Emerald, Ama, Avalon or Scenic

[mamakore]

Planning a river cruise with friends and getting lots of conflicting info from travel agencies,

some of whom seem to push Viking, some say Emerald is lower ranked and not all inclusive.We are finding it all a bit confusing.

I am  wondering if opinions are based on their commissions, and would greatly appreciate  some insight from folks who have traveled

on these cruise lines, and maybe even more than one.

My understanding of Viking is you only have 1 excursion available at each port, and the rooms are very small.

We are first time river cruisers, although experienced ocean cruisers

Thanks in advance for info.

Edited June 7 by mamakore
spelling correction

[RobInMN]

I'm a fan of AmaWaterways. I have not done any of the other 3. We've also done far more ocean cruises than river cruises.

 

There have actually been a fair number of threads in the last few months where people are asking about what is the "best" or compare x & y. I would start there. Look for these types of threads.

That said, I've don't think I've really see anyone post anything negative about Ama or Scenic. And maybe not Avalon? Ama, Scenic and Viking seem like they are talked about the most. Viking has very mixed reviews. Some love them, others hate them (especially their payment policy).

 

Most people seem to find one they like and stick to it, which is why we've never done the other 3. I get the impression that most companies are more similar than they are different.

 

We like the cabins on Ama (especially AmaMagna). Love that they have multiple (up to 5?) excursion options per port. that tours are typically broken up into small groups (like <20?) even when doing the same thing. Really like that walking tours are broken up by active, normal, and gentle. All excursions are included (with rare exceptions). If you are into biking, they have bikes on board and will have some bike tours as excursions. Excursions are led by local expert guides. We are not big drinkers, but beer & wine is included for lunch & dinner, plus a cocktail hour. Food is very good, if not a bit fancier than our pedestrian tastes.

This is not to say that other companies don't have these also.

Edited June 7 by Host Jazzbeau
TA link removed with poster's permission

[Daisi]

First I suggest you sit down and discuss what is important for you and your friends to be included.

 

Do you want alcohol available all the time or is during meals and a happy hour ok? Don't forget, if you are staying onboard after lunch or at the end of dinner, you are welcome to take a beer or wine "to go" if you are on one of the lines that don't include alcohol. Also, you can bring your own drinks onboard and enjoy them in your cabin or on the sundeck. Most will allow you to bring that special bottle of wine to dinner, but may have a small corking fee - and since wine is included, you may as well enjoy that, and drink your wine enjoying the sunset. 

 

Look at the excursions offered (above the normal general walking tour) at the lines you are interested in. Is there certain ports you would like to visit? Several lines have 2 - 3 cruises on the same river that will visit different ports, so if you wish to see - Bratislava - make sure it's included. Do you want more active tours - hiking, biking, kayaking etc.? Make sure you select a line that offers more active tours.

 

Do you have a TA that you can talk to? A good TA will be well versed in most major lines and will be able to help you decide on one that meets both your budgets and expectations. Check out FB groups and YouTube videos posted by passengers to see what they are like. Don't just go by the line's video's, they are done by actors...not exactly what river cruising is.

 

As @RobInMN says, most of us have a favourite line. Ours is Avalon, it's just a good "fit" for us. We love that they have several tours per port so when we are doing the same section over, we can do a different tour. We love that they have the active tours, so if we feel energetic, we can join in. We're not big drinkers, so the wine/beer for lunch & dinner, plus the cocktail "hour' which runs from 5:00 to dinner at 7:00 is more than enough, especially since we are usually the last ones to leave the dining room, as we get caught up talking to new friends. We have been on a cruise that had water problems (low water) and were very impressed on how they handled it. Being tied to Globus, their guides and drivers (not all ports are along the river) are employed through them, and they have groups of usually no more than 15 so if touring castles or churches, you can get through quicker and everyone gets a good chance to view everything. We also love that they don't take the most direct route to where ever you are going if they can, so you get a nice view of the country side, and they rarely return by the same route.

 

 

Our board host Jazz has a series of articles that you may wish to check out good basic knowledge about what to expect cruising and some line comparisons. Always good to read.

 

[Rebel54]

You will get so many different responses here.  I personally love Avalon for all the reasons.  Our first cruise with them was through Germany and then to the Mekong.  I'm heading out on cruise number 3 in August.  I like that they have multiple choices for each stop on your tours. Classic, active or discovery.  Something for everyone in your group.  The cabins are a good size, larger cabins than the average which means LESS cabins and LESS people on the same size boat that Viking uses.  The decor is modern and comfortable.  Not over the top but not bare bones understated.  The food, service, staff....all wonderful.  I am not a huge drinker so as Daisi said...at meals and happy hour is enough for me and you can always grab whatever you want in town and bring it back if what is on the boat doesn't suit your needs.
 

[ljandgb]

Another vote for Avalon, for the reasons listed.  We've done a 2 week Danube cruise, with extensions at either end (making it a 3 week total trip,) and a Mekong cruise with all the possible extensions.  We've been very pleased both times.

[Canal archive]

I’d vote Scenic but then I only have experience of them and after many years of travelling with them I so far see no reason to change. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

You can't go wrong with any of the major river cruise lines, but there are quality differences that separate them (and, as usual, price seems to track quality).  My preferred river cruise lines are AMA and Scenic, which I believe are the top quality lines (along with Uniworld and Tauck, each of which has problems for me).

[knoxclone]

I've cruised AMAwaterways, Viking and Uniworld multiple times -   and I would gladly sail any of the three again - and hope to try others such as Tauck or Scenic in the future.  All have their pluses and minus based on your personal preferences...

 

Most all of the cruise lines provided a similar product, it just depends on the bells and whistles.  Some travelers dislike the ship's decor, the shore side payment policies, or don't like the excursion or beverage package inclusions. Regardless, a GOOD travel advisor will not recommend a specific company based on commission levels, but rather will suggest a cruise based on your preferences and requirements.

 

As many have said, start with your destination, and then decide what is most important to you. 

 

[Canal archive]

After perusing these boards make a list of your definite requirements but note you will not get them all from one carrier (if you do please let us know). Then decide. It’s all part of the fun, remember it’s your pocket that’s emptying so you want and need a really good end result. A little research goes a long way, remember I’m an archivist!

[suzrai]

We will take our first river cruise in December and chose Emerald because it seemed to have more included (gratuities and port fees) in addition to an excursion daily.

[mamakore]

Thanks for all the input!

[RobInMN]

Let us know what you decide.

[pontac]

On 6/7/2024 at 3:28 PM, mamakore said:

 would greatly appreciate  some insight from folks who have traveled

on these cruise lines, and maybe even more than one.

 

 

@Daisi has given great advice. Draw up a matrix of what you must have and what you'd like and what each cruise line offers, and which offers what you wnat at a price you want to pay..

 

Basically the cruise ships on most routes are the same size, the port and lock fees will be the same, the wages of the crew comparable so the cost to cover this must be paid by the passengers. More passengers = lower cost, fewer passengers = higher cost, bigger rooms = fewer passengers=higher cost.*

On 6/7/2024 at 3:28 PM, mamakore said:

My understanding of Viking is you only have 1 excursion available at each port, and the rooms are very small.

 

Viking has one included (=free) excursion  at each stop, and there are additional optional excursions at a cost.

 

All boats have a choice of cabin size, larger the cabin, higher the cost.  As little time is spent in the cabin, size isn't a concern to us. But we are from a place where hotel rooms are small.

 

*If you are flexible on when and where to cruise and can wait till the year of the cruise, there are (at least here) tremendous discounts that can make a usually higher priced line cheaper than a usually cheaper line. That's why we are taking two cruises with Scenic this summer 😁

[pontac]

On 6/7/2024 at 4:54 PM, RobInMN said:

I've don't think I've really see anyone post anything negative about Ama or Scenic

 

Then you didn't read my 2022 trip report of my first Scenic cruise. They ran out of food one lunchtime and didn't have any butter or spread one breakfast, served cheap fizz instead of the advertised Champagne, and served cheap plonk and a Bordeaux red which actually came from the Rhone instead of 'wines from the region’s best wineries' in L'Amour restaurant. And more.

 

Review of Beautiful Bordeaux 11 day cruise on Scenic Diamond from 17 August to 27 August 2022 with comparisons to Viking - River Cruising - Cruise Critic Community

 

[franski]

I have travelled all of the lines you have mentioned...  As well as some you haven't.  My thoughts (for what they are worth) are as follows.....

 

1)  There are more similarities than differences IMHO. Two things that absolutely can affect the cruise are the cruise manager and the chef.  You do not have control over either one of these things. 

 

2)  Food and drink are subjective.  One person may rave about the menu - and another may find it lacking. See my comment above re: the chef.  

 

3). If decor is a big thing for you, then look carefully at the pictures of the boat (cabins, common areas etc).  Also look at room sizes.  We almost always book Aquarium Class (lowest category) as we really only spend time in our room to sleep.   If a balcony is important, please be aware that you could be rafted at any time (tied up next to another boat) - your balcony is quite useless if that happens.

 

4)  Read the itinerary carefully.  Do you get the stops/tours you are looking for?  Don't book something thinking you will have free time to "do your own thing" as often times change due to water levels, locks etc. 

 

5). Most guides are knowledgeable and will provide great insights into the area you are visiting. We have come across a few guides that are really disappointing, but cannot say that they are with one line.  They have been scattered across the various lines. (For reference, we are just back from cruise #18).

 

We love Avalon... As Daisy has said, it is a good "fit" for us. But we have enjoyed cruises with the other lines as well.  We did the Douro with AMA...  We did China with Viking - and it was an amazing trip.  (My only issue with Viking is that they ask for full payment months ahead...)  We did Vietnam & Cambodia with Emerald --> and it was AWESOME!!

 

Enjoy your planning. Please come back and ask further questions if you feel we can be of help.  The people on this board are great....

 

Fran

 

[pontac]

14 hours ago, franski said:

Most guides are knowledgeable and will provide great insights into the area you are visiting. We have come across a few guides that are really disappointing, but cannot say that they are with one line.

 

Me too. Using Quietvox I've changed channel to list to another guide and joined their group. There are a limited number of guides and they don't work exclusively for one cruise line.

 

@mamakore some very good info there from @franski. Most people seem happy with the first line they book, and then keep rebooking. After your first river cruise you'll know if it's for you. If it is then you'll have a good idea what the basics are and what to look for if you think another cruise line would suit you better.

[1of4]

It is an overwhelming decision to book your first river cruise. As others have said, it is helpful to know what you want and go from there. For our first we wanted to do the Seine return from Paris. Scenic was the only company that offered an 11 day itinerary, had an excursion to The Somme battlefields and one of only 3 (at the time) that could dock directly in Honfleur. Also not going to Juno Beach would have been a deal breaker. Scenic filled all our must haves and all of our wants. Plus the larger cabin sizes were attractive to me as I use a cane and can fall easily. They even threw in a free bag of laundry which was so appreciated as we spent a week pre cruise in Paris. Now it is a free kg of laundry but in April that was enough for our needs. 
 

I suggest you do a Google search on river cruise comparison chart and look at what each line includes to find out which things are important to you. We left our 7 day trip on Scenic with a 0 balance owing in April. That is very important to my DH. 

[mexico8]

On 6/11/2024 at 11:53 AM, 1of4 said:

It is an overwhelming decision to book your first river cruise. As others have said, it is helpful to know what you want and go from there. For our first we wanted to do the Seine return from Paris. Scenic was the only company that offered an 11 day itinerary, had an excursion to The Somme battlefields and one of only 3 (at the time) that could dock directly in Honfleur. Also not going to Juno Beach would have been a deal breaker. Scenic filled all our must haves and all of our wants. Plus the larger cabin sizes were attractive to me as I use a cane and can fall easily. They even threw in a free bag of laundry which was so appreciated as we spent a week pre cruise in Paris. Now it is a free kg of laundry but in April that was enough for our needs. 
 

I suggest you do a Google search on river cruise comparison chart and look at what each line includes to find out which things are important to you. We left our 7 day trip on Scenic with a 0 balance owing in April. That is very important to my DH. 

What a great idea to do a search on Google.   I will definitely try that.   We have hundreds of cruising days with ocean cruising and now want to try a River cruise.   So many companies and we didn't know where to start.   I will definitely try to do that comparison on Google.   Thank you.