What was good vs bad on Viking vs AMA. I went on Princess to Alaska but it was just OK. May want to try smaller ship.
Thank you all so much.
dragonmom, we have sailed on the Windstar Wind Surf, and if your husband has mobility issues, that’s the ship for you - it has an elevator. there were about 300 passengers and it felt really small to us. Embarkation and debarkation are all easy, but he may have issues with the stairs to the tenders to go ashore. There were always helping hands on and off of the tenders, but if I remember correctly, we had to walk down some metal steps to board them. The Wind Star is even smaller, and there is no elevator. However, there are fewer decks - Deck 2 is the highest cabin deck and then its only one flight up to the “main” deck - bars, pools etc.
HImom,
Bigger room, better food, better guides, WiFi all throughout ship v only in room. Computer/TV in room v only TV, more attentive staff, just about everything.
Ok, sounds like AMA is a much better experience. We will have to give them a try.
Mr. B’s coworkers raved about their experience with Uniworld River Cruises - one more co to check.
I have heard very good things about Oceania cruises although have not been on one myself. I did Alaska cruise on Princess from Vancouver and I really enjoyed it. They provided a naturalist on board who would point out wildlife and offered several overview sessions. Before we entered Glacier Bay, the Parks Service came onboard and they offered a presentation as well as had table where you could pick up information. They had Libby Riddles who was the first woman to win the Iditarod I believe and she had a presentation and book signing for a children’s book she had written. The itinerary was good, inside passage and Glacier Bay, scenic bus ride to Anchorage airport with informative driver about what we were seeing. We did not have our own balcony and never had a problem on the outside decks getting a good spot. You could relax in the indoor pool area and hear the naturalist commentary. There was varied dining options, good service and although standard cruise type entertainment was available, our ship was very quiet. Late June, just as school was ending.
I am actually looking at a cruise from NYC to Bermuda for late June this year as we want to cruise out of NYC and in Bermuda the ships dock and you have a few days to relax and tour so my options appear to be Norwegian and Celebrity.
Would love to do a river cruise. I have heard that both Uniworld and AMA are both quite good.
I wrote upthread that AMA and another company were regarded as the better tier of river cruises, and Viking was thought to be mid-level. The other good company, I now recall, was Uniworld.
Last year when river levels were so low, Viking, but not other cruise lines, put cruise passengers on busses between cities rather than having them cruise. Viking knew in advance that they would be doing this reroute, but did not tell passengers before the cruise so that people who didn’t want to “cruise” on busses could make other plans.
Yes, our Golden Princess cruise in Alaska was fine, but it was s HUGE boat. I’d like a smaller one in the future.
Thanks for the Uniworld idea
The AMA/Backroads bike river cruises are crazy expensive, even for cruises. For something that is still pricey but not ridiculous, try VBT bike and barge trips.
http://www.vbt.com/tourpage/bike-barge/
No affiliation-- I just think the AMA/Backroads trip prices are highway robbery.
Cardinal Fang,
We had some of that in Germany. We had to switch ships. It was also very hot last summer, and on the “new” ship, the AC went out!
I’ve heard that there is a big problem with smoking on European river cruises. We really cannot enjoy our veranda if someone upwind is sitting out smoking cigarettes or cigars. Has anyone else found this to be a problem?
On AMA and Viking there is a small area in the rear of the sun deck for smoking. There is no smoking even on verandas/balconies.