Which River Cruise company?? Amsterdam to Vienna 2014
 

We're considering a cruise from Amsterdam to Vienna in May of next year. Our choice, we think, is Grand Circle Travel. I HATED our cruise several years ago from Vienna to the Black sea with Avalon, so that company is out in my book. Has anyone traveled with GCT?? What is your opinion? Conde Nast rates it very high. I've traveled with their other company, Overseas Adventure Travel to Central America and loved the experience. I'd be interested in feedback that anyone might have about GCT.

We cruised with GCT in spring of '09, Vienna to Amsterdam. We were very pleased with the experience. They are really, really organized, professional, detail oriented. We were on the River Melody, a very nice riverboat. Our cabin was clean, comfortable, not fancy, but roomy enough for us. The food was good, service excellent. I do recommend them.

Last year we cruised with Viking and were very pleased with them.

Avalon is being considered by my family - we would appreciate it if you would please share what caused you to have such a passionate response. Thank you.

I found their river ship (don't remember the name) to be poorly laid out. Dining room was toward the back..but views only to the side and if you were not near a window you didn't see out very well. No view to the back. Bar/lounge area small for when everyone was gathered. If the weather was bad, which it was, the top deck wasn't a good place to sit. The food was really a disapointment!! The coffee was instant, even tho it came out of an espresso machine, desserts were from packages, veggies canned even tho there were fresh veggies available in the ports of call, and could have been purchased before the cruise.In a word, BORING.. We chose this line, thinking it would be very good. It was not. The tours and the tour director and staff were lovely and helpful. But the ship, food and experience left a lot to be desired.

We have cruised on Uniworld twice and loved it.

We have done 6 trips with gc/oat and were pleased with them. Also done 3 Viking and were pleased. Vantage was my least favorite river boat cruise line.

Just have to say that I traveled on Vantage in HOlland. It had excellent service, wonderful itineraries and a great crew! Sorry to hear you did not enjoy it! We'd go back in a minute!

Didn't say I didn't enjoy Vantage. It was just our least favorite for various reasons.

I suppose it depends on what you are looking for on your trip. If you want to travel totally all-inclusive then I recommend Tauck. From an Australian point of view I thought they were outstanding. Except for Laundry we didn't have anything extra to pay after our cruise.

I cruised Uniworld from Vienna to Bucharest and totally loved it.

I am leaving June 10 for Amsterdam to cruise from Amsterdam to Vienna on Uniworld.

To date - 12 trips with GCT and OAT, six of them were river cruises.

(Great Rivers, Russia-Moscow to St Petersburg, Rhine/Mosel, Grand River Cruise, France - Burgundy/Provence, France - Seine).

We've done the Amsterdam to Vienna segment twice. First on the Great Rivers trip (which I suspect is the trip you are reviewing) and then as part of the Grand Cruise last fall. Both trips were on the Aria, a superb ship. We've actually been on it three times and it feels like home.

We just finished an April double trip in France, as always - with GCT. It was superb! I can't speak to other river cruise lines, we've been perfectly happy with GCT.

Say hello to Wertheim for me, its one of my favorite little river ports. Safe travels. :)

TandJ-
We're considering GCT's Moscow/St.Petersburg trip. It's a first for us with GC though we've done many OAT trips.
A recent thread said that GC's beds were pretty uncomfortable (fold-downs)- this was on river trips a few years back.
Did you find the beds comfortable with good mattresses?
Any additional thoughts about this Russia trip much appreciated.
Thanks.

Yes, how are the beds........and the coffee?? We're going in March and know the weather won't be great. But we're looking forward to the adventure. If anyone who knows what the company does if the river is running very full would comment, I'd appreciate it.