toopie28

We are supposed to go on a River Cruise next year (never been on one) and I figured it would be the best way to see many places (in Europe) at once.

It's a week cruise - stopping at Prague, Austria, Germany and 2 other places.
Anyway, it's REALLY expensive and I want to make sure that the river cruise is the best way to do this.

Have any of you ever taken a RC? Do you think that would be better/or as expensive as booking Hotels throughout each country and taking a train to each one?

N1cky

Quite a few people I work with having taken European river cruises and really enjoyed them, they said they were very relaxing and made them feel very pampered. I think its quite a nice way of seeing parts of Europe that you wouldn't get on a cruise, and much more relaxing than trying to organize it yourself on the train.

joto

We haven't been on a RC, but on a regular cruise. You just have to unpack only once rather than unpacking and packing every couple of days. It is very relaxing, but one word of advice, pack something with an elastic waistband.

lizzyq

What time of year? Last month the rivers in those ares were in flood, lockgates were shut and some of the rivers were so high the cruise boats could not get under the bridges!

Other than that my parents went on several of this type of cruise and enjoyed them immensely.

Lizzy

robin1234

I'd highly recommend a river cruise. We went on one, Amsterdam to Basel, a few years ago and it was excellent. There is the danger of very low or very high water conditions which can lead to your cruise being cancelled or radically altered (they convert part of the trip to motor coach, for instance.)

It is relatively expensive, but on the other hand, for those six days we spent very little money on other things since all meals and tours ashore were included. A couple of drinks in the bar were our only additional cost.. You could easily spend as much or more on trains and hotels and meals, and it would be harder work.

We plan to go on a Danube cruise, Budapest to Vienna etc., one of these days. We went with Avalon which is a German company I believe so the whole thing is planned and executed meticulously, like the invasion of Poland. Staff were Slovakian and the beer was Czech. What more could you want..

Rete

I'm doing the Vikng River Cruise this autumn from Amsterdam to Switzerland. Fully expect to have a wonderful, relaxing and enjoyable time. Like the fact that the fee includes all transfers, tours and drinks onboard the vessel. Makes the price very well worth it.

toopie28

Oh, I know! I actually took a reg cruise 4 yrs ago and I really did NOT care for it at all. We only stopped in 3 places and were at sea for 4 days. I like the idea of the RC since it stops every day and there is something different to do each day.

Yes, this year has been really bad - they cancelled a ton of cruises in late May-June. Historically though, May and Sept are the best months to avoid this but it is Mother Nature so who knows.

Plus in doing my research I have found which cruise lines handle this issue the best as opposed to having people bussed from place to place (one of my biggest fears)



Lovely - thanks. That's the cruise I am looking into right now - Danube. I have narrowed it down to 2 companies - Tauck and AMA. Now I'll have to look into Avalon. Thnxs.

Ok, now I'm officially excited!!!

toopie28

Is this your first?

tonrob

Mrs tonrob's parents live in a house overlooking the Rhein just near Koblenz. I've often sat on their balcony watching the many river cruises go by and hankered after going on one myself. That stretch of river is particularly beautiful, with castles and vineyards on either side and lots of pretty villages.

Rete

My first "river" cruise. Have been on cruises before and have been to Europe several times including Germany (my home country), Austria and Switzerland.

Sally Redux

Oh yes, that's a gorgeous area.

coastieexpat

What ! .....you pay for a holiday...........I almost spit my beer out

toopie28

So I booked - OMG - what was I thinking?!?!? It so blimin expensive.

Luckily I have a year to save - it's for next Sept (May was already sold out!) and I was going to pick the Danube but tonrob made me change my mind with the above statement.

So the Rhine it is. And Koblenz is one of the stops. I'll wave to your in laws.

Lorry1

You will not regret booking a river cruise, at all!

My hubby and I did the Danube from Budapest to Passau with Uniworld 2 years ago. It was a free cruise as I was a travel agent who also sold many with many different cruise lines.

The best holiday ever!

You board very quick and easy with no torturous security screening, unpack once and enjoy your week.
All morning excursions are included with many optional excursions in the afternoons.
There are bikes for hire on most ships and you have plenty of free time to enjoy each city/town.
We often left the group at the end of the morning tour and chose to walk back to the ship to enjoy the little markets with cheese and meat stalls.
You can take and drink your own alcohol onboard.
The food is exceptional.

We are hoping to enjoy our next river cruise through France or maybe the Rhine in a couple of years.

Have fun

Rete

That is the cruise I'm taking on Oct 4th ... Viking River Cruise's Rhine Cruise. We are spending an additional 3 days in Amsterdam before the cruise.

Will let you know about the trip on my return.