Riverboat cruising with college-aged children

[rivercruisenewbie]

Have never been on a riverboat cruise; would like to take my 20-year old on (a European) one in late May. Would like to hear suggestions. Thank you

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

This is a tough one to answer as everyone is different. However, I would think that most 20 year olds would be a little bored; not with the sights, but the ship board experience. River cruises tend to draw travelers 60+ years old. Last year we took a river cruise from Budapest to Cologne. At 63 years old, we were among the youngest. There was a couple on board who brought their teenage grandchildren as a high school graduation present. They were nice young adults, but appeared very bored most times.

[orchestrapal]

Take him on an ocean cruise or land trip. We are in the correct age range for river cruising and have not done it because of the slow pace, small cabins,shared dinning tables and crush to get them as well as limited menus. Can't possibly imagine a 20 year old not being totally miserable ours would certainly have been at that age.

[cruiserfromalabama]

Maybe your 20 yr old would enjoy a med. cruise instead of a river cruise due to the many activities offered on the large ships. I would think that a River Cruise would be a little too slow and too calm for most 20 yr olds. Mediterranean cruises tend to be very fast paced and stopping at a new port daily would afford him to see many different countries.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Not to dispute what was said above, but when I was 20 I did a European grand tour on my own and loved the sightseeing etc. Being spared the train trips, cheap hotels and restaurants, and constant packing (thanks to a river cruise) would have made it even better.

 

One other thing: wifi internet is free on many river cruises, so your 20-year old would have access to social networking. That would make up for the "dull" evenings.

[notamermaid]

Hello rivercruisenewbie,

 

welcome to cruisecritic. My initial reaction was something like "no, that 20 year old will feel like a fish out of water among those people three times his or her age and be really bored ..." But on second thoughts I would say give it a try if he or she

 

has put wild teenage years behind ;) and can turn the smartphone off during dinner and manage smalltalk with the others at the table

 

can be punctual (i.e. not risk missing the boat)

 

Beyond those basics:

 

a young woman might love romantic Paris (with the definite option of nightlife) and could well enjoy the culture of France along the Seine

 

a budding sommelier could really enjoy a wine-themed cruise

 

an architecture fan could love the Danube cruise with Vienna and Budapest

 

Lots of options to choose from, just make sure your twenty year old understands that unless it is a family cruise he or she will probably be the youngest on board. And river cruising is full of experiences but it is normally not "action-packed".

 

And of course now that Wi-Fi is often free and readily available on the modern ships, as Hostjazzbeau pointed out, there is a clear pluspoint for river cruising for the occasionally bored. :)

 

Have fun exploring the options!

 

notamermaid

Edited April 6, 2014 by notamermaid

[alexandra cruiser]

videos and reading reviews.As said everyone is different,what MINE might like NOT what YOURS would.

Lots of info out there,have then participate in research and decision.

That being said, my 2 GD s would be bored silly,but on 3 occasions we ve cruised with young adults who LOVED it.:confused:

[Got2Cruise]

We took the Seine RC through Avalon last July. There were perhaps 4 families that had teenagers along. These teens were very engaged because they were very interested in seeing Paris and visiting Normandy. We were tied up to a Uniworld ship in Paris and I noticed some teens/young adults on that ship too.

 

If your son is very interested in WWII history, and would like to visit Paris, Versailles, and other historical places, then a Seine cruise might be to his liking. There really is nothing do do after dinner, and if there is nobody his age, he will be left having dinner with old-timers each night:) but after dinner he can go back to the cabin and use the free Wi-fi onboard or sit up on the deck. You never know there might be other youngsters on the cruise, but I think it is more likely in July and August when High School is also out, along with college.

[burtonnm]

I'm 25 and I am going with my 57 year old Mom, and 83 year old grandparents. River cruises definitely aren't marketed towards my age group, but that doesn't scare me. I think you're the only one who could make the call on whether your child would enjoy it. If they are uncomfortable conversing with people of other generations, don't appreciate history, beautiful scenery, or intelligent conversation with strangers, then it's maybe not for them. But all the advice here about it being too "slow-paced" is a little misguided. I enjoy a wild night of drinking and dancing with my friends most weekends, but that doesn't mean a night slowly cruising along the Danube river with a deck of cards and a string quartet doesn't also appeal to me. Give them an accurate picture of what it will be like and ask them if they would like it. Managing expectations will be half the battle. They will almost certainly hate it if they go into it expecting it to be like an ocean cruise.

[need2travel1]

We're in our mid-40's & going on our 1st river cruise this July, we don't have kids but the only departure that worked for us on the line & itinerary we wanted was called a Multi-Generational Departure. It's on Uniworld & starts in Paris & goes to Normandy & back to Paris, they have several each summer on various itineraries & it should bring the age bracket down just a bit-might be worth looking into for your son. Hope this helps:)

[caviargal]

I have been traveling to Europe since I was 16 and would have been bored to death on a river cruise. I have been on some where I was bored to tears and I am now far from a teen.

 

IMO, a 20 something would much rather an independent land trip, moving every few days and being able to experience the nightlife and street culture of the places visited. DIY land trips by train are still our overall preference for European travel.

 

IMO, ocean cruises are not a good way to see Europe. Some ports are far from places of interest, excursions are pricey and why dine on banquet food when you are visiting Europe? That is not what I have in mind for an ideal European vacation. If it is all about a cruise ship, then take a cheaper cruise.

 

If you do decide on a river cruise, look at itineraries carefully and choose one with lots of port time and overnight stays. We are younger river cruisers and prefer to limit our daytime cruising and to maximize time in port. We also enjoy overnight stays so we can go out after dinner.

 

Perhaps an itinerary with a few days in Amsterdam would be appealing.

[Valley Girl of VA]

I agree with most of the sentiment on the board that they most likely wouldn't enjoy it because of the slow pace, much older passenger. My suggestion is to go to Europe and take a day or overnight river boat trip. That would give you some flexibility and not limit you. I believe many of these day trips are some of what the locals take.