Bored

Having never been on a River Cruise, but have been on many ocean cruises, I'm worried about being bored on the ship as well as not having enough food options? Should I be concerned?

I was never bored. I woke up, ate, toured, at, toured some more, ate, and then either went to bed (around 9) or stayed up for some entertainment. There's an example of what our day-to-day was like on my blog (link in signature).

Breakfast and lunch are buffet - plenty of options. On our Uniworld cruise, dinner had 3 entree choices, as well as the 3 standard "other" options (fish, chicken, salmon).

Certainly there are not all the options that you get on the big cruise ships, but I think the options are excellent. Normally Uniworld tries to have some food from the regions you are cruising through as well as the basic chicken , salmon, and I thought beef options, but maybe other fish depending upon the cruise. I really enjoyed their lunch buffets, which were very location themed. The food was very good. I certainly think you will find something you like on your river cruise, regardless of which cruise line you are sailing with. If the food was not good, they would not be booking up as fast as they are!

As far as entertainment goes, Uniworld, and I assume other lines, have an evening performance or two by local entertainers and sometimes food preparation and sampling events (e.g. Blintzes in Russia), as well as a piano player in the lounge at night for listening or dancing. On some itineraries an evening concert or ballet can be enjoyed at the port city. Certainly not on a par with ocean going ships. The atmosphere is more relaxed. Depending on the time of year, we've enjoyed watching the scenery go by as we cruised after dinner.

I can report that AMA is similar to what has been reported for Uniworld. Breakfast is a nice buffet with an omelet station, but you can also just sit down at a table and order certain things from the waiter (the best Eggs Benedict I've had on a ship, because it's made to order and delivered right away). They also have sparkling wine next to the orange juice if you like to start the day with a Mimosa. :) Lunch is also a buffet plus menu items delivered fresh to your table. [i [b]never[/b] waited on line for either meal, as the served items suited me perfectly!] Dinner is sit-down with two soups, salad [i think -- I don't eat salad; I hire cows to do it for me!], and three entree choices -- plus the anytime choices. Wine and beer flowed freely during lunch and dinner, and as a result the conversation flowed particularly freely during dinner -- so much so that we didn't worry about entertainment. But there was always a piano player in the lounge, and several nights they brought local entertainment onboard -- which was surprisingly good and authentic to the area we were in [think French chanteuse and accordion player in Alsace]. There was also food in the lounge most of the time, as well as an espresso/etc machine 24/7.

Now, if your cruise will be ruined by the absence of a Sexy Legs competition -- then no, river cruises don't have that kind of entertainment. ;)

jazzbeau hit the nail on the head! I've done both ocean and river and love them both for different reasons...it depends on where you want to go. We like the different port every day of river cruising plus the nearness to the downtown areas in most ports. We like the fact that everyone eats dinner at the same time in the same place usually at tables for 4-8 people and you have no assigned seating. We were never hungry, but then we never eat at the all you can eat buffets on Celebrity either. There's no broadway show, no casino, very few ships with pools, and the entertainment is what you would expect at a local talent show. On the other hand, you'll never worry about rough seas or getting sea sick or falling out of the bathroom in the middle of the night, due to a rogue wave and there's no barbed wire fencing with armed guards surrounding the port area like some ports I've been to. AND you can always get a lounge chair on the sun deck!

At the end of each day, you will be exhausted.

cb

You can be on the go from 6.30 in the morning to 10 or 11 at night, I think all of above comments are correct, food on Avalon was great, buffet breakfast and lunch with so many choices, as well as made to order items, eggs many way etc. Dinner 4 or 5 courses with 3 choices for each course, main 3 stable menus, fish, chicken or beef, 3 specials, usually local dishes with sometime local chef on board for the night.

Some days we just relax and do our own thing, in a new town each day, some days we do both morning and afternoon or evening tour when available. So many choices, you can't be BORED

peterdwiki makes a good point that may be overlooked: river cruise chefs source their food locally! No big containers from Miami with frozen everything. This makes a big difference in the quality of the food.

jazzbeau hit the nail on the head! I've done both ocean and river and love them both for different reasons...it depends on where you want to go. We like the different port every day of river cruising plus the nearness to the downtown areas in most ports. We like the fact that everyone eats dinner at the same time in the same place usually at tables for 4-8 people and you have no assigned seating. We were never hungry, but then we never eat at the all you can eat buffets on Celebrity either. There's no broadway show, no casino, very few ships with pools, and the entertainment is what you would expect at a local talent show. On the other hand, you'll never worry about rough seas or getting sea sick or falling out of the bathroom in the middle of the night, due to a rogue wave and there's no barbed wire fencing with armed guards surrounding the port area like some ports I've been to. AND you can always get a lounge chair on the sun deck!

I don't think your description of the evening onboard entertainment as "a local talent show" is quite fair. I thought the entertainment while certainly local to the locale was very good and professional quality for the most part.

Having never been on a River Cruise, but have been on many ocean cruises, I'm worried about being bored on the ship as well as not having enough food options? Should I be concerned?

If you need the many distractions offered by large cruise ships, and these are a big component of why you enjoy cruising, then IMO river cruising is not for you.

We do not ocean cruise much anymore as we do not care for large ships with lots of people, lines everywhere, extra charges for almost everything and overall quality. If we do ocean cruise, Oceania is our go to as priorities for us are food, service, lack of crowds, adult atmosphere. We don't go to their shows or casino or group activities as none of those are things we enjoy.

When we take a river cruise, we choose an itinerary with lots of time in port and look for overnight stays and limited daytime sailing. We were on one river cruise where we spent far too much time sailing during the day and that, for us, was boring. Now we know how to read an itinerary to find one that suits us.

I also agree with most of the posts above. We were on the SS Antoinette for our first river cruise in July. I had the same two concerns you have. The food was amazing and like all the above you are pretty worn out from the days events. However, one thing my wife and I really enjoyed is that many of the evenings we were still docked after dinner and it stayed light until 10 in July. So we would get off the ship and take some of the provided bikes for a ride or go for a walk along the river. We probably did this 5 of the 7 nights on board. It was great to wear off some of the great food we were eating and was always great walking or biking along the Rhine. We also made friends with a number of couples on the ship and we would usually spend a couple of hours in the lounge listening to the singer or dancing. But we would all shut down by 11. Was a great experience and I'm planning our next river cruise for 2016

I find I get bored on the larger cruise ships ... mainly because I'm not a fan of lots of the activities, I'd much rather be docked in and touring a European town or city or watching the different villages and wineries on the hills while sailing. On large cruise ships, I always have a hard time finding someplace comfortable to just sit and read because the seating is always in a cocktail lounge where waitstaff keeps making the rounds, etc. Sitting on a lounge chair (in the wind) watching the ocean go by gets boring. Unless you're really a fan of "sea days" I don't see how you'd find river cruising boring.

Thank you everyone for the info!

... We were on one river cruise where we spent far too much time sailing during the day and that, for us, was boring. Now we know how to read an itinerary to find one that suits us.

Hi caviargal,

Have you cruised on the Douro River? I am considering it, but apparently there is a lot of time sailing during the day. Although, it's supposed to be very scenic.

Which river cruise are your referring to?

Which itinerary have you enjoyed most?

Thanks!

Hi caviargal,

Have you cruised on the Douro River? I am considering it, but apparently there is a lot of time sailing during the day. Although, it's supposed to be very scenic.

 

Which river cruise are your referring to?

 

Which itinerary have you enjoyed most?

 

Thanks!

We have not done the Douro due to what I have read as having a lot of sailing time and also bus rides to the places of interest.

Our Tulip Time cruise has lots of port time.

Our Provence itinerary next month has lots of port time and over night stays. This gives up the opportunity to go off the boat after dinner which we enjoy.

Our Rhine cruise also has some overnights and lots of port time.

We have done itineraries with Avalon that had way too much sailing time for us. These were Main and Danube sailings. And over 60 locks as well which got old after a while. I pay far more attention now.

We have not done the Douro due to what I have read as having a lot of sailing time and also bus rides to the places of interest.

 

Our Tulip Time cruise has lots of port time.

 

Our Provence itinerary next month has lots of port time and over night stays. This gives up the opportunity to go off the boat after dinner which we enjoy.

 

Our Rhine cruise also has some overnights and lots of port time.

 

We have done itineraries with Avalon that had way too much sailing time for us. These were Main and Danube sailings. And over 60 locks as well which got old after a while. I pay far more attention now.

Thanks, caviargal. I always appreciate your insights.

My opinion is the opposite of caviargal. I usually cruise during the warm months and prefer only 1-2 hours in port and the rest of the time cruising. I'm always on the sun deck enjoying the fantastic scenery. Some people on my trips wanted more time docked in the small towns. They constantly complained the to the PDs who are not responsible for the itineraries. As caviargal has said many times...check the itinerary before you book a river cruise and you should not be disappointed.

And on the third hand, we (my BW and myself) enjoy both the ports of call and the actual cruising. The scenery is beautiful and you are surrounded by it on a river. Plus you never know what surprises come around the next bend in the river like the couple doing the whoopie in their small open boat in a marina. :D

Another reason why the food on river cruises is so good is that the main course is cooked to order. While you are eating your soup, salad and appetizer, the main course is being cooked, plated and served. No sitting on the warming table waiting some time for the waiter.

The Douro (pronounced, ironically, "Dore-oo"!) is one that's on our list for next fall. Having been to the area, I can attest that it would be indeed scenic.

And I'm with Roger--a bit of daytime sailing just to ogle would be a nice break from go-go-go. But then, we did a two-day trip on the upper Mekong last year, that was almost all sitting back and enjoying the scenery, and we loved it.

check the itinerary before you book a river cruise and you should not be disappointed.

This is really so important IMO. We all enjoy different things and if I were looking for relaxation and time on the river sailing, then I would definitely choose accordingly.

I don't think your description of the evening onboard entertainment as "a local talent show" is quite fair. I thought the entertainment while certainly local to the locale was very good and professional quality for the most part.

Didn't say it wasn't good, just not the same quality as most of the big cruise lines.. I've been on river cruises where the entertainment was excellent....I've also been on them when it wasn't. Perhaps I should have said "amateur" as opposed to professional entertainment found on big ships. :)

And on the third hand, we (my BW and myself) enjoy both the ports of call and the actual cruising. The scenery is beautiful and you are surrounded by it on a river. Plus you never know what surprises come around the next bend in the river like the couple doing the whoopie in their small open boat in a marina. :D

Or the gorgeous young people skinny dipping off a deserted beach!! :D They were quite surprised to see us turn the bend and when they realized we were cheering and waving to them, they really got into it!! Good thing we were too far for most of our cameras!:D