Why take a river cruise? [pt. 1]

If you ever watch PBS, you’ve probably seen ads for river cruises. You’d be forgiven for thinking their target demo was . . . older. And while they can be perfect for older travelers, river cruises are not just for them. In fact, one might be a good fit for you.

You’d also be forgiven for thinking Viking is the only or best option. I’m happy to report, there are other and better cruise lines on the river.

So, why a river cruise? In short, the size and amenities of the ships, docking locations close to the action, varied excursion options, food, inclusions, and the opportunity to bond (or not) with fellow travelers. We’ll take a quick look at each, and I’m breaking this up into two posts so it’s not a book.

Me, tour-guiding some fellow travel agents around Vienna.

Before we dive in, a quick travel agent note: I attended the ASTA River Cruise Expo in 2023 so I could experience first hand what these and other cruise lines have to offer. I spent time on seven cruise lines’ ships, staying on one line’s ship and cruising with another, and I came back well-prepared to match my clients with the river cruise product (or, not a cruise—but something else) that fits their desires.  

Also, I’m hosting two river cruises near Christmas—one with AMA in 2023 on the Rhine, the other in 2024 on the Danube with Avalon. More details here. Maybe you should come with me!

Size

The ships are small. All of them are roughly the same size, except for two on the Danube, the ‘double-wide’ AMA Magna and Riverside Mozart. The key differences among the various cruise lines’ ships involve how the space on board is used. SOME lines give you more space.

Viking, the brand everyone knows, configures its ‘longships’ with more cabins than its competitors, typically 100, which at double occupancy is 200 passengers. [Seen below, Viking’s French balcony cabin, an idea of how much spare room there is in it (not much), the Aquavit terrace, nice-sized veranda suite, and lower deck fixed-window cabin, where you likely don’t want to spend a week.]

Other cruise ships apportion their space to create larger cabins and fewer of them. The Avalon Envision, on which I sailed in March, has only 80 cabins, with a max passenger load of 160. Avalon and AMA ships (the two on which I’ve sailed) are all similar, except for the Magna.

[Seen below, my ‘panorama suite’ cabin on Avalon’s Envision, open to the river, bathroom, another panorama suite (their standard stateroom), and their bigger suite.]

Docking locations 

You dock closer to the action. Where European ocean cruise ports are often far from where you want to be, river cruise ships typically dock where you want to be. In Vienna, we docked a very short walk from a U-bahn stop. In ten minutes, you’re in the very heart of the city. In Bratislava, we docked right next to the old town. Walk a block or two, and you’re there. This repeated itself up the river. Not having to ride a bus for an hour into town and back gives you more time in the destination, and late departures and overnight stays in cities give you the opportunity, if you want to it, to dine or see a show off ship. [Seen here: AMA double balcony cabin, lower deck cabin, chef’s table, lounge, and roof deck.]

Excursions

My cruise with Avalon was an ‘active & discovery’ cruise, which is targeted at younger, more active (duh) people with a hike, bike ride, or kayaking outing in each port (or something similar), plus a culinary or other type of experiential excursion and a ‘regular’ one (typically a guided walking tour or museum or palace tour). This mix is really appealing to me, and though Avalon is king of this, AMA Waterways and other cruise lines offer similar active options—which are included in your fare. [Speaking of excursions, scenes from around Budapest below.]

 Avalon and AMA offer three or four that are included in each port; there may be one or two extra-cost excursions per cruise, like a trip to a town further away (Salzburg is often done this way) or a night out with dinner and a concert in a special location like Schönbrunn Palace. Viking typically offers one included excursion per stop, usually your basic walking tour. Wanna do something else? Pay up. [Seen below, the lobby, bar and lounge, and then club lounge on Avalon Envision.]

I’ve got more reasons why a river cruise might be fun for you, including looks at luxury ships from Scenic and Riverside, coming very soon. 😎