irenen

We are thinking of booking a Danube River Cruise for 2025. Trying to decide which Cruise Line to book with. Our TA has suggested Viking, Tauck and Uniworld. Does anyone have personal experience of any/all of them? I have no idea which we should book with. We have taken one previous cruise with Uniworld ( about 10 years ago) and done a few land tours with Tauck, and were very happy with both. Friends tell us Viking is also excellent. Any advice gratefully received.

RoamsAround

We've done 4 river cruises along the Rhine and Danube with Tauck, including their Grand European Cruise which went from Amsterdam to the Black Sea. All were excellent from the moment we landed till the day we departed for home. We've done 3 or 4 other land tours with Tauck with the same excellent experiences. Tauck has never disappointed us..

HappyTrvlr

We did not have a good experience with a Viking River Cruise and do not recommend this company.
It was on the Danube. We had done an earlier one with Viking in Russia years earlier which had been OK. We will not travel with Viking again.

Madam397

Have read several negative comments about Viking but have known people who have had good experiences. Have friends who really enjoyed Avalon Waterways.

I am also interested in a river cruise for 2025 but haven't decided on which European river or route yet.

HappyTrvlr

We had a a wonderful experience with an AMAWaterways River Cruise.

travelchat

Tauck full stop. My Magical Music Along the Danube River Cruise in October 2022 was absolutely magnificent. The five star hotels on each end were a soft start and finish to this incredibly rich adventure.

aliced

Suggest you look at Grand Circle Travel, (whose sister company is Overseas Adventure Travel or OAT). We were ready to book a Danube river cruise (Budapest-Prague) last Fall when in the latest issue of Travel & Leisure, Grand Circle came in second within 1-2% points after Tauck, ahead of Viking and Ama, Avalon, et al. Forgot about them, we took a tour of Italy with them 25 years ago at a fabulous price. We reserved our tour first with AMA, , 11-days, at $15K. We took the same cruise on GCT for $8200 and that's for both of us, with n/s air EWR-Vienna and included insurance. They don't use brokers, and own all of their own ships. Viking does not. Viking advertises more in print and on TV than all the others combined, and seems to be the reason people seem to pick it so much. Do your own research!!

Madam397

Thanks for the tip. I will look into company. as I have heard good and bad things about Viking and friends we respect enjoyed Avalon and other friends have used Tauck. I am thinking of spring 2025 but need to make decisions about the route. Haven't been to Amsterdam ever in the spring to see the tulips in bloom and last time we were there the Stedjilek was closed for renovation so the route that goes to Basel is of interest and we can add a few days in Switzerland. Fly into Amsterdam, fly home from Zurich.

janeharrison8852

Hi! What a lovely thing to have to look forward to! My partner and I went on a river cruise along the Danube this time last year for 7 days. (Planning another river cruise for 2026 - any recs welcome!) It was the perfect time of year to go. There was a great balance of relaxation and exploration - visiting cities we'd never seen such as Vienna and Bratislava. The weather was sublime and the views were absolutely stunning. We booked our holiday through Cruise118 and would highly recommend their service to anyone. We will definitely be booking our next cruise with them!