Cruising the Rhine
 

We are thinking of taking a river cruise on the Rhine in September. Have been reviewing the offerings of the KD line out of Germany. Does anyone have any experience with this company? We are interested in information on the river cruising experience, the vessels, staff and type of passengers to expect.

Tom: The KD down the Rhine is great. The ships are pretty standard stuff. Cabins are usually small, usually all with window view. But, very very plain. The difference would be like comparing the Ritz Carleton Hotel to Days Inn. The room would be like the Days Inn. But the ships stop every few hours at these lovely little towns that you can walk around in. They give you enough time for sight seeing. The food on board was really quite like European peasent food, but was very tasty. I am planning another one for later this summer. Please let me know how you liked it.

My boyfriend and I took a KD Rhine cruise back in '91 and did not enjoy it very much at all. We were in our mid-twenties and the couple nearest in age to us on the boat was in their early 50s (we know this because we were assigned to sit with them at dinner every night, and they matched us up because they were the closest to our age!) The scenery was beautiful but the boat itself was worn and frayed, and the service was not great. Our cabin was uncomfortably tiny. I agree that there is a lot to see in the little towns along the way -- but you could get that by driving or taking the train. The cruise was not worth the price, in my opinion. The food was ok but nothing special, and my boyfriend actually got sick one night after eating the fish at dinner. Also, we went in September and the Rhine was very low at that time and there were a couple of towns we were not able to dock in because the water was too low, which was very unfortunate. The cruise line did nothing to compensate and I remember we ended up playing a lot of chess. I would not recommend it to anyone. By all means, see the region -- but do it another way!

Hi: Try the Mosel River for more beautiful scenary. It feeds into the Rhine and many companies include it. Intrav out of St. Louis had a cruise Fall, 98, that started in Heidelburg, did both the Rhine and Mosel and completed with a few days in Switzerland. Most of the river boats are about the same. Intrav's cruises may be a little more pricey, but the extras they include are often worth it. <BR>Fall is a wonderful time to do this cruise. Or if you take advice of the other person above and decide to drive (very easily done for even the novice in Germany), the Mosel is the most gorgeous with fantastic vineyards and wonderful little villages. Remember that you may be traveling in harvest season however, and if you hit a town with the harvest festival, there will be no rooms for miles and miles. Check the festival dates, and book a room early. The festivals are great. Otherwise, just go to the TI office in any town and let them help you find accomodations. Cruise or drive, and love it! Good luck!

Does anyone have feedback regarding InTrav River Cruises? We are taking a 14 day Amsterdam/Budapest cruis in July. We are experienced cruisers on big ships. I realize this will quite different. Is it more like an organized tour but with a boat instead of bus?

There are several outstanding river cruise companies that cater to the American market with beautiful oceanview cabins, gourmet food and wine, English-speaking guides. They all offer Rhine cruises. River cruises stop in a different city each day, usually right in the center of town. You are welcome to take the shore excursions and/or walk on your own into the cities for shopping, independent touring.

Unlike an escorted tour, you sleep in the stateroom at night and only unpack once, but you do get to see several cities on your trip. It is a more flexible experience than the traditional escorted tour (which are getting more relaxed and less scheduled each year), but you get the in-depth experience with a specific region.

Best Regards,
Julia

Julia,
Would you mind sharing the names of those &quot;several outstanding cruise companies?&quot; We are just starting our plans for our first European river cruise and hope it's not too late to cruise this fall.

teacherD,

Take a look at cruisecritic under river cruising and you can search for LOTS of information regarding river cruises. It is very helpful and you will find more information there. There are several lines including Uniworld, Avalon, Amadeus, Viking, Deilman, and others. We have personally been on Uniworld and Avalon. We love river cruising. It is great to only unpack once (as long as there are not river problems) and yet see many different towns. There are usually tours provided in each town, or you can also go out on your own.

Does everyone realize that this is a 8 year old thread with evaluations dating back to 91? I surprised that someone could find discussions this old.

Yes, I did notice it was an old post but when I used the serch function for river cruises it was one that seemed to fit what we were looking for. Now I'm hoping to get up to date information and recommendations. Thanks to the first reply after my question!

I took a Vantage river cruise last December for the Christmas Markets on the Rhine/Main and loved it. Very good service and great food. Most passengers were 40s to 70s. Plenty of time in each town, and lots of return passengers, so that speaks well for the company.

Did you book directly through Vantage? I recently was in touch with Vacations to Go re: another cruise and found that their prices were exactly the same as the published brochure prices put out by the cruise line. I couldn't believe it as I had been led to believe that they were discounters.

Yes, I booked thru Vantage directly. I haven't seen their trips discounted anywhere..