Water level issues need to be discussed more often! I love river cruising and as a travel agent I find it mind blowing that people have no idea there can be an issue.
We just completed our fifth Viking river cruise in May, Capitals of Eastern Europe. 17 days. We flew into Vienna, flew home from Bucharest. Our stops included Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Novi Sad, Belgrade, Vratsa, Sofia, Pleven, Constanta, and Bucharest. As before, service was outstanding, food was excellent, and our excursions were very good. We opted for the overnight excursion to Sofia, and it was worth every penny. We are in our 70s, but we kept up just fine with the many long walks.
Very realistic portrayal of river cruising. I do both ocean and river cruises. People often overlook the accessibility issues, especially if they've never been to Europe. Looking forward to my upcoming Christmas cruise thru The Netherlands and Belgium on Tauck. I'm an almost 70 year old female who enjoys solo travel. Cruising to me is the best of both worlds - I can be with others if I want but also have private alone time.
@@paulkoza8652Who says you can’t do both? I notice you replied to the first two comments with the same enviroshaming. Perhaps your time would be better spent picking up trash on a roadway near you?
@@paulkoza8652Ironic as your entire unprompted approach here wreaks of arrogance. I guarantee I do significantly more than you to fight both climate change and the horrific destruction of our wider environment.
Susan and I are dedicated to Viking. They treat us well and tend to compensate us for low or high water levels.. We also tend to arrive at a start point a week before departure and spend time in a city. We usually commit to 2 months at the end of a cruise in a city of our choice and find ways to visit other cities. We are infatuated with Budapest and central/Eastern Europe. We are "Church and Castle tourists looking for museums, history and architecture. We are considering a year in Budapest in 2024. We are in our 70's and need to make the most of our remaining time
How do you deal with the 30-day limit of the post office holding mail? Once I moved away from the house where I was living with my brother (who rarely traveled and could bring in my mail), I haven’t been able to leave home for more than 30 days straight.
@@sjurg192 I District 8, there is the National Cemetery. You will find monumental sculpture from the Hapsburgs through the Soviet occupation. The recently re opened Museum of fine Art at Hero square is wonderful and has mostly English speaking attendants some of whom have returned. from exile in the Bronx. The collection and the quality if curation is at least equal to if not better than the Met in NYC. There is so much in the city that Susan and I spent 3 months there, constantly walking the streets and on our last day, still found things we ad never seen before
River cruises really do please me in an educational way. I’ve got a masters of art in history and one of these cruises actually helped me pick a dissertation topic and on another I got to represent the Royal British Legion in laying a wreath at the Menin Gate on 11/11/2018. I actually thought I’d be too young to enjoy them but no. The daily excursions wore me out so all I wanted to do when we got back was to chill out, have dinner and go to bed.
Gary, as always very good points. On my most recent Viking River cruise, we had been to one of the ports before, so instead of the included tour we took a bicycle tour. We had a great time, and it was a wonderful way to see an old port with new eyes.
Bruce you are so right. I did the Danube a couple of times taking a different excursion and exploring the same port in a different way was really nice.
Been on two river cruises this summer, sole occupancy of superior cabins, booked late and paid circa £800 including flights and transfers. That was for all-inclusive as well.
Last one was on the Tui Isla from Frankfurt flyong out of Heathrow: Tui have a link to "solo travelers" on their offers for river cruises. One couple on board had two sole occupancy cabins because the husband snores and the price was the same.
Love your videos, Gary! Very succinct & informative. We did a Viking Holland/Belgium river cruise in June. It had been postponed twice due to Covid, so much anticipated. I’d researched all things “river cruise” beforehand, so no big surprises. Your analysis is correct; generally older people (we’re active early 60’s), small cabins, limited dining etc. Expensive too. Except for a few rushed tours & one port that was unimpressive, we had a good time.
Great video and very accurate. What this type of cruising real appeal is to a first time traveller to Europe and wants a guided experience. We personally enjoyed our river cruise very much and it showed us want places that we really wanted to revisit again.
Completed 3 river cruises and will never go on an ocean cruise again. Planning our 4th for 2025. AMA is upfront with everything, no small print, no hidden information. Much better food than ocean cruises, better excursions, and small number of guests, and we have never seen anyone under the age of 50 as guests.
Sure wish we had seen this before we took our Danube cruise several years ago!🤣 Due to low water levels, it was essentially a bus tour. We missed every one of our chosen excursions. Every other warning point you made proved to be true in our case. There wasn’t much we liked about our experience, and we had never ocean cruised so had nothing to compare it to. Never again! However, we just finished an Alaskan cruise and loved it!
We went on our 1st Viking Cruise this year and absolutely loved it. I don't like crowds and the ocean cruises, for me, were much too crowded. The river cruise, with less passengers is perfect for me. Plus found it much easier to converse with others.
Our friends went on a river cruise last summer and were very disappointed when the entire cruise had to be reworked due to water lever. Instead of cruising they were put on a bus and stayed in hotel rooms in each stop. They still had a fun time but they never even stepped foot on the boat.
@@paulkoza8652 The water levels have been a problem for 20 years. This happened with my aunt when she used to go to Europe. So climate so no issue back then.
You have done an excellent job of highlighting he very big differences for River cruising. I’ve done both - and enjoyed both but you do need to be prepared for the changes.
Hi, Gary. Look forward to your video each week. One thing I have not seen mentioned is limited access to the sun deck. I did the 2-week Grand European tour on Viking in 2018. For at least the first week we were not allowed access to the upper deck while we were under way because the railings were down. Probably a water-level issue to ease passage under bridges, but it was not discussed. Just, “Stay off sun deck!” PS After two Covid-related cancellations (2021 & 2022), I am eagerly awaiting my first Saga ocean cruise experience next May.
This is a fair assessment. We just did our second Viking cruise, and we love it, but we are around 70, and like the structure. It is more expensive, so we can do one about once every three years. We also have very restrictive diets, and have found Viking to be extremely responsive in giving us exactly what we need.
@@GardenGuy52 When we made the reservation some months in advance (FAll 2021 for a ruise last June), I went to the MyViking web site, entered my reservation number, and then checked a box for "Diabetic diet". Then when I got on the ship I talked to the Maitre'd, and told him specifically what I needed. He listened, then assigned me to a specific server who knew just what we needed and made sure we got it every night. I really could not have asked for more. On a previous cruise in 2019, the Maitre'd would sit down with us at breakfast, go over the menu for dinner, and arrange substitutions as needed. Again, perfect service. We are happy enough to have just started preparations for another cruise with them in a few years time.
@@lynnebattaglia-triggs1042 I don't think that is a happy combination. Most of the Viking excursions are based on walking, in my experience. I have only done 2 cruises with them, but it was consistent on both (Rhine and Danube).
Very good comments and observations about river cruising. We did an Avalon Waterway land and cruise tour from Prague to Budapest. It was one of our most favorite cruises. My husband and I like the in-depth culture experiences. We had the best activity Director, and the food and wine was local and wonderful. You get to meet more people on a smaller cruise. We booked the low deck room because we we out and about, viewing from the deck or lounge. Love Avalon Waterway.
I used ur channel for my first ocean Cruise in 2019 and it was absolutely AMAZING !!! so thank you 😊. Iam now contemplating my first river cruise and your the first channel I seek for advice .
Excellent review. My wife and I have never been on a river cruise but we have sailed with NCL, around Europe, and Viking, around the Caribbean, via New York. We have also been on a Sail Croatia holiday. We booked the best cabin on the boat but when the boats are tied up at night you can’t see anything from your window/balcony. On the first morning I looked out of the window and saw and 48 people looking at me whilst they eat their breakfast 🤣😢🤣 Also at night the boats run their engines to generate electricity and to circulate cold air and water. The diesel fumes and noise were appalling. We would not sail again with them for those reasons 😢
Good video. Personally we found river cruising less regimented and more relaxing than ocean. Small ships so docked in town and city centres facilitated informal walk on walk off in city centres when ever you felt like it. Less herded by disembarkation logistics in the crowded floating tower block ocean ships.
Have you considered going on an American river cruise such as on the Mississippi or the Chesapeake Bay? Several years ago they used a river cruise ship as a temporary dormitory for St Mary's College (in St Mary's County Maryland) because they were treating mold issues in the dormitories. The college is on the banks of a river.
I’ve been on one river cruise. It became a bus tour, moving us to a different Viking boat when the river wasn’t deep enough. We also got bused to our last port, Amsterdam via Rotterdam. Which is a fascinating place to visit. But I’d rather we’d been able to stay on the first boat. The food was better than the others.
Your video, Gary, was right on the money. We took our first river cruise in September 2022 on Viking from Budapest to Amsterdam, and despite the low water levels causing us to abandon one ship in Passau and join another in Nuremberg, we had a fabulous time. One of the advantages of Viking compared to some of the other lines, is that because they have so many ships, we were able to embark on an identical ship and have the identical cabin. In fact the passengers on the ship moored next to us in Passau had to go home from there because their line did not have another ship in Nuremberg. All the things you said in your video are accurate, but with the right mindset, a river cruise is a hugely enjoyable experience.
When we planned our river cruises with Viking, we asked about water levels and when were the best time to visit Kukenhof Gardens near Amsterdam. We had no problems with water levels and had a spectacular time. Planning, research, and the advice of experts like Gary here are the keys.
Thanks for this important information. The points about an excursion-based approach and impact of water levels are so important and easily overlooked by those used to ocean cruising. I imagine if we saw data about the extent of itinerary changes due to low water levels for the very hot summer 2022, we' d be shocked. Ocean cruises sometimes change routes to avoid bad weather or port issues, but this rarely seems so significant in my view, as the whole ocean cruise experience is less constrained.
Loving your infovids and looking forward to my Rhine River cruise with Avalon coming up in August this year. I chose Avalon over the other popular cruise lines simply because I travel solo and Viking for instance charge a full double fare, where Avalon discount with a singles supplement making this more attractive for me. Plus the fare includes wine and beer with meals, gratuities, guided tours at every port, the use of bicycles and much more to attract me. Gary one small thing for future videos, you mentioned prices in dollars! You didn’t say whether you meant AUD, US$ or another $ currency. Coming from Australia it’s often a struggle when narrators use narrative which is irrelevant to us especially in the southern hemisphere. Dates are another issue, 1/8 v 8/1, it’s so much easier if we got used to using letters for the month. I love giving positive feedback, so please forgive me this small transgression.
Many thanks for the wonderful video. My wife and I have been looking at the possibility of river cruising, but after watching your video we have decided that it is the very last thing we would like to do. Thank you for enlightening us. We will stick to ocean cruising.
Thanks for the candid look at river cruising Gary!! We just returned from a late July/early August Danube River Cruise with Avalon beginning in Budapest and heading upriver. On the first night, we were told that the ship could not make it to our final port of Passau due to low water upstream. Passengers were offered the option to leave and be reimbursed for the unused days. Nobody left. Avalon then included another stop in Bratislava and set up tours at the spur of the moment which was very nice. We ended the river portion in Regensberg and were then bused to Prague for the conclusion of our cruise/land tour. We chose Avalon based on your videos. The cabin with the big sliding door and no real balcony was wonderful as it gave us extra living space in the cabin. The food was amazing. Our cruise director, Danielle, went above and beyond for all guests. NOW, for the SNAFU!!! We booked on an airfare promotion, which as we found out, took away all decision making on our flights from us and our travel agent and put them in complete control of Globus. It seemed like every month, we would get updates to our flights being changed. Our FINAL itinerary had us flying from DFW to Atlanta, then to Paris, then to Budapest. We noted that the allotted connection time in Atlanta was ONLY 50 minutes. I told my wife, if our plane is delayed leaving DFW, we won't make our overseas flight and even if we make it to Atlanta, there is NO WAY our luggage will get from our first flight to the overseas flight. I and our travel agent called Globus numerous times to try and get us on an earlier flight from DFW to Atlanta just to give the baggage a better chance of making the connection. We were continually told that there were contracts with the airlines that had to be followed. We even offered to pay for an earlier flight which was denied by Globus. Well, we made all of our flights BUT in Budapest, we had no luggage. Since we were in Budapest several days, we were told it would be delivered to our hotel which never happened. The ship left and we headed upriver. I provided a docking location for Vienna and were told the bags would be delivered there. Never happened. We shopped in Budapest and Vienna for clothes, shoes and personal items which was fine. The ship washed our clothes free of charge which was also fine. On the Saturday, while in Prague, before we were leaving to fly home, I got a call from the DFW airport that my wife's luggage was at the airport. I told them we would pick it up when we arrived on the following Monday. Then on Sunday, while in Prague, I got an email stating MY luggage was out for delivery to our home!!! Long story short, our luggage made it home before we did. HA!!! It apparently traveled from Dallas Fort Worth to Atlanta to Paris to Budapest back to Paris then to Detroit then to Atlanta then back to Dallas Fort Worth!!! We have filed with the airline and are now waiting for some sort of reimbursement for the expenses we incurred to be clothed and clean while we spent 13 days in Europe with no luggage. I will NEVER book travel again without the ability to be involved in the flight booking process. There was no semblance of Risk Management/Aversion taken by Globus. Who books a 50 minute layover for a connecting international flight? I certainly expected better service considering the cost of this trip.
We had similar experience. Viking changed our flight without even asking us if it would work. We paid extra to be on same flight with in laws. You guessed it they put us on separate flights on way home. We drove to the airport together! After much confusion we got on same flight a day later. Expected better viking!
I'm so glad I read your comment. I will be sure to book our own airfare. I can't imagine a 13 day trip with only the clothes on your back. My husband and I always travel carry-on only when we go abroad but being on a ship and not having to pack and unpack every few days I am considering bringing checked luggage.
My daughter had a similar snafu recently flying Lufthansa, where they changed her flight and gave her a 50 minute layover in Frankfurt Germany (flying to Budapest). Before she could even try to catch the flight, they told her she'd missed her connection and they rebooked her 5 hours later, arriving in Budapest at 10:30 at night instead of that morning, thus missing a day of vacation. The airlines are brutal these days. But what I wanted to say was you should buy an airtag for your luggage. This allowed her to notice that her luggage didn't move from where she checked it in. At the last moment, she showed it to the flight attendant who miraculously got her luggage loaded on the plane and it arrived with her. I should say she booked these flights herself. (You still don't have any control because flights are generally full.) It ended up taking her 36 hours to go from Boston to Budapest. At least she had her luggage.
I didn't read all of this, but anyone who thinks that river cruising in EU is the same as it was is kidding themselves. Climate change will kill the industry, and I'm not shedding any tears.
Very well put Gary. In fact, I was just talking about water levels in my video from last week. It definitely is the bane of existence for the river cruise lines. Thank you for this video.
We live in Basle, Switzerland, and make every year five to six cruises in off season and pay between 90$ and 140$ (per person) for 3 to 4 day trips. (Mostly from Basle to Strasbourg.) We love it.
I just did an 8 day on the River Main (Mainz to Nuremberg) - with Riviera - there was 41 locks! The big advantage though was water levels - the Rhine was super low and boats were getting stuck (it was even in the BBC news in the UK) but the Main was absolutely fine - presumably thanks to the shear number of locks - also - there was far less traffic - over 8 days we didn’t have to Moore alongside another boat - not even once. I did have to pay early double for my cabin though - brutal pricing.
Try an American Cruise lines trip on the Mississippi River! Viking now has a ship on the Mississippi but it's double sized and double the cost. The American Melody is a lovely ship.
yes, they are going to be really popular next year!!! Especially as water levels were so bad this year many people I assume cancelled and moved to next
Cheri, I agree with Gary, plus with all the remnants from the backlog of the pandemic cancellations, 2023 is filling up quickly. What time of the year were you looking to river cruise in 2023 Cheri?
Here here! It’s only when you get ancient and arthritic that river cruising begins to look vaguely attractive. I’m used to boats and stairs don’t bother me at all. My problem is aimless standing around with nothing to occupy my mind. Mind you, I can no longer walk five miles in a day, so if the excursions are demanding, I’m out. But until I was 73, I wouldn’t step foot on a ship with more than twenty people on it. Even now, my limit is 200 people on a ship. Cruise ships give me the heebie jeebies.
To my recently-retired friends I have suggested river cruising while they are still physically fit. On an ocean cruise the emphasis is on activities on a handicapped-accessible ship. On a river cruise the tours are the primary focus, and many of the historic places that they would want to visit are not easily handicapped-accessible. I have also told them that the smaller the ship, the better. Small tour groups are more intimate and friendly, and they can visit places that cannot cope with mobs of people.
Thankyou, for this honest and very informative topic. It is what I have been looking for. There are plenty of videos talking about each company, this is the first I have watched answering many queries I have had. Cheers
Excellent presentation. Fair, honest and informative. Just took a Danube with Viking in August via a last minute flash sale at incredible savings with French balcony. Booked the Rhine with Viking for summer 2023.
We’ve always fancied a River Cruise. Thanks for these tips. We hadn’t even thought about water levels!! We loved all of your footage. Thanks for sharing 🍻
Thank you for sharing these helpful tips!!! I have two questions: 1) Is there a better time of year to book a Danube river cruise to try to avoid issues with high or low water levels? 2) Would you please consider posting a review of Gate1 and TUI river cruises? These seem to offer good value - but I don't see much information about them online. Thanks again - my wife and I have now taken about half of your ten best ocean cruises and have really enjoyed this experience much more because of all your helpful tips and suggestions. We are now starting to think about a river cruise on the Danube. Best Wishes!!!
Good summation! Some e.g. Uniworld give a choice of excursion- two or even three options. Noise- choose a cabin that is not too close to the lounge- you walk a bit further, but it is much quieter. I spend little time in the cabin, so usually go for the cheap bottom level- everything is the same except the window view, and much cheaper; so you can take more trips!
I really enjoy your videos on cruising - you haven’t scared me off cruises of any kind but just made my choice not to ever go on a cruise much easier! Your videos are very important for people to view so they have awareness of the great, good and maybe not so good items for any type,of cruising! Thanks!!!
Hi Your pricing is a bit off for us who live in Australia we have a starting price from $5.995.00AUD per person then it goes up to $14.995.00 pp and above and that is for 90% of the cruise companies but some being even more expensive plus the price varies with the time of year you may wish to cruise and that can change by over a $1000 per more pp in the space of a couple of days
Look at Grand Circle Tours - they have great visits to local schools and meals with a local family in the morning or afternoon and usually three guides from three different countries who give really interesting port talks at night.
NO THANK YOU...a possibility of it turning into a bus tour...that is a game ender for me...I have been on 35 ocean cruises...mostly with Oceania and Celebrity...ABSOLUTELY LOVE Ocean cruises.
This is such a helpful video, I want to do a river cruise to see the Christmas markets and I never thought about the water levels. I appreciate your insight
A very informative video which confirms many of the concerns I had about river cruises. We will definitely stick to the ocean cruises on the big ships.
So glad you mentioned the "myth" of "all-inclusive". Tere are so many different interpretations of the term it is largely meaningless. As you said, read the small print and find out what you are getting and equally what you are not.
Very good points Gary! I would like to take at least one river cruise, these points will help me decide and carefully consider my choices. I tend to enjoy ocean cruising as I like the freedom to do/not do what I like and the river levels and disruptions may be a bit of a turn off for me. Love your channel! 😊👍🏻
I suppose that one of the advantages of European river cruising is that you're always within coverage of your UK GHIC. Another: if you miss the boat's sailing you can probably catch up with it again, without too much drama.
I enjoyed my Viking river cruise very much but had one complaint. Usually I have no problem waiting for dinner, but on some occasions I would get a little hungry at say 2 or 3 in the afternoon and there was no access to food like on the big cruise ships.
We have done 3 Viking River Cruises, two of them had issues, one with low water levels in the Danube, we were bused to another boat beyond the issue to continue the trip, second time on the Dorno in Portugal itinerary disrupted due to planned lock closure...these things do happen folks....
I booked a river cruise for my husband & I but sadly my darling died January 2022. I have a friend coming with me. We leave from Regensburg this Saturday cruise to Budapest
I’m curious to know, since you’ve river cruised so much, if you’ve ever done any of the more budget-friendly river cruises to compare them to the more luxury river cruise experiences?
Thank you very much for addressing the mobility issue. I'm still on the fence about it. My mobility is increasing all the time. With a strong shoulder to lean on I could probably go from one ship to another. I can go downstairs. Upstairs is a little more challenging but it's getting better. My question now is, can somebody quantify how much walking there is? And how many opportunities would there be to sit down in between? I really want to do this. But I don't want to be a hindrance to anybody.
I agree with Ms Kreidler Physics. Even with a specific cruise line, it depends upon what is scheduled for a specific ship during a specific cruise. It also varies from port to port. For example, in Passau (beautiful town) on Uniworld, we've walked the town and it was a long walk over cobblestones, but at a very comfortable pace. We've also twice walked across the bridge and up to the fortress, and that was a good climb. So you can ignore the planned excursion and go out on our own. BUT, ya better be back by the time the boat leaves. Additionally, you miss the info that the excursion guide gives out. So, the bottom line is - it depends. Something you didn't ask: the pace depends upon the individual guides. Finally, opportunities to sit down do sometimes occur, but are not that often. Wish I could give you a better answer. :-} So, repeating myself, I agree with Ms Kreidler Physics.
Gary didn't mention that some river cruise ships (APT, Scenic, Riviera) have a lower sun deck half a deck down, and others (Viking, Amadeus) do not with all the decks on one level. I prefer the lower sun deck design of ship, each staircase in the atrium is only half a flight long (good for people with mobility issues) and the lower sun deck stays open even when sailing under low bridges (though the crew ensure you stay sat down). This matters much more on the Main and Danube than it does on the Rhine for example
This is why I love motorhoming. I have been doing the Romantic Toad in Germany which is a route with many medieval towns. Rothenburg ob de Tauber being my favourite. That's why I can't ever see me doing a river cruise. I could do that same journey and more for 14 nights for £2000 or less including Eurotunnel,.fuel, park ups and food. We would see vastly more.an the flexibility to he where we want to be when we want to be.
We just did our grand European river cruise by Viking in mid July. It was the most wonderful vacation I’ve had. The excursions and the food were superb. We did have to switch boats seven days in for the final seven days but that was not a real big deal. They worked really hard for us to stay on the boat as long as possible until it just wasn’t feasible anymore. I loved cruising at night and watching the world go by. The upper deck was a fantastic way to view the scenery and the castles as we went by. We really had fun. We are in our 50s so we were on the younger side but that really wasn’t a big deal. I have heard the water levels will continue to be low for a while so River Cruising will have to change with the times I guess. But I would recommend Viking to anyone who wants to take or try a river cruise. The service was exemplary.
My husband and I did the Grand European in our early 50's in 2018. We also had to change boats twice, but it wasn't a big deal. For some of the older passengers, Viking even packed and unpacked for them. Definitely check water levels before your cruise. Right now, France is good, but the Rhine and Danube are both really low.
Thank you so much!! I have always wanted to take a river cruise, but I am now considering not doing one. For the cost, I would expect the food to be exceptional, but it sounds like I'd be going to a school cafeteria. No room service is a hard one too. And I have to be worried about water levels. Great information.
My wife and I took a Viking cruise on the Elbe (Prague to Potsdam) in 2015 when there were extremely low water levels. We spent half the cruise on a ship docked in Dresden, and the other half on an identical sister ship docked further up the river. Each day we did bus tours (with packed lunches) to numerous sites of interest, and returned to the ship for dinner, evening programs, and breakfast the next day. We actually enjoyed the daily itineraries, and the bus took us to many more locations than a cruising ship could have. Halfway through the trip we packed up and moved to the sister ship. For the inconvenience of not cruising we were given a $1000usd credit per person to use on any Viking cruise booked within 12 months. So, we booked a lovely 2016 early December Viking cruise on the Danube (Budapest to Passau) in order to see the Christmas markets. We enjoyed both of these cruises immensely. Combined cost of these two cruises per person was less than $3000usd. We used frequent flyer miles to pay for our airfares.
I just took a river cruise in America the Mississippi river cruise the American Queen steamboat the big one.... I really enjoyed it I chose it because of it's size it had lots of public spaces on the ship to go to.... The only thing I didn't like about it it was 7 days way too short....I like longer cruises 10 days or longer....I probably will never take a European river cruise but maybe one of those barge canal cruises I saw one that actually had a small swimming pool on it... It held about 10 people with a crew of about 4....
Simply put, river cruising is not ocean cruising, so to compare the two disengenuous. Ocean cruising is an experience. River cruising is essentially a mobile hotel that you leave in the morning and pick up at night. Obviously, there are exceptions, but if you have that mind set, you’ll do ok.
Gold-plated cattle-herding! Not my scene I'm afraid. Thanks for heading me off at the pass. Looking at the prices, one could do a tour of some of those locations, staying in top class hotels, eating in very good restaurants and travelling by first class rail for less. I know it's not really a fair comparison, but that would be my preference.
Disagree -- comparing Ports and Excursions, there are BIG DIFFERENCES and these include actual sites of mooring. AND, some "stops" with one lines are more "shopping oriented" rather than the ability to see and visit historical sites or sites where you can participate in activities and interests. THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE among River Cruise Lines.
My husband and I did our first Viking River cruise at 53 years old. We were definitely young, maybe one or two other couples were younger... but we still enjoyed the cruise and made a lot of new friends. We are taking our children and their significant others on France's Finest this fall. We've warned them that at 30 and 31 they will be very young, but they're excited and think it's going to be awesome.
We did the Viking Grand European in July-August 2 yrs ago and loved it. However, river levels required some changes. Our ship could only go so far upriver because of low water. We were then bussed upstream to a sister ship. Once we reached the Rhine it was closed to all ship traffic so the last 3 days of our journey were via motor coach. Viking took great care of us, handled all our baggage transfers, booked us into excellent hotels, paid for everything and sent us a partial refund afterwards and even refunded part of the prepaid gratuities. We felt bad for those on cruises set to depart after us as both the Rhine and Danube had been closed to ship traffic. A couple of experienced travelers on our boat did not receive their luggage until the last day of the 15-day excursion. It was the airlines’ fault, not Vikings.
We cruised down the Danube for Christmas. It was an eye opener in terms of what we were use to . Especially when we had to board a bus to meet our ship 3 hrs away from original site due to water levels. To be honest the ship is a bit boring (for us) Dinner is always with others and at the same time every night. If you don't get there in time you may be sitting in a not so great place.Or with someone you may not want to.The food was very good though . Piano players and a few local singers were good . But don't expect great entertainment. What we loved was the excursions . The cities were beautiful and interesting and historical!! The Christmas markets were festive and fun! The guides were informative and interesting. We enjoyed the views from the top of the ships. (although some pass the good things at night so you may miss out.) It was cold but we bundled up. It is a nice way of seeing multiple countries in one trip. But it is expensive and limited.
All great Tips Gary , But the Wife & I enjoy a less structured Cruise ....Where We can come & go as We Please , But it could be in Our future ....And , Cruise ON !!!
We went on a 20 day uniworld Danube cruise this summer. The dinner time really bothered us. Dinner at 7, but if you don't want a soup or appetizer, you can't get main course until 8! I was miserable and didn't want to sit around. A few nights we ate in out room and they accommodated us some by pre-ordering and got our meals at 7:30. Ended up being more of an issue that we thought it would be. The locks were amazing! Unfortunately the last full day we had to stay inside because of low bridges.
Also, regarding mobility, many, if not most, European restaurants and cafés have their restrooms in the basement or on an upper level with only stairs to reach them. Accessibility is unfortunately not a priority in Europe, especially in older buildings and even some train stations.
I can't BELIEVE they are usually sold out well in advance. There are loads of companies offering the same routes on Mosel & Rhine, with LOADS of boats. I can't believe there are still more demand than supply... really?
IMO, no need to pay several months in advance. River cruise is overpriced, over hype. Median age > 60. If you started to travel at 20, by the time you are 60, still physically fit, you don't want river cruise.
I’m a travel advisor that specializes in luxury and accessibility travel. My recommendation for all sorts of disabilities would most likely be AmaWaterways. I attended a luxury forum this past week and they were the one that impressed me the most in terms of river cruising! They have rooms that accommodate physical disabilities as well as for people who are visually-impaired or hearing-impaired. Their representative was the only one that seemed like they truly knew their stuff. They even have specific specs of different rooms and ships listed just to double check if it’ll be doable for a potential passenger. Uuugh so happy with them! I probably recommend Viking the least. They tend to try to shove as many people as possible in their ships so their rooms tend to be more cramped. My mentor advises against Viking (specifically their River cruises) because her clients have been screwed over too many times for various reasons. She’ll book them when asked, but she’ll warn her clients first and she doesn’t advertise them.
Accessible cabins are all well and good, but they cannot work around the other accessibility challenges. River levels can lead to steeply sloping gangways. Some docks have stairs from the bank to the road or path; the choice of which dock is not always up to the cruise line, as it might be allocated by the local port authority. Rafting of ships can mean you have to get to the bank via another ship's sundeck. Cobbles can be challenging for many types of mobility impairment. Getting on a coach can be impossible for some mobility-impaired people. I am a mobility-impaired person who has travelled six times with Viking on the European rivers. I would place my impairment at about the limit of what is truly viable if you want to participate in most of the programme. I can manage some stairs if I can take my time, I can manage an 'up and over' when rafted, I can manage to get distances with a folding powerchair, I can struggle on and off a coach and I can manage an unadapted bathroom at a struggle. Even then, I have to be flexible and be prepared to drop out of some elements - I still win, because the choice is between that and not travelling to those places at all. For anyone more impaired than me, it might be that river cruising is not for them unless they are prepared to stay on the ship at least some of the time. An accessible cabin would only solve the bathroom issues.
Have you ever taken an American river cruise? I'm interested in one that goes down the Snake River in Idaho through to the Columbia and out to the Pacific Ocean. I haven't seen any reviews about American cruises and I'm curious. The European cruises sound wonderful except for the limited mobility options. Happy Sailing!
We went on our first river cruise last June on the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel on Avalon Waterways. We will never go on an ocean cruise again. The rooms on Avalon are full width so your room is your balcony giving your cabin far more square footage than a room with an exterior balcony. I was concerned about the complimentary shore excursions but they were first-rate with seasoned and professional tour guides. We wanted to go to a Christmas Store in every port so the crew and guides show me where to go. This Christmas, our tree will have only ornaments from the places that we have been. We have already booked a Danube cruise on Avalon for June, 2023.
You know, one type of cruising that you might want to consider is some of the US Riverboat ones...or what a friend is going on with an Amazon cruise next week.
My brother went on an Amazon river cruise. The boat literally sank beneath them at 2 am in the morning. He lost everything but his passport that he grabbed on the way into the lifeboat. Be warned.
If you're pying 4,000 bucks for a 7 day river cruise, you ain't shopping. a couple hundred dollars a night per person is not difficult to find, particularly if you are flexible on when you cruise.
We've been on 31 cruises but only 1 river cruise on Viking. My biggest problem is the excursions. The cruise lines apparently think that the cruise you're currently on is the only one you'll do in your lifetime so they want to show everything they can. Except I don't want to look a church after church, museum after museum, etc. I want to do things, not look at them. Our Viking cruise was in Germany through the Christmas Markets. We specifically picked that one because we knew we would enjoy those. But a typical day had us herded off the boat by 7:30, onto a bus, travel a long way to see a nice town & market, a decent lunch, tour, etc. and we usually gat back to the boat late making dinner very late & we'd be starving & exhausted. Not again. I would jump at a river cruise that allowed to pay for specific tours that you actually wanted. We went on a Greek Island cruise with NCL & never bought any tours, Instead we wandered around each town, drinking, eating, shopping and chatting with the locals. Sure we missed all of the ancient sites but guess what, those are essentially just a pile of rocks. I love antiquities but I can learn way more from a RUclips video or a Netflix or Prime documentary that I would ever learn from a local guide. It becomes a round-robin argument: I want to do a river cruise but I don't want the high cost of the added tours. Yes, I don't have to go on the tours but I had to pay for them, so therefore, I'm not willing to spend my money on a river cruise. I'll spend my money on trips that are way more fun for me. (Try chartering a sailing cat with captain & crew out of Tahiti. Now that was something!)
Water level issues need to be discussed more often! I love river cruising and as a travel agent I find it mind blowing that people have no idea there can be an issue.
We just completed our fifth Viking river cruise in May, Capitals of Eastern Europe. 17 days. We flew into Vienna, flew home from Bucharest. Our stops included Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Novi Sad, Belgrade, Vratsa, Sofia, Pleven, Constanta, and Bucharest. As before, service was outstanding, food was excellent, and our excursions were very good. We opted for the overnight excursion to Sofia, and it was worth every penny. We are in our 70s, but we kept up just fine with the many long walks.
Very realistic portrayal of river cruising. I do both ocean and river cruises. People often overlook the accessibility issues, especially if they've never been to Europe. Looking forward to my upcoming Christmas cruise thru The Netherlands and Belgium on Tauck. I'm an almost 70 year old female who enjoys solo travel. Cruising to me is the best of both worlds - I can be with others if I want but also have private alone time.
So contribute some of your hard earned cash to environmental causes so that future generations can enjoy this the same way you do,.
@@paulkoza8652Who says you can’t do both? I notice you replied to the first two comments with the same enviroshaming. Perhaps your time would be better spent picking up trash on a roadway near you?
@@skeller61 An egotistical response.
@@paulkoza8652Ironic as your entire unprompted approach here wreaks of arrogance. I guarantee I do significantly more than you to fight both climate change and the horrific destruction of our wider environment.
Susan and I are dedicated to Viking. They treat us well and tend to compensate us for low or high water levels.. We also tend to arrive at a start point a week before departure and spend time in a city. We usually commit to 2 months at the end of a cruise in a city of our choice and find ways to visit other cities. We are infatuated with Budapest and central/Eastern Europe. We are "Church and Castle tourists looking for museums, history and architecture. We are considering a year in Budapest in 2024. We are in our 70's and need to make the most of our remaining time
We feel the same way.
How do you deal with the 30-day limit of the post office holding mail? Once I moved away from the house where I was living with my brother (who rarely traveled and could bring in my mail), I haven’t been able to leave home for more than 30 days straight.
Can you offer some “off the beaten path” sites for first time visitors to Budapest? We cruise the Danube with Viking in June. Thanks!
@@sjurg192 I District 8, there is the National Cemetery. You will find monumental sculpture from the Hapsburgs through the Soviet occupation. The recently re opened Museum of fine Art at Hero square is wonderful and has mostly English speaking attendants some of whom have returned.
from exile in the Bronx. The collection and the quality if curation is at least equal to if not better than the Met in NYC. There is so much in the city that Susan and I spent 3 months there, constantly walking the streets and on our last day, still found things we ad never seen before
@@artfrontgalleries1818 Thank you!
River cruises really do please me in an educational way. I’ve got a masters of art in history and one of these cruises actually helped me pick a dissertation topic and on another I got to represent the Royal British Legion in laying a wreath at the Menin Gate on 11/11/2018. I actually thought I’d be too young to enjoy them but no. The daily excursions wore me out so all I wanted to do when we got back was to chill out, have dinner and go to bed.
you are a bright girl and will go far
Gary, as always very good points. On my most recent Viking River cruise, we had been to one of the ports before, so instead of the included tour we took a bicycle tour. We had a great time, and it was a wonderful way to see an old port with new eyes.
Bruce you are so right. I did the Danube a couple of times taking a different excursion and exploring the same port in a different way was really nice.
Been on two river cruises this summer, sole occupancy of superior cabins, booked late and paid circa £800 including flights and transfers. That was for all-inclusive as well.
Which lines, Daniel?
Last one was on the Tui Isla from Frankfurt flyong out of Heathrow: Tui have a link to "solo travelers" on their offers for river cruises. One couple on board had two sole occupancy cabins because the husband snores and the price was the same.
@@danielclitheroe1869 Thank you.
Love your videos, Gary! Very succinct & informative. We did a Viking Holland/Belgium river cruise in June. It had been postponed twice due to Covid, so much anticipated. I’d researched all things “river cruise” beforehand, so no big surprises. Your analysis is correct; generally older people (we’re active early 60’s), small cabins, limited dining etc. Expensive too. Except for a few rushed tours & one port that was unimpressive, we had a good time.
Great video and very accurate. What this type of cruising real appeal is to a first time traveller to Europe and wants a guided experience. We personally enjoyed our river cruise very much and it showed us want places that we really wanted to revisit again.
Completed 3 river cruises and will never go on an ocean cruise again. Planning our 4th for 2025. AMA is upfront with everything, no small print, no hidden information. Much better food than ocean cruises, better excursions, and small number of guests, and we have never seen anyone under the age of 50 as guests.
One tip I’d give is that July was VERY crowded in port, especially Vienna.
So was August, especially in the smaller towns.
If multiple ships dock at the same time, the tourist sites will be packed.
Sure wish we had seen this before we took our Danube cruise several years ago!🤣
Due to low water levels, it was essentially a bus tour. We missed every one of our chosen excursions. Every other warning point you made proved to be true in our case. There wasn’t much we liked about our experience, and we had never ocean cruised so had nothing to compare it to. Never again! However, we just finished an Alaskan cruise and loved it!
Ouch!
We picked June just to make sure there was neither too much or too little water. Our cruise was outstanding.
Climate change.
We went on our 1st Viking Cruise this year and absolutely loved it. I don't like crowds and the ocean cruises, for me, were much too crowded. The river cruise, with less passengers is perfect for me. Plus found it much easier to converse with others.
Same here.
Our friends went on a river cruise last summer and were very disappointed when the entire cruise had to be reworked due to water lever. Instead of cruising they were put on a bus and stayed in hotel rooms in each stop. They still had a fun time but they never even stepped foot on the boat.
This is going to be a reoccuring theme. River cruising with climate change is going to be a challenge. Gary is ignoring this point completely.
@@paulkoza8652 The water levels have been a problem for 20 years. This happened with my aunt when she used to go to Europe. So climate so no issue back then.
You have done an excellent job of highlighting he very big differences for River cruising. I’ve done both - and enjoyed both but you do need to be prepared for the changes.
Hi, Gary. Look forward to your video each week.
One thing I have not seen mentioned is limited access to the sun deck. I did the 2-week Grand European tour on Viking in 2018. For at least the first week we were not allowed access to the upper deck while we were under way because the railings were down. Probably a water-level issue to ease passage under bridges, but it was not discussed. Just, “Stay off sun deck!”
PS After two Covid-related cancellations (2021 & 2022), I am eagerly awaiting my first Saga ocean cruise experience next May.
This is a fair assessment. We just did our second Viking cruise, and we love it, but we are around 70, and like the structure. It is more expensive, so we can do one about once every three years. We also have very restrictive diets, and have found Viking to be extremely responsive in giving us exactly what we need.
Kevin, how much lead time did u give Viking about your restrictive dining?
@@GardenGuy52 When we made the reservation some months in advance (FAll 2021 for a ruise last June), I went to the MyViking web site, entered my reservation number, and then checked a box for "Diabetic diet". Then when I got on the ship I talked to the Maitre'd, and told him specifically what I needed. He listened, then assigned me to a specific server who knew just what we needed and made sure we got it every night. I really could not have asked for more. On a previous cruise in 2019, the Maitre'd would sit down with us at breakfast, go over the menu for dinner, and arrange substitutions as needed. Again, perfect service. We are happy enough to have just started preparations for another cruise with them in a few years time.
I wonder if a 70+ could handle a Viking River cruise if they ambulate very slowly with a cane?
@@lynnebattaglia-triggs1042 I don't think that is a happy combination. Most of the Viking excursions are based on walking, in my experience. I have only done 2 cruises with them, but it was consistent on both (Rhine and Danube).
Well, at least you weren't put on a cattle car to Auschwitz. Stop complaining.
Very good comments and observations about river cruising. We did an Avalon Waterway land and cruise tour from Prague to Budapest. It was one of our most favorite cruises. My husband and I like the in-depth culture experiences. We had the best activity Director, and the food and wine was local and wonderful. You get to meet more people on a smaller cruise. We booked the low deck room because we we out and about, viewing from the deck or lounge. Love Avalon Waterway.
Same here. Great company. The biking excursions are great
I used ur channel for my first ocean Cruise in 2019 and it was absolutely AMAZING !!! so thank you 😊. Iam now contemplating my first river cruise and your the first channel I seek for advice .
Excellent review.
My wife and I have never been on a river cruise but we have sailed with NCL, around Europe, and Viking, around the Caribbean, via New York.
We have also been on a Sail Croatia holiday. We booked the best cabin on the boat but when the boats are tied up at night you can’t see anything from your window/balcony. On the first morning I looked out of the window and saw and 48 people looking at me whilst they eat their breakfast 🤣😢🤣
Also at night the boats run their engines to generate electricity and to circulate cold air and water.
The diesel fumes and noise were appalling. We would not sail again with them for those reasons 😢
Good video. Personally we found river cruising less regimented and more relaxing than ocean. Small ships so docked in town and city centres facilitated informal walk on walk off in city centres when ever you felt like it. Less herded by disembarkation logistics in the crowded floating tower block ocean ships.
Have you considered going on an American river cruise such as on the Mississippi or the Chesapeake Bay? Several years ago they used a river cruise ship as a temporary dormitory for St Mary's College (in St Mary's County Maryland) because they were treating mold issues in the dormitories. The college is on the banks of a river.
I’ve been on one river cruise. It became a bus tour, moving us to a different Viking boat when the river wasn’t deep enough. We also got bused to our last port, Amsterdam via Rotterdam. Which is a fascinating place to visit. But I’d rather we’d been able to stay on the first boat. The food was better than the others.
This is what puts me off river cruises. I want to be on the water; not on a bus!
Life is tough!
Your video, Gary, was right on the money. We took our first river cruise in September 2022 on Viking from Budapest to Amsterdam, and despite the low water levels causing us to abandon one ship in Passau and join another in Nuremberg, we had a fabulous time. One of the advantages of Viking compared to some of the other lines, is that because they have so many ships, we were able to embark on an identical ship and have the identical cabin. In fact the passengers on the ship moored next to us in Passau had to go home from there because their line did not have another ship in Nuremberg. All the things you said in your video are accurate, but with the right mindset, a river cruise is a hugely enjoyable experience.
When we planned our river cruises with Viking, we asked about water levels and when were the best time to visit Kukenhof Gardens near Amsterdam. We had no problems with water levels and had a spectacular time. Planning, research, and the advice of experts like Gary here are the keys.
Thanks for this important information. The points about an excursion-based approach and impact of water levels are so important and easily overlooked by those used to ocean cruising. I imagine if we saw data about the extent of itinerary changes due to low water levels for the very hot summer 2022, we' d be shocked. Ocean cruises sometimes change routes to avoid bad weather or port issues, but this rarely seems so significant in my view, as the whole ocean cruise experience is less constrained.
Loving your infovids and looking forward to my Rhine River cruise with Avalon coming up in August this year. I chose Avalon over the other popular cruise lines simply because I travel solo and Viking for instance charge a full double fare, where Avalon discount with a singles supplement making this more attractive for me. Plus the fare includes wine and beer with meals, gratuities, guided tours at every port, the use of bicycles and much more to attract me.
Gary one small thing for future videos, you mentioned prices in dollars! You didn’t say whether you meant AUD, US$ or another $ currency. Coming from Australia it’s often a struggle when narrators use narrative which is irrelevant to us especially in the southern hemisphere. Dates are another issue, 1/8 v 8/1, it’s so much easier if we got used to using letters for the month.
I love giving positive feedback, so please forgive me this small transgression.
Thank you for that. You made it perfect, mentioning almost everything that I hate about a river cruise.
Many thanks for the wonderful video. My wife and I have been looking at the possibility of river cruising, but after watching your video we have decided that it is the very last thing we would like to do. Thank you for enlightening us. We will stick to ocean cruising.
Thanks for watching and your support, as always! River cruises are not for everyone and great this helped....
We are the opposite. prefer River cruising to ocean cruising
Thanks for the candid look at river cruising Gary!! We just returned from a late July/early August Danube River Cruise with Avalon beginning in Budapest and heading upriver. On the first night, we were told that the ship could not make it to our final port of Passau due to low water upstream. Passengers were offered the option to leave and be reimbursed for the unused days. Nobody left. Avalon then included another stop in Bratislava and set up tours at the spur of the moment which was very nice. We ended the river portion in Regensberg and were then bused to Prague for the conclusion of our cruise/land tour. We chose Avalon based on your videos. The cabin with the big sliding door and no real balcony was wonderful as it gave us extra living space in the cabin. The food was amazing. Our cruise director, Danielle, went above and beyond for all guests.
NOW, for the SNAFU!!! We booked on an airfare promotion, which as we found out, took away all decision making on our flights from us and our travel agent and put them in complete control of Globus. It seemed like every month, we would get updates to our flights being changed. Our FINAL itinerary had us flying from DFW to Atlanta, then to Paris, then to Budapest. We noted that the allotted connection time in Atlanta was ONLY 50 minutes. I told my wife, if our plane is delayed leaving DFW, we won't make our overseas flight and even if we make it to Atlanta, there is NO WAY our luggage will get from our first flight to the overseas flight. I and our travel agent called Globus numerous times to try and get us on an earlier flight from DFW to Atlanta just to give the baggage a better chance of making the connection. We were continually told that there were contracts with the airlines that had to be followed. We even offered to pay for an earlier flight which was denied by Globus.
Well, we made all of our flights BUT in Budapest, we had no luggage. Since we were in Budapest several days, we were told it would be delivered to our hotel which never happened. The ship left and we headed upriver. I provided a docking location for Vienna and were told the bags would be delivered there. Never happened. We shopped in Budapest and Vienna for clothes, shoes and personal items which was fine. The ship washed our clothes free of charge which was also fine.
On the Saturday, while in Prague, before we were leaving to fly home, I got a call from the DFW airport that my wife's luggage was at the airport. I told them we would pick it up when we arrived on the following Monday. Then on Sunday, while in Prague, I got an email stating MY luggage was out for delivery to our home!!! Long story short, our luggage made it home before we did. HA!!! It apparently traveled from Dallas Fort Worth to Atlanta to Paris to Budapest back to Paris then to Detroit then to Atlanta then back to Dallas Fort Worth!!!
We have filed with the airline and are now waiting for some sort of reimbursement for the expenses we incurred to be clothed and clean while we spent 13 days in Europe with no luggage.
I will NEVER book travel again without the ability to be involved in the flight booking process. There was no semblance of Risk Management/Aversion taken by Globus. Who books a 50 minute layover for a connecting international flight? I certainly expected better service considering the cost of this trip.
This was very helpful, thanks for the warning. I would be so stressed about the flights it would make it hard to enjoy the trip. Well done.
We had similar experience. Viking changed our flight without even asking us if it would work. We paid extra to be on same flight with in laws. You guessed it they put us on separate flights on way home. We drove to the airport together! After much confusion we got on same flight a day later. Expected better viking!
I'm so glad I read your comment. I will be sure to book our own airfare. I can't imagine a 13 day trip with only the clothes on your back. My husband and I always travel carry-on only when we go abroad but being on a ship and not having to pack and unpack every few days I am considering bringing checked luggage.
My daughter had a similar snafu recently flying Lufthansa, where they changed her flight and gave her a 50 minute layover in Frankfurt Germany (flying to Budapest). Before she could even try to catch the flight, they told her she'd missed her connection and they rebooked her 5 hours later, arriving in Budapest at 10:30 at night instead of that morning, thus missing a day of vacation. The airlines are brutal these days. But what I wanted to say was you should buy an airtag for your luggage. This allowed her to notice that her luggage didn't move from where she checked it in. At the last moment, she showed it to the flight attendant who miraculously got her luggage loaded on the plane and it arrived with her. I should say she booked these flights herself. (You still don't have any control because flights are generally full.) It ended up taking her 36 hours to go from Boston to Budapest. At least she had her luggage.
I didn't read all of this, but anyone who thinks that river cruising in EU is the same as it was is kidding themselves. Climate change will kill the industry, and I'm not shedding any tears.
Very well put Gary. In fact, I was just talking about water levels in my video from last week. It definitely is the bane of existence for the river cruise lines. Thank you for this video.
My gosh we had no idea the cost of river curses! Informative, thank you Gary.
We live in Basle, Switzerland, and make every year five to six cruises in off season and pay between 90$ and 140$ (per person) for 3 to 4 day trips. (Mostly from Basle to Strasbourg.) We love it.
I just did an 8 day on the River Main (Mainz to Nuremberg) - with Riviera - there was 41 locks! The big advantage though was water levels - the Rhine was super low and boats were getting stuck (it was even in the BBC news in the UK) but the Main was absolutely fine - presumably thanks to the shear number of locks - also - there was far less traffic - over 8 days we didn’t have to Moore alongside another boat - not even once. I did have to pay early double for my cabin though - brutal pricing.
Very helpful analysis. I have thought about doing a river cruise, but for the price I think I will stick with ocean cruises for now.
Agree with you. We think same
Try an American Cruise lines trip on the Mississippi River! Viking now has a ship on the Mississippi but it's double sized and double the cost.
The American Melody is a lovely ship.
Thanks for the tips on this subject, Gary. Am considering a river cruise right now. Already running into many “sold out” dates in 2023!
yes, they are going to be really popular next year!!! Especially as water levels were so bad this year many people I assume cancelled and moved to next
Cheri, I agree with Gary, plus with all the remnants from the backlog of the pandemic cancellations, 2023 is filling up quickly. What time of the year were you looking to river cruise in 2023 Cheri?
I was lucky in July 2019 that water levels were perfect on the Danube from Budapest to Prague.
Thanks for sharing this information with us!
I am considering a river cruise and this gives me some things to consider.
It is customary to tip. Waiter, steward. 300 eur for two, 7 days is about norm, or 20-25 eur for waiter a day.
Thanks for the interesting points you have made, very helpful 👍
I love the idea of river cruises, but as a young adult solo traveller, it just doesn't make sense when you compare it to something like a Eurail pass.
These cruises are for old foggy baby boomers. You are better off on your own.
Here here! It’s only when you get ancient and arthritic that river cruising begins to look vaguely attractive. I’m used to boats and stairs don’t bother me at all. My problem is aimless standing around with nothing to occupy my mind. Mind you, I can no longer walk five miles in a day, so if the excursions are demanding, I’m out. But until I was 73, I wouldn’t step foot on a ship with more than twenty people on it. Even now, my limit is 200 people on a ship. Cruise ships give me the heebie jeebies.
To my recently-retired friends I have suggested river cruising while they are still physically fit. On an ocean cruise the emphasis is on activities on a handicapped-accessible ship. On a river cruise the tours are the primary focus, and many of the historic places that they would want to visit are not easily handicapped-accessible. I have also told them that the smaller the ship, the better. Small tour groups are more intimate and friendly, and they can visit places that cannot cope with mobs of people.
Agree- I like the canal cruises; around 20 people, so you get to know everyone.
Thank you for this video!!! I love all of your work!!! You just saved a HUGE fight between my wife and I.
Thankyou, for this honest and very informative topic. It is what I have been looking for. There are plenty of videos talking about each company, this is the first I have watched answering many queries I have had. Cheers
Loved the Rhine cruise we did in April. But did not love being left behind by the guide in Holland. Had to get a taxi to the next port.
Gary, your videos are consistently excellent, informative, and well produced! Great job! I watch them all.
Excellent presentation. Fair, honest and informative. Just took a Danube with Viking in August via a last minute flash sale at incredible savings with French balcony. Booked the Rhine with Viking for summer 2023.
Thank you! All of your points have made us realize river cruising is not for us.
We’ve always fancied a River Cruise. Thanks for these tips. We hadn’t even thought about water levels!! We loved all of your footage. Thanks for sharing 🍻
Thank you for sharing these helpful tips!!! I have two questions: 1) Is there a better time of year to book a Danube river cruise to try to avoid issues with high or low water levels? 2) Would you please consider posting a review of Gate1 and TUI river cruises? These seem to offer good value - but I don't see much information about them online. Thanks again - my wife and I have now taken about half of your ten best ocean cruises and have really enjoyed this experience much more because of all your helpful tips and suggestions. We are now starting to think about a river cruise on the Danube. Best Wishes!!!
Good summation!
Some e.g. Uniworld give a choice of excursion- two or even three options.
Noise- choose a cabin that is not too close to the lounge- you walk a bit further, but it is much quieter.
I spend little time in the cabin, so usually go for the cheap bottom level- everything is the same except the window view, and much cheaper; so you can take more trips!
Went on Emerald River cruise in Sept 2019 -
Amsterdam to Basel. It was wonderful😊
I really enjoy your videos on cruising - you haven’t scared me off cruises of any kind but just made my choice not to ever go on a cruise much easier! Your videos are very important for people to view so they have awareness of the great, good and maybe not so good items for any type,of cruising! Thanks!!!
Hi
Your pricing is a bit off for us who live in Australia we have a starting price from $5.995.00AUD per person then it goes up to $14.995.00 pp and above and that is for 90% of the cruise companies but some being even more expensive plus the price varies with the time of year you may wish to cruise and that can change by over a $1000 per more pp in the space of a couple of days
Look at Grand Circle Tours - they have great visits to local schools and meals with a local family in the morning or afternoon and usually three guides from three different countries who give really interesting port talks at night.
Very informative. I was thinking about a river cruise; this was enlightening.
NO THANK YOU...a possibility of it turning into a bus tour...that is a game ender for me...I have been on 35 ocean cruises...mostly with Oceania and Celebrity...ABSOLUTELY LOVE Ocean cruises.
This is such a helpful video, I want to do a river cruise to see the Christmas markets and I never thought about the water levels. I appreciate your insight
A very informative video which confirms many of the concerns I had about river cruises. We will definitely stick to the ocean cruises on the big ships.
So glad you mentioned the "myth" of "all-inclusive". Tere are so many different interpretations of the term it is largely meaningless. As you said, read the small print and find out what you are getting and equally what you are not.
Riving cruising looks like so much fun. Hope to go on one someday soon.
Very good points Gary! I would like to take at least one river cruise, these points will help me decide and carefully consider my choices. I tend to enjoy ocean cruising as I like the freedom to do/not do what I like and the river levels and disruptions may be a bit of a turn off for me. Love your channel! 😊👍🏻
I suppose that one of the advantages of European river cruising is that you're always within coverage of your UK GHIC. Another: if you miss the boat's sailing you can probably catch up with it again, without too much drama.
I enjoyed my Viking river cruise very much but had one complaint. Usually I have no problem waiting for dinner, but on some occasions I would get a little hungry at say 2 or 3 in the afternoon and there was no access to food like on the big cruise ships.
We have done 3 Viking River Cruises, two of them had issues, one with low water levels in the Danube, we were bused to another boat beyond the issue to continue the trip, second time on the Dorno in Portugal itinerary disrupted due to planned lock closure...these things do happen folks....
I booked a river cruise for my husband & I but sadly my darling died January 2022. I have a friend coming with me. We leave from Regensburg this Saturday cruise to Budapest
I’m curious to know, since you’ve river cruised so much, if you’ve ever done any of the more budget-friendly river cruises to compare them to the more luxury river cruise experiences?
I go on my first river cruise this November. I’m excited and interested to see what is different than ocean cruises.
I have done several ocean cruises, but wanted to do a Paris-Normandy-Paris river cruise. After pricing it out, I am doing a stay-cation lol
Thank you very much for addressing the mobility issue. I'm still on the fence about it. My mobility is increasing all the time. With a strong shoulder to lean on I could probably go from one ship to another. I can go downstairs. Upstairs is a little more challenging but it's getting better. My question now is, can somebody quantify how much walking there is? And how many opportunities would there be to sit down in between? I really want to do this. But I don't want to be a hindrance to anybody.
I think you can ask the cruises lines themselves.
I agree with Ms Kreidler Physics. Even with a specific cruise line, it depends upon what is scheduled for a specific ship during a specific cruise. It also varies from port to port. For example, in Passau (beautiful town) on Uniworld, we've walked the town and it was a long walk over cobblestones, but at a very comfortable pace. We've also twice walked across the bridge and up to the fortress, and that was a good climb. So you can ignore the planned excursion and go out on our own. BUT, ya better be back by the time the boat leaves. Additionally, you miss the info that the excursion guide gives out. So, the bottom line is - it depends.
Something you didn't ask: the pace depends upon the individual guides.
Finally, opportunities to sit down do sometimes occur, but are not that often. Wish I could give you a better answer. :-} So, repeating myself, I agree with Ms Kreidler Physics.
Gary didn't mention that some river cruise ships (APT, Scenic, Riviera) have a lower sun deck half a deck down, and others (Viking, Amadeus) do not with all the decks on one level. I prefer the lower sun deck design of ship, each staircase in the atrium is only half a flight long (good for people with mobility issues) and the lower sun deck stays open even when sailing under low bridges (though the crew ensure you stay sat down). This matters much more on the Main and Danube than it does on the Rhine for example
This is why I love motorhoming. I have been doing the Romantic Toad in Germany which is a route with many medieval towns. Rothenburg ob de Tauber being my favourite. That's why I can't ever see me doing a river cruise. I could do that same journey and more for 14 nights for £2000 or less including Eurotunnel,.fuel, park ups and food. We would see vastly more.an the flexibility to he where we want to be when we want to be.
This information is all I needed to ever know that I would never take one of these cruises. So for me the video is a great success.
Very well described. That was our experience exactly.
We just did our grand European river cruise by Viking in mid July. It was the most wonderful vacation I’ve had. The excursions and the food were superb. We did have to switch boats seven days in for the final seven days but that was not a real big deal. They worked really hard for us to stay on the boat as long as possible until it just wasn’t feasible anymore. I loved cruising at night and watching the world go by. The upper deck was a fantastic way to view the scenery and the castles as we went by. We really had fun. We are in our 50s so we were on the younger side but that really wasn’t a big deal. I have heard the water levels will continue to be low for a while so River Cruising will have to change with the times I guess. But I would recommend Viking to anyone who wants to take or try a river cruise. The service was exemplary.
My husband and I did the Grand European in our early 50's in 2018. We also had to change boats twice, but it wasn't a big deal. For some of the older passengers, Viking even packed and unpacked for them. Definitely check water levels before your cruise. Right now, France is good, but the Rhine and Danube are both really low.
Thank you so much!! I have always wanted to take a river cruise, but I am now considering not doing one. For the cost, I would expect the food to be exceptional, but it sounds like I'd be going to a school cafeteria. No room service is a hard one too. And I have to be worried about water levels. Great information.
I don't think he wanted to imply that the food is bad; just that there aren't multiple restaurants. The food on Viking River Cruises is excellent.
My wife and I took a Viking cruise on the Elbe (Prague to Potsdam) in 2015 when there were extremely low water levels. We spent half the cruise on a ship docked in Dresden, and the other half on an identical sister ship docked further up the river. Each day we did bus tours (with packed lunches) to numerous sites of interest, and returned to the ship for dinner, evening programs, and breakfast the next day. We actually enjoyed the daily itineraries, and the bus took us to many more locations than a cruising ship could have. Halfway through the trip we packed up and moved to the sister ship. For the inconvenience of not cruising we were given a $1000usd credit per person to use on any Viking cruise booked within 12 months. So, we booked a lovely 2016 early December Viking cruise on the Danube (Budapest to Passau) in order to see the Christmas markets. We enjoyed both of these cruises immensely. Combined cost of these two cruises per person was less than $3000usd. We used frequent flyer miles to pay for our airfares.
I just took a river cruise in America the Mississippi river cruise the American Queen steamboat the big one.... I really enjoyed it I chose it because of it's size it had lots of public spaces on the ship to go to.... The only thing I didn't like about it it was 7 days way too short....I like longer cruises 10 days or longer....I probably will never take a European river cruise but maybe one of those barge canal cruises I saw one that actually had a small swimming pool on it... It held about 10 people with a crew of about 4....
Simply put, river cruising is not ocean cruising, so to compare the two disengenuous. Ocean cruising is an experience. River cruising is essentially a mobile hotel that you leave in the morning and pick up at night. Obviously, there are exceptions, but if you have that mind set, you’ll do ok.
Gold-plated cattle-herding! Not my scene I'm afraid. Thanks for heading me off at the pass. Looking at the prices, one could do a tour of some of those locations, staying in top class hotels, eating in very good restaurants and travelling by first class rail for less. I know it's not really a fair comparison, but that would be my preference.
Not the point, you get a different point of view from the river than you would on land.
@@Tugela60 Seems a high price to pay, both financially and in freedom of movement, for that different point of view though.
Disagree -- comparing Ports and Excursions, there are BIG DIFFERENCES and these include actual sites of mooring. AND, some "stops" with one lines are more "shopping oriented" rather than the ability to see and visit historical sites or sites where you can participate in activities and interests. THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE among River Cruise Lines.
I just got off a Viking cruise on the Rhine. At 60-years-old, I was too young for the cruise.
My husband and I did our first Viking River cruise at 53 years old. We were definitely young, maybe one or two other couples were younger... but we still enjoyed the cruise and made a lot of new friends. We are taking our children and their significant others on France's Finest this fall. We've warned them that at 30 and 31 they will be very young, but they're excited and think it's going to be awesome.
Tauck River cruising is sublime.
Thank you for this insight, Gary. You always have balanced views.
Very welcome. Thanks for watching
You made a very interesting video. Thank you for uploading.
We did the Viking Grand European in July-August 2 yrs ago and loved it. However, river levels required some changes. Our ship could only go so far upriver because of low water. We were then bussed upstream to a sister ship. Once we reached the Rhine it was closed to all ship traffic so the last 3 days of our journey were via motor coach. Viking took great care of us, handled all our baggage transfers, booked us into excellent hotels, paid for everything and sent us a partial refund afterwards and even refunded part of the prepaid gratuities. We felt bad for those on cruises set to depart after us as both the Rhine and Danube had been closed to ship traffic.
A couple of experienced travelers on our boat did not receive their luggage until the last day of the 15-day excursion. It was the airlines’ fault, not Vikings.
We cruised down the Danube for Christmas. It was an eye opener in terms of what we were use to . Especially when we had to board a bus to meet our ship 3 hrs away from original site due to water levels. To be honest the ship is a bit boring (for us) Dinner is always with others and at the same time every night. If you don't get there in time you may be sitting in a not so great place.Or with someone you may not want to.The food was very good though . Piano players and a few local singers were good . But don't expect great entertainment. What we loved was the excursions . The cities were beautiful and interesting and historical!! The Christmas markets were festive and fun! The guides were informative and interesting. We enjoyed the views from the top of the ships. (although some pass the good things at night so you may miss out.) It was cold but we bundled up. It is a nice way of seeing multiple countries in one trip. But it is expensive and limited.
Some of really do prefer river cruises to the huge ocean going ones
All great Tips Gary , But the Wife & I enjoy a less structured
Cruise ....Where We can come & go as We Please , But it
could be in Our future ....And ,
Cruise ON !!!
Thanks, a very well presented video and very useful. For me, this information is enough to know that river cruising is not for me at all.
We went on a 20 day uniworld Danube cruise this summer. The dinner time really bothered us. Dinner at 7, but if you don't want a soup or appetizer, you can't get main course until 8! I was miserable and didn't want to sit around. A few nights we ate in out room and they accommodated us some by pre-ordering and got our meals at 7:30. Ended up being more of an issue that we thought it would be. The locks were amazing! Unfortunately the last full day we had to stay inside because of low bridges.
Also, regarding mobility, many, if not most, European restaurants and cafés have their restrooms in the basement or on an upper level with only stairs to reach them. Accessibility is unfortunately not a priority in Europe, especially in older buildings and even some train stations.
I can't BELIEVE they are usually sold out well in advance. There are loads of companies offering the same routes on Mosel & Rhine, with LOADS of boats. I can't believe there are still more demand than supply... really?
IMO, no need to pay several months in advance. River cruise is overpriced, over hype. Median age > 60. If you started to travel at 20, by the time you are 60, still physically fit, you don't want river cruise.
I’m a travel advisor that specializes in luxury and accessibility travel. My recommendation for all sorts of disabilities would most likely be AmaWaterways. I attended a luxury forum this past week and they were the one that impressed me the most in terms of river cruising! They have rooms that accommodate physical disabilities as well as for people who are visually-impaired or hearing-impaired. Their representative was the only one that seemed like they truly knew their stuff. They even have specific specs of different rooms and ships listed just to double check if it’ll be doable for a potential passenger. Uuugh so happy with them!
I probably recommend Viking the least. They tend to try to shove as many people as possible in their ships so their rooms tend to be more cramped. My mentor advises against Viking (specifically their River cruises) because her clients have been screwed over too many times for various reasons. She’ll book them when asked, but she’ll warn her clients first and she doesn’t advertise them.
Accessible cabins are all well and good, but they cannot work around the other accessibility challenges. River levels can lead to steeply sloping gangways. Some docks have stairs from the bank to the road or path; the choice of which dock is not always up to the cruise line, as it might be allocated by the local port authority. Rafting of ships can mean you have to get to the bank via another ship's sundeck. Cobbles can be challenging for many types of mobility impairment. Getting on a coach can be impossible for some mobility-impaired people.
I am a mobility-impaired person who has travelled six times with Viking on the European rivers. I would place my impairment at about the limit of what is truly viable if you want to participate in most of the programme. I can manage some stairs if I can take my time, I can manage an 'up and over' when rafted, I can manage to get distances with a folding powerchair, I can struggle on and off a coach and I can manage an unadapted bathroom at a struggle. Even then, I have to be flexible and be prepared to drop out of some elements - I still win, because the choice is between that and not travelling to those places at all. For anyone more impaired than me, it might be that river cruising is not for them unless they are prepared to stay on the ship at least some of the time. An accessible cabin would only solve the bathroom issues.
Have you ever taken an American river cruise? I'm interested in one that goes down the Snake River in Idaho through to the Columbia and out to the Pacific Ocean. I haven't seen any reviews about American cruises and I'm curious. The European cruises sound wonderful except for the limited mobility options. Happy Sailing!
We went on our first river cruise last June on the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel on Avalon Waterways. We will never go on an ocean cruise again. The rooms on Avalon are full width so your room is your balcony giving your cabin far more square footage than a room with an exterior balcony. I was concerned about the complimentary shore excursions but they were first-rate with seasoned and professional tour guides. We wanted to go to a Christmas Store in every port so the crew and guides show me where to go. This Christmas, our tree will have only ornaments from the places that we have been. We have already booked a Danube cruise on Avalon for June, 2023.
That is so informative. Really helps me decide...
You know, one type of cruising that you might want to consider is some of the US Riverboat ones...or what a friend is going on with an Amazon cruise next week.
My brother went on an Amazon river cruise. The boat literally sank beneath them at 2 am in the morning. He lost everything but his passport that he grabbed on the way into the lifeboat. Be warned.
If you're pying 4,000 bucks for a 7 day river cruise, you ain't shopping. a couple hundred dollars a night per person is not difficult to find, particularly if you are flexible on when you cruise.
We've been on 31 cruises but only 1 river cruise on Viking. My biggest problem is the excursions. The cruise lines apparently think that the cruise you're currently on is the only one you'll do in your lifetime so they want to show everything they can. Except I don't want to look a church after church, museum after museum, etc. I want to do things, not look at them. Our Viking cruise was in Germany through the Christmas Markets. We specifically picked that one because we knew we would enjoy those. But a typical day had us herded off the boat by 7:30, onto a bus, travel a long way to see a nice town & market, a decent lunch, tour, etc. and we usually gat back to the boat late making dinner very late & we'd be starving & exhausted. Not again. I would jump at a river cruise that allowed to pay for specific tours that you actually wanted. We went on a Greek Island cruise with NCL & never bought any tours, Instead we wandered around each town, drinking, eating, shopping and chatting with the locals. Sure we missed all of the ancient sites but guess what, those are essentially just a pile of rocks. I love antiquities but I can learn way more from a RUclips video or a Netflix or Prime documentary that I would ever learn from a local guide.
It becomes a round-robin argument: I want to do a river cruise but I don't want the high cost of the added tours. Yes, I don't have to go on the tours but I had to pay for them, so therefore, I'm not willing to spend my money on a river cruise. I'll spend my money on trips that are way more fun for me. (Try chartering a sailing cat with captain & crew out of Tahiti. Now that was something!)