River Cruising for Seniors

Hi everyone,

After cruising on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, etc., we thought it might be nice for a change to river cruising. (The cruise ships are just too big, too many people, etc.) and not enough time to really see many sights we want to see.

We are two-72 year old seniors, in relatively good shape (knock on wood). We have been looking into river cruises - in particular, the Danube, with possibly a few days pre/post. We have checked all the major river cruise companies (Viking, AMA, Tauck, Uniworld). I've also been looking through many comments here on Cruise Critic, which have been very helpful.

Our basic question is regarding the tours - are they very active with lots of walking? We can walk, but it seems like some of the touring in each city is quite extensive. We worry that it might be a bit too much for us.

Any suggestions, recommendation, etc., will be greatly appreciated.

Suzie

Viking, and I assume most other lines, has a special group on each excursion that moves slower and takes more breaks.

Since the demographics of river cruising is currently mostly seniors, there is no shame in taking it slow and easy.

I have bad knees and I have never felt uncomfortable when I declined parts of a tour that would be too challenging ( i.e. Too many stairs, too steep a hill, uneven surfaces etc.)

It's actually a bit of a badge of honor to be an older cruiser than your ship mates!

Hi everyone,

 

After cruising on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, etc., we thought it might be nice for a change to river cruising. (The cruise ships are just too big, too many people, etc.) and not enough time to really see many sights we want to see.

 

We are two-72 year old seniors, in relatively good shape (knock on wood). We have been looking into river cruises - in particular, the Danube, with possibly a few days pre/post. We have checked all the major river cruise companies (Viking, AMA, Tauck, Uniworld). I've also been looking through many comments here on Cruise Critic, which have been very helpful.

 

Our basic question is regarding the tours - are they very active with lots of walking? We can walk, but it seems like some of the touring in each city is quite extensive. We worry that it might be a bit too much for us.

 

Any suggestions, recommendation, etc., will be greatly appreciated.

 

Suzie

We're doing just the opposite, Suzie...after 8 river cruises with Vantage..we discovered ocean cruising and love Celebrity!!

We're both in our mid and late 70's and yes, the walking tours can be daunting but there's always a place to sit for a minute and these days most everyone offers different levels of walking. We started with the good walkers and ended up with the slow walkers..... you do the same sightseeing just take a less circuitous route; or spend less time standing in place; or take an additional rest stop, but you don't miss anything big. A big advantage: If you're a photographer you'll have a lot more time to take pictures with the slow group than the fast one!! :D

PS: Danube was our first river cruise....and still one of my all time favorites....it's a wonderful cruise and an excellent first one.

River cruise ships are not at all set up for scooters or walkers. Until you get to that stage [many years from now, please God!] you will find river cruising quite easy. Most lines -- AMA for sure -- have an easy walkers group every day that covers the same itinerary but at a slower pace and sometimes with fewer stairs [something has to give, which is usually the free time for shopping...] And just because the tours are included doesn't mean you have to take them, or stay with them to the bitter end. Many river cruises are 7 days -- you can bookend them with some DIY time, or take the cruise line's pre- and/or post-cruise extensions [more expensive than DIY but someone does all the planning and support]. Also river cruise shore excursion guides always use some sort of Quietvox system which helps as our hearing slowly fades... DW and I figure that as we age river cruising will be the last type of trip we have to give up.

Last year we (me - early 60s, DH - mid 60s, DB and SIL - mid 50s and SIL's mom - early 80s) did out first river cruise - Budapest to Amsterdam - on Uniworld. We had a wonderful time and all of us did the 'regular' excursions. There was lots of walking and the weather was record breakingly hot so SIL's mom did pass on a couple of them and had a lovely time staying on board and being waited on hand and foot by the staff. DB and SIL were much more active taking a couple of bike excursions etc.

Fast forward to this year and a 7 day cruise on the Seine followed by a 7 day cruise on the Rhone with the same group on Uniworld. The weather was much more cooperative and SIL's mom had absolutely no problem taking all the regular walking excursions, DB and SIL did some bike excursions again, and DH and I - because I was using a cane - did the gentle walkers group. We didn't feel like we missed a thing! In some ports we really did just take a little while longer to cover the territory. In others we had alternative transportation (little tourist trains in a couple of cities, a cab to and from the hilltop in Vivier, etc.).

As long as you have some mobility you can be accommodated in the gentle walkers group. Last year we made a friend on board in her late 70s who used a walker and she joined the gentle walkers on a couple of excursions and on others she made independent arrangements (she was traveling with her granddaughter).

On Uniworld - and on most others lines according to what I have read here - the staff go out of their way to make sure you enjoy your cruise to the best of your ability. Finally remember, it is your vacation - you aren't forced to do any specific excursion!

We have taken my mom with us on 5 river cruises over the past 7 years and she is now 84. River cruising is really a great choice for a mixed age group and we find AMA especially accommodating to our preferences.

AMA offers a "gentle walker" group on all of their cruises and my mom participates in these and has been very happy with the pace and special accommodations (as in providing a van to take these passengers all the way to the entrance of the Melk Abbey, in order to avoid walking a steep entry way). We choose the Active excursions as that is our preference and then we meet afterwards to explore the local area before returning to the ship.

AMA does a great job of explaining the degree of difficulty for their tours (in your cruise docs) and the Cruise Manager presents them the day prior to arrival in port.

Uniworld also seemed to have an excellent program for slower walkers, although it was just the two of us on that cruise and we stuck with the active options, when available.

Uniworld has a "gentle walkers" group. I took mostly "Go Active" tours. Even those weren't always exclusively walking, as we sometimes were bussed between locations if the distance would have eaten into too much of our time in port. We would also stop for a refreshment break - for instance, in Linz, we stopped at a coffee shop for Linzer torte (what else? :D) and coffee.

Roz

Just chiming in that Avalon also has tour groups for "gentle" walking, and in certain places you might use the bus to transit while other groups walk (like Heidelberg, between the Castle & town)

Hi everyone,

 

After cruising on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, etc., we thought it might be nice for a change to river cruising. (The cruise ships are just too big, too many people, etc.) and not enough time to really see many sights we want to see.

 

We are two-72 year old seniors, in relatively good shape (knock on wood). We have been looking into river cruises - in particular, the Danube, with possibly a few days pre/post. We have checked all the major river cruise companies (Viking, AMA, Tauck, Uniworld). I've also been looking through many comments here on Cruise Critic, which have been very helpful.

 

Our basic question is regarding the tours - are they very active with lots of walking? We can walk, but it seems like some of the touring in each city is quite extensive. We worry that it might be a bit too much for us.

 

Any suggestions, recommendation, etc., will be greatly appreciated.

 

Suzie

Suzie, we've been on two Viking cruises. The Romantic Danube was our first and it was much less hilly than the Rhine cruise we've just come home from. The Danube is a great river to cut your teeth on! Viking is very considerate of what our Cruise Director called the "Fabulous" group. AKA gentle walkers. On Viking, there's a briefing in the Lounge every day before dinner service during which the Cruise Director tells the fine details of the next day's tour and this includes discussion about the level of difficulty. This makes it easy for people to gauge what group they want to to go with.

Also, there's no pressure to stay with your tour group if you're feeling fatigued midway. At the start of the tour your guide will give you the lowdown of when and where the tour ends and if you want, you can bug off for a coffee break, shopping etc. There's no requirement to stick with your group to the bitter end if that's not what you're feeling. Let your guide know you're leaving and that's it.

And you know, you don't have to go on each and every tour! They're included but not required. One morning, having stayed up too late the night before dancing, drinking, and socializing :D, we skipped the tour in favor of staying on the boat sailing down the Danube. It was so relaxing. There were only a handful of passengers on board with us and it was a much appreciated time to recharge our batteries.

Suzie, we've been on two Viking cruises. The Romantic Danube was our first and it was much less hilly than the Rhine cruise we've just come home from. The Danube is a great river to cut your teeth on! Viking is very considerate of what our Cruise Director called the "Fabulous" group. AKA gentle walkers. On Viking, there's a briefing in the Lounge every day before dinner service during which the Cruise Director tells the fine details of the next day's tour and this includes discussion about the level of difficulty. This makes it easy for people to gauge what group they want to to go with.

 

Also, there's no pressure to stay with your tour group if you're feeling fatigued midway. At the start of the tour your guide will give you the lowdown of when and where the tour ends and if you want, you can bug off for a coffee break, shopping etc. There's no requirement to stick with your group to the bitter end if that's not what you're feeling. Let your guide know you're leaving and that's it.

 

And you know, you don't have to go on each and every tour! They're included but not required. One morning, having stayed up too late the night before dancing, drinking, and socializing :D, we skipped the tour in favor of staying on the boat sailing down the Danube. It was so relaxing. There were only a handful of passengers on board with us and it was a much appreciated time to recharge our batteries.

This pretty well sums up river cruising for virtually all the cruise lines today! Well done!

We are both 75 and keep up with all the walking. Of course we work out in the gym 4 to 5 days a week for an hour.

I suspect the OP shouldn't have a problem with the gentle walkers guided groups, however one thing not yet mentioned is the likely hood of being rafted at some point.

Rafting is when there is limited docking space so ships have to 'dock' onto another ship making access to the dock a bit of an obstacle course through or over the ship next to land.

If you have difficulty with steep -ish stairs that can be wet and slippery in the rain, and gang planks at sometimes a bit steep angles...be forewarned. Usually there are staff members assisting the passengers, but it is nice to be aware ahead of time.

River cruising is an investment of hard earned $, so it is best to ask lots of questions before booking a trip.

RB

I suspect the OP shouldn't have a problem with the gentle walkers guided groups, however one thing not yet mentioned is the likely hood of being rafted at some point.

Rafting is when there is limited docking space so ships have to 'dock' onto another ship making access to the dock a bit of an obstacle course through or over the ship next to land.

If you have difficulty with steep -ish stairs that can be wet and slippery in the rain, and gang planks at sometimes a bit steep angles...be forewarned. Usually there are staff members assisting the passengers, but it is nice to be aware ahead of time.

River cruising is an investment of hard earned $, so it is best to ask lots of questions before booking a trip.

RB

Good point and only some of the ships have chair stairs. Walking across another ship on the top deck is not easy.

I am in early 60's and my husband is 72. We tend to go with the active walkers but another couple that travels with us goes with the mobility impaired group. They are taken in a van to go as close as they can to what they are seeing. Few steps, less walking has kept our friend happy with AMA. With bike excursions, hikes and active walkers , that has kept us very happy with AMA. You also have the option to do nothing and explore on your own. On one of our optional excursions to Cesky Krumlov, someone hired their own tour guide. Lots of options. You'll love AMA, we do.