River Cruising Wasn't What I Expected. Here’s Why

European River Cruising Wasn't What I Expected. I had not expected European River Cruising to be full of so many differences to any other form of cruising I had been on. Discover why, and what you need to know if you are thinking of going on a river cruise in Europe.

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00:00 Start
00:35 Is It Cruising?
04:18 Surprises Keep Coming
09:00 The Passengers
11:01 How Much!?

[BrigitofBergental]

This sounds much more like my kind of thing - I have no interest in hanging out on a floating hotel-casino for days on end. I want to see historic sites and museums.

[lafsop]

The HUGE difference between a bus tour and river boat you didn't mention....no unpacking and repacking! It's awesome.

[mgkfdtg]

You sold me on “no sea sickness, no entertainment and small group of people”. I’m in!
I like quiet and peaceful!

[jerrygerloff]

My wife and I did 3 Viking river cruises. We love them. The small intimate group of pleasant people on each cruise was great. We liked the crews on each ship, the food, ease of disembarking and returning to the ship.Everything was very efficient and well organized, from the minute they greeted us at the airport when we flew in to the moment they dropped us at the airport for our return flight home. No noisy casino, no screaming children. Lots of pampering. we could learn some culture and history of the visited regions.

[lrajek]

I'm sorry, dear, but the very things you lambast are what attracts me to the river cruises. In the 70s and 80s, I hitched all over Europe, staying in youth hostels and tiny B n Bs, but am now widowed and somewhat disabled. An ocean cruise with 3000 drunk strangers and their unsupervised brats is my idea of Hell. I love culture and history, not gorging at 15 buffets or listening to children scream on a go-cart track. I also enjoy feeling safe, which does not happen among thousands of people confined to one floating monstrosity.

[toforgetisagem]

No partying! No families with children! Shock Horror, culture and architecture! Sign me Up!

[alexremkes]

Absolutely loved our river cruise. So much history, entertainment, socializing and different cultures. Among meeting and making lifetime friends. Plus calm waters and spectacular scenery. So much better than any sea cruise we've been on. River cruises any time!!

[hewaschuk]

I hope your video does not discourage people from going on a river cruise - they are great!

[aninasalerno-aita]

Everything he said makes me want to try a river cruise. I did two ocean cruises, and I didn’t like the huge size of the ships, or the many hours we spent at sea with nothing to see but the sea.

[michaelbaker]

I've been on seven Viking River cruises and really enjoyed them. The ship usually cruises at night and ties up at a different town each morning. You go tour the city and then return to the ship which leaves in the evening to move to the next town. It's like having your hotel always there.

[ashe]

Our riverboat cruise was such a pleasure. Passengers & staff were friendly and most accommodating. Excursions and meals were organized to make the most of our eight days. We made our choices prior to sailing. The crew did all the rest. Seeing and learning about history and culture in elegant comfort made for wonderful memories.

[tomdalton]

People complain about going through the canal locks, that would be my favorite part!

[beverlymorgan]

I’ve done 2 Viking Cruises and found it was easy to go off my own and explore. No one questioned me and it was fabulous. I definitely prefer river cruising over ocean cruising. No children was a plus!

[RobAlfieri]

I’ve taken two Viking River Cruises and it was amazing. It’s all about experiencing a different city every day. For people who love history, architecture, culture, and food it is perfect. We filled our days with tours and explored on our own. Planning a Viking Ocean Cruise next year. The company is wonderful.

[wendysmith]

My husband and I enjoyed a Viking River Cruise with two other couples and thoroughly enjoyed it. We were older and the pace was just right for the 6 of us. We toured the Rhine River all the way to Switzerland, stopping in lovely towns during the day and traveling at night. The food was outstanding, the nightly entertainment great, and the villages we visited wonderful. I would HIGHLY recommend it for adults; children would not be interested.

[AndrewBrak]

As Chuck said most of your "negatives'" are actually positives for many discerning cruisers. So far we've done 5 European river cruises with different operators (we choose what suits our plans) and all were what one can expect: a great holiday, enchanting cities and towns along beautiful landscapes, castles and valleys.
On board excellent service, nice food and respectful and interesting fellow travelers. No more ocean cruising for us.

[JBass]

Another great video, Gary. My wife and I had been on a number of ocean cruises (Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico, etc.) and we decided to go on our first river cruise in 2019. It was an Emerald cruise down the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel. It was the best cruising experience we’ve ever had. It was relaxing, fun, and educational. No cattle calls to get on/off the ship, assemble for meals, etc. There were no packed elevators and big crowds. All port tours were included in the price and you could choose from easy tours to more strenuous tours. If you didn’t want to go on a particular tour, then you simply didn’t go. All the tour guides were good. You could easily see the scenery on both sides of the ship at the same time from pretty much any part of the ship. It was so relaxing to watch cities, towns, cathedrals, castles, windmills, etc. glide by. No boring days at sea. No on-board shops. No miles to walk and multiple decks to traverse to get to your room, or to meals, or to get on/off the ship. The food was good and changed depending on the country we were going through. Our ship was nicely furnished. The only downside was that we once had to walk up and down the slippery outside stairs of another ship in the rain to get to our ship at a stop. People were easy to talk to and become acquainted with. We would go on another river cruise in a heartbeat.

[chuckd]

Most of the things you described as negative I found to be positive. On ocean cruises, the crowds of 3, 000+ were overwhelming, with many of them being obnoxious drunkards. On one ocean cruise, there was one woman so drunk that as she laid out on the sun deck she urinated a huge puddle under her chair. Well after the fact a crew member came along and led her off to her room while another was relegated to cleaning her mess. The value of smaller ships is that guests get to know one another and that tends to minimize confrontations and other sour situations common to ocean cruises. I can get along well without the constant bombardment of clanging casinos and garish entertainment. Many times it is more comforting to side up to a good book. Some of us are so well-rounded that we do not need constant outside stimulus. We can create our own stimuli.

[mariedeangelis]

We just returned from our first river cruise. We took an AMA Waterways Rhine River cruise and loved every minute of it! We enjoy small group travel so this was just perfect for us. We had no morning wake-up calls; we were free to come and go as we pleased. No one is forcing you to do any of the tours if you feel like simply staying aboard the beautiful ship - in our case, AmaSerena. The smaller group size made everything more intimate and enjoyable and that applies to the amazing staff and crew, too. They couldn't do enough for you and always with grace and a smile. Can't wait to take another river cruise! (would never go on an ocean cruise again).

[A.Cheevers_Co.]

Thanks for pointing out the differences. Great information! You've provided a valuable service to travelers. I'm not a "joiner" so thanks for helping me avoid an expensive mistake. As you said, neither type cruise is better, just different strokes for different folks. Smooth sailing, everyone!