Help for River Cruise First Timers

[kimocat]

Hi Everyone -- I have been going blind reearching a 30th anniversary trip for my husband and me. We are very interested in a European river cruise, but are having difficulty deciding which one. The destinations are not the issue. We are looking for a relaxing trip in an upscale, but casual atmosphere. We would like to have good food and wine, but it does not have to be gourmet. After all the years of dressing up every day, we just don't want to drag around a bunch of fancy clothes. We would also like to find a ship that has the "french balcony", since I am a bit claustrophobic. Can any of you recommend a cruise line that you think we would enjoy?

 

Thank you so much !

[magmorr75219]

We just returned from a trip on Avalon Poetry, and loved it. We didn't have one of the upper deck rooms with the windows that open, but they are available. The food was good, wine was free at dinner (and they kept your glass filled until just before dessert), and it was fairly casual. We only dressed for the concert in Vienna and the Captain's Farewell dinner. We both wore convertible hiking pants most days for the tours and I usually changed to a Chico's outfit (lots of black, but not too dressy) for dinner. I didn't need to, just my choice.

 

Avalon probably wouldn't be considered 5*, but it's definitely nice. The service we had was fabulous, and courteous. The boats are always fairly new, as the company only leases them for 3-5 years so they always have the newest ships on the waters.

 

Hope that helps you some. :) There's plenty to read here to help you out.

 

Good luck!

[rogerdawhip]

Any of the Grand Circle river cruises would be a good choice. The cabins on the top deck have balconies large enough for a couple of chairs (about 3 feet deep). The ships are very casual and the service is fantastic.

 

I have been on 5 Grand Circle river cruises with another planned for next month. I would highly recommend the Great Rivers and Rhine & Mosel trips. The only drawback to Grand Circle is all cabins have folw down twin beds. They are very comfortable but some folks like queen beds.

[marco]

We've done several with Grand Cirlce, Vantage, and Gate 1. I really don't think there is enough of a difference to choose one over the other. I think dates/itinerary would be my decision maker.

[kimocat]

Thank you all so much. I really appreciate your input.

[Twice_a_year]

And it was GREAT!

 

We were on the Viking Spirit. The boat was, let us say satifactory, while the scenery was spectacular. Great time mainly because we had great weather. The river boats can be a problem - low or high water levels and little to no on board entertainment during inclement weather.

 

But if you hit it good - then this is going to be one of the BEST vacations.

 

As far as the "French Balcony" s concerned - as we say in New Jersey "Forget-about-it". This is the last thing you should be concerned about. The itinerarty, the tour guides, your meals, and the price are the things to consider.

[yellowrosetx]

Hi Everyone -- I have been going blind reearching a 30th anniversary trip for my husband and me. We are very interested in a European river cruise, but are having difficulty deciding which one.

 

I fully understand your dilema! We are now FINALLY making our minds up, which cruise and when. It was much easier planning for our Christmas Cruise last year departing out of Galveston - limited my options. So I guess we are going to take the plunge and do the 12 day leaving Dec 12th on the Gate 1 Bolero. I looked at all of the lines, hard to know which to choose, ended up doing what the one poster said, went for the itinerary we wanted in the right time frame.

 

Hope you find what you want and have a great time - and Happy 30th Anniversary!

[mycoda]

We just returned from a trip on Avalon Poetry, and loved it. We didn't have one of the upper deck rooms with the windows that open, but they are available. The food was good, wine was free at dinner (and they kept your glass filled until just before dessert), and it was fairly casual. We only dressed for the concert in Vienna and the Captain's Farewell dinner. We both wore convertible hiking pants most days for the tours and I usually changed to a Chico's outfit (lots of black, but not too dressy) for dinner. I didn't need to, just my choice.

 

Avalon probably wouldn't be considered 5*, but it's definitely nice. The service we had was fabulous, and courteous. The boats are always fairly new, as the company only leases them for 3-5 years so they always have the newest ships on the waters.

 

Hope that helps you some. :) There's plenty to read here to help you out.

 

Good luck!

 

 

Wondering about the concerts in Vienna when you say you dressed for these was that jacket and tie for men and ? for ladies. Also "convertible hiking pants" is that the zipper slacks? Thanks for the help we leave in a couple of weeks.

[magmorr75219]

My husband wore a suit, and I wore a cocktail dress (not TOO terribly fancy) to the concert. We were probably dressed more than most that attended. Many men wore polo shirts and khakis. A lot of the women wore smart casual pant suits (not too dressy, but more than normal day wear).

 

Yes, the convertible hiking pants are the zipper pants. :) I suppose they are offered outside of hiking gear, but since that's where mine came from, I always call them hiking pants. If I had known how much I was going to wear mine, I would have taken another pair at least.

[debbie p]

We just got back on our first river cruise in May, we were on the Viking Spirit Grand European, starting in Amsterdam ending in Budapest. All the info from the folks on the board really helped me with what to expect, wear, etc. We brought too many clothes (they offered a 20% discount for laundry services mid trip) and my husband didn't need the sports coat he brought, never put it on. Some of the other companies boats had 'balconies', ours did not. We did have a window that opened that was nice. The cabins are so small you truly don't spend alot of time in them.

Viking's guests are mostly americans-I believe some of the others aren't.

Food was good, did have to pay for wine, staff was great, scenery you couldn't beat! Don't know what you'll choose, but the one thing we wished we wouldn't of done was go on so many tours to the churches, we wish now we would of opted out to walk through the little villages we were in. Oh, well, next time we'll know better. River cruising is BIG BUSINESS in Europe, I didn't have a clue. While in Vienna, there were 33 boats parked there and touring the city at the same time!!

Have a great time, we loved it and will do it again sometime in the future.

[skandls]

kimocat

 

I don't know if you have considered a barge trip. There is an upscale company that does the canals thru French wine country. They even include a dinner at a 3 star restaurant for the 8 to 12 passengers on board.

 

We did a 6 night trip on a 20 passenger barge in Burgundy. It was one of the best trips we ever took. We had a bus/driver guide who took great pride in knowing the sites we went to see. He also made sure there was a variety of places not just churches. There was a private chef who did marvelous lunches and dinners.

 

We did an Avalon river cruise Budapest to Amsterdam (14 night). The ship was very nice (the Poetry). With the larger groups (bus sized) the tours were less personal and your guide could be just ok or great. We enjoyed this trip alot but for us it lacked the personality of the river barge.

[unberwoob]

Skandls,

Just curious. How much did the river barge cost compared to the Poetry?

Dennis

[MartiniWabbit]

we recently booked our first Danube River Cruise on Amadeaus Waterways for Oct 15, 2008. It's Budapest to Prague. We will be going with my sister and her husband. We enjoy "regular cruising" and thought we would try this also.

 

I have been reading the posts and will keep checking back. I think we will really like it. We were hoping it wouldn't be formal dress up, maybe coat/tie one night and looks like it will be. We will be on one of their brand new ships. Took one of the less expensive cabins on the lowest deck but since it looks like overnight traveling and no ocean swells to worry about that should be fine.

 

Bye for now........Lynne

[AliceS]

Lynne,

We do Prague to Budapest this August. I will let you know what we think. We are on the Amalegro and are hoping to find the food to our liking, more so than some who have been posting here. Anyone else been on the Amalegro?

[parrot-eyes]

Hi Anan. We are thinking about the same cruise in 2008. I just learned about Amadeus yesterday and am trying to research them. How did you decide to choose this riverboat line over the others?

[Medic2012]

Lynne,

We do Prague to Budapest this August. I will let you know what we think. We are on the Amalegro and are hoping to find the food to our liking, more so than some who have been posting here. Anyone else been on the Amalegro?

 

We just got off the Amalegro on an Istanbul to Budapest itinerary. Contrary to most posts, we thought the food was good and varied. Breakfasts were almost identical, but lunches and dinners displayed thought and often reflected the port in which we were cruising. The chef bought his ingredients fresh most mornings in ports where a local market was available... The menu was not planned in advance -- in fact from talking to the chef (who often circulated after a meal to get feedback), the menu was not fully planned until less than an hour before a meal. Seconds were always available and usually offered. There were always 3 choices of Entree, as well as "stand-bys" to fit all palettes -- like steak or chicken if none of the "exotics" appealed to you. I think we only used these when we had lunch for an 'ol cheeseburger and fries (BTW: Very good!) All in all, we gave the food on the Amalegro a B+. Of course, with other chefs, I am sure YMMV.

[ChefPeg]

We just got off the Amalegro on an Istanbul to Budapest itinerary. Contrary to most posts, we thought the food was good and varied. Breakfasts were almost identical, but lunches and dinners displayed thought and often reflected the port in which we were cruising. The chef bought his ingredients fresh most mornings in ports where a local market was available... The menu was not planned in advance -- in fact from talking to the chef (who often circulated after a meal to get feedback), the menu was not fully planned until less than an hour before a meal. Seconds were always available and usually offered. There were always 3 choices of Entree, as well as "stand-bys" to fit all palettes -- like steak or chicken if none of the "exotics" appealed to you. I think we only used these when we had lunch for an 'ol cheeseburger and fries (BTW: Very good!) All in all, we gave the food on the Amalegro a B+. Of course, with other chefs, I am sure YMMV.

 

Hi there,

 

I was wondering about your itinerary. Could you please post a short review? I am on the Black Sea to Budapest cruise with Tauck. I am really interested in Budapest.

Any info would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Peggy

[6miles]

Hi Debbie P Thanks for all of that helpful info, especially about taking too many clothes and about not taking all of the side tours. I think that Viking might be ambitious with all of their tours most of which I think are included in the price. I have not been on a river cruise in 10 years. We are looking forward to a cruise including Prague and Budapest Sept '08 with Amadeus. Any other tips from a recent first timer will be greatly appreciated.

[pacmom]

Just remember, many places in Vienna are not a/c. Therefore, if going on a hot afternoon or eveing, maybe jacket and tie would be a bit warm. Since these venues are mainly for tourists, you will find all types of clothing. Just last week we were at a Vienna Boy's Chior concert. Saw everything from shorts to suits and dressy clothes. It was a late afternoon concert. Pat

[ChefPeg]

Just remember, many places in Vienna are not a/c. Therefore, if going on a hot afternoon or eveing, maybe jacket and tie would be a bit warm. Since these venues are mainly for tourists, you will find all types of clothing. Just last week we were at a Vienna Boy's Chior concert. Saw everything from shorts to suits and dressy clothes. It was a late afternoon concert. Pat

 

I guess anything goes? What did you wear to the concert and Captain's dinner?

 

How was the concert?

[AliceS]

ChefPeg,

 

I see that you are my neighbor. We live in Moon. We are going on a river cruise at the end of the summer. The guys have decided to leave the sport coats at home. They are happy, I don't know how I feel about that one.

 

Where do you live in Gibsonia? Are you really a Chef?

[ChefPeg]

ChefPeg,

 

I see that you are my neighbor. We live in Moon. We are going on a river cruise at the end of the summer. The guys have decided to leave the sport coats at home. They are happy, I don't know how I feel about that one.

 

Where do you live in Gibsonia? Are you really a Chef?

Howdy neighbor!

 

My house is near Allison Park/Hamptom area. My office is in Bakerstown, south of Butler area.

 

Where in Moon township are you?

 

Yep, I am a full fledged chef, went to culinary school in '98. I loved every minute of it. I recently sold my bakery, it was in Bakerstown too, on Route 8.

 

What cruise line are you going on? What itinerary did you choose?

 

Peggy

[AliceS]

We're right in the center of the township, near Robert Morris University, I almost said College. Oops! Our grandkids play baseball, so we're in your area often. We don't want to bore everyone else here with our 'Burgh stuff, so send me an email. apearl129@comcast.net please put cruise in the subject

[p598738]

We've been very pleased with Grand Circle. Budapest to the Black Sea and Paris, Soane and Rhone. Using Gate 1 to go Basel to Amsterdam in September. Full report later.

[MartiniWabbit]

i see you have NCL Majesty listed, have you done that cruise or have you been on that ship yet? Hate to tell you but it is old and not in good shape. We went on it last Nov......a/c was out 24 hours, water pipe broke on our deck, engine trouble so we were late getting into some of the ports. We had been on it once before and it was ok then, but now they need to take it out of service. Sorry to tell you this if you haven't been on it yet but, that's the way it is.