• Home
  • Destinations
    • Europe
    • North/South America
    • South Pacific Tahiti and Fiji
    • Africa/Asia
  • Cruises
    • River Cruises
    • Small Ship Cruises
  • Comparisons
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Testimonials
  • FAQ
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

The River Cruise Lady

River cruising and small ship luxury cruising

AmaWaterways River Cruises

Multigeneration River Cruising!

January 20, 2020 by River Cruise Lady Linda Leave a Comment

I thought I would share a few of the last bookings that I’ve done for river cruising because you may not have thought of this option if planning a multi-generation trip with your family.

My client was turning 80 and she thought about how she wanted to spend her birthday and decided on a family trip.  Her spouse had passed away years before so she decided to splurge and take her children and grandchildren on a European river cruise. There was a range of ages from 12 to 79 and even her brothers & sisters decided to join in the fun!

It worked out great for them because there are so many different excursions options to choose from (mostly always all included).

For example, on a Rhine river cruise with Ama Waterways, in Cologne the excursion choices would be a walking tour, or cathedral visit or Kölsch beer tasting or a bike tour through the city.  So what usually happened was everyone went off and did their choice of excursion and then they would gather for dinner together in the dining room and talk about their different experiences – such a great family bonding time.

Avalon Waterways also have Active & Discovery itineraries which work well with families too.  Then of course Uniworld and Tauck both have dedicated family departure dates (usually in the summer or for the Christmas Market cruises) which then have even more excursions geared towards family groups.

So consider river cruising as a way to create a wonderful legacy that your children/grandchildren will have of travelling with their parents/grandparents and memories that will last a lifetime.

Biking along Moselle Rive

Filed Under: AMA Waterways, Avalon Waterways, Christmas Market Cruise, Danube River, Europe, Mosel River, Rhine River, River Cruise Lady, River Cruises, River Cruising, Scenic River Cruises, Tauck River Cruises, Uniworld, Virtuoso, Virtuoso Travel

Which is the best River Cruise Company for Europe ?

September 6, 2013 by Linda 6 Comments

This is a question I get from my clients all the time and to answer it would be like choosing which child was the best of your children!

They all have their redeeming qualities and differences and it could really depend on ones own preferences as to the outcome. Let me give you an example – Uniworld River Cruises  www.uniworld.com has announced that they are going totally all inclusive for their 2014 European River Cruises (which means they will include unlimited beverages onboard including wine, beer, spirits, cocktails, soft drinks, juices, plus all shore excursions) which sounds the best except for the non-drinker who ends up paying more for their river cruise for those beverages they won’t consume. These people might think its best to choose Avalon Waterways www.avalonwaterways.com who only provide wine, beer and soft drinks at dinner which is reflected in the price.

Another example is with Viking River Cruises  www.vikingrivercruises.com and all their brand new “longships” that they have recently christened.  While it is so nice to be able to travel in the comfort of a new ship, in order to keep their pricing competitive, they made the decision to put in more staterooms which in turn hold more people.  All river cruise ships that travel on the Danube are regulated and cannot be longer than 443 feet.  The new Viking ships have 95 staterooms or 190 passengers where if you compare that to AMA Waterways www.amawaterways.com whose new ships are the same size, they only have 82 staterooms holding 164 passengers.  So Viking River might have the best pricing, but AMA Waterways have more public space onboard.

Talking about having more space onboard brings me to Tauck River Cruising  www.tauck.com/river-cruises  as they step it up a notch with their new ships having larger rooms, more dining options and capping the passengers at 130 in 67 cabins to get the best space ratio category. They include all beverages, the gratuties, a signature special experience and all shore excursions.

Unique for 2014 is Scenic River Cruise www.us.scenictours.com introduction of their new lower priced line Emerald Waterways www.emeraldwaterways.com which will be a first in the industry where one company has two distinct types of river cruises to choose from.  Scenic Tours originated in Australia selling package tours and is still privately owned there. Scenic also  offers the all inclusive concept but Emerald will only have wine and beer with lunch and dinner. Their aim with the new Emerald line is to target a younger demographic with their two ships having swimming pools that inventively convert into a cinema and their open-air balcon system that allows you to enjoy it no matter what the weather.

A new player in the North American market is A-Rosa Cruises www.arosacruises.com which has been operating in Europe for years but has now picked a few of their departures to cater exclusively to English speaking passengers. It will be interesting to see if they are able to keep up with the other big operators.

So you can see that its tough to pick the “best” one as each has their own unique benefits.  Viking River claims to have the “greenest” ships featuring diesel-electric hybrid engines specially designed for low vibration and minimal environmental impact. AMA Waterways is famous for their fresh food brought on from local ports. Avalon Waterways have the most innovative design in their cabins where they’ve turned the bed to face the french balcony sliding glass doors. Uniworld offers an interesting mix of programs for their shore excursions including Go Active, Gentle Walking, Do as the Locals Do and Village Day.

If you would like some additional information on any of these companies, ships or their itineraries, please feel free to drop me an email.  If you’ve already sailed on any of them – which one was your favourite and why ?

RiverCruiseLadyLinda

linda@therivercruiselady.com

 

Filed Under: A-Rosa River Cruises, AMA Waterways, Avalon Waterways, Cruises, Danube River, Elbe River, Europe, Mosel River, Rhine River, Rhone River, River Cruise Lady, River Cruises, River Cruising, Scenic Tours River Cruises, Seine River, Tauck Tours, Uniworld, Viking River Cruises

Scenic Tours Launches Emerald Waterways

August 19, 2013 by Linda Leave a Comment

Scenic Tours announced the launch of a new premium river cruise line called Emerald Waterways, which will debut two new ships in early 2014 and is aimed at attracting a younger audience. The 182-passenger, 443-foot long sister ships Emerald Sky and Emerald Star, will debut in spring of 2014 and will cruise 7 to 14 night itineraries on the Rhine, Danube, Main and Mosel rivers.

 

Managing Director for Scenic Tours and Emerald Waterways, Chris Townson said “We believe we can attract a younger demographic, too, with value for money as the emphasis”, although he stressed the line would not be actively marketing to families.

 

Townson also said Emerald Waterways is positioning itself as a competitor to brands such as Viking Cruises and Avalon Waterways. He said the line would be competitive within the four-star range of cruise products while also boasting a handful of innovative design touches and nearly all-inclusive pricing. The most innovative new bit of design planned for the twin ships is a dual-purpose area at the aft of the ship that transforms from an indoor, heated pool with retractable roof during the day to a cinema at night. The rest of the ships’ new features have become standard, these include: good-sized suites, balconies in a majority of cabins and an open-air alternative dining space.

 

Emerald Waterways will include beer, wine and soft drinks at meals, shore excursions, transfers and tips within the cost of the overall fare, as does Uniworld Boutique River Cruises. Additionally, the line will offer free return flights to U.K. passengers traveling from London’s Heathrow airport and other regional airports. For passengers traveling from cities and countries outside the U.K., a spokesperson for the line said: “We can arrange flights for guests on a case by-case basis — however if the cost of the flight from a country other than the U.K. goes over an allocated budget, we would charge the guest extra. Or they can take the cruise as a ‘cruise only’ and book their own flights.”

 

Filed Under: Avalon Waterways, Castles, Cruises, Danube River, Europe, Mosel River, Quaint Villages, Rhine River, Rhone River, River Cruise Lady, Scenic Tours River Cruises, Viking River Cruises, Wine

Follow Me

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Instagram Posts

rivercruiselady

Linda is a #rivercruise expert who can help you sort through all the options out there. She has done all the rivers in Europe and more!⚓️

In less than 3 weeks now, I will be sharing the de In less than 3 weeks now, I will be sharing the details of a brand new Seven River Journey through 14 countries in Europe happening in 2023 - it will be a once in a lifetime event so stay tuned for more information !! #rivercruiselady #rivercruise #sevenrivers #staytuned
Happy World Rivers Day! Once we can start travell Happy World Rivers Day!  Once we can start travelling on them again, which one are you looking forward to the most? #danube #rhine #seine #rhone #douro #mississippi #columbia #snakeriver #mekong or ??? 
⚓️ #rivercruiselady #rivercruise
#rivercruiselady #dreamingoftravel #brighterdaysah #rivercruiselady #dreamingoftravel #brighterdaysahead
Would have been a ‘cruising down the river’ da Would have been a ‘cruising down the river’ day on my @uniworldcruises Nile Cruise Egypt itinerary so looking at the intriguing landscape until I can get there again one day. ⚓️
#rivercruiselady #rivercruise #nilecruise #dreamingoftravel #staysafe
It’s Ama-zing what you find when you’re quaran It’s Ama-zing what you find when you’re quaran-cleaning!  I remember celebrating with @amawaterways & blue champagne when we reached the highest point of the Main-Danube canal 10 years ago (did not recall getting this certificate though 😏) ⚓️ #rivercruiselady #rivercruise #amawaterways #danube #river #covidcleaning #rivercruiseladylinda
Feeling sad for all the river cruisers who plans h Feeling sad for all the river cruisers who plans have been postponed & hope they can rebook for the future & while on a walk yesterday, realized the only one who isn’t sad is Mother Nature as she continues to blossom just like this beautiful tree I saw ⚓️ #rivercruiselady #travel #rivercruise #future #mothernature #blossom #wewillgetthroughthis
In honor/honour of International Women’s Day, I In honor/honour of International Women’s Day, I am striking the pose #eachforequal and so proud of how far we’ve come but realize we’ve still got a long way to go!  Wearing my @amawaterways scarf that I received as a gift on my #rivercruise because #amameanslove which is spread throughout their company by their ama-zing leader & co-owner Kristin Karst ❣️ Kudos to all the other women  in executive positions in the #rivercruising (or any other) industry 👏🏼
⚓️ #internationalwomensday #rivercruiselady #womensupportingwomen #womeninbusiness
Did you know you can do a river cruise starting in Did you know you can do a river cruise starting in Venice ?  Uniworld is doing a complete design renovation & will debut the super ship #lavenezia in a couple of months. Will be a fantastic way to explore Northern Italy ! 
#rivercruiselady #uniworld #rivercruise #poriver #italy #newship #cantwait
Remembering the balmy Oct weather 🌞 while strol Remembering the balmy Oct weather 🌞 while strolling through the captivating streets of Avignon to the incomplete bridge on our Rhone River Cruise in France ⚓️ #rivercruiselady #rivercruise #rhoneriver #avignon #france #sunshine #bridge
Guess what is one of the hottest destinations righ Guess what is one of the hottest destinations right now? Yes, you guessed it - Egypt!  Plus @uniworldcruises has a brand new ship launching on the Nile in Jan so you’ll be cruising in style while you follow in the footsteps of renowned explorers as you venture into the ancient burial grounds like the Valley of the Kings ⚓️ #rivercruiseladylinda #egypt #nile #rivercruise #uniworld #sphinx #newship #adventure #pyramids #unesco
Enjoying our last day in Budapest - such a great w Enjoying our last day in Budapest - such a great walkable city with wonderful views 
#rivercruiselady #danube #rivercruise
#budapest #rivercruising #walkingtour #excursions #castles #citystay
I think the Scenic Jade has the nicest docking spo I think the Scenic Jade has the nicest docking spot in all of Budapest - directly across from the majestic Parliament Building! ⚓️ #rivercruiselady #danube #rivercruise #budapest #rivercruising #scenicjade #parliament #niceparkingspot
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Facebook Posts

River Cruise Lady Linda

2 weeks ago

River Cruise Lady Linda
In less than 3 weeks now, I will be sharing the details of a brand new Seven River Journey through 14 countries in Europe happening in 2023 - it will be a once in a lifetime event so stay tuned for more information !! #rivercruiselady #rivercruise #SevenRivers #staytuned ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

River Cruise Lady Linda

5 months ago

River Cruise Lady Linda
Happy World Rivers Day! Once we can start travelling on them again, which one are you looking forward to the most? #danube #rhine #seine #rhone #douro #mississippi #columbia #snakeriver #mekong or ??? ⚓️ #rivercruiselady #rivercruise ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

River Cruise Lady Linda

9 months ago

River Cruise Lady Linda
#rivercruiselady #dreamingoftravel #brighterdaysahead ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

River Cruise Lady Linda

10 months ago

River Cruise Lady Linda
Would have been a ‘cruising down the river’ day on my @uniworldcruises Nile Cruise Egypt itinerary so looking at the intriguing landscape until I can get there again one day. ⚓️#rivercruiselady #rivercruise #nilecruise #dreamingoftravel #staysafe ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Wildcard SSL Certificates

Menu

  • Home
  • Destinations
    • Europe
    • North/South America
    • South Pacific Tahiti and Fiji
    • Africa/Asia
  • Cruises
    • River Cruises
    • Small Ship Cruises
  • Comparisons
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Testimonials
  • FAQ
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

Affiliations

VirtMemlogoforPrinting TPIogo OfficialCruiseAgency ConsumerProtection

Meet Linda

  Thanks for visiting and allow me introduce myself. … Read More...

Designations

CTCLogo

Elite Cruise Counsellor

Luxury Cruise Specialist

Contact Me:

Phone:
(604) 836-8192

Toll Free:
1-877-543-8182

Email:
linda@therivercruiselady.com

Copyright © 2021 Balcony Travel/River Cruise Lady | All rights reserved | Consumer Protection number 48257 | Website by Balcony Travel