Total newbie! advice please

[boopuff]

I've lurked here for a long time. My DH and I are planning to take our dream boat vacation on the Rhine river within the year. I'm reading lots of good information on these boards. I have a good idea which lines I'd like to cruise with, but I have a few questions.

1) are balconies (french or "real") worth it? If rafting happens often I'd hate to pay for a non-view.

2) Are excursions fairly relaxed or at a go-go-go pace?

3) Crazy to ask but are people generally laid back and fun?

we are just 50 and like to have a bit of fun!

4) I'm also fairly sure but kids are a rarity right? (I teach, vacation is my time away from the tiny ones!)

 

Thanks for help and advice!

[Host Jazzbeau]

I've lurked here for a long time. My DH and I are planning to take our dream boat vacation on the Rhine river within the year. I'm reading lots of good information on these boards. I have a good idea which lines I'd like to cruise with, but I have a few questions.

1) are balconies (french or "real") worth it? If rafting happens often I'd hate to pay for a non-view.

2) Are excursions fairly relaxed or at a go-go-go pace?

3) Crazy to ask but are people generally laid back and fun?

we are just 50 and like to have a bit of fun!

4) I'm also fairly sure but kids are a rarity right? (I teach, vacation is my time away from the tiny ones!)

 

Thanks for help and advice!

 

Welcome to the River Cruising forum!

 

You are going to get a wide range of opinions to answer most of these questions! So here are mine:

(1) I feel the French balconies are worth it. You are never rafted while the ship is sailing [duh!], and the view is worth the premium IMO. In a French balcony room the outside wall is completely glass -- even if you never open the sliding door for air, there is always a beautiful view. When you are docked, sometimes there is a nice view across the river; sometimes there is a not-so-nice view of the dock; sometimes there is another ship [and the possibility of a friendly escapade with your new neighbors!] I haven't had a true balcony and don't think that would be worth the extra, because the Sun Deck is where I want to be outside with 360 degree views -- but others will differ.

(2) Not sure how to answer this question. Excursions are far more relaxed that the DIY stuff I plan, but DW has been known to compare my plans to the Bataan Death March :eek: IME it's not the pace of any particular excursion rather than the cumulative nature of 1 and often 2 excursions every single day without a Sea Day. But you do have the option to stay on board, or just laze around the town where you're docked.

(3) We think all the people we have met on our river cruises have been laid back and fun. [Don't know whether they think that about us :)] It's a very informal atmosphere -- no formal nights, no "are you Elite?" And with no casino and no "Broadway" shows, people on river cruises generally are more interested in laid-back conversation than late-night disco parties.

(4) Kids are a rarity because: (a) most river cruises have no programs aimed at kids; and (b) river cruise prices are significantly higher than Caribbean cruises and river ship cabins rarely accommodate more than 2 passengers so a family of four would run into significant $$$.

 

If you haven't already, I suggest you look at the two Stickies I created at the top of this forum [New to RIVER CRUISING??? START HERE!!! and River Cruise Basics articles on Cruise Critic]

[papa B me]

My wife and I are 52 years old and have taken 2 river cruises with out first 2 years ago. We have a 3rd in June.

 

As Jazz said you will get many differing opinions to your questions but here are mine.

 

1). We have had actual balconies on both our cruises. It was really worth it to us. For one reason I get up much earlier then my wife. So I could shut the door and lower the window with a push of a button and enjoy reading with a cup of coffee until my wife was up. Maybe we have been lucky but have only been rafted on our cruises a a few hours at a time and often when we were going on excursions anyway. It has never been a big issue for us. Many on these boards will say they spend so little time in the cabin that they don't care about the balcony or size of the cabin. That's not how we feel. We have been blessed to have a suite both times and we have really enjoyed out cabin and the balcony is a must for us or at a minimum the French balcony for the view and the ability for fresh air.

 

2) We have found the excursions both laid back and intense. We have sailed Uniworld and they often have several to choose from. So you literally can make it what you want it to be. I like that they offer go active tours which I actually feel are the more laid back ones in that they are hikes, bike rides, etc... And not just constant touring. I like a good mix and they provide it.

 

3). We have certainly been on the younger end of the age spectrum on our cruises but we have met wonderfully fun people to sit at dinner with, tour together, and to spend a few hours in the evening after dinner in the lounge for drinks, a conversation and dancing. We have found most to be energetic, well travelled, and to have a zest for life.

 

4). Our first cruise had 1 12 year old who travelled with his parents and grandmother. He actually became somewhat of a mascot on the trip-lol. That is the only child we have seen and you just want to make sure if you sail with companies such as Uniworld, Ama, and Tauck that you don't pick a "family" or "generational" cruise. Other lines may offer them as well but I know these three do. Uniworld puts asterisks next to the dates that these are offered. There will be kids on these.

 

We absolutely loved our River Cruises and see doing many more in the years to come. Would be happy to answer any other questions.

[notamermaid]

Hello boopuff,

 

you have already had a great answer from our host and I do recommend his stickies wholeheartedly. :)

 

And I agree with all his answers. Just to add one thing: if you do not want to pay for the French or real balcony, you can get a cabin in the so-called "aquarium class". That is always the cabins on the lowest deck of the ship were the windows are close to the water line, they cannot be opened.

 

As for deciding on a cruise line, here comes the difficult part. The Rhine is sailed by so many companies...

 

You could look at the prices first, but I suggest you decide first where you might want to go, i.e. definitely see. Most people do Amsterdam to Basel or vice versa, but you coould leave out Basel or leave out Amsterdam. You can combine the Rhine with the Moselle (my preferred "virtual" cruise, perhaps I get round to doing it one day).

 

Two companies that are usually not immediately on the North-American radar are the German company Arosa and the French company CroisiEurope. They well worth trying out if you feel a little adventurous. I would say, from what people have reported, they have less an emphasis on luxury and all-inclusiveness then the North-American companies.

 

Almost all itineraries go through the castle stretch one reason being it is right in the middle of this river of over 1000kms! But mostly because, and I challenge anyone to argue with me over that opinion :D, it is the most scenic section of the river.

 

You say you want to travel within the year? If you are planning it for this year do hurry as your dream cruise might be sold out or only the very expensive suite left soon. For next year, I would say Easter (assume that is vacation time for you) is a great time to travel, but there is still a slight risk of flooding in April. You need to be aware of that.

 

If you can take of time around Christmas: most markets close on the 23rd of December but in the bigger towns some reopen on the 27th. On Christmas day all markets are closed. The lines provide an amended itinerary (as regards the excursions) and there is of course a special Christmas menue. Christmas in Germany is very much a festive family affair.

 

I hope you find your dream cruise. Have fun planning.

 

notamermaid

[celestialcruiser]

but DW has been known to compare my plans to the Bataan Death March :eek:

 

LOL'd at that. Sounds like my usual vacation planning.

[caviargal]

.

1) are balconies (french or "real") worth it? If rafting happens often I'd hate to pay for a non-view.

2) Are excursions fairly relaxed or at a go-go-go pace?

3) Crazy to ask but are people generally laid back and fun?

we are just 50 and like to have a bit of fun!

4) I'm also fairly sure but kids are a rarity right? (I teach, vacation is my time away from the tiny ones!)

 

Thanks for help and advice!

 

1) We love real balconies and will book those or French, depending on pricing

2) We are active and choose those types of excursions. Generally the standard excursions are too slow paced for us. Depending on the line, you should have options. We always opt to stay in port as much as possible while many choose to return to the ship for lunch. That is just not important to us and we prefer a local lunch in town.

3) We have met fun people on almost every cruise.

4) Thankfully, IMO, yes. We have done 13 river cruises and can count the total number of kids on one hand. Of course, you will want to avoid any cruises advertised as family friendly/focused.

[caviargal]

Excursions are far more relaxed that the DIY stuff I plan, but DW has been known to compare my plans to the Bataan Death March :eek: I

 

My husband calls me "Sarge" when we are on vacation, as I do tend to keep things moving along at my preferred pace. :D

 

I always tell him that, if not for Sarge, he would gain weight on our trips. Those 8-10 miles average a day do help with the extra calories.

[Hoyaheel]

My DH and I are planning to take our dream boat vacation on the Rhine river within the year.

 

Agree with what has been posted - if you have a very specific itinerary/cabin preference combo, you might find you cannot book it in less than a year. (we booked our Dec 2014 Christmas markets cruise in August 2013 and by the time our parents booked 2 days later there were only a couple cabins left in our category!)

 

On the other hand, if you're flexible (re: line and itinerary and cabin) you might be able to book a fantastic deal on a rapidly approaching cruise and even get a break on airfare. Sign up on all the cruise line websites to get their emails (and any others you might think would email you good deals....) I said after the first time I didn't want to do a river cruise again, but some of the email fares I get are tempting as all get out.....

[Oldacura]

Never been on a river cruise. Question: Why is cruising done mostly at night? I would think the best views of the countryside would be during the day. Is this because it is what the passengers want, because the ports want people there during the day or some other practical reason that I'm not seeing?

[notamermaid]

Hello Oldacura,

 

It is a mixture of things. Not all rivers are alike in what they offer as regards scenic cruising and not all river sections are great to look at for the average tourist. I am a bit weird in that I always love going past a huge factory on a Dutch motorway and love seeing everything on a river cruise, oil tankers and connected buildings included.

 

For the touristy towns that can accommodate English-speaking guests, remember the only native English speaking country in Europe that is Britain has no rivers that lend themselves to cruising like on the Rhine or elsewhere. So you also need infrastructure, docking locations and English tour guides for example. Those places that have all that may be away from the next place quite a bit - or the landscape involves factories like that between Cologne and the Dutch border - so that stretch is done at night. Also for the wow factor most people like to see big places that are sometimes just quite a distance away from each other. I could imagine myself doing a trip from Cologne to Amsterdam during daylight hours with seven ports inbetween on an eight-day cruise but it would probably underwhelm some people.

 

Speed is a factor here from a pure physics point of view, as well. As far as I know a river cruise ship's top speed is usually around 24km downstream. You just do not get very far in 24 hours.

 

But that to most people is a great appeal, it is not stressful. Stressful is just how many excursions some river cruisers manage to pack into 12 hours. I could do with a holiday after such a trip. :D

 

notamermaid

[Roz]

"we are just 50 and like to have a bit of fun!" - Why do you think people over 50 don't like to have a bit of fun? What is your definition of fun?

 

Roz

[Oldacura]

So - I had a mental image about how idyllic a European river cruise could be but the reality is likely quite different: double docking (rafting) sounds like a real downer. The prospect of too much or too little water and having to bus to destinations sounds horrible. Also, I imagine a pristine countryside but because Europe is a real continent, things like industrial landscapes are the reality. We did an ocean cruise on a small ship in southeast Alaska (which we liked) and another ocean cruise on Carnival along the east coast of the US & Canada (which we hated).

 

Is there any consensus about what would be the "best" first timer European river cruise?: Least likely bad experiences, good scenery, nice ports, not too long or too short? Are there some threads on this? Thanks in advance.

[caviargal]

Never been on a river cruise. Question: Why is cruising done mostly at night? I would think the best views of the countryside would be during the day. Is this because it is what the passengers want, because the ports want people there during the day or some other practical reason that I'm not seeing?

 

Most days are spent enjoying the ports and on excursions, as night excursions would be very different and not able to visit the major points of interest. Castles, museums, etc, are visited in the daytime, as are walking tours (with a few exceptions).

 

On some rivers, including the Douro, all sailing is done during the day as the river is not navigable at night.

[caviargal]

So - I had a mental image about how idyllic a European river cruise could be but the reality is likely quite different: double docking (rafting) sounds like a real downer. The prospect of too much or too little water and having to bus to destinations sounds horrible. Also, I imagine a pristine countryside but because Europe is a real continent, things like industrial landscapes are the reality. We did an ocean cruise on a small ship in southeast Alaska (which we liked) and another ocean cruise on Carnival along the east coast of the US & Canada (which we hated).

 

Is there any consensus about what would be the "best" first timer European river cruise?: Least likely bad experiences, good scenery, nice ports, not too long or too short? Are there some threads on this? Thanks in advance.

 

Scenery certainly can be lovely! The prettiest we have experienced was on the Douro, the Moselle and transiting the Rhine Gorge. The least scenic was Belgium and the Netherlands but we loved that itinerary for the ports and experiences.

 

Rafting is more common in high season and on certain rivers. We had no rafting on our three cruises in France.

[Roz]

On my Danube cruise last year, we had no rafting, but it was in November.

 

We knew ahead of time that there were certain excursions that involved riding in a bus, and we were in a bus between Bratislava and the next small town in Austria, but that is SOP.

 

Go with an open mind and be flexible. I found river cruising to be a great way to see Europe.

 

Roz

[Hoyaheel]

Are there some threads on this? Thanks in advance.

 

There are a couple of overview threads "Are you New To River Cruising" stuck at the top of this forum - start there:D

[notamermaid]

Hello,

 

So - I had a mental image about how idyllic a European river cruise could be but the reality is likely quite different: double docking (rafting) sounds like a real downer. The prospect of too much or too little water and having to bus to destinations sounds horrible. Also, I imagine a pristine countryside but because Europe is a real continent, things like industrial landscapes are the reality. We did an ocean cruise on a small ship in southeast Alaska (which we liked) and another ocean cruise on Carnival along the east coast of the US & Canada (which we hated).

 

Is there any consensus about what would be the "best" first timer European river cruise?: Least likely bad experiences, good scenery, nice ports, not too long or too short? Are there some threads on this? Thanks in advance.

 

A British "yup" to your mental impressions compared to reality. And those infamous ads on US tv seem to help with impressions. :(

 

But rafting is not all that bad, caviargal has mentioned that she had none. There has been a thread close by (I think it might still be on the first thread page) about rafting or double docking.

 

To the consensus: most people seem to either start on the Rhine or Danube and there is a slight tendency to regard the Rhine as best first choice but I would not want to agree or disagree. Ahem, I live on that river...

 

When you have got over the first "reality-shock" do read reviews and see what people say for themselves about the rivers they have sailed on. There are some great photo reviews here on CC from the past years.

 

I tend to steer towards a Rhine Moselle cruise as my favourite next one, but would try the Rhone as I have fond memories from a land trip. The Loire - if you want to be a little adventurous - is only sailed by CroisiEurope right now. For a little exchange about my favourite idea right now - for scenery, architecture and ports - between another member and me have a look at this thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2353480&highlight=moselle&page=2 from post #26.

 

But some do take their first river cruise in Asia and are very happy with their choice.

 

The stickies at the top of the river cruising page are a great help. Do read these for making a choice for and against and what company to go with.

 

notamermaid

Edited September 14, 2016 by notamermaid

[Oldacura]

Ok - I have read most of the FAQs and tips for first timers. I will read more as I have time.

 

Our interest was prompted by a flyer from our Alumni Association for a cruise from Amsterdam to Antwerp on the Amadeus Silver next spring.

 

As I look into it, this may not be the best first timer cruise.

[boopuff]

Very helpful thanks everyone. I'm gaining a lot of insight as to the "realities" of cruising vs the glossy, green, luxurious ads on tv and on the web. So after a lot of reading, and watching videos (most are helpful especially from regular folk) we are slowly narrowing down our search. We have decided to go in 2017 possible early fall trip. Glad I read about the flooding and all that -never thought about that stuff! duh! So my Spring break trip would fall then... Now I'm just thoroughly researching all the ship options out there. Quite frankly it may just come down to the real issue...great deals!

 

One more crazy question: let's say I just don't feel like a big dinner. Can you just get a sandwich somewhere else on the ship or are you forced into the dining room?

[Roz]

Most of the ships are small, so there's no "somewhere else". :D You could go to dinner and just order soup and salad, or an appetizer and salad.

 

Roz

[caviargal]

 

One more crazy question: let's say I just don't feel like a big dinner. Can you just get a sandwich somewhere else on the ship or are you forced into the dining room?

 

Scenic's River View Cafe offers light options til 6pm and also room service. Scenic is not known for "deals" however, so you may have to choose what is important :)

Edited September 14, 2016 by caviargal

[Hydrokitty]

Very helpful thanks everyone. I'm gaining a lot of insight as to the "realities" of cruising vs the glossy, green, luxurious ads on tv and on the web. So after a lot of reading, and watching videos (most are helpful especially from regular folk) we are slowly narrowing down our search. We have decided to go in 2017 possible early fall trip. Glad I read about the flooding and all that -never thought about that stuff! duh! So my Spring break trip would fall then... Now I'm just thoroughly researching all the ship options out there. Quite frankly it may just come down to the real issue...great deals!

 

One more crazy question: let's say I just don't feel like a big dinner. Can you just get a sandwich somewhere else on the ship or are you forced into the dining room?

 

Hi boopuff and welcome to CC! We've done 8 river cruises with Vantage and I would recommend them but they do not deal with travel agents, you would have to go to their website and either book on line or call them directly. Google Vantage Deluxe Travel. We like them because almost all shore excursions are included and the ones that are not generally require a charter bus, admission to a place like Schonbrunn and lunch at a restaurant. As for rafting...in 8 trips we've been rafted 3 times. Once in Egypt, once in Russia and once on the Rhine. It often happens over-night and if you don't want to see your neighbors you just keep your shades drawn till one of you sails...but it is an opportunity to meet someone new and have an interesting conversation. I'm with the others who recommend the Rhine/Danube as a good first cruise. Wonderful scenery and ports. It's not all industrial ports like our East Coast..and often you sail after dinner when it's dark so you don't miss much. Trust us, there's more than enough scenery to go around. Rhine-Moselle would be my second choice.

[CILCIANRQTS]

Viking Longships have the Aquavit Terrace as an alternative to the dining room.

It's a good escape when you'd prefer a more leisurely dinner and some (relatively) quiet time.

I assume many other lines are also adding Plan B eating experiences.

[caviargal]

It's a good escape when you'd prefer a more leisurely dinner and some (relatively) quiet time.

I assume many other lines are also adding Plan B eating experiences.

 

The lines we cruise with all have alternate venues, but not the burger or sandwich type. I personally have no interest in that while on a river cruise.

[Canal archive]

Okay I admit I have only sailed with Scenic, they do have offers its just a case of deciding which is best. Light bites at the River Cafe absolutely delicious and as lunch is buffet in the restraunt you can eat as much or as little as you want. Rafting can be an opportunity to get to know your rafted boat neighbours as other posters have said, but you are usually off the boat during rafting. You are not forced to do anything be it food, excursions etc never forget it is your holiday you paid for it so you decide what you want to do. We have sailed six times with Scenic so far absolutely superb and until we run out of itineraries or they mess up big time we feel no reason to change, so far they have been nothing but excellent. CA