Active Europe River Cruise itinerary (new to river cruising, not new to cruising)

[cpayne]

ACTIVE (marathoners, hikers, etc....) 52 & 63 yr old couple.  20+ cruises (MX, Caribbean, etc), but new to river cruising.  "Concerned" we may not like river cruising2, but it's not fair to say you don't like something you've never tried!  We're tired of the traditional MX/Caribbean/etc mega ships and want to at least try river cruising once before we can say maybe it's not for us.  Here's what we are looking for or not looking for:  

 

     ACTIVE itinerary - we don't want to take tours looking at castles every day, all day.  

 

     Destination - wanting to try Europe, but no preference for any particular area.

 

     We're not drinkers so a wine cruise, etc wouldn't be for us.  

 

     We're not foodies so choosing a ship and/or itinerary based on dining or food regions wouldn't appeal to us.  

 

     We prefer middle of the road cruise lines.  We're not Silver Seas, Regent, type cruisers typically although for the right itinerary we would consider any        and all cruise lines.  We've sailed CCL, RCL, NCL, Holland, Celebrity, Princess.....not partial to any in particular.  

 

     Time on board....want to ensure we at least have a fitness facility and walking track on board if possible?  

 

I've read the various articles on CC for first time river cruisers and while that was helpful I'm still struggling to narrow it down.   We are open to any and all suggestions as to possible itineraries and which cruise line(s) and ship may be better for us to start with.  

 

Thanks in advance for the input......  

 

 

[Ritabob]

Look for the cruise lines that promote " go active"  choices in their itineraries. AMA, Scenic, Uniworld include bikes, hikes, kayaking etc on some of their cruises instead of churches and historic sites. 

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Avalon have a whole series of cruises marketed as “Active and Discovery”. They feature daily hiking/biking tours as well as more off the beaten path ports and special “discovery” tours designed to take you to unique locations or experiences that are not your typical sightseeing tours. They also have bikes available for guest use for those who wish to explore more independently.  Average guest age is lower on these sailings with many 30-40 something’s. 

[Canal archive]

Cpayne I’ve only ever river cruised with Scenic but they do have excellent fitness availability. My DH likes his electric biking and is now quite proud of biking along the Seine, also on that cruise morning stretching sessions. The walking track is available from 8am to 8pm. On one cruise and I really had to ask about this one as I had never been aware of classes on how to correctly use - walking poles - logical really as they are in every cabin. Pilates is available but not to sure if on all cruises. The Aussies have a wonderful expression NABC the C can refer to a castle or church now some are really not worth missing but added up can be just a tad OTT.  The Scenic Rhône cruise not the special ones specifically does go through the Ardeche there may be a chance of a short hike there. Good luck with your research and hope you find a cruise you enjoy.

[robertmartha]

Cpayne

 

What great timing (for me!). We just returned from our second river cruise (one on AMA - recent on Emerald) and my wife looked at me and said no more churches! I am an active 60 year old and while Emerald had on board bikes - excursions were morning city tours and a bike tour or hike sprinkled in throughout the week - but we are also looking for more active options. They did offer a morning stretch or yoga class at 7am each morning - at which I was one of the two participates each day! What you can do each morning (since ships pull in very early) is hop off and run along the river (we sailed the Danube twice now) since all of the cities / towns we visited had walking/biking trails along the riverfront. I was able to get in 4 to 5 miles each morning to start the day.  The gyms will be small - watch you tube video's of the ships - usually a few pieces of equipment and free weights.

 

Hoping this is an active thread with a lot of input/suggestions !

 

Bob from NY

[CDNPolar]

You have some excellent suggestions here for sure.

 

The only thing I will say, and you likely already know this, is you cannot compare ocean to river.  The two are so different.  We love both but for very different reasons.

 

Time on board will be the main difference you will want to pay attention to.  If there is a gym, it will be small.  Walking tracks are limited to 8am to 8pm because the folks in the deck below the walking track will hear you, especially if you are heavy footed.

 

Basically speaking one restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and most have fairly set dining times.  One lounge for before and after dinner.

 

I am not trying to dissuade you, I am just telling you how it is.  You just don't have the "space" and space options you have on Ocean.

 

Like I said, we love River and Ocean both, but for very different reasons.  

 

River to us gets us deeper into a country or countries, with multiple stops that we are sailing through, vs. a single stop in a major city that would be more typical on an ocean cruise.

[YoungDubFan]

In addition to the Active & Discovery tours, Avalon also has a fitness host on every cruise. They offer some type of class in the morning (stretching, yoga, etc.). They have a small fitness center on board. They have bikes on all European ships & offer an escorted bike tour most days. If the bike tours aren’t full, you have the option to check out a bike & do your own thing. 

[Daisi]

Another one for Avalon - beer & wine with meals, happy hour between 5:00 and dinner, and sparkling wine if you wish to start the day of with a mimosa, but that's all that's included. As you don't drink much, you aren't paying for what you won't use. 

 

Avalon also have a healthy inspired menu with fresh, local ingredients. We find that we can eat all we wish, but don't come home with the extra "vacation" lbs.  We do make sure to skip the 4:00 afternoon tea. 🙂

 

 

[sbjornda]

As long as you are back on board well before sailing time (at least a half an hour, to be safe), you can go exploring on your own. There have been a few times where we have had the opportunity to spend several hours hiking in the hills within walking distance of the ship - our Cruise Directors were not particularly helpful with that but some web searches quickly turned up opportunities. Sometimes kayaking is presented as an option. In flatter lands you may be able to make use of the company's on-board bicycles, if available. 

 

Scenic - and I presume other lines would be the same - publishes activity levels for their tours on a scale of 1 "Relaxed", 2 "Moderate", or 3 "Active". For example the 32km bike ride from Melk to Dürnstein is listed as a 3, and even though they are e-bikes one could choose either to take it slow and easy or to work harder and arrive at Dürnstein ahead of the pack in time to enjoy a beer. 

 

[Rebel54]

Another vote for Avalon.  My upcoming cruise has biking, hiking and power walking....not for me but sounds perfect for you.

 

[cbr663]

We just returned from a Northbound Rhine cruise on Avalon and Avalon does offer an Active and Discovery cruises and even though our cruise wasn't one, there were still lots of active options available.  A lot of hiking and bike tours were available and there were activities for early risers.  The gym onboard is quite small and as others have suggested, you may want to search out a video tour to see if it fits your needs.  The Walking/jogging track is essentially the sun deck on the top of the ship.  As others have stated, I don't know if you can jog on it as you are jogging on the ceiling of the cabins directly under it.

 

Drinking and socializing is a big part of river cruises.  On Avalon there is a Happy Hour everyday just prior to dinner and if you don't participate then sadly there isn't much for you to do.  We also don't drink and found ourselves feeling somewhat excluded during this time.  We would venture to the Club Lounge at the rear of the ship away from the Happy Hour instead.  Complimentary booze during Happy Hour leads right into Complimentary Booze during two hour dinners also.  Avalon does offer a Bistro Dinner option in the Lounge and you can also order room service from the dinner menu if you don't care to dine in the dining room.  As non-drinkers, you will quickly notice the noise levels on the ship starts to increase as the evenings progresses. 😉

 

The challenge with this is of course the complimentary alcohol is built into your fare.  If you are not looking for this you may want to consider Croisi Cruises as I believe they offer a more a la carte fare pricing with cruise only available options.

 

 

[notamermaid]

Avalon Waterways sounds a good fit for you. May I suggest that additionally you could have a look at Viva Cruises. They are German and quite modern. The cruises are all bilingual as far as I know. Generally, for a first timer the Rhine and Danube are good, there are many castles but you can do other things as well. Tons of hills to climb with great vistas, fascinating museums, etc. The main thing you need to be aware of is the lack of entertainment on board. And you usually sail at night so the focus is very much on the ports.

 

I am linking you to a ship page: https://www.viva-*****/en/ships/ms-viva-enjoy

 

If you prefer a bit more space check the size of ship to passenger count of the itineraries that interest you, it can make a difference to how you feel in the dining room and lounge.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[cpayne]

1 hour ago, cbr663 said:

We just returned from a Northbound Rhine cruise on Avalon and Avalon does offer an Active and Discovery cruises and even though our cruise wasn't one, there were still lots of active options available.  A lot of hiking and bike tours were available and there were activities for early risers.  The gym onboard is quite small and as others have suggested, you may want to search out a video tour to see if it fits your needs.  The Walking/jogging track is essentially the sun deck on the top of the ship.  As others have stated, I don't know if you can jog on it as you are jogging on the ceiling of the cabins directly under it.

 

Drinking and socializing is a big part of river cruises.  On Avalon there is a Happy Hour everyday just prior to dinner and if you don't participate then sadly there isn't much for you to do.  We also don't drink and found ourselves feeling somewhat excluded during this time.  We would venture to the Club Lounge at the rear of the ship away from the Happy Hour instead.  Complimentary booze during Happy Hour leads right into Complimentary Booze during two hour dinners also.  Avalon does offer a Bistro Dinner option in the Lounge and you can also order room service from the dinner menu if you don't care to dine in the dining room.  As non-drinkers, you will quickly notice the noise levels on the ship starts to increase as the evenings progresses. 😉

 

The challenge with this is of course the complimentary alcohol is built into your fare.  If you are not looking for this you may want to consider Croisi Cruises as I believe they offer a more a la carte fare pricing with cruise only available options.

 

 

I'm assuming during the Happy Hours they offer non alcohol options such as N/A beers and cocktails with no alcohol, etc?  We're very social.  Just don't want the alcohol!  🙂 Yes, I know that seems odd to some!  🙂  

[Daisi]

2 hours ago, cpayne said:

I'm assuming during the Happy Hours they offer non alcohol options such as N/A beers and cocktails with no alcohol, etc?  We're very social.  Just don't want the alcohol!  🙂 Yes, I know that seems odd to some!  🙂  

 

Yes, there is both non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks offered during happy hour...it's basically just time for socialising before dinner, and also to hear the CD explain the excursions for the next day. Same with at dinner, I believe soft drinks are available, and ice tea (unsweetened - my favourite) and coffee / tea are always available all day. They also have water "machines" in the lounges and various public areas where there is flaveroured water, ice water, sparkling etc.,, and coffee machines (I've heard the hot chocolate is really good, but as we go when it's warm, it's not exactly what we are looking for). 

 

Here's the link for the bar menu. Don't worry if you are dining with others who are enjoying the wine and beer if you aren't, no one will notice. 

 

https://www.avalonwaterways.ca/why-avalon/drinks/

 

[cbr663]

2 hours ago, cpayne said:

I'm assuming during the Happy Hours they offer non alcohol options such as N/A beers and cocktails with no alcohol, etc?  We're very social.  Just don't want the alcohol!  🙂 Yes, I know that seems odd to some!  🙂  

 

We did attend some afternoons and ordered a soda.  I am pretty sure that there are several non-alcoholic choices available, it's just that the complimentary offers are somewhat limited.  Yes, it can indeed seem odd to some.  

Edited July 7 by cbr663

[cpayne]

4 hours ago, Daisi said:

 

Don't worry if you are dining with others who are enjoying the wine and beer if you aren't, no one will notice. 

We could care less if others notice or don't notice what we are drinking!  🙂  We do enjoy a good mocktail and was just curious do they offer these options especially since we're paying for them!   😄

4 hours ago, Daisi said:

 

https://www.avalonwaterways.ca/why-avalon/drinks/

 

 

[AtlantaCruiser72]

One other note on the Avalon Active and Discovery - select itineraries also offer Kayaking and/or Canoeing options.  The “Active & Discovery on the Rhine” (both Northbound and Southbound) offers probably the most assortment of activities and off the beaten path tours (fancy exploring some lava tubes anyone?!)

[Canal archive]

Definitely not odd it’s your choice after all. On Scenic it’s all inclusive so no quibble about cost and if I remember correctly on several of our cruises along with the cocktail of the day there is the mocktail of the day often chosen by those of us who have been to a wine or beer tasting. Oh and I really don’t subscribe to the all inclusive being a cost covered by non alcoholic drinkers if you consider the cost of some non alcoholic drinks across Europe it’s worth it both ways in the long run, unless you don’t drink at all! 

[ljandgb]

Our Avalon Danube cruise, there was one day where one of the excursion options was riding bikes to the next port.  I'd say that the morning exercises were variable, depending on the fitness level of the few who showed up.

 

As for jogging on the sun deck, you will most likely not make friends with anyone with first deck staterooms.  There were folks on our cruise cranky about the one gentleman that walked every morning.

[knoxclone]

I've not sailed Avalon, but our AMA cruise last year had a designated fitness crew member who led bike excursions most days, escorted hikes through vineyards and offered group classes such as Yoga and pilates.  There was a small work out room with treadmill, free weights and a bike. 

 

As a non drinker, I was also pleased with the selection of mocktails, and other non alcoholic options.

[UDChE89]

Just got home from my second Uniworld cruise on Monday.  This was in Bordeaux and we spent a lot of time docked in Bordeaux which was unexpected.  There were two biking excursions planned with one through the vineyards.  Bikes were always available at the ports if you wanted them.

 

I also cruised Viva and would say that my cruise was a less active one there.  I don’t recall a bike excursion and don’t think there were bikes.

 

Regardless, the cruises are all what you make of them.  There are informal ways to find activities that suit your needs.  The crowd on board can be more sedate, as it was on Viva, or more rambunctious as it was on both my Uniworld trips.  However, no one was, as far as I know, singled out because they didn’t drink.  Our just completed trip had a far number of solo passengers (we had 94 passengers out of a possible 124) and we seemed to congregate in groups.

 

When I took my first one on Viva, I wasn’t sure I’d like river cruising but have come to really enjoy it.  Took another ocean cruise this April and I’m pretty sure that I won’t do one again except for Antarctica.