We did our first river cruise on the Zambezi Queen, a small boutique River Boat on the Chobe River in Botswana with only 14 cabins. We had some land safaris as well as many tender experiences. The food, the staff, just awesome, we could not have asked for more. We have also been on a Heritage line cruise, (the Anawrahta), in Myanmar. Only 13 cabins were occupied out of 23. It was a beautiful experience which ended with a hot air balloon ride over the valley of temples. After such awesome experiences on river cruises, we did a cruise down the Nile, the stops were fabulous, but that ship left a lot to be desired. Now we have another Heritage line cruise scheduled on their newest ship the Anouvong. It has not begun it’s sailings yet, so fingers crossed that it will be ready for us next year. We will be cruising the upper Mekong. Happy sailing everyone.

You sleep in the same bed each night and only have to unpack and repack once. We took Disney’s 1st Mediterranean Cruise with our children. We started in Barcelona and visited Sicily, Naples (Pompeii), Rome, Florence, Monaco, Provence and a few other places. It was an amazing way to show our kids Europe.

Have only been on two river cruises but can hardly wait to do more. They are so informative, relaxing and most of all fun. No crowds as on ocean cruises. Just drifting down the Rhine is a true pleasure and with the wonderful shore excursions, food and exceptional service, it just can't get any better. New to You Tube so going to look at all your videos to enjoy them all.

I would add the Yangtze on Viking. Besides the river portion, the tour includes 2 domestic flights to see the see the terracotta army and Beijing. Best trip of our lives 6 years ago.

Love your videos! Your videos on riving cruising helped my husband and myself along with my parents to decide to try our first European river cruise! We are doing a Viking cruise on the Danube in about 2 months. We are all so very excited! This will be my first ever cruise!

On the Nile cruise, be very careful what you eat and drink. Sealed, bottled water and well cooked food only. On my Nile cruise, they warned us about it, but still about 1/3 of the passengers had stomach sickness. Great things to see, however.

Scenic is a very upscale cruise line. We did a tour last year and everything was first class. Some extras they provide are all drinks all day included, butler service for all rooms, 24 hour room service, and all excursions are included and often there are choices for you to choose. I feel after listening to friends and their tours that we were spoiled with service they provide.

I’ve heard there has been a problem with low water levels and you have to pack up, get off and bus to another ship. That doesn ‘t sound like fun.

Just did the Nile with Nour El Nil. Incredible!!!

We did the Viking Cruise from Vienna to Amsterdam, pluses amazing scenery, destinations, fantastic pastries at breakfast, minus' on ship dinners and entertainment.

I can’t tell you how you and your videos improve the quality of life for me and so many others. Thanks. ❤

Thanks for your advice. When we were in visiting Manaus, Brazil several years ago we took a three day cruise along the Amazon on the Iberostar Grand Amazon. With many chances to stop and explore along the way, we found it a unique experience yet but comparable in many ways to our trips on the Mississippi, the Nile and the Rhine. Now I only hope that we can come back in the future and cruise the Amazon all the way from Manaus down to the sea.

Thanks so much for including the Mississippi cruises. I've done several, and each one has been wonderful. One thing that sets them apart from European cruises: there is rarely more than one ship docked at a port. I've yet to experience the moving through or over other ships to reach land. In fact, having a ship dock at most ports is rare enough that townspeople often come out to greet us!

Great video, Gary. Thank you so much!

Compared to other people, I am still new at river cruises. I have only travelled the Rhine and Danube. This Christmas it will be 6 times I have been on these rivers. My favorite is the Danube starting out of Budapest. My ancestors came from Hungary,Poland,Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Slovakia. I am all eastern European. This will sound strange, but I feel very comfortable in eastern Europe and with my ancestry, perhaps that is why I love the Danube. This Christmas I will start out from Basel on the Rhine and end my journey in Amsterdam. I am looking forward to be on the rivers again.....

Great video Gary and nice to bump into you again - online. A long way from MPS... Just completed AMS - BSL with Ama on a Christmas Markets cruise - THE BEST! Comparing other ships we passed, Ama went to town on decorating and activities with a Christmas theme. Done a few other European river cruises and love this way of seeing places. Thanks for the video!

You give an honest, useful and concise assessment, especially after watching two dozen of your videos!

Another great video. Been on five of these rivers, an your take on them is right on, no question. Can’t wait for your next video.

@tipsfortravellers

6 жыл бұрын

Great to hear, thanks!

I am glad you included the Loire. My wife is a big fan and has that on her bucket list.

Thank you Gary for another great video.

Thank you for the tips!

Thank you for all the tips and tricks. I enjoy watching all your videos. 🎉

i did the RHINE-MOSEL CEUISE W/GRANS CIRCLE TRAVEL AND IT WAS AWESOME, SO MANY STOPS AND CASTLES.

Thanks for all the information. It`s worth mentioning that the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Germany, among other institutions, have identified the Mekong river as one of the most polluted in the World.

great \video, very infomative and interesting, thank you, More please :-)

Thanks for the info. Cruised The Netherlands and it was great. Next is The Netherlands through to Hungary. TY for including the Mississippi, on my list.

I'd like to explore these places. The Columbia river in the Northwest goes from Astoria all the way into Canada, most of the river cruising is around Portland and into Oregon City and there are some amazing places, the river over over 131 feet deep in many of these stretches.

I’ve been to Europe once with my parents in 1969. We rented a VW camper for a month and traveled around 5 countries, camping. While that was fun and I’ve never been on a group tour, I can see how river cruising would be different. For one thing, I’m sure most historical towns of note would be located on a waterway, which makes traveling by river a great way to see them. I’d also like the idea of paying one price for everything, without having to worry about all the things involving food, shelter, or travel. That would be a load off! Thanks for your informative videos.

Awesome information, Gary! I am looking into an Avalon Waterways Christmas market cruise on the Rhine for this coming December. Unfortunately, as a solo traveler, the pricing is basically double occupancy no matter what, which will make this experience about $9k when you add airfare from Florida. Very pricey, but I think it will be worth it!

Informative . . . thanks!

@tipsfortravellers

4 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

Viking cruises along the Danube...incredible ❤❤❤

@tipsfortravellers

5 жыл бұрын

Agree 😀

Great video would to do them all

And Egypt is also the best place to get the runs or severe stomach cramps.

Awesome information :-)

We took an Emerald cruise down the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel two years ago. Had a wonderful time. We had to walk through a Viking ship to get to our ship at one stop and the Viking ship did appear to be more fancy. But it was also more expensive.

@ME_EV

2 жыл бұрын

You Mean you went UP the Rhine in a southerly direction from Amsterdam to Basel

OMG im going on a cruise on the Rhine river next week thanks for telling me about it

I have done both Rhine and Danube Danube was my first river cruise with Viking in October. Loved it Rhine was the second one I did this time i went with Emerald, and was much more beautiful, but both were great.

@tipsfortravellers

6 жыл бұрын

Those are the two fabulous rivers I agree!

Awesome video

Thank you for the recommendations! Would you able to recommend any specific cruise lines for the Douro river tours?

My Yangtze River cruise with Viking Cruises was the cruise that got me hooked on river cruising! Surprised you didn't include it in your best cruises.

this commentary is very good! thank you

@tipsfortravellers

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much. Really appreciate you taking time to leave a comment.

Oh my god! Where haven't you been to? I want to be like you in 20 years!

Your channel is very nice for non traveler,no hard sales.

I like your recommendations, thank you. Is there a certain river boat company, you would recommend over another? Quality of the food, newer cabins, and we like active bike riding tours etc.

Great video!

@tipsfortravellers

6 жыл бұрын

Great to hear, thanks!

Very good and useful information.

@tipsfortravellers

6 жыл бұрын

Great to hear, thanks!

cruises around the Amazon River in Brazil are very popular too and since the river is large enought even normal Cruise Ships and Oceanliners go on it. the Queen Mary visits it frequently. all of them start in Belém and go all the way till Tabatinga and back and usually takes 2 or 3 weeks to do that...

@MichaelHallGray

5 жыл бұрын

I would love to know more about Amazon cruises.

The Valley of then Kings in Luxor is absolutely Amazing and well worth the trip. Sadly we were unable to visit the Aswan Dam.

@dianenaylor4770

2 жыл бұрын

You didn’t miss much…the dam was underwhelming.

Very surprised Tauck is not mentioned. We have done both Uniworld and Tauck. All the trips we picked include a few days either at the beginning or end at a hotel. With Uniworld we were in Prague for a few days. On Tauck we did 3 days in Switzerland and the next one 3 days in Milan. I will say the Uniworld boat was old. But, very well maintained. The Tauck boats were very new. However, in thinking about it Uniworld gave us much more free time which we enjoy. I like the small shops. They have unique items and we like to talk to the owners of the shops. I am considering Uniworld for Christmas markets tour.

I have cruised Rhine and and Danube and agree they would be the top two. I would rate a Danube cruise that includes the Main and Main Danube canal also equal to your top two. I would also give top ratings to the Elbe.

@joychon5809

5 жыл бұрын

John Anderson Z%

The upper Mekong from Luang Prabang in Laos to Huay Xai in Thailand. So good I've done it twice. Not really a cruise though. More an adventure boat trip.

Thanks for another very informative video. I've pretty much tapped out my European river cruise options. Now I know where to cruise next.

@tipsfortravellers

6 жыл бұрын

Great to hear it was interesting. Sound like you have a lot of river cruising experience. What has been your favourite route and line to date?

@Andrea-uy6lw

6 жыл бұрын

I always sail Uniworld always get a good solo deal, either a cabin with a French balcony or large picture window. (Never one of those claustrophobic cabins with a single bed and a tiny window high up on the wall.) Butlately I'm tempted by the riverboats with actual balconeys. Loved Northern Italy and the South of France. Rained throughout my time on the Danube and Rhine. May do the Rhine again, tho. Your video makes it look like that cruise is worth a second try.

@Andrea-uy6lw

6 жыл бұрын

PS: Just booked a solo balcony cabin on the Rhine with Scenic for next summer. Got a great rate. Hope it doesn't rain all the way like last time.

@tipsfortravellers

6 жыл бұрын

Awesome. I’ve only toured Scenic ship and loved the look and cabins! I really want to cruise with them! Fingers crossed for clear sunny days

Thanks.

You’ve forgotten the cruise on the Yangtze River, with dramatic cliffs and thousands of years of oriental history on view on both sides of the river.

douro, saone rhone, garonne, bordeaux, ....tulip holland....

What a fantastic video, it covers so much so quickly, really a bucket list of river cruises.

@MinhTran-qp7uw

4 жыл бұрын

W vn

Is there a video or review available for the Uniworld River Princess ship?

Can you recommend a cruise company for the River Moselle in France? Thank you. My relatives live near there.

I know this is resurrecting a long dead thread, but have you ever cruised any part of the Murray/Darling river system in Australia? I'd like to see your take on that.

Do you have any thoughts on cruising the Columbia River?

Beautiful video and very informative. What do you think about the Elbe River?

@tipsfortravellers

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much. Really appreciate you taking time to leave a comment. I found the Elbe fascinating and loved it!

how would you rate land bus, train tour vs river cruises? any suggestions for po, arno, guadilviquir (sorry spelling, the one seville, cordoba, granada), tiber, .... thames, india, burma, laos, thailand.....japan, south korea...,

Loving the river cruise videos,. Thank for your excellent dictation and not including crap background music🤓

@tipsfortravellers

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks. Great to hear you found it interesting and enjoyed the format

Hi can anyone tell me which is a good quiet cabin to ask for on a river cruise.Thanks .

I have done them all, and the best one for me, is the RHINE/MOSEL, and this one is by GRAND CIRCLE TRAVEL.

@Dangic23

5 жыл бұрын

I've started cruising in 1996 and always dreamt of one day doing a river cruise. I'm from the United States, and luckily, got to live in Germany from 2010-2014. I still didn't do the river cruise, but visited all the castles and towns on the Rhine and Mosel while living there. This video has me motivated again. The Duoro and Danube look to be very great routes. Time for planning!

Viking cruising is nice, whats not nice is going through the air port and all the hassles.

Great video. I doubt you watch all the comments on the old videos, but just in case..... Egypt is on my bucket list but the travel advisories, pre covid, were sobering. Any comment on it's safety as a destination?

@tipsfortravellers

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I do try and keep up to date as much as I can. Egypt is also one that I have on my list to do. Nile cruises seem to be coming back with many of the lines launching ships for there. It seems safety has much improved

Nice video but it would be nice if you showed a map of each river as you mention them.

1. Rhine 2. Danube 3. Rhone 4. Duoro 5. Loire 6. Seine 7. Mekong 8. Nile 9. Mississippi

@happytraveller2122

Жыл бұрын

Brahmaputra was fabulous too

I do love your videos. Of late, I've wanted to travel solo (specifically transatlantic), I've recently learned that there are more and more single cabins, but I can't find the information. I once took a two week cruise solo, and the upcharge was bearable. Now, it seems the upcharge is %100. I would so love to see a video that informs on this topic. Thanks for reading!

@tipsfortravellers

6 жыл бұрын

It is a big challenge. I did a video about solo travel and finding better deals: kzread.info/dash/bejne/g4doq7mSgK7SkbA.html

@tommytube268

5 жыл бұрын

Sarah. Beauchamp I hope you’ve take your transatlantic cruise but if not check out Royal Caribbean. The Anthem actually has balconies for singles, that goes from NJ to Florida but it’s got sister ships that hopefully for you does travel fro Europe back and forth to US and/or Canada.Good Luck and use a travel agent.

@marinamartinez6886

5 жыл бұрын

I went with my Alumni travel club and no single supplement but they are limited. The Travel Company was AHI and Cruise Line was Luftner Cruises.

Are there any rivers cruises which visit madrid, leipzig halle eisenach zwickau, cremona, bergamo, warsaw, busseto, siena, assisi, orvieto, padova, ravenna.....? paestum ercolano, pompeii?

Can you recommend any cruises on the British island?

Where did the dates go for when videos are put on KZread? When was this video created?

Great informative video...now, which river boat is the best?

@tipsfortravellers

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks. Good question. Nice idea for a video 😀 they are all very similar. So more about one’s budget. I like Uniworld, Avalon, Viking and Emerald ships the best

I want to go on a river cruise but I need to have some of those bells and whistles that are on ocean cruise ships how do you fight that one 😢??

جميل جدا ورائع جدا ❤❤❤🎉

Why nothing on the Volga?

I am in a wheelchair and I would love to take a river cruise. Can you recommend a cruise line that could accommodate someone with a wheelchair that could also accommodate me on land for the excursions? Thank you!

We thoroughly enjoyed the Yangtze River on Viking River Cruises.

@tipsfortravellers

6 жыл бұрын

I do want to do that river ! Lucky you to have cruise it

Do you have much time getting off boat to tour castles on the Rhine cruise?

@s35flyer

5 жыл бұрын

We just did the Rhine with Avalon, it was so much fun, but no they don’t stop to tour the castles.

@himmis4all

5 жыл бұрын

Viking tours the marksburg castle

Melk is famous for its great Benedictine Abbey: not a "cathedral".

Making a link for my mom at 3:54 re Seine

Gary - you mention the Volga in comparing with the Danube for length, but you don’t include Volga cruises among your favorites. May I request the favor of your reasoning regarding why the Volga affords a lesser ranking in your opinion? I haven’t cruised the Volga, but my wife and I are considering one, and wish to be forewarned if you have significant misgivings about Volga cruising.

@tipsfortravellers

4 жыл бұрын

Mostly as there are very few options right now and the lines that do charter boats rather than run the whole thing themselves, do less consistent overall. It looks a great itinerary though but can be less consistent with the brand I feel

There are many cruisers operators....is there any particular to be suggested...??

@tipsfortravellers

4 жыл бұрын

Yes, Here are the ones I think are good : kzread.info/dash/bejne/g6qkuNOSlsuriLg.html

Most European cruises travel at night - but they aren’t allowed to travel at night on the Douro so you need to be ready to spend more time on board, cruising, because you haven’t been able to get to the next place as you slept.

Danube,,Main Rhine Mosel, Elbe, Loire, Guadalquivir, Volga, mekong, ganges, amazon, nile, yangtze, irrwaddy, ......

any river cruises which call on leipzig, halle, eisenach, zwickau; bergamo, cremona, pesaro, busseto roncole, yes music connection. taj mahal, angkor wat, excuse spelling. madrid, segovia, toledo, avila, sintra, .....? main for wuerzburg nuernberg, ; elbe for dresden prague berlin potsdam, wittenberg....; danube vienna budapest, munich(?) , loire for chateaux obviously but limited and extremely expensive. most important question is when to visit by river cruise vs bus vs train vs drive rent car.

Tauck is by far the best! They are first class all the way.

@carly4513

2 жыл бұрын

They just stiffed my son in law's grandparents. Paid over $100,000 to take the family on a cruise in 2020. Postponed until this year and Tauck 'lost' their reservations (for 11 people!). Tauck still had the money and grandma had all the documentation. I'm sure they upsold their rooms this year. The family got their money back, but no vacation.

@2tjkj40

2 жыл бұрын

@@carly4513 So sorry to hear that I’m glad you were able to get your money back. We did a Rhône river cruise with them in 2021 and enjoyed it very much.

Loire no we were left stranded,water got too low to sail bored as heck

Very informative. I am surprised however that the only mention of slavery relates to the Mississippi River. Perhaps the shores of the Mississippi promote viewing their history pertaining to slavery however there is no country who cannot have a claim to have practice slavery. Interesting it was only mentioned for the American cruise.

@lours6993

9 ай бұрын

I wouldn’t be too surprised. The US has by far the most recent history of slavery: it was central to the construction of the US and practiced more widely, and importantly, long after Europeans abandoned it. There was even a civil war fought over slavery, leaving half the country aggrieved that they couldn’t continue it. Further there is a vast population in the US descended from slaves. All of this makes the character of American slavery unique in the Western world.

Is there a cruise company that serves good food and nice wine? I don't like eating in a cafeteria and I don't drink cheap wines.

@happytraveller2122

Жыл бұрын

Most of them

@edrodgers4581

Жыл бұрын

@@happytraveller2122 Please name one. Thank you.

Nile the best cruise ever

I'm surprised that you didn't mention the longest river in Europe.

Very enticing. On a detail, though, it’s the Douro, not the ‘Duoro’.

@tipsfortravellers

6 жыл бұрын

EEK! I missed that in the edit. Thanks :-)

U miss the Yangtze River cruise of China!

@beckster3388

5 жыл бұрын

i second that. it was so amazing. i did it when i was 10 turning 11 so not many kids on the cruise.

I'm trying to confirm a statement made by a friend of mine. He told me all of Viking's river cruise ships are refurbished AMA Waterways cruise ships. This sounds so untrue to me!

@tipsfortravellers

6 жыл бұрын

Definitely wrong !!

Global news☮️💝💞💘

The Danube is much more beautiful from Budapest to its Delta

Given the rise of terrorism, is Nile still safe to cruise in 2019?

@caveman7608

4 жыл бұрын

No one will ever agree with the answer to this question.

@abialo2010

4 жыл бұрын

Absolutely not. that whole region is not welcoming to white people. stick to Europe and America. even his mention of mekong is starting to get suspicious. muslims are taking over Asia too

@davebrady7562

4 жыл бұрын

Yes it's safe we just return we did it from 1/7 to 1/31 with pre and post extension Israel and Jordan respectively. We have security with us at all times. It's an incredible trip. Do it.

Leon is in Spain, Lyon is in France