Need help planning 1st River Cruise

[Sirdar]

My wife and I are looking at our first river cruise in 2009 (June to October). We would like to go on the Danube from Budapest to Prague (or vice versa). We have begun exploring the different sites and have some questions we hope some of you can answer.

 

1. Is there a better time to go? Early Summer, late summer, fall?

 

2.There are a variety of companies offering trips in our price range (Gate 1,CIE,Brendan,Globus, Trafalgar) Any feedback (good or bad) would be appreciated.

 

3. Some tours involve land stays in Budapest and Prague (Hotel tours etc. Has anyone booked river cruises that include these?

 

Thanks:)

[Shorex]

My wife and I are looking at our first river cruise in 2009 (June to October). We would like to go on the Danube from Budapest to Prague (or vice versa). We have begun exploring the different sites and have some questions we hope some of you can answer.

1. Is there a better time to go? Early Summer, late summer, fall?

2.There are a variety of companies offering trips in our price range (Gate 1,CIE,Brendan,Globus, Trafalgar) Any feedback (good or bad) would be appreciated.

3. Some tours involve land stays in Budapest and Prague (Hotel tours etc. Has anyone booked river cruises that include these?

Thanks:)

 

From personal experience I can give you input on part of your inquiry. We have always preferred the "shoulder" season for Europe. Spring and fall are cooler and less packed with tourists. Our first river cruise is coming up in a few weeks: Istanbul to Budapest with AMA. We chose September over the summer months. At least some of the summer tourist crowd will have dissipated. Also, in general, (yes, exceptions abound) airfares to Europe peak in the summer months.

 

There are extensive reviews of Amadeus (AMA) and other river cruise lines on this board if you do a search. WIT's review of our exact itinerary is in particular very detailed and informative. In fact it was a major factor in our decision to book with AMA.

 

When evaluating the land portion, use the level of hotel as a general guide to the overall quality of the tour. On our cruise, AMA is using the Ritz Carleton in Istanbul and the Kempinski in Budapest. We're happy with those choices.

 

By the end of September, we'll have our own review of the AMA Amadagio and this itinerary. My best guess is that the review will be very positive.

[don_ken]

I agree with Shorex; fall is great. Everything is less "busy". We've done two fall river cruises with Vantage. (one in Holland the other from Vienna to Cologne.) Service on board was great and they seemed to offer more shore excursions that were part of the package than some other companies. Also their included air fares are a real deal.

Don

[MSEm]

I would select the Fall.

I was on the Avalon Budapest to Prague in Mid June. It was very warm. Upper 80's during the day.

 

Search this board for MSEm author.

 

I did a review of my trip.

 

Remember the fare cost may be only part of the total cost.

 

I would also book my own air.

 

Check the brochures for cabin pictures and layouts. There can be big differences in the cabins, Hotel style beds vs Pullman beds.

 

MSEm

[Ship's Wake]

We've really enjoyed cruising with Uniworld. They tend to be more inclusive than some other river cruise lines, so keep this in mind when comparing prices.

[Sirdar]

Thanks all. We will look at fall 09 as the best time.