Best River Cruise in France

Have you had a look at Cruise Critic.com? They have an entire forum devoted to River cruising. You might get some good, informed opinions as well as reviews there.

Yes and I could not get UniWorld to come up on search. Just Viking (not good) and AMA, only 5.

If you visit the Cruise Critic website, you will find much information. It's a pile of money for three people over a week, but certainly popular. Many of our elder friends love river cruises in Europe...younger friends give us an "It's OK" response.

See also Costco Travel...Uniworld's version of that trip is there at $4,699 per person plus taxes and fees of $160. Yikes.

Since you are new to River cruising, perhaps start here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2233868

As in most cruises, there is no BEST. There is only a BEST FOR YOU, since everyone's expectations and priorities are different.

Personally I'd never use AAA to book a cruise. Your group, since you are so inexperienced, need a travel agent who specializes in cruises. This is NOT something that you should attempt on your own, until you've got a few in your rear view mirror.

My wife and I did a Budapest to Nuremburg river cruise on Avalon Waterways in 2014, and they are definitely worth a look. Most cruise lines make the same stops along a given river, with some variation. We saw other lines' ships in port beside us many days, even had to walk through one a couple of times to reach ours which was moored alongside.

Hi Imarkham, I would not use AAA as a travel agent to book a river cruise. A friend of mine is doing just that and the person she's dealing with has her totally confused. The travel agent has never been on a cruise and (I'm guessing) has never traveled to Europe. The agent had them booked in hotels (pre/post) cruise that are miles outside the central city (Paris, Amsterdam) and put them on flights with 4 stops each way. Not saying that all AAA travel agents are bad, but this case and my experience booking a AAA Disney vacation 5 years ago, hasn't given me a lot of confidence in them.

My advice would be to go online and look at the websites for Viking, AMA, and UniWorld. Get on their mailing lists. Review the brochures side by side and pick the one that best suits your needs. Book directly with the cruise line. Some offer deals on airfare, your call if this works for you. Cruise dates sell out quickly so make your reservations soon.

I did my first Viking river cruise Oct 2017 (Basel to Amsterdam) and would recommend it. We are 60 and 70 and very active. I was concerned that it would be too slow moving for us but we were pleasantly surprised. The ship was great, 190 people made it not too crowded. The food was exceptionally good. We had a veranda (small balcony with 2 chairs and a little table) which was very nice. The folks in the standard cabins were miserable. The included excursions were fine, basically a 2 hour overview. In addition, we took 3 of the optional excursions and they provided a greater level of detail that we liked. On two days (Strasbourg and Cologne) we didn't go back to the ship for lunch. We enjoyed walking around and lunch on our own in town. It was very nice. We are signed up for a Viking Ocean cruise for 2018.

My husband and I traveled from Amsterdam to Belgium on AMA a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. The ship was nice, the food was great, and the staff was friendly. We frequently docked next to Viking ships and were at the same sites their groups visited. My brother and his wife just did a cruise of the Danube on Viking and enjoyed it. I don't know about the other cruise lines but I would go with either of these companies. I'd check the cost, itinerary and dates and go with whichever looks best.

We love River Cruising- been on 12 (returning again in Dec for another Xmas Market River Cruise which have become our favorites & are the most affordable) & we do sometimes use AAA to book, they know the differences between the lines very well & they know the specials & they TAKE CARE OF US. We are 50 & 51 years old. When River Cruising, be sure you are comparing Apples to Apples - as there are LOTS of differences. Viking is the most popular, because they advertise the most- that DOES NOT make them the best. They are also considered 3 stars. You are still on a River Cruise in Europe & can not go wrong, but once you go on a 4-5 star cruise, you will have trouble booking Viking (we have done them 4 times, they are ok & good in their own way/price-point, but you will have extra expenses you don't know about yet- our last cruise with them was 9mo ago). Just know that Viking is NOT all inclusive, you will have to tip and the wines/beers aren't always included, nor are they REGIONAL to the area you are in. The guides & experience is good, but you will be bombarded with advertisements & brochures forever. AAA did a great price breakdown of Viking, Avalon, AMA, Tauck, Uniworld for us a few years ago- just be sure you compare the same things. Our favorite lines are Tauck & Uniworld (yes, we have been on them all), both 5 star, both all inclusive, unlimited TOP SHELF alcohol is included (HUGE), every night with your meals you are drinking the wines/beers from the area you just visited (HUGE). We noticed with Viking, it was mostly lower grade alcohols & not regional & not included (pay extra). Also, very important to us are the excursions- it's why we go to Europe- they are INCLUDED IN THE PRICE with Tauck & Uniworld- & they use LOCAL GUIDES- which makes a big difference. The breakfasts are the best ever! As are the dinners. We usually don't eat lunch, or grab something in town, but they provided shuttles all day back to the boat if you want to return. You also get great nightly gifts on your bed with Tauck from the area you visited & a local treat to eat while on the bus taking you into town. We LOVE those extra touches. At this point, we book based on Itinerary & price- we go with who is cheapest (Tauck or Uniworld for us at this point- Although we liked AMA a lot). Lately Uniworld has been cheaper, but we love Tauck just as much. The staff on the ships go above & beyond & your tips are all prepaid. We started with Avalon, then did AMA, Tauck, Viking, Uniworld. We may do Viking again one day (they have good deals sometimes- we've had issues with them booking our flights twice)-but we have found it's not that much cheaper by the time you add in everything else & our experiences on Tauck & Uniworld have been so much better. Plus, less people on those ships, not as crowded. Don't let Viking LONG ships suck you in, most of the ships are the same size, they have to meet river guidelines & they have to be a certain size to fit in the many LOCKES along the rivers you will go through. Go with what your budget allows, we don't go into debt when we travel. Just be sure you are comparing apples to apples- you'll be in Europe- you will LOVE whatever you choose. We also add a couple days PreCruise (repeat customers with Tauck get a free night most times at their 5 star hotel) & usually a week PostCruise on our own. The reason she thinks Viking is the best, is because they advertise the most - you don't see many Tauck or Uniworld commercials. Tauck & UniW rank the highest in magazines like TRAVEL & LEISURE. More people her age will be on Viking because of them advertizing so much. You will have a great time no matter what & we love our AAA agent- most of them know what they are talking about. If Viking is what you choose, you will enJOY it, but I encourage you to 1 day book with Uniworld or Tauck- their Xmas Market Cruises are most affordable & it is truly a trip of a lifetime. There is nothing like December in Europe. Have her look at AMA

China has a lot of experience. And makes some very good points.

We've been on 3 Europe river cruises all with AMA. We would have been on a 4th this spring, but it was entirely sold out. I have observed that AMA has a good range of people of ages 35+. In the summer, we also have seen a few 20 somethings. We did the Lyon to Arles with AMA last summer. It is very lovely and beautiful. AMA's tours are not all inclusive. The beer and wine are included during meals (including champaigne for breakfast. Our cruise was a wine cruise, so extra wine tasting were also included. But extra drinks will be charged. The aspect we like (50-60s) is the activity levels of the excursions; from Active, Average or Gentle. Also they include on some cruises bikes for a tour or you can use on your own. And the food is excellent! Tipping is not included in the price.
I agree with China. Look at your budget and be aware that the cruise price that they say is starting is for the room with probably just a small window on the first floor.

I would talk to a travel agent (ask friends who they have used) ALL Agents love to book these cruises. It is very simple for them and the company pays a very good commission.
Also be advised that all companies like to sell the extra day trips ahead or after the river portion. These have always been optional and in my opinion very costly per day per person. Before this trip you are thinking of doing we spend 5 nights in Paris and took the high speed train to Lyon (the same train that AMA passengers on the optional portion took) We had to grab our own cab from the train station to the ship. But that was easy. And then we wandered around Lyon and had a phenomenal meal (Lyon is well known for the great restaurants).
We have also noticed many mother and daughter combinations on these cruises. Even a 3 generation family as well as a very spirited group of 6 Canadian women in their 50's... So I would like to say that it is not an elder cruise, but a very easy way to travel in Europe. And very little stress!!! Hope you work this out.

Thanks chinalake for that analysis. We're going to follow the "apples to apples" next time we cruise, and it really is something to keep in mind and a good talking point when trying to get people to consider all options. Has anyone negotiated with cruise line/travel agents for more deals, I.e.free beverage packages?

We did the Viking 8-day when it started in Charon-sur-Soane and we were content with it. We arranged our own airfare and transfers and that worked out well. I still prefer the "pay up front" concept, primarily because it seemed more painful to be making payments at the end of vacation and making sure we had the cash to do it. Viking now encourages you to book and pay optional tours before the cruise. We did spend time practicing our French, only to find all the staff except the captain were from other countries. We still used it when on our own, but chuckled thinking we would use it on the ship. We really enjoyed the optional tours and those guides were always good. We still prefer RS tours, but enjoyed Viking enough to do another one this year.