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Planning my first

JeffKoz

By JeffKoz,
in River Cruising

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CPT Trips

CPT Trips

Posted
Posted
Thanks for your reply...the excursions and small groups on GCT are really pulling me in that direction, but I have plenty of time for final decision.

 

I have heard some negatives about Vantage and it all seems to be with the customer service before and after - not hearing much on the cruise itself so I assume that part is well done. I plan on having reservations over a year in advance and would not be happy about cancellations and changes once I get them set. Why did the cancel the original? just curious.

 

I never got an answer to why they cancelled. I did see a trip schedule some months later that showed several cruises of fewer days beginning our original date. But no clue why the change other than to speculate that advance sales were not on target to cover their extra costs.

I'll post my onboard experiences mid- November. I ll probably be a tough grader.

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nancyevans

nancyevans

Posted
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Take a look at Scenic - yes they are more expensive but everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) is included. There are no "extras" to pay for. Have been on two of their cruises and both times walked off with nothing owing on my account. Excursions, drinks, tips (both onboard and land tour guides) all included.

Second vote for Scenic: No tipping, choice of wines at dinner, cocktails and drinks included throughout the day, all tours included with choice of tours in each port, free laundry (see details), free minibar in room which is kept stocked with your preference in beverages, included specials activities i.e. concert in Vienna and "sundowner" entertainment.

IMO, 1. choose your route and the tours you want to take

2. decide what type of meals you like (do you consider yourself a

gourmet or prefer more simple meals)

3. decide how important wine choices and "open" bar are to you

4. understand the tipping policy on each cruise line

5. understand "rafting"; understand how cruiseline handles low and/or

high water situations

THEN choose your cruise line and your cruise.

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Rhonbru

Rhonbru

Posted
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we are doing our first river cruise next year, we were advised to look at scenic and apt as they are fully inclusive, and I like the idea of everything is covered, my research found apt to be slightly better in price and the cruise we booked had airfares included.

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JeffKoz

JeffKoz

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I never got an answer to why they cancelled. I did see a trip schedule some months later that showed several cruises of fewer days beginning our original date. But no clue why the change other than to speculate that advance sales were not on target to cover their extra costs.

I'll post my onboard experiences mid- November. I ll probably be a tough grader.

 

interesting... I look forward to reading your review :)

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JeffKoz

JeffKoz

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Second vote for Scenic: No tipping, choice of wines at dinner, cocktails and drinks included throughout the day, all tours included with choice of tours in each port, free laundry (see details), free minibar in room which is kept stocked with your preference in beverages, included specials activities i.e. concert in Vienna and "sundowner" entertainment.

IMO, 1. choose your route and the tours you want to take

2. decide what type of meals you like (do you consider yourself a

gourmet or prefer more simple meals)

3. decide how important wine choices and "open" bar are to you

4. understand the tipping policy on each cruise line

5. understand "rafting"; understand how cruiseline handles low and/or

high water situations

THEN choose your cruise line and your cruise.

 

Thanks for your comments...my problem has been finding the full tipping details and "extras" on their websites...some seem to have it well detailed and others I still have not found :o

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JeffKoz

JeffKoz

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we are doing our first river cruise next year, we were advised to look at scenic and apt as they are fully inclusive, and I like the idea of everything is covered, my research found apt to be slightly better in price and the cruise we booked had airfares included.

 

apt? not sure of that one...maybe my coffee has not kicked in yet :D

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notamermaid Excellent Advice! Rare

notamermaid

Posted
Posted

Hello JeffKoz,

 

APT uses the AmaWaterways ships. This was discussed recently in another thread. The comapany set-up/ownership is not entirely clear to me there. They are/market in Australia and New Zealand. I suppose they can be booked from North America. The have a great intinerary 15-day cruising the Rhine, Main and Danube with some exclusive stops.

 

Talking of intinerary: Vantage stands out a little from the others as being the only one as far as I know in that they offer a trip to Baden-Baden. Someone on CC did this trip a few years ago.

 

You have mentioned sailing the Rhine up to 15 oder 16 days. As no cruise line offers the Rhine solely for such a length of time (would be a bit boring I guess) the question is which river would yo like to add: the Moselle, the Main or even the Danube? On the other hand you could do a standard 8 day trip, the Viking Rhine Getaway for example, and add pre- and or-post cruise days. Many options there.

 

Have fun planning, I see the seasoned river cruisers are already giving you lots of hints and tips. :)

 

notamermaid

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JeffKoz

JeffKoz

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Hello JeffKoz,

 

APT uses the AmaWaterways ships. This was discussed recently in another thread. The comapany set-up/ownership is not entirely clear to me there. They are/market in Australia and New Zealand. I suppose they can be booked from North America. The have a great intinerary 15-day cruising the Rhine, Main and Danube with some exclusive stops.

 

Talking of intinerary: Vantage stands out a little from the others as being the only one as far as I know in that they offer a trip to Baden-Baden. Someone on CC did this trip a few years ago.

 

You have mentioned sailing the Rhine up to 15 oder 16 days. As no cruise line offers the Rhine solely for such a length of time (would be a bit boring I guess) the question is which river would yo like to add: the Moselle, the Main or even the Danube? On the other hand you could do a standard 8 day trip, the Viking Rhine Getaway for example, and add pre- and or-post cruise days. Many options there.

 

Have fun planning, I see the seasoned river cruisers are already giving you lots of hints and tips. :)

 

notamermaid

 

Thanks for the info on APT... and yes, my 15 day Rhine is including the Danube on the itineraries I am considering - sorry I was not specific :)

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JeffKoz

JeffKoz

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Posted (edited)
Thank you TravelerThom for the info.

 

The APT river cruise I mentioned is called "Magnificent Europe", by the way.

 

notamermaid

 

That is the one I have requested info as well. I know the 2018 itineraries are not published, but curious to the rates for 2017 as a comparison to other lines. but maybe AMA is underneath it all anyway based on the other post of ownership and that is the same trip name on AMA... will be curious to see

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Kenato

Kenato

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Just wondering why you ruled Avalon Waterways out. They are mid-range and appear to offer all that you are looking for.? We did the Rhine, Main, Danube cruise this year and felt Avalon delivered a great experience.

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JeffKoz

JeffKoz

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Just wondering why you ruled Avalon Waterways out. They are mid-range and appear to offer all that you are looking for.? We did the Rhine, Main, Danube cruise this year and felt Avalon delivered a great experience.

 

Avalon is still on my spreadsheet but have dropped down the list as the itinerary I'm looking at is 2 days shorter for couple grand more with them.

 

Not saying they will not come back into serious consideration if I see good deals when the 2018 itineraries are released, but for now I see more bang for my buck on other lines...

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Cyber Kat

Cyber Kat

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we are doing our first river cruise next year, we were advised to look at scenic and apt as they are fully inclusive, and I like the idea of everything is covered, my research found apt to be slightly better in price and the cruise we booked had airfares included.

 

And this goes to show that we are all different in our preferences. All inclusive didn't appeal to me at all. I want to decide what to tip, and we don't need all the liquor included. We were fine with wine and beer - and the option to bring our own if we wished.

 

But so many people do like all inclusive.

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JeffKoz

JeffKoz

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JeffKoz, several of the lines you are considering offer you a credit if you have a referral from a past cruiser of that line. ;)

 

Thanks...I saw the referral thread and once I have settled on something i'll look at that further and make contact as needed ;)

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JeffKoz

JeffKoz

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And this goes to show that we are all different in our preferences. All inclusive didn't appeal to me at all. I want to decide what to tip, and we don't need all the liquor included. We were fine with wine and beer - and the option to bring our own if we wished.

 

But so many people do like all inclusive.

 

We are not big drinkers either so including all you can drink does us no good. and I do agree about tips...the only line so far I have actually read the "recommended" tips stated 12Euro per person per day for crew...so about $26 per day US...is that the norm?

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CPT Trips

CPT Trips

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We are not big drinkers either so including all you can drink does us no good. and I do agree about tips...the only line so far I have actually read the "recommended" tips stated 12Euro per person per day for crew...so about $26 per day US...is that the norm?

 

That amount sounds about right. You may also want to factor in tips for program/cruise director, tour manager, or whatever the cruise line calls that person. Recommended amounts vary by line.

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Cyber Kat

Cyber Kat

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We are not big drinkers either so including all you can drink does us no good. and I do agree about tips...the only line so far I have actually read the "recommended" tips stated 12Euro per person per day for crew...so about $26 per day US...is that the norm?

 

I know it's what Viking recommends. I think that's about the same as ocean cruising. I can't speak for other lines. You can tip whatever you want - either with CC or cash. We did the recommended on our credit card, then gave out some others in cash. We had a couple of people go beyond the expected.

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