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Booking Your First River Cruise? Here’s What You Need To Know

Whether you’re an avid ocean cruiser or you stick to vacations on land, you might be curious about booking a river cruise. This type of on-the-water journey is decidedly unique, with several appealing aspects that differentiate it from an ocean voyage.

For one thing, vessels are generally smaller, meaning that passengers generally top out in the hundreds rather than the thousands. That translates to a more intimate experience, with a high staff-to-guest ratio and immersive small-group excursions that allow you to delve into a region’s culture. In some ways (and in a good way), river cruises are like floating bus tours.

However, you might discover some drawbacks compared to ocean cruises. Ships’ smaller sizes mean that dining options and onboard activities are limited. Overly high or low water levels can make rivers impassable, so last-minute itinerary changes are always possible.

Still, travelers who find gigantic ocean ships daunting, don’t enjoy elbowing their way through crowds or wish to experience something new might enjoy a river cruise. Cruise lines are capitalizing on this interest and drawing in passengers with new ships and itineraries.

Here’s what to know before you book and sail on a river cruise, including what to expect on board and ashore.

Dining is intimate and locally focused but limited

VIKING

Compared to the expansive main dining rooms, the dizzying array of specialty restaurants and the massive buffets you’ll find on a large ocean vessel, meals on a river cruise are more refined and low-key.

Most meals are taken in the main restaurant, where there’s usually table service, especially at dinner. During breakfast and lunch, many ships offer a buffet as well as a la carte options.

As river cruisers tend to be outgoing, cruise lines often eschew tables for two or four in favor of larger convivial seating. The ship’s small size means you’ll see many of the same people each day, so it’s easy to make friends. However, this setup can be a tad daunting for introverts, families wishing to dine alone or couples expecting a romantic dinner a deux.

Dining options are limited, both in terms of open hours and restaurant choices. Don’t expect to hit up a midnight buffet or grab a late-afternoon pizza. During the day, the ship might set up a buffet for breakfast or lunch in the lounge or on the pool deck. If you get the hankering for a snack, look for high tea, tapas or stations to grab cookies or fruit. For dinner, everyone typically heads to the restaurant at the same time, though some ships offer alternative options like a chef’s table or candlelit dinner on the deck.

River cruise dining tends to have a local flair. Chefs often frequent farmers markets and local purveyors to procure ingredients for regional specialties, including wines produced in the regions you’re visiting. Expect Hungarian goulash and glasses of crisp furmint or luscious Tokaj in Budapest; bratwurst, sauerkraut and hefeweizen in Passau, Germany; cheerful French rose all day in Provence; and bitterballen and Dutch pilsner in Holland and Brussels.

ERICA SILVERSTEIN/THE POINTS GUY

Guests can also make use of later stays in port to enjoy dining experiences on land. You can head out on your own or see if your cruise line offers an evening out. Each Tauck river cruise features an exclusive dinner ashore in a historic venue like a chateau or palace. For example, on the Danube Kingdoms itinerary, you can enjoy a meal in Vienna’s Palais Pallavicini, which was constructed in 1784 and has hosted luminaries like Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert.

Many cruise lines — such as Viking and Avalon — include wine and beer with meals in their fares. More upscale brands like Uniworld and Tauck offer complimentary drinks all day long, with spirits and cocktails included. Some river cruises offer guests the option to upgrade to a premium beverage package. Viking’s Silver Spirits beverage package, for example, offers full access to the ship’s open bar during its hours of operation for select premium wines and Champagne by the glass, as well as cocktails, aperitifs, upgraded whiskeys and soft drinks.

Confirm with your cruise line to be sure, but if you happen upon a cozy wine shop in Porto, Portugal, or visit a chateau in France’s Loire Valley, you’re welcome to bring bottles back on board to enjoy in your cabin — a welcome contrast from ocean cruise lines, where alcohol purchased ashore is held until the end of your trip.

Destinations include excursions filled with cultural and historical highlights

MIKE LOUAGIE/AMAWATERWAYS

River cruises are big on immersing passengers in the culture, art and history of the countries on each itinerary. To that end, lines often offer passengers several options for excursions at each port, at least one of which is included; generally, this is a guided bus or walking tour.

Cruisers are divided into relatively intimate groups for tours. Cruise ships often provide headsets (with chargers in your staterooms), so you won’t miss a word of your guide’s commentary.

Some lines give you a larger selection of included excursions and offer more niche port activities that might incur an additional charge. AmaWaterways, for example, offers a range of no-fee excursions, including hikes, bike rides and tasting tours. Optional excursions or special events, such as the Levi Strauss and Wolfgang Mozart concert in Vienna or the Abu Simbel and Old Cataract Hotel excursions in Egypt, incur a small fee. Tours are rated by the activity level required by participants (think: easy, moderate and strenuous), so you can easily find one that suits you.

Castles along the “Rhine Generations” itinerary. UNIWORLD CRUISES

Uniworld river cruises include most onshore excursions, including tours to learn how locals live in a village and after-hours museum tours. Others, like a side trip to the Black Forest or a chef’s table cooking class, incur a fee.

Whatever activities you select, you will often have time afterward to explore the city or area on your own. If guided excursions aren’t your thing, feel free to hit up the concierge on board for ideas, plan your own outings or watch passersby from a table at a sidewalk cafe. Lines such as AmaWaterways and Scenic also offer complimentary bikes to use in port to explore the area.

Related: 9 best river cruises in Europe

River cruise passengers span the generations — sort of

The passenger demographic for river cruises does skew older, and retired couples make up the majority of river cruise guests. This is due to several factors, not the least of which is that river cruises are spendier vacations than many younger passengers can afford. These itineraries also take a slower pace and eschew a flurry of activities on board for a focus on relaxing, reading and interacting with other passengers.

That doesn’t mean you won’t find families or younger travelers on river cruises. Certain lines, such as Uniworld and Tauck, cater to multigenerational families with special family-friendly sailings, like Uniworld’s “Splendors of Egypt and the Nile” in its Generations Collection and Tauck’s “Bonjour! France Family River Cruise” with activities that cater to different ages of travelers. AmaWaterways partners with Disney to offer family-focused cruises on select itineraries. (Note that on regular sailings, some lines, such as Viking, have an age minimum of 18.)

On river ships, you won’t find water parks, kids clubs and gaming arcades that cater to the school-aged, tween and teen set. Families with kids booking a river cruise should know that board games, giant chess and possibly a plunge pool will make up the bulk of onboard entertainment. If those options, combined with time in port, are not enough to satisfy your crew, you might want to stick with ocean sailings.

Middle-aged passengers are often drawn in by themed itineraries like wine or music cruises.

River ships don’t offer as many onboard diversions as large ocean ships

Viking Longship library. JAKE CURTIS/VIKING

The streamlined size of river vessels allows them to deftly navigate shallow rivers, canals and locks, often docking in the heart of cosmopolitan cities and charming towns. That accessibility comes with a trade-off; river ships don’t have space for amenities like dozens of restaurants and bars, expansive spas and fitness centers, casinos or other splashy offerings ubiquitous on large ocean liners.

Activities on board include port talks from the cruise director to preview what to expect at the next destination and post-dinner trivia in the bar or sometimes music and dancing led by a sole keyboardist or DJ.

River cruise ships usually have a library, a lounge (maybe with a dance floor) and a rooftop sundeck (sometimes with a pool or hot tub). Some have a small room dedicated to fitness, with equipment like an elliptical machine and a treadmill. Select ships offer more wellness amenities like yoga, meditation and bootcamp classes offered on deck or in the lounge.

AmaWaterways’ AmaMagna ship is twice the width of traditional European river ships, translating to additional leisure opportunities, including a cinema, a shopping boutique and the Zen Wellness Studio, an expansive space with a fitness center, massage rooms and a juice bar.

You’ll get the chance to explore lesser-known locales

While river cruise itineraries include beloved European destinations like Prague and Paris and must-see Southeast Asia destinations like Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, they can also take you off the beaten path.

Rudesheim, for example, is a quaint German village along the Rhine that’s notable for its crisp rieslings you can sip at cute taverns and wine cellars. It’s also known for a hyper-local drink called Rudesheim coffee that is flambéed in front of you with brandy and sugar cubes. The fairy-tale town has charm in spades, with narrow alleyways and half-timbered architecture, and you can experience it on many Rhine river cruises.

You can also discover Nijmegen on itineraries that focus on Holland and Belgium. The Netherlands’ oldest city, which dates back more than 2,000 years, is the site of the Kröller-Müller Museum, where you can admire 97 works of art by Vincent van Gogh.

River cruises highlight destinations like these that might be off travelers’ radar but can become unexpected surprises.

Ports and docking times are subject to change due to traffic and water levels

A-ROSA CRUISES

One thing river cruisers need to keep top of mind is that fluctuations in navigable waters and boat traffic during busy times can result in unintended changes to your itinerary.

During the past decade, historically low water levels in Europe made certain sections of rivers impassable, resulting in skipped port stops and itinerary changes. In these circumstances, some passengers have to pack up all their belongings and finish their trip by bus — or bypass the low-water area on land and swap to a sister ship located in more navigable waters. (River cruise lines often run identical ships on opposite itineraries on the same river to be better positioned to handle these situations.)

Additionally, increased traffic on canal locks during busy times like the Christmas market season on the Danube or springtime on the Seine can put a wrench in your plans. It’s not uncommon during these times for the locks to get backed up with other ships passing through. This could mean that you end up having a shorter time to explore at your next port before you have to embark and continue on your journey.

These logistical considerations shouldn’t prevent you from considering a river cruise, but you need to accept that you might not experience your vacation’s itinerary exactly as stated on a cruise line’s website. Time in port might be cut short, and excursions might be adjusted or outright canceled. You might even end up on a bus tour. The main takeaway is to remain flexible.

River cruises offer cabin choice — just not quite as much as ocean cruises

UNIWORLD

River cruises might take place on smaller vessels, but passengers still have a variety of cabin categories and price points to choose from.

You won’t find inside cabins on a river cruise, so all will have a view. Riverview cabins are the most affordable accommodations on board. They’re located on a ship’s lowest passenger deck, close to the waterline, with a shallow, fixed window to let in light.

Next up are cabins with French balconies (sometimes referred to as Juliet balconies). These rooms have a glass door that opens to let in the fresh air. Outside, you’ll find a safety railing but no private deck to stand or sit on.

Avalon’s Panorama Suites feature French balconies with wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling glass doors that slide the entire length of the room and beds that face the view — turning your entire room into a balcony of sorts when the door is open.

Cabins with full balconies do have an outside sitting area with furniture, like those on Viking’s longships. More than a decade ago, AmaWaterways introduced cabins with twin balconies that are now offered on many of its ships. These combine a French balcony that juts out from the living area — perfect for when the weather is chilly or rainy but you still want to take in the views — with an actual balcony off the bedroom with patio seating. Viking’s back-of-the-ship Explorer Suites also have twin balconies.

Tauck’s unique loft-style cabins have split-level rooms with bedrooms on the lower level; a few steps up from that bedroom, you’ll find a sitting area with windows that open. Some river lines, like Scenic, feature “infinite balconies.” Each cabin has a floor-to-ceiling window that opens halfway from the top with a push of a button (like a car window), bringing fresh air into your room.

What you won’t find, however, are a lot of adjoining rooms or those with beds for three or four guests in one room. Families and friend groups will have to partner up. Some lines that offer family-friendly departures, like AmaWaterways, have built a few ships with cabins and suites that can sleep three or four or offer a few connecting rooms.

MICHEL VERDURE/AMAWATERWAYS

Many river ships offer a selection of suite accommodations on board. These feature a living area that might or might not be a separate room. Each Viking Veranda suite, for example, has a full-size veranda off the living room and a separate bedroom with a French balcony; the line’s 445-square-foot Explorer Suites also have wraparound verandas with 270-degree views.

More than half of the accommodations on AmaMagna, the flagship of AmaWaterways, are suites with separate sleeping and living spaces, full outside balconies and bathrooms with glass-walled showers. Uniworld’s top suites include dedicated butler service, packing and unpacking assistance and in-room breakfast.

While it’s nice to have a river cruise room with a balcony to get fresh air, you might find you have far fewer chances to use it than on an ocean cruise. River cruises travel to destinations where the climate varies during the seasons; if you’re sailing down the Danube in early March, you’re probably not going to want to sit outside on a balcony.

Also, ships sail mainly at night, so you have few daylight hours to sit outside and watch the riverbanks pass by. And in select ports, you might be docked up against another river ship, so your balcony looks straight into someone else’s bedroom. You’ll want to consider how much you’ll actually use or enjoy a balcony when deciding on a cabin category; still, your cabin type might come with additional perks or amenities that make it worthwhile to book a room with a balcony.

Solo travelers are often accommodated

UNIWORLD

If you are traveling alone on a river cruise, you won’t find too many solo cabins built for one. However, many solo travelers do book river cruises, usually taking advantage of special discounts and itineraries for singles.

Uniworld waives the single supplement on select itineraries at different times throughout the year; the most up-to-date information is on its website. Tauck waives the single supplement for every Category 1 cabin, the smallest category at 150 square feet, for every departure.

AmaWaterways frequently offers promotions for singles. Four of its European ships even have specially designed single-occupancy rooms with French balconies that are priced for solo occupancy with no supplement. Viking is a bit less generous, with only the occasional solo traveler deal.

River cruises can be wonderful vacations for solo travelers. The intimate size of the ships makes it easy for cruisers to meet their shipmates. River cruises offer organic opportunities to socialize during evening happy hours, group dining and off-ship excursions, so solos won’t feel lonely.

You’ll need to book early, especially for popular departures

Booking early prevents disappointment and ensures you’ll get your preferred cabin category, often at the lowest available price.

Two of the most popular river cruise itineraries are Rhine and Danube sailings that take guests to several of Europe’s Christmas markets in places like Vienna; Cologne, Germany; and Strasbourg, France. At the markets, visitors can stroll stalls of artisan-made ornaments, tuck into local sausages and stay warm with a mug of spicy mulled wine. The wildly popular Christmas market itineraries can sell out a year or two in advance, so it pays to plan ahead.

Another sought-after itinerary is the spring “Tulip Time” route offered by AmaWaterways and other cruise lines. Passengers can see the famous flowers in full bloom in cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Ghent, Belgium. Because these sailings only take place in the spring, the limited departures can book up quickly.

River cruise lines encourage passengers to plan well ahead for itineraries like these with incentives such as early booking discounts. On Tauck, for example, you can reserve space on a particular itinerary with a refundable deposit and no obligation; once Tauck announces final details and pricing, you can either keep your booking and deposit in place or receive a full refund.

Bottom line

Viking Hlin in Koblenz, Germany, with the Koblenz Rheinseilbahn ropeway cable car overhead and Ehrenbreitstein Fortress in the background. M. WOLLSDORF/VIKING CRUISE LINE

If you’re seeking a vacation on the water with an intimate, uncrowded atmosphere and a focus on cultural immersion, and you are willing to forgo the attractions and activities found on large ocean vessels, a river cruise might be right for you.

River cruise itineraries take you to both charming towns and vibrant cities, with vistas of scenic countryside, vineyards and historical landmarks along the journey. In between port stops, you’ll have ample opportunities for relaxing on board and getting to know your fellow cruisers during social happy hours and communal dining.

Whether you’re a solo cruiser, a couple or a friend group, an avid ocean cruiser or a first-timer, you might want to consider a river cruise for your next vacation on the water.

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