Grand Circle Travel Reviews

I appreciated the coffee bar that was available at all times. I really liked the coffee/hot chocolate combo as well as the assortment of teas. My only negative comment is that the ship needs some updates and one of them is the mattresses. Even with extra blankets over it, I was still not very comfortable. It would also be nice to have a small frig. in the room. I appreciated the Cramps experience, but some of them were a little too aggressive. I have traveled one other GC cruise and I have to say this cruise was better. The guides make all the difference.

Our trip began with weather delays, cancellations, and general mayhem. After renting a car to make our flight from Atlanta, we arrived shipside on Monday evening. We were warmly greeted and welcomed to the ship, given a quick tour of the important spaces, introduced to the program staff at the desk, including our program director Bob (who is, by the way, an exceptional program director and guide), and shown to our cabin. After a hasty refresh, we were off to our first onboard dinner, which was exceptional as were all our meals. Quickly unpacking after dinner, we settled in and slept quite soundly after our 36-hour travel adventure.

After the first day in Nuremberg, my companion and I were already talking about "our next cruise"! We were completely delighted with every aspect of our Grand Circle experience. The crew was exceptional, the service splendid, and the food excellent. Our accommodations were more spacious than we expected, quite comfortable, and quiet. The onboard evening entertainment was so much fun.

We very much appreciated the Discovery Series programs, particularly enjoying the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal presentation, Karl’s delightful Glassblowing Demonstration, and the Stollen Cooking Lesson, as well as the Girl’s Choir Concert at St. Cacilia Church, and the Regenbogen Kid’s Choir. The cruise through the scenic Wachau Valley was particularly fascinating. The program director who narrated as we cruised presented captivating aspects of the scenes along the route, pointing out castles, monasteries, ruins, architectural contrasts – even notes of interest about agriculture – all presented in an engaging manner.

The Christmas markets were so much fun, though my companion and I chose not to visit them all, preferring to take in the sights, sounds, and experiences of the towns we visited. And we drank in every aspect of the guided tours of the individual towns and sights – the Melk Abbey being a highlight. We particularly liked the tours guided by our own shipboard program directors, with, of course, Bob being our favorite. The tours were informative and full of fascinating details. The little add-ons, such as the visit to the cuckoo clock store, were a treat.

Our optional excursions were enchanting. Salzburg was magical and the Musical Vienna concert a pure delight! The guide in Salzburg was wonderful - knowledgeable, engaging, informative, and interesting. What more can you ask? Our program director on the bus ride to the concert lives in Vienna, so he was full of unique, interesting, and fun facts about the city. After just a couple days, it was evident that the cruise was going by far too quickly! Did I mention that my companion and I are talking about where we’re going on our next Grand Circle river cruise? Thank you for an exceptional experience!

Joe, our program director was great! He was approachable and organized. We did, however, find we would have preferred more time with Joe rather than so many local guides. Some of the local guides were chatty about personal experiences rather than historical aspects of the area we were in.

As we traveled the Wachau Valley, the narration, while informative, was stiff and awkward; we were being read to. To help with an orientation of where we were and what was being pointed out to us, a handout would have been very helpful. The food on board ship was delicious! Many of the meals included local favorites and offered a taste of the area we were enjoying.

When the cruise ended, we extended three days in Vienna. We are not sure we will extend again. Little was included: transfer from the ship to the hotel with a tour of Vienna along the way, accommodations, breakfast, and a farewell drink. Both excursions offered were over a hundred dollars per person. Seems like the extension was an opportunity to explore Vienna on ones own instead of a curated experience. Would I recommend this trip to others? Surely! Especially if you like big cities. If you’re looking for a quieter European adventure, travel the Rhine.

Where they could improve and make some changes. The beds have been a source of complaint for the 20 years that we have been a customer. They are just plain worn out and tip toward the floor, making the occupant fight to stay in it and not be cast to the floor. They could consider placing full size bed as a option in some rooms. Many travelers would pay extra to have something resembling a real bed!

In only one instance did we endure a program director that had no social skill whatever and made our trip barely tolerable. In closing, the endless begging for tips on the last several days is demeaning and hardly the way to end an enjoyable adventure. Frequent travelers like myself have endured so many horrible pleas for gratuities we get nausea sitting through them. Those very special people that made your trip so special suddenly become nothing short of panhandlers when they pour on the tasteless guilt trips about tipping. Why not consider adding the tips into the charge for the trip as many fine restaurants do, and spare us the misery at the end?

I enjoyed the food and selection a lot more on the small ship cruise. The cuisine was more regional. I’m not looking for something I can get at home (USA). On the small ship I liked that the chef was out front and center at every meal. The small ship experience also included some curated dining experiences outside of the ship that I really enjoyed. On this last river cruise I did not like that you had to pay extra for some of the “optional excursions”. I look forward to using GCCL AND OAT for my next adventure.