Typical day on a river cruise??

Thinking about taking a Rhine river cruise with Viking next fall. I've done quite a few ocean cruises, but this would be my first river cruise. Can anyone describe a typical day? Does the boat dock in the morning and stay in port all day? Does it typically leave early evening, or do they sometimes stay later? I'd appreciate any insight! Thanks.

Thinking about taking a Rhine river cruise with Viking next fall. I've done quite a few ocean cruises, but this would be my first river cruise. Can anyone describe a typical day? Does the boat dock in the morning and stay in port all day? Does it typically leave early evening, or do they sometimes stay later? I'd appreciate any insight! Thanks.

The answer to this is totally dependent on the itinerary. There is no generic answer.

Read reviews, research on the various cruise line's websites and find a knowledgeable TA to guide you in choosing the best option for you personally.

I'd just like a general idea based on people's experiences. It would be the Rhine Getaway from Amsterdam to Basel.

Welcome to the River Cruising forum!

Here is the most recent review of the specific Rhine cruise you mention:

Viking Rhine Getaway (2014): It Just Depends!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2266458

This doesn't quite answer your questions, but it may open you up to the idea that you should do a lot more research before just booking this cruise. To that end, I suggest you start by reading the sticky New to RIVER CRUISING??? at the top of this forum, especially the downloadable pdf:

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

which discusses each cruise line and compares them to ocean cruise lines and hotels [this will give you a frame of reference]. The range among river cruise lines that market in the US is fairly small -- but there are differences from the bottom to the top, and the prices don't vary as much as it first appears because the more expensive lines include more things that cost extra on the "cheaper" lines. For information on choosing a river, read the sticky River Cruise Basics articles on Cruise Critic at the top of this forum. I also recommend the book Berlitz guide to River Cruising in Europe by Douglas Ward, which may be found at your public library.

Now, if you still decide that a Rhine river cruise is your best bet [and actually I agree that this is a great first river cruise], I can tell you about the one we took on AmaWaterways. Day 1: We boarded the ship in Amsterdam and stayed overnight. Day 2: The next morning AMA provided a canal cruise and a bus/walking tour [Dam Square, Royal Palace, Dam Rak, Begijnhof, Rembrandt's Windmill] and ultimately caught up with the ship which had already sailed the dull canal between Amsterdam and the Rhine; the rest of that day was the sail to Cologne. Day 3: morning walking tour of Cologne [or bike tour option]; afternoon sail to Koblenz; after-dinner walking tour of Koblenz. Day 4: morning scenic [i'll say!] cruise of the Rhine Gorge [more castles than you can shake a stick at, plus the lovely Lorelei!]; afternoon vineyard tour plus free time in Rudesheim [or optional bike tour with wine tasting]; after-dinner tour to Siegried's Mechanical Music Cabinet Museum in Rudesheim [sounds hokey but was a lot of fun][or optional Rudesheimer Coffee excursion]. Day 5: docked in Speyer at noon; excursion to Heidelberg [this is extra cost on some lines, but included on AMA][or optional Speyer walking tour plus free time, or optional bike tour with brewery visit]; after returning to the ship we were able to walk into Speyer and explore there on our own. Day 6: woke up in Strasbourg; morning walking tour of Strasbourg [including tickets to the Astronomical Clock performance in the Cathedral]; option of bus back to ship for lunch or free time for lunch on own [we stayed in town and had wonderful Flammkuchen = tarte flambée for lunch]; afternoon canal cruise [included]. Day 7: morning sail to Breisach with German Fruhschoppen [barbeque] lunch on sun deck; afternoon tour to Colmar and Riquewihr [or optional tour of Breisach & Freiburg or optional bike tour with wine tasting]; after our tour we had time to see Breisach on our own. Day 8: [not sure if this was part of the cruise or the beginning of the post-cruise extension to Lucerne and Zurich] walking tour of Basel.

This will give you a basis to compare the detailed itineraries on different cruise line websites. All the itineraries go from Amsterdam to Basel, but they stop at different ports and include different excursions. Finding a cruise that includes all the places you want to see may be as important as finding the lowest price.

Thanks very much! I did also find the detailed itinerary on the Viking website....I was initially having trouble finding it. I do obsessively research these things, but wanted to get some basic info in the meantime. You provided that and more! Thanks again!

Do yourself a BIG favor and compare this identical itinerary across all the river cruise companies. Don't focus on any one company but be sure and compare what is included in the fare vs what is an extra. Number of passengers per boat and the size of passenger cabins for the category you want to book.

Some cruise critic members actually do a chart to compare one companies apples to someone else's orange.

Next go to everyone's website and sign up for their "specials emails" the run promotions that you can only find out this way.

I think it was easier to compare the beautiful brochures side by side than trying flip back and forth on a computer.

Have fun researching!

We took Uniworld's Castles on the Rhine in March/April 2014. There is a link to a detailed day-by-day trip log in my signature below. That should tell you what happened each day. I also uploaded the cruise dailies. I think the link is posted somewhere at the end of the trip log.

Agree that the Rhine is a great (first) itinerary.

Each ship spends a different amount of time in port (even within the same company). Depending on what you want to do, you may want to make sure you are selecting the right itinerary for you. A typical day will be very different depending on the sailing schedule.

Our demographic; 4 of us 40-48.

Days we awoke when the ship was in port:

Breakfast, usually the lighter breakfast in the lounge

Tour

Did not return to the ship for lunch

Went to the best restaurant/bar/pub/cafe according to Trip Advisor/YELP/Poynt

Walked around, had fun, shopped, bar hopped.

Return to ship for either "all on board" time, or dinner time

Lounge until it was time for bed, dancing, trivia etc.

Days where we were under power when we woke up"

Woke up leisurely

Light breakfast

Mimosa's on the sundeck or up front, socializing with ship mates.

Lunch or light lunch

Dock and time to tour

Return to ship for either "all on board" time, or dinner time

Lounge until it was time for bed, dancing, trivia etc.

In the evening if we were sailing through a town or city that was lit up; Dusseldorf, Frankfurt or even Linz, we'd usually be outside for cocktails :)

For our group, any time we were docked at dinner time - we didn't stay on board. We always ate in whatever town we were in, basked on trip advisor, YELP or POYNT.

And this:

Do yourself a BIG favor and compare this identical itinerary across all the river cruise companies.

You'd also be well advised to closely monitor the threads regarding low water or high water and understand how different companies deal with issues. Some companies all but turn the trip into a modified bus tour, others do ship swaps, others may offer hotel stays. Knowing what you are in for prior to sailing will help you deal with unforseen issues.

You'll have to come to terms that in the Ocean a ship can always sail. On a river, thats not always the case ;)

Since you have said you are looking at the Fall season, I would check out the current cruise companies that even though have experienced the lower water levels they have still been able to navigate through the Rhine at a slower pace in places. Some companies have turned sections of their cruise into a bus tour.

That's the last thing you would want to have happen after spending that kind of $.

Also, you had mentioned you have done quite a few ocean cruises. You are well aware that you are well entertained in the evening after dinner with a variety of things to do. River cruises do not have the space to do likewise and have minimal entertainment.

Food is excellent on river cruises and one noticeable difference was that the portions were smaller at dinner than on ocean cruises but that was not a problem with us as you still had plenty to eat throughout the day.

Thanks everyone for the info- I appreciate all the advice!

And thanks, jpalbny, for pointing me to your photo review- nicely done, great pics and really helpful! Funny you're from Albany...I'm from Rochester. Excited about possibly seeing Alsace- that's where my grandfather's from.

Thinking about taking a Rhine river cruise with Viking next fall. I've done quite a few ocean cruises, but this would be my first river cruise. Can anyone describe a typical day? Does the boat dock in the morning and stay in port all day? Does it typically leave early evening, or do they sometimes stay later? I'd appreciate any insight! Thanks.

Each itinerary is different depending on the direction of the river. For example, the very popular Castles on the Rhine cruises go in two directions, usually from Amsterdam to Basel, or Basel to Amsterdam. Thanks to reading CC, I learned that the Amsterdam to Basel cruise is sailing upstream therefore the ship goes slower. There are less stops, but you are spending more time passing the castles.

The basic rhythm of many itineraries of River cruising is wake up early, eat breakfast, walking tour and time spent in town, return to ship for lunch, out again for another tour, happy hour, dinner, after dinner cocktails, but don't forget you need to wake up early the next morning. . . Repeat.

I do think your "typical day" depends on itinerary and line. We took Scenic Amsterdam to Budapest. All tours were included, and often there was a choice of tours. Some start a bit too early for me (8:00 AM) and some don't. Many days, we took two tours. These weren't all just bus rides, either. One tour was dinner in a real castle. Another was dinner and beer at a brewery. Another was wine and entertainment at a winery. Sill another was a concert by a group from the Vienna Symphony, Opera Company, And Ballet Company. and so on. All tours were arranged to have us back onboard for lunch and dinner (unless same was part of the tour. All beverages were included onboard at all times, as were tips.

When looking at river cruise information. be sure to read the fine print. Some charge extra for some tours (usually the better ones) Others charge extra for drinks except at lunch and dinner. Others have "customary tipping". I'm not saying to avoid less inclusive lines (which sometimes advertise themselves al "all inclusive" but they aren't). Just saying to research rather deeply, do some math, and decide what is right for you.

One (maybe) more question...is there a compelling reason to go Amsterdam to Basel vs. south to north? Thanks again?

One (maybe) more question...is there a compelling reason to go Amsterdam to Basel vs. south to north? Thanks again?

The general theory is that going downstream with the flow of the river means the ship will travel faster, giving you more time in port. On the other hand one of the highlights of this cruise is the sail past the Rhine Castles, which might be better appreciated by sailing more slowly upstream. We chose to go Amsterdam to Basel [upstream] because the scenery keeps getting better as you go along [the part on the Amsterdam end is kind of industrial, while Alsace is picture-perfect]. But the deciding factor might be whether you want to be jet-lagged in Amsterdam or Switzerland and what you plan to do post-cruise.

One (maybe) more question...is there a compelling reason to go Amsterdam to Basel vs. south to north? Thanks again?

The itineraries are different. Compare the day by day.