My clients always rave about their river cruises so I was excited to have the chance to attend a conference where I got to meet with industry partners and experience SIX different cruise brands. I loved being able to see so many at one time and compare them. In addition, I got to sail on the Emerald after the conference. Below is my take on things I loved and want you to know about them as well.
There is a lot of competition in this market and not all cruise brands are the same nor do they have the same offerings. Be sure to reach out to me to help you pick an itinerary and cruse line that best matches your needs.
City Center
The saying in our industry is often that river cruises take you through a city where as ocean cruises take you to a city. So many of the ports that you visit on a river cruise are in the heart of a city. You can easily get on and off the ship and are in steps of the heart of a historic city. Below is a picture I had taken of me when I was in Brussels on my Tulip River cruise. I was able to walk right off the ship with our guide and explore the city. After our time with the guide we had plenty of time to explore the city, have Belgium waffles and of course grab some chocolate to take home!
Easy Travel
I don't love picking up and moving every couple of nights. So I really loved unpacking and not having to pack back up for 7 days. In addition, you are not returning to the same town so it's perfect to be able to add on pre and post cruise stays to allow you to see even more in Europe. Ease of travel is one of the things that my clients often comment on the most!
Long Port Days
Many of the ocean cruises port around 8/9 am and leave port around 5 pm, if not earlier. Very rarely do large mass market cruises port overnight or stay well into the evening. That is not the case with river cruises. Many of the Rhine and Danube itineraries have the ships leaving after dinner. While in the Netherlands, we had plenty of time to do a bike ride through the countryside, sip some wine and enjoy a delightful town.
Mobility Concerns
If you are someone who has mobility issues and has trouble with stairs, a further conversation will be needed to see if river cruising is a good fit. Most of the boats I was on had an elevator so going from floor to floor is not an issue. The problem can arise though when trying to get off the ship as some ports are more impacted by others and tide waters.
When river cruises port, they are stacked in and you may actually have to walk through one ship to get to another. Some ships layout is very similar and you can just walk right through and not have to do stairs. However, others didn't line up that way and it was a little more cumbersome to get on and off the ship. Additionally when at port the water level can rise. When I was in port in Belgium, the water level rose based on the tide and the ramp could actually be pretty steep to get off. Something else to keep in mind is that Europe is not as handicap accessible as the US. The cities are so much older and there are often not ramps or elevators to assist visits to get around. Additionally, so many of the streets are cobblestone, brick or just have large step offs that navigating it can be a challenge.
Cabin Size
Most river cruise cabins are smaller than ocean cruise cabins as the ships are much smaller. There are different cabin types from just a window, a French Balcony (sliding door) and full balcony cabins. Bathrooms are small as well so if this is a concern for you this is something that we can spend more time on discussing. For me, I didn't spend much time in my cabin, I was either out exploring the city, having a meal or enjoying the view from the upper deck .
I did have a French balcony when I was sailing. I always like the balcony as it lets in more light and makes a space appear bigger. Plus those cabins tend to be on the upper decks.
So would I do a river cruise trip again? Most defiantly! In fact I am already planning my next one. Think it might be a good fit for you, reach out to me and I can help yo you pick a ship and itinerary that works best for you!
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