My husband & I are planning on spending our 40th wedding anniversary in May 2012 in Europe traveling as we usually do in Rick's style. But we thought it would be nice to add a river cruise for this special occasion. Any ideas on best river(s) to cruise on, cruise line recommendation, etc would be greatly appreciated. We are thinking of a cruise for 10 to 12 days but are open to ideas. Thanks.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23269 posts
There was recommendation for a river cruise company on NBC's Today Show this past week that sounded very good. I made a note of it but cannot find the note. Maybe you can search that site. A river cruise is on our next trip list.
Posted by
Columbia, SC
989 posts
vikingrivercruises.com. I've done the 8 day Rhine Getaway(AMS-Basel) and the 9 day Danube-Xmas Markets(Nuremberg-Budapest) cruises. I was pleased with both and would recommend them. They do cruises in all the major rivers of Europe. (and China, Russia and Egypt) Mostly 3 deck river boats - barge style - usually 100 passengers or so. Viking fares include the daily excursions and all meals. Check out their website - there's a link there someplace to get a brochure and a DVD.
Posted by
Texan in CA
4407 posts
Avalon Cruises is another company to look at (AvalonWaterways.Com). I'd love to travel this way someday, but I'd have to add on several days 'on the ground', too...But someday...IF you've seen Burt Wolf on his TV 'cruise' shows, it's Avalon.
Posted by
Little Rock, AR, USA
111 posts
We're in the same boat, so to speak! Friends want us to join them for an anniversary river cruise this summer and have suggested Grand Circle Travel. The reviews are mostly fabulous, yet there are quite a few complaints from Google sites. Can anyone help?
Posted by
Bend, OR
576 posts
My mother and step father took 3 Grand Circle river cruises and absolutely loved everything about them. They both thought that they were a great value, also.
Posted by
Adelaide, SA, Australia
977 posts
We've decided to bite the bullet and get on a plane for 22 hours to do a river cruise next April/May. We are looking at Amsterdam to Basel, then doing some scenic train rides in Switzerland.
We are looking at Avalon, Scenic Tours and APT. Scenic Tours and APT have 'early bird' specials from Australia which include two free return air fares when booking selected cruises or partner flies free offers on selected tours. We are waiting to see what is on offer before we make a final decision.
Posted by
Reston, VA, USA
809 posts
My mother and I have done 2 Grand Circle river cruises in Europe - Vienna to Amsterdam, and Budapest to the Black Sea. Both were excellent; great guides, good food, good itineraries. We are thinking about the Rhine-Mosel trip one of these days... So I warmly recommend GCT.
Posted by
Orlando
166 posts
We have traveled on Viking River Cruise and Uniworld River Cruise. Both are excellent and all inclusive. Check our their websites for various itineraries. Which river would depend on your personal interests.
Posted by
OP
Langley, B.C., Canada
59 posts
Thanks to everyone for your responses - great information. We have started to check out the sites for the various companies suggested and now we have the difficult task of deciding on one. Our European travels have been in the southern (Med) areas other than Amsterdam and Vienna so the where we go to/from is not as critical as the services and accommodation offered and the cost. We like to spend 5 to 6 weeks in Europe so the other consideration is what areas we want to visit pre or post the cruise. Oh, so much to see and so little time !!! Thanks again and happy travels to all.
Bev
Posted by
Columbus, OH, USA
2026 posts
We just returned from a Caribbean cruise where we spent a while chatting with a travel writer for cruise publications and he spoke very highly of Tauck. No personal experience with any river cruises (yet).