River Cruise Lines To Steer Clear Of These Days. And Why!

As I don’t want to waste my precious time and money on a European river cruise line that isn’t on top of their game, I've been diving into the latest cruise reviews and ratings, to see what lines are doing well and, maybe more importantly, what lines we might need to approach with more caution. There are 5 lines you should be wary of and they include some of the best-known names on the rivers of Europe. I was surprised about the first of the lines on the lower-scoring list as I had expected them to be rated better.

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00:00 Start
00:30 River Cruise Line #6
02:24 River Cruise Line #5
04:08 River Cruise Line #4
05:25 River Cruise Line #3
06:44 River Cruise Line #2
07:54 River Cruise Line #1

[jayoneill]

We cruised with Arosa several years ago out of Lyon. Because the river water level was very high we weren’t able to leave Lyon however we stayed on board and the cruise line provided bus tours to many of the attractions we were missing at no extra charge. We were also pleasantly surprised when the line offered us a future cruise for free which we took advantage of the next year. The upside to this is that we unexpectedly spent a week in Lyon which was spectacular. We never felt that the line was “too German” except maybe the food which was fine but who knew there were so many ways to prepare potatoes!? 😊

[landinsongs]

It's amazing how you manage to balance your criticism with a recommendation for certain target groups, not to upset the cruise company reviewed, and at the same time deliver an interesting content for your channel subscribers.

[aecs]

I always listen to you and respect the information you provide.

[laraatwell]

A group of us (4 USA women over 40) went on A-Rosa and loved it. We took one of their International cruises and had no issues. Since we were on a German river cruise, it actually felt more immersive. Food was great, premium liquor was included and when we had have a new itinerary due to low water, all was handled before we got to the ship.

[gatsby]

As a frequent Tauck traveler it will be interesting to see how my upcoming river cruise compares to what you’re reporting.

[IramisandGerry]

Thanks Gary. We did Viking in 2023. We thought it was OK. We are now doing Avalon Waterways in April 2025. We can’t wait. Glad we did not do any of the lines you mentioned. 💗🙏🏽🇵🇷

[thomaslgrice]

My wife and I cruised an alumni group tour in April on the Amadeus Riva in Belgium and The Netherlands with AHI (Smithsonian also had a cohort.) This is a newer ship (2023), so we found the accommodations to be very nice. The walk-in closet was wonderful. The food was good with a baker on board. Service was excellent. The only missteps in F&B were in trying to provide Belgium waffles for breakfast with only one waffle iron and sailing through Belgium but only serving German beer. It was cold and rainy, but the flowers were beautiful.

[phskin]

We took a Rhine River cruise w Viking in 2008. It was terrific. The stops were all the right places. Typically, the guided tours were relatively brief and informative and provided us counseling on walk-abouts on our own. One exception - which was fine - was Heidelberg. The port was Manheim - thirty minutes by bus away from the old town. Food was very good. Crew/staff were simply there to do their jobs - not entertain. Fast forward to 2022 we booked the Rhine Cruise w Viking with Christmas Markets. The route had been altered. In 2008, Colgne was the first stop. In 2022, Dusseldorf had been added. God knows why. (The Christmas Market was late opening and our departure soon. Everything else was closed.) Cologne was later that evening much after the cathedral had closed. Essentially, the line seemed determined to conduct their normal Rhine cruise with Christmas Markets shoe-horned in where possible. The tours were longer, outside in very cold weather. We had to go on the tours to get to the markets. Again, those Christmas Markets appeared to be an afterthought. We supposed Viking was obligated to tour contracts. We'd experienced Christmas Markets in Freiberg, Kaysersberg, Colmar, Budapest and others. The Markets on this cruise deserved better. They should have been the highlight. The crew/staff were ever present in the evenings, always selling - themselves, primarily. One night, a cello/guitar duo was brought on board to entertain. These ladies were terrific. The real spoiler was the last evening briefing on how best to complete the surveys - how to best improve crew/staff chances of advancement. This cruise was not quite Carnival. But, it wasn't the quiet, under-stated Viking we loved in 2008. Obviously, I don't rate Viking particularly well these days.

[texasboy]

We have done 3 river cruises, all on Viking. We find a lot of the passengers are on their first river cruise. People are not aware of how different a river vs ocean really is. The structured regimen of all river lines is not for everyone.

[icypeanutpolo]

Could you do a video on river cruise lines that are accessible to disabled people? I can’t find information about this subject anywhere online without going line by line myself.

I was recently on Viking from Amsterdam to Basel, and had originally booked a first floor cabin. I had to upgrade my cabin on the spot when I arrived to find out that the elevator does not go to the first floor, only from the second to the third. I was very lucky that they had any availability, as without this I would literally not have been able to get to my cabin, let alone leave for excursions or to eat meals. I will obviously be more careful in the future, but I was under the impression that Viking is more accessible than other lines, and I was definitely not left with that impression after my trip.

I have not had these problems on ocean cruises, as they generally have banks of elevators to whisk you around the ship, and it didn’t even occur to me to question the accessibility of the Viking longships.

[paulbell]

Brilliant info. Any line that takes kids is definitely one to avoid.

[christinagipperich]

I’m such a geek that I would book on Riviera just because of the ship names…book on the Oscar Wilde, read one of his books while I’m cruising. I’d have to sail on all their ships just to make myself read something by all the writers. If only life would grant us all the time and disposable income to do such things.

[jeffreylevin]

I really enjoyed this one. You as always have the most useful information. And this is really the first time I have ever seen the inside of a river boat or cruise as it were. I never realized how expansive they are. It's late tonight but I look forward to watching the one you just recommended with the good reviews. I will definitely put a river cruise on my bucket list.

[dchenkin]

Just because a cruise line is centered around those who speak German or any other language doesn't mean its a poor company; it just is a reality different businesses are best for different people. There are river cruise companies in the United States which are only suited for English speaking passengers and have few guests who are not US citizens.

[FraserAtSea]

I would really like to try TUI River Cruises, to see if I find them to be as great value as Marella. Really interesting to get your views on the river product, Gary - thanks for this!

[lindapeterson]

We love Amadeus line. The food is wonderful and the crew is so attentive. We have been on two of their ships and they were lovely.

[vrandomnumbers]

Only British and North American travellers (and I say this a North American) can be so bratty, selfish, and entitled as to mark down a cruise in another country, aimed at those in that country, for using that country’s language whole just supplementing in English when needed. That’s how the rest of the world feels 99% of the time in UK and North America yet you don’t see them giving bad reviews. Outrageous.

[rolandwheeler]

Great to know! So glad you are doing these videos. What could be worse than planning for a cruise a year in advance, flying to Europe from the states and having a less than satisfactory experience? The cost then becomes meaningless when compared to the experience. I'm not taking any chances, and my wife and I are looking forward to our first river cruise in the near future. Will definitely be referring to both of these river cruise videos when making our selection.

[LIN-wtdk]

Spent a month on Viking last fall, Amsterdam to Budapest, and then back to Amsterdam in upgraded cabin……..lovely cruise however I’m not keen on docking for the evening in a container shipyard. It happened way to often!

[GoofballFlyer]

We just took a Viking cruise. Prior experience was 2 cruises on Ama Waterways. Viking sets their expectations very high in their U.S. advertising and marketing programs. We found them no better than AMA overall, and their shore excursions were not quite as good. We paid Viking for an optional winery tour that went to a very small French location that had wines I would rate no better than we can buy here in Indiana. The ship we were on was not squeaky clean either. Food was good, but again no better than Ama. However, I have to admit that at 3, our sample size of European river cruises is very small. In summary, we were pleased we did the trip, but far from overwhelmed by this Viking experience. It was a case of very high expectations that were not met.