What is the best river cruise line for doing a Rhine cruise

[jstroose1]

We have never taken a river cruise before and my husband isn't overly excited. We have sailed Regent, Silversea and Crystal so we like the more upscale cruise lines. I am getting confused about Ama, Scenic and Uniworld which have all been recommended to us as "luxury" lines - any thoughts? It seems like the Rhine itineraries - Basel to Amsterdam are fairly similar. I don't know if excursions are better on one line vs another - we definitely must have a room with a real balcony.

 

Any input would be appreciated - we are travelling July 2017 and I really want to book something now.:)

[laverendrye]

I would look for an itinerary which includes the Moselle as well as the Rhine. The scenery is gorgeous, much more so than the Rhine (except for the Rhine Gorge with a castle at every turn--but that's one half day or so of sailing). For this year, however, you don't have much choice. The only Uniworld ship that sails the Moselle is the River Queen which doesn't have balconies, and so far as I know AMA won't have a Moselle itinerary until 2018. That leaves Scenic, which has a very interesting itinerary which differs from the standard Amsterdam-Basel route, as not only do they cruise the Moselle, but they spend several days in Belgium and the Netherlands with stops at Antwerp, Veere, Arnhem and Maastricht. In Germany, it does not stop in Cologne but rather in Xanten. If you want a shorter cruise without the Moselle, then any of those three lines should meet your needs. Uniworld has only one ship with balconies on the Rhine, SS Antoinette, but the others have several.

[caviargal]

We have never taken a river cruise before and my husband isn't overly excited. We have sailed Regent, Silversea and Crystal so we like the more upscale cruise lines. I am getting confused about Ama, Scenic and Uniworld which have all been recommended to us as "luxury" lines - any thoughts? It seems like the Rhine itineraries - Basel to Amsterdam are fairly similar. I don't know if excursions are better on one line vs another - we definitely must have a room with a real balcony.

 

Any input would be appreciated - we are travelling July 2017 and I really want to book something now.:)[/quotesticki

 

Have you read the very helpful "stickies" on this forum that compare the cruise lines to hotel chains?

 

 

I consider myself an upscale/luxury traveler in general and we have cruised with those three lines and would choose to do so again. That being said, the individual ships are as important as the line you choose.

 

Uniworld: I would only travel on their SS (new design) ships. I do not care for the small (in some cases minute) cabin size on their older ships. While not a fan of their decor, the line offers a high quality, traditional experience IMO. Great beds, good food, very nice selection of included wines and spirits. A bit formal in terms of staff/guest interactions and service, but we enjoyed the experience and are sailing with the line next month.

 

 

Scenic is ultra modern and ships look very much the same from one to another. Design is modern and spare. We cruised with them last year and enjoyed the overall experience. Food was not as good or as varied as on Uniworld, but the service was excellent throughout the ship. Entertainment was really lacking on our Scenic cruise but they had several hiccups on our sailing and that happened to be one of them.

 

 

AMA is our go to. We really enjoy their twin balcony staterooms and that private outdoor space is something we use all the time. (Scenic has similar with their SunLounges but the cabins are not as large.) Food has always (8 cruises) been good to excellent, service warm and welcoming; staff and crew outstanding; cruise managers very good to superb. We find AMA to have the broadest range of excursion options (most of which are included) and enjoy their active options very much. The onboard ambiance of AMA just suits us best and they remain our first choice overall. AMA is not as inclusive as Uniworld and Scenic and only you can decide if that is important to you. Our bill at the end of an AMA cruise is always very reasonable. We add pre-paid gratuities to our account and then have only drinks, laundry and massage to cover at the end (we have never paid for an optional excursion as so many are already included that we have not found the need to).

 

A good TA can be a great resource IMO.

[jpalbny]

All three of those lines get pretty good reviews here. We did the Rhine in 2014 with Uniworld and had a fantastic time. I did a detailed trip review if you'd like to see what the day to day experience is like, though things may have changed over the past three years.

 

RE: full balconies, you may find them less useful on river cruises. There isn't a lot of daytime cruising, and the view will be much better from the top deck. If you try to stay in your room during the Rhine Valley cruise, you'll miss half of the castles, because you'll only see one side.

 

Since the ship is small, it takes about 60 seconds to walk from your room to the top observation deck. We've sailed in Uniworld's category 1 staterooms, with the retractable glass window that is their version of an open-air balcony, but you end up spending time there infrequently. Certainly if that is what you want, go for it, but realize that it's different from ocean cruises. One more word - rafting.

 

We have friends who really like AMA so I'd cruise them without hesitation. No personal nor vicarious experience with Scenic. Pick the itinerary that best suits you and go for it. But do it fast; July 2017 may fill up soon if it hasn't already.

[notamermaid]

jstroose1,

 

I would also suggest you do not restrict your cabin search for one with a balcony. Rafting and the small size of the ships make a balcony not such a brilliant investment.

 

Have you had a look at the new CrystalBach sailing from June?

 

notamermaid

[caviargal]

We've sailed in Uniworld's category 1 staterooms, with the retractable glass window that is their version of an open-air balcony, but you end up spending time there infrequently. Certainly if that is what you want, go for it, but realize that it's different from ocean cruises. One more word - rafting.

 

 

 

We sailed in a Category 1 on the SS Catherine and did not use the retractable window at all. We did use the Scenic SunLounge frequently on our cruise with them, and enjoyed it very much. We most often sail AMA in a twin balcony and use it frequently. Enjoying a coffee, a glass of wine, or a local specialty we pick up in port, in our private outdoor space, is something we really enjoy. For us, there is more to a balcony than just the scenery. YMMV.

[chlives60]

I also would caution about the balcony on a river cruise as rafting is usually the order of business and your view will be of another persons cabin and you will have the curtains closed. Also on river cruising most of your time will be spent with other passengers in the lounge or on the top deck while cruising to see all the view and these cruises tend to be very social affairs where you meet people and spend time talking because there is little entertainment and most activity tend to be in the open areas of the boat. Don't let that be the determining factor on the cruise as all rooms are alike with the exception of the most expensive.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I personally think a French balcony is the better option (or one of the retractable glass wall designs on some Uniworld and Scenic ships) because it doesn't steal space from your cabin. If you do book a real balcony, check the cabin size -- without the balcony -- carefully to make sure you are happy with the space if you can't use the balcony.

[FuelScience]

You should add Tauck to your list of "upscale" lines.

[bitob]

You should add Tauck to your list of "upscale" lines.

 

 

Plus 1. We are doing that itinerary this June.

 

 

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[caviargal]

I also would caution about the balcony on a river cruise as rafting is usually the order of business and your view will be of another persons cabin and you will have the curtains closed. Also on river cruising most of your time will be spent with other passengers in the lounge or on the top deck while cruising to see all the view and these cruises tend to be very social affairs where you meet people and spend time talking because there is little entertainment and most activity tend to be in the open areas of the boat. Don't let that be the determining factor on the cruise as all rooms are alike with the exception of the most expensive.

 

 

IMO, this is a very personal decision. Some are perfectly content with the least expensive cabin on board; others need a suite to be happy.

 

We perhaps are not as intent on the social aspect of river cruising as others may be, unless we are traveling with friends. We work long hours at our jobs and enjoy our time together when we are on vacation, often choosing a table for two in the MDR and also spending time alone on our balcony with a glass (or bottle) of wine.

 

We travel in the off season when rafting has been less of an issue. If we are rafted, it has normally not been for a long period of time and would not influence our choice of cabin. A French balcony with full sliders would have no less of a privacy issue when rafted than a balcony. With either, you would still be up against another cabin or public area when rafted. If we forego a true balcony, it would likely be during the real winter months. But, even in this case, we enjoy the extra space in AMA's twin balcony staterooms and can opt for the indoor or outdoor at any time.

 

Fortunately, there are choices that work for everyone and we can all choose what works best for us as individuals. :)

[jpalbny]

Caviargal, you put forth some very good reasons for why a balcony works for you. Makes sense to me.

 

My warning to the OP is based on the fact that she'll be a first time river cruiser, and I don't want her to think that river ship balconies deliver the same ambience as those on ocean cruises. The boards are full of first timers who didn't know what to expect, and were disappointed that they couldn't sit on their balcony every day and watch the river landscape go by.

 

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[dan4182]

I also would caution about the balcony on a river cruise as rafting is usually the order of business and your view will be of another persons cabin and you will have the curtains closed. Also on river cruising most of your time will be spent with other passengers in the lounge or on the top deck while cruising to see all the view and these cruises tend to be very social affairs where you meet people and spend time talking because there is little entertainment and most activity tend to be in the open areas of the boat. Don't let that be the determining factor on the cruise as all rooms are alike with the exception of the most expensive.

 

 

We enjoy the balcony staterooms on the Ama ships we have cruised on for both the open views and the opportunity to take pictures from our staterooms.

 

As for rafting, we've made some friends from other ships while rafted next to the other ship.

 

 

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[Gourmet Gal]

My recommendation is to definitely include The Moselle in your itinerary. We did it on Uniworld River Queen. The ship was smaller and the stateroom was tiny without any kind of balcony but it didn't even matter to us. On ocean going vessels we always book cabins with balconies but never use them, even on The World which was massive with a hottub. The service on Uniworld is excellent and not formal or stuffy at all despite the formality of the decor. Food is very good and the excursions well organized and interesting. My next cruise will be on Tauck which I consider to be a notch above Uniworld in all categories based on the rviews here and feedback from my travel agents so you may want to include them in your research. Also, Crystal should be decent and in the luxury category but the Rhine ships are not yet built and they've had so many glitches with their agressive expansion I would be leary of booking unbuilt ships very far in advance.

[Got2Cruise]

River cruises book up quickly. I hope you have good luck finding the cabin you wish for July 2017. The short notice may narrow it down considerably.

 

 

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[ConnMom]

I add my recommendation to take a look at Tauck. We took our first river cruise with them last September on the Danube from Prague to Budapest and loved the experience. Although their boats do not have balconies, the public rooms are beautiful and our stateroom was spacious and comfortable with a huge windowed wall, and food and service were excellent.

I am not familiar with their Rhine itineraries, but Tauck offered several experiences and excursions on our cruise, including private dinners in palaces and musical performances that no other lines included, and these were truly the highlights of our trip.

I hope you find a cruise that is perfect for you.

[NJCruiserBoy]

You've sailed so many luxury cruise lines so I would suggest you stick with what you know. Crystal is in the river cruise business now and the Crystal Bach inaugurates in June and is on the Rhine. I think it may be sold out but you should check.

[allyg]

My husband and I took the Tauck Rhine and Moselle river cruise in May, 2016. What a wonderful cruise! The Moselle is beautiful, peaceful, and so very special. Definitely include the Moselle in your experience. We especially enjoyed the all-inclusive cruise on Tauck. This inclusion seems to add a certain festivity to the cruise right from the beginning. We met wonderful fellow cruisers and "Happy Hour" began with most guests coming into the beautiful lounge, enjoying lovely appetizers, plentiful top shelf drinks, and a preview of the day ahead with an introduction of the dinner menu with its suggested regional wines .The service was very good and the food delicious. Our room was quite roomy and the bath/shower were amazingly large for a river cruise. This cruise does have a great deal of time on the bus but this travel is the only way to see what is in the area. The tours and special events were delightful and there is often a "surprise" awaiting us. We especially enjoyed the open dining which seems to be unusual with river cruises. We have booked a B2B for the late fall, 2017 with AMA's Paris Normandy followed by Tauck's A Taste of France in the Provence region. These two cruises just fit together and we are looking forward to the experience. Enjoy your time on the rivers of Europe.

[HenrysAunt]

We did a "Scenic" cruise in Sept/Oct last year - Amsterdam to Budapest. Other things you want to consider are the all inclusive lines. On Scenic, this included alcohol, tips, and all excursions. We are not big drinkers, but the all inclusive was brilliant for the excursions. At each port there were at least two options for excursions. A lot of people commented that if they'd had to keep paying they may not have done so many.

 

Also be aware that the boats don't always dock in the middle of town as they are small towns, so they dock where they can, and then bus people around. If you are on a line that doesn't include excursions, you may be limited as to what you can do that day. The views aren't that great from a dock generally, but on Scenic if you did choose to stay on board, you were well looked after.

 

 

We were so well fed that if we hadn't wanted to, we wouldn't have needed to spend any money on food or drink onshore.

 

We had a balcony suite and although we didn't use it much, but it was handy for early morning or if we just felt like time out. Our friends did the trip with us and were down on the bottom level with just a port hole. Their room was significantly smaller, and with two people for 15 days, we were happy with our choice. Suitcases slide away under the bed which was great, and there was a lot of storage.

 

Like other's have said, yes the Rhine spectacular but my favorite was the Main River. I just loved seeing life float by on the shore, and how the German people live. All the gardens, the vineyards, the people enjoying life beside the river. Quite different to the Rhine. It was interesting to see how the lifestyles changed too as we moved from country to country.

 

Someone commented on rafting, but with Scenic, we barely rafted at all. We rafted a couple of times during the day, for day trips, and the only time we actually rafted at night was in Budapest. We were jealous of the people that day with the view of Parliament, but unlucky for them as that was the side another Scenic boat rafted to. We kept our view albeit of the riverbank mainly as the town's are built higher up for flooding I assume.

 

We plan to do another Scenic cruise, and I wouldn't even look at another line. You are collected from the airport (and if you have a more expensive room that us, they even pick you up from home!), delivered to your hotel, then bussed to the ship. It was so easy, and no mucking round getting lost. Delivered back to the airport at the end.

[ddschur]

Tauck is a DEFINITE consideration...they are sometimes overlooked on this board because they are not strictly a river cruise line, they do all kinds of wonderful travel experiences. We have done many Tauck trips (land and river) and have NEVER been disappointed.

[dolllover]

Tauck is a DEFINITE consideration...they are sometimes overlooked on this board because they are not strictly a river cruise line, they do all kinds of wonderful travel experiences. We have done many Tauck trips (land and river) and have NEVER been disappointed.

 

At some point I will book a Tauck trip. I've heard nothing but great things from this line.