[Carla B]

We went on a Tauck River Cruise up the Rhine and Mosel Rivers from Amsterdam to Basel. We did that because the couple we were traveling with liked what Tauck offered. We booked the least expensive cabin and it was as large and luxurious as those on pricier levels, the only differences: our cabin just had a large window, not a sliding glass door, and you had to walk down to the room, not take the elevator. They even had wonderful Hungarian goose down pillows on a king-sized bed.

There were 114 passengers on our boat with four tour directors. Buses took us into villages and towns if the boat couldn't dock in the center of town. There was a provision to return to the boat by bus in the afternoon for those who didn't want to stay in town. None of the excursions were overly taxing and all the towns were varied and distinctive.

On several evenings local entertainers came on board. The food and wine were wonderful. And although the ticket price was initially a shock, everything was included. No gratuities owed to anyone, from maids to tour directors. Tauck even paid for us to use the restrooms in town (normally half a Euro). In Luxembourg City they gave each of us 20 Euros to spend on lunch at a place of our choosing. They also gave us a surprise elegant champagne reception (Moet et Chandon) at the Baden-Baden Casino with fabulous appetizers. In short, they treated everyone like royalty. During the day when we were moving, the tour directors educated us about the towns and region we were passing through.

After this experience, my bias is toward river cruising vs. ocean cruising. And I prefer river cruise tours (relaxing) vs. land tours (tiring). It's just a shame that some of the countries we want to see don't have navigable rivers for riverboats.

And although Tauck is wonderful, I imagine most any Euro river cruise line will offer a superior experience.