European Riverboat Cruises

Do you have any ideas where you might be looking to start and end your cruise? Basel to Amsterdam, perhaps? I've only done a Viking River Cruise (Danube, from Budapest to Bucharest) so can't speak to any of the others. Handful of observations, though:

• While I had one of their Veranda Staterooms for the cruise (small balcony) I found it entirely unnecessary. A French Balcony Stateroom would have been just as nice in terms of being able to enjoy the passing scenery and letting fresh air in to the cabin. Even on a full boat, the public areas never felt crowded so even going with the most affordable stateroom option and enjoying things like the sun deck and other open spaces might even be worthwhile. Truthfully, the boat tends to spend most days docked in a city or town and then travel at night anyways, and depending on the itinerary the actual distance from one destination to the next may not even be too great.

• Shop around. The cruise companies always have deals. While I was looking at options, I kept seeing Viking offering 2-for-1 deals ("Book 2 passengers for the price of 1!"), and the website always said the deal expired at the end of the month. By the time the next month rolled around, though, the site would advertise the same deal expiring until the end of that new month. So shop around, but don't feel too pressured by limited time deals. You can likely find multiple deals of comparable value at any given time (2-for-1, included airfare, free beverage package, free or discounted pre/post cruise add-ons, etc).

• Unlike many ocean cruises, the river ones often include excursions as part of the cruise fare. You'll have one main, included excursion option at each stop, often with the option to pay extra for either an add-on to it or an alternate excursion. You can also arrange your own excursions if you'd like. I mixed it up a bit on mine, taking some of the included excursions and then venturing out in to cities on my own either afterwards or that whole day depending on the city (often enough the boat is parked right near the center of town so you can easily walk off and explore on your own until the evening, when you have to be back on board).

• While Viking offered pre and post cruise add-ons for Hungary and Romania, I didn't bother using them. I just made my own hotel and airfare arrangements, and gave myself several days in Budapest before the cruise and several days in Romania after. You miss out on things like free airport transfers doing this, and might have to switch hotels from the one the cruise line puts ya in (I switched hotels in Budapest, but got a good deal on my own for the same hotel in Romania so didn't have to move. The front desk was more than familiar with extending a cruise-included room to guests taking it over for themselves). But that's far from the end of the world and I found better pricing anyways. Also arranged my own tours and activities/itineraries in each place. You may want to check out your options in the start and end cities - look at hotels, tour options, what you may want to see and do. If the cruise company offers something that checks enough of your boxes at the right price, there's no real harm in booking the extensions through them. If not, you can do them on your own.

• As for time of year, water levels can be an issue - if the water's too high, boats may not be able to go under certain bridges. Too low, they can't get through certain shallow sections. In those cases, they'll park somewhere and bus you to up or down the river to the destinations. In some instances, they may even transfer you to another boat. Those situations aren't terribly common, but far from unheard of either. So snowmelt season, dry times of year, and rainy times of year all come with potential issues.

Viking is the big name in the business, but many prefer Tauck or Avalon.

I'd say book your own air. Then you can precisely decide how long you want to spend on each end. So if doing Basel to Amsterdam, you could start by flying into Zurich, then spend several days in the Alps before taking a train to Basel to board the boat. And then maybe some extra time in Amsterdam or touring nearby, maybe even taking the Thalys train to Paris for a few days before flying home from there. And of course, you can go the other way. I'm kind of partial to September. October air fares start to drop and you can find some deals.

Just adding on, since my chatterbox self ran out of space in the last post...

• In terms of time of year, it can get chilly on the river! I took the last Budapest-Bucharest cruise of the season, at the end of Oct and in to early Nov. Suffice to say, no one was hanging out on the sundeck getting a tan, and that route is even fairly south. Rhine river cruises, much further north, could see fairly chilly or even wet weather approaching or emerging from winter. So be conscious of that for, say, March or October cruises (most operators don't seem to run any from mid Nov to mid March, for good reason).

• While I didn't arrange flights through the cruise line because I'm a bit of a control freak with flights, they seem pretty accommodating and flexible - letting you choose preferred airlines, use your own miles for upgrades to fights booked through them, etc. So I gather one could book through them if the price is right, and still have a fair amount of say over flight specifics. Likewise, you could just let them handle it all with little to no input from you. I'm not sure how flights booked through them impact extensions you arrange on your own (like, would you still get the free airport transfer? Or would that only be available if your extension was through them and trip to airport within a certain time from cruise start/end? I couldn't tell ya).

Hi
We took an Avalon cruise from Vienna to Amsterdam, which I would recommend. We had a suite which
included a two seater lounge, great king bed and a double marble bath, siding full length window, on the top deck.
We could of selected disembarking ex Budapest , but this suited us better as we travelled through, Italy, then took the train to
Vienna.
I wouldn't select their hotel the night before, I recall it was expensive and a very small room.
We included the "tips included option", did not include the alcohol option, since I am the solo drinker.
I booked direct, (which was via an approved Australian Agent).

Meals including beer (my choice) where excellent, as were the desserts, which I opt out of.

There was no pressure for the optional tours, but those we went on were excellent.
Like always do your research.

We plan another trip with Avalon, but not this year.
regards

We just returned from the Viking Rhine River cruise. It was great! The service, the food, the excursions...all terrific. I agree: the French Balcony stateroom is fine. No need to spend more. You are not in your room much anyway!

We used Viking Air because it was such a great deal. $499.00 round trip. We stayed an extra 10 days in Switzerland and Paris and that added $100.00 to that cost. We originally booked directly through Viking, but then changed the booking to go through AAA because we got got $250.00 shipboard credit.

We chose the Amsterdam to Basel route because the flight arrived early a.m., and we felt that there was more we wanted to see in Amsterdam than in Basel. Easy transfer from airport to boat. Had lunch and then visited Anne Frank House and Van Gogh Museum...had already bought tickets online which is required. The boat doesn't sail until 11:00 at night so you have time before the cruise starts.

We have friends that did the first cruise of the season in March, and they were affected by the snowmelt and river levels. We were not. We sailed on May 20...the first day in Kinderdijk was cool, but the rest of the time, it was lovely weather. We usually had light jackets with us.

To be honest I had not researched any other cruise lines so I can't speak to the differences, but we thought Viking was wonderful!

You can also head over to read some of the reviews and threads on the CruiseCritic website. It is the sister to TripAdvisor and all about cruising. Good to have perspective and input from a variety of sources. I like Cruise Critic's breakdown of ships and lines. Here is their main page for river cruises. It's still a lot of companies to look at, but they are short reads and perhaps would get you a short list https://www.cruisecritic.com/river/
I haven't done a river cruise, but a friend does numerous and I know her travel agent has gotten some great air prices via the cruise line.
I am an independent land traveler, but I have turned to a travel agent for my sea cruise travels. The agency is all about cruising, with other stuff thrown in. When I was at a loss to find a cruise line or two to consider for my cruising wants, it really helped to discuss with an expert.

We have taken three river cruises and have booked the Rhine and Mosel cruise for October. We have used Grand Circle for all of our river cruises and land trips. We have been very satisfied with this company and think they provided the best value.
For a first Rhine cruise I think the Great Rivers is a wonderful trip. We have found the ship, meals, staff and tour guides to be great. There are additional optional trips and trip extensions. We book a lower level room since we were not in the room that much anyway and the seats in the lounge area were better to see the views . Sometimes boats dock right next to each other so the view could be another boat. On one trip we were upgraded to a balcony which was nice but not worth the extra cost.
We have found it easier to have Grand Circle book the air for us. After exiting Customs a representative was there to escort us to the boat or hotel.
There are a lot of deals out there from all of the companies. We usually take advantage of free air or Last Minute deals. We have traveled in all seasons. Summer is nice but is more expensive and much more crowded in Europe. Since retirement we have gone in the spring and fall. I might add the Grand Circle offers home visits on all of their trips which have been fun and a way to interact with the locals. On the river cruises these visits are usually for dessert but on land trips they are complete meals.
River cruising is very easy and relaxing and you only unpack once. Good luck planning your trip.

JU lots of good advice. We did Viking last year on this itinerary. I'll add a couple of points. If you want to be hassle free, let them book the air itinerary for you, then they will meet you at the airport and take you to hotel or boat. There is some flexibility, so if you want time at the beginning or end, they can still cover the airfare. The before and after extensions are way too expensive through them. Book those hotels yourself. The boat will arrange taxis to the train station at the end of your trip if you're moving on.

The daily activities - the excursions - are more or less based on getting people back to the boat for lunch, and/or dinner (with some exceptions.) So if there is a included excursion in the morning, they'll bring you back to the boat for lunch. If you dont book an optional for that afternoon, there's nothing to do on the boat, and you might be docked far away from anything to walk to. So if you want to stay busy, book the optional excursions too. The boat itself is nice enough - as good or better than our ocean cruises - but there's little else to see or do on the boat.

As said, the cruising is mostly at night (except for the middle Rhine) so the value of a veranda is mainly to avoid feeling like you're in a jail cell. The cruise is mostly about eating and drinking. We considered a cruise to be seeing "Europe light". That is, you dont really spend much time in a foreign environment, and that's OK with a lot of people.

We've heard good things about AMA and Avalon as well. I think I would look carefully at the itinerary and the excursions to see if there is a significant difference in the things they visit, and make my decision based on that. Yes its a different way of travel, not for everyone. Tip: there are no assigned tables for meals, so go early or late, and try to pick a table based on the server you choose.

Another vote for Grand Circle. About to take our fourth, in between independent travel. All have been summertime - we're still working in the academic year. Cabins have been balconied - great for quiet hanging out, both yourselves & your discreetly placed laundry! Booked mostly thru the company, though with advance research to suggest our preferred airline & flight itinerary. Their phone reservations staff (in Boston) are very good. Guides are all natives of wherever you are, & uniformly excellent. The Last Minute deals are spectacularly good.

We cruised from Basel to Amsterdam, in December, so we could visit Christmas markets. When to travel really depends on what you wish to see, how many daylight hours, how warm/cool, etc. There can be cancellations/adjustments in schedule due to low or high water; our observations were that the cruise company wants to keep their passengers happy and will do what they can to work with whatever Mother Nature brings. A few notes/observations:

• Any cabin is fine--you won't spend many waking hours there! However, it is a little noisier (engine/river noise) if you have one of the less expensive cabins on the lowest level. Also, those cabin windows are at eye-level, so you get a great view of the water but not of the shore beyond:). There IS ample space in the lounge areas so you can enjoy the views and still sail on a budget.
• As noted above, river cruise companies usually include a tour in each port. There is usually additional time to explore on your own. Sometimes we opted not to go back to the ship for lunch so we could have a little extra time exploring on your own--as long as you return to the ship by the next sailing time you are fine.
• You are wise to plan extra time at the beginning AND end to explore; if you go strictly with the cruise schedule you have, at best, a partial day at the port of embarkation and may not have any time at the end of the trip. Related to this...
• Regarding air: We traveled with Viking and couldn't beat their combined cruise/air package. Our flights (from the West Coast) were one-stop, connecting in Europe, with reasonable layovers. To add days at the beginning and end you need to request an "air deviation". The additional charge for this was $100 and allowed us to choose dates for our arrival/departure. Know that If you opt for this you are on your own in getting to the cruise port at the beginning of the trip and from the ending port to your next destination--no transfers are included unless you go directly to/from the airport. (Our hotel staff and the ship staff were very helpful in helping us book taxis.)
• Definitely book the pre/post cruise travel independently! Once you decide on dates and what you would like to see, come back to this Forum with specific questions about accommodations, dining, tours, etc. You will be able to plan experiences that specifically suit your interests (and budget).

Happy planning!

Ju, Viking is the big name. At least 50% of the cruise boats belong to them. Followed by Tauck and Avalon ( https://www.avalonwaterways.com/river-cruise/romantic-rhine-northbound/wza/ ).
Also Crystal: https://www.crystalcruises.com/voyage/basel-to-amsterdam-rba190331-07
And this one: https://www.croisieurope.travel/en/cruise/basel-amsterdam-treasures-celebrated-rhine-river-classic
And Thurgau Travel. This is a Swiss firm, I think they only operate in German (no English-language) https://www.thurgautravel.ch/reiseziele/fluss-rhein-nebenfluesse/

I think there are others, but I can't remember them.

There is nothing to stop you adding extra nights at the beginning or end. In Basel or in the Alps, or in Amsterdam.
One fact to remember: Going downstream (Basel to Amsterdam) is quicker than upstream. The ship doesn't have to fight the current.

My take on river cruises

I have never been on a cruise (river or sea), but I do live in a city which is frequented by river cruise boats (see left). So these are my comments on "cruisers". They are not meant to be positive or negative, it is up to you how you spend your time and money, just make sure you get what you want.

River cruises are catering for those travellers who want to see many places, but do not want the stress of coping with alien environments, foreign food, foreign languages or planning transport and booking hotels. The cruises provide you with a comforting environment, you don't have to change hotels or cope with transport, everybody speaks English (there are different boats for different languages) and you can understand the menu.
They take you in groups to the towns and sites. Transport is provided to and from the ship, you are taken around in groups of 10-20, with a tour guide speaking your language (they usually have radio earphones for everyone so they don't have to shout). I have seen these groups walking around the city many times. You don't have to interact with the locals at all. From the outside, they look like they are travelling in a bubble, they don't even have to know what the local language is (I have encountered cruisers who were ignorant of this). You can forego the trips and go your own way, but that requires you to arrange your own transport, and if you are late back the ship won't wait.
They even provide buses to and from the airports, so you don't need to stress about that. I once encountered someone who thought he was cruising from Zürich, because that was where they landed and had a bus provided from the airport to the boat.
All this TLC is labour-intensive and costs.

Your decision whether this is what you want, or it would feel like a straitjacket.

P.S. River cruises allow you to bring a lot of luggage. I have seen the cases being unloaded from the buses and taken to the ship, by crew members. Some really big cases, not practical for DIY transport.

Besides the previously mentioned Cruise Critic, there are other websites and newsletters specifically devoted to river cruises. Some of them do not accept advertising and some do. This is one such example:

https://www.rivercruiseadvisor.com

First time cruisers can often benefit from the advice and tips of a professional cruise travel agent - and they may provide "deals" or "extras" for their clients. Travel agents and/or cruise companies often host presentations at this time of year (June) which can be very educational, and discounts may be offered for the following year's cruises.

I literally got off a Viking ship this morning and we’re spending a few days in Amsterdam on our own before heading home. From the departures list we got yesterday, about a third of the passengers were doing some sort of DIY additional days rather than flying right home or taking Viking’s post tour option. Figure 30-40% of them as well as us did some DIY time in Switzerland or adjacent too before getting on in Basel.

Our boat, the Ullur was only out into service a few weeks ago and it was beautifully and thoughtfully put together. The soundproofing is top notch and there is very good use of limited cabin space. Food was good if a bit repetitive at time. The staff was pleasant but still seemed to be in the process of figuring out how to really work together as a tight team.

We had a good time celebrating my parents’ 50th anniversary as a family. And discovered that while cruising down the river itself was quite cool, even through the more industrial parts of the Netherlands, none of us are really bus tour people. Fortunately, there was usually a way to wander into town or take the bus into town and just meet back up with bus and guide when we were supposed to get back to the ship.. (we did still tip the guide since it seemed fair that way somehow)

We let Viking do the air and even with deviation fees it was cheaper than what we could have done on our own since we live in expensive airfare areas. We were able to pick airlines and flight times and I got full Delta medallion-qualifying miles and a reasonable number of redeemable miles out of that consolidator fare

This article in today's NY Times has some interesting info:
"Before fatal boat crash in Budapest, safety warnings went unheeded"

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/11/world/europe/budapest-danube-crash.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

ChrisF's description is right on the money.

Thanks, everyone for all the helpful info! Sounds like we have a lot of research to do but your tips will really help us out in our planning. Once we have decided on which cruise to take I’ll likely add some follow up questions. We want to take the Basel to Amsterdam (or vice versa) cruise and are thinking of going in either May or September 2020. We’d like to visit Amsterdam a couple of days one end of the trip and hopefully drive around 5-6 days primarily in Germany and Austria at the other end of the trip. One more question for now: how far in advance do y’all suggest booking a river cruise? Thanks again... it’s wonderful how helpful everyone is! — JU

how far in advance do y’all suggest booking a river cruise?

Entirely up to you! They'll sometimes have pretty good deals on last minute bookings, but these aren't giant ocean cruise ships so the closer it gets to the sail date, the more likely it is the cruise will just sell out than it will offer any deeply discounted rates. Further, you have airfare, hotels, your own tours and activities before and after the cruise, etc to factor in.

More peak season sailings sell out earlier, while early spring and late fall sailings might leave you a bit more wiggle room. With a route like Basel to Amsterdam - which is a pretty popular one - you'll likely find the big companies like Viking, AMA and such have a couple departures each day. I'd check their respective websites and see how things look on your preferred dates - if you're seeing a lot of sold out sailings that'll give ya an idea of how much pressure you might be under to book sooner rather than later (but still shop around for promos, travel agency offers and such).

Similar to ocean cruises, though, you can often book with an initial deposit and sometimes even transfer that deposit to another sailing if you wanna move your dates around (I'd check with either the cruise company or your travel agent on that, though).

JU I'd book as soon as you have made your decision on when you're going and when. We did Amsterdam to Basel, so that we could end in Switzerland.. If you let them do the airfare for you, they wont book that until closer to the cruise date. I'd suggest that you give a lot of thought to the insurance options, and note the cancellation coverage.

Viking Air reserves seats on planes pretty far out but those reservations don’t actually turn into tickets until about 60 days before the cruise. Once it ticketed, I was able to go into my Delta account and upgrade to Comfort+ with money or miles just like I would with a normal V fare ticket (Delta V fares are their cheapest ticket type that is Not highly restricted Basic Economy)

If you’re interested in doing mountain things in the Alps, I’d pick September since many lovely and relatively easy trails can still be snow-covered in May.

Once you get past mostly white Americans and mostly over 50, I found my fellow cruisers to be a fairly diverse lot.

I enjoyed our tulip river cruise in spring. It was run by Gate One tours who also do land tours throughout the world and I recommend them.
They are well priced and the land tours are very good.
A very relaxing way to travel. For sure do pre and post independent travel before u join the cruise.
I recommend shoulder season if u can. May, Sept. we did not upgrade our cabin and it was very gd.
The food was not gourmet but still quite gd. You can take your own liquor to your cabin unlike sea cruises.
we are looking at Gate one for Danube cruise next yr.