10 Things You Shouldn’t Do On A European River Cruise. And Why

Here are some European River Cruise Tips and big river cruise no-nos, and things to avoid, based on the river cruises in Europe that I have done. These are the 10 things you really should not do when on a Europe River Cruise. I found out the hard way, so you do not have to.

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00:00 Start
00:20 River Watch-Outs
01:14 River Cruise Cabin Mistakes
03:19 River Cruise Packing Mistakes
04:06 River Cruise Planning Mistakes
04:50 River Cruise Schedule Mistakes
05:49 Staying On Ship Mistakes
06:39 River Cruise Inclusive Fare Mistakes
07:37 Family River Cruise Mistakes
08:21 River Cruise Safety Mistakes

[denisedavis]

I never had any desire to cruise.
But I went on a Viking river cruise and I loved it.
But I love art, history and architecture. It was also relaxing in the evenings with a noce dinner.
Guided tours helped take the stress of trying to organize what to see. And how to see it.
The entire experience...even with low water levels was positive.
Viking takes care of you. The staff is amazing.

[tally]

I find river cruises much more interesting because of all the sights and landmarks you get to see, compared to a sea cruise.

[arteyeBrazzell]

That was pretty accurate! I've been on five Viking river cruises and I'm about to go on a Riviera cruise for Christmas. I disagree about the lower cabins. Especially if you're going on a Christmas cruise, why pay the money for a full window when you are not going to use that balcony and you're not going to open that window and you're mostly going to be staring into somebody else's cabin because they tether the ships together. The same size room is downstairs with a half window that runs the width of the room. It's a deep window and not only do you see what other people see but you might have a duck or a swan go by because you're on the water level. One night I went to sleep looking at a castle and woke up looking at a brick wall. You spend so little time in your room that it just doesn't matter. And the room is not smaller!

[fishandfloral]

We love river cruising to get a taste of various areas of Europe, to help us determine where we would like to return and spend more time on another trip. One doesn’t have to go on all of the excursions. We do some and skip others to go wandering around on our own. Going into shops, having tea or lunch in town, are some of the best parts of the trip.

[oclarealestate]

We stayed in a lower cabin on the Danube and had no noise going through the locks. Those in higher rooms actually had more noise. Of course you don’t get the views, but to be honest, we were never in our room, but were up above, among the people enjoying the view. It all depends on the price difference....in my opinion, a $1, 000 price difference was worth staying lower as we were never in the room...but that is just me.

[isaiahberlin]

Took the Viking cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest and loved every minute! Too much walking was never an issue! Walk when and where YOU want! We had a room below and there was never a problem with noise! Plenty of comfortable viewing options throughout the ship! Problem with one of the locks resulted in being bussed around to another ship, same room, same crew. Luggage was transferred entirely by crew, seamlessly!

[mickeyDs]

Im planning on the Prague to Paris trip through Viking with my husband. I look at it like a floating b&b and I like that. I like the idea of not having to worry about how I’m going to get there, dragging my suitcases and items all over the place like I would have to with independent traveling. The history and the walking tours appeal to me so much. Can’t wait to take this trip.

[merryhunt]

I have been on a number of river cruises. We found time to go on the top deck (or into the library when it's rainy) and enjoy the scenery. River boats are so quiet that you can hear the birds singing as you cruise by.

[WillNGo]

Tip for shoes: get lightweight hiking boots. (I've worn Keens for years) and I personally go a bit larger- my rule now is my toes have move freely (but this is personal might not work for many or most). My tip about the lightweight hiking boots however is solid. Trainers, tennys, running shoes tend to break down more quickly. You can have a pair of shoes that feel great, but you really should've replaced them because they no longer support your ankles.
In 2009 I stepped down a bigger step then normal on a trip and my foot bent right over; my ankle touched the ground. Yikes! No problem, I'd done that several times in my life, but in 2009 I was 58 years old - so my first thought wasn't 'oops, did that again, ' but 'I shouldn't have been able to do that ten years ago - so that was pure luck.'
So trekking poles. The give you stability and make you a quadruped. The thing is when you need them you should have them, so I always travel with a pair of the compact ones - they fold up instead of just telescoping - this allows them to fit into any bag, or day bag. Unless I'm hiking I almost never use them - but I always travel with them. The $5 ones they sell to tourists? They're just about as good as the $149 carbon fiber ones. (Only problem is the cheap ones will start to slide close. Not really a problem. And the handles? I think there's an ideal handle angle - and I've yet to find a pair that have it - at any price).
Knees. We think 'Oh I'm getting old my knees are going.' Maybe. What I found out just a couple of years ago is that it wasn't my knee(s) it was my butt. I went to Scotland and walked up Ben Nevis but was slower and slower and my knees were killing me. I did three hikes that trip instead of a couple hundred miles of trekking I'd planned. I ended up limping around, knee taped up, driving instead of hiking.
Day before I left Scotland I finally learned that the problem was my Illialtibial Band, ITB Syndrome is what I had. ITB is the fascia that covers all our muscles. It isn't just bones, muscles and ligaments, without this fascia we would sort of be lumpy sacks. The attachment muscle points get knots stretching this ITB tight, it then rubs against the outside of our knee becoming inflamed. I went from taped up and hobbling with my trekking poles to rolling out my butt and thigh muscle to being able to walk normally in ten minutes. I'd finally found this on the internet and would never have tried anything on my knee, but the solution was no where near my knee - so why not. I rolled out the knots in my butt and thigh with my travel mug wrapped in a piece of yoga pad I use while camping. Yep, I looked silly. It worked. (My knee was still inflamed so it had to heal over several days, but soon I was walking 5-10 miles a day every day no problem.)
Back to hiking boots. When I was a teacher I'd wear my Keens and stand up for 6 hours everyday - no problem. Later on that 2009 trip I took my breaks during a 17 mile hike in the Himalayas standing up. I should edit this... but... Hope it helps. .

[stevefazzio]

We took a river cruise once when we were in the lowest level cabin floor. Lots of noise from barge propellers! Cabins above the waterline are DEFINITELY worth it!

[glennstokes]

Having been on two River cruises, both Viking, one in China and one on the Rhine/Danube, I can concur that you are giving good reasonable advice.

[bdimon]

we took a lower cabin for our river cruise and I admit that when I first noticed the floor was lower than the water level, it was a little weird. After a day it was no big deal and I didn't think about it again. I noticed noises from the locks one night but that was it. More common was the noise of water lapping against the side of the ship. That was kind of relaxing, I thought. I would definitely book a lower level cabin again just for the big cost savings. we really did not spend much time inside our room because we were hanging out with all the other people in the lounge or the top deck.

[yukiefromoz]

The fact that there are no kids on river cruises are one of the attractions for us haha...

[jamesmilos]

Gary, your Chanel is fantastic! I’ve learned so much, even when I can’t cruise, I get to cruise vicariously through you! Thanks so much!

[patti]

Love our river cruise experiences in Russia and Europe. Had no issue with our "aquarium" room - for us it meant more budget for adding days to our trip.

[mcniki]

Well i as a crew member i can confirm. All of this is super true.
I really don't understand people who bring half their House for a 1 week river cruise or simply stay on the ship non stop. Or when people just stay in their cabins all day, just go outside Enjoy Europe.
I want people to enjoy their river cruise experience ! Like i do, this is why i choice this job. Non stop i can be a tourist and get payed at the same time, perfect for me. :)

[dianathorpe]

We've been on several Viking river cruises and enjoyed them immensely. All your tips are very good. We usually travel late in the season which requires warm socks, shoes and waterproof boots. We also bring warm hats, scarves, and gloves. Being prepared for cold and wet weather is a must for October and November and especially December cruising. My sister in law came with us and she was not prepared for cold weather and lots of walking so she ended up wearing some of my extras. Lucky for her I brought two of everything.

[SpringRubber]

Thank you for all the straightforward advice. We'll be doing our first river cruise in Summer 2022 with another couple. I went to Europe in the 80s as an exchange student and carried with me a well-worn "Let's Go" book as my multi-country travel guide.

[DDGLJ]

Thanks for this video. I think that river cruising is a completely different type of travel that probably doesn't have much in common with ocean cruising aside from the fact that they both involve ships. We've done a lot of land-based travel and have never once been tempted by an ocean cruise. Too many people and not enough interesting things to experience. River cruising seems like an easy way to see more of the things we like without the constant packing & unpacking and dealing with transportation. As you say, it's busy and that's what we like! Looking forward to our first cruise on the Danube next year. Hope you do more river cruise videos in the future, your videos are honest and straightforward. Thanks!

[richardblough]

I was a pianist at sea for years. This video is good accurate information!!