 2 feet deep, so the inside space is 10 by 13.

Something has to shrink to make up those lost square feet. Bathroom? Closet and storage?

[katmu]

I want to apologize if my thread has stirred up any bad blood on the board. That was in no way my intention. I hope at the end of the day,regardless of whatever line each of us may sail on, we can step back and realize how fortunate we are to have the opportunity to take river cruises that most people will never experience.

 

I think I'm putting so much effort into this trip as I want to make it extra special for my mom. I really appreciate all of the tips so far.

[CPT Trips]

In the view from my "throne," it wasn't you.

From time to time, the minefields move.

[JVilleGal]

I want to apologize if my thread has stirred up any bad blood on the board. That was in no way my intention. I hope at the end of the day,regardless of whatever line each of us may sail on, we can step back and realize how fortunate we are to have the opportunity to take river cruises that most people will never experience.

 

I think I'm putting so much effort into this trip as I want to make it extra special for my mom. I really appreciate all of the tips so far.

 

 

Your thread generated a lot of great information! And coming to Cruise Critic is the right thing to do to get the best info. Just ignore the people who get pissy and gave a great trip :)

 

 

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[Got2Cruise]

I want to apologize if my thread has stirred up any bad blood on the board. That was in no way my intention. I hope at the end of the day,regardless of whatever line each of us may sail on, we can step back and realize how fortunate we are to have the opportunity to take river cruises that most people will never experience.

 

I think I'm putting so much effort into this trip as I want to make it extra special for my mom. I really appreciate all of the tips so far.

 

 

 

Don't apologize. You asked a relevant question and I'm sure many gathered information to make an informed decision. Let us know which cruise you choose and the reasons why. Enjoy

[Hydrokitty]

I want to apologize if my thread has stirred up any bad blood on the board. That was in no way my intention. I hope at the end of the day,regardless of whatever line each of us may sail on, we can step back and realize how fortunate we are to have the opportunity to take river cruises that most people will never experience.

 

I think I'm putting so much effort into this trip as I want to make it extra special for my mom. I really appreciate all of the tips so far.

 

Joining CPT, J'Ville Gal and Got2Cruise.....it wasn't you...please keep asking your questions. :D

[Conestoga Charlie]

We're preparing for our 6th cruise with Viking. This time we'll board the Viking Buri for a trip from Lyon to Avignon, where the Papal palaces are my sightseeing objective. (Changed person in the sentence because my wife is more interested in the wine tours than seeing another palace.) Our experience with Viking has been very good. The Yangtse River cruise in China was fabulous.

 

We've not had customer service problems with Viking. We did have to rake a few bus rides on the Grand River cruise a few years ago because water levels were low or river traffic too congested. But, the buses were first class and the scenery interesting.

 

Like others, I am not happy with Viking's payment policies. It annoys me to be compelled to pay way in advance of a trip and give them the use of my money. But, as you can see, I've not been annoyed enough not to continue to sail with them.

[katmu]

Can someone give me an idea of how the onboard experience on a line like GCT might compare to a higher end line like Scenic? Obviously, I understand the differences in the inclusions. I'm more trying to understand what the meals would be like, what if any on-board entertainment there might be, and any other things that are not so easy to easily identify from the brochures and websites.

[Hydrokitty]

Can someone give me an idea of how the onboard experience on a line like GCT might compare to a higher end line like Scenic? Obviously, I understand the differences in the inclusions. I'm more trying to understand what the meals would be like, what if any on-board entertainment there might be, and any other things that are not so easy to easily identify from the brochures and websites.

 

I think the differences are mostly the decor...food seems to be good on all of them...wine selections are better on the higher end lines as are linens and bath products. Most of the websites have pictures of the lounge, statehood and dining rooms, including meals....and you can use them for comparison.

[CPT Trips]

Can someone give me an idea of how the onboard experience on a line like GCT might compare to a higher end line like Scenic? Obviously, I understand the differences in the inclusions. I'm more trying to understand what the meals would be like, what if any on-board entertainment there might be, and any other things that are not so easy to easily identify from the brochures and websites.

 

I'll give it a shot describing GCT. As I have not traveled with the expensive lines, I can't compare them.

 

Entertainment . . . Two years ago on the Rhein - Mosel we had a keyboardist that performed many nights. This was a first for us. In March, on the Seine, no onboard musician. Our five cruises had local musical and folk dance groups come on board several (maybe half) of the evenings.

A couple nights each trip there was the opportunity to go into the city with one or more of the program directors for a "learning and discovery" activity. A walk to see the evening sights, or a visit to local cafe/pub/Biergarten.

The obligatory crew show. Pretty much seen one seen them all. Except that the personalities change. We seem to always leave in a good mood.

Trivia style game night(s) with the topics based on the locality and/cruise theme.

 

"Learning and Discovery" - GCT is big on this.

Each trip has a home hosted visit, either a meal or an afternoon snack, with a local family and maybe a half dozen cruisers.

Local artisans or artists may come on board for a demonstration or "class."

Usually there are a couple talks/panel discussions on historical or current events. Think topics such as growing up in the aftermath of WWII, life under communism, the EU, Syrian refugees, why are the French striking . . . Just about everything. Also the program director is likely just start a conversation with a random person about something that is happening at the time.

 

Program Director - most, if not all, other river cruise lines have one cruise/tour director/manager that organizes the group activities and tours turning the cruisers over to local guides for each walking or bus tour. GCT's model is different; they have multiple Program Directors, in our experience one for no more than 40 cruisers. The exact number of PDs depends on the number of pax.

The PD may actually provide the scheduled tour or they may turn the group over to a local guide and accompany the group. They will be with the group for the entirety of the scheduled activity as well as on any transportation that goes with it. They don't just send you off with a local guide. When there a a tour followed by free time the PD will establish the meeting time and place for the return to the ship.

You will be assigned to a PD and be with their group for the cruise. Each group will see the same things on each scheduled tour although not at the same time or in the same order. But, you will not have a choice between say the wine tour, the beer tour, or the chocolate tour as appears to be the case with some other lines.

When you need to get advice or information, any of the PDs will help you. In fact "your" PD may refer you to one of the others because they have more knowledge about your subject.

 

Meals All seating is open. Most tables of six, maybe a table or two for four, and a few larger. The hotel manager is very visible at meals.

Breakfast is buffet served over about an hour and a half. Early bird is set up in the lounge. Made to order omelets are available. They do a pretty good job with temperature control.

Lunch pretty much a set time, but if you just want the buffet you can arrive late. Soup is served, don't expect it if you arrive late. There are several made to order options available from the menu as well as a salad bar, hot and cold buffet and a pasta station. Beer and wine served.

Dinner is a set time. Soup, salad, appetizer, main and dessert. For the most part two or three choices of each and a couple of "always available" items. Mains are cooked to order as the earlier courses are served. A theme dinner is likely one night, and it will probably be a buffet. Beer and wine served.

Beer will be whatever is on draft, most likely a pils. Wine is red or white out of a carafe that probably can from a bag in a box. Don't have high expectations. You can buy a bottle or a wine package. I think, but don't know for a fact, that corkage is charged if you bring your own. I have seen folks carry a glass in with them . . . who knows the origin.

Special diets are accommodated very well. Inform them in advance and confirm on board. I was on a special diet for one cruise. Shortly after checking in, I sat down with the chef and restaurant manager to go over my specific limitations and figure out the first nights meal. After that, every dinner the chef and I would decide on the next day's lunch and dinner.

 

OK what else? All the cabins are the same basic size, with some variation ship to ship, balconies reduce the inside space. No suites. All beds are twins and fixed in place. They fold up into the wall to convert to a seat. Good pictures of the cabin are on GCT.com.

[caviargal]

<Can someone give me an idea of how the onboard experience on a line like GCT might compare to a higher end line like Scenic? >

 

Have not cruised with GCT but am recently back from my first Scenic cruise.

 

They had multiple dining venues aboard, including the main dining room, the River Cafe (served small sandwiches, desserts and snacks throughout the day as well as light breakfast and lunch), the specialty restaurant (divine) and a special venue that hosted a wine pairing menu each evening for a small amount of guests (Diamond Deck only). Room service was yet another option.

 

We were very impressed with the selection and quality of included wines in all venues.

 

In addition to on board dining, several meals were provided off the boat as well and were of high quality. Once was lunch at a seafood restaurant and another was a private dinner at a chateaux, including cocktail hour with live music. One night there was a happy hour with lovely wines, appetizers and live music outdoors at a chateaux open just for our group. As part of one excursion, there was an included oyster tasting.

 

Buses were owned by Scenic and exceedingly comfortable.

 

Beds and linens were wonderful. The in room entertainment system offered lots of options and wifi was excellent throughout. We loved that we could have a real balcony or glassed in sun room at the touch of a button. We spent more time in our cabin this trip than ever before as we had lots of sailing time and our cabin offered a private outdoor space to enjoy the lovely scenery of the area.

 

Service was outstanding throughout the cruise.

 

Scenic's decor was very fresh and modern, which I liked more than DH. The GCT boats we have seen were quite traditional in design and had a basic feel. JMO.

[Sapphire73]

Can someone give me an idea of how the onboard experience on a line like GCT might compare to a higher end line like Scenic? Obviously, I understand the differences in the inclusions. I'm more trying to understand what the meals would be like, what if any on-board entertainment there might be, and any other things that are not so easy to easily identify from the brochures and websites.

 

Looks like CPT and caviargal have given you good descriptions of GCT and Scenic cruises. I can only speak from one GCT river cruise last November (and a fair amount of international travel).

 

We really enjoyed the tours with our program director and various opportunities for "learning and discovery." The home hosted visit in Germany was a highlight of our trip. Our hostess shared her experiences fleeing from the Russians toward the end of WWII and her perspective on the refugee situation. Our PD invited a university student in Bonn (who spoke excellent English), a restaurant owner in Cochem, a woman in Nijmegen, and others to talk with us. And there were some "spontaneous" outings, such as one PD inviting folks to walk up to the castle on the ridge in Bernkastel or an evening walk in Winningen to hear some local folklore and have a beer.

 

We thought the food was very good (and we enjoy dining in fine restaurants). We paid extra for a wine package when we found out that we could select which wines (from their collection) would be included. We also bought wine to bring back on board and share with friends in our cabin & balcony.

 

The GCT ships are smaller than some, and I liked that. We were traveling at a time when the Rhine water levels were very low and the Viking longships were having difficulty navigating the castle stretch of the Rhine. I was happy to be traveling on a ship with less draught. We booked cabins with balconies even though we were traveling in November. We had exceptionally mild weather for the first half of our trip and did spend time on the balcony. I had wondered whether the beds would be comfortable as it is hard to tell from the photos. They were fine for us. (Note: I need to sleep with my head raised because of GERD, and the GCT beds have a mechanism to raise the head of the bed, so that was an unexpected bonus. And I asked for an extra pillow.)

 

It would be fun to try one of the other river cruise companies sometime. But we have booked a GCT cruise in France for September 2017 with 6 friends who will be taking their first river cruise.

 

My GCT Romance of the Rhine & Mosel trip review might also be helpful as you do your research.

[Hoyaheel]

Note that discussing board business in a post is also against CC rules and subject to deletion.....

[JVilleGal]

Note that discussing board business in a post is also against CC rules and subject to deletion.....

 

 

What in heavens name are you referencing???

 

 

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[Hoyaheel]

What in heavens name are you referencing???

The person complaining about his posts being removed....Which might have been removed now. Who knows.

[JVilleGal]

I post on the CC app and I have noticed 2 concerning things.... 1st there is no longer a way to report a post, when did that ability get removed and why?

 

There is now Advertising listed in the individual thread and those ads are disguised to look like posts! Really Cruise Critic!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[CPT Trips]

 

It would be fun to try one of the other river cruise companies sometime. But we have booked a GCT cruise in France for September 2017 with 6 friends who will be taking their first river cruise.

 

My GCT Romance of the Rhine & Mosel trip review might also be helpful as you do your research.

 

Which French cruise?

 

You appear to be doomed! :p. Referred six pax, nice reward! A couple more and you get a free cruise/trip.

And the next trip you book will make you inner circle. Then consider GCT's second cruise in one year bonus that gets added to you loyalty credit. You might want to look at the late season specials being offered now through the end of June or early season specials for the 2017 that are likely to be up before long.

Edited June 16, 2016 by CPT Trips

[Orlandocruiser]

Always check the square footage. On the Viking Longships, the standard cabins (bottom deck) are larger (150 sq. ft.) than the french balcony cabins (135 sq. ft.).

 

FuelScience

 

While that doesn't seem like much difference in square footage, the balcony cabin on Viking has an extra bank of drawers in the cabin. We are light packers and found the french balcony cabin only just sufficient for drawer space. (It required keeping things picked up and organized.) I would prefer a bit more space but

the extra cost of the cabin and the limited times the balcony is usable makes the french balcony just fine for us.

[notamermaid]

Orlandocruiser,

 

I have just seen you are one of the unlucky cruisers who will not be able to embark in Basel due to the high water level. I am sure Viking has already informed you. Just wanted to say have a great cruise (and landtrip if I undertand your cruise info correctly) nevertheless. Safe travels.

 

notamermaid

[xmaser]

Although I too deplore their pricing and payment policies as well as their corporate clumsiness :rolleyes: in communicating, I must in fairness point out that Viking provided some really great lemonade (ie. customer service) once a cruise began.

 

Several years ago in December on the Main there was backup at the lock system. (We were told that there was a lock mechanical failure :rolleyes: - I am certain it was too many ships.) We made an unscheduled stop at Hassfurt instead of just sitting on the ship to wait. It is a small charming town with some interesting historic architecture. The dock was 3 blocks from the main street and it happened to be the local market day. There was no guide but was an easy morning walk. This was a delightful added port showing real interest on Viking's part for the quality of customer experience.

 

Last year I was on the shrinking Elbe. Fortunately there was still enough water for 90% of the sailing. However, we skipped the first port in the Czech Republic and went to the ship in Decin instead. There we docked overnight beneath an 18th century castle. The morning scheduled for sailing was free and I had time to walk up into the castle where I found a small Baroque rose garden about 50 feet above the surrounding landscape. The 17th century archituecture and sculpture, the roses in full bloom, and the air full of the scent of the roses and the hum of bumblebees gave me one of me best travel experiences.:D That afternoon we took a bus to Literomice, the scheduled tour.

 

For me, these adjustments enhanced the trips. I admit that I like a bus ride if the ship can't get to the port.

 

I've taken several trips on both Viking and Vantage. Viking repeatedly provided experiential compensation and enhancement in these and other difficult situations. Vantage has never done this for me.

[xmaser]

architecture instead of archituecture

and

my instead of me

 

sorry

[jpalbny]

I post on the CC app and I have noticed 2 concerning things.... 1st there is no longer a way to report a post, when did that ability get removed and why?

 

There is now Advertising listed in the individual thread and those ads are disguised to look like posts! Really Cruise Critic!!

 

JVilleGal, I use the Android version and the "report" function is still there in my app. Just highlight the post and it's in the menu. I don't know about the iPhone app, though.

 

I agree with you that the ads are getting obtrusive. They usually pop up exactly where and when you are touching the screen to scroll through a post. It can really be hard to avoid opening them! They slow down the desktop site significantly as well. But if it keeps sites like this free for all of us, I guess it's a necessary evil. Ads are everywhere on the Internet, not just here.

[xmaser]

I love my morning coffee. Viking is more generous with morning coffee than Vantage. Both have good strong coffee.

[jpalbny]

Xmaser, you can edit your original post for up to 20 minutes if you want to correct your typos.

 

Thanks for your stories. It seems that the recurring theme here about Viking is that the crews on the riverboats are really great and go out of their way to make sure cruisers have a memorable journey. This seems to contrast with the image that "corporate" projects, and their reputation for customer service isn't as good. The crew is limited by what corporate says they can do.

 

For some people, Viking's reputation is enough to make them not want to cruise with them, ever. While this opinion is based on hearsay rather than firsthand experience, it's an opinion nonetheless and it can be freely expressed. It may not be valued as highly as an opinion from someone who's sailed with that line, but we're a forum, not a court of law. So hearsay is still admissible as evidence, I think. :) it's up to the reader to consider the source, and decide how much to believe the opinions that are expressed.

 

For example: I've never sailed with Viking. Their payment policy is a deal breaker for me, as long as Uniworld and others have (IMO) far better policies. I would consider paying that early, IF the cruise line makes it worth my while...in fact I will probably pay my Nov 2017 SS cruise this moth - because they are offering 10% off. IMO that is an acceptable incentive.

 

I hope that this statement doesn't eliminate me from dinner consideration. Many Viking cruisers on this board seem like perfectly nice folks, and there's no reason to not get along just because we happen to like different cruise lines. :D

[CPT Trips]

Aw heck, spelin don't matter. Morning coffee in quantity and diuretics lead to uncomfortable (and sometimes expensive) morning tours.:rolleyes: