What is it about River Cruising that you love so much?

[Lois R]

Hi folks:) loving all the postings:).........about the casino....I can't

remember the last time I gambled on a cruise so I won't miss it:D

 

I can't remember the last time I did a "land vacation".....it was prior

to 2003 so at least 12 years ago...that is when I started to cruise

on a regular basis. I remember the trip.....I drove with a girlfriend

from here in Jackonville (North Florida) up the east coast to Williamsburg,

VA to visit that area..........and we are no longer friends and I just am

better traveling on my own:) and cruising is so easy solo and from

reading all your replies....well, I have a cruise booked on Celebrity

out of San Juan in November. I know I will have a great time but I am

now more excited about this River Cruise than my Caribbean cruise;)

[pacmom]

About to take river cruise #21 in October--in Spain. We have loved all but 2--one in Russia and one from Antwerp to Basel. We have been on various lines and have come to love AMA--like the age mix. Our last was a Christmas market trip ending in Lucerne. There was a multi-generation family on board. The children had never seen snow--PD went out of his way to make sure they had a wonderful snow time on Mt.Rigi. We enjoy meeting people from other countries and still keep in touch with many.

 

The trip is really what you make it. If you don't care to socialize much, no one will "invade your space". There are many opportunities to socialize with the staff. We still keep in touch with one gentleman who was a waiter on our first Viking trip, the Maitre'd on our second and the hotel manager on our last.

 

River cruising is a wonderful way to see parts on the world not on oceans and not to have "bags outside the door at 6:30 am" Enjoy, Pat

[caviargal]

One of my favorite things is how the main lounge becomes a common living room (so to speak), at least on AMA, where the furniture is comfy and inviting. I am an early riser and head to the lounge with my laptop for a coffee about 5:30 many days. There are always a few others there and it is nice to have a conversation if I choose or to find a sofa with a view and just relax and savor the peace and quiet.

 

I really missed that on my recent Uniworld cruise, The furniture was just not comfy and it was never a place where people gathered, except for the evening port talks. It was the quietest main lounge I have ever experienced.

[Canadian Sunset]

My husband used to be an 'I'll do what I want when I want' traveller, so we tended to take land vacations and go on our own. Two years ago we took a Danube River cruise on Viking and now my husband loves river cruising. The only reason we haven't gone again sooner is because my husband got two new hips last year.

 

We love the size of the ships and the fact that we get to meet people. We love the fact that we dock right in the towns and can easily walk off the ship. We love that if we don't want to take the tours we can go off on our own.

 

We love everything about river cruising.

 

The only time we would take a larger ship now would be to visit Caribbean islands. We may be Canadian, but we don't have to like winter....and we do enjoy the Caribbean.

[Lois R]

I know I will have a good time too:D:):D

[marco]

And when it comes to tours and site seeing, you're pretty much "already there" and optional for $$$$ are an exception as opposed to an "Ocean liner" European cruise that's say, going to Rome. You actually dock in Chivitiavecchia which is about an hr and 1/2 from Rome and and excursion offered by the line or on your own can easily cost $100 pp, and by the time you get there and allow time for returning to the ship in time, you pretty much have to "pick one" when it comes to the sites you might want to see.

[Kenster]

The intimate ambiance board; the easy camaraderie fostered by the small number of passengers; the proximity to the town/city center on most itineraries.

 

The lack of children (IME); lack of nickel and diming; no tendering; no lines; no overcrowded buffets; no "liquor police" - if you want to pick up a special bottle of wine you are able to do so without being treated like a criminal.

 

No overpriced bottles of water; no "sales" in the lobby; no loud announcements; no constantly trying to sell you something; no cheesy entertainment; no overpriced drinks with forced service charges.

 

A staff who knows your name by the 2nd day and is warm and gracious and welcoming. In the case of AMA, the wonderful attention to detail from the high end and generous toiletries provided to the special touches throughout the cruise; free internet throughout the ship and computers in every room; cruise managers and staff who really make the trip special.

 

 

Yeah, pretty much this!

[shamda]

For every exact reason you just mentioned we decided to try our first River Cruise this coming November. If all you say is true I am sure we will have a great time. We are so done with mass market cruising and mega ships. Living in FL we may as well go to Disneyworld. Really looking forward to the peaceful river cruise!

 

The intimate ambiance board; the easy camaraderie fostered by the small number of passengers; the proximity to the town/city center on most itineraries.

 

The lack of children (IME); lack of nickel and diming; no tendering; no lines; no overcrowded buffets; no "liquor police" - if you want to pick up a special bottle of wine you are able to do so without being treated like a criminal.

 

No overpriced bottles of water; no "sales" in the lobby; no loud announcements; no constantly trying to sell you something; no cheesy entertainment; no overpriced drinks with forced service charges.

 

A staff who knows your name by the 2nd day and is warm and gracious and welcoming. In the case of AMA, the wonderful attention to detail from the high end and generous toiletries provided to the special touches throughout the cruise; free internet throughout the ship and computers in every room; cruise managers and staff who really make the trip special.

 

On the very rare occasion we would consider an ocean cruise, it is only on a smaller ship that has similar qualities to what we enjoy on the river. And that is a very small list, indeed.

[DrivesLikeMario]

1. The bed facing the wall-to-wall windows so I could watch the world go by.

 

2. The smallness of the ship - made it so much easier to meet & get to know people, and get to/from your cabin.

 

3. The fascinating, historical ports that would never be accessible by ocean cruise ships.

[Lois R]

Keep those positives posts coming:D:):D:)

 

Hi Marco,:) I have only been to the Med once and I have to say it was

the best cruise I have ever taken (it was on Celebrity).....I am really

looking forward to this cruise but that one? It was fantastic:D

I know it is apples to oranges but I will remember that cruise for the

rest of my life.......

[Hydrokitty]

Lois....there's Celebrity....and then there's the others!! :D I had a terrible experience on my first ocean cruise and vowed never to do another one....then my neighbor, who is a big boat fanatic, convinced me to try a cruise with Celebrity....which we did and liked it so much that I actually crie fod on our last day because I didn't want to get off....I have two other cruises booked with them for next year and there will be more. I find I don't mind the crowds if I have a balcony because I only leave my cabin to feed and sight see!! :D

[flowerbuyer]

The intimate ambiance board; the easy camaraderie fostered by the small number of passengers; the proximity to the town/city center on most itineraries.

 

The lack of children (IME); lack of nickel and diming; no tendering; no lines; no overcrowded buffets; no "liquor police" - if you want to pick up a special bottle of wine you are able to do so without being treated like a criminal.

 

No overpriced bottles of water; no "sales" in the lobby; no loud announcements; no constantly trying to sell you something; no cheesy entertainment; no overpriced drinks with forced service charges.

 

A staff who knows your name by the 2nd day and is warm and gracious and welcoming. In the case of AMA, the wonderful attention to detail from the high end and generous toiletries provided to the special touches throughout the cruise; free internet throughout the ship and computers in every room; cruise managers and staff who really make the trip special.

 

On the very rare occasion we would consider an ocean cruise, it is only on a smaller ship that has similar qualities to what we enjoy on the river. And that is a very small list, indeed.

 

Ditto. And a BIG plus for me is that, being prone to motion sickness, there is no seasickness. We will be embarking on our third Viking Cruise this Saturday, Sept. 5th, cruising the Danube from Nuremberg to Budapest. And hoping the water levels are okay. :)

[Lois R]

And now we are in September:D......

[denims]

Lois, what river cruise are you taking in April'16?

[Lois R]

Lois, what river cruise are you taking in April'16?

 

Hi Larry.........AMAStella Tulip Time:D.......sailing out of Amsterdam.:)

[aldukenew]

Hi Larry.........AMAStella Tulip Time:D.......sailing out of Amsterdam.:)

 

We were on the April 2013 Tulip Time cruise from Amsterdam on the AmaCerto and had a fabulous experience! It was chilly, though!

 

Allyson

 

[Lois R]

Chilly is ok:)

 

Larry, I started this thread when I booked it........:D

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2241781

[denims]

Thanks, I checked it out.

 

This is our first river cruise also. (Like you, many ocean cruises)

I'm jealous though, because you have a lot of posts on your thread!:o

On May 1st, I started a thread for our Paris to Basel trip for April 16, 2016 and have not had ONE post!!!:eek:

Edited September 4, 2015 by denims

[loge23]

We still like both ocean and river cruising and appreciate the differences, but there's really no comparison.

I love when I step onboard a river cruise that I immediately feel comfortable and welcome. No eye-rolling like we have seen onboard the big ships.

I love that the staff usually become more like friends than servers. Sometimes you just want get up and help them! (obviously a big no-no)

I love the pre-dinner briefings in the lounge, where everyone congregates happily.

I love the relationships we have formed from our cruises, something that just doesn't happen as much on the big ships.

I love getting off right in town.

I love the included mini-tours - just enough!

I love the casual atmosphere in dress and conduct.

I love anticipating another cruise!

[Lois R]

Thanks, I checked it out.

 

This is our first river cruise also. (Like you, many ocean cruises)

I'm jealous though, because you have a lot of posts on your thread!:o

On May 1st, I started a thread for our Paris to Basel trip for April 16, 2016 and have not had ONE post!!!:eek:

 

Larry, that is NOT my roll call....:eek: it is just a thread I started because

I was excited to be taking a River Cruise:D......there is no roll call at

all for my particular cruise.......(not yet anyway).

[Hoyaheel]

You'll probably find more threads about why there aren't cruise-specific roll calls for river cruises than you'll find roll calls for river cruises:p You just don't have the numbers for it....General itinerary roll calls are more common (eg Christmas Markets 2014 or 2015 or whatever....)

[Host Jazzbeau]

I've been wearing my Cruise Critic Host jacket for two days on this cruise, and so far no one (except the staff) has recognized it. [Full disclosure: I'm paying full retail for this cruise, and haven't received any CC accommodations.] So out of 136 other passengers (we have a few empty cabins), no one knows about CC much less signs up for roll calls.

[Lois R]

I've been wearing my Cruise Critic Host jacket for two days on this cruise, and so far no one (except the staff) has recognized it. [Full disclosure: I'm paying full retail for this cruise, and haven't received any CC accommodations.] So out of 136 other passengers (we have a few empty cabins), no one knows about CC much less signs up for roll calls.

 

Ahhhh...ok....I plan on having a wonderful time:D and will be meeting

folks on board. I know we all have our good points and vices and one

of my better points is being quite friendly and outgoing. It is very easy

for me to meet people so I am not concerned about the lack of a roll

call.;)

 

Oh, hope you are having a great cruise!

Edited September 4, 2015 by Lois R

[aldukenew]

I've been wearing my Cruise Critic Host jacket for two days on this cruise, and so far no one (except the staff) has recognized it. [Full disclosure: I'm paying full retail for this cruise, and haven't received any CC accommodations.] So out of 136 other passengers (we have a few empty cabins), no one knows about CC much less signs up for roll calls.

 

We are leaving tomorrow for Prague for our AmaWaterways Danube cruise. I will be curious to see who on that trip has heard of CC. I am amazed at the number on my recent ocean cruises who don't know about it!

 

Allyson

[Lois R]

We are leaving tomorrow for Prague for our AmaWaterways Danube cruise. I will be curious to see who on that trip has heard of CC. I am amazed at the number on my recent ocean cruises who don't know about it!

 

Allyson

 

Bon Voyage......hope you have a wonderful cruise:D:):D