Easy Breezy River Cruising

If you are looking for a vacation that is truly pleasant and stress free, then a river cruise may be just what you are looking for. Unlike ocean going cruises, river ships are smaller, without the crowds, and you can see the shore line at all times.

            Don’t like large crowds and long lines?  Crave a casual atmosphere?  Want more time for sightseeing in port and fewer days on the water? And what about those choppy seas that can make any cruise an unpleasant experience? River cruises are vastly different from ocean going cruises in so many respects that the two experiences hardly compare. 

            On my river cruises last summer, I really liked the open seating policy and casual atmosphere in the dining room; dinner was served in one sitting and formal attire was not required. This provided the enjoyable opportunity to meet other travelers, compare experiences, and to make new friends.

            River ships are limited in size by the dimensions of the locks through which they must pass and the low bridges under which they must sail. As a person who does not enjoy waiting in line or large crowds, I find the smaller size of river ships to be a great advantage.  Some of the locks through which river ships must pass are no more than 35 feet wide, so the size of the staterooms and adjoining balconies are limited by this width.     

            One of the cruise lines on which I sailed last summer had a new ship with a unique solution to this narrow ship width dilemma: They eliminated the balcony and added floor to ceiling sliding doors with an opening that was eleven feet wide. This allowed more space within the room while allowing an open-air balcony experience. I particularly enjoyed this feature in the early mornings as our ship was slowly approaching the dock for our daily sightseeing excursion.  

            While river cruise companies cater primarily to the fifty plus crowd, there are some river cruise lines that specialize in family and multi generational travel, featuring activities and sight seeing geared toward young families and grandparents too.

            After having taken an ocean cruise to South America and around Cape Horn, I was ready for something different, so my travel agent, river cruise specialist Lisa Berlin, booked me on a cruise down the Rhine, from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam.  I wanted to make the most of my time in Europe, so she booked me on a second cruise down the Rhone River from Lyon to Nice in France.

            These sailings were on two different cruise lines, both of which were very nice; however, the prices were quite different, and the less expensive cruise line was my favorite for a number of reasons, including the shore excursions, a very seasoned and knowledgeable cruise director, and a more casual atmosphere onboard. The food was very good on both of these ships and featured local breads, cheeses and wines from each location we visited.

            The more expensive cruise line featured marble floors and crystal chandeliers in the public areas, but as a long-time interior designer, I was more impressed by the excellent space planning of the open-air staterooms from the other, less elegant and more contemporary cruise line on which I sailed.

            When you are comparing river cruise companies, keep in mind that the cruise line with the lowest quoted prices will not necessarily cost less. There is one cruise company which advertises heavily and quotes low prices up front; however, they charge extra for all the things that most other cruise lines include in their prices and in the end, it costs more. So pay attention to the details when you want to book a river cruise. I was very happy with the choice of cruise that my travel agent, Lisa Berlin, made for me.

            One of the river cruise company details that Lisa vetted for me was each town where we docked for shore excursions and the amount of time allotted for each stop. There was a significant difference between cruise lines in the length of time and quality of sightseeing at each port. I especially enjoyed having the time to see the sights and savor the local culture on my own as well as on the included excursions.

            Of all the types of travel I have experienced, my river cruising experience was the most enjoyable and stress free trip ever. One important reason for this is that I only had to unpack once!