Many first time river cruisers will ask us to recommend the “best” line for them.
This is honestly a very difficult question to answer.
For ocean cruising, there is a series of questions we would ask, and normally people’s responses narrows down their choices fairly quickly.
The providers of river cruises in Europe are much less differentiated.
There are a few reasons for this:
- The focus of a river cruise (particularly in Europe) is more about what happens on shore than on the ship.
- Of the 6 or 7 lines we most often put our clients on, all are of a very good quality.
- In Europe, (particularly on the Rhine and Danube) all the river ships are on the same river – so it’s hard to differentiate by itinerary.
So how do you choose?
Price
For many people, it comes down to which line is providing the best price for a specific length of cruise. If this is you – make sure you book as far in advance as possible. River cruises tend to get more expensive, the closer you get to departure.
Air Package
Many of the river cruise lines offer this, but be careful. If you want to deviate from a cruise line’s preferred air carrier, and the routing they choose for you, it can end up costing you more. I am always hesitant to let anyone else make decisions for me when it comes to air because of the million little value decisions that have to be made. For example, how much is it worth to you to have a direct flight versus one or more stopovers? Only you can answer this question.
Beverage Package
Some river cruise lines offer beer and wine with meals, and others offer any booze at any time. All things being equal, a more inclusive beverage package sounds like a good idea, but how much higher a fare would you be willing to pay to get it? Keep in mind that on a European river cruise, you’re on shore every day. You should be drinking beer in a German beer hall – not on the ship. So, if you pay extra for an all inclusive beverage package, will you be on the ship enough to use it?
Bicycles
Some ships have bikes on board, and other don’t. For some people, this could not matter less. For others, this is a great way to explore the townships along the river. Some of our clients have commented that some of their best river cruise memories were not of the shore excursions, but rather riding their bikes along the dikes in various spots through Europe.
The Butler Did It
The only guy I know who had a butler was Bruce Wayne (when he wasn’t dressed up as a bat), and Alfred seemed to be part friend, part mentor, part servant, and part concierge. Some of the river cruise lines will offer you a butler. Again – for some people this is a key selling feature. Others are not nearly as impressed.
Other Inclusions
Some of the lines (Crystal, Scenic, Tauck, Uniworld) include more things such as gratuities and transfers that you pay out of pocket for on the other lines.
You need to look at the entire value equation, and figure out what makes the most sense for you. Ultimately, you need to figure out what you’re going to end up paying for, and then assign a value to some of the other variables listed above.
Or you could just ask Alfred the Butler to figure it out for you.
Planning a Cruise? I’d love to help! Click here to get in touch today.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
