I Tried a River Cruise and It Wasn't What I Expected

When I was invited on my first river cruise, I thought I knew what to expect. I'd been cruising on the ocean and rather naively thought that meant I knew what a river cruise would be like. My river cruise was full of surprises, the biggest being just how much I loved it.

I was invited on this cruise by Emerald Waterways, I wasn't paid for anything and Emerald Waterways have no control over my content. They were just nice and let me come on board. :-)

Have you ever taken a river cruise? Let me know in the comments!

In this video, I tell the story of my first river cruise, including my worries before the trip, how it went in reality and how the cruise compared to ocean cruising.

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[EmmaCruises]

** A little explainer about the 'paid promotion' popup box - YouTube defines paid promotion as 'accepting anything of value from a third party to make your video'. As mentioned in the video I was invited onboard by Emerald Waterways which means that they paid my cruise fare, I'm never paid beyond this but the gifted cruise fair means I need to tick this box. All opinions are my own and no cruise line has control over my content. ** 🎉🎉

[frankbush]

Took Emerald a couple of years ago. My wife was ill one night. The cruise director and chef brought our dinner to our cabin in courses. It was unbelievable.

[merryhunt]

Some people go on vacation for excitement. Some go for relaxation. My husband worked for 36 years at a stressful job with long hours. We went to river cruises to rest, relax and let people take care of us. Beautiful scenery and interesting side trips were a plus.
I love river cruises.

[capnbobretired]

Great video. Well done. At first I was concerned about being on a cruise with a bunch of old folks and then I remembered--I am an old folk.

[veroniquefaison]

River cruising is one of my favorite ways to travel. Ocean cruising takes you to places, while River cruising takes you through places.

[JBass]

Thank you for a bit of deja vu, Emma. My wife and I took an Emerald Waterways ship down the Rhine river from Amsterdam to Basel two years ago along with several in-laws and their spouses. Our ship wasn’t the one in your video but it was an identical sister ship. I’ve sailed on a lot of ocean cruises (Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Caribbean, etc.) in the past 50 years but the river cruise was the best. No big crowds, no overworked staff, friendly guests, a different town to explore (or not explore) every day, good food, etc. And best of all, no “sea days” with nothing to look at. You just watch the scenery glide past. It is very relaxing. And, as you said, you will be worn out at the end of the day if you take advantage of all the tours and walks.

[annamelanie]

This was best river cruise promotion I’ve ever seen. By far. You deserve some sort of compensation from those cruise lines! I was skeptical but now am a believer

[kayleylenard]

I used to work for Emerald & Scenic cruises (owned by the same family!) and it was the best job. I worked in the reservations department & got to do a cruise on one of the Scenic ships in 2015. It was absolutely amazing. I was only 20 - and had the best time ever!

[peterjung]

My wife and took an Alaskan cruise and land tour for our 20th anniversary. We were 47 and 45, and I think we lowered the average age of passengers down to 78. Great time and recommend for anyone.

[mrqz]

A very nervous first time cruiser approached the Captain. “Do ships like this sink very often?” he asked.

Replied the captain, “No, not too often. Usually, it’s only once.”

[melaniebrinson]

I'm 34 and went on a Viking River Cruises with my mom last year. I LOVED it. We are going back in July, again in 2023 and I plan to go again multiple times after that.

[SilentPassion]

I first took a river cruise ship with my dad who was 79 at that time and I was 21 (yes, big age gap). He has always wanted to go on a river cruise but because of his health, he didn't want to go alone so he asked if I wanted to join him and I happily agreed. We chose Emerald Waterways and the cruise started from Nurenberg all the way to Amsterdam and it was the best experience we've both had. We made some friends along the way and the staff were extremely lovely. My dad didnt join a lot of the excursions to the towns and villages but I did and the staff weren't bothered at all. I sometimes went my own way during the trips around the village and always made sure to get back in time for when the bus departed. I don't particularly believe that there is a certain age for anyone to start going on a river cruise (although minimum age I say would be 17 or 18) as long as he/she is a responsible person, wants to do it and doesn't cause problems for others as majority of the people on these cruises are retired individuals who just want to enjoy themselves without any fuss. My dad and I find river cruises more enjoyable than an ocean cruise and I would like to encourage those who want to try it out to do the same.

[gregjohnson]

Emma My wife and I have done four French canal barge cruises. That may sound a bit odd to lots of people, but they are fantastic. They cruise through the French canal system (for cargo barges) that were created by Napoleon. The old cargo barges have been converted into passenger barges that accommodate 7-20 (+/-+ ) passengers. The captain, cook, and matelot are always French. Most of the waitresses/waiters/cabin crew are almost always British (as are the owners of the company). You arrive by bus to the barge and everyone is a stranger to the others, but due to the small population aboard, when you depart the barge after a week you feel like family members. The food and wine each day change due to the region that you are traveling through. The daily trips (museums, farms, wineries, cheese makers, etc) are all included. The food and drink is fantastic. The barges cruise at a walking pace through the canals and there are always walking or biking paths along the side of the canals and there are signs or how far it is to the next ecluse (sorry but as an American of French heritage I cannot remember the word in English). You can either use the free bikes on board or walk along the path and normally you will arrive at the next ecluse before the barge. I am a cyclist and one of the passengers was a German-born US immigrant who also loved biking. We both woke up early (unlike you!) and I said Wolfgang “How about an early-morning bike ride”? He said sure! I was wearing shorts and a tee shirt. We were very close to Strasbourg and off we went. I had not noticed that it was about 4°C but we took off. After a while, I looked at where we were on the GPS on my phone. I said Wolfgang “How about a Früstück in Deutschland (Breakfast in Germany) because we are less than 2 kms from the border”. We crossed the border, had a wonderful breakfast and biked back to the barge when most of the passengers were just coming to breakfast. We had ridden almost 30 kms and my hands were frozen (no gloves), but it was a fantastic morning. The cruises are not that cheap because everything is included, trip, booze, food, day trips etc. The last time that I checked they were about USD $4k for a week, but in my opinion worth every penny. Look for French barge cruises on the Internet (they are normally British companies and the experience is completely different amazing.
Cheers from Rio de Janeiro, were my wife and I retired although I have lived in Brazil off and on for almost thirty years. Loved your video. Beijos from Greg

[morningwaves]

Went on my first river cruise at age 46 with Viking and I really enjoyed it. No teens plus I made a lot friends with cool older folk that I would not have had the chance on a regular non-Viking ocean cruise. You don’t realize how annoying kids are until you go on a trip without them lol

[melissahollowell]

As a child of the '70s, cruising is very nostalgic for me, thanks to Aaron Spelling. I haven't had the pleasure yet but crossing fingers cruising becomes safe again.

[elizabetha]

As an introvert that hates a big crowd this sounds like a dream

[JustCallMeAnnie]

I did a Viking river cruise in my 30s, and it was my best trip ever!

[mosselyn]

It's nice to hear these lovely cruises haven't been spoiled by current expectations. I took a Rhine cruise and a Danube cruise with what's now Viking (it was still KD back then) in the 1990s and had a fantastic time. It's much more intimate and relaxed than ocean cruising. I even enjoyed the "river days", as an opportunity to sit in the sun with a book and soak up beautiful scenery. I was probably the youngest person (30s) on the boat both times, but everyone I met was good company. I frequently skipped the planned excursions so that I could set my own pace and itinerary. I much preferred not traveling with a 1000 other people and making crowd everywhere you go. If the go-go-go and party scene of an ocean cruise don't sound good to you, try a river cruise.

[cernanwinterfox]

Age is a state of mind. I've wanted to do a river cruise for years now, and at 30 I'm sure I'd enjoy it as much now as I would have when I was younger or when I am older. Just chilling on deck watching the pretty scenery go by in relative quite is exactly in line with what my idea of a good holiday is.

[mikeportjogger]

Unlike cruising on the sea, there is always something interesting to see from a river boat. Also when the boat moors you're at the place you're visiting, not a bus ride away.