AmaWaterways

AMAWATERWAY’S dream is to provide the most exceptional river cruise experience possible. They believe they achieve this by:

• Providing custom-designed ships

• Providing the Premium Experience

• Being the only River Cruise Line inducted into the Chaînes Des Rôtisseurs, the oldest & largest food & wine society in the world—most observers feel they have the best food & wine in Europe River Cruising

• Small group Excursions led by expert local guides

• Providing Complimentary Limited Edition Tours

• Complimentary Bicycles & guided bicycle excursions

Avalon Waterways

Avalon has two goals in their approach to river cruising.

• First, they believe their clients deserve more choices and they follow through with a long list of options that can be added for an extra fee.

• Second, they want to be known as the “floating room with a view”—most cabins have floor to ceiling windows that open up.

Emerald Waterways

Emerald Waterways features include:

• Complimentary wine, beer & soft drinks at lunch and dinner; all on board meals; balcony cabins on the upper 2 decks; bikes (without electronic assisted feature); & complimentary Wi-Fi.

• As with most river cruise lines, there are included tours in every sailing.

• They also have an EmeraldPLUS no addition cost tours to enhance the standard offerings. There are also Discover More tour options that cost extra and require a minimum number of passengers.

• Gratuities are included in the basic cruise fare.

• The long ships (135 meters or 443 feet) carry 182 passengers.

Scenic Cruises

Scenic cruise line features:

• your own butler (services vary by stateroom category)

• complimentary beverages all day, every day; six dining options

• the Tailormade GPS device

• balcony suites on the 2 upper decks electronically assisted bikes

• complimentary Wi-Fi; laundry and airport transfers.

• There are no extra charges for tours or gratuities but massages and the hairdresser are extra charges.

• The long ships (135 meters or 443 feet) carry 167 passengers.

Tauck River Cruise

4 Cornerstones of Tauck River Cruising

• Uncommon Access to included shore excursions

• All-inclusive Value

• Personalized Cruising from 4 on-board Tauck tour staff

• Intimate Club-like atmosphere

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise

Uniworld is the world’s only authentic boutique river cruise line

• All-inclusive

• one-of-a-kind ships—operates 13 in Europe--each is different

• stylish décor

• thoughtful personal touches

• welcoming ambiance

• superb cuisine

• gracious service

Viking Cruises

Viking provides good itineraries—a great value.

A Viking journey includes:

• ExceptionalAccommodations

• AttentiveService

• Enriching Daily Shore Excursions

• Engaging Cultural Enrichment

• All Onboard Meals

• Complimentary wine, beer & soft drinks with lunch & dinner

• Free onboard internet service

• Has 63 ships deployed in Europe by my count. 53 are longships (135 m or 443 ft) & carry 190 passengers.

• Has over 25 % of all river cruises ships in Europe.

• Heavy advertising campaign—brand is most well known river cruise company.

AmaWaterways

• Fine dining—all meals are first class

• Chef ’s Table—an intimate dining alternative that features delicious dishes

• Complimentary, high-quality unlimited red & white wine with lunch & dinner, or beer, or soft drinks.

• City tours at all stops, limited edition tours & bicycle trips, all led by qualified, local guides. All excursions tailored to guest’s walking pace.

• Impeccable service—guests are treated like family

• Great onboard entertainment

• Free Wi-Fi

• Fleet of onboard bikes/wellness instructor

Avalon

• Choice of spacious outside staterooms with plenty of room to relax (price varies).

• Special touches, like regional wines and beer at every onboard dinner.

• Complimentary Wi-Fi access

• Good shore excursions, led by Certified Local Guides

• VIP entrance into the must-see sites.

• Unique Local lectures designed to bring your destination to life.

• Expansive panoramic views throughout the ship – included—bed faces window.

Emerald

• All meals

• Carefully selected wine, beer & soft drinks at lunch & dinner

• An included shore excursion in each port using local guides

• Bikes on board for daily use

• Complimentary Wi-Fi onboard

• Airport transfers to & from ship

• All gratuities

• Port charges

Scenic

• Most guests will never buy anything extra—it’s all included except massage & hairdresser or gift shop

• Your own butler (services vary)

• Complimentary beverages all day, every day. Mini bar in room.

• Six dining options (some are limited to higher paying guests)

• Exclusive Tailor made GPS for self guided tours

• Electronically assisted bikes

• Free Wi-Fi

• Airport transfers

• All tours

Tauck

• Virtually every river cruise expense is included in one upfront price

• All shore excursions

• Unlimited complimentary beverages onboard (including all liquor—even stocked mini bar in stateroom)

• All meals

• Crew Gratuities

• Pre/Post stays depending upon itinerary

• There are no little extras to pay for, no hidden expenses, no options sold.

Uniworld

• All gratuities onboard and onshore

• All meals onboard

• Unlimited beverages onboard, including extensive selection of distinctive wines, craft beers, spirits, soft drinks, specialty teas and coffees

• Carefully crafted shore excursions—many exclusive to Uniworld—hosted by English-speaking local experts with options to personalize

• All scheduled airport transfers

• All entertainment & cultural enrichment programs onboard

• Internet and Wi-Fi access onboard

Viking

• Choice of staterooms, including Suites, Junior Suites and Staterooms with verandas and French balconies & window cabins (price varies).

• Complimentary internet service

• In-room Infotainment system

• Complimentary beer, wine & soft drinks served at lunch & dinner

• Daily shore excursion - led by friendly, knowledgeable local guides utilizing a high- tech audio headset system.

• Cultural enrichment - itinerary includes informative talks, performances, hands-on cooking and craft demonstrations.

• All onboard meals - the exquisite cuisine created by Swiss-trained chefs, features fresh ingredients and regional specialty options.

Advantages

• Best food & fine regional wines that change daily—added free cocktail hour—included Chef’s Table

• Best Active line—added wellness instructor

• Good tours—usually 3 groups & at least 2 options—sometimes more

• Crew becomes your friends—service is excellent & consistently high standards

• Slow, steady growth—new ships have high staff standards

• Owners hands on—they read every critique—always improving

• Great Cruise Managers go the extra mile for your trip

• Great Partners with Backroads (bike touring) & Disney

• Only cruise line fully Green Certified in Europe

Disadvantages

• No gratuities included in price

• If food & wine are not of high importance, price may be considered too high by some.

• Double Wide AmaMagna can’t sail on Main-Danube Canal—won’t fit into ;locks.

Advantages

• They deliver a good product at a fair price.

• Since they are owned by Globus Corporation (tour company), they have good tours.

• They claim to have the newest fleet in Europe market—oldest ship built in 2008 but with Crystal, Scenic & Emerald no longer true.

• Cabin bed faces window—has larger windows & French balconies compared to others

• Added more active options during shore visits

Disadvantages

• A lot of extra services for a fee

• Food is described as “bland” by some observers & wines “are low quality” but Avalon Fresh (vegetarian option) very good.

• Lease, do not own, riverships.

Advantages

• Very good quality cruise at a good price.

• Gratuities included.

• 2 upper decks on most ships have 1⁄2 window balcony that opens with touch of a button.

• Pool has retractable roof & converts into evening cinema—it is awesome!

• Even with higher guest capacity (182) it has bikes, spa & fitness area—Viking (190) does not have these items

• Does not feel crowded based on our inspection tour.

Disadvantages

• 182 passengers—only Viking carries more

• Only 7 boats at present, limits access

Advantages

• All inclusive—all is included—most guests will not pay anything more unless they get a massage or use the hairdresser.

• Onshore tours are awesome—includes Scenic enrich (exclusive experiences) & sundowner (hosted cocktails in Europe’s most beautiful locations).

• Seafood buffet is excellent!

• Offers 6 reds & 6 whites wines at dinner for free.

Disadvantages

• More expensive cabins get more services, especially diamond deck guests

• Exclusive Table La Rive located in main dining room—other guests get to see the 6-course degustation menu while served a lesser meal

• Service & meals inconsistent on our cruise with them

Advantages

• All-inclusive

• Generally fewest passengers on Tauck ships as compared to other river cruise companies, but Crystal has less

• Many feel they offer the best tours & on-shore experiences—mostly due to 4 onboard staff members who lead all tours—others disagree, like local guides

• Generally has more large sized staterooms than others but only French Balconies. Crystal has larger sized staterooms but fewer available.

• Has best window first deck (waterline) staterooms.

• Has a good family program called Tauck Bridges

Disadvantages

• Usually the most costly cruise line

• 8 ships provide limited availability to take a Tauck River Cruise—they often sell out very early.

• Lease, do not own, riverships but have refurbished 110 m. riverboats.

Advantages

• All-inclusive

• Each ship is different—big emphasis on boutique aspect for the client

• Only cruise line on the Po River (Italy) & has a Burgundy region cruise

• Rate very high on most comparison lists—a lot to like about their product & service.

• U by Uniworld brand sold in 2024, so no confusion about target adience 

Disadvantages

• Some find interiors just “too much”

• Higher price point

• 110 m ships have no French Balconies—only windows

Advantages

• Sometimes best pricing but often requires full payment at booking while other river cruise companies allow deposit + 90 day prior to departure final payment.

• Only company that cruises Elbe (special shallow water design)

• Herb garden; solar panels (very green ships)

• Since long ships are identical; in low water situations; Viking has been able to switch ships to avoid extended bus tours—generally successful but does not always work

• Has best port docking locations

Disadvantages

• Carries 190 passengers on long ships—all others carry around 165-170 or less on longships except Emerald at 182.

• No extras—no bikes, no exercise room, no pool

• Dinner meals sometimes only has 2 choices & they often use same 2 wines for all 7 days of a cruise

• Some cruisers feel they are crowded--not enough room in lounges & main dining room

• Only major river cruise line that caters to US market that is not CLIA member (more protections for cruise clients)

• On most cruises only 6 tours provided for free; if more than 2 tours per day it may require an extra fee.