Which 1st Time River Cruise

Hi fellow cruisers. Have been on cruise critic since 2005 and have sailed on standard cruise ships 44 times but are considering our first cruise on the River fleets. I have quite a large amount of material from most of the mainstream lines but would appreciate any info on 7 to 10 day routes . Any input on your recommendation for a first.Pro and cons of early march,april and sept ,oct times.Have been in the med.,France,Spain,Italy but never in Central or northern Europe. Thanks in advance. Bob & Nancy, The Villages, Florida

Welcome! We have our first river cruise booked for this summer. Based on advice from the board, we looked at a Rhine River cruise (Amsterdam-Basel). I think all the cruise lines offer this itinerary, and some offer a Rhine-Moselle itinerary as well, which is several days longer. We're doing that one because we found a very good price.

On the websites for the river cruise companies, several of them recommend the Danube for a first cruise, but I decided we'd get the most bang for our buck by doing the Rhine cruise first. There are quite a few people here that have cruised both rivers so I'm sure they can offer their opinions.

We prefer to travel in shoulder or off season for fewer crowds and better prices. We also really enjoy theme cruises, with wine being our favorite.:)

I suggest a 7 night itinerary for your first river cruise. Castles on the Rhine with AmaWaterways is a good option for a first cruise, with a diverse mix of ports and cultures. We also really enjoyed our Rhone cruise with AMA and Budapest to Nuremberg, also with AMA.

We almost always add days in Europe pre or post or both, DIY, as we like the mix of land and cruise.

I would recommend Castles on the Rhine for a first time cruise, and like Caviargal we like the shoulder season....but we also like cruises from 10 days or more. Our first river cruise was the one I suggested on Vantage for 14 days and it was wonderful. I had been concerned about the boredom factor but then I looked at the itinerary closely and realized that we were only "at sea" one full day, every other day we were in a different port and doing things that were interesting and fun. When you ask all of us cc posters for a best first cruise, the majority of us seem to respond with this same cruise and a dozen different companies! It really is a wonderful cruise.

Our first was the Budapest to Amsterdam with add on days at each end.

It was perfect never felt we were too long on the boat. I would love to do even longer....so nice to settle in to the rhythm and personality of the ship and never have to unpack.

Europe is a great place to start because it is familiar feeling with little/ no culture or climate shock.

Have fun!

Our first was the Budapest to Amsterdam with add on days at each end.

It was perfect never felt we were too long on the boat. I would love to do even longer....so nice to settle in to the rhythm and personality of the ship and never have to unpack.

 

Europe is a great place to start because it is familiar feeling with little/ no culture or climate shock.

 

Have fun!

What cruise company and month of the year?

I will be doing Budapest to Amsterdam the end of Aug.with add ons at each end

We were on Viking in mid September 2014. Great weather had a french balcony and enjoyed it everyday. Unlike many of the posters we were very lucky and although we were rafted a few times NEVER on our side of the ship. Lucky I guess!!!

The excursions all offered a great introduction to the cities and the local guides were usually very good. It was so perfect in the cities where we could walk off the ship into town!!!

We loved Budapest and had a private guide 2 days. Stayed in a canal B&B in Amsterdam and did a walking tour one day and spent the next using a hop on/off canal boat...

Loved everything about the cruise...may be be addicted...came home and took Vantage's Irrawaddy trip in December and will be going to the Amazon this October.

Hello villager70,

I loved my 8-day-cruise on the Danube, but also love the Rhine river. Well, I live there so I am somewhat biased.

Most CC posters seem to agree on the Rhine being one of the best, if not the best river to start with. The Amsterdam - Basel is the most offered itinerary, usually seven nights with pre- and post-cruise options.

I would not give a combined Rhine-Moselle-cruise a miss, especially if you are not bothered about seeing Amsterdam.

Have you had a look at Hostjazzbeau's sticky at the top of the page yet?

Think about what is your prefered temperature range on holiday. If you are fine with any weather and climate then the options are almost endless...

In Europe, I would never take a river cruise in March, as the weather is quite unpredictable and the rivers even more so. Flooding is more likely and more prelonged than in May or June. Although it may not seem so to cruisers, judging from recent events. I would look at a cruise that starts earliest 5 April or so.

September is usually a nice month, it gives you the start of the vine harvest and wine festivals in central Europe.

The Elbe is not so renowned for wine-growing, but there is a small area to explore there. The larger wine-growing areas are in the South and West. The Elbe cruise has a fascinating history to explore. For Roman history you had better focus on Germany and France, though.

Having mentioned wine and history, is there a special area of interest with you?

You could also do the game of "I have always wanted to see..." But beware, if you base your itinerary on one special occasion, you could be disappointed by an event like flooding, strike, closure as it is Sunday, Monday, etc.

In Europe you do not necessarily need to do the pre- or post-cruise options the river cruise lines offer either. You can easily DIY those parts of your holiday.

People have mentioned flying into London, then taking the train to Amsterdam. You could fly to Rome, then onto Paris and go on the Normandy cruise. Etc.

Oh, yes, October, a good month to travel as well, with the autumn colours towards the end of the month. And the South of France has cooled down to comfortable temperatures (I do not care much for heat and insects).

I do not think you can go wrong with any of the main lines. Perhaps two that are not yet main lines for the North American market are CroisiEurope and ARosa. The former is French and the latter German. They both have their distinctive own designs. CroisiEurope having more unsual itineraries, not focussing that much on exceptional luxuries whereas Arosa is marketing to a slightly younger demographic with the more "standard" itineraries.

As you have never been to Northern Europe let me just mention that you could combine a trip to Sweden with a cruise in the heartland of Europe by DIY taking the ferry from Sweden across the Baltic. The coastal towns of Eastern Germany are fantastic to explore and then for change of scenery head towards the Rhine...

There is so much "unexplored" territory if you are happy to combine land with river trip but if you prefer to be taken care of and being pampered without having to worry about connections then be assured the cruise companies are doing a great job at that. :)

For the Rhine: most companies do the same itinerary Amsterdam - Basel, but one or to stick out in my mind for going to Mainz. I would prefer those lines, if I could choose, as I very much like Mainz and its history.

Have fun plannning.

notamermaid