I’ve done a few videos on river cruising, but I found this comparison I did a while back and wanted to share it!
Each river cruise company is honestly pretty great, but they do definitely have their own personalities and tweaks. One of my favorite ways to attempt to differentiate them is to compare them to department stores. Here’s my best approximation at that for you:
- Viking = ~Ikea: It’s clean & contemporary, pleases almost everyone, but is more basic and efficiency-motivated (eg: they pack as many people onto their millions of ships as they can, hence all of the advertising!). Sometimes you have to “assemble” the trip together to get the full package, unlike other lines.
- Avalon = ~Macy’s : It has some cool features (like beds facing the balconies), and belongs to a larger & very well-respected escorted tour company (Globus), but is otherwise pretty standard.
- AMA Waterways = ~Nordstrom : A higher focus on service, food, & inclusive choices (including lots of active excursion options), but comfortable, fun, and home-y. Lots of wine-themed departures!
- Uniworld = ~Nieman Marcus : Truly upscale, opulent designs, & very food-focused floating hotels. Part of a larger corporation (The Travel Corp) and each ship is individually designed based on the Red Carnation hotels (a sister company from TTC).
- Tauck = ~Barney’s : Incredible, pampered service and access on land (thanks to their amazing land tours), not as focused on the design & opulence on board. All about the experience on land, with three tour directors traveling with the group, plus the cruise director and local guides.
- Crystal = ~Bergdorf’s : Still a brand new player in river cruising, but apparently truly “6-star” service. (I have doubts about their talents operationally, so the jury is still out for me, personally…)
Of course that is simplified, and you have to compare the itineraries, types of cabins & balconies, and what’s included in the price of each trip. Speaking of, you can also look at the lines divided up based on what they include, as follows:
- The “less-inclusives”: Viking, Avalon, Emerald, and AMA Waterways**
- These are comparable in price & what they include. Namely: all meals on board the ship, at least one excursion per port, beer &/or wine with meals. They do not generally include transfers between the ship & airport (except Emerald, or if you purchase flights with Viking or AMA), gratuities (again, except Emerald and Avalon), alcoholic drinks outside of mealtimes (except that AMA now has a “happy hour” before dinner).
- **Side note on AMA – they have a brand new ship called the AMA Magna that will sail the Danube which is twice as wide as any other ship and may be a game changer on that river – more info to come! I also feel that they’re the best value as they include the most in this lower priced tier.
- These are comparable in price & what they include. Namely: all meals on board the ship, at least one excursion per port, beer &/or wine with meals. They do not generally include transfers between the ship & airport (except Emerald, or if you purchase flights with Viking or AMA), gratuities (again, except Emerald and Avalon), alcoholic drinks outside of mealtimes (except that AMA now has a “happy hour” before dinner).
- The “all-inclusives”: Uniworld, Tauck, Scenic, Crystal
- These are the cream of the crop in that they are really pretty much all-in; eg: when you get off the boat the only thing you’ll have purchased on board are spa services or souvenirs. Eg: you can drink 10 martinis per day if that’s your jam. Scenic, Uniworld, and Crystal also offer personal butler service, for that extra touch. These ships generally also have fewer guests on board, so a higher crew-to-guest ratio AND more space for cabins/suites &/or common areas help explain the higher price points.
Finally, there are also some companies that are not solely focused on the American passenger, meaning that you may be along with Aussies, Brits, Canadians, or even some mainland Europeans (Scenic, Emerald, CroisiEurope, and A-Rosa) and now there is also a new option targeted to millenials (“U” by Uniworld – open ONLY to those “young at heart” which started on two rivers in 2018).
Here are a handful of photos of ships I’ve been able to take along my travels:
Hopefully that helps you figure out which company best meets your expectations a little – but definitely get in touch if you have questions!