My husband and I are planning to take a river cruise next year, 2026, thinking August. We are deciding between Adventures by disney (it seems to have some nice perks), AMA, and viking. It would be for the cruise leaving Budapest via the Danube to Passau. Looking for any input from others who have experience with this. Thank you!
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
6151 posts
You might want to check out the River Cruises forum on Cruise Critic
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
9215 posts
Lots of videos on You Tube showing pros and cons of different river cruise lines. You are currently looking at some of the more expensive options. Does budget matter or just shipboard experience?
Also look into Gate1.
Posted by
OP
6 posts
We are taking into account budget but at the same time don't want to lack in ship or activity experience. The ones we've researched are all around the same price so far. I've viewed some blogs but will have to watch the videos too.
Posted by
Fort Myers, FL
2018 posts
I have not personally gone on a river cruise. What I have read about is their itineraries and have heard from people who have been on river cruises is how short the excursions are in each port city. I would focus on what you want to see in each port city. Many of the excursions I have read about and heard described is they are very broad and basic. My suggestion is to be able to hit the ground running and do your own excursion to see exactly what you want to see at your own pace and get back on board at the required time.
Posted by
TN, USA
2206 posts
My husband and I have taken one river cruise with Tauck Tours. While we normally always preferred staying in truly lovely hotels with Tauck, we chose a river cruise for that particular trip because it allowed us to see exactly what we wanted to see in a very efficient way, including the Floriade, which was being held in Venlo that year.
We loved the overall experience and the very, very special experiences Tauck included (like traveling on the river barge (or whatever they are called) the the head of Turkey had just been on the day prior. Having a special lunch in a castle with JUST our group, getting into Keukenhof (sp?) early before the huge crowds, and on and on.
I started to write a long explanation of some of the pros/cons of traveling by river ships (as Tauck calls them), but when I went to get the link to include for Tauck, I see they have a really good explanation of a lot of that. There can be floods that mess up a journey (not enabling a river ship to get under a bridge) or droughts (that mean there is not enough water in the river(s). Also, the rooms in a river ship do not have the lovely high ceilings that a lot of beautiful historic hotels do. But,one only has to unpack once. Here is the link...worth reading:
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Thank you for the info!