New! River and Canal Cruising by Cruise Critic

[LauraS]

If you’ve ever cruised Europe’s coastal ports – the Mediterranean, the Baltic, the British Isles – and are looking for a way to venture further into the European mainland, river and canal cruising is a great option. That’s because so much of Europe's charm is a far distance from the logistical possibilities of a one-day stop at a port of call.

 

 

 

Intrigued by the possibilities? Cruise Critic’s first-ever dedicated “cruise styles” section on river and canal cruising launches today and possesses numerous tools to give travelers a birds-eye view of this most unique niche of travel. And we’re not limiting coverage to Europe – you can also take river voyages in the U.S., Canada, Asia and South America!

 

 

 

Check us out. As the month – and then, beyond that, on a regular basis – unfolds we’ll be launching numerous stories, from cruise reviews to “cruise chronicles,” a brand new feature.

 

Visit River and Canal Cruising by Cruise Critic.

 

 

We’d love to hear your feedback on how we can best serve folks interested in river and canal cruising. Feel free to drop us a note at editor@cruisecritic.com.

 

Laura

[jertom]

Laura,

Good work to start this going, I think it will be interesting and informative.

I have a dumb question:

Is there any control over river and canal ship names? Can the same name be used by two river ships or boats? Can a river cruise ship and an ocean cruise ship have the same name?

Thanks,

Tom

[caclays]

Laura, when I try to get this new section to come up by clicking on the address, I get an error message. I tried using both Netscape and Internet Explorer browsers. Am I doing something wrong? Any suggestions?

[gypcywoman]

Hi Laura, River and canal cruising is a great feature introduced by cruise critic. Susan Jaques has wriiten a very lucid and interesting description about her river cruise experience in China. I am tempted to take the cruise. I have a question about river cruising. how big are the river cruise vessels and what are the facilities, like cabin size and other facilities, available on such vessels? Is it as enjoyable and comfortable as on big cruise vessels? Thanks. gypcywoman

[rundent]

looks like your poster "tban" is a shill for a travel agency...look at his posting history, funny always gets around to mentioning said agency

[Twice_a_year]

Is it acceptable for a women to wear capri outfits for touring and/or dinner? (Budapest to Amsterdam September 3)

 

My wife normally does not wear slacks. Her "casual wear" usually includes matching skirt suits and a few dresses which appear to be too "formal" for river cruise attire.

 

Plese advise.

 

Thanks,

[campbessie]

I would like to take my Mother on a Danube Cruise (MS Johann Strauss for those of you who know the ship). Dec 26 sail date Passau to Budapest, through Gate1Travel. My Mother has a general fear of boating & water, but more so rough sailing & not being able to see land. Anyone who could send reassurances and their own experiences would be greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone knows the Johann Strauss, I'd appreciate your comments as well. I've seen people talk about various "cruise Lines" & whether they were good or not. How does my booking travel through Gate1 fit in? There doesn't seem to be a cruise line mentioned.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely, Susan :)

[TravelerThom]

I would like to take my Mother on a Danube Cruise (MS Johann Strauss for those of you who know the ship). Dec 26 sail date Passau to Budapest, through Gate1Travel. My Mother has a general fear of boating & water, but more so rough sailing & not being able to see land. Anyone who could send reassurances and their own experiences would be greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone knows the Johann Strauss, I'd appreciate your comments as well. I've seen people talk about various "cruise Lines" & whether they were good or not. How does my booking travel through Gate1 fit in? There doesn't seem to be a cruise line mentioned.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely, Susan :)

 

We cruised the Danube in both 2004 and 2005. We were not on Johann Strauss, but have been on several different river boats and lines and loved them even more than ocean cruises. Tell your mother not to worry! The river is not more than 200 yards wide, so you are never more than 100 yards from shore. While you generally can tell that you are moving, the motion is hardly noticeable. The water depth under the keel is 5 feet, so even in the extrordinary case of sinking [NEVER heard of that happening], you could still sit high and dry on the deck. Description and pictures of Johann Strauss are at http://www.gate1travel.com/european-river-cruise/ships/johann-strauss.htm - sounds almost as if Gate 1 has gone into the River Boat business themselves [just my guess].

[hobse]

Is it acceptable for a women to wear capri outfits for touring and/or dinner? (Budapest to Amsterdam September 3)

 

My wife normally does not wear slacks. Her "casual wear" usually includes matching skirt suits and a few dresses which appear to be too "formal" for river cruise attire.

 

Plese advise.

 

Thanks,

 

YES, capri's are absolutely acceptable. It is much more casual on a river cruise, and no "formal" nights. We had people in jeans and slacks for dinner.

[susan1234]

Hi, is booking a River Cruise similiar to that of the regular cruises. i.e., if the prices drop nearer to the date of sailing, one gets a 'refund'?

 

Thanks.

 

susan

[Marski]

My husband and I have booked a cruise on the Danube with Gate 1, also. We will be going on March 16 on the Johann Strauss. I would love to hear about your trip when it is finished. Has anyone taken a cruise with Gate 1 before? I am anxious about this because all the cruises we have taken before (13) have been with Celebrity and they have been perfect!

Marski

[Heintje]

Hi there,

 

Gate1, is NOT a cruise company, but rather a booking agent, who to my experience, gives their guests far to little information. I worked as a cruise director on some ships that were received about 10 to 15% GATE1 guests. Where all my other guests were well informed about transfers, information booklets etc. GATE1 guests knew nothing. They blamed me (the cruise Director) for the lack of information. I was normally able to help them out, but it was certainly no example on how things should be.

[cricket03]

Heintje, we toured with Globus in Aug 1997 from Amsterdam to Russia and back to Amsterdam with a guide named Hendrik. Would you be the same one? That was a fantastic trip and we remember how terrific you were - you made the trip easy, informative and exciting.

 

If you are the same person and what I read on these boards, are you now working for Avalon River Cruises? We are looking for a tulip time river cruise in Holland and Belgium in spring 2007 and would love to have you as a guide again. Is that possible? We'd not heard of Avalon but will search it out online. Are you an independent contractor or work for them exclusively? If you are cruise director/guide on a trip like this one, would you let us know.

 

We've looked at Vantage's trip for next April and like its itinerary. We've travelled with them before and been very satisfied with their guides and itineraries but we're open to another river cruise company (but not GCT) especially if you'd be involved.

 

If you cannot reply about this via this board, please e-mail us at lvwagner@verizon.net. Russ & LaVera Wagner, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania (I'm sure you wouldn't remember us with all the people you've met over the years but we remember you!)

[Heintje]

Hi There,

 

Yes it is the same Hendrik. Drop me a line if you need more info on the Holland Cruise. Would love to hear from you.

Hendrik (hdadema@cs.com)

[shifraleah]

Help can not find any review of vantage river cruise

 

Looking into 18 dAY DANUBE TO BLACK SEA, PLEASE if you have used this line of this cruise please respond to s.l.chernin@verizon.net

[pacmom]

Shfrileah,

 

Haven't used Avalon, but would suggest you go Black Sea westward. The weather tracks west to east, so rain could follow you all the way. Also the eastern European countries are still so economically depressed that such a wonderful trip could end on a down note. I tried to answer you via e-mail, but it bounced back. Travel safely and good luck Pat

[t460b00]

:confused: I too would like some information on Vantage. Does anyone have any information? I don't know if they use their own ships for River Cruises or book with other cruise lines. Any help or comments would be much appreciated

Help can not find any review of vantage river cruise

 

Looking into 18 dAY DANUBE TO BLACK SEA, PLEASE if you have used this line of this cruise please respond to s.l.chernin@verizon.net

[cmthomas]

Try using the search function as there are many posts on here about Vantage.

[daryleann]

I found a person had started a roll call for Mar 25, Viking Sky but I can't access it and I get nothing when I search for the name. Is there a place I can look?

Thank you for your help.

 

 

Just found the answer - sorry!!

[daryleann]

You are starting new cruising boards - will there be a dedicated Roll Call for the dates and ships? I sure hope so! It is very tiresome to go thru all the posts which cover a miriad of questions, but rarely any answers.

[travelfirst]

I was on a Dutch Tulip Cruise in March with Viking River Cruises...on the Viking Spirit, it was great.

I loved River Cruising better than the big ships.

[Beckaj]

This new information will be helpful for us who love river cruising !!!!!:) :) :)

Happy Travels,

Beckaj:D

[Beckaj]

Laura,

Hope you can help us ! We have booked a river cruise for Russia in Sept.07 with Viking River Cruises, & I can find no information online for this ship even on your listing of Viking ships. Has it been retired & our ship will be different from what we booked???

Happy Traveler,

Beckaj

[Tennessee Vol]

I had a rather unusual river cruise booking experience. I tried to book directly on-line with a particular Tour Company. I did not get a prompt reply, so I went through my local travel agent. I got booked with the said Tour Company and even got the Deck that I wanted. Later the same day I received an e-mail from the same Tour Company stating that there were no rooms available for that cruise (Blue Danube Discovery) for the entire year and that I need to look into booking in 2008. When I reported that I had already booked earlier that day, they said there must have been a cancellation and were very pleased that I was able to get a room. I guess the moral to this story is don't give up. When one source states that there are no rooms, check with another agent.

[Pam in CA]

Hope you can help us ! We have booked a river cruise for Russia in Sept.07 with Viking River Cruises, & I can find no information online for this ship even on your listing of Viking ships. Has it been retired & our ship will be different from what we booked???

Hi there... Check out this thread for lots of helpful information: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=399674