How to
Choose Your European River Cruise
Find the best company, cruise, and cabin
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There are many
variables to consider when selecting a European river cruise.
Most cruises are good.
But some are better than others.
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When you've decided to treat
yourself to a European river cruise, you will then need to
choose the cruise that best meets your requirements.
Here are the various things to
keep in mind to help you make the right decision.
What Type of Cabin to Choose
Most of the boats offer you
a choice of about five different cabin categories, sometimes
also with a suite category as well.
In general, most of the
newer ships have spacious well-appointed cabins (although note
that all the Russian ships are of much lower quality and with
much smaller cabins than the other ships in Europe). Cabin
size is usually at least 150 sq ft, with some boats having cabins
as large as 200 sq ft (Peter Deilmann).
Some boats have smaller
single berth cabins as well as double berth cabins, and some of
the older boats have multiple sizes of regular cabins. But
for most of the newer ships, the cabin
size is the same for all grades of cabins, with the main
difference between cabins being the size and type of windows and
the deck they are on.
The cheapest cabins are the
ones on the lowest deck, and you pay more as you go up to each
higher deck. The lowest deck cabins also typically have
smaller port holes, whereas the higher up you go, the larger the
windows become, with some cabins having wonderful windows
stretching from floor to
ceiling.
Sometimes you will find
there are a couple of different categories of cabins on the same deck.
Five suggestions for choosing
a cabin
1. Don't buy cabins on
the bottom deck. Unlike a regular full sized ocean liner,
where even the lowest cabins are still quite a way up from the
waterline, your eye level view will be close to the waterline of
the ship, limiting your views. Perhaps worse, when you're moored
alongside a dock, if your cabin is on the dock side, you'll
probably be looking into the side of the dock rather than
anything more interesting.
2. Mid level cabins
are very much better than lowest level cabins, but may still
have views blocked by the dock when moored.
3. When choosing a
cabin type on a specific deck, buy the cheapest type of cabin on
that deck (assuming the cabins are the same in all respects
other than location).
The idea of paying a premium
for a mid-ships cabin makes sense on a large ocean liner (the
mid-ships cabins are more conveniently located and have less
vessel motion) but is not so important on a smaller river cruiser
that never rocks about at all.
River cruise companies will
often offer a couple of different cabin types on the same deck
purely for marketing reasons and because people have grown used
to seeing this on regular cruise ships. But the premium
for the mid-ships cabins is not worth the money you pay for it.
4. Always check on the
deck plan to see what is above, below, and alongside your cabin.
Avoid cabins below lounges, dance floors, etc, and avoid cabins
next to bulkhead doors and with public spaces on the other side.
5. The whole idea of
any vacation is to treat yourself so that you come back suffused
with a high 'feel good' factor. For that reason,
choose a cabin (or suite) on as high a deck as you feel you can
afford.
I've arranged travel for
many thousands of people. Although I've regularly had
people come back and complain at having ignored my advice and
chosen too low a level of accommodation, I've never had anyone
come back and complain at having chosen accommodation that was
'too good'!
Choosing the Best Cruise
Company
The good news - most of the
major European river cruising companies are of high standard.
There are a few things to
keep in mind when selecting your preferred cruising company
Itinerary and availability
Of course, the first issue
is to determine which companies offer the itinerary you want.
A related issue is to check if the sailing you wish to take has
remaining availability in the cabin category you wish.
Popular cabin categories sell out early - sometimes nine months
or more before the cruise departure.
Inclusions
Check to see which tours are
included and which are extra. Historically, river cruises
have tended to include all touring in the upfront-price, but
some cruise operators (eg Uniworld) are now experimenting with
lower priced cruises that have fewer inclusions.
Having fewer inclusions is
not necessarily a bad thing, but make sure you understand what
is included when you're comparing products from different cruise
companies when doing cost comparisons.
Smoking Policies
Most of the boats have a
no-smoking indoors policy (including no smoking in your personal
cabin), but allow smoking on the outside decks.
If the ability to smoke is
important, or if the freedom from smoke, everywhere, is
important, then check with the cruise company you are
considering to see what their policy is.
Languages Onboard
Most of the US cruise
companies market their cruises primarily to the US and Canada,
perhaps with a bit of overflow sales into other English speaking
countries, and as a result, they operate their boats with
English as the official onboard language, and when they are
arranging for shore touring, English is again the sole language
of the group.
If you've ever been on a
multi-lingual ship, you'll know how tiring it is to be forced to
listen to every announcement in four or six different languages.
And when you're on a shore tour, if the guide is having to talk
in multiple languages, that reduces the amount of commentary
given in English and detracts from the interest and experience.
Another subtle element of
this issue is that not only is the language English, but the
food style is also English (ie American) in terms of type of
menu items offered and style of food presentation.
Cost
Most of the companies have
similar brochure costs, so this isn't as large a differentiator
as you might think.
However, there can be some
'fine print' tricks and traps. Are port charges included
(as with Viking River Cruises) or not (as with most other
companies)? And are there any other surcharges (eg a fuel
surcharge with Uniworld) or not (as with most other companies)?
Note also that some
companies offer early booking discounts. These can
sometimes be very generous, and expire at different times.
Today (2 Feb 06) most companies no longer have 2006 early
booking discounts, with the discounts having expired anytime
from September last year through the end of January this year,
but one company is still offering discounts for 2006 (Avalon).
Although you may qualify for
an early booking discount, we haven't
seen any 'last minute discounts' on river cruises, so it does
pay to book in advance and to take advantage of any early
booking discounts.
Most companies also offer a
returning passenger discount, so if you've been on one cruise
with a company, be sure to ask about discounts when you consider
booking with them again. Indeed, chances are you won't
have to ask - chances are you'll be getting regular promotional
mailings from the company for many years after you return home!
Costs can also vary when you
move from the 'lead price' (lowest cabin price) to the price of
the actual cabin you'll be paying for, and can also vary if the
cabin type you want to buy isn't available and you instead have
to pay more for a more expensive cabin category.
Single Policies
If you're traveling as a
single passenger, some companies charge 150% of the per
person (share twin) rate for a single person in a cabin (eg Amadeus) while
most other companies charge double the per person rate.
This can make a big difference in cost.
Some companies have a
guaranteed singles share scheme which can be helpful if you'd
like to keep your costs down and/or would enjoy having some
companionship on the cruise.
Insurance
Many travelers choose to
purchase some form of travel insurance prior to going on an
international vacation, and the cruise companies all offer an
insurance option.
Coverages vary from company
to company, and so too
do the prices, by as much as $100/person, for similar sorts of
policies.
The cruise company policies
will probably only cover the travel items you buy from the
cruise company. If you arrange your own air, and/or an
extension of your time doing other things in Europe, these extra
costs may not be included if you buy the insurance from the
cruise company.
Many policies will allow
more generous terms for cancellation protection if you buy your
insurance at the same time you pay your deposit.
You'll often find the cruise
company policies are more expensive than policies you can get
from third party insurance companies, but there is clear
advantage and convenience to having your insurance provided by
the company who is also providing your arrangements.
We discuss
travel
insurance in detail in this two part article, and in
the second part of the article, provide links to a couple of helpful
insurance shopping websites that cost out the best
deals on your insurance.
Leading Cruise Companies
The following cruise
companies appear to operate good quality European river cruises
and have good reputations.
Amadeus Waterways
This company is our current
favorite and is the company we use for our Travel Insider group
tour cruises. We currently have several different cruises
upcoming with them :
Amadeus is a new company
(founded in 2003) but is headed by an industry veteran, and they
are quickly rolling out excellent ships and itineraries.
Although their range of itineraries is currently small, if they
offer a cruise in an area you want to travel, you'd be well
advised to closely consider them.
Their US staff are all
competent, knowledgeable, and helpful, and their policies and
application of them are all very fair.
Their values are good and
they even include wine with dinners. Speaking from
personal experience, this can be a considerable saving!
Highly recommended.
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Note : We can offer you
an across the board special 5% Travel Insider discount on all cruises operated by
Amadeus Waterways.
This is our
preferred cruise line, and if you see a cruise of
theirs you'd like to enjoy,
have us arrange whichever cruise you
wish. |
Amadeus Waterways website
Viking River Cruises
I enjoyed a Viking cruise in
Nov/Dec 2004. The ship was of a very high standard, the
food was good, the itinerary excellent (what a shame they no
longer offer the same itinerary), and the crew ranged from
average to good. Their US booking office is easy to deal
with and very fair to work with.
The company has a good
reputation and a wide range of vessels and cruising itineraries.
Recommended.
Viking River Cruises website
Uniworld River Cruises
A long established large
operator with a wide range of cruises in Europe and elsewhere.
This is another company we feel comfortable recommending.
Uniworld
River Cruises website
Peter Deilmann Cruises
This is another well
established company (formed in 1983), and with a high reputation
for quality. Their cabins, on some boats, are as large as
204 sq ft - the largest of all boats on the European rivers.
Note that shore excursions
are generally not included in their cruise rates, and the ships
are bilingual, with everything being in both German and English.
Prices are high.
Peter
Deilmann Cruises website
Avalon Waterways/Globus
These two companies sell the
same cruises in partnership; Avalon is relatively new, while
Globus has been around for a long time.
Their ships are generally
new and of good quality, with large cabins. Prices seem
good.
Avalon
Waterways website
Air Fare Issues
The cruise lines typically
give you the option of buying an airfare from them, or of
arranging your own airfare.
Which is best? We
suggest checking all your options - seeing if you can cash in
frequent flier miles, seeing what the best value fare is on your
own, and comparing these options to what the cruise line offers.
If you have a preference for
a particular airline (due to frequent flier affiliations) or are
seeking to vary your travel dates and cities, you'll probably
end up arranging your own air.
Most cruise lines will quote
you their fare, and even hold space for you and allow you to
cancel without penalty anytime between when you make your
confirming deposit and when you make your final payment.
This allows you to secure their fare and then try and improve on
it in the months between when you make your booking and have to
actually make the full payment.
Included Transfers
If you buy the standard
airfare on the day of arrival and departure of the cruise
through the cruise line, they will often include 'free'
transfers to and from the airport.
This is a nice convenience,
for sure, particularly if you're less confident at making your
way in a foreign non-English speaking city to the cruise ship.
And it can also save you money, so needs to be factored in to
the overall costs.
But if you're flying on
other days, or to other cities, the free transfers are no longer
available.
Carefully choose the cities
you fly in and out of
Some cities in Europe have
much better air service than other nearby cities. For
example, your cruise might terminate in Nuremberg, but
quite possibly your preferred airline either doesn't fly to that
city, or - if it does - the flights are infrequent and the
schedules inconvenient.
This might seem like an
obvious issue, but remember Europe is very small and so if
you can't get convenient flights (or fares) on your preferred
airlines to and from the obvious cities at the start and end of
your tour, consider flying in or out of nearby airports and then
using a train to get between that airport and the city you need
to be in.
For example, if you are
returning home from Nuremberg, consider taking a short 1¾ hour
train ride from Nuremberg to Munich, and then connect at the
rail station to the suburban rail line that travels directly out
to Munich's much larger airport.
Similarly, if you are
thinking of perhaps arriving into Europe a day or two before the
cruise begins, maybe fly in to a nearby city rather than the
city you depart from, and enjoy the extra city and experience of
traveling to where you start your cruise.
Open Jaws Travel
If you're on a one-way
cruise, in theory you need to fly into a different city than the
city you return back from. This arrangement - flying into
one city and out of a different one, is termed an open-jaw
itinerary.
Most airfares these days
usually allow for open-jaw travel without penalty, you simply
add one half of the fare for one city to one half of the fare to
the other city. And most frequent flier awards also allow
for open-jaw itineraries.
However, if you find a
special fare that doesn't allow open-jaw travel, or if your
preferred airline doesn't serve both cities, then the chances
are there's not too much distance between the cities your cruise
starts and finishes in, and you can easily bridge the gap with a
one way train ticket, either prior to your cruise, or subsequent
to its finish.
Another strategy would be to
fly into a midway city and then travel from there to where your
cruise starts and back there from where your cruise ends.
Read more in Part 1
In
the first part, we talk about the
different types and styles of European river cruising and
why you might enjoy a river cruise.
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Originally published
3 Feb 2006, last update
27 Sep 2008
You may freely reproduce or distribute this article for noncommercial purposes as long as you give credit to me as original writer.
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