I'm looking for advice on a Danube river cruise AND the My Way Spain tour next spring/early summer. We've cruised in 2006-2008 with Uniworld (happy with our experience) however, it is outdated. I'm also looking at Crystal and Tauck cruise lines. I'll check the My Way Spain postings as well.
Thank you,
Sheri
Nearly all Danube river cruises either begin or end in Budapest. Are you interested in "Upper Danube" (Budapest and north) or "Southern Danube" (Budapest and south)? Having taken both, I do have a preference. As to "Crystal and Tauck" cruise lines - both are at the upper end of the price margin. As Mark Twain writes, "You pays your money and you takes your choice."
We have only done Viking twice and were very pleased both times. So cannot compare to other cruise lines. I know that Tauck bus tours tend to be high end with everything handled and covered. That is worlds apart from the My Way Spain tour.
We take a River Cruise every other year and have done Viking, AMA, Uniworld, and Tauck--- and Tauck is, by far, the absolute BEST.
It is ALL INCLUSIVE - so everything is included - even top shelf alcohol, beer, wine, cocktails any time you want, 24/7.
The service and tours and excursions are also top notch.
We have done them all twice and Tauck 5 times.
You don't see them advertise, as they don't need to and they don't hassle you with mailings, catalogs like others do. They are a family owned business for over 80years.
We have found that by the time we tipped, paid port charges, had a few drinks (which aren't included on the others except Uniworld), that the cost of Tauck isn't any more expensive than AMA and Viking. Plus, all excursions are included and the guides they use are much better than the other lines we have been on.
You tour with a small group in the morning to see Cathedrals, learn the town/history, etc, then around lunch time, they release you and the rest of the day is yours. They run shuttles back to the boat every 30 min, so you can go back when you are ready.
Their breakfast buffet is the best I have ever seen.
Tauck is just super special - gifts everynight on your bed from the area you visited that day, special food treats on the bus as you travel to the town (the regional specialty), the meals on the boat are 5 star with a very regional menu of where you were that day, plus, you can always get steak, chicken, vegetarian, pasta, etc - and they pour endless glasses of regional wine at dinner. They also have another restaurant onboard with 'less fancy' food like fresh pastas, salads, burgers, soups - all amazing.
We love their Vienna to Nuremberg cruise, but you can do longer ones too.
We're another Tauck household - 4 river cruises and 1 more planned plus 2 land tours and hopefully another this year. Everything Chinalake said. You always get more than promised from them not less. We did Budapest to Amsterdam in 2019. When a Viking ship put a Main lock out of commission for weeks, Tauck handled the disruption beautifully. We saw all our planned itinerary plus more and on our return home received a $1000 credit for the inconvenience. Other companies we're ending cruises and sending people home early.
We didn’t have good experiences on Viking but enjoyed AMAWaterways a lot.
Sheri,
For a Danube cruise, you might also have a look at Viking River Cruises - https://www.vikingrivercruisescanada.com/?cid=SEM|GGL|999|c_1146682936_kwd-295825966734_476290098127&utm_id=sem:VRC-CA-GGL-Brand-Core-River_Cruises-Exact&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrsGCBhD1ARIsALILBYonvS31HAqDM9wnJujJchobAJ_NAXvFBPDai5chDP4N7E7jrM_gKDkaApo5EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds . They seem to be adding new ships on a regular basis, so the fleet is relatively new. However they're not the least expensive option. Just to clarify, I haven't taken a river cruise yet but have done lots of research on them. They're not too financially attractive for solo travellers, which is the main reason I haven't signed up for one yet.
What type of information are you looking for about the My Way Spain tour? I've taken that tour and quite enjoyed it. Of course you'll need to research all sightseeing in each stop, and make your own reservations for sights such as the Alhambra in Granada. Your budget for sightseeing will depend on what you plan on seeing. I assume you've read the tour reviews on the RS website?
