{"id":22219,"date":"2016-02-20T08:54:20","date_gmt":"2016-02-20T15:54:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/?p=22219"},"modified":"2016-02-20T15:22:06","modified_gmt":"2016-02-20T22:22:06","slug":"compare-river-cruise-lines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/2016\/02\/compare-river-cruise-lines\/","title":{"rendered":"Compare River Cruise Lines: Which Company Fits Where?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It’s not a science. We help you compare river cruise lines. \u00a9\u00a02016 Ralph Grizzle<\/p><\/div>\n

Of all the questions we get from readers here on River Cruise Advisor, the most prevalent relates to how to compare river cruise lines. We’ve made an attempt (a successful one, I might add) to define some of the differences between river cruise companies in our chart that outlines river cruise inclusions<\/a>. But beyond that, how do you know what you will be committing to when you’re in the process of booking your river cruise? Will you be cruising on the Ritz-Carlton of the rivers or the\u00a0river cruise equivalent of a Super 8 hotel?<\/p>\n

While we\u00a0don’t match river cruise companies to hotel brands for comparison purposes, we do try to give you an idea of how cruise lines are categorized in our view. It’s not a perfect view, but our grouping offers some general guidelines as to which line fits where – in our opinion.<\/p>\n

How To Compare River Cruise Lines<\/h2>\n

We look at river cruises (generally) as being all-inclusive or premium. What’s the difference? The all-inclusive lines\u00a0include prepaid gratuities and complimentary beverages 24\/7 \u2013 and a lot more. If you want an all-inclusive cruise, you may do best to\u00a0compare river cruise lines in the all-inclusive category.<\/p>\n

There is no such thing as a “premium” category in river cruises,\u00a0but so that we’ll have a system for comparison, we’ve used the ocean cruise equivalent terminology to group\u00a0river cruise\u00a0companies that do not include prepaid gratuities and 24\/7 booze. If the all-inclusive river cruise lines are like Seabourn and Silversea, the premium river cruise lines are more like Holland America Line and Celebrity Cruises.<\/p>\n

You can read more about each cruise company by clicking the links.<\/p>\n

All-Inclusive River Cruise Companies<\/h2>\n