River cruises
 

Thanks to everyone for their helpful suggestions. Have looked at AMA this morning but apparently I have at least 3 more companies to check-out! Yes I thought it would be a unique way to see Europe.

Hancle704,
There are also USA riverboat tours. Friends of our recently did the Columbia River and loved it. If interested, you could just google American Riverboat Tours, and you will find a couple of options.

Here's link to a listing of "best" river cruise ships....

Details, Photos and Ratings of the Top 100 Cruise Ships in the World : Cruises : Condé Nast Traveler

River Cruises
 

Thanks for the link. It should be a useful reference. I appreciate it!
Pizzalady

We also took the Castles along the Rhine (Amsterdam - Basel) cruise with Uniworld, Aug 27 - Sep 8, 2011 on The S S Antionette. Ditto the comments above. Loved it so much we are booked on Danube cruise this year in Sept, Passau to Budapest. Also with Uniworld. Looking forward to it!
River cruising is far better in so many ways to ocean cruising IMHO. If you go, stick with one of the name lines and I am sure you will enjoy it!

River Cruises
 

I have gotten so many positive and wonderful stories it will take quite awhile doing research and making a final decion. If there are any more suggestions good or bad please let me know!
pizzalady

pizzalady:

Obviously, you have so much input here from TOTVers that you'll never get around to actually doing a river cruise, but your research will make you the ultimate expert! :bigbow:

As a Tauck fan (seven trips with them), I urge special attention to what they offer. Their bottom line often (that is, usually) seems way expensive, but if you delve deeper, you'll find that virtually everything is included in their price.

After the first trip I took with them, I spent lots of time estimating what the trip might have cost me had I made individual arrangements, as opposed to what I spent letting them do it all.

On my own, for a week: about $375 a night.

With Tauck, same week: about $275 a night. $100 less.

SWR
:beer3:

Hi,

I did not read through all the posts on this subject. Sorry - have a sinus infection and am not up to reading.

When you check out river cruise lines please ask about beds. Friends of ours took a river cruise - their bed was a fold out futon chair. This meant if they wanted to lie down during the day, they had to make up their bed from the futon.

Some river cruise lines offer quite a few optional tours, others have these tours included as part of the tours that are included. We have been on AMA and Uniglobe and they offered about two optional tours respectively. Viking offered numerous optional tours.

Viking has an excellent advertising campaign. Wen they promote a special and say it will end the end of the month it will not. They end a campaign when X number of staterooms are sold, therefore you can see the same campaign with a diffeerent end date. There fares are worded so that it sounds like you will save a lot of money compared to other ricer cruise lines - sometimes you do and sometimes you do not.

River cruise companies that are rated by the travel industry have other cruise lines rated much higher than Viking, If you feel you want to go on a higher rated river cruise line, you can always call the line and ask them if they will match the price and/or ask them what they are offering that Viking isn't.

I have done the above and have been successful 100% of the time.

Hope some of this info is helpful.

Vicar

River Criuses
 

Thanks for the advice about calling and asking if they can match prices and whar they are offering that Viking is not.
Hope you a feeling a little better today!
Pizzalady