What is important in a River Cruise Room:

[CcMookie]

Hi -

 

I'm thinking about booking my first river crusie in Europe and I'd like to get some advice on what to look for in a room. Also which are the best and worst companies to travel with, I would really value some input.

 

Thanks!

[paul929207]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Beyond the basics - clean, in good repair, private bath, etc. I am more concerned with the company and the itinerary. If it is a good cruise, you will not spend a lot of time in th cabin.

[AZPam]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Beyond the basics - clean, in good repair, private bath, etc. I am more concerned with the company and the itinerary. If it is a good cruise, you will not spend a lot of time in th cabin.

 

Totally agree with Paul. I don't book these trips for the boats/rooms like I might for a big ocean trip. It's all about the itinerary for me! Cost factors in a lot too though! ;)

[JerseyGem]

I agree with the previous posters- cabin amenities should be one of your last issues (unless you have special needs such as a handicapped cabin, etc.). However, I personally would not pay more for a balcony cabin because you will spend very little time in the cabin. The "scenery" is on both sides of the ship, so you will spend most of your time on the upper "sun" decks or in the lounge areas (with windows on both sides of the ship). Also, since you may sometimes be double parked (tied up to another ship rather than directly to land), your balcony won't be very private!

 

Also, some ships have a lower deck with only high, narrow windows (as opposed to a picture window). If you're short, you won't be able to see out of the window.

 

Choose your cruise by itinerary, price, etc.

 

As for the best and worst, I haven't cruised enough to give an opinion. We only took two GCT river cruises and loved both; I would cruise with GCT again in a heart beat!

[Shorex]

I have a different point of view. There is a range of quality/service/expectations for river cruising just as there is for ocean cruising. At the very top of the chain is the Premicon Queen. Think of Silversea, Crystal, Seabourn as the ocean equivalents. At the lower end of river cruising are the mass market lines. Think of, well, the mass market ocean lines.

 

The appointments in your cabin are directly correlated to the levels of service, cuisine, entertainment and excursions for the entire trip. If you opt for the land portion, the quality of the included hotel will correlate to the quality of the overall experience. AMA put us in the Ritz Carleton in Istanbul and the Sofitel in Budapest.

 

Personally, I love to slide open the French balcony door early in the morning, sip a steaming cup of coffee and watch the scenery roll by.

 

What you choose is dependent upon your expectations and frankly, your budget.

 

Here are some previous threads on this board that might help in your research:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=921272

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=935583

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=932617

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=886885

[newlondon]

I agree with Shorex. While the itinerary and excursions are the most important, the on board experience is the extra that makes the trip. I have no desire to cruise in a small cabin with fold down beds, nor do I want to be charged extra when I have a soft drink. All inclusive imo is the way to go and I am willing to pay for space and amenities.

[AZPam]

Shorex and Newlondon bring up very good points. I guess it just depends on what one can afford and is willling to pay. I am still waiting to get to that point in my life and finances to be able to think along those lines. Still dreaming! Until then, I guess I will have to stick with the "mass market" lines. With one kid still in college I'm just thankful that I can travel when I do. Maybe one of these days I can hit powerball or the mega millions and do what I want and think that I deserve! :D

[MSEm]

I look for a cabin with a hotel style bed. If I am sleeping in the bed 7 or more nights I do not want a day bed or a pullman that folders down. Also I want a bath with a separate shower, not the old RV type of shower head pulled from a sink. Also I want most of the tours included and the use of the head set system for the tours. I have also found that having a tour escort for each bus helps to make the operation run smoother. The tour escort travels with us on the river vessel and often a local guide is picked up in the town.

 

Good food also helps.

 

Things to check for:

Beds & Showers,

number of tour escorts and head set

Tour included or many optional extra cost tours.

All inclusive including tips for river vessel cres and escorts or all tipping extra.

 

First: Find the itinerary you want then apply the above list.

 

MSEm

[Palmetto Lady]

Unless the cabin is large enough to include both hotel style beds AND a loveseat, we much prefer the beds that convert into sofas. On our last river cruise, we had hotel style beds and a french balcony. We felt that we could not really enjoy drinking wine in our room and watching the world got by as there was no place to sit - just our opinion. Most our trips have been with GTC and we had no complaints about the convertible beds.

[PCruzer]

I look for a cabin with a hotel style bed. If I am sleeping in the bed 7 or more nights I do not want a day bed or a pullman that folders down. MSEm

 

We were on GCT's Seine trip last September on the Bizet. The fold-down beds were extremely comfortable and the cabin was arranged with maximum usable space in mind. We thought that although the cabin was small, the way they utilized the space was excellent. We have been on many ocean-type cruise ships in cabins that were 500-600 sq. ft. Even though the riverboat's cabin was much smaller than that, we never felt cramped in the least. Would go again in a heartbeat!

[Hydrokitty]

You might try Vantage too. I agree you spend little time in the cabin BUT the time I do spend in the cabin I like to be comfortable. We upgraded on the Odyssey to an A-1 level room which was the same deck as the dining room (in no way a problem because of set hours) and just below the sun deck (sometimes we could hear walker/runners early in the morning). I really liked the french balcony and I too would sit there and look out while drinking morning coffee and waiting for DH to finish in t he bathroom. I also appreciated the hotel style beds and the coffee maker in the room. But the most important thing is the itinerary. Make sure you compare cruises and pick the one that takes you to the most places you want to see. Everything else is relative.