Is river cruising right for us?

[FloridaTourist]

My wife and I are finally able to enjoy traveling. We are in our early/mid 50's and still very active and healthy. This year we took our first trip to Europe and did a Med cruise on Holland America starting in Rome 11 ports in 12 days. We had a blast. This was not our first cruise but was our longest. We love the entertainment, the food, and meeting so many interesting people. We are looking for a trip next year. We already booked a cruise early in the summer to take our boys on Oasis of the Seas (more their style). Now we need to plan a cruise of our own in the August/early September time frame. I was looking at the Viking website and it seems as though they are running some great deals. My wife is very concerned that the ship is so small and there won't be enough to do when on board. On our Med cruise even though we got off the ship by 830 almost every day and stayed out all day we never went to bed before 1am. We stayed up and shut down every venue. We are not huge drinkers either just loved talking and the entertainment. Will a river cruise be boring to us? Our Holland America cruise had an average age of 67. It was a little old but we found people to mix with. Will we be the "kids" on a river boat? What about entertainment? Any dancing? Need some help? Is Viking a good line for river cruising? Are there other lines that would fit us better? Thanks all for he help!

 

 

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[garycarla]

Very hard for anyone to KNOW if it will be for you, or not.

 

You might want to try the following:

 

- read some cruise reviews

- scroll back a week or two and read those posts about newbies to river cruising

- check out the stickies above

[notamermaid]

Hello FloridaTourist,

 

you will certainly be on the young side on a river cruise ship. Viking is said to have a higher average age than other cruise lines and clearly state in their marketing that they go for those "who do not like action that much anymore" (my wording). It is somewhat reflected in that - as past cruisers have mentioned - there is no gym on the Viking longships. Purely from what you have mentioned about dancing and staying up until after midnight I think you would find a better match in other lines. Uniworld, Avalon, AmaWaterways or the high-end Tauck spring to might. I am sure others will be happy to point out more.

 

River cruising can be a little "sedate" or really active, it depends also on how many activities you join in with. Doing all tours can mean that you are out and of the ship on some days from 8.30am to 6pm, there could even be a concert in the evening in a concert hall, for example. Some companies even offer bike tours.

 

If you think that is not enough and would rather venture out at night into town you could be better off with a land trip with a reputable company (and some here on CC have done such trips I remember) or DIY a city trip. You could throw in a day trip on a Danube excursion boat to Vienna or a trip through the Rhine gorge on an excursion boat if you would like to be on a river. Likeways, that idea of mine applies very much to Paris, as well. :)

 

After having read the great stickies mentioned above you could also approach the idea of river cruising from a different angle: what do I like and will I get it on a river cruise (dancing - which you mentioned -, castles, museums, wine tasting, etc.)? what place do I really want to see (in Europe or elsewhere) and do I get to see it on a river cruise (Berlin - which is an embarkation city but you do not cruise through it, or Paris - which you cruise through, etc.)

 

Perhaps you have friends, relatives or colleagues who have been on a river cruise. Bombard them with questions. :D

 

Have fun planning.

 

notamermaid

[TravelerThom]

My wife and I are finally able to enjoy traveling. We are in our early/mid 50's and still very active and healthy. This year we took our first trip to Europe and did a Med cruise on Holland America starting in Rome 11 ports in 12 days. We had a blast. This was not our first cruise but was our longest. We love the entertainment, the food, and meeting so many interesting people. We are looking for a trip next year. We already booked a cruise early in the summer to take our boys on Oasis of the Seas (more their style). Now we need to plan a cruise of our own in the August/early September time frame. I was looking at the Viking website and it seems as though they are running some great deals.

Viking (and some other lines also) ALWAYS have 2-for-1 sales and other incentives that are only available until the end of the month. Somehow they seem to always reappear the following month. Note that in general riverboat deposit are NOT refundable, so look before you leap.

My wife is very concerned that the ship is so small and there won't be enough to do when on board. On our Med cruise even though we got off the ship by 830 almost every day and stayed out all day we never went to bed before 1am. We stayed up and shut down every venue. We are not huge drinkers either just loved talking and the entertainment. Will a river cruise be boring to us?

The focus of river cruises is the tours, most of which are included. You don't have to take the included boat tours, but you have already paid for them. These tours typically leave about 8:30/9am. Maybe half the evenings there will be local people (folk dancers, singers, musicians, whatever) come on-board as entertainers, other evenings there will perhaps be a ship musician (singular) playing dance music. The bar does moderate business, but the freely poured wine (not grand cru) at dinner is many people's primary libation. Lots of talking among the generally well traveled friendly passengers onboard, but probably half the people have already gone to their cabins to rest up for tomorrow's tours by the time I go at 10pm. I would think that most (not all) nights by 1am the lights are already out.

Our Holland America cruise had an average age of 67. It was a little old but we found people to mix with. Will we be the "kids" on a river boat?

The average age on river boats would be about the same as you are quoting for HAL. But to get full benefit out of a river cruise and associated tours you need to be able to walk several miles without difficulty. Note, that I said full benefit; there will be people who do have difficulty with walking that far, but river boats (very few exceptions) are not wheelchair friendly. So most people will be reasonably fit and active.

What about entertainment? Any dancing? Need some help? Is Viking a good line for river cruising? Are there other lines that would fit us better? Thanks all for he help!

Clearly Viking advertises in the US more than any other river cruise company, but it may or may not be the best fit for you. Certainly lots of people like other lines better, but Viking has its fans despite (not because of) its sales tichniques. I, and many other people, love river cruises (I have done close to 20 river cruises in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America), so you may find yourself addicted:). Or not:rolleyes: Read the "New to River Cruising" sticky at the top of this page. Hope this helps.

 

Thom

[Got2Cruise]

A river cruise is nothing like an ocean cruise as far as after dinner entertainment. Basically there is a guy with one of those electronic pianos playing music in the lounge. There is usually a classical music concert one night. One or two nights there is the opportunity to go into the town you are docked in. I'm being blunt here because if your wife wants the level of excitement of the ocean cruise she just is not going to get it.

 

If you do decide on a river cruise because you accept that night times are quiet but it's a wonderful way to see parts of Europe located next to rivers, don't choose Viking for your demographic. Viking caters to an older less active demographic. They don't even have a workout room on board. Any line that offers active tours such as biking and hiking will attract healthy active pax. Sign up on the various cruiseline websites to receive special offers

[papa B me]

FloridaTourist,

My wife and I are in our early 50's and at the same stage of life as you and your wife. We took our first river cruise 2 years ago and loved it. So much so that we took our second last December and have a third booked for next June.

 

Like you we first looked at Viking due to their advertising. After talking with a travel agent and looking at a number of lines we chose Uniworld. Uniworld has a number of amenities that were great for us as we were concerned about being board as well. One of our favorites was bikes were provided. Our first cruise was in July so with it light out until almost 10 we would take the bikes out for a ride along the river in many ports. They also have a small fitness room that we made good use of. If you sail on one of their 3 Super Ships(SS Antoinette, Maria Teresa, or Catherine) there is a small indoor pool with current jets.

 

We also found they have a number of "active" excursions. This can be anywhere from hikes, to guided biking tours, to kayak trips. They had several unique excursions apart from the typical walking tours of the old towns. The demographics were certainly in the 60's plus range but we were able to make friends with a number of couples to enjoy the evenings with. We did close the lounge down each night with dancing and talking with our new friends. I don't believe you will find activities till 1 am. However, even as active as we are we did find the touring was so extensive and we stayed so active that we were ready to head to our cabins by 11 each night. I can honestly say we never had a bored moment.

 

Like you we are at the stage in life where we can finally travel some. We are taking 3 to 4 vacations a year now. We are trying many different types of travel including sailing on Oasis in Feb with Friends. So far the river cruise experience is our favorite. I encourage you to give it a try. I think sailing down the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel is a great place to start. I highly recommend Uniworld's "Castles on the Rhine" sailing on the SS Antoinette. It is only 7 nights long so not really long if you find river cruising isn't for you. I would also suggest utilizing their pre cruise stay in Amsterdam. It is a great way to get to know passengers before the cruise starts. We became close to two other couples during the pre cruise and it really enhanced the cruise. I believe the pre cruise is two nights.

 

I encourage you to read the stickies at the top of the forum where you can find great information about the different cruise lines. Uniworld is all inclusive in regards to alcohol, tips, etc...Most would classify it as a luxury line. Tauck, Scenic, and Crystal would also be categorized in this category with AMA very close as well. Viking by most would be considered a premium line but not a luxury line.

 

Good luck and ask as many questions on this forum as possible as people will be extremely helpful. I learned a lot from this forum before I ever booked my first River cruise.

[gentlemancruiser]

I am in my mid forties and have enjoyed several river cruises.

 

One major difference is that river cruising tends to be at a slower pace when you are cruising. Aside from daily tours, there are relatively few organized actives onboard a river cruise. If you want dance lessons, casinos, nightly production shows you may want to stick to ocean cruising.

 

If you prefer to sit back and watch the world go by and enjoy reading or meeting fellow guest on smaller ships then river cruising could be good.

 

Onboard Avalon I didn't feel like the baby in the crowd, I met many guests around my age. We've done many HAL cruises where I've felt like an infant compared to my fellow guests.

[ghstudio]

Currently on vantage river voyager from Frankfurt to Budapest. In our early 70s, we are the kids on board. The ship essentially closes at about 10pm. The scenery is lovely, the stops interesting, although most tours involve some sort of 30 min or more bus ride ... So why am I on an expensive river cruise again? Really no way to arrange private guides so we are captive to the large group on our bus..and yes, we were delayed over 30 minutes leaving one site waiting for two people. Very nice, well travelled folks..,food is mostly good to very good....but this is our first and likely last river cruise until I'm older. Much more to do on a regular cruise ship...easier to get private guides, more choices of food, entertainment.

 

Of course many love river cruises, but if you want high activity excursions and any sort of night life..,we don't have a pianist...there is a jukebox....you really need to do your homework....that's not the average river cruise.

 

 

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Edited August 13, 2016 by ghstudio

[capriccio]

FloridaTourist,

My wife and I are in our early 50's and at the same stage of life as you and your wife. We took our first river cruise 2 years ago and loved it. So much so that we took our second last December and have a third booked for next June.

 

Like you we first looked at Viking due to their advertising. After talking with a travel agent and looking at a number of lines we chose Uniworld. Uniworld has a number of amenities that were great for us as we were concerned about being board as well. One of our favorites was bikes were provided. Our first cruise was in July so with it light out until almost 10 we would take the bikes out for a ride along the river in many ports. They also have a small fitness room that we made good use of. If you sail on one of their 3 Super Ships(SS Antoinette, Maria Teresa, or Catherine) there is a small indoor pool with current jets.

 

We also found they have a number of "active" excursions. This can be anywhere from hikes, to guided biking tours, to kayak trips. They had several unique excursions apart from the typical walking tours of the old towns. The demographics were certainly in the 60's plus range but we were able to make friends with a number of couples to enjoy the evenings with. We did close the lounge down each night with dancing and talking with our new friends. I don't believe you will find activities till 1 am. However, even as active as we are we did find the touring was so extensive and we stayed so active that we were ready to head to our cabins by 11 each night. I can honestly say we never had a bored moment.

 

papa B me - my younger brother could have written this! He and his wife (early/mid-50s), his MIL (early 80s) and I and my DH (early/mid 60s) took our first Uniworld cruise last August (Budapest to Amsterdam) and our second (the Seine) and third (the Rhone - Lyon to Arles) this past May and June and we all agree with your description. I will add that the demographics on the shorter 7 day Uniworld cruises ran younger than the 15 day cruise last summer. That is probably also reflective of both the cost and the length of the cruise.

Edited August 13, 2016 by capriccio

[Hydrokitty]

Currently on vantage river voyager from Frankfurt to Budapest. In our early 70s, we are the kids on board. The ship essentially closes at about 10pm. The scenery is lovely, the stops interesting, although most tours involve some sort of 30 min or more bus ride ... So why am I on an expensive river cruise again? Really no way to arrange private guides so we are captive to the large group on our bus..and yes, we were delayed over 30 minutes leaving one site waiting for two people. Very nice, well travelled folks..,food is mostly good to very good....but this is our first and likely last river cruise until I'm older. Much more to do on a regular cruise ship...easier to get private guides, more choices of food, entertainment.

 

Of course many love river cruises, but if you want high activity excursions and any sort of night life..,we don't have a pianist...there is a jukebox....you really need to do your homework....that's not the average river cruise.

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You described river cruising with Vantage perfectly!! I've done 8 of them and and loved them all. There is no night life after 10 p.m. except for people sitting in the lounge and conversing...the bar is open until the last person leaves....but most of us are in bed by 10! (we're in our mid to late 70's)

[FuelScience]

You might want to consider one of the "active" cruises that are being offered. Avalon and AMA both have special cruises for more active cruisers.

 

FuelScience

 

http://www.avalonwaterways.com/river-cruise/active-discovery-on-the-danube-eastbound/wlb/

 

http://www.amawaterways.com/news/newsitem.aspx?id=82

[Cyber Kat]

Our first river cruise is coming up in a little over a week. It's something we've wanted to do for a long time - a bucket list item, if you will.

 

We have been on a number of ocean cruises, and we have done 2 land vacations in Europe. We wanted something different. We like boats and being on the water, and we loved our European vacations.

 

I'm in my late 60s and my husband is just 70. Age wasn't a factor in our decision - we would have done it long ago, if we had more time available. One of the advantages or retirement! We mingle with people of all ages with ease. We refuse to get "old." :D

 

We like relaxing - I love sea days on ocean cruises. We don't try to do everything there is to do. For us - the switch to a river cruise will be less relaxing and more about seeing things and the experience.

 

Probably not helping you much, but you should probably hear from a lot of different people. It is expensive, so you don't want to make any mistakes.

 

We chose Viking for a number of reasons, that may seem silly to others. We're fairly active, but we don't need a gym or pool (although, I think a foot bath could come in handy :) ). I think the included excursions will take care of our walking :). My husband's father came from Holland so we wanted a little more Netherlands. Viking was the only line (at the time I was looking) that stopped at Kinderdijk - we want to see the windmills!

 

The price wasn't bad - not the cheapest, not the most expensive of the lines we considered. We weren't fooled by the 2 for 1 offers that came in the mail every other month. Took only one or 2 brochures to figure that out. While their ads are wonderful - that didn't figure into the decision - although I did like the look of the ships.

 

That was a factor. I rejected one line because I didn't like the look of their ships, and the atmosphere seemed a bit stuffy to me. I did like the nice clean Scandinavian decor of the Viking ships. And I like the outdoor eating area in the bow. Viking seemed casual and we liked that too.

 

I did look at all the majors. I read reviews. But I think the thing that put me over the top was this review ...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2085470

 

It's kind of an everything you want to know about Viking and Rhine river cruising. The photos in this review are really what sold us!

 

So I hope to have helped a bit with your decision. If you're looking to match the ocean experience, I suspect you will be disappointed no matter which river cruise you chose, but if you are open to trying something new - then maybe it's worth considering.

 

I wish you luck with your search and decision! Happy cruising no matter how you sail!

[Lois R]

Chiming in here....I am 58 and went on my first river cruise on AMA

back in April.....I LOVED IT:D.....was I one of the younger folks on board?

Memory tells me there were quite a few varying ages on this cruise. But

yes, there were folks older on board.

Personally, I don't think age matters...it really depends on the person.

I have been on 40+ Ocean Cruises and this River Cruise ranked up there

in my top 2 cruises ever:)

You are the only person who knows you best and if you want "lots of

activities" on the ship then River Cruising may not be for you. I was

off the ship every day doing an excursion. Evenings AMA does offer

some different entertainment. The food (In my opinion) was simply

FABULOUS:D and service outstanding.

 

I was planning to take my 2nd river cruise in 2017 but plans have changed.

Not because I don't want to go but right now it is not doable. I will definitely

take another river cruise though. It was AWESOME:)

 

I wrote a review and it is posted in the member reviews section if you

want to read it.

[gentlemancruiser]

Our first european river cruise was a week long cruise plus tour. Our second was a 14 days cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. I think I would choose somewhere between 7 -10 days for a first cruise. I enjoyed the 14 day cruise but found it got tiresome towards the last 2-3 days. I really enjoyed travelling between Budapest and Nuremberg.

 

Here's a video I took one afternoon when we were sailing between Miltenberg and Rudesheim. It was on the Main after leaving Miltenberg and before Frankfurt. This was what our afternoon sailings were like.

 

[Redtravel]

I like ocean cruises and river cruises. They are very different. River cruises are about the excursions, scenery, and local color. Entertainment is local and doesn't happen nightly. No casino. A piano player plays in the lounge. Most people go to bed by 10pm. Most people get up early. Excursions often start early.. If you want meals, show up when the restaurant is open. There are no buffets, no room service, and limited choices. There is a bar. River cruises have excellent food, besutiful scenery, and lots of local charm. The ports are the main attraction. You will discover interesting places. Ocean cruises have more dining choices, better entertainment, room service, and more frills. Ocean cruises have more relaxing venues...spa, pool, card room, many bars and lounges, specialty dining, etc. ocean cruises visit nice ports. Usually, when I take an ocean cruise, I take it slow, eat when I want, and enjoy the ship. Love the bands and niightly shows. When I need to relax, taking an ocean cruise is my choice. While you can relax on a river cruise, most people take excursions. Riverboats attract older folks who have money and time. Given the activity level, riverboats should attract younger people who like to fill their days with excursions.

[mhb1757]

If you want late night life look for an itinerary with lots of overnight port stops. Then you can party as late as you like in incredible places!!

 

Generally you will read a lot of negative comments on this board about Viking but many of us have had great experiences and consider them to offer excellent value, although in recent months I have seen some seriously discounted prices on Uniworld and Avalon. I would look at itineraries that appeal to you, look at what each line offers and what is most important to you and then get quotes and compare prices.

 

Probably because of their main stream advertising I think the average age on Viking tends to be younger than a lot of the other lines. On our Christmas market cruise in December there were quite a few 20 and 30 something couples and many, 40's and 50's. There seemed to be very few in the 70+ crowd. Doubt that was typical but it was what happened for us.

[rrgator]

As usual, some very good answers to your question.

 

I would only add that on the Viking river cruises, you will find plenty of people who will be up after 10 in the bar if that's what you want to do. Also, the bar won't close until everyone has gone to bed. Now having said that, the majority of the folks are in their cabins by 10 or so. But you will meet plenty of people to stay up late with and converse. I will also tell you that there will also be dancing and drinking. It is a vacation, and a really fun one, after all.

[FloridaTourist]

As usual, some very good answers to your question.

 

 

 

I would only add that on the Viking river cruises, you will find plenty of people who will be up after 10 in the bar if that's what you want to do. Also, the bar won't close until everyone has gone to bed. Now having said that, the majority of the folks are in their cabins by 10 or so. But you will meet plenty of people to stay up late with and converse. I will also tell you that there will also be dancing and drinking. It is a vacation, and a really fun one, after all.

 

 

If we can make it a Gator's Only Cruise we can have a little extra fun[emoji246]

 

But thanks everyone for all the info. Still undecided on what we will do but lots of time still to plan it out.

 

 

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[caviargal]

 

Probably because of their main stream advertising I think the average age on Viking tends to be younger than a lot of the other lines. On our Christmas market cruise in December there were quite a few 20 and 30 something couples and many, 40's and 50's. There seemed to be very few in the 70+ crowd. Doubt that was typical but it was what happened for us.

 

IMO this has far more to do with the seasonal popularity of the Christmas markets than Viking. Their CEO has been very outspoken about the target demographic of Viking being seniors and has used this to explain the lack of bikes, gyms, pools and active excursions offered on the line.

 

Christmas market cruises by nature attract a broader age range - based on my experience with ~6 or so over the years.

 

We have found that of the 4 lines we have cruised with, AMA is best suited to younger, active cruisers than the others.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Since you're new at this, but young and energetic, why not throw caution to the wind and do a DIY land trip to Europe? Then you can go out at night and enjoy the night life of some great European cities, instead of spending your time on a (very American) cruise ship, which you could obviously do in the Caribbean for a lot less money? Really, a few days in some wonderful cities, punctuated with interesting train trips or driving, with side trips to beautiful sights? What could be better than that? Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, London, Rome, you name it.

 

I've only done one river trip, and it was special, it was Egypt. We had wonderful local entertainment several nights, and we had a great time, but everybody was in bed by 10 or 11, lol. I'm sure the river cruises in Europe would all be very similar. Once in a while you'd have an opportunity to get out into a town, if the boat was docked late, but usually they're not, usually they are cruising at night, so you have to be aboard.

[Cruise Critic Chris]

Lots of good feedback here. Just jumping in to note that Scenic (and its lesser-priced sibling Emerald) attract a lot of Aussies. They tend to stay up later at the bars than their American counterparts.

[caviargal]

Lots of good feedback here. Just jumping in to note that Scenic (and its lesser-priced sibling Emerald) attract a lot of Aussies. They tend to stay up later at the bars than their American counterparts.

 

We definitely found that to be the case on our Scenic cruise and loved sailing with the Aussies!