Christmas Market Danube cruise questions

[A&Jfamily]

For some reason, I do not have a search option on this sub forum, so I apologize for asking what is I am sure are repeat questions.

 

We will be traveling with our sons ( in 2019), then 15 and 21, and need to chose a cruise line. Right now, Viking is far cheaper than Ama - like $1000 per person. Also, Viking is running a $395 pp air special but Ama won't provide an air quote. Is this price difference and air availability normal?

 

We most commonly cruise Carnival and enjoy the fun, but prefer the subtly more classic experience on Princess. Is there any major difference between the lines that would warrant this discrepancy in price or it is like say comparing Princess and Carnival and that they are far more alike than different?

 

Any advice as to when to find the best rates and when to book this cruise as we will be wanting 2 french balconies? I see no need for an outside balcony on the Danube in December!

 

My boys are experienced ocean cruises, know how to dress, behave themselves and entertain themselves - the now 13 year old will even put himself to bed at 10 or 11 pm, regardless of peer pressure because he likes his sleep! So I am not worried about them being bored but are we going to be out of place as a family traveling the week before Christmas on either line?

 

Am I correct that it is worth extra money to go the week before Christmas to ensure the markets are all still up and running? On Ama, its a $2000 price cut if we are willing to sail over Christmas and makes the two lines more comparable.

 

We planned on the cruise first and then 3-4 nights in Prague, leaving for home on 12/26; if we did the Christmas cruise, Prague would have to be first. Either way, would you book transfers through the cruise line for ease and do the hotel independently? DH has been to Prague before and is comfortable being our tour guide and selecting a hotel so I just want to make sure getting from the ship to the hotel or vice versa would be easy.

 

If there is any other experience or input you have from selecting a line, or how to make this a special trip for my son's college graduation, I would appreciate it! Thanks in advance!

[xmaser]

If you want to maximize the Christmas market experiences, you must travel the week before Christmas rather than the week of Christmas.

[English Voyager]

A & Jfamily,

 

Have you compared the size of the French Balcony cabins on the relevant AMA and Viking ships?

 

Viking's appear to be 135 sq, ft whereas AMA's appear to be 160-170 sq.ft.

 

Also have you compared total passenger capacities of the relevant ships?

 

Quality of the included excursions?

 

 

Certainly, if you wish to enjoy the Christmas Markets bear in mind that the majority close down on Christmas Eve.

[A&Jfamily]

A & Jfamily,

 

Have you compared the size of the French Balcony cabins on the relevant AMA and Viking ships?

 

Viking's appear to be 135 sq, ft whereas AMA's appear to be 160-170 sq.ft.

 

Also have you compared total passenger capacities of the relevant ships?

 

Quality of the included excursions?

 

 

Certainly, if you wish to enjoy the Christmas Markets bear in mind that the majority close down on Christmas Eve.

 

I have compared the room size as well as recognize that Viking carries more passengers than Ama - and neither is really an issue as we don't plan on spending a ton of time in our room and are used to 3000 on a cruise ship so I don't think we will in anyway feel crowded.

 

The excursions is a little harder as it appears Ama has more variety but i am not sure that matters on a brief first time foray into these ports - I think we would be using the cruise as an overview and just trying to get a feel for countries or cities we might wish to explore further. Do you have any insight into any particular excursions?

[Mark_T]

Any advice as to when to find the best rates and when to book this cruise as we will be wanting 2 french balconies? I see no need for an outside balcony on the Danube in December!

 

For a river cruise at that time of year you are not going to get much utility out of the French balcony either as for the majority of the daylight hours you will be off the ship...

[readyalready]

On AMA now, I'm pretty impressed and can be called particular. Our first rc, family w college and high school kids.

 

Got lucky, booked a month out, got an amazing upgrade when boarded. Agree that balcony not necessary, space is nice, 135 sf would be cramped.

 

Do any TAs price protect if it goes down? There was a discount on this one, don't know when they started offering it. I used a competition site to choose mine.

 

Caught the last day of full open markets in Budapest then the city all but shut down for 3 days. Verosmarty market open thru NY, as some markets in Vienna, might see a tiny one in Salzburg.

 

There are a ton of teens to 20 somethings on this trip, the lounge rocks at night.

 

Given the limited free time even on a 'market cruise' you might do best to go another couple days early to a market rich area on your own (Munich?) in addition to Prague, with your savings.

 

Alternatively, with your savings on Viking you could afford private tours in cities you cared about if you think there is a difference between the companies, though don't you pay for more of the tours on Viking which makes the difference smaller?

 

You can't get an airfare quote because airlines only book 11 months out.

 

Viking was sold out when I booked and I'm glad, tho not perfect, AMA has worked out well so far and would book again.

[English Voyager]

I have compared the room size as well as recognize that Viking carries more passengers than Ama - and neither is really an issue as we don't plan on spending a ton of time in our room and are used to 3000 on a cruise ship so I don't think we will in anyway feel crowded.

 

The excursions is a little harder as it appears Ama has more variety but i am not sure that matters on a brief first time foray into these ports - I think we would be using the cruise as an overview and just trying to get a feel for countries or cities we might wish to explore further. Do you have any insight into any particular excursions?

 

There is a limit to the size of a river boat as it may well have to cope with locks, so a greater number of passengers may well prove to be a problem.

 

135 sq ft is tiny for two people--- the bath room may well resemble

 

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=Vsro1NCu&id=19E8B34F466D537D8BBEE990C7E021F4E6903B75&thid=OIP.Vsro1NCuOs07i7KjQFo9WgHaLI&q=london+phone+box&simid=607994825112947983&selectedIndex=0&ajaxhist=0

[notamermaid]

As you have mentioned "special for college graduation" I was wondering if the additional cost for AMA might be the thing to help mkae it special. By this I mean for someone young AMA could be the better line as Viking does not really cater for young adults - they have to go with the flow of the 50plus - and have no gym onboard. Ama has the (sightly) younger demographic.

 

Think also of little details like all-inclusive, choice of excursions like an included concert in the evening, choice of wines. It has been mentioned on CC that the standard wines on Viking are not reflecting the area where you sail. Ama might have more local wines, but a past cruisers would need to confirm this.

 

Have a look at the time you spend in each port, i.e. sail away in the evening. It may influence the time you have available for seeing the markets.

 

I assume you want to stay in Prague, or is this part of the pre- or post-cruise air fare deal? Do you travel Budapest to Nuremberg then, coach transfer onto Prague? Just asking as from Nuremberg it is possible to get to Munich for a return flight.

 

notamermaid

[Sweet Tea Two]

I have compared the room size as well as recognize that Viking carries more passengers than Ama - and neither is really an issue as we don't plan on spending a ton of time in our room and are used to 3000 on a cruise ship so I don't think we will in anyway feel crowded.

 

The excursions is a little harder as it appears Ama has more variety but i am not sure that matters on a brief first time foray into these ports - I think we would be using the cruise as an overview and just trying to get a feel for countries or cities we might wish to explore further. Do you have any insight into any particular excursions?

 

Please only note that you MUST get special Permission from Viking about your 13 yr old sons or boys. They must be on the best behavior like my grand kids were. or they will be asked to leave and no money returned. They told my daughters that once the kids were on board.

[robertmartha]

Ready - what ship are you on? We are currently on the Serena and have a very diverse passenger mix - a lot of families with teens/college age kids (as our ours) but by 10pm our lounge is empty. Think that is my only negative thus far (not that I was expecting ocean cruise entertainment) but a piano player on an electronic piano -- very "lounge singer". For those nights that the ship overnights - if they could bring on board musicians of a better quality - that would be great.

[readyalready]

Certo, we passed you yesterday :-)

 

We had the violinists last night and singers tonight, a DJ tomorrow for NYE. Also have a keyboard player and when he is not there the kids figured out how to Bluetooth music from their phones to the speakers. I'd say our lounge is used to 12-1am.

 

We too have a diverse group, 18 countries represented including a big group from Turkey who has had their own guides in some ports.

[pilot123texas]

We have been on both a Rhine and Danube Christmas Market cruise on AMA. Have not been on Viking so can't compare. However, have been pleased with AMA. We have had both a French/full balcony combo cabin and a French balcony only cabin. The combo is more spacious, but both are quite comfortable.

 

If the timing works for you, you might consider looking at a cruise that starts around Thanksgiving. We did one starting Thanksgiving weekend that was not billed as a Christmas Market cruise that was significantly cheaper. There were only a couple of markets on the front end that weren't open. We started in Budapest. You can check dates for each location's markets on the internet. Unfortunately, 2019 dates might not be posted until sometime in 2019. If you go this route, however, make sure you are not so early as to miss the Nuremburg market.

 

One cruise was over Christmas and had a few families with teens. The other, in early December had only one family with children and they were quite young. We find the excursions move a bit slow for us - even the fast walkers tours. We typically use the tours for transportation and, once we get our bearings, go off on our own. There are 2 tours on the Danube that I would specifically recommend for your boys. One is the World War II tour in Nuremburg and the other is the tour of the Abbey and cathedral in Melk. They will particularly like the markets at night, which tend to have a very young vibe - particularly Nuremburg. It is generally quiet on the boats at night. Entertainment is normally local musicians.

 

I suspect that you will be happy with either Viking or AMA. This really makes for a nice, relaxing family Christmas vacation and your teens will be the right age to enjoy it with you.

[Second seating]

If you can work in a couple of days in Rothenburg ob der Tauber your sons would love this. My husband and I did this before a Danube Christmas Market cruise a number of years ago. One of our favorite places in

Germany, a walled city mostly untouched by the wars. We enjoyed the Night Watchman tour!

[Carnevale]

We are en route home from a Christmas river cruise on Viking from Passau to Budapest. The age range on the ship was from 10 to 84 years with the median year of birth being 1966. So it was a much younger crowd than we expected but there were some larger family groups many with teenagers.

 

If you sail right over Christmas you will still see a lot of markets. Things close in Europe the afternoon of the 24th and stay closed on the 25 and 26th as well. However, with our cruise departing on the 22nd and with adding a couple of nights in Munich before we were able to take in markets in Munich (particularly enjoyed the medieval market there), Passau, Cesky Kromlov, Vienna and Budapest (in the latter two the markets stay open afte Christmas).

 

The thing we found was that the ship felt crowded to us. With cold weather the upper outside deck was only used occasionally with everyone pretty much being indoors while on the ship. We won’t do another winter river cruise as a result.

[6rugrats]

I wouldn’t waste my money on a balcony cabin for that time of year. You rarely see anything of interest cruising, so if money is an issue, I’d book the least expensive cabins on AMA.

AMA does serve local wines.

We finished our cruise on 12/26 and there were many families onboard.

I never book transfers or hotels through the cruise line. IMO, they are very overpriced, and it’s quite easy to book a hotel yourself and get a cab, or arrange your own transportation in advance.

[English Voyager]

I wouldn’t waste my money on a balcony cabin for that time of year. You rarely see anything of interest cruising, so if money is an issue, I’d book the least expensive cabins on AMA.

AMA does serve local wines.

We finished our cruise on 12/26 and there were many families onboard.

I never book transfers or hotels through the cruise line. IMO, they are very overpriced, and it’s quite easy to book a hotel yourself and get a cab, or arrange your own transportation in advance.

 

When I enquired last week with AMA re this year's Christmas/New Year cruise I was advised that categories C, D, and E were sold out, so there was no option but to take a balcony cabin.

 

Re booking one's own hotel.

 

In 2016 via Hapag-Lloyd Cruises I had arranged two nights pre cruise hotel accommodation, and transfer, in Hamburg.

 

Two days before I was due to fly out, the Cruise Line notified my TA that it had been told by the hotel that it was overbooked and my reservation was cancelled.

 

H-L Cruises advised that it had booked me into a comparable hotel, and had advised the transport Company of the change of plans.

Further it would refund me the cost of the original hotel, and pay for replacement.

 

It certainly avoided a great deal of aggravation at short notice had I had made my own arrangements.

[6rugrats]

You should choose the cabin you like. You may think it's worth it to have a balcony on a Christmas Market cruise, I don't. Odd that the lower categories are already sold out. Some may open up, as many people cancel bookings.

I don't find it onerous to make hotel bookings. The cruise lines offer transfers and hotel bookings because people don't want to do it themselves, and that's fine.

[Mark_T]

Odd that the lower categories are already sold out. Some may open up, as many people cancel bookings.

 

I don't think it is all that odd really.

 

I would expect C/D/E to be the first to sell out most of the time.

 

There are typically only 5 category E and 11 category D cabins on most of the AMA ships and once people have decided that they don't need/want to spend a lot for a window/balcony they will get little use out of then it becomes a flight to get one of the cheaper cabins before they all go.

 

That leaves 16 category C cabins as the next cheapest option with again limited real reasons to upgrade further unless cost is not a consideration.

[English Voyager]

As a solo traveller, the cost of the BB category cabin was eased considerably by AMA's current promotion of no single supplement on all categories.

 

 

In fact the cost is cheaper than that for an entry level cabin I booked on my Uniworld cruise in September.

[tjb19841987]

For what it is worth, we have taken two cold weather Viking river cruises (late November 2016 & mid November 2017) and booked veranda staterooms both times. We enjoy sitting on the balcony during the evening sailing, but agree with others that there's no great utility there (and not much to see!). Honestly, I'd be just as happy with a standard cabin, but my husband enjoys the balcony. Regardless of what cabin you choose, enjoy the Christmas markets and be sure to save room for the many tasty treats available at each one!

[Host Jazzbeau]

We enjoy the view [even though it may not be available all the time, we enjoy it when it is] but don't want to sit outside -- so we will continue to pay for French balconies [but not on Viking longships, where they are the smallest cabins on the ship].

[Hoyaheel]

We enjoy the view [even though it may not be available all the time, we enjoy it when it is] but don't want to sit outside -- so we will continue to pay for French balconies [but not on Viking longships, where they are the smallest cabins on the ship].

 

We quite enjoyed our French balcony on our Avalon Christmas Market cruise. Yes, even opened up the windows a couple of times, despite the temps! But even without the windows open, it was nice to look out and see whatever we could when we could - esp when we'd have a cocktail in the cabin while getting ready for dinner. We turned on the Christmas music (laptop) and the fireplace (Avalon must have had 10-12 different fireplace channels on the TV!) and enjoy the scent of the pine wreath I bought before we embarked in Nuremberg (about 8", and I used a suction cup hook to attach it to the mirror over the desk). Really really got me in the holiday spirit!! Esp when we could see lights of a town, or swans, etc....

[newcruiser1956]

Viking does not allow kids under the age of 16 according to the website.