River cruising is changing!

[editor@cruisecritic]

Or so I'm thinking. After a million (exaggerating slightly :) ) cruises on big ships, luxe ships, cheap vessels and those in the middle, I'm embarking on a whole new focus next month: the river cruise.

 

I've done one. 10 years ago, I sailed on Deilmann's Princess de Provence along the Rhone (was supposed to also go on the Saone but, as can happen with river cruises, too much rain, or too little, can impact the passage under low-lying medieval bridges).

 

I loved it for the region we explored. Lyon, Aix, Arles, fabulous. But I thought the experience onboard -- remember it was a decade ago -- was too stilted. Ultimately it was not for this 40-something, active gal interested in food, wine, nature (to a point), culture (absolutely) and bicycle riding expeditions. I haven't been back. Until...next month.

 

So in my first river cruise in more than a decade, I'm wondering: has this potentially wonderfully niche of cruising, where you can dock right in the midst of major European cities and just walk on around, evolved past stuffy-musty-fusty-traditional notions of what cruising has been about?

 

I'm reasonably adventurous, appreciate the good life within reason, and want to try the cruise-thing in Europe that goes more in-depth, ventures beyond coastal cities.

 

Curious if my Danube River adventure on Uniworld's River Beatrice will be different from my first experience. Happy to answer questions! Happy to share experiences.

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn Spencer Brown

Editor in Chief

Cruise Critic

[steamboats]

Carolyn,

 

Congrats on going on your second river cruise :D!

 

It definitely will be different from your first experience and not just because there is a big difference between the two companies Deilmann and Uniworld. Deilmann is keeping a tradition of classic cruising. Even for me being from Southern Germany these Northern German traditions are feeling a bit frumpy.

 

The second difference is the area you´re cruising. There is a big difference between France and Germany/Austria too.

 

Something which won´t change that fast is the average age of your fellow cruisers on a river cruise ship until you have to admit that you´re part of this age group :eek::rolleyes::D! Hey, when I´ve been on my first river cruise (in the US) I´ve been 28 yo. And on our second river cruise my husband has been mistaken as a repair guy by the captain. Although I might still feel like 28 I have to admit that this 40-something has hit me in the meantime:eek:.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

steamboats

[AZPam]

Have a great time! Will look forward to hearing your thoughts on your return.

[robb01]

Cant wait to see how much you enjoy it :)

[hattack]

my friend and I were on Deilmann's Princess de Provence this past April and this was our first river cruise experience...We were able to do both rivers, there were 12 Americans and 108 German guest. We are in our 50's , enjoyed the cruise, night life was very slow, but we knew that going in so we planned on it..good luck

[croozbabe]

Carolyn,

 

I will be sailing my first river cruise next month. I'm also on the River Beatrice and will be alone; and coincidentally, my last name is also Brown... What date is your trip? It would be so cool if you and I were on the same cruise. I've been wondering if and hoping that there may be some other people sailing solo but I haven't been able to find anyone here on the boards. I would love to find someone to hang out with some of the time...My departure date is July 25. This will be a whole new experience for me after having been on 25+ ocean-going cruises and I'm so excited about exploring Europe on this one.

 

Debbie

[franski]

Carolyn -

 

Am very new to cruising --> in fact, have only done 1 "big ship" cruise (Gulf of Alaska). Although it was a wonderful experience - and I would do Alaska again as I didn't feel that I had quite enough time in any port - we didn't feel that we used the entire ship. When I asked my TA about a river cruise (saw one advertised in a travel mag) - she indicated that she heard it was quite a bit slower that a traditional cruise - and be prepared for a pace that might become boring. Quite the contrary - we found we had lots to do.

 

Now, there is no "night life" to speak of - and we were definitely on the "young end" of the passenger list (early 50's) - but I would be hard pressed to book a traditional cruise over a river cruise again. In fact, we are booked on the Enchanting Danube in 2010.

 

I will be interested to read your review when you return. And "kudos" to you for your willingness to revisit something that wasn't your "cup of tea" the first time around.

 

Fran

[panzerman]

Carolyn,

We have never experienced a river cruise before either and our first one is in two weeks. It's Uniworld's Danube Discovery sailing on the River Countess from Vienna to Nuremberg on 14 July. Since our signing on to CC we have learned so much about river cruising especially the very favorible comments about Uniworld and their vessels and crew. We'll report abck to you and the other CC members on our experiences.

Panzerman

[gooselace]

Carolyn.

 

Although I'm not familiar with the trip you are taking, from my research for my first river cruise last year, and another one next spring, I know that some cruises, with stops close together, make bicycles available for energetic passengers to ride and be picked up at the next town. Just something you might want to check out.

 

Like you, I'd only been on major cruise ships previously, but found the intimacy of river boating made up for lack of on-board entertainment. Our trip had quite a range of ages and nationalities, which added to the fun.

 

Just got back from the Eurodam, which I also enjoyed, but am already looking forward to my next river cruise.

[KarlS]

Hi Carolyn,

 

We'd cruised on medium-size (or "small" by today's standards) ocean-going vessels, enjoying them all, then found Windstar vessels (which were smaller), and we enjoyed them, too, and then discovered Uniworld river cruises. Since then we've been hooked on Uniworld, with one European river cruise three years in a row. In now our fourth year since our first river cruise, we're booked on Uniworld for one of the new Paris in December itineraries this year.

 

We've posted just a few of our pictures on our home web site at http://www.hillrisefarm.us/Cruising.html . At the bottom of that page are the links to our Uniworld cruises, and some of those pages contain links to the daily programs and port handouts if they might be useful.

 

Have a terrific time! We'll look forward to reading about your cruise when you return. Cheers!

 

...Karl

[kfran]

Hi Carolyn,

 

We too have mainly cruised on larger ships and enjoyed it a great deal. This past Spring we took the Romantic Danube cruise on Viking Europe. We found an interesting, diverse group of passengers, varied ages and most more traveled than us. Yes, entertainment was minimal, but the food was excellent, and the staff was outstanding. We enjoyed the charm of the towns we visited. Tours were well arranged, and most of the tour guides were great. And nothing beats a beautiful, sunny afternoon on the sundeck of the ship just cruising down the river. We enjoyed the trip so much we have booked a Tulips and Windmills trip for next April. Have a wonderful time, and I'll be looking forward to your review.

 

Karen

[Liza j]

:cool: My husband and I have also cruised on the big ships, mainly Princess and were thinking of going on a Viking River Cruise, any info pro or con would be appreciated. Thanks Liz :rolleyes:

[retiredslug]

We've just returned from a Mediterranean cruise on Holland America and had plenty of time to discuss our future travel plans. We love cruising oceans, seas, and rivers, but we are faced with a dilemma. Our recent cruise was outstanding in all phases except for one: there are far too many cruise ships in the Mediterranean (and elsewhere) and therefore ports have become uncomfortably crowded. Unless one can afford the smaller luxury vessels that dock in secluded ports, one can be faced with huge passenger invasions in popular ports. This has certainly taken some enjoyment out of the large ship cruising. Yes, they have flashy entertainment at night, etc. but it's pretty tough to beat strolling the small towns along the river with far fewer people. We recognize that some of these towns can also get a bit overrun at times but that has been less frequent and somehow more tolerable. Anyway, that's our hangup and we'll deal with it.

 

So, the obvious option, at least for us, is to return to river cruising next year. We loved our AMA cruise, liked our Avalon cruise, but partly because of itinerary and dates and partly because of positive reports on this board, we are giving Uniworld a try next year. Can't get enough of the Mosel!

 

Bill

[crusinbanjo]

Carolyn,

 

Congrats on going on your second river cruise :D!

 

It definitely will be different from your first experience and not just because there is a big difference between the two companies Deilmann and Uniworld. Deilmann is keeping a tradition of classic cruising. Even for me being from Southern Germany these Northern German traditions are feeling a bit frumpy.

 

The second difference is the area you´re cruising. There is a big difference between France and Germany/Austria too.

 

Something which won´t change that fast is the average age of your fellow cruisers on a river cruise ship until you have to admit that you´re part of this age group :eek::rolleyes::D! Hey, when I´ve been on my first river cruise (in the US) I´ve been 28 yo. And on our second river cruise my husband has been mistaken as a repair guy by the captain. Although I might still feel like 28 I have to admit that this 40-something has hit me in the meantime:eek:.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

steamboats

 

I have to agree that there are significant differences in Germany, France & Austria, but all are beautiful.

 

The average age thing is interesting, Mrs Banjo & I have almost always been the youngest passengers on the ships. The sad news is that the rest of the passengers are getting closer to our age, (i think they must be getting younger).

 

You will really enjoy river cruising, because unlike an ocean cruise, day or night, when you look out the window there is something new to see!

[crusinbanjo]

We've just returned from a Mediterranean cruise on Holland America and had plenty of time to discuss our future travel plans. We love cruising oceans, seas, and rivers, but we are faced with a dilemma. Our recent cruise was outstanding in all phases except for one: there are far too many cruise ships in the Mediterranean (and elsewhere) and therefore ports have become uncomfortably crowded. Unless one can afford the smaller luxury vessels that dock in secluded ports, one can be faced with huge passenger invasions in popular ports. This has certainly taken some enjoyment out of the large ship cruising. Yes, they have flashy entertainment at night, etc. but it's pretty tough to beat strolling the small towns along the river with far fewer people. We recognize that some of these towns can also get a bit overrun at times but that has been less frequent and somehow more tolerable. Anyway, that's our hangup and we'll deal with it.

 

So, the obvious option, at least for us, is to return to river cruising next year. We loved our AMA cruise, liked our Avalon cruise, but partly because of itinerary and dates and partly because of positive reports on this board, we are giving Uniworld a try next year. Can't get enough of the Mosel!

 

Bill

 

So you might also try to schedule your travel times during off peak periods, before or after the regular tourist season. Mrs Banjo & I have found this to make for significantly fewer crowds and friendlier local folks

[kfran]

:cool: My husband and I have also cruised on the big ships, mainly Princess and were thinking of going on a Viking River Cruise, any info pro or con would be appreciated. Thanks Liz :rolleyes:

 

We enjoyed our cruise on Viking this past Spring. We were on the Viking Europe and I understand that we will be on the "sister ship" Pride for our Tullips and Windmills trip. I have nothing to compare it to. It seems everyone has a favorite line, and I'm sure they all have their pros and cons. We choose Viking based on reputation and the itinerary they offered. We decided to book rooms that were one level up which gave us regular beds, not pullouts. That was our personal choice. I found the room to have more storage space than on the regular cruise ships. We were able to put everything away, even our luggage fit under the bed. Very well designed. Food was excellent, not as many choices as on the large ships but more than adequate. Found the staff very effecient and the tours were well run. Entertainment is minimal, but I don't need the big flashy shows. I have to admit that evenings ended quickly, there's less space to mill around so people seemed to retire earlier. Age of travelers was mix, but tended to be 50's and above. Since most excursions were included you did not have to spend so much time trying to figure out what you wanted to see. That was nice. I still enjoy the larger ships, we are booked on a Princess New England cruise for October (still planning my excursions), but I'm looking forward to this lower keyed trip in April also. Hope this helps a little. Any specific questions, just ask and I'll do my best to answer.

 

Karen

[CPT Trips]

So you might also try to schedule your travel times during off peak periods, before or after the regular tourist season. Mrs Banjo & I have found this to make for significantly fewer crowds and friendlier local folks

 

And lower fares too!

[Topaz_M]

Hello everyone,

 

I am also taking my first river cruise later this year. I'm in my young fifties (but told I don't look it!) and my daughter accompanying me will be 15 by then. This should lower the average age on our cruise a little bit ... haha.

 

This trip is actually back to the UK to visit my family for Christmas but I was looking for options for a cruise to take at the same time. When I heard of the Christmas Markets cruising and watched some YouTube videos I was blown away. All those Christmas traditions plus I have travelled through Europe to southern Germany and Austria previously - my favourite places. My daughter has never seen snow falling. She also loves history and music. I'm so excited for her to be able to see these places, the age-old traditions, do the shopping thing (all teenagers love that!) and hopefully witness the wonder of quietly falling snow.

 

So we are on the Viking Pride from Vienna to Nuremberg from 13 to 20 December 2009. I'm also taking a few extra nights in those cities at each end of our cruise. I chose this itinerary because the things high on my list were the Nuremberg markets, a visit to Salzburg and the opportunity to hear 'The Blue Danube' played in Vienna.

 

I'm looking forward to reading the reviews and feedback from all the first-timers on their impressions. At present I'm reading the Christmas Markets 2008 thread piece by piece ;)

 

Cheers,

Moira :)

[caviargal]

Topaz, the Christmas markets in Germany and Austria are truly magical! We have been there three times during the season, traveling by train and simply loved the experiences!

 

This year we will be combining land trip with a river cruise to see how we like it.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

[loge23]

We took our first river cruise last summer on Viking's Burgundy - a memorable trip through Provence. After many big ship experiences (all good), we were enchanted by the "house-party" atmosphere of the river cruise. You will invariably find many vets of big ships onboard - mostly well-travelled, polite, interesting people who are seeking the next level in foreign travel. The big ships are great and we have had many excellent trips on them but the river cruise experience is really a different animal.

150-200 passengers barely cause a ripple in even the smallest towns enroute, even if another boat is there as well - contrast that with invasion-like landing of 3,000 passengers mega ships!

We can't recommend a better way to see Europe other than by renting a car and travelling independently. The inclusive tours are excellent: small, well-organized, and mellow. The cruisine is wonderful - single seating affairs lazily floating astream. Even the after-dinner activity in the lounge is geared mainly to prepare for the next day while soaking up the experience of the completed day. If you have a day cruise, sit up top and enjoy the passing scenery silently drifting by in front of you. Last year's Burgundy crew was five star superb - after only a week we knew everyone by name, along with most of our fellow travellers - and I'm not a particularly social person!

So we cancelled our big ship adventure for this summer and booked aboard the Viking again for the Rhine cruise. Can't wait! Enjoy your cruise!

[MVPinBoynton]

Carolyn,

We just completed our first European river cruise on the Danube with AMA. I just loved the experience and the ports are just wonderful. I will be completing my review this week, so maybe it will give you a glimpse of what you will see. I took way too many church photos; but they were just so beautiful.

[editor@cruisecritic]

LOL, well, I'm old enough to appreciate being the youngest person in a room!

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn,

 

Congrats on going on your second river cruise :D!

 

It definitely will be different from your first experience and not just because there is a big difference between the two companies Deilmann and Uniworld. Deilmann is keeping a tradition of classic cruising. Even for me being from Southern Germany these Northern German traditions are feeling a bit frumpy.

 

The second difference is the area you´re cruising. There is a big difference between France and Germany/Austria too.

 

Something which won´t change that fast is the average age of your fellow cruisers on a river cruise ship until you have to admit that you´re part of this age group :eek::rolleyes::D! Hey, when I´ve been on my first river cruise (in the US) I´ve been 28 yo. And on our second river cruise my husband has been mistaken as a repair guy by the captain. Although I might still feel like 28 I have to admit that this 40-something has hit me in the meantime:eek:.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

steamboats

[editor@cruisecritic]

Hi, Mike, look forward to reading it; will you give me a heads up? We've got a new review of AMA's Amacello in the editing queue -- it was a Rhine cruise....

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn,

We just completed our first European river cruise on the Danube with AMA. I just loved the experience and the ports are just wonderful. I will be completing my review this week, so maybe it will give you a glimpse of what you will see. I took way too many church photos; but they were just so beautiful.

[editor@cruisecritic]

Well, the good news is that you'll get to hear about experiences before you go (hopefully); bad news? I'm on an earlier sailing. Too funny though about our names and traveling solo and...we're both from MD.

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn,

 

I will be sailing my first river cruise next month. I'm also on the River Beatrice and will be alone; and coincidentally, my last name is also Brown... What date is your trip? It would be so cool if you and I were on the same cruise. I've been wondering if and hoping that there may be some other people sailing solo but I haven't been able to find anyone here on the boards. I would love to find someone to hang out with some of the time...My departure date is July 25. This will be a whole new experience for me after having been on 25+ ocean-going cruises and I'm so excited about exploring Europe on this one.

 

Debbie

[editor@cruisecritic]

One thing I really like, so far, about the Uniworld experience is that it offers the usual "overview" tours (included in cruise fares) but also some really interesting half-day extras for people who want something more.... One, in Durnstein (Austria) is a bike tour/wine tasting and I've done that -- gorgeous, fabulous all the "ous" words apply to this part of Austria! -- but loved that it was on offer and will probably do it again.

 

Another thing I thought was interesting -- just got my documents -- and the way it was presented (in nice leather-like envelope) was more like luxury lines than river or big ship in my experience.

 

Impressive.

 

Funny, I'm doing a quick jaunt on Eurodam just before my river cruise! Took a look at the reviews this weekend and it looks like the ship's doing beautifully, would love to hear your impressions....

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn.

 

Although I'm not familiar with the trip you are taking, from my research for my first river cruise last year, and another one next spring, I know that some cruises, with stops close together, make bicycles available for energetic passengers to ride and be picked up at the next town. Just something you might want to check out.

 

Like you, I'd only been on major cruise ships previously, but found the intimacy of river boating made up for lack of on-board entertainment. Our trip had quite a range of ages and nationalities, which added to the fun.

 

Just got back from the Eurodam, which I also enjoyed, but am already looking forward to my next river cruise.