Multigenerational River Cruise

We are looking into river cruises for trip with grandparents and our 4 yr old. Considering Danube or maybe Rhine. Tauck and Uniworld both offer family-friendly cruises for both - we are looking at Tauck's Blue Danube: Family Riverboat Adventure and also Uniworld's Family Adventure Sailings for Delightful Danube and Prague or maybe Castles Along the Rhine.

The Tauk ship has a pool, we would have the 4 yr old in our Category 7 cabin with us, and her price would be $500 off. The Uniworld ship doesn't accommodate 3 people in one cabin, so they would assign us two cabins and waive the single-fee for the second cabin and give a 50% discount for the child.

Does anyone have any experience researching or going on one of these itineraries with a young child? I would love to hear any insights as we think this through!!

Also, if you have thoughts about Danube vs. Rhine please share. My husband and I have been to the Danube locations already, but grandparents have not, and I think they will prefer that itinerary bc it's the famous cities. MIL loves classical music, if that's relevant. But, if anyone can think of what the positives of the Rhine itinerary might be (Amsterdam to Switzerland), please share. Grandparents aren't able to walk far comfortably in case that information is relevant when comparing the two itineraries (and won't be doing biking or similar active things); last year they did walking tours of Florence and Venice, but it was a bit of a stretch for comfort, so slow pace walking tours that don't cover large distances would be best. Would love to have scenic cruising where they can enjoy views from ship.

Context... daughter has already been to Italy, Iceland, Hawaii, Mexico, Turks and Caicos, St. John, etc. and is a good traveler. Our past cruising experience has been Holland America to Baltics and Alaska.

Tough call... The Rhine has the castles which can be viewed from the top deck...no walking required....and the Danube has Vienna for the classics...plus all the other stops on both rivers. If both cruise companies have similar family friendly options then my recommendation is do what the 'older' generation wants....the younger generations have more years ahead of them.

RB

Hello VAtravelers,

for a multi-generational cruise there is not much difference between the rivers, I mean the Rhine and Danube are equally pleasing in my opinion for an overall experience to please many tastes. But you have mentioned classical music, that would tip the balance in favour of the Danube, I think. Ritabob has already mentioned it: go with what the older generation wants. Another thought on top of that: you have seen the Danube before, should the young one keep you occupied more than you had anticipated, for whatever reason, you will probably feel happier that you do not miss out so much on sights, as you might on the Rhine, the river you have not seen yet. On a standard cruise the castles along the Rhine are normally not visited apart from one, the Marksburg. That is a tough one on a hill, not suitable for those with serious walking problems. I would not expect a multi-generational cruise to include the Marksburg castle, but it is a great example for medieval life and history, so I can understand why it is offered. A family cruise I would expect to be amended. I would check the castles on offer on this cruise carefully.

Most river cruises put the minimum age at 2 but I tend to think that - in general - a child and the carer will enjoy a cruise more if the child is at least six.

So, in short, my recommendation is the Danube this time and the Rhine when the young one is of school age.

Have fun planning.

notamermaid

Tauck Bridges Danube trip does a wonderful evening of classical music in Vienna. It was a highlight of the trip for us.

We just did this cruise the first week of July. Lots of multi- generation groups on it. The youngest kid was about 7. There were quite a few teens on graduation trips. Largest clump of kids was in the 10-12 age range. A well-traveled 4 y o would do ok, but the trip is definitely not geared to that young.

Have you checked out the Disney Adventure river cruises? They hire a special Disney trained crew to engage the kids. Another question I would consider is if your MIL would be willing to go on excursions independently? Visiting the Budapest opera house, attending a concert in the evening in a Vienna concert hall, touring Mozart's home in Salzburg is not something a 4 year old would appreciate.

Tauck Bridges Danube trip does a wonderful evening of classical music in Vienna. It was a highlight of the trip for us.

 

We just did this cruise the first week of July. Lots of multi- generation groups on it. The youngest kid was about 7. There were quite a few teens on graduation trips. Largest clump of kids was in the 10-12 age range. A well-traveled 4 y o would do ok, but the trip is definitely not geared to that young.

Wow! Great to hear that you were on the actual cruise and that you liked it! Which ship were you on? Did you book directly or through an agent? Do you have photos you'd be willing to share?

I'd be really grateful for any tips or insights you can share, because I think this may be our most likely itinerary.

Have you checked out the Disney Adventure river cruises? They hire a special Disney trained crew to engage the kids. Another question I would consider is if your MIL would be willing to go on excursions independently? Visiting the Budapest opera house, attending a concert in the evening in a Vienna concert hall, touring Mozart's home in Salzburg is not something a 4 year old would appreciate.

I've learned that Disney's new age minimum is 6. They seemed to have an emphasis on children and parents doing separate activities and even meals, which also isn't my preference. I can see how that could be a good option for some families, though.

Don't know about the multi-generation trips, but have never seen a children's menu on a river cruise. Also can't imagine a 4 yr. old sitting thru a 2-2 1/2 hr. dinner, not matter how well traveled. Good luck, travel safely and enjoy. Pat

Just reread the OP. You have never taken a river cruise and you have never cruised with your child. Maybe you should try one before you try it with 3 generations. These are European boats--don't have the safety features we are used to here in the US. Even the multi-generational ones are not geared toward the tiny ones. Good luck.

Just reread the OP. You have never taken a river cruise and you have never cruised with your child. Maybe you should try one before you try it with 3 generations. These are European boats--don't have the safety features we are used to here in the US. Even the multi-generational ones are not geared toward the tiny ones. Good luck.

Excellent advice on all counts.

...Context... daughter has already been to Italy, Iceland, Hawaii, Mexico, Turks and Caicos, St. John, etc. and is a good traveler. Our past cruising experience has been Holland America to Baltics and Alaska.

Though it is easy to pass judgement, keep the above information in mind from the OP. I personally would not do this sort of travel with a child this young, but it apparently is working well for this family. Good for them!

Wow! Great to hear that you were on the actual cruise and that you liked it! Which ship were you on? Did you book directly or through an agent? Do you have photos you'd be willing to share?

 

I'd be really grateful for any tips or insights you can share, because I think this may be our most likely itinerary.

We were on the MS Joy. It was an absolutely gorgeous boat. Newly christened, I think we were only the second or third group to sail. My husband and I were in 211, a Category 6 stateroom. Our 18 yo daughter took advantage of the no single supplement offer and was in room 105, a category 2. Both rooms were very nicely appointed. Her room was quite cozy, but perfectly arranged. Our room was spacious with a french balcony and a large, well-designed bathroom. Both rooms had tons of storage.

We booked through our regular travel agent. I'm not a big photographer, unfortunately, so don't really have any pictures worth sharing. The guides took some photos but nothing like we have experienced on other group tours (we have done 4 Adventures by Disney land tours.)

We loved the relaxed pace of this trip, though it took us awhile to get used to. There was one main group excursion each day, then a chunk of "on your own"time in each port that most people seemed to use for shopping. If we had known ahead of time when these times would fall, and how long they would last, we probably would have booked extra activities or tours on our own. However, once my type A personality got over the feeling that we were not maximizing our time, I really enjoyed just strolling around the various ports and having long lazy lunches in local beer gardens.

On the boat, service was excellent. The teenagers mostly hung out somewhere on board, or if we were in port late enough, took themselves off to bars to enjoy the lower European drinking age. Meanwhile, we loved sitting up on deck on the comfy sofas, wrapped in the provided fleece blankets, and being served a continual stream of included beverages while getting to know our fellow passengers.

The younger kids on the boat were mostly well behaved. There is a small hot tub they played in, and there was a mini golf set up. However, there were constant pleas from the staff to have them be more quiet while on deck, or access would be closed to everyone. On the excursions, the guides divided us up into touring groups based on ages of kids. This was good for us, because we are way past the little kid stage. There were no kids as young as yours, but the ones in the 7-10 range and their families were on one bus. I don't know if special accommodation was made to gear things younger or not. Once we arrived at places, there were not younger and older options, though everything was well-suited to family entertainment.

There were a lot of guided tours that made use of the vox with headphones. The youngest children (7 or 8 yo) sometimes had to be reminded that if they shouted near the guide, that came through loudly into everyone's headphones. For a child as young as yours, only you can know if those kinds of tours would even be interesting.

Food onboard ranged from good to fabulous. There was certainly something to enjoy every meal. The guides also did a great job of suggesting when to eat in port, and had some suggestions as to where as well. This was one area we felt paled in comparison to the Disney Adventures we had done, as those guides will often make reservations for guests at really amazing restaurants along the way. On the other hand, many of the Tauck passengers, especially the older ones, seemed happy to return to the boat for all meals, so maybe that was just an unwarranted expectation on our part.

As for tips, I suppose the best one would be to call (or have your TA call) Tauck and find out what ages are booked on which departures. Due to the proximity to graduation, ours skewed heavily older, which suited us. You might find it better to do a trip with more young children.

The other would be to do some serious introspection about your family and child, and if this is truly the best way to travel with a 4 yo. It sounds like she has done a lot of trips, and you certainly know your family best. On the other hand, this is a slower-paced option than some others, and there is no provision for childcare. The extended families that were on this trip mostly stayed to themselves in their own little groups, and I think by the end of the week the moms were a little worn out with trying to keep their younger kids engaged and not bothering others.

If you could wait until your child reaches the minimum age for Adventures by Disney, I can guarantee you would have a wonderful experience. Those guides go over the top to keep all ages happy and engaged, and there will be more young kids on the trip. As enjoyable as our Tauck experience was, it wasn't anywhere near the same level of service and entertainment value we have experienced with ABD. (of course, ABD is thousands of dollars more for our family of 3, and we'd be sharing a cabin)

Just read Fa-Li's review of their trip. Really sounds like not a trip for a 4 yr. old. Maybe the OP should try a short cruise with their child--see how it goes. Cruises are not at all like land trips. If you want to see all the sites, then very little down time. We have taken each of our children and their families to see the Mouse--able to move at the children's pace not a tour guides. Also wonder if these multi-generational trips have a small child friendly menu. We have also taken granddaughters and a grandson to Europe (no parents) after HS graduation--very special time. Doesn't matter what advice we give, OP will have to make the great decision.

Many of the places the 4-yr. old has already visited have activities for children. I answered the OP in another forum where they cross-posted that river boats (I'm familiar with Uniworld) have no facilities for children, and there are limited activities for adults. Excursions are definitely geared to adults - no beaches, water parks, wildlife zoos, etc. Don't plan on there being any other children onboard.

Roz

Just read Fa-Li's review of their trip. Really sounds like not a trip for a 4 yr. old. Maybe the OP should try a short cruise with their child--see how it goes. Cruises are not at all like land trips. If you want to see all the sites, then very little down time. We have taken each of our children and their families to see the Mouse--able to move at the children's pace not a tour guides. Also wonder if these multi-generational trips have a small child friendly menu. We have also taken granddaughters and a grandson to Europe (no parents) after HS graduation--very special time. Doesn't matter what advice we give, OP will have to make the great decision.

I should have mentioned, there was a kids' buffet set up for lunch and dinner every day. It was fairly limited, mostly just noodles and sliced deli meat. There was also an ice cream cart at the end of the buffet. Additionally, there was a small snack menu that could be ordered from at any time, any place onboard. It didn't take kids of any age long to figure out they could have french fries brought to them on demand!

Thank you so much for sharing this detailed information - it's very helpful, especially with the relative lack of travel reports from the Tauck Family Adventure cruises. Really appreciate it.

We were on the MS Joy. It was an absolutely gorgeous boat. Newly christened, I think we were only the second or third group to sail. My husband and I were in 211, a Category 6 stateroom. Our 18 yo daughter took advantage of the no single supplement offer and was in room 105, a category 2. Both rooms were very nicely appointed. Her room was quite cozy, but perfectly arranged. Our room was spacious with a french balcony and a large, well-designed bathroom. Both rooms had tons of storage.

 

We booked through our regular travel agent. I'm not a big photographer, unfortunately, so don't really have any pictures worth sharing. The guides took some photos but nothing like we have experienced on other group tours (we have done 4 Adventures by Disney land tours.)

 

We loved the relaxed pace of this trip, though it took us awhile to get used to. There was one main group excursion each day, then a chunk of "on your own"time in each port that most people seemed to use for shopping. If we had known ahead of time when these times would fall, and how long they would last, we probably would have booked extra activities or tours on our own. However, once my type A personality got over the feeling that we were not maximizing our time, I really enjoyed just strolling around the various ports and having long lazy lunches in local beer gardens.

 

On the boat, service was excellent. The teenagers mostly hung out somewhere on board, or if we were in port late enough, took themselves off to bars to enjoy the lower European drinking age. Meanwhile, we loved sitting up on deck on the comfy sofas, wrapped in the provided fleece blankets, and being served a continual stream of included beverages while getting to know our fellow passengers.

 

The younger kids on the boat were mostly well behaved. There is a small hot tub they played in, and there was a mini golf set up. However, there were constant pleas from the staff to have them be more quiet while on deck, or access would be closed to everyone. On the excursions, the guides divided us up into touring groups based on ages of kids. This was good for us, because we are way past the little kid stage. There were no kids as young as yours, but the ones in the 7-10 range and their families were on one bus. I don't know if special accommodation was made to gear things younger or not. Once we arrived at places, there were not younger and older options, though everything was well-suited to family entertainment.

 

There were a lot of guided tours that made use of the vox with headphones. The youngest children (7 or 8 yo) sometimes had to be reminded that if they shouted near the guide, that came through loudly into everyone's headphones. For a child as young as yours, only you can know if those kinds of tours would even be interesting.

 

Food onboard ranged from good to fabulous. There was certainly something to enjoy every meal. The guides also did a great job of suggesting when to eat in port, and had some suggestions as to where as well. This was one area we felt paled in comparison to the Disney Adventures we had done, as those guides will often make reservations for guests at really amazing restaurants along the way. On the other hand, many of the Tauck passengers, especially the older ones, seemed happy to return to the boat for all meals, so maybe that was just an unwarranted expectation on our part.

 

As for tips, I suppose the best one would be to call (or have your TA call) Tauck and find out what ages are booked on which departures. Due to the proximity to graduation, ours skewed heavily older, which suited us. You might find it better to do a trip with more young children.

 

The other would be to do some serious introspection about your family and child, and if this is truly the best way to travel with a 4 yo. It sounds like she has done a lot of trips, and you certainly know your family best. On the other hand, this is a slower-paced option than some others, and there is no provision for childcare. The extended families that were on this trip mostly stayed to themselves in their own little groups, and I think by the end of the week the moms were a little worn out with trying to keep their younger kids engaged and not bothering others.

 

If you could wait until your child reaches the minimum age for Adventures by Disney, I can guarantee you would have a wonderful experience. Those guides go over the top to keep all ages happy and engaged, and there will be more young kids on the trip. As enjoyable as our Tauck experience was, it wasn't anywhere near the same level of service and entertainment value we have experienced with ABD. (of course, ABD is thousands of dollars more for our family of 3, and we'd be sharing a cabin)

Though it is easy to pass judgement, keep the above information in mind from the OP. I personally would not do this sort of travel with a child this young, but it apparently is working well for this family. Good for them!

Thanks for your generous and open-minded spirit. Our child has loved all past trips even though we didn't do "child activities" in Florence, Venice, anywhere in Iceland or order off "children's menu's." :) I think she'll be thrilled with the sorts of activities included in the Family Riverboat Adventure trip. We are flexible travelers and can make adjustments to activities on the fly as needed.

As documented before I usually float along the river with CroisiEurope. On all five cruises with them I have seen multi generational family groups. Often these cover 4 generations with the youngest child I have seen celebrating his 1st birthday in Venice last year. Usually these are French families but this year on the Seine there were two multi generation groups 1 French and 1 Russian. I am not sure about linking here so I wont and if I am wrong posting this host/mods please accept my apologies and delete. However I was trawling through a social network site and I came accross a link to something called traveling moms. This actually was a very interesting article about multi generational cruising by people on CroisiEurope.

I can see a market for this, many families like to travel together. I expect it would like resorts that cater for children and their families. some will prefer child free cruising and that will continue.

we have seen families with young children when we travel but not on European river cruises but can see no reason why it may not work. of course activities/dining would need to be adapted to suit. would imagine this style of travel would/could be funded by generous grandparents?? perhaps group discounts would also apply for a large family.

Fa-Li, thanks for all the info about Tauck Bridges trips. Have a weakness for french fries, myself.

VAtraveler, hope you let us know which line you pick and what it offers. This is an area that is becoming very popular and very little info out there. Those of us who have taken many river cruises know the amount of money and time invested in a trip. We tend to play devil's advocate about the boats and tours. As a great grandparent the time spent with the children is precious and wonderful. Enjoy your trip and report back to the board, please. Pat

My DD is cruising since the age of 18 months. And yes, her first cruise was a river cruise although in the US (and BTW no modern safety features on an historic steamboat). She was 6 yo on her first Danube river cruise. Yes of course you won´t find many kids at this age on a river cruise. But it all depends on the kid and how it behaves. The OP stated that DD is well traveled. So give it a try! And yes, the regular tour might be a bit boring for a 4 yo. We usually tried to adjust our pace and didn´t go on organized tours that much unless they were kid friendly from our perspective. Our DD had a blast with a Puszta Tour out of Budapest. Riding on a horse carriage and watching the horse show...

You can do a river cruise with a kid at this age. The included tours might not be all suitable for a kid at this age (in Germany the tours are not included so we were able to chose the ones we thought will do it).

Regarding kids menus: Who needs them? You will always find something on a menu a kid will eat. No one needs french fries and burgers every day (or any other so called kids favorites which usually are not healthy at all). A plate of pasta might be available daily. And even kids might eat veggies, salad or meat.

As for the itinerary - both are great!

steamboats

If you consider the Rhine cruise there are opportunities to take canal boat rides in Strasbourg and Amsterdam. In Koblenz you can take a gondola ride, in Rudesheim there is a little train ride, the music box museum and a gondola ride to the vineyards.

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We took Tauck's Blue Danube Family Riverboat Adventure a few years ago and Uniworld's Multi-generational Castles on the Rhine this past July. Both were wonderful and you really can't go wrong with either choice. Personally, I prefer the Danube itinerary. I love Vienna and Salzburg. But both itineraries were fantastic. There were children younger than 4 on both trips. Children under 18 are 1/2 price on Uniworld, so that is something to consider. Tauck offers a smaller discount for children under 12.