Any Princess cruisers tried river cruising

Did you like it?

We met a couple who were very enthusiastic about a Europen river cruise that they took to visit the Christmas markets. It really did not sound very appealing, but at least a few Princess cruisers must like river cruising.

There has been an explosion of ship building for river cruising, so clearly many people enjoy it. Although, I believe it attracts a much older demographic than typical Princess cruisers, this could be a misconception.

This intended for people who would normally sail Princess. I wonder if CCL or Princess would even enter this market?

We just tried out first river cruise in June after numerous ocean cruises. It was lots of fun, we loved all of the things included (we chose Scenic Cruises and it is truly all inclusive) however in general river cruising is definitely more expensive than ocean cruising. It is a different experience, we hope to do another in addition to more ocean cruising.

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I've done some and love them. I did Viking River to China and like the 200 Passenger capacity. I also did international expeditions and it had 20 passengers on the Amazon. I prefer smaller ships and better educational experiences. I am looking to do the Columbia river on a river cruise. I like mass market cruise lines too , especially since they are cheaper and have some fun things to do.

We've done a couple of river cruises, one in Europe and one in China. They are a quite different experience from ocean cruising on mainstream large ship lines but that is part of the attraction. The boats (I almost hesitate to call them ships) visit locations that you probably wouldn't go to otherwise and because they mostly tie up in the centre of towns it is an easy walk off. Walking tours are included at each place though you can go off on your own if you wish. There may be a bus trip to somewhere further (we went to the Black Forest). They are more expensive per head than most ocean cruises but do include most things.

I think it is important to recognise that they are two different types of cruises - in a way a river cruise is closer to a land tour IMO - and they both have their good points and bad points.

We are Princess Cruisers (plus have cruised on 13 other cruise lines) and have also done River Cruises in Europe and Asia. They are two different "animals" and running a cruise line does not equate to a river cruise line. That being said, Viking River Cruises has made the jump to Cruise Ships and are trying to run them in a similar way as they do their river cruises.

Will Princess (or P&O) enter the river cruise market? Who knows. But we would not be surprised of CCL (Carnival Corp...who owns Princess) decided to get into river cruising by purchasing an existing river cruise company.

Hank

We are Princess Cruisers (plus have cruised on 13 other cruise lines) and have also done River Cruises in Europe and Asia. They are two different "animals" and running a cruise line does not equate to a river cruise line. That being said, Viking River Cruises has made the jump to Cruise Ships and are trying to run them in a similar way as they do their river cruises.

 

Will Princess (or P&O) enter the river cruise market? Who knows. But we would not be surprised of CCL (Carnival Corp...who owns Princess) decided to get into river cruising by purchasing an existing river cruise company.

 

Hank

<Edit>

FYI, Viking Cruise Line is owned by Carnival Corporation.

Don't think so: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_Cruises

We have been on several river cruises and really enjoy them, especially to the Christmas Markets.

Don't think so: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_Cruises

 

We have been on several river cruises and really enjoy them, especially to the Christmas Markets.

Yes, I stand corrected. Evidently Viking is a privately held company.

Did a Nile River Cruise several years ago.

Actually, a week touring Israel; then a week Nile Cruise and a week touring Egypt.

Actually enjoyed the River Cruise.

Docked in the Towns.

Walk off of the boat and be in Town.

Cabin was compatible to a Cruise Ship cabin.

Did not have all of the activities of a Cruise Ship;

however, saw much more of the country side than

a Cruise Ship Tour(s).

Just completed our 14th Princess Cruise, and we have done 3 river cruises (2 European with Viking, and one USA on the American Queen). We love both type of cruises, but for very different reasons. As far as being more expensive I would say no. Even though we got a great deal on our most recent Princess cruise, and airfare was quite low, by time we added excursions, entry fees to museums, etc. We spent far more this past trip then we did on any of our river cruises.

Remember with most river cruises most of your shorex is included, as well as beer & wine with lunch/dinner. Some lines offer free or reduced airfare as well.

It all depends what you value when you travel. If you like spas, or big production shows, then a river cruise may not suit you.

After cruising very many of the large-ship ocean cruise routes we have recently completed 2 Viking River and another 2 Viking Ocean cruises, with a China cruise tour booked for next year. Not saying we will abandon Princess entirely, but is has been a nice change and mostly different adventure.

River cruises can be very boring at night.

long cruiser

River cruises can be very boring at night.

long cruiser

Really? On most (not all) nights on our river cruises (Europe, China, Asia, etc) the boats tie-up at night...usually at a city or small town. After dinner we will usually walk off the boat and enjoy discovering some of the local social scene...be it a cafe...just strolling the streets, etc. But we have met folks who simply do not want to leave the boat at night...so they sit around and sometimes complain there are not a lot of activities on River Boats. That is one of the major differences from large cruise ships. River cruises are about relaxing when cruising and soaking up the local atmosphere/culture at the many stops. Cruise ships are often their own destination.

A couple of years ago, while we were spending a week in Avignon (we rented a gorgeous apartment) we happened to have an interesting conversation with an American couple on a River Cruise (tied up in Avignon). As we were getting into our car (parked near the River Boat) the couple started talking to us and the lady asked about what there was to do...and was it safe to walk around Avignon at night. When we talked about the restaurants, cafes, bars, street activity, etc...the lady turned to her husband and said "I told you so." They explained that the previous night their boat was tied-up and they decided not to go ashore because they figured there was nothing to do.....and there were no night excursions! Go figure. Avignon is a large lively city.

Hank

I did one on Victoria in China. It was one of the busiest cruises I have ever been on. It was really fun to go through the lock on the Yagzee and be that close to the walls and the water.

We are big cruisers, but have also done three small River ships...Amsterdam-Vienna, Yangtze River (21 day China land and sea) and Bucharest- Budapest...loved them all. Much more relaxed, quiet, great ports, no big shows or casino, intimate setting, great food and beautiful scenery and nice people.

We used Grand Circle or OAT for all these trips.....

Once I retire next year, I'd like to take a river cruise. It seems like a great way to see parts of Europe. Perhaps later we'll venture somewhere more exotic.

Cruise Critic has an entire area devoted to River Cruising

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=191

A Sticky at the top titled "New to RIVER CRUISING??? START HERE!!!"

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2233868

includes links to many official CC articles including one downloadable pdf that discusses the best-known river cruise lines [and compares them to ocean lines and hotel chains for comparative purposes] and itineraries:

http://pdf.cruisecritic.com/travel-guide/UltimateGuidetoRiverCruising.pdf?et_cid=1262487&et_rid=99616845

Did you like it?

 

We met a couple who were very enthusiastic about a Europen river cruise that they took to visit the Christmas markets. It really did not sound very appealing, but at least a few Princess cruisers must like river cruising.

 

There has been an explosion of ship building for river cruising, so clearly many people enjoy it. Although, I believe it attracts a much older demographic than typical Princess cruisers, this could be a misconception.

 

This intended for people who would normally sail Princess. I wonder if CCL or Princess would even enter this market?

We did the Danube last fall. We did it with AMA Waterways. We ran into some trouble with water levels. So we had to be bused a few hours from Budapest to Austria. Wasn't a fan of that. It is quite a different experience than Big Ship cruising. My husband and I are in our early 50's and we were the youngest on this particular cruise. I did love seeing the countryside go by. It was so beautiful. The Christmas markets were just opening and it was fabulous. IMHO and my husbands too, we will stick with big ship cruising. Forever. :)

We have cruised on everything from 16 pax (Galapagos) to 3,500 pax (New Zealand/Australia). As someone previously mentioned, typically the smaller boats are about the destination.

We did the Viking to China (culture), International Expeditions to the Amazon (culture and wildlife), Netherlands (history), and Douro River (wine) to name a few.

While the big ships definitely give you a chance to see other destinations, they are also a destination unto themselves.

IMO, trying to compare river cruising to ocean cruising is like trying to compare apples and oranges.

That said, we loved them all. Just put me on the water.

I love ocean cruising and I love Princess, but wanted to try a river cruise this year. We went with Avalon this past summer on one of their newest vessels. We had a perfect cruise (I had not realized that river levels can really mar the experience) and a great time, but it is a completely different experience to ocean cruising. It is not as relaxing on a river cruise, the destinations are the goal. I thought the food was better, although I didn't like the set time for dining each night, I did like the inclusion of wine and it really flowed! The cabin was much better, particularly the bathroom and shower (we always book a balcony cabin on Princess and had a French balcony on the river cruise). You don't go on a river cruise for entertainment, but we were lucky to have several musicians come on board during the 8 days and they were good; and as someone else said, on two nights we were berthed overnight and could go into Vienna and Budapest. We were not bored at on board though, because it was the world cup and at least 20 of us gathered in the evenings to watch the matches - it was a lot of fun. That's the nice thing about river cruising, you get to meet a lot of new people. The walk and talk system for tours and the quality of the guides was fantastic and there was no tipping. However, river cruises are MUCH more expensive and I did not ever feel the excitement that I feel every time I get on a cruise ship.

Bottom line, well worth taking river cruises, but I will never stop ocean cruising and I have found a great line in Princess. Can't wait for our Xmas cruise.

We did a river cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam with Vantage. It was a completely different, but very enjoyable experience compared to ocean cruising. We will definitely do another in the future. Be prepared for non refundable deposits, little if any entertainment and fewer food choices. With ocean cruising much of the experience is the ship. With river cruising it's mostly about the amazing ports you visit.

The initial costs may seem high, but excursions are included as is wine and soda with lunch and dinner. You won't be spending money in gift shops on board or on photos. There are no casinos or art auctions to take your money. WIFI is included and works well. We didn't miss not having entertainment as we were worn out by the time dinner was done. You won't find anytime dining as there is only one dining room and one meal time.

It was one of the best cruises we've ever taken.