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Post by vspindler on Jan 18, 2018 20:15:51 GMT
I’ve seen commercials for river cruises pretty much since I had started watching Downton Abbey, but I don’t know that I’ve ever really heard anything from someone who has been on one. I’ve heard a lot about ocean cruises. But what are the river cruises like?
I don’t know that I would be going on one any time soon myself but I’m curious to learn more about them. Both the good and the bad.
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River
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,573
Location: Alabama
Jun 26, 2014 15:26:04 GMT
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Post by River on Jan 18, 2018 20:18:55 GMT
Marking my spot, I want to know also!
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Post by melanieg on Jan 18, 2018 20:34:16 GMT
Ive been on 2 I did the Danube on AMA Waterways and Bordeaux on Uniworld.
They are great. You get to meet lots of people. Yoh know who yoh dont want to hang out with or eat with quick. Most ships are 130 to 160 passengers.
Port excursions are included. The lines I was on offered a choice of 2 to 3 in each port. They also had only a couple optional excusions for a fee. Other lines charge a lot over and above their basic included ones.
Meals are awesome. Very local...as you cruise through each country the chefs keep it local.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 28, 2024 23:28:14 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2018 21:26:29 GMT
I was researching Viking cruises and I my be misled but those cruises are 10 grand per person and book 2 years out ( well for the nice suites with the balcony). And that didn't included airfare or getting to the port.
So if I am wrong, and I so want to be wrong because my husband said he would go on this, please correct me!
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pilcas
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,143
Aug 14, 2015 21:47:17 GMT
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Post by pilcas on Jan 18, 2018 21:48:59 GMT
I went on one that went on the riverways in Russia on my honeymoon, 20 years ago, so no idea on the prices. I don’t remember the company. It did include land excursions and I felt the food was very local. On the whole I think everything was geared to the cultural enrichment. There were leducational lectures and the evening entertainment was low keyed. I did enjoy it and would not hesitate to go on one again but I love to travel.
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Post by janniepea on Jan 18, 2018 21:59:11 GMT
I've not been on any but my husband's parents took several in Europe and loved them. They loved the local cuisine and sights, the smaller size of the boats and always left wanting to go again! This was probably 15-20 years ago though.
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Post by Delta Dawn on Jan 18, 2018 22:41:14 GMT
My parents sailed with Viking from Amsterdam to Budapest. They loved it! My mother hated water and she loved this.
We did a 5 day river cruise on the Yangtze River in China and that was a lot of fun, too!
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Post by georgiabeachbum on Jan 18, 2018 22:52:49 GMT
We did a 14 day Danube cruise from Vienna to Budapest April of last year and it was wonderful! There were only 130 passengers on the ship and it is definitely geared toward an older set. It was very culturally informative, the food was wonderful, ports and guides were fantastic, and we wouldn’t hesitate to go again. I’ve never been on a huge cruise ship and dont think I would like it. We really enjoyed only unpacking once during our two week trip. It was like your hotel travelled with you. We went through Cruise Away, a Dutch company. I think we paid about $12,000 including airfare for two of us.
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Post by papersilly on Jan 18, 2018 22:56:03 GMT
DH's cousin just did a Uniglobe cruise and they loved it. they booked it through AAA and said it was fantastic! i looked into the Viking Cruises and with that ONE inquiry, i now get cruise booklets in my mailbox just about every day. it's insane how much they spam you with cruise booklets after just one inquiry. and clearly Viking sells your info because we are getting ads from other cruise companies too.
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julieb
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,845
Jul 3, 2014 16:02:54 GMT
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Post by julieb on Jan 18, 2018 23:04:02 GMT
Interested also. My dad has this as the last thing on his bucket list, but he is 86 yo and I think by the time we figure it out he will be 88! My mom passed last year, so my sister and I would have to go with him. Our spouses said to go, but it doesn't sound like a vacation to me.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Jan 18, 2018 23:13:12 GMT
We did a 14 day Danube cruise from Vienna to Budapest April of last year and it was wonderful! There were only 130 passengers on the ship and it is definitely geared toward an older set. It was very culturally informative, the food was wonderful, ports and guides were fantastic, and we wouldn’t hesitate to go again. I’ve never been on a huge cruise ship and dont think I would like it. We really enjoyed only unpacking once during our two week trip. It was like your hotel travelled with you. We went through Cruise Away, a Dutch company. I think we paid about $12,000 including airfare for two of us. I wondered about the age range. My husband mentioned doing one on the Yangtze, but I wasn't sure it was a great fit for a family with teens.
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sueg
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,409
Location: Munich
Apr 12, 2016 12:51:01 GMT
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Post by sueg on Jan 18, 2018 23:13:41 GMT
DH's cousin just did a Uniglobe cruise and they loved it. they booked it through AAA and said it was fantastic! i looked into the Viking Cruises and with that ONE inquiry, i now get cruise booklets in my mailbox just about every day. it's insane how much they spam you with cruise booklets after just one inquiry. and clearly Viking sells your info because we are getting ads from other cruise companies too. Possibly not. There are only a very few cruise companies left - one or two big companies own all the others. They are likely all under the one 'umbrella' but trading under different names.
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Post by nlwilkins on Jan 18, 2018 23:15:11 GMT
This is something we have planned on doing for ouor 50th wedding anniversary. Only two more years to go. I am glad to hear of the good experiences some of you have had. But, did not realize they were so expensive. We had better start saving now.
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Post by papersilly on Jan 18, 2018 23:22:46 GMT
DH's cousin just did a Uniglobe cruise and they loved it. they booked it through AAA and said it was fantastic! i looked into the Viking Cruises and with that ONE inquiry, i now get cruise booklets in my mailbox just about every day. it's insane how much they spam you with cruise booklets after just one inquiry. and clearly Viking sells your info because we are getting ads from other cruise companies too. Possibly not. There are only a very few cruise companies left - one or two big companies own all the others. They are likely all under the one 'umbrella' but trading under different names. you are probably right. well, Viking is making good use of my address. the sheer amount of booklets we get during the week is staggering. they will have spent the amount of a cruise just on advertising by the time we we actually go on one. LOL
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Post by holly on Jan 18, 2018 23:36:43 GMT
I just went in December with AMA Waterways on the Danube. From Budapest to Nuremberg. It was a Christmas Market cruise. Idk how much is was as my mom gifted it to me but I did see the invoice and I believe it was about $4k for the two of us. We had an inside room (which was just fine, had a big window). Airfare was $800 from Wa state. I think it was a bit cheaper being itt was winter but it was sold out.
I would do it again. The food was really good, way better than ocean cruises. Probably because they don't have to cook for so many. And yes the food tended to be local. And you can totally bring alcohol on board, they don't check your luggage. It's way more laid back than an ocean cruise. The excursions all were very well organized and we had a great time. One night we had a Chef's Tasting dinner that people would have paid over $100 for anywhere else. It was included. Oh and during meals, beer, wine and sodas are included. Any other time, you have to pay for them. There were several times they served us champagne for free or a special local drink to try. I loved not being nickel and dimed for everything. I think Viking is more expensive because they are more well known. My aunt who was with us and had been on Viking before, said they were very similar but liked AMA a bit better. Oh, and we had all ages on board. I thought it would be all older people but it wasn't. Maybe because it was Xmas time.
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Post by papersilly on Jan 18, 2018 23:45:55 GMT
I just went in December with AMA Waterways on the Danube. From Budapest to Nuremberg. It was a Christmas Market cruise. Idk how much is was as my mom gifted it to me but I did see the invoice and I believe it was about $4k for the two of us. We had an inside room (which was just fine, had a big window). Airfare was $800 from Wa state. I think it was a bit cheaper being itt was winter but it was sold out. I would do it again. The food was really good, way better than ocean cruises. Probably because they don't have to cook for so many. And yes the food tended to be local. And you can totally bring alcohol on board, they don't check your luggage. It's way more laid back than an ocean cruise. The excursions all were very well organized and we had a great time. One night we had a Chef's Tasting dinner that people would have paid over $100 for anywhere else. It was included. Oh and during meals, beer, wine and sodas are included. Any other time, you have to pay for them. There were several times they served us champagne for free or a special local drink to try. I loved not being nickel and dimed for everything. I think Viking is more expensive because they are more well known. My aunt who was with us and had been on Viking before, said they were very similar but liked AMA a bit better. Oh, and we had all ages on board. I thought it would be all older people but it wasn't. Maybe because it was Xmas time. the Christmas Market cruise is the one we inquired about. when did you go? what was the weather like? rain? super cold? i'd love to know!
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Post by Margie on Jan 19, 2018 0:03:36 GMT
We did the Amsterdam to Budapest cruise on Viking about 18 months ago. It was fabulous! I've done many ocean cruises, but that was my first river cruise. We will definitely do it again.
The ship, service, food and included excursions were great! Also, beverages are included at lunch and dinner...including beer and wine. The captain and cruise director addressed the passengers every night before dinner, so we felt communication was really good, especially since there were issues with the river level being too high in places due to heavy rain that year. The hotel manager sat and had dinner with us one evening...and then sent us champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries to our cabin.
Regarding the river level issues, I felt they handled the problem very well. There was one bridge that we would not have been able to fit under until the water level went down a few inches, so we had to stay in one port an extra day. They gave us the option to either stay on the ship, or go by bus to the next city and meet up with the ship further down the river. We chose to stay on the ship, but those who took the bus to the next port were put up at a 5 star hotel, fed well, and taken on the included excursions. Those of us who stayed on board had very special treatment and local entertainment.
The cost is higher for a river cruise than an ocean cruise, but Viking quite often has 2-for-1 prices with airfare included. Their optional excursions are pricey, but it was worth it to us to pay extra to see places we would not otherwise see.
I would not take teenagers on a river cruise...they'll be bored to tears. The ships have a dining room and a lounge, and there really is no entertainment to speak of other than a piano player or string quartet.
I think of it as a floating 4-star hotel that took us from one amazing destination to another.
I agree with the poster who said they are inundated with brochures from Viking! What a waste!!
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Post by nepean on Jan 19, 2018 0:19:10 GMT
I just went in December with AMA Waterways on the Danube. From Budapest to Nuremberg. It was a Christmas Market cruise. Idk how much is was as my mom gifted it to me but I did see the invoice and I believe it was about $4k for the two of us. We had an inside room (which was just fine, had a big window). Airfare was $800 from Wa state. I think it was a bit cheaper being itt was winter but it was sold out. I would do it again. The food was really good, way better than ocean cruises. Probably because they don't have to cook for so many. And yes the food tended to be local. And you can totally bring alcohol on board, they don't check your luggage. It's way more laid back than an ocean cruise. The excursions all were very well organized and we had a great time. One night we had a Chef's Tasting dinner that people would have paid over $100 for anywhere else. It was included. Oh and during meals, beer, wine and sodas are included. Any other time, you have to pay for them. There were several times they served us champagne for free or a special local drink to try. I loved not being nickel and dimed for everything. I think Viking is more expensive because they are more well known. My aunt who was with us and had been on Viking before, said they were very similar but liked AMA a bit better. Oh, and we had all ages on board. I thought it would be all older people but it wasn't. Maybe because it was Xmas time. I just added a Christmas Market Cruise to my bucket list!!!!!!!! I had no idea they existed until now
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Post by buddysmom on Jan 19, 2018 1:32:39 GMT
We went on a river cruise about 2011 or 2012. Went on Avalon which is not as well-known as Viking but might be considered a little nicer. It was call the Impression I think, it was only a few months old.
We had an inside room which was fine. They have "french balconies" which are really small balconies not large enough for a chair and since we went in May, it was still really cold and not "balcony weather."
The demographics are a lot different than the major cruise lines. I was one of the youngest, I would say the average is about 70, all well-refined, well-traveled.
Ours included tours at each port, wine included with dinner (but I don't think before). But we could bring in wine from the port and they did not care.
Only about 150-ish people on board which is nice.
Another thing about the balconies on river cruises. Often the ships "double-park." We were in Budapest and there was a Viking ship docked at the shore and we pulled up next to it, walked through the Viking ship to shore. Obviously the people in the balconies could not enjoy the view if they had a ship parked next door. Plus you are in port during the day (usually) so the balcony is not as big of deal.
There's not a lot of things going on at night. You typically get up pretty early, breakfast, head out, come back for dinner, pretty exhausted, then head to bed. They had some local music but it's not like you will be up partying till 2 pm.
I had said I was not crazy about it but now that I am older I may do it again.
And yes, we get at least a few cruise brochures by mail every week from all of the companies.
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Post by floridasunflower on Jan 19, 2018 2:13:40 GMT
We just came back in early November from a Viking cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest and I loved every minute of it! The smaller boat and fewer passengers bring the stress level down significantly...no jostling with 5,000 other people for breakfast every morning. Sailing along the river and seeing all the picturesque little towns is so serene. I also liked that I learned things and saw history first-hand. The excursions (at least one every day included at no additional cost) are guided by locals who really know their stuff. We had what they called "quiet boxes"...battery-operated headsets that worked half a block or more away from the guide so if you wanted to lag behind to get a photo, you could still hear what the guide was telling the group.
Yes, the cruises are expensive but we hardly spent any other money except for souvenirs. We did elect to do a couple of the optional tours which we enjoyed. We're pretty adventurous explorers so we frequently headed off on our own with a map and a GPS and took in some of the sights that could have been done on an excursion offered through the ship, thus saving that fee. And we waited for a deal before booking the entire trip so it was 2-for-1 with airfare included. Going near the end of the season was also a savings. Everything was first rate. There were a couple of teens/early 20s on our cruise but most of the passengers were 50s and up.
I'm not familiar with any of the other river cruise companies but I highly recommend the overall experience.
Brenda
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valincal
Drama Llama
Southern Alberta
Posts: 5,764
Jun 27, 2014 2:21:22 GMT
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Post by valincal on Jan 19, 2018 2:21:49 GMT
I just went in December with AMA Waterways on the Danube. From Budapest to Nuremberg. It was a Christmas Market cruise. Idk how much is was as my mom gifted it to me but I did see the invoice and I believe it was about $4k for the two of us. We had an inside room (which was just fine, had a big window). Airfare was $800 from Wa state. I think it was a bit cheaper being itt was winter but it was sold out. I would do it again. The food was really good, way better than ocean cruises. Probably because they don't have to cook for so many. And yes the food tended to be local. And you can totally bring alcohol on board, they don't check your luggage. It's way more laid back than an ocean cruise. The excursions all were very well organized and we had a great time. One night we had a Chef's Tasting dinner that people would have paid over $100 for anywhere else. It was included. Oh and during meals, beer, wine and sodas are included. Any other time, you have to pay for them. There were several times they served us champagne for free or a special local drink to try. I loved not being nickel and dimed for everything. I think Viking is more expensive because they are more well known. My aunt who was with us and had been on Viking before, said they were very similar but liked AMA a bit better. Oh, and we had all ages on board. I thought it would be all older people but it wasn't. Maybe because it was Xmas time. I just added a Christmas Market Cruise to my bucket list!!!!!!!! I had no idea they existed until now I’d love to do that too! I was in Germany (and Austria and France!) this past Nov/Dec to visit the Christmas markets and it would be amazing to do it on a river cruise!
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mallie
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,253
Jul 3, 2014 18:13:13 GMT
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Post by mallie on Jan 19, 2018 2:44:59 GMT
We have looked at river cruises for a while because we know so many people who have gone on them and everyone loved their trips. We do hope to go on one in the next few years. I signed up online for info from Viking and Avalon. The cruises we are looking at range from $3000-5000/per person. Given that everything is included but souvenirs, I think it's a good value. Viking especially often has great sales.
I have noticed that Avalon ads are trying to skew toward a younger age range lately.
There is also a company called European Waterways that uses barges (canal boats) and often the passenger numbers are less than 15. Some are as small as 6 passengers. Seems like a great option if a family or group of friends wanted to travel together. They seem to get great reviews. They do a lot of cruises in England, including a Downton Abbey cruise and various flower show cruises.
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Post by malibou on Jan 19, 2018 3:01:37 GMT
My parents did the German Christmas Market one, one in France to Normandy, and they are doing one in Italy in April. They love them.
They like that during the day they are off the boat walking about and at night the cruise. My dad likes that you can always see land. They have met lovely people on both.
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Post by myboysnme on Jan 19, 2018 3:10:09 GMT
My mom and I went on a Danube Cruise at Christmas. I loved everything. 2 main differences - food is not always available. Meals are served at certain times and that's it. Also there is no real shopping on board - maybe a tiny gift shop. Wifi not really available, and not free. There were no children or even teens on our cruise and nothing for them to do or place to go if there was, at least on the winter one.
We got a suite and that made it nice for us because we didn't have to share the bed. My mom had the queen bed and I slept on a single fold out that was very comfortable. Gave us each our own space.
We went with a tour group so our excursions were mostly with that group but the ship has excursions. There were day and night excursions. My mother can not walk well so some were tough for her and some she stayed behind.
The worst thing in my mind was getting there at like 8 am and not being able to get on the ship until 3. We got dropped in the city for over 5 hours in the winter with no where to go, exhausted. It worked out but was not good.
We want to do another one maybe the Rhine from Switzerland to Amsterdam.
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Post by holly on Jan 19, 2018 7:08:55 GMT
papersilly The weather was cold most of the time. Usually in the mid 30's. We got lucky and had minimal rain and snow. It was very much like a winter here in Spokane. I wore layers and was fine. I did wear a hat most days just because you are outside a lot so it was colder when out for hours. Usually we had a city tour of sorts and then had time at a market. So that was cool to get some of everything. I think only in Melk, Austria we didn't go to a market as it's a small city. We visited an Abbey. Our cruise was Dec 11-18th. We had 2 extra days in Budapest in the beginning and 1 1/2 days in Prague at the end. Our cruise had free wifi and was pretty good considering where we were. My husband and kids wouldn't have enjoyed all the shopping. But the scenery in Europe, oh my! Some of it you just can't describe. It's definitely an area I want to go back to.
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Post by holly on Jan 19, 2018 7:27:59 GMT
I just found the email with the invoice for our cruise. It was $2,246 plus $798 for airfare. So it was $6100 for the two of us. Then I spent about $650 while I was there. I did pay for a hotel one night ($75) in Budapest. And we ate a few meals out and tips ($150) on the ship and we did an on/off bus tour in Prague. The rest was spent at markets
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Post by dawncpa on Jan 19, 2018 15:01:05 GMT
I did a two week land/river cruise in China with Viking and it is one of the best things we've ever done. There are not as many add ons as big ship cruising - excursions and transfers and such tend to be included. I'm actually online right now researching a river cruise for 2019 and am looking at Vantage and Viking.
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Post by georgiabeachbum on Jan 20, 2018 2:30:00 GMT
Definitely don’t think these would be a hit with most teens. The ships used on river cruises don’t have pools, arcades, dance clubs or anything like that. The draw of the river cruises are the ports.
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Post by Really Red on Jan 20, 2018 3:02:44 GMT
I just went in December with AMA Waterways on the Danube. From Budapest to Nuremberg. It was a Christmas Market cruise. Idk how much is was as my mom gifted it to me but I did see the invoice and I believe it was about $4k for the two of us. We had an inside room (which was just fine, had a big window). Airfare was $800 from Wa state. I think it was a bit cheaper being itt was winter but it was sold out. I would do it again. The food was really good, way better than ocean cruises. Probably because they don't have to cook for so many. And yes the food tended to be local. And you can totally bring alcohol on board, they don't check your luggage. It's way more laid back than an ocean cruise. The excursions all were very well organized and we had a great time. One night we had a Chef's Tasting dinner that people would have paid over $100 for anywhere else. It was included. Oh and during meals, beer, wine and sodas are included. Any other time, you have to pay for them. There were several times they served us champagne for free or a special local drink to try. I loved not being nickel and dimed for everything. I think Viking is more expensive because they are more well known. My aunt who was with us and had been on Viking before, said they were very similar but liked AMA a bit better. Oh, and we had all ages on board. I thought it would be all older people but it wasn't. Maybe because it was Xmas time. OMG! So did I!!! holly Which one did you do? It sounds exactly like the one I did. I did the AMAStella - it was outstanding!! This was my first cruise ever and a gift to myself and my three kids. My girls turned 21 on the cruise and even though we heard the cruises skewed older (they do!), there were quite a few teens on this cruise. My kids had people to hang out with and had fun. My favorite part of the cruise was George, our room cleaner. I worshiped him. Not a joke. We'd leave on our morning tour and our room would be perfectly clean when we came back. We'd go to dinner and he'd redo the whole room and leave us a chocolate and a pretty towel that looked like a monkey or an elephant or a bunny. I never ever get spoiled, so that was a big treat for me. Food-wise, it was good, but not great. I loved that the wine was included. I wish there were more things to do in the evenings and that was really my only super minor complaint. One night they had a violin/guitar trio and that was incredible, but it would have been fun if they organized things in the evenings. You don't feel the boat moving except in the locks sometimes and everyone is so pleasant on board. It was expensive for the four of us, but I saved for years for this trip and it was worth every penny. Our tour guides were great, too. They really knew what was going on.
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Post by librarylady on Jan 20, 2018 3:21:32 GMT
My friend took her father on the Viking China river trip. She said it was geared to older people. Her father was 90 at the time.
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