River Cruise Advice

[Corvette]

I have been on lots of cruises, but want to do a river cruise. I am getting lost in the number of different ones. Does anyone know an agent to contact that has experience in River Cruising. I want a very good line and do 14-15 days on the Danube. Any advice will be appreciated.:confused:

[Hydrokitty]

I have been on lots of cruises, but want to do a river cruise. I am getting lost in the number of different ones. Does anyone know an agent to contact that has experience in River Cruising. I want a very good line and do 14-15 days on the Danube. Any advice will be appreciated.:confused:

 

If you really prefer to use a TA, I would look for one that specializes in cruises. But if you don't mind booking on your own, we've done 8 cruises with Vantage and been very satisfied. They have a 14-15 day Danube from Amsterdam to Budapest that was our first trip with them and it was wonderful. But they do not deal with TA's....you can go to their website or call them and book your trip directly with them. Their office people aren't always good about returning calls, but they do deliver....we've never had a problem with our air arrangements (I let Vantage book them but we fly business and out of JFK so we have many options); I've never had a bad tour manager or guide; they have included excursions in each port and most other excursions are included as well. There's usually a couple of extra excursions but they usually involve bus transportation, admissions to a palace or museum and often lunch in a restaurant. As for recommending a specific travel agent, I think CC frowns on that, but Jazz will know.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Hi Donna,

 

Cruise Critic does not allow people to discuss or recommend specific travel agents or agencies.

 

Since you said that you have done many ocean cruises, as I have done prior to my first river cruise last year, I would encourage you to consider starting off with a shorter river cruise, maybe a 7 or 8 day cruise with two or three nights in a hotel on either end. River cruising is very different from ocean cruising, and as you will find it is more expensive. River cruising is not for everyone, which is why I would start off with a shorter voyage to see if you like it. We enjoyed our first river cruise and have booked another. Our traveling companions on the river cruise decided that it wasn't for them and they will stick with ocean cruising.

 

Good luck! The stickies at the top of the page are very helpful, take a look!

Edited May 7, 2017 by sunsetbeachgal

[Roz]

Good advice from Beachgal. I did my first river cruise on Uniworld, an 8-day on the Danube. That was enough time for me to determine I liked river cruising, and now I have a 10-day booked for this September.

 

On the Uniworld website, at the bottom, is a link you can click on called "Locate a Certified River Cruise Specialist". You put in your zip code and find agents near you. I'm sure other lines have this feature.

 

This is a thread by a CC member called Goldenrod in this forum. He booked a long first river cruise, and is very unhappy. Thought it was going to be similar to an ocean cruise and is disappointed.

 

Roz

[Got2Cruise]

Look on the top of this page at the stickies on top describing the different cruise brands. You say you want a very good line. With river cruising you pay for what you get. Most are very good or excellent. If you mean luxury you might want to look into Tauck or Crystal. Also sign up at the various websites for brochures and specials.

 

Finally ask questions here. Everyone has they're favorite line. Listen to the WHY it's their favorite.

 

 

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[Lois R]

Providing Travel Agents is against Cruise Critic policy so nobody can recommend one to you.

 

I took my first River Cruise last year on AMA and it was in my top 2 cruises ever (I have been on 40+ Ocean cruises).

I highly recommend AMA......food, service, tours, everything about it was wonderful:D

[TeaBag]

I know we're going to agree with you Lois. We got a lovely little travel book from them the other day with port info, colored pictures and maps. It's just as good as one of those Insight books but small enough to fit in a pocket.

[Lois R]

I know we're going to agree with you Lois. We got a lovely little travel book from them the other day with port info, colored pictures and maps. It's just as good as one of those Insight books but small enough to fit in a pocket.

 

Oh yes, AMA sends some really detailed paperwork with the cruise documents:).......and after I returned home I even

received a "thank you" post card from them as well!

[ConnMom]

Adding to the recommendations, I would suggest that you look at Tauck's Danube offerings. We took their Prague-Budapest itinerary last fall, our first river cruise after many ocean cruises, and absolutely loved it. This trip combines a 7 day cruise with two nights in hotels in both Prague and Budapest. It was a very active tour, with a variety of guided tours in every port, very special evening events in Prague, Budapest and Vienna, and additional unadvertised special experiences throughout. We loved the itinerary because it included lovely walkable small towns, including gems like Cesky Krumlov, elegant cosmopolitan Vienna, and the beautiful, historically rich cities of Prague and Budapest, about which we learned so much from our local guides.

We enjoyed last year's experience so much that we have recently signed on for another river cruise (this time Paris and Normandy) for this fall. Since Tauck was fully booked, we are trying AMA this year, and based on everything we have heard about AMA, we are looking forward to another excellent experience.

I think you have many great choices, and wish you a wonderful cruise.

Cheryl

[gregdude]

I totally agree with sunsetbeachgal, a 7-8 day river cruise is an excellent choice for a first cruise. There is very little similarity between an ocean cruise and a river cruise except you have a cabin. If you enjoy active ocean cruises with all kinds of entertainment you may really dislike river cruising. 10 to 14 days on a relatively small boat with almost no entertainment could be something you would not enjoy. My wife and I did a Tauck Rhine River cruise two years ago and loved it and are leaving next week on the their Blue Danube cruise (seven days on the boat and two nights each in hotels in Prague and Budapest. The other issue, not mentioned so far, is that longer river cruise historically have had more problems with low or high water levels. Do your homework, but start with a shorter cruise. Also check Cruisecritic for how different cruise lines handle problems. There is a much higher chance for trip interruptions on river cruises. More than one cruise has turned into a bus trip and the boat a hotel because of river conditions.

[Liz]

I purchased "Frommers EasyGuide to River Cruising" from Amazon. Great info about the major (and some smaller) cruise lines, ports, itineraries, etc. it might help you narrow down your options. Then refer to the cruiselines' websites to find a local travel agent - they can be a great resource! Enjoy!

 

Liz

[terry&mike]

There are agents who are Certified River Cruise Specialists, and can discuss the different lines with you and the itineraries, this may help you with your decision.

[steverhodes]

I have been on lots of cruises, but want to do a river cruise. I am getting lost in the number of different ones. Does anyone know an agent to contact that has experience in River Cruising. I want a very good line and do 14-15 days on the Danube. Any advice will be appreciated.:confused:

 

I would recommend contacting the cruise line directly. There are few advantages and many disadvantages in having a middleman between you and cruise line. We love Viking and we consider our Viking rep to effectively be our travel agent. He is great and has gone out of his way to help many times plus you can talk to him as long as you want getting advice and suggestions.

[Solent Richard]

I would recommend contacting the cruise line directly. There are few advantages and many disadvantages in having a middleman between you and cruise line. We love Viking and we consider our Viking rep to effectively be our travel agent. He is great and has gone out of his way to help many times plus you can talk to him as long as you want getting advice and suggestions.

 

I can wholeheartedly agree with Steve on choosing Viking and even using them directly.

 

There aren't too many European river cruises that extend to a fortnight but you could always consider pre and post cruise extensions to make the journey worthwhile.

 

Here are two reviews that possibly may illustrate life on European rivers. First one the Danube on Viking Embla...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2013/05/28/solent-richard-catches-a-viking-maiden/

 

 

 

 

...and secondly on Viking Hermod along the Rhone in France...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2015/11/09/viking-hermod-portraits-of-southern-france/

 

 

[goldenrod]

I would recommend contacting the cruise line directly. There are few advantages and many disadvantages in having a middleman between you and cruise line. We love Viking and we consider our Viking rep to effectively be our travel agent. He is great and has gone out of his way to help many times plus you can talk to him as long as you want getting advice and suggestions.

 

 

My only advice is if you want good food stay away for the Viking Embla we just completed a 21 day trip Amsterdam to Bucharest, we had some of the worst meals in 45 years of cruising!

 

 

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[Cyber Kat]

I can wholeheartedly agree with Steve on choosing Viking and even using them directly.

 

There aren't too many European river cruises that extend to a fortnight but you could always consider pre and post cruise extensions to make the journey worthwhile.

 

I will add a wholehearted agreement with Steve & Solent Richard. We've only done one river cruise and it was on Viking and from the first phone call until we stepped off the plane in JFK it was simply fantastic all the way. Great staff, loved the ship, awesome food, knowledgeable and entertaining guides on the tours - it was supposed to be our "trip of a lifetime," and it more than met that description IMO! :hearteyes:

 

We did the Rhine Getaway this past August. We added extra days in Amsterdam on our own. We paid the deviation fee for this and the $50pp to use Viking Air Plus (excellent experience with this!) and upgraded to business first. We did a Lucerne extension through Viking - and that was my one minor issue. The people that worked for the hotel - NOT the Viking reps - were less than helpful. Nothing major, just a slight blemish on an otherwise perfect trip.

 

So I know a lot of people don't like Viking for various reasons, but we were very satisfied. We have a Viking Ocean cruise booked and we are looking into doing the Grand European Tour. If someone wants to call me a cheerleader - I'll shake my pom poms at them ;p

[caviargal]

I would recommend contacting the cruise line directly. There are few advantages and many disadvantages in having a middleman between you and cruise line. .

 

Then you have not worked with a good travel agent, which is unfortunate.

 

I wholeheartedly disagree with your generalization.

[CPT Trips]

I can wholeheartedly agree with Steve on choosing Viking and even using them directly.

 

There aren't too many European river cruises that extend to a fortnight but you could always consider pre and post cruise extensions to make the journey worthwhile.

 

SNIP

 

Grand Circle has a number of cruises that are a fortnight, or close to it. However, the only market in the US and I wouldn't recommend them to someone with luxury expectations.

[steverhodes]

Then you have not worked with a good travel agent, which is unfortunate.

 

I wholeheartedly disagree with your generalization.

 

Up until 1983 we used a travel agent we liked a lot but then I realized no one was as detailed oriented as I am. Since then we booked 47 independent travel vacations, most international, as well as 6 Viking trips where we used our Viking rep as our agent.

 

Would never go back to using a middleman. Sorry. We disagree.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Up until 1983 we used a travel agent we liked a lot but then I realized no one was as detailed oriented as I am. Since then we booked 47 independent travel vacations, most international, as well as 6 Viking trips where we used our Viking rep as our agent.

 

Would never go back to using a middleman. Sorry. We disagree.

 

No one is more detail oriented than me, but I hate leaving money on the table. Apparently that detail doesn't bother you :)

[steverhodes]

No one is more detail oriented than me, but I hate leaving money on the table. Apparently that detail doesn't bother you :)

 

I do very well on prices but given a choice between a lower price and total control, I would chose the latter every time. Besides I love doing all of the research myself. I don't won't to ever give up any control.

 

We disagree.

[hermione8181]

Doing this trip in August. Any suggestions on excursions? We are considering the wine tasting at Eberbach.

 

I will add a wholehearted agreement with Steve & Solent Richard. We've only done one river cruise and it was on Viking and from the first phone call until we stepped off the plane in JFK it was simply fantastic all the way. Great staff, loved the ship, awesome food, knowledgeable and entertaining guides on the tours - it was supposed to be our "trip of a lifetime," and it more than met that description IMO! :hearteyes:

 

We did the Rhine Getaway this past August. We added extra days in Amsterdam on our own. We paid the deviation fee for this and the $50pp to use Viking Air Plus (excellent experience with this!) and upgraded to business first. We did a Lucerne extension through Viking - and that was my one minor issue. The people that worked for the hotel - NOT the Viking reps - were less than helpful. Nothing major, just a slight blemish on an otherwise perfect trip.

 

So I know a lot of people don't like Viking for various reasons, but we were very satisfied. We have a Viking Ocean cruise booked and we are looking into doing the Grand European Tour. If someone wants to call me a cheerleader - I'll shake my pom poms at them ;p

[dan4182]

Adding to the recommendations, I would suggest that you look at Tauck's Danube offerings. We took their Prague-Budapest itinerary last fall, our first river cruise after many ocean cruises, and absolutely loved it. This trip combines a 7 day cruise with two nights in hotels in both Prague and Budapest. It was a very active tour, with a variety of guided tours in every port, very special evening events in Prague, Budapest and Vienna, and additional unadvertised special experiences throughout. We loved the itinerary because it included lovely walkable small towns, including gems like Cesky Krumlov, elegant cosmopolitan Vienna, and the beautiful, historically rich cities of Prague and Budapest, about which we learned so much from our local guides.

We enjoyed last year's experience so much that we have recently signed on for another river cruise (this time Paris and Normandy) for this fall. Since Tauck was fully booked, we are trying AMA this year, and based on everything we have heard about AMA, we are looking forward to another excellent experience.

I think you have many great choices, and wish you a wonderful cruise.

Cheryl

 

We cruised the Seine on the Ama Legro in 2013. It was a wonderful trip. The whole province of Normandy is green and lush and beautiful.

 

 

 

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[capriccio]

Then you have not worked with a good travel agent, which is unfortunate.

 

I wholeheartedly disagree with your generalization.

 

I agree. Our TA discounts Uniworld cruises about 10% plus when we flew out 2 days early for our first river cruise, she called us at Dulles Airport to tell us that we would now have a ship swap (this was during the incredible heat and low water in early August 2015) but not to worry. She didn't want us to panic when we finally got around to reading our emails and saw the one from Uniworld. BTW she was right - the ship swap was handled extremely well plus we received a future cruise credit of $1000 each for the 'inconvenience.'

[notamermaid]

Doing this trip in August. Any suggestions on excursions? We are considering the wine tasting at Eberbach.

 

Kloster Eberbach near Rüdesheim is a great setting. I have heard that the wines there in general are good. I hope they will be on your cruise: http://kloster-eberbach.de/en/monastery

 

notamermaid