MarciAnn Posted June 19 #1 Share Posted June 19 Forgive me if I am a it off topic here. I have done many Seabourn cruises but never a river cruise. We are now considering one on the Seine but have really little to no knowledge about river cruises. if any Seabourn cruiser has done river cruising can you recommend a river cruise line that would provide an equally satisfying experience? Thanks so much. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. Claypool Posted June 19 #2 Share Posted June 19 Tauck or Uniworld would be my first suggestions. We have always been impressed with their facilities, itineraries, cuisine and service. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertmartha Posted June 19 #3 Share Posted June 19 We love Seabourn and have sailed once on AMA and are sailing next week on Emerald. AMA was great but it was not Seabourn..and I doubt Emerald will be either. I was reading about Riverside - they purchased the 3 Crystal river ships which were always positively reviewed (in terms of the ships themselves). Maybe check them out ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DTtravelers Posted June 19 #4 Share Posted June 19 I second Mrs. Claypool on Uniworld. We did Budapest to Amsterdam on the River Queen in 2017 and loved every minute of. It was very much like Seabourn. If the river is neither too high or too low, the sun is out, and you are on the top deck watching the amazing scenery go by with a dark beer... doesn't get much better than that. Your question made me go back and look at all our photos! So thanks for asking your question!! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torst Posted June 19 #5 Share Posted June 19 Several years ago I asked the same question, using as a comparison Silversea on which we had travelled a number times. I was told there were no river cruise equivalents but that Tauck would come closest. We did a Danube cruise with Tauck and while the experience was different the service and care was very fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basfla Posted June 20 #6 Share Posted June 20 Scenic was top notch in every way and several of the staff had come from Seabourn and other high end travel companies. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Vineyard View Posted June 20 #7 Share Posted June 20 We sailed Amsterdam-Budapest on Viking. The ship was lovely, the food just okay. I would look around the next time. Our TA recommended Uniworld, Tauck, and Scenic. Friend sailed on AMA and felt it was a bump up from Viking. I would recommend that if possible rivers are higher at certain times (Spring) than others, so greater chance of sailing through all the locks. I also recommend a Balcony on top floor as the view through the locks is more interesting. DTTravelers…..thank you for bringing up a similar memory! Cheers to that! It was a great experience. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capri73 Posted June 20 #8 Share Posted June 20 We just booked Scenic our travel agent highly recommended it.We had a lot of problems with Taulk.They were great pre covid and went downhill after in our opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarciAnn Posted June 20 Author #9 Share Posted June 20 Thank you all. Tauck was booked for the destinations and season we wanted to go before I posted here. I was looking at Scenic but read mixed reviews on service. Glad Basfla had a good experience. I look forward to continuing to read your suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted June 21 #10 Share Posted June 21 These are two totally different products, but if you’re thinking about service, then I am sure that they all offer similar standards. We have never known bad service, from carnival to Seabourn. River cruising can be a personalised experience, with very little entertainment, but based on a sort of house party. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisingAlong4Now Posted June 21 #11 Share Posted June 21 We felt as well-cosseted sailing with Tauck on the Blue Danube as with sailing on Seabourn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capri73 Posted June 21 #12 Share Posted June 21 Sometimes I do not like to comment because of backlash.I am very happy you enjoyed Taulk not sure if you ever traveled with them precovid.Precovid I would give them a 10 after a 2.In our opinion it was one of the worse trips we have ever taken.The person asked a question and I think she or he should hear good and bad and then make their own decision. They put us in the wrong hotel and never picked us up.Charged for an xtra day and refused to refund, almost all buffets.We were given menus on a bus 2or 3 days in advance to tell them what we might want to eat if they were not offering the buffet.This was Italy no reason not to have good food.The wine was below par, only offered a cheap chardonnay. We all have difference tastes and this for us was a joke for what we paid.Pre covid I could write the complete opposite. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Bear Posted June 21 #13 Share Posted June 21 On 6/20/2024 at 7:28 AM, Basfla said: Scenic was top notch in every way and several of the staff had come from Seabourn and other high end travel companies. Came here to say this. Everything included even excursions and e-bikes. The only thing we paid for was a bit of laundry. $40 bill at the end of a 15 day cruise. Doing my first Seabourn next week, we'll see how it compares. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capri73 Posted June 21 #14 Share Posted June 21 (edited) . 5 minutes ago, Northern Bear said: Came here to say this. Everything included even excursions and e-bikes. The only thing we paid for was a bit of laundry. $40 bill at the end of a 15 day cruise. Doing my first Seabourn next week, we'll see how it compares. Edited June 21 by Capri73 wrote a new one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capri73 Posted June 21 #15 Share Posted June 21 1 minute ago, Capri73 said: We leave for SB in 2 weeks. Sorry my answer posted above yours.We will be on SB in 2 weeks.I hope you enjoy your trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir PMP Posted June 22 #16 Share Posted June 22 AMA and Avalon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diebroke Posted June 23 #17 Share Posted June 23 We have done AMA Waterways - Good; Uniworld - Better; and Tauck - Best. Comparing Tauck to Seabourn, I would say suites are much smaller, ship's tours are better, quality of wine equal, service equal, food worse. Tauck tried to offer high end meals. They just didn't pull it off. As had been said previously, river cruises & ocean cruises are 2 very different experiences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BasandSyb Posted June 24 #18 Share Posted June 24 Agree they are two very different experiences. it depends on so many things including route. We did Viking Elbe River (Berlin to Prague) in March. We dislike Viking Ocean. Small purpose built ship for this river. Excellent food, staff, organisation. That said, the crew has worked together since 2015 and is very tight. Nothing was a problem. Better than Seabourn. The experience I expect to be very different on their other river ships. Scenic Gem in April (Paris - Honfleur - battlefields - Paris). Most of the staff were new, minimal training, struggling with English. Service was haphazard and at times strange. Food - just ok, nothing remarkable, seemed a cost cutting menu of dishes and cuts of meat. We were very surprised. The only highlight of the trip for us was an independent contractor tour guide who joined the group for several days walks and tours. He was exceptional. Otherwise, not impressed with Scenic for the price. The rooms are always going to be small with less storage. Which is difficult if you are linking the river cruise to a longer holiday. We were never interested in river cruising and considered the Danube to be a bus trip on water. These two we did for specific reasons. We would possibly do the Douro or Moselle but the company would depend on reviews. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seabourn_noob Posted June 29 #19 Share Posted June 29 I took a Crystal Danube cruise that was very close to a Seabourn experience. (With due allowances for the differences between river travel and ocean travel.). Those boats are now with the new company Riverside, so I can't say what the service will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdk-atlga Posted July 6 #20 Share Posted July 6 Greetings: I don't think that the cabin size difference, especially in relation to the bathrooms (tiny/awkward showers), can be underestimated. For the river cruise ships, it is important to check room layout, location/foot traffic, etc. For SB (and the other luxury ocean ships), you can generally spread out some in cabin - you can definitely feel the difference between 300+s.f. and 200 s.f. Riverside and Uniworld have bought/adopted the former Crystal river ships and their cabins are probably more comparable in size. As disclaimer, I have sailed on Tauck in Cat 5 and it was an awkward layout. I'm moving to Cat 6 in September and expect a bit more comfort (I hope). Best, jdk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliaschief Posted July 6 #21 Share Posted July 6 We were really impressed with our Scenic river cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPH814 Posted July 13 #22 Share Posted July 13 You can look at the list of cruises on my signature to see that I am a loyal Seabourn cruiser for Ocean Cruises and love Uniworld for River cruises. Both have excellent service. Hard to compare getting on a ship with 100 people to getting on a ship with 500 people, but the level of service between Uniworld and Seabourn are both excellent. I fell very comfortable and welcomed when I arrive to begin either vacation. Food is of similar (in my opinion quite high) quality - although clearly the smaller vessel has less options. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2SailingNomads Posted July 14 #23 Share Posted July 14 Did the old Crystal river ship which was great. l do not like Riverside price classes. Will be on Scenic in 6 or so weeks with friends who love them and after 3 Scenic ocean cruises looking forward to trying the river product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RussianSailoress Posted July 17 #24 Share Posted July 17 Do we have a referral forum for European Viking Cruises? Link? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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