Kristin S.
Collette River Cruise …
Collette River Cruise on the Charles Dickens. The good and the bad. I was nervous to go on this trip because I get sea sick. No need to fear. You will not know you are on a ship. I did not feel sick once. All outside rooms with plenty of natural light. Tours are great of course. There is a good mix of planned activities and free time to explore on your own. Coffee and cookies or fruit are available 24/7. When compared to other tours, rather than sitting on a bus for hours, you can lay in the sun on the rooftop sun deck, sit at a bar or lay down to take a nap. The bad. Tipping is not included and you tip ALOT. Prepare to spend a few hundred extra. You can not even get a water without an additional drink package. This surprised me and I felt like I was on a cheap carnival cruise, not a $15,000 luxury river cruise. Everyone in the room must buy the package which runs an additional $30-45 a day. Otherwise a bottle of water costs $4.50. Only one person per cabin allowed to be on wifi! Crazy. Don’t plan on sleeping soundly if you’re a light sleeper. The boat is loud traveling overnight. And forget sleeping in. No blackout shades for the windows. You’re up with the sun everyday. Irons are not provided and they charge you to use their laundry service, so bring clothes that don’t wrinkle. Rooms are nice but bathroom could use a good scrubbing. Finally the food. I would say this was a 6/10 at best. Breakfast and lunch are basic buffets. No ability to get hot food between meals. No local cuisine planned. Dinner was plated but nothing special. This was a big disappointment. Free drinks, including wine, are provided at dinner. Overall, I had a very nice time, but for the money we spent, I would not go on another river cruise.