Grand Circle Rivers of Europe Cruise
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Join Date: Jan 2006
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Grand Circle Rivers of Europe Cruise
We just returned from a 14 day Amsterdam to Vienna cruise on the River Rhapsody ship owned and operated by Grand Circle Cruise line. We had a wonderful trip. We can compare this to the disappointing Avalon cruise from Vienna to the Black sea which we took several years ago. The GCL was a winner in almost every aspect of our trip. The ship itself was comfortable with wonderful views from every part of the ship. The food was fantastic (except for the coffee which was too weak for my taste). The staff and our trip leaders were wonderful, calm, caring and able to juggle schedules when the unexpected happened. They never lost their cool. It was great to have head sets for all the tours, and the special guides in several cities were very good. The exception being the Vienna guide who was bored and needed to be replaced by someone younger with more interest in what they were showing us. It was our 3rd. time to Vienna, a city we love. The only negatives I would mention were; Not enough time in Cologne, and the emphasis on where to shop in the different towns we visited. GCL caters to Americans over 60. I don't think many of us want to do that much shopping. We had free time in each town, but not enough to really strike out on our own and see a museum. If you are a really active Senior you'd probably find the pace too slow and their other travel company Overseas Adventure Travel might be more to your taste. But over all we found this Rhine/Danube cruise to be a good value for the money.
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Join Date: Mar 2016
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Hello,
I just came across the blog (from 2011) about GCT and OAT and couldn't believe all the negativity being reported. I have been 'solo' traveling now with GCT for several years and all I can say to all those 'negative' travelers out there - you get what you put into the trip. I put in for a room mate and our room was exactly the same as another solo traveler's room (no roommate). If you don't want to go shopping, find something else to do - for these trips, I have found it's very helpful to do pre-research of your trip. So, if you don't want to do the included tours - you don't have to. You are not obligated to do the optional tours either - thereby having free time for your own to do as you please. I have met so many wonderful people on these cruises and obviously the tour company and all of their staff couldn't be more accommodating - or I wouldn't be returning. Sometimes I travel solo and other times with other friends. We recently had a cruise booked (Dec 2015) into Paris on The Seine. When the bombings occurred, GCT couldn't have been more helpful for changing 6 of us onto another river cruise.
Anyway - I just wanted to say my piece. I believe that each tour company offers different things for different people. And, if one doesn't float your boat for you the way you want it to - then one must go out there and find one that does. Today with the internet - so many things are possible.
Thanks for listening!
I just came across the blog (from 2011) about GCT and OAT and couldn't believe all the negativity being reported. I have been 'solo' traveling now with GCT for several years and all I can say to all those 'negative' travelers out there - you get what you put into the trip. I put in for a room mate and our room was exactly the same as another solo traveler's room (no roommate). If you don't want to go shopping, find something else to do - for these trips, I have found it's very helpful to do pre-research of your trip. So, if you don't want to do the included tours - you don't have to. You are not obligated to do the optional tours either - thereby having free time for your own to do as you please. I have met so many wonderful people on these cruises and obviously the tour company and all of their staff couldn't be more accommodating - or I wouldn't be returning. Sometimes I travel solo and other times with other friends. We recently had a cruise booked (Dec 2015) into Paris on The Seine. When the bombings occurred, GCT couldn't have been more helpful for changing 6 of us onto another river cruise.
Anyway - I just wanted to say my piece. I believe that each tour company offers different things for different people. And, if one doesn't float your boat for you the way you want it to - then one must go out there and find one that does. Today with the internet - so many things are possible.
Thanks for listening!