River Cruising at 42? A good fit?

[Bejeweledj9]

My husband and I are planning a trip to Europe for our 20th anniversary next year. We are considering a Rhine River Cruise, but aren’t sure if it’s a good fit. We like the idea of not doing any planning, seeing multiple amazing cities and unpacking only once.

However, we are 42, pretty active and like the idea of really experiencing the towns, exploring on our own at times, eating where locals eat, etc.

Any input or suggestions is appreciated, especially if there are cruise lines that might work better for a younger, active couple. Thanks!

[ljandgb]

I'm 49 and have been looking at river cruises for a few years. I've been on exactly one, and it was a group geared towards seniors (long story) so I can tell you what I've read and what I've experienced.

 

 

Look at lines that offer active options. AMA, and maybe Uniworld?, offer free use of bicycles, so you can be as active as you wish. Some cruises offer cycling along the river from one stop to the other. Some ships have small work out rooms. Some have pools. There's also the new U by Uniworld that is supposed to cater to younger people but I have no idea how that's actually working out. I know they had originally capped the age at an upper limit (35 maybe?) but then changed that.

 

 

I'm sure we'll do another river cruise, but requirements for us will be that the ship stays in port in the evenings a good part of the time, and is docked near something of interest, two things not usually present on our one cruise. That gives you the ability to go out to dinner, walk around town, even go for a jog. If the ship sails before dinner, you are stuck with little to do. Entertainment is very limited on river cruises, and there is very few spaces, if any, do to anything physical.

 

 

There are also group tour companies, particularly aimed at families, and some that focus on families with teens, that offer river cruises. Those tend to be more active itineraries also. Tauck Bridges and Adventure by Disney are two that come to mind. ABD sails on AMA, chartering the entire ship. You pay more for the group tours but some feel the trade off is worth it. ABD also has adult exclusive trips.

 

 

Hopefully others will chime in. I really did like the ability to glide thru the countryside, up close and personal with the locals. Aside from the amazing scenery, I enjoyed watching the dog walkers, the swans on the river, the changes from industrial to rural to metropolitan and all that goes with being in the country and not off the coast.

[twoboys]

I am 53 and we took a river cruise 6 years ago on the Duoro. Yes we were the youngest and some of the excursions were not our pace and we referred to the gym on the ship as the "hot box". We had a wonderful vacation and met some very interesting and seasoned travelers. My husband said he would not go on another until being active was no long a priority. That being said, we are leaving this week on a Uniworld cruise on the Danube. We chose it because I really wanted to go to Budapest and Prague and because there were active alternatives on shore like hikes and bike rides. Not all river cruises or cruise lines are created equal but there is something for everyone. So do some research and read reviews with a careful eye and look at the excursion descriptions. As a alternative look at a Windstar cruise. We were on the Star Pride through Sicily. Small cruise ship, only about 200 passengers, great food, impeccable service and a wonderful itinerary

[Rebel54]

My first cruise was at 48, hubby 43. We loved it. You have plenty of time in towns to do your own thing. I don't know why it wouldn't be a good fit. Find one that has more active options. I think you will love it.

[murphy4]

Hubby and I just got back from our first Viking River Cruise, The Rhine Getaway. we are 54 &52. passengers of all ages were on board, we met a great couple in their late 30's that LOVE river cruises. The tours were very interesting and when the morning tour was done we just got off the ship and walked around the towns.

[mskaufman]

Yes, the demographic is usually older than 40s. That said, are you going on the cruise to make friends or experience new places. If the latter, just go and enjoy yourself. Whether older or younger, the entertainment and activities are not what they are on an ocean cruise. Again, if you are going for the itinerary, do it.

[sp2]

I am a bit confused by this thread. Hubby and I are booked on the Romantic Danube on Viking in November 2019; we will be 55 and 53. I was actually under the impression that river cruises were quite active and we would log LOTS of daily walking and a fair amount of it uphill if we want to participate in the included tours, lots more so than on our ocean cruises. That is why we wanted to do it while we were still younger and able to do it, with no mobility issues. Won't be a problem for my husband but I am more sedentary with my work, so I planned to start taking longer walks in preparation for it. I kinda had the impression we would be getting plenty of exercise and prepared that it won't be a relaxing holiday watching the scenery go by. Lots of advice on here about getting good walking shoes etc.

 

Am I wrong in this impression? Anyone have any specifics on the Romantic Danube itinerary?

 

Thanks! We have 24 ocean cruises under our belts but river cruising is new to us.

[MrLeroykittycat]

You may want to consider Scenic, they offer three levals of tours, advanced, moderate, and relaxed, depending on how active you want to be. They also offer hand held devices preloaded with info so you can go off on your own and still learn about what you are seeing.

Scenic is also all inclusive, there are no additional charges once you get on the ship.

[Sexydva74]

My husband and I were on a Rhine river cruise when we had just turned 40. We took the first cruise of the season (March) and there were several other young couples on the cruise with us. We loved that we pulled right into a town, had a group tour in the morning and then the afternoon/evenings at our leisure. We even took the bikes out and rode from one port to another while the ship sailed to the same destination. On other river cruises, we were younger than the other passengers but found that most of the passengers were very fit and active.

[OneSixtyToOne]

I am a bit confused by this thread. Hubby and I are booked on the Romantic Danube on Viking in November 2019; we will be 55 and 53. I was actually under the impression that river cruises were quite active and we would log LOTS of daily walking and a fair amount of it uphill if we want to participate in the included tours, lots more so than on our ocean cruises. That is why we wanted to do it while we were still younger and able to do it, with no mobility issues. Won't be a problem for my husband but I am more sedentary with my work, so I planned to start taking longer walks in preparation for it. I kinda had the impression we would be getting plenty of exercise and prepared that it won't be a relaxing holiday watching the scenery go by. Lots of advice on here about getting good walking shoes etc.

 

Am I wrong in this impression? Anyone have any specifics on the Romantic Danube itinerary?

 

Thanks! We have 24 ocean cruises under our belts but river cruising is new to us.

 

Your first impression is correct. It does vary based on itinerary but in general there is a LOT of walking. Your plan to start taking longer walks before your trip is probably a sound plan. My wife and I did the same thing and I'm glad we did. She wore a step counter and we averaged 5 miles or more a day when we combined the included tours and our free time exploring. Then there are those cathedral steeple steps!. That's a whole other story.

 

 

While I haven't been on the Romantic Danube, I have been on the Grand European Tour and there is overlap. I'm assuming your tour options are similar.

 

I highly recommend taking the walking tour of Budapest instead of the bus tour. It is fabulous. You walk across the Chain Bridge and take the funicular RR to the top of Buda for a fantastic view. You then go to Fisherman's Bastion for the view of Parliament and the Danube. From there you take the city bus for the short downhill bus ride to the metro which you take to Parliament Square. You'll then walk to the old town area of Pest seeing some interesting historic sites along the way. Our tour guide was excellent.

Edited July 24, 2018 by OneSixtyToOne

[acwmom]

We have been river cruising for 5 years now, and are barely 50 now. Our line of choice is Uniworld, because it includes 2 shore excursions/day, all drinks/all day long, and gratuities. Because they have "additional paid excursion" options, they technically aren't all-inclusive, but close enough for most.

 

I also like them because they have included "active" options for excursions on several days. My husband and I like to hike to castle ruins, to the top of church towers, etc. This year, he played golf in Etretat. Last year on the Rhine, we took the cable car up to the Niederwald Monument, then hiked several miles through the forest, before descending into Assmannshausen. On Uniworld, both included bike excursions and DIY biking is available.

 

We tend to walk about 10 miles/day on river cruises, so, yes, it is quite active.

 

Robin

[Karen_Travels]

I would say that the river cruises can be quite active, it just depends on what you'd specifically like to do. I've only done Viking so I can speak for other lines. For the European cruises (other than Portugal) the river boats don't have a pool or gym but I can't say that I missed either. Generally the included excursions are walking tours that last two hours or so. After that there is usually plenty of time to explore on your own. Of course you can spend your whole time in port doing your own thing if that's what you prefer. I'd say more than half the time the boat stayed in port until the evening so there was time to catch dinner or other entertainment. The boats would offer optional excursions to pub hop (to try different types of beer), visit a concert venue, have dinner somewhere special, etc. In a few smaller villages the stops were shorter so we could make our way to the next port but that was plenty of time to explore the village, anyway. I never missed having a pool or gym since we pretty much spent all day walking around. People with more energy that I have would then top off the day with trivia or dancing in the bar.

In terms of ages I'd say most people were in their 60s but there is quite a range. I'm in my mid-50s and my mom is in her early 80s. She was probably one of the older people on board. On cruises we've seen a honeymooning couple in their late 20s, a big extended family traveling together probably ranging from teens to 70, and some couples in their 40s and 50s.

I'd agree that it is good to do river cruises while younger/fitter. Some of the Viking river boats don't have elevators and the ones that do only have elevators that go between two floors (where the restaurant, bar, and non-aquarium level cabins are located) so stairs are needed to go up to the sundeck and sometimes to get out onto the dock. Europe is not as accessible as the US and Canada so there is plenty of walking, stairs, places with no ramps, and uneven footing like cobblestones. (Castles have stairs! Lots of stairs! :')) On river cruises I've seen a couple of people using walkers and a few using canes but not onboard. They seemed to use them for extra stability when walking around the cities/towns. There are no scooters or wheelchairs used onboard (although I've seen a loaner wheelchair onboard which I think is in case someone is injured). This is quite different from ocean cruises which are more accessible and may allow scooters and/or wheelchairs. Some ocean cruises seem to mostly have people who never leave the ship. They just go to the spa, pool, casino, and other entertainment. Again, there is quite a range on that depending on the cruise line and the itinerary. Longer/more exotic cruises tend to have people are more interested in exploring than drinking, for example. River cruises are more consistently for people who actively want to get out and explore wherever the boat goes.

If you are looking for more active types of exploration, I suggest scheduling your river cruise during warmer months. The days are longer and there are more likely to be optional excursions offered that are more athletic. For example, we did the Rhine Getaway last December. It was lovely but due to the time of year there was more emphasis on Christmas markets. That same cruise offered in the summer includes optional excursions like biking through Kinderdijk (home of the windmills!) which were not offered for the December cruise. I'm also guessing that more younger (i.e. working aged) people are likely to be on the summer cruises since that's when most working folks take vacations. They are also probably more likely to take the shorter cruises (limited vacation time!) so the longer itineraries might have more retirees.

I haven't been on the Romantic Danube cruise but I LOVED the Danube Waltz that goes to some of the same places (all of which I quite enjoyed). The Waltz doesn't travel as far but it does go to more countries so that made the difference when we were picking out which to go on. Plus the Waltz includes an optional included excursion to Český Krumlov in the Czech Republic which regularly shows up on lists of the top however many places to see in the world. Český Krumlov was the highlight of the trip for us but it was all wonderful. That said, I thought Budapest was amazing. The architecture, in particular, is simply spectacular (don't miss seeing the buildings along the river illuminated at night - breathtaking!). Vienna, Krems, and Passau were also quite lovely and interesting. We also preferred the Danube over the Rhine in terms of the variety of places visited so I'm sure you'll truly enjoy the Romantic Danube.

Hope that helps and happy cruising!

[sp2]

Your first impression is correct. It does vary based on itinerary but in general there is a LOT of walking. Your plan to start taking longer walks before your trip is probably a sound plan. My wife and I did the same thing and I'm glad we did. She wore a step counter and we averaged 5 miles or more a day when we combined the included tours and our free time exploring. Then there are those cathedral steeple steps!. That's a whole other story.

 

 

While I haven't been on the Romantic Danube, I have been on the Grand European Tour and there is overlap. I'm assuming your tour options are similar.

 

I highly recommend taking the walking tour of Budapest instead of the bus tour. It is fabulous. You walk across the Chain Bridge and take the funicular RR to the top of Buda for a fantastic view. You then go to Fisherman's Bastion for the view of Parliament and the Danube. From there you take the city bus for the short downhill bus ride to the metro which you take to Parliament Square. You'll then walk to the old town area of Pest seeing some interesting historic sites along the way. Our tour guide was excellent.

 

Thanks for the suggestions for Budapest; I will take note. We were hoping to also do the thermal baths if time permits. It is our last day of the cruise (but I believe it is an overnight) so we may need to soothe our aching feet!

[CCJack]

We just got off a Viking Romantic Danube last week. I certainly would not shy away from a river cruise if you are active - we are very active and had a great time. We walked a ton on our trip. To Viking's credit they did tend to offer options such as a bus tour / walking tour in Vienna (perhaps better for less active people) or a subway / walking tour (better for more active people.) - both were included. Most of the included walking tours in the morning are relatively short leaving you the afternoon to do what ever you want. Many times we left the group (after telling the guide) - so we could explore on our own and do more walking, etc. Typically we did not return to the ship with the guide.

 

I would say river cruises attract an older crowd due to cost more than any other reason. River cruises tend to be more expensive and sometimes older demographics may be able to afford them as compared to younger people. There is also the cultural / historical attraction. You definitely will not be doing a lot of zip lining or ATV excursions on a river cruise - those tend to be younger person things, so maybe that affects the demographics as well.

 

I would just caution a bit on desiring longer port stays - I wish we had had more daylight cruising hours. Danube (and Rhine) are just beautiful to sail down. Longer port hours will result in less time sailing with daylight, so you do miss something there.

[CCJack]

I haven't been on the Romantic Danube cruise but I LOVED the Danube Waltz that goes to some of the same places (all of which I quite enjoyed). The Waltz doesn't travel as far but it does go to more countries so that made the difference when we were picking out which to go on. Plus the Waltz includes an optional included excursion to Český Krumlov in the Czech Republic which regularly shows up on lists of the top however many places to see in the world. Český Krumlov was the highlight of the trip for us but it was all wonderful. That said, I thought Budapest was amazing. The architecture, in particular, is simply spectacular (don't miss seeing the buildings along the river illuminated at night - breathtaking!). Vienna, Krems, and Passau were also quite lovely and interesting. We also preferred the Danube over the Rhine in terms of the variety of places visited so I'm sure you'll truly enjoy the Romantic Danube.

Hope that helps and happy cruising!

 

We were on the Romantic Danube and agree with your comments here. The night time river cruise in Budapest was just stunning. I would only add that it appeared our ship was the only one in port that day that went out for a 2 hour cruise in the evening (we docked in the am, but then went out from about 8 to 10 pm then returned to dock.) It seemed that the other cruise ships in port that day did not do this. If yours does not, consider booking with a local diner cruise or something - these views are not to be missed.

[hiccups]

We took a Uniworld river cruise when we were 50 and 51, and really, it was as active as you wanted to make it. We did several bicycle and hiking tours the ship offered, and also took the bikes out on our own. We did a lot of walking in our free time, with lots of cathedral steps, and I used the ship's gym every day. For many of the cruise lines you can check out what they offer as excursions to see if there are enough active tours to suit you. We would go with Uniworld again because of their "Go Active" tours, and we'd also look at AMA Waterways.

 

Another option we're considering is booking a tour with an active/adventure travel company. Many of them offer river cruise options, although you'll pay more to have their guides, use their bikes, etc.

[CoralReef]

I would say river cruises attract an older crowd due to cost more than any other reason. River cruises tend to be more expensive and sometimes older demographics may be able to afford them as compared to younger people. There is also the cultural / historical attraction. You definitely will not be doing a lot of zip lining or ATV excursions on a river cruise - those tend to be younger person things, so maybe that affects the demographics as well.

 

Two very good points!

[rawlus]

great posts so far. we are in early 50’s taking my parents (early 80’s) on their first river cruise, we’ve taken them all over to italy a few times, napa sonoma, arizona, oregon, lots of wine country explorations... they are both pretty active but i’m having them train steadily to be able to easily deal with what could be 5 mile day’s of walking on probably uneven or cobblestone streets and such. wife and i will probably also take advantage of bikes and extra active stuff in the afternoons or evenings, but as others have said, the river cruises can be almost as active as our want to make them...

[knoxclone]

Have been on 2 Viking cruises ( Rhine & Danube Waltz) As most have already stated, you can be as active ( or sedentary!) as you wish. Your comment"like the idea of really experiencing the towns, exploring on our own at times, eating where locals eat, etc" can easily be accomplished with a bit of planning.

 

 

Concentrate on your desired itinerary, research the options and enjoy! There is a wealth of experience on this board to help you make a decision.

 

 

Good luck!

[lackcreativity]

I am a bit confused by this thread. Hubby and I are booked on the Romantic Danube on Viking in November 2019; we will be 55 and 53. I was actually under the impression that river cruises were quite active and we would log LOTS of daily walking and a fair amount of it uphill if we want to participate in the included tours, lots more so than on our ocean cruises. That is why we wanted to do it while we were still younger and able to do it, with no mobility issues. Won't be a problem for my husband but I am more sedentary with my work, so I planned to start taking longer walks in preparation for it. I kinda had the impression we would be getting plenty of exercise and prepared that it won't be a relaxing holiday watching the scenery go by. Lots of advice on here about getting good walking shoes etc.

 

Am I wrong in this impression? Anyone have any specifics on the Romantic Danube itinerary?

 

Thanks! We have 24 ocean cruises under our belts but river cruising is new to us.

 

Our first Viking cruise was the Romantic Danube, and we loved it. Shore excursions usually do involve a lot of walking. Passau, one of our favorite stops, was indeed very hilly.

 

Some people say that the pace of the walking tours is too slow, but I did not find that to be true. The guides use the Quiet Vox audio systems, which has a good range, so I usually tend to wander here and there taking photos. Most walking tours have some time built in for you to be on your own, and certainly then you can set your own pace.

 

Some of the sailing takes place at night, and some during the day. Daytime sailing is when you get your relaxing time watching the scenery pass by.

 

River cruising is expanding rapidly, so you never know whether you will be fortunate enough to dock right in the town, or if you will be a bus ride away. If you are in town, then you have more flexibility to set out on your own.

 

If you are adding the extension in Prague, be prepared to do a lot of walking. It was exhausting, but one of our most loved cities.

[Coli]

I’m 46 and I’ve just booked my second river cruise. My first was with Uniworld over Christmas and New Year 2013 on the Danube. Went with my Mum - who is active. There were other people on the cruise similar ages to me - some traveling alone, some with a parent, some with husbands, etc.. We had a blast. Lots of activities to chose from as far as the tours were concerned and there seemed to be enough time to go off and wander on my own or with Mum.

Next trip is with AMAPrima on their Rhine wine-cruise in November. Looking forward to it immensely. Yes, I know I’m more active than some others on the cruise but I also look at it as an opportunity to slow down and enjoy life. Enjoy if you decide to go!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Roz]

I am a bit confused by this thread. Hubby and I are booked on the Romantic Danube on Viking in November 2019; we will be 55 and 53. I was actually under the impression that river cruises were quite active and we would log LOTS of daily walking and a fair amount of it uphill if we want to participate in the included tours, lots more so than on our ocean cruises. That is why we wanted to do it while we were still younger and able to do it, with no mobility issues. Won't be a problem for my husband but I am more sedentary with my work, so I planned to start taking longer walks in preparation for it. I kinda had the impression we would be getting plenty of exercise and prepared that it won't be a relaxing holiday watching the scenery go by. Lots of advice on here about getting good walking shoes etc.

 

Am I wrong in this impression? Anyone have any specifics on the Romantic Danube itinerary?

 

Thanks! We have 24 ocean cruises under our belts but river cruising is new to us.

 

I found both of my Danube river cruises to be quite active. What you say you're looking for is what I experienced. I would say 75-80% of the time spent on excursions involved walking, some of it quite steep and rigorous.

 

Roz

[CutieKakes]

We are in our 40's and we loved the river cruise (Romantic Danube...we also took ours in the month of November). We are planning our second river cruise. My husband and I are not fond of ocean cruising.

 

I think a river cruise can be as active as you want it to be. No...you won't be able to swim laps, do any trail running or catch a Cross Fit Class. It really depends on expectations and what you want out of your vacation IMO.

 

On our cruise, we did all the included walking tours, and then went off on our own as well (walked around, went to dinner in the city where we were docked etc). Just depends on the weather, the itinerary of your particular boat etc I think it's important to know what a river cruise entails (compared to ocean cruising). Obviously, they are quite different...and people are very different. So what may seem 'non active' to one, wouldn't be to another.

 

Yes, you will be on the younger end of the demographic. I can only speak of our cruise, but there was a range of ages. We didn't feel like the only younger folks.

Edited July 26, 2018 by CutieKakes

[Sturmin]

My husband and I are planning a trip to Europe for our 20th anniversary next year. We are considering a Rhine River Cruise, but aren’t sure if it’s a good fit. We like the idea of not doing any planning, seeing multiple amazing cities and unpacking only once.

However, we are 42, pretty active and like the idea of really experiencing the towns, exploring on our own at times, eating where locals eat, etc.

Any input or suggestions is appreciated, especially if there are cruise lines that might work better for a younger, active couple. Thanks!

 

We did our 1st river cruise for our 20th anniversary. It was a great experience. There was one couple younger on their honeymoon, one couple the same age and two different couples of parent and adult child traveling together. The remainder were older but maybe not any more mature:D. Just about all were great to visit with and travel with. They had great stories and were willing to listen as well. One lady told us we were doing it right by traveling when we are younger(more mobile and able to be more active.)

River cruising is as active as you want it to be. We climbed three cathedral towers; Cologne, Heidelberg and Strasbourg. On most days we walked around ten miles, excluding Kinderijk(1/2 day cruising) and Koblenz(1/2 day cruising Rhine gorge.)

As for a cruise line, Viking for us has the right amount of inclusions(included walking tour, wine/beer with meals, free internet) to make it a good value for us. Check other lines as well for any deals.

[Bejeweledj9]

What was the cruise line?

My husband and I were on a Rhine river cruise when we had just turned 40. We took the first cruise of the season (March) and there were several other young couples on the cruise with us. We loved that we pulled right into a town, had a group tour in the morning and then the afternoon/evenings at our leisure. We even took the bikes out and rode from one port to another while the ship sailed to the same destination. On other river cruises, we were younger than the other passengers but found that most of the passengers were very fit and active.