Action Dave Posted March 23, 2018 #1 Share Posted March 23, 2018 If you were planning a danube river cruise which cruise line would you choose...Amawaterways, crystal, viking or avalon? what is your experience? help me decide please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5waldos Posted March 23, 2018 #2 Share Posted March 23, 2018 First one we sailed on Crystal. Every thing was lovely. Next week we will try Uniworld. Hope it is as nice. We decided based on itinerary and availability. We do prefer all inclusive and look forward to some pampering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Action Dave Posted March 24, 2018 Author #3 Share Posted March 24, 2018 thank you for sharing I appreciate it.. what River did you cruise? what cities did you visit? What river is next on your agenda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuelScience Posted March 24, 2018 #4 Share Posted March 24, 2018 Start by going to the stickies at the top of the forum and read through the articles under "New to RIVER CRUISING??? START HERE!!!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Roz Posted March 24, 2018 #5 Share Posted March 24, 2018 Dave, I've done 2 rivers cruises, both on the Danube and both on Uniworld. The 1st one went from Budapest to Passau (8 days), and the 2nd one was Bucharest to Budapest (10 days). Uniworld is a class act, and both cruises were very enjoyable, although completely different from one another in terms of scenery, culture, history, etc. Tell us a little more about yourself and what you're looking for, and we may be able to help you a bit more. Roz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaKa2002 Posted March 24, 2018 #6 Share Posted March 24, 2018 Dave, Our first river cruise was on Uniworld, Castles of the Rhine, flying into Basel, Switzerland and ending the river cruise in Nuremberg, Germany. Good ship, great crew and service, very happy with the included tours, really enjoyed the food. Typically, a totally different experience from ocean cruising on a port intensive cruise. As noted below, we are returning to Uniworld for our next river cruise. Not sure why you would exclude Uniworld from your original list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare pontac Posted March 24, 2018 #7 Share Posted March 24, 2018 Dave You need to check what each line offers and includes and decide whats important to you. I've been on Danube with Viking, and am going again next month, they offered everthing I wanted at a good price, but I can't compare the experience with other lines because I've not been down the Danube with them. Lines tweak their offerings year by year, some lines offer more than one tour down the same river, so the chances of finding a disinterested reply from someone who has recently taken a Danube trip with all the lines you are considering are slim. There's a lot of info if you browse past posts that should give a feel for different lines. But only you know if you want (and want to pay for) 24 hour butler service, swimming pools, gourmet food, bicycles, fridge refilled with booze etc etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Got2Cruise Posted March 24, 2018 #8 Share Posted March 24, 2018 We used Amawaterways for the Danube. The excursions, meals and service were all outstanding. There is also a dinner at the Chefs Table included. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertmartha Posted March 24, 2018 #9 Share Posted March 24, 2018 Action Dave Have to agree with the previous posts- we took our first river cruise this past holiday season and the posts / threads at the top of this board offer a wealth of information for first timers! We sailed AMA on the Romantic Danube and absolutely loved it. Also agree you should look at uniworld depending on what is important to you in terms of the your expectations. I would sail on AMA again in heartbeat but uniworld would also be a strong contender after doing our first river cruise - more so because of what I have read from other posters and their experiences seem to be more in line with what we would want from our next river cruise - and there will hopefully be many, many more in our future! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Host Jazzbeau Posted March 24, 2018 #10 Share Posted March 24, 2018 (edited) Almost all river ships in Europe have the same dimensions, based on the common lock size. Since you ask about the Danube, there are two ships that break this pattern: Crystal Mozart: http://www.crystalcruises.com/river/river-guidebook/our-ships/crystal-mozart and the new-for-2019 AmaMagna: https://www.amawaterways.com/ships/amamagna-river-cruise-ship They are double-width [the locks on their itineraries are unusually large] which allows both larger cabins and larger and more varied public spaces. Both are also top-quality river cruise lines. I would choose one of these for a Danube cruise. Edited March 27, 2018 by Host Jazzbeau corrected information about locks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5waldos Posted March 24, 2018 #11 Share Posted March 24, 2018 thank you for sharing I appreciate it.. what River did you cruise? what cities did you visit? What river is next on your agenda We did the Danube- Vienna to Vienna. North for a bit then as far south as Budapest. And next week we are going from Budapest to Bucharest, again the Danube. I don't remember all the cities - the "standard" ones. Most lines stop in the same places. I love the all inclusive lines- I don't want to have to think about tipping or that extra glass of champagne or planning the next stop. And for what it is worth- our first river cruise centered around Vienna because we were spending our anniversary there- and on Crystal because by the time we decided to do it no other top lines had space. We were very pleased with Crystal and don't think it could have been nicer. But we shall see- comparisons are nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luv2travel90266 Posted March 24, 2018 #12 Share Posted March 24, 2018 We have completed 3 Uniworld cruises and have the 4th scheduled in December. I read quite a few reviews before booking the first, also looking at inclusions/exclusions. I love the quality product they offer hence will continue with them. Doing the locks was enjoyable hence more sailing and less busing. I rode a bike on the Danube trip while my spouse was pampered onboard with a massage. The only issue we had was we beat the ship by an hour and had to wait for the ship in a pub by the evening mooring. :D:D:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertmartha Posted March 24, 2018 #13 Share Posted March 24, 2018 Host Jazzbeau Question on the new double wide ships referenced - we sailed the Danube this past holiday and went thru numerous locks - so what sections of the Danube (cities/ports) would these double wide ships visit? Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sawtooth Posted March 24, 2018 #14 Share Posted March 24, 2018 We really enjoyed everything about Uniworld on our Danube cruise. The cabins are pretty small, @151sf but surprisingly comfortable and well laid out. Our next Uniworld cruises will have much larger cabins. The AMA and Crystal ships do look lovely. I think the prices are comparable or slightly higher than Uniworld. Don't be scared off by the decor. You hardly notice it and the service and inclusions more than make up for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Host Jazzbeau Posted March 25, 2018 #15 Share Posted March 25, 2018 Host Jazzbeau Question on the new double wide ships referenced - we sailed the Danube this past holiday and went thru numerous locks - so what sections of the Danube (cities/ports) would these double wide ships visit? Bob Crystal sails roundtrip from Vienna, going as far west as Passau and as far east as Budapest. AMA sails one-way back and forth between Vilshofen [just west of Passau] and Budapest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaKa2002 Posted March 25, 2018 #16 Share Posted March 25, 2018 Crystal sails roundtrip from Vienna, going as far west as Passau and as far east as Budapest. AMA sails one-way back and forth between Vilshofen [just west of Passau] and Budapest. Thank your for this detailed answer. I had been wondering how their wider river ships, itineraries, and the Danube got along together. No locks and busses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Got2Cruise Posted March 25, 2018 #17 Share Posted March 25, 2018 Another thing to consider is if you want to extend your vacation pre and/or post cruise. Prague and Munich are a doable transfer to Passau or Vilshofen. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare gnome12 Posted March 25, 2018 #18 Share Posted March 25, 2018 Thank your for this detailed answer. I had been wondering how their wider river ships, itineraries, and the Danube got along together. No locks and busses.Buses are a completely separate isdue from locks. Sent from my SM-N910C using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Roz Posted March 25, 2018 #19 Share Posted March 25, 2018 Agree with Gnome. No locks doesn't get around the issue of water levels. If they're too high or too low, buses may come into play. Roz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare gnome12 Posted March 25, 2018 #20 Share Posted March 25, 2018 One thing to note about the wider ships is that they are unique, so there is no chance of a ship swap to get around water level issues. Viking for sure, but also Emerald and Ama and I think Scenic have sister ships that can be swapped on a route. Sent from my SM-N910C using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Host Jazzbeau Posted March 25, 2018 #21 Share Posted March 25, 2018 (edited) The itineraries I described above do not go into the area where low-water has been such a problem [Regensburg is well to the west of Vilshofen]. When Viking was doing all those ship swaps and bus tours, AMA kept sailing this route [on their regular river ships – I don't have any specs on the draft of these wider ships to know how they will be affected in the next low-water episode] Updated to reflect information from notamermaid: there are locks in the area these wide ships sail, but these locks are larger than in other areas. Edited March 27, 2018 by Host Jazzbeau Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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