River Cruise Tips
- River cruises offer a great travel experience that offer a wonderful way to immerse yourself into the history, culture, and lives of the people in the cities visited.
- River cruising is one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry. They have become so popular that their inventory often sells out earlier than travelers expect and if you don’t book early in the season, you may just miss the boat! This is even truer based on the particular itinerary you may be interested in.
- Ships have a very limited number of cabins, and in Europe guest double occupancy capacity ranges from 102 to 190 guests onboard.
- One can spend a lot of time searching river cruises online and still not find the best cruise experience for them or the best travel deal because river cruise lines vary greatly. Allow us to help because it is very important to pick the one that is right for you.
What One Can Generally Expect Onboard
- Gourmet dining with all meals included during your cruise
- Comfortable accommodations and public areas on board the ship
- Plush bedding in all staterooms
- Personalized service from the crew that intends to please the guest
- The services of professional Cruise Manager (these people are KEY to a river cruise)
- Expertly guided daily shore excursions and life enriching tours often with the use of a personal headset
- Bicycles to explore on your own & guided bicycle tours (not available on all brands)
- Special highlights including lectures, theme dinners, cooking demonstration, onboard music performances and afternoon/evening piano music
- Coffee and tea are available throughout the day and during meals. Specialty coffees, such as espresso and café lattes are also often available
- Most river cruise lines have complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner as well as sparkling wine and fresh juices with breakfast
- Every evening there is a ‘port’ talk explaining the next day’s excursions. Cocktail/mock cocktail social hour before dinner
- A Welcome Dinner and Captain’s Farewell Dinner
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
- Many ships have either a pool or a whirlpool
- All English language on board in a non-smoking environment (smoking permitted only on the top deck)
- All local taxes
- Varied levels of walking tours and some brands have guided Bike Tours
- Personalized excursion experiences in every port and often you’ll be able to choose from several options
- Type of cabins offered can be river view, French/Panoramic balcony, Full outside balcony, Suites
- Some river cruise lines/ships have Interconnecting Cabins
- Themed Cruises – Holiday/Christmas Markets, Wine Cruises, Special Interest
Itinerary Options
Europe:
- Danube River – Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia
- Rhine River – Netherlands, France, Germany, Switzerland
- Dutch and Belgian Waterways – Belgium, Holland
- Main & Moselle Rivers – Luxembourg, France, Germany
- Seine River – France
- Rhone & Saone Rivers – France, Switzerland, Spain
- Dorgogne & Garonne Rivers – France, Spain
- Douro River – Portugal, Spain
- Po River & Venetian Lagoon – Venice, Italy
Columbia:
- Magdalena River
Pru:
- Amazon River
Vietnam/Cambodia:
- Mekong River
Egypt:
- Nile River
Africa:
- Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania Africa
- Chobe River