I have traveled with Beth several times on Uniworld and AmaWaterways. She puts together the best packages. She also is great at trouble shooting, working tirelessly to make sure everyone is accommodated when any problem may arise. On to Egypt with her in December!

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

We agree and and funny you mention Egypt That’s where we are off to on Sunday!

This was great, having just taken my 1st river cruise, and ready to book my next. The one thing she didn't mention is the perks your travel agent may be able to give you to offset costs. For example, Viking was offering a free airfare deal when we booked. The travel agent threw in a Silver Spirits Package (unlimited drinks of any kind) plus a shipboard credit that paid for 2 extra shore excursions, our gratuities, and some swag bags from the Viking gift shop. When comparison shopping, I highly recommend asking your travel agent what perks they can include. This could sway your decision on which river cruise company you choose.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Good tip. Travel advisors often have additional perks on select sailings that are not available when you book directly with the ocean or river cruise line.

@DileepB

Жыл бұрын

@@askarealtravelexpert True, but some advisors like the lady on this video charge a fee for their assistance, but might still be worth it.

@gailgohrick5836

11 ай бұрын

We are getting $800 check back after sailing from our TA - so we can spend it how we like. This is much more than we get on say Royal Caribbean because Viking charges so much more, so she has more to work with - I won’t complain!!

@user-ve1pt3uc9y

3 ай бұрын

Who's your travel agent?!?

Thank you for making this video, it was very helpful as we weigh our options for our first river cruise.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

We got an very amazing price with viking that included the airfare. My sister and I won’t spend any extra money on tours. We’ll just do whatever they offer that is included or just walk into the town or village and look around. We don’t drink, so now problem there.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

You will have a great time

@debbied9997

Жыл бұрын

I did too! My husband and I are going on Viking cruise with another couple in April, and we are not doing anything extra, just doing the 2 excursions offered per day. We are really low-key people and expect to venture out by ourselves as there are 4 of us.

@JT_70

Ай бұрын

The excursions included on Viking cruises are sufficient and will take up most of your touring time. The only extra excursion we added to the Viking Grand American cruise was the Sound of Music tour

Great video and review! We did the Danube in 2019 with AMA Waterways, and it was exceptional! We’re going back next Fall with AMA on the Seine Paris to Normandy!

@askarealtravelexpert

7 ай бұрын

AmaWaterways is a great river cruise line. Enjoy Paris and the Seine

I’m cruising on Ama in December for the Christmas market on the rhine. Very excited

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

You are going to love it we are currently in Egypt with #Amawaterways boarding AmaDahlia in two days.

Thank you. Excellent reviews. Considering the grand voyage on Uniworld.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

So informative and informational. Book with Beth and the team and you are booking with the best!

@askarealtravelexpert

9 ай бұрын

Glad you think so!

Great overview. We just took Viking up the Rhine and the one thing that was a turn off for our party of 3 was the dining room seating. There were no tables for 2 or 4 unless you ate upstairs on the terrace, which didn’t have many seats indoors. The dining room’s tables sat 6 people and up and they were very close together, great if you’re an extrovert and want to meet new people every time you dine, not so great for those who don’t. We didn’t have this problem on an AMA Danube cruise a few years ago, so we are cruising on AMA again on the Douro River next year.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for some great insight on this. It's a very good point for some folks.

This was excellent! Thank you both.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much the wonderful feedback makes it so worth it!

Post covid you can now walk through other ships again when docked side by side, this happened on my Rhine cruise in September 2022.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Agreed that’s what we found on our Nile cruise. Although I am not sure you could have gone over top of a Nile river boat they are three and four decks

Very interesting video, thanks. I have been on 2 Ama cruises and 1 Uniworld cruise. I have also booked a 2024 Ama cruise. My cruises with both countries were excellent, but I prefer Ama for a couple of reasons. On all 3 cruises I purchased the pre and post cruise extensions. On Ama your cruise manager greats you when we check into the first hotel and bids farewell when you board the bus to the airport after the final hotel. Uniworld uses local guides for the pre and post extensions. They were fine, but the security of having that one person with you for your entire time is comforting. We had a medical emergency in Madrid and our manager was able to go with the passenger to the ER and monitor her during the entire 13 days. We arrived for our post during a huge political demonstration in Lisbon. Our bus was unable to get to the hotel and we had to walk. Our manager along with the local guide we there all the time for assistance. Food was excellent and abundance on both lines. What I do like is the light bistro lunch that Ama serves in the lounge. (I can't eat 3 large meals a day.) There was soup, small sandwiches, cheese and crackers, crudities and desserts. (With a cup of soup and cheese and crackers, I was set.) I really cannot remember what Uniworld served in the lounge, but it was very limited. The local guides for both lines were uniformly excellent as was the shipboard staff. On the Uniworld cruise I was on the lower level and found it just fine. Dimitri was in charge of those rooms, and he attended us like a butler in a fancy suit. It seemed as soon as we used a towel it was replaced.

@askarealtravelexpert

11 ай бұрын

Thanks for the mini review it’s wonderful to hear from our viewers.

We have traveled on both Viking, two river cruises and Amawaterways, on 1. They seemed very similar. Cabins, food, excursions, service. We are taking a Viking ocean cruise soon. My only quibble is that Viking air plans involve too many stops, no direct flights to Europe. Also, I just learned that travel agents can get you perks. I have always booked directly with the company.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment on Viking Air we have an upcoming segment on Viking We will quiz the expert on the air portion. And yes travel advisors will often have access to special amenities and perks. Plus it also handy to have an some knowledgeable in the product especially for complicated itineraries.

@DileepB

Жыл бұрын

We have always booked directly with the cruise company, but will use a highly recommended local TA. She has already done some great stuff for our next AMA cruise that is allowing us to cancel our Viking booking!

AmaWaterways’ AmaMagna is almost double width but can still go through certain locks. Thanks for the interesting video

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

That’s right only certain locks on the Danube. We have an upcoming segment on her detailing the Christmas Markets.

@CruiseLifestyle

Жыл бұрын

@@askarealtravelexpert enjoy, lovely ship with excellent food!

One huge advantage of Viking, which we experienced in 2018 (Grand European) during low water levels, was that they have so many ships we could transfer from one to another without our vacation becoming a bus tour. It wasn't very convenient, but I really felt for travelers we met who spent only 1 or 2 nights on the river cruise. Make sure you check your water levels and give yourself a chance to postpone if water levels are low.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Great tip the other river cruise lines will do this as well depending on ship availability but you are right Viking with more ships has the advantage. Water levels are going to become more of a thing as we go forward into the future, spring departures are going to become more popular when water levels are at peak. This is where the advice of an experienced river cruise travel advisor can come in handy.

@susanac7733

9 ай бұрын

Viking may have more ships but AmaWaterways have the lowest draft ships out of all the major cruise lines so the chances of you having to get off the ship is very low due to low water conditions. They also know how to work with high water conditions. Again, chances of that affecting your cruise is extremely low with Ama.

@JT_70

Ай бұрын

@@susanac7733Low draft is of no benefit when the rivers are closed to all large boat traffic, as was the case with the Rhine on our first river cruise.

Please include discussion of how the lines handle times when things don't go according to plan. We have cruised with Viking several times, and have experienced events where things did not go according to script thru no fault of Viking. Viking managed very difficult situations exceptionally well, leaving me with the idea that "When things go according to plan, anybody can look good. When things go off script, Viking looks VERY good!" Also, no kids on Viking.

@askarealtravelexpert

11 күн бұрын

Great suggestion stay tuned

Beth was inaccurate on several of her statements regarding Viking cruises. I have sailed with them 5 times and did not have to spend all the "extra" money she kept referring to. They do have a sip and sail party provided complimentary. 0:09 0:09 The complimentary excursions always included the major sites I would wish to visit. I have never had to pay ANY extra money for my needs. Considering her bias, I wonder if perhaps Viking isn't as generous in the amount paid to travel agents as Ama and Uniworld. And finally--I love the no kids policy!

@askarealtravelexpert

6 ай бұрын

🤔

As a veteran of 8 river cruises and a ninth coming up in a few weeks if the water levels hold, I thought this was a good video for a novice cruiser. I agree with pretty much everything but I thought that there were a couple of things missing. Nothing was said about possible water level problems and nothing was said about solo supplements. I feel that Viking is not as willing to waive single supplements as some of the other cruise lines. I have been on Gate 1, Viking, Avalon and Uniworld and Uniworld is my favorite by far. My upcoming cruise is my fifth with Uniworld and I have paid a solo supplement only once, but it was really worth it.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your thoughtful comment. And you are correct about possible water level issues especially in the upcoming years. This would make for a good segment about how the various cruise lines handle the situations. Same with solo supplements ( up charge for single occupancy) as some lines have promotions where they waive the up charge. Five river cruises on Uniworld alone would certainly make you an expert. Would you like to come on the show some time?

@owensmith7530

Жыл бұрын

As a single traveller who has been on APT, Scenic, Riviera x 2 and Amadeus river cruises I can say single supplements are my biggest complaint. Generally the price is doubled minus a couple of hundred quid for the air fare. But I'm not eating two sets of meals in the restaurant, using the pool twice as much as anyone else, etc.

@rhw7879

Жыл бұрын

I agree that Uniworld is my favorite.

We were just in a Uniworld and transfers are free only if the service is between 8am and 4pm. We have to pay extra because we arrived at the airport at 6pm ($30 per pax).

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Hmm that's interesting and kind nickel and dime. We have a segment on Uniworld coming up will delve into this a bit stay tuned

I booked a 17 day Viking cruise, and we are only paying extra for 2 excursions. The Silver Spirits package costs $300 pp. We like the short complimentary excursions so we have time to explore the area on our own. We also got free air. $25 deposit held the reservation until 6 months before the cruise. their payment schedule seems to have changed, and my full payment for next year's cruise is due 15 months prior to departure. Will have to look at Uniworld and AMA who seem to require full payment only 3 months before the cruise, unless it is part of a special promotion. Will seek help from a TA!

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Where are you off to on this one?

@DileepB

Жыл бұрын

@@askarealtravelexpert Vienna to Bucharest.

Ama’s excursions are far more varied and interesting than Viking’s. Loved my Ama cruise as a single traveler: and the swan-view room was perfectly fine! And I am very picky and claustrophobic. Glad I tried that, because I was barely in my room except to nap or sleep. Choosing the excursions that interest you make the trip.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for comment, good to know your thoughts on the swan view. One definitely does not spend a lot of time in your cabin.

@maryhurst4663

11 ай бұрын

Did they charge you a single supplement?

Beth was very kind about not correcting the mispronunciation of her home state.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

She was indeed. But trust me I have heard from lots of proud Oregonians who were only too happy to call me on the carpet for my "Ted Baxter" moment!

The Avalon rooms look amazing

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

They are!

Beth didn’t mention anything about comparing packages when Viking is offering free air…I wonder if they would be substantially less during those promotions.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

That is a very good point. Viking does have great air contracts from time to time. It’s worth checking

When you book a another Viking Cruise when you are on a Viking Cruise you have 6 months to pay for that next cruise. So the whole thing about 30 days goes out the window. They will tell you this on your cruise. Plus they give you onboard credit for the cruise you are on. Plus the more you Cruise with Viking the cheaper it gets because they give you credits for your next cruise. We just finished a Viking Cruise to Australia and New Zealand at the end of February 2023. We booked a River Cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest March 2024 while we were on the Orion. We received an onboard $200 credit, plus money off our River Cruise, plus we do not have to pay for our River Cruise until the middle of September 2023.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the detailed comment we have another segment on Viking coming up where we take a in depth look at Viking both ocean and river.

Great comparison. Thank you. Which of the river cruise lines offer coffee machines in the room and tables for two in the dining room? I heard that Viking does not offer tables for two. That might work for couples or families traveling together sitting at a four or more persons table, but that doesn't work for me.

@askarealtravelexpert

3 ай бұрын

We’ve never seen a coffee machine in the room on a river cruise. In all river cruises there is a 24 hour coffee station set up in the lounge area. When it comes to tables for two, they are available in limited quantities on most of the lines in the main dining room but due to space limitations you are still seated very close together kind of defeating the purpose. Some of the specialty dining venues on some lines such as Viking's Aquavit Terrace will have seating for two.

We’ve done both AMA Magna Vilshoffen > Budapest (Danube) & UniWorld MarieAntionette Basel > Amsterdam (Rhien) … yes Uni was all inclusive but AMA was pretty much same, as when grouping with new friends on deck mid afternoon, or late morning a waiter came along and said would you like a … I think a Bloody Mary would go well with that sparkling water or would you like a Prosecco with the juice cocktail. In any case a bucks fizz - or champagne for that matter on during breakfast at AMA too. I think the staff on both of these lines were out of this world compared to some Ocean lines. Lastly, back in them olden days the river was the Highway Freeway Motorway etc. so when you fetch up at the dock of a town or village, you are literally straight into the town square with only a 4 or 5 minute walk … no messing with coaches local. But the coaches fo4 both lines when used are top notch, leather seats, USB outlets in seats air con etc. My advice go for a river hol on Uni or AMA you won’t be disappointed.

@askarealtravelexpert

11 ай бұрын

Thanks for the mini review. Always like to hear from river cruise fans.😎

Viking final payment date is completely different if you book in the UK. They want 25% deposit (which is very high for the UK market, we're used to a few hundred pounds each deposit on Scenic, Riviera etc), and then final payment is a few months (I forget how many) before departure.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info UK

@noname-JS

Жыл бұрын

Viking is asking for a $25 deposit this year and wants full payment a month from the booking date no matter how far in advance. For example, I booked Jan 17th and full payment is due Feb 28th although the cruise isn't until November

@owensmith7530

Жыл бұрын

@@noname-JS It's still different in the UK.

One key fact that was just sort of passed over is that the excursions are optional, you can choose all, some or none depending on your wants. But this is very informative.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

This is true. Which is one of the cool things about river cruising in Europe. In most cases you dock at or very near the heart of each town. So you can always venture out on your own if you do choose,

Have k my been on Viking. One thing we could have done was brought our own alcohol- assuming the same in the other lines?? We normally do ocean cruises and found a river cruise to feel more crowded due to everyone doing everything at the same time. The concept of tracing with only 180 people seems good until you are in a town where there are multiple river boats and soooo many other tour groups as well. I like arranging my own activities, but the schedule doesn’t always allow it. We are trying one more to give it a fare shake. Also was surprised it didn’t feel elegant like their commercials feel. It was very casual and the CD wanted to be your friend by talking gossip about other guests. The piano player/singer was bad etc. So hoping to have a different experience next time

@askarealtravelexpert

11 ай бұрын

Its worthwhile trying another line such as AmaWaterways or Avalon, Uniworld if you are looking for more upscale, but having said that it sounds like ocean cruising may be a better fit for you.

Thanks for The informative videos of your viking cruise. It helps a lot. I can see a lot of walking in this video, which I Love it. However, I am so curious if the cruise offer an electric scoter ? My family been wanting to do a viking cruise, but my Main problem, is my husband has a parkingson disease and cannot able to walk for 1 minute, so I dont know How we can manage to do this kind of trips? We were planning to go on summer, hopefully I can get an answer from you. Thank you!

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Hi Jamish so sorry to hear about your husbands Parkinson's my Dad had the same affliction. Unfortunately none of the river cruise lines have motorized scooters available. It's a storage issue mainly. That being said it would be worth having a heart to heart talk with an expert river cruise advisor. You can explain your husbands limitations and see if perhaps a particular itinerary or river cruise line would be a good fit. Sometimes there are excursions for what is known as slow walkers. Hope this helps

@jamishthewanderer

Жыл бұрын

@@askarealtravelexpert Thanks a lot of your reply. Yeah, Its a terrible desease and we have to dealt with it everyday. So I actually was planning for it to talk to them, so that we know what we gonna do. Coz mainly that’s the only problem we were dealing with right now. We’ve been to cruises before, and we enjoyed so much. But then after he was diagnose with these disease we kinda stuck roaming around. So hopefully, I can get a further information from them. Again thank you for your ideas. God Bless!

@johnbeckmeyer1696

Жыл бұрын

River cruising is probably best if you are ambulatory. The locations where the ship docks are typically in cities or towns that date back several hundreds of years and were not designed to be friendly to those with mobility issues. I could see electric scooters having difficulties with cobbled streets, curbs with no cut-outs, uneven steps into the points of interest. On the three AMA boats I've been on (Rhine, Danube, Rhone), there are elevators between floors but not to the top deck. To get to the top deck you must ascend stairs. The floors served by the elevator are the dining level, the main deck, and the levels with state rooms. There is no elevator service above that top level of state-rooms. The main deck is spacious and has great views forwards and to the sides should you decide to stay on board. The furniture is spaced out enough for a scooter to navigate. You will have to travel across other boats to get to shore - some crossings have you ascending and descending stairs and some you may be able to traverse the lobby of the boat(s) between you and the shore. You will have to go up and down a gangway and the transition between the gangway and the land and/or the deck might involve some steps. I don't recall having to cross over ship thresholds. At each port of call, AMA has several "levels" of walking tours and in some locations (all?) they have a bus or shuttle tour. It seems like there were usually three different levels of guided walking tours depending on how fast you wanted to go and how much ground you wanted to cover before returning to the boat. There are also guided bike tours on every stop on AMA. So, lots of options, but old European cities are not ADA compliant, getting on and off the boats might be challenging, and access to the full ship might be problematic. I did see a video that compared river cruising to ocean cruising and they pointed out that there was a huge variety of things to do on board ocean going ships. There's also lots of entertainment options and different dining options on an ocean going cruise - to the point you really don't have to get off the ship to really enjoy yourself. Entertainment on a river boat is small-scale, quaint, and usually consists of one to 4 performers who come on board for a relatively short, stand-up, performance in the main lounge. I like to think of it as a nice way to socialize on board and perhaps see a bit of the local culture. It's not Cirque-du-Soleil, Broadway, big-name blues, folk, pop.. So if you are staying onboard, and start to crave some entertainment, the number and level of productions on a ocean cruise is probably far superior.

I'm your opinion, what's the best month to do a European river cruise? I thought September, but I've heard river levels are decreasing! Is spring too rainy?

@askarealtravelexpert

4 ай бұрын

We like the shoulder seasons May June and September October. The stops along the way are less crowded and the heat is not too hot. As for water levels that is a moving target but the river cruise lines have ways to deal with that, some are better than others. I would have a conversation with a seasoned river cruise expert advisor to help you select the best itinerary and cruise line if you are concerned about it. We have had conversations with numerous travel experts over the years who have sailed on hundreds of river cruises and in all of those departures I can think of only one who mentioned that their river cruise was impacted by low water and the river cruise line handled it perfectly. Hope this helps.

Very informative video! What is the youngest age of a child allowed on AMA?

@askarealtravelexpert

Ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment the minimum age for Europe is 4 and 12 for Africa. Stay tuned we have an upcoming segment on family river cruising.

Helpful video, thank you! I’ve taken many ocean cruises, but never a river cruise. I mentioned to my travel agent/friend that I was interested in doing one. I specifically said the Viking Romantic Danube cruise. She suggested I also look at Amawaterways. So, I’ve been looking… I don’t like the AMA website. With Viking I can build my trip (including the pre-cruise), but in AMA, unless I’m missing it, they want you to provide info so they can email a quote. I don’t like that. It’s hard to decide which line to pick! I love the idea to have a pool, but would I use it? Believe it or not, on my last two ocean cruises, we didn’t swim on the ship at all! We were too busy doing other things. I like the idea of extra excursions to choose from, but would we have time to do them? Aren’t the included excursions worth it? I’m not a food snob, but I do like good food! So that does matter to me. Last but not least, I like to have quiet time on my balcony. I don’t care if it’s a full walk-out balcony or just a door I can open. Decisions, decisions…

@penelopepitstop762

Жыл бұрын

My apologies for such a long post.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Hello Penelope Like you we have been on many ocean cruises but the cruise that was most memorable was our Rhine river cruise with AmaWaterways you will enjoy your time whether it be Ama or Viking. The AmaWaterways website is a little more tricky to navigate but you should be able find all the info you need by navigating among the tabs int the gold bar " WHATS INCLUDED - ITINERARY - SHIPS. etc etc. For extensions pre or post tic the radio button. Or simply discuss all the options with your trusted travel agent. The pool is a nice option but trust me this should not be a deciding factor as you will very likely not be in it much if at all. When it comes to excursions we did two in one day in a lot of cases to take everything in and its nice to have the choice of several options. I am sure the Viking included excursions are great but one thing to remember is these might tend to be a bit more crowded as opposed to Ama who offer multiple free excursions per port. Ama's food is excellent and they have won awards for it. Viking does not portend to be food connoisseurs so their dining experience is just ok, not bad by any stretch, but not memorable either. You definitely want a balcony be it a french balcony (sliding door or window) or a full walk out. We did not spend that much time in our stateroom during our river cruise for two reasons. The size of our french balcony room was a bit confining and the weather, we did the Rhine in November. So the time of year should be a consideration for you as well. Hope this helps. I would rely heavily on travel agent that has been on several river cruise lines and itineraries to help you with choices. Best wishes to you and drop us a note when you sail.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

No worries happy to help

@penelopepitstop762

Жыл бұрын

@@askarealtravelexpert thank you very much!

@izengolf1

10 ай бұрын

Fully agree about the frustration of using AMA's website. Scenic and Emerald are also slow and cumbersome to access pricing.

This was very helpful thank you

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

Ama includes a cocktail hour before dinner. We did 2 excursions a day all included. Gratuities were included. Our bill after a week on the Rhône was $45. 😊 Minor correction. Ama does include transfers even when you don’t book air with them after your second booking.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

The Sip and Sail cocktail hour. Great to take advantage of as they include most drinks that you order during that time beyond the the offered cocktail of the day. We just returned from AmaDahlia it was great.

Did the costs you quoted include the gratuities, or were those in addition to the bottom line?

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Hi Lorraine we will confirm that with Beth stay tuned

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Hi Lorraine just heard back form Beth. Yes gratuities were included in the final tally of her comparison

I would have liked to have heard some input about Vikings free airfare. I have heard that it could be a nightmare and that it's better to book your own? This was certainly affect its price. I have never taken a river Cruise and I'm still confused

@kenlawrence7666

Жыл бұрын

We have an upcoming segment on Viking that deals with just your question but by way of preview our experts recommend purchasing the Air Plus option when booking your cruise. With Air Plus it allows for your travel advisor to work directly with the Viking air department to get the best options for you. It’s 100 per person but the experts say it is really worth for the extra flexibility.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

We have an upcoming segment on Viking that deals with just your question but by way of preview our experts recommend purchasing the Air Plus option when booking your cruise. With Air Plus it allows for your travel advisor to work directly with the Viking air department to get the best options for you. It’s 100 per person but the experts say it is really worth for the extra flexibility.

With APT everything was included , all tours, drinks etc

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Australian Pacific Touring right? How did you find them overall?

@janettodd1195

Жыл бұрын

They were excellent, great cruise director, everything well organised, good food drinks etc, the excursions were very interesting, would highly recommend

I’d be interested in knowing the best time of year for European river cruises, since I’ll probably one get one in my lifetime.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Hi Susan April May June is a good time frame. July August and September you may encounter low water levels meaning they may have to transfer you to a bus to finish the itinerary. Best thing to speak with a travel advisor with lots of river cruise experience to guide you.

@cgreen6369

Жыл бұрын

I took a fantastic Viking Christmas Market Cruise on the Rhine December 12-20, 2022. We had no problem with water levels.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Love Christmas markets

Thanks for your videos. I just watched 2 of them, each comparing 3 river cruise companies. The biggest criteria my wife and I have is about food. We would want steamed veggies, fresh cooked beans (not canned), whole grains, mushrooms, onions, raw or dry roasted nuts and seeds, root vegetables (sweet potatoes, carrots), fresh fruit for dessert (no pastries, no added sugar), no alcohol, oatmeal (or other cooked whole grain cereals) for breakfast with plant milk and frozen blueberries or similar, and I love garlic and hot spices (but not my wife). We are nutrition-focused vegans. No bread, no pasta, no oil, no salt, no sugar. Obviously, no dairy, no meat, no fish, no eggs, no animal products. No soft drinks, just decaf tea. Is there a cruise IN THE WORLD that would accommodate us? We think we would like active shore excursions, bike rides, classical entertainment, tours, and museums, but we really need the right food. Is cruising possible for picky eaters like us? Thanks for your thoughts!

@askarealtravelexpert

Ай бұрын

Hey a fellow lover of garlic and spice, love it. The river cruise lines are fairly accommodating when it comes to special diets, your list is fairly extensive would be best to check with the river cruise lines to see what they can do for you.

@marcusjaybrode2129

Ай бұрын

Damn, you are a lot of work. 😮

Are there ever sales on Ama cruises? Is Air ever included? thanks,!

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Hi John Ama does have sales on periodically and yes some of them include air. At the moment they have a sale on their land programs as well as reduced rates on air on select sailings.

@DileepB

Жыл бұрын

They have a free Loire extension on the Bordeaux cruise right now.

Personally I would have put Scenic and Tauck in the top 3.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Interesting we are going to do a segment on Scenic and Tauck in the near future. Stay tuned

very interesting video!!! What about a solo cruiser? Will any of these be better for this, let call it, issue?

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Thanks great question on solo cruising. AmaWaterways as a rule usually has the most offers for Solo Cruisers with reduced single and even zero single supplement at certain times of the year on select cruises. Right now they have an offer on for 25% single supplement, meaning you only pay for 25% of the second person in what would normally be a double occupancy cabin. Viking runs their single supplements at 50% to 100 % depending on the time of year. Another option to look at is Emerald Waterways and Scenic as they both have some actual solo occupancy cabins check out Laura's video about them kzread.info/dash/bejne/qZd-t65rhqyqhLg.html

@laurap.5804

Жыл бұрын

@@askarealtravelexpert thank You!

@izengolf1

10 ай бұрын

My mom and I booked under Uniworld's Solo Traveler Offer with NO single supplement and will be on the Danube this month traveling together in separate rooms. Our travel agent got a super deal in addition to the solo offer. Can't wait to see the 2024 offers!

@laurap.5804

10 ай бұрын

@@izengolf1 wow! Can I ask you which travel agency you used if I may? Thanks!!! Enjoy your holidays than!!!!

@izengolf1

10 ай бұрын

@@laurap.5804 CAA in Belleville Ontario

Very helpful!

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

Where would you rank Scenic among these three lines? I've heard this comparison made among the three lines in this video 1. Uniworld is the Ritz 2. AMA is the Four Seasons 3. Viking is the Hilton

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Great question and also a hard one. Scenic would rank ahead of all three of these lines for being the most all inclusive including butler service for all and unique excursions. To use a cruise ship analogy; 1. Scenic is Silversea (Luxury) 2. Uniworld is Seabourn 3. AMA is Celebrity Cruises 4. Viking is Royal Caribbean Accordingly they also tend to be top of the mark for price so it comes down to what type of experience you are looking for, for your hard earned dollar. We have an upcoming segment comparing Scenic River to Tauck so stay tuned.

@eah8185

Жыл бұрын

@@askarealtravelexpert Thank you for that extremely prompt reply and counsel! I will watch for that Tauck vs. Scenic comparison . . . very interested to see how those two rank based on your (& your guest's?) assessment. We traveled on Viking, Uniworld & Scenic last year, and agree with your ranking of the three. The agreement is in part based on our view that Silversea & Seabourn are pretty close in what they have to offer with Silversea just a modest cut above - i.e., our Scenic experience on the Rhone & Saone was almost a "too close to call" comparison to our Uniworld experience in Bordeaux. With that in mind . . . and equally curious about ocean cruising . . . where do you place Regent among Silversea, Seabourn (and, presumably, with ultra upscale A&K now in charge, Crystal)? We sailed Silversea twice in 2021 (Iceland & Antarctica) and Regent three times in 2022 (north Atlantic, Med & Miami to LA via Panama Canal) . . . admittedly limited experience, all of which is post COVID; so, your insights would be most welcome! Thanks again for your counsel and insights.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Wow John that is a lot of travel. I am envious. It’s another tough call. All three lines are excellent. We are doing a Seabourn segment in February . I will let you know when it is up and will pose your question to one of our experts.

I have river cruised on AmaWaterways twice and loved the experience. I especially loved the Christmas Market cruise. The one river cruise line to avoid is Avalon. Worst experience I have ever had on any cruise..ocean or river. Only when we were aboard, on the first night, were we informed that the 2nd week of the river cruise was canceled due to Rhine/Danube river drought conditions. Instead, we were bused and housed in 3rd rate hotels, which offered us at best prison food buffet. At the same time, Viking could move their passengers to another ship. Horrible experience albeit we were reimbursed for 6 days. Had I known, I would have canceled. Given this review, I will be exploring Uniworld in the future. I always prefer all-inclusive if possible.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment. It’s to bad to hear about Avalon nobody wants their river cruise to turn into a bus tour! I know sometimes the river conditions and water levels can change within 24 hours making it difficult to provide passengers with a lot of options. We actually have a segment on this coming soon stay tuned.

How good is the wine that is included at lunch and dinner? What does an upgrade cost?

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the question! We will address our questions in our nest Viking segment stay tuned.

So much misinformation. We did not have to pay when we booked Viking. Includes one morning excursion in each port and then you can explore on your own. Large variety of optional excursions. 190 passengers because no pool. If you are just using your room to shower and sleep as Beth said then size is adequate.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment. Stay tuned for our upcoming segment with two Viking experts that touches on all of this.

Just wanted to say that with Viking, the final payment deadline at the end of the month that you book is not set in stone. I have booked 2 cruises directly with Viking in 2022 for 2024 and don't have to make the final payment until 2023. Yes, they did request payment at the end of the booking month, like you say in the video but, I said sorry I can't do it then, so they made arrangements to accommodate me. They also discount the cruise fare if you have sailed with them before in either rivers or oceans, you just have to remind them.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the update. So if you push back a bit they will accommodate. That’s a good tip it a shame Viking would not be more forthcoming about that. Same goes for loyalty discounts on cruise fares. That said though Viking is likely struggling a bit with new call centre staff training post Covid line most other cruise lines.

@jilllovesbeegees70

Жыл бұрын

My sister and I are going on a cruise on the Viking in November 2023 and they want the final payment at the end of September this year, 2022. I am just hoping that I don’t have to get a vaccine that is the next hurdle.

@stevehenson3325

Жыл бұрын

Didn’t work for me. I tried to book a cruise with Viking and I had gone up to the point of deposit and when final payment was due. When I found out the ridiculously short turn around, I said can’t do it that soon and they told me “sorry to hear that”. That was it

@Ravensonng

Жыл бұрын

@@stevehenson3325 I would call again and talk to a different person.

@rod2625

Жыл бұрын

Booked a Viking cruise in June for June 2023. Final payment was due end of Sept. 2023.

Uniworld is the best of the three. The other two hit you with that extra bill at the end.

@askarealtravelexpert

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment.

She fails to mention that Viking has better itineraries and pre-and post stays. Well worth the extra money.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

You are right! with 70 ships in Europe there is a lot of choice for itineraries. And it always makes good sense to do either a pre or post stay if you are going all that way. Check out the Viking interview we did with the Kaplans they are big Viking fans kzread.info/dash/bejne/f4SflriHgrbThco.html

Thanks for sharing the information but there's no State called "ORA-GONE" .

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

You are right thanks for catching that . I seem to have a mental block / tic when it comes to that wonderful state.

Which ones have single rooms?

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

There are very few river cruise ships with single occupancy rooms. AmaWaterways has a few on some of their older ships in Europe. What most of the lines do is periodically the offer a reduced "Single Supplement" meaning you can occupy a double occupancy cabin for the price of one person plus a percentage of the second person fare. We have even seen promotional offers where you can effectively pay just the cost of first person occupying the cabin. Hope this helps, thanks for the question

@yaowsers77

Жыл бұрын

@@askarealtravelexpert that's very helpful. Thanks!

18 years and up makes Viking much more attractive to me.

@askarealtravelexpert

28 күн бұрын

⛴️

@kathrynryches6660

28 күн бұрын

@@askarealtravelexpert What does that emoji mean? I love the idea that there are no kids running around, screaming, crying, whining, and knocking things over. I want to be able to see the sites without someone' yardmonkey ruining it.

The absolute worst nightmare for river cruisers would be people bringing their damned kids. It's not a kid's holiday, it's a parent's holiday and they bring the kids along. Unfortunately, their kids ruin everyone else's holiday with their crying and screaming and running about. 1000's of dollars down the drain because you cant just sit and relax because some kid is throwing a damned fit. Take them to Disney.

@askarealtravelexpert

6 ай бұрын

99% of river cruises are not kid friendly (the only exception we can think of is AmaWaterways which partners with Disney on select sailings) there is simply not enough facilities or activities to keep younger kids entertained. Nor do the onboard accommodations allow for more than double occupancy on most ships. It’s for that reason that most river cruise lines have an age limit or in the case of Viking a no kids policy. So long story short you are not going to see a lot of kids on a river cruise.

Why not Avalon?

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Stay tuned we have an upcoming segment exclusively about Avalon

I prefer GRAND CIRCLE TRAVEL

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

What do you like about them?

These are obviously companies that you push as there are a lot more and some better choices than these three. Avalon, Titan, TUI, Scenic, Tauck, CroisiEurope. Ama Waterways was only considered 5th in the latest poll and Uniworld 9th, but heh hoh this is aimed at Americans and not Europeans.

@askarealtravelexpert

4 ай бұрын

🤔

So the kid issue doesn't seem to be an issue with river cruising. That point was kind of passed over. Are there a lot of young children on river cruises? I don't particularly care to be on a cruise with kids ore even teenagers.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Some of the river cruise lines welcome kids but in reality most sailings have none or next to none. There is little to do for kids unless they are really into history. Plus the fact the most river cruise staterooms are only double occupancy so bringing along the kids means picking up the tab for another cabin.

@janettodd1195

Жыл бұрын

No children on the one I went on

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the feedback

Uniworld is a cut above...AMA is excellent...but viking is the dog that don't hunt

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment

@bigdchi

8 ай бұрын

just came back from a viking Danube cruise. A sold 'B." Nothing great but nothing bad. They nickel and dime you with charging for excursions and beverages outside of meal times.

Viking wants final payment soon after booking. No go for me.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

They do have a tight final payment structure. There are quite a few folks who are not fans of the policy but at least there are other river cruise options.

@marcusjaybrode2129

Ай бұрын

Why not?

It’s not Ore-gone, it’s Ore-gun

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

I know I know! Thanks for catching it Red. Already been called out on it. Will do better next video other wise the good people of Oregon are going to have my hide.

No way..floating Petri dish

@askarealtravelexpert

28 күн бұрын

🤔

I can’t watch this. Your audio is twice as loud as your guest so either I can’t hear her at all, or I turn it up enough to hear and every time you speak you are blasting my ears. Too bad.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the input. We have since shifted to a new recording process and post production editor that allows us better control of the individual audio tracks.

The male presenter is much louder than the female presenter. I can either have him so loud it's painful, or her so quiet I struggle to hear what she is saying. I suggest you more closely match the volumes for future videos.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for critique Owen. We now have the ability to to have separate sound tracks brought in for post edit so that should help future productions.

@owensmith7530

Жыл бұрын

@@askarealtravelexpert Great, that should help even up the volumes.

Please, please learn how to pronounce Oregon correctly.

@askarealtravelexpert

Жыл бұрын

Hi Tracey thanks for pointing that out. Have been taken to task by a number of the good folks in Oregon. Will do better you can grade me we have another interview with Beth coming up in a few weeks.