ABD Rhine River Cruise- anything surprise you?

[disdreams77]

Hello! I am an avid DCL cruiser.... I am wondering if there were any surprised when you took your first River Cruise? Surprise costs... weird things you didn't expect about the ship. How do you compare the two? I don't want to be negatively surprised when I get onboard... with expenses that I wouldn't expect. I drink soda, cocktails... are those things covered all day? Anything else not covered that I should expect to pay for? Thank you!

 

[Eastridge]

I took the ABD Rhine River cruise in 2018. It was almost completely all inclusive. Wine is included with meals and all excursions were covered. The Chef's Table meal was also included. They charge for drinks outside of mealtimes. Gratuities for the crew and ABD guides are included. The pictures ABD takes are provided to you with no additional charge. The only extra charges I had during the trip was 2.50 euros for one soda, lunch on our own in Heidelberg, and souvenirs.

Disney cruises have many more additional costs. I paid several hundred dollars at the end of a typical Disney cruise, for gratuities, excursions, photos, alcohol, upcharges to Palo or Remy, etc.

Disney cruises and an ABD river cruise are very different products. The AMA waterways ship is much smaller with about 160 guests vs. 2500 or 4000 on a Magic-class or Dream-class ship. There are few activities and amenities onboard the river cruise ship compared to a Disney cruise ship, but you spend more time off the ship on excursions. The ABD guides provide a concierge level of service. There are no Disney characters or shows on the river cruise. Both are great experiences, but expect them to be different.

 

[aggiedog]

I haven't done an ABD river cruise, but have river cruised the Rhine. I'd just reiterate that a river cruise is a vastly different beast than a sea cruise. The ship is much, much smaller, which means there are far fewer extras. No theater with shows, no variety of bars, no real dance floors. There may be a very small "shop" to get a few things, but no big store with lots of Disney merchandise. There will be one dining room, one lounge/bar/general meeting space. The pool will be very small. Consequently, there's fewer opportunities to accrue extra charges also. River cruising is not about the night life or the ship. It's about the slow slide of the countryside and it's people by your window and the chance to step off the ship directly into some historic village. I think that difference between the two types of cruising is often the biggest surprise for folks.

 

[sayhello]

I haven't done an ABD river cruise, but have river cruised the Rhine. I'd just reiterate that a river cruise is a vastly different beast than a sea cruise. The ship is much, much smaller, which means there are far fewer extras. No theater with shows, no variety of bars, no real dance floors. There may be a very small "shop" to get a few things, but no big store with lots of Disney merchandise. There will be one dining room, one lounge/bar/general meeting space. The pool will be very small. Consequently, there's fewer opportunities to accrue extra charges also. River cruising is not about the night life or the ship. It's about the slow slide of the countryside and it's people by your window and the chance to step off the ship directly into some historic village. I think that difference between the two types of cruising is often the biggest surprise for folks.

And all of that is part of why I far prefer River Cruising to Ocean Cruising!

Sayhello

 

[aggiedog]

Well, me too. I forgot to add that we have a 21 day Danube cruise scheduled for September 2021 with Avalon. We really like the slower pace and the ship NOT being the destination.