Riverboat cruises

denise, I haven't taken a river cruise yet, but have looked at them. One of the top companies appears to be Viking River Cruises, but there are other good ones as well such as AMA Waterways, Jerry Van Dyke cruises, etc. They're somewhat expensive but I'm sure the trip would be wonderful. They're not a particularly good option for solo travellers, as the single supplement adds considerably to the cost. A Viking representative told me that unless I took one of the very few cruises that have single cabins, I'd have to pay for two fares. I can tell you that's NOT going to happen, as I'm on a pension. Good luck finding a cruise!

Denise,
we did a cruise of Castles on the Rhine with AMA last year and it was wonderful.. It does cost more than land travel to the sites but it is nice to not have to move your things around for a week. the food is also great and on our cruise at least, wine was included. very relaxing way to travel if you don't mind the extra cost.

Hi Denise, My husband and I just returned from a river cruise on the Rhone with Tauck Tours. If I told you it was one of the best travel experiences we've ever had, you may think I was a bit "over the top"... So I will tell you that the same view was shared with the other 118 people on board... I cannot tell you the amount of personal attention, care and concern the directors and guides, staff and chefs on board showed us. You simply must give them a look-see... Bonjour, Mindy

We did a Christmas Market tour on the Danube several years ago. We both loved it and would like to take another riverboat cruise again. The riverboats are nice because they are smaller and not as many passengers as a cruise ship. I enjoyed being able to walk into town and most of the tours were included in the price. They do sell some optional tours that we did take and enjoyed them. Wine also was included with our dinners. Have fun.

Thank you for all of your helpful comments!! We will let you know how it goes
Denise

We took a one-week cruise with Luftner Cruises last June from Budapest to Passau. It was a very good experience though the hot weather got us down a little (it was hotter than usual I think, in the 90s some days). I guess if you're going to have heat like that a big river is a good place to be. The food and service were excellent, our cabin was fine (one of the cheapest on the boat). The shore tours were part of the package for us, and I think that's true for river cruises generally (unlike ocean cruises where you pay for any organized tour on shore). The only negative, for us, was the distance from central Vienna to our dock at Nussdorf, a good half hour by subway and/or tram. It was a nice suburban setting but I'd rather have been much closer to the center, as some cruise docks are. The docks at Budapest, Bratislava, and our other stops were much closer to things. Like any cruise, you don't have a lot of time to see the cities, though we did have two full days for Vienna and one for Budapest (which was OK since we'd arrived there several days before). Much of the traveling was at night, through less scenic stretches of the river, but I remember some beautiful scenic days and evenings too. It's not the best way to "see the sights" of big places like Vienna and Budapest, but a good introduction to them and to the geography and history of that fascinating part of Europe. You'll probably get more useful feedback on the Danube if you post additional questions under "To the East."

We did a river cruise with Viking and found the experience to be excellent. The boat was spotless, the food was excellent and the crew was also excellent. This is not their first rodeo and they want everyone to be happy on the boat. They really know what they are doing and things went seamlessly. It will be a while before we do it again because of one minor detail ... we found out we independent travelers, not tour travelers. When the day comes that I don't want to drive in Europe, I'll hang up the keys and find a river cruise. We did book our flights with Viking, the price was good and booking with them covers the issue of getting from the airport to the boat dock. However we did learn (too late) that when you book the flights, for an extra few dollars they will put you on the flight of your choice. Detroit to Amsterdam changing planes in Washington DC worked but I would have much preferred the non-stop especially since the first leg was United Express. Viking offers an optional beverage package that is absolutely not necessary unless you really drink a lot.