?s - For those who LIKE ocean cruising and have done a Rhine river cruise.

I realize that this board mostly has readers who like river cruising. I'd like to direct this at those who like ocean cruising a lot as well.

 

We are thinking of doing a Rhine River cruise in late spring or early summer next year. We've traveled a lot, mostly independently. (With regard to Germany and Switzerland, we've only spent a few days in each and it was years ago.) We've enjoyed MANY ocean cruises (Caribbean, E and W Med, Adriatic & French Polynesia) but the cost for those is a good amount less than what we'll have to spend for the river cruise, even taking into account things like beverages and tours included w/the river cruise.

 

We also live in an area with 2 major rivers. One of them flows by town that has a very strong German history, with it's own large winery and many other small wineries in the hills in that area. No castles, though, lol!) I've often heard river cruising is very relaxing. However, most of the itineraries in Europe I've checked out don't have any "days at sea" as on ocean voyages. They have at most just a few hours of daytime, leisure river floating time, mainly in the most scenic section of the river. Also, in many photos/videos found online or in posts made by CC users, it the weather mostly looks dreary, no mater the time of year. (Maybe our latest stretch of dreary weather at home is getting to me, LOL!)

 

I don't mean to sound like I think we will not like river cruising, though maybe I come across that way. Obviously I think it looks like a cool thing to try. (There are disadvantages to the ocean cruises we are considering, too. Like the long flight to New Zealand or chilly weather on parts of the So. Am. cruise.) I do, however, want to try to make an informed decision and be sure we'll be glad we spent our money on this type of a trip. (So far I've never done a trip I really didn't like!)

 

Hoping for some helpful responses and opinions, but please, from experienced ocean cruisers who have a perspective on both. Thanks for any helpful replies!

mlbcruiser,

Not sure if having experienced only 2 ocean cruises and 7 river cruises qualifies me to answer your questions, but I will give you my opinion.

I did not enjoy either ocean cruise. Various reasons, but the major one is the at sea days. I find them boring. If I want to sit out and catch some rays I'd rather do that at home in my back yard. Then I don't have to listens to others whinging. If I am paying for a vacation I would rather go somewhere and do something. I also found the sheer number of passengers was overwhelming. The dressing up to the nines is also not my idea of pleasurable.

Sure there is a greater cost to river cruising, but I've been able to work with an excellent TA, watch for discounts, and as a repeat client get upgrades. There are cruise companies for every pocketbook.

BTW, we are about to board #8 the day after tomorrow. :D

Everyone has their own priority list and likes and dislikes. That is what makes this human race so wonderful. I can't imagine meeting my clone.

RB

At this point in my life, I prefer independent travel in Europe over river cruising. We did a Christmas Markets cruise in 2014 and while it was a lovely cruise, I don't like spending that much money for things to be included that I could do on my own for less. I'm "frugal" that way. We tend to cruise as an intro to areas we want to go back and visit again, so we're not multiple-times-a-year ocean cruisers either, but we've cruised most major areas (well, 5/7? by my non-scientific guessing methods). When we're older/less mobile, river cruising might be something I'd look to again, or if I found a super cheap (but still great food & beds ;-) option, we might consider it, but until then - I'll be sticking to DIY [in Europe - I still have a Mekong river cruise on my to-do list!]

 

Oh - river cruises aren't typically "relaxing". Of course you can choose to stay on the ship and not go ashore or do any tours, but dangit, they've already been paid for. That's a big hang-up for me ;-)

Where to start...we like both. We've done a bunch of Oceania and Silversea cruises. We like Uniworld (but haven't tried anything else).

 

Your observation that river cruising doesn't include sea days is correct. However it is still relaxing (IMO) as the included tours are not terribly intense or fast-paced - for us. Your typical day includes a half-day tour in the town where you're docked (or a short bus ride away). You hit a few highlights and may have an hour of free time to shop or grab a snack in a cafe.

 

There is LIMITED opportunity to do much on your own because you often don't stay put long enough to plan a major excursion, and some of the towns are small so you might not find a car rental, for example. But with a little research beforehand you can find enough stuff to do that will fill up your port time. But stopping off in a small town in Germany like Boppard for the afternoon is way different than stopping in Marseilles on a cruise ship!

 

There is very low-key entertainment at night, mainly a keyboard player or duo. There aren't many (if any) big shows like on ocean cruising.

 

Dining options may feel more limited; there may be only one venue besides the MDR. The menus are smaller but that doesn't diminish the quality of the food. The menus and wines often are representative of the region you're visiting which is nice.

 

Best I can say is that it's a different flavor. River cruising is smaller and more intimate. It's quieter. But we have a great time on both river and ocean cruises.

 

We have a tendency to try to overdo it when we visit Europe independently. So river cruises force us to slow down. Usually, we like that... :)

 

We did the Rhine as our first cruise in 2014, on Uniworld's SS Antoinette. I wrote up a picture review that might give you an idea of what we were able to do in each port, how much time you have, etc. There should be a link somewhere in there to a folder on my Google drive where I uploaded the daily programs. If you have any specific questions about this itinerary, I'd be happy to answer if I can still remember.

I enjoy ocean cruising on small, luxury vessels only. I despise the large mass market, mega ships that have taken nickel and diming to a whole new level; I would rather stay home and clean house than be subject to lines, kids, crappy buffets, mediocre MDRs, bingo, and the constant push to purchase. Don't get me started on intrusive photographers and chair hogs, a bane of many ocean cruise lines, and please spare me MUTS and rock climbing walls and everything that comes with them.

 

Sea days bore me, and I prefer to be busy and immersed in the area I am visiting. If I wanted to laze around I would walk outside and sit by my pool or hop a plane and spend a few days on the beach in Jamaica (much prefer that to mass market cruising).

 

We have done the Rhine twice on the river and spent time in the area DIY. River cruising allows for immersion in the local area, and an easy way to explore without overpriced, overcrowded ocean cruise line excursions. We prefer the intimate size of the ships, the serenity of being out on the river and the personal service offered.

 

We will be taking an ocean cruise this year on Ponant, with about 200 other guests. They, too, dock in or very near the city centers, and cater to a demographic that we prefer.

 

River cruising is not for everyone but we enjoy it and are headed out in 9 days for our 15th.

I don't think that river cruising and ocean cruising have much in common except that both float someplace. Whether you are likely to enjoy a river cruise is not so much related to how much you enjoy ocean cruising as it is to how interested you are in the places you will visit.

As others have said you get nice overview type tours at each stop and you usually have a few hours to explore independently (but not enough time to do much independent travel, more like a few hours for a museum or some additional sightseeing).

You can't expect much in the way of games, scheduled activities on board, evening entertainment etc on a river cruise. Plan on entertaining yourself after dinner most nights. They do usually offer some enrichment programs on history, food, wine or culture of the places you will visit.

I typically think of ocean cruises as vacation and river cruising as travel. Take an ocean cruise to relax and unwind and a river cruise to see and learn about new places (or visit old favorites).

We have done 15 ocean cruises and 2 river cruises and loved the them all. As has been stated, they are very very different. We also love sea days and miss them on river cruises. River cruises are great for several reasons. We enjoyed the intimate atmosphere. We have been on the Rhine with Avalon and the Danube with Viking. Both were excellent. You get to know the crew very quickly and many of the other passengers as well. The entertainment is very limited, but after spending the whole day schlepping around on cobblestone streets, we are usually beat after a very delicious dinner. The best part of river cruising is the places you visit. Europe is so beautiful and so very different from where we live. I enjoy being able to walk off the ship and find myself right in the middle of a lovely European city or town. The history is fascinating and humbling (Houston was not even in existence until 1836). My advice would be to give it a try. There will be things you will enjoy and perhaps things you won't. You will know if it is worth the additional cost, or if you prefer to stick with the ocean cruises.

To make the most of your River Cruise spend some days pre and post cruise. I think the more you love the big cruises the less you will like river cruises because river cruises is nothing like an ocean cruise.

 

But river cruises are infinitely better than bus tours. They are more like floating hotels bringing you to place to place There are no shows or gambling to keep you occupied at night.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We started river cruising first as I get very motion sickness so thought the ocean was out. We have done 3 river cruises with a 4th coming up in November and they have been all on different lines. I discovered a medication that works for me so we have now done about 10 ocean cruise. As the others have stated, both very, very different. We love both but for very different reasons. We can be very busy on an ocean cruise with things we enjoy while cruising but we might not do at home (trivia). There are lots of choices whereas on a river cruise there are really no choices with free time except to relax. Very little evening entertainment except maybe an keyboard player but that is about all you really want after touring all over. The smaller ships can get to towns that a large ship can't. You would probably have to take a bus. Most towns the river cruise ship can dock right there. I find the river cruises are a slower pace and a more intimate type of vacation. Because of the size of the river cruise ship, aside from your cabin, there isn't very many places you can find to be by yourself. There are a lot fewer people and you will be with them for at least a week and you will be with them so be prepared. On a cruise ship you most likely will not run into the same people all the time, unless you choose to. Although there usually isn't a full sailing day on the river cruise, you usually do a 1/2 day tour and then sail so that is when you can relax and enjoy the scenery. You can always see land so that is a plus if out in the middle of the ocean bothers you. Try this comparison: The ocean cruise is like the huge tour you take from the cruise ship on a large bus with a zillion people and a river cruise is like that private tour you take on your own with a mini van and 10 people. I love both for all those reasons....they are different but both are fun to do!

I appreciate the interesting perspectives everyone has brought to this thread. This is definitely a "different strokes for different folks" kind of thing!

 

QueenofEverything, I think I will end up with opinions much like your's if we do a river cruise. I don't find being at sea for a day here or there boring at all. When we first cruised I wanted a port every day. However, the pampering and fun took over and I didn't mind when we revisited places some cruises or had a sea day. So many things to do - or not. I think a view of the ocean (esp. on a sunny, sparkling day or a very stormy sea) is a lot better than the view from anyone's backyard pool - even a really nice one. If a person makes up their mind they'll be bored, well, perhaps they aren't paying attention to what's available. All ships have different personalities and programs - cooking and computer or photo courses, dive classes, bingo, chess tournaments, bridge games, gambling, wine lectures, lectures on the natural qualities of a region, one can learn a dance style, yes, there are the hairy legs contests (all in fun and it's always good to laugh!) - gosh, all sorts of things! Active things appeal to many as well. (Even I liked riding a flowrider!)

 

Cormike1, I, too, am prone to seasickness. I always take a Less Drowsy Dramamine tablet before even boarding a ship or a plane. One every morning on a cruise. Another sometimes later in the day if I get on a dive or snorkeling boat (which I've been on many times) if it's pretty wavy out there, or if things get "rocky". (Too late once the feeling comes on! Funny, never felt sick on our waverunner or a ski boat!)

 

mhb1757, I definitely find an ocean cruise to be a vacation, too. Real travel to me is doing an independent land trip, which I prefer when I go to a place I'm very interested in.

 

jpalbny, I had to laugh about your tendency to overdo land trips! We have done a few independent land trips in Europe in which we've stuck a cruise right in the middle of to "rest" and not have to think so hard, lol!). I think both types of cruises pretty much give you a quick overview of a place.

 

Most people can't afford Crystal, Seabourn, Silversea, Regent, Paul Gaugin and any other lines in that price range, but I guess some feel they are worth it and the exclusivity appeals to them.

 

Hoyaheel, like you, I hate not doing something I've paid for, too, lol. It's a dilemma when a tour is included on a trip and I'd really rather head out on my own. Or I want to go to a restaurant on land if we are in a port in the evening or overnight and there is a perfectly nice meal being served on the ship! (Well, in that case maybe my dh more than me!)

 

Someone commented that there are river cruises for every budget. Guess I know too many "poor" cruisers whose budgets wouldn't accommodate river cruise prices I've seen so far. I've priced out several river cruises being operated by different companies and NONE of them were only a few hundred dollars. Not one. Whereas it's easy to find a mainstream cruise line offering cruises up to a week long for just a few hundred dollars per person. Even during popular cruise seasons. If there are river cruises in that price range, I'd love to hear about them!

 

Obviously river cruises have a lot to offer and I can't imagine really not liking one. Also I am grateful for the replies and information. Thanks very much!

I appreciate the interesting perspectives everyone has brought to this thread. This is

Most people can't afford Crystal, Seabourn, Silversea, Regent, Paul Gaugin and any other lines in that price range, but I guess some feel they are worth it and the exclusivity appeals to them.

 

Hoyaheel, like you, I hate not doing something I've paid for, too, lol. It's a dilemma when a tour is included on a trip and I'd really rather head out on my own. Or I want to go to a restaurant on land if we are in a port in the evening or overnight and there is a perfectly nice meal being served on the ship! (Well, in that case maybe my dh more than me!)

 

Someone commented that there are river cruises for every budget. Guess I know too many "poor" cruisers whose budgets wouldn't accommodate river cruise prices I've seen so far. I've priced out several river cruises being operated by different companies and NONE of them were only a few hundred dollars. Not one. Whereas it's easy to find a mainstream cruise line offering cruises up to a week long for just a few hundred dollars per person. Even during popular cruise seasons. If there are river cruises in that price range, I'd love to hear about them!

 

Obviously river cruises have a lot to offer and I can't imagine really not liking one. Also I am grateful for the replies and information. Thanks very much!

 

As to the pricing of ocean cruises, IMO that cabin price is just the beginning and how they get people to book. Friends are just back from Harmony of the Seas (7500 people and my idea of hell) and their interior balcony cabin was a "bargain" at 1200 per person but their actual tab added 2000 more to that for speciality dining, tips, excursions, drink packages and all of the other "extra's" that add up quickly. It is apples to oranges IMO.

 

Smaller ships are not about the exclusivity IMO. It is about the far fewer number of passengers, the higher overall quality of the experience and the lack of everything that mass market cruising has become. We take one every few years generally and that is enough for us.

 

I agree with hoyaheel that DIY independent land vacations are my #1 choice for Europe trips. For many years, we traveled with my mother and river cruising was ideal for our trips with her. It took the pressure off of me to constantly be aware of her energy level and allowed us some free time; mom was very happy in the gentle walkers group or reading a book in the main lounge. She loved river cruising and we would always add some time pre or post to our cruises, to give us what we most enjoy as well. DH is ten years older than me and refers to me as "Sarge" because of the pace of the DIY land trips I plan; a river cruise and time on land is a nice compromise for us

 

Next year we are planning a bucket list cruise to the South Pacific and a DIY to Scotland and Ireland. We always head to the Caribbean and MX a few times a year for a long weekend of R&R and enjoy staying there and doing our own thing, as opposed to a day visit in a port overloaded with cruise passengers.. I imagine we will also be in Europe over the holidays as that is our preference. Mountains and snow and Christmas markets are some of our favorite experiences and the opposite of what we have here at home.

 

 

We enjoy many forms of travel, depending on who we are traveling with and what our goal is for that particular trip.

Edited April 1, 2017 by caviargal

My mother in law and sister in law went on the Christmas one this past year....they are 60 and 40, they said it was boring, and very low key...and they were fed just 3 tiny meals a day, no snacks nothing extra....no bar life, no entertainment....their land voyages were all self guided and quick because they don't give u lots of time....they cruised the Rhine....said nvr again....

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Forums mobile app

My mother in law and sister in law went on the Christmas one this past year....they are 60 and 40, they said it was boring, and very low key...and they were fed just 3 tiny meals a day, no snacks nothing extra....no bar life, no entertainment....their land voyages were all self guided and quick because they don't give u lots of time....they cruised the Rhine....said nvr again....

Boring is subjective, so while my opinion would differ. I will not argue that one. I'm wondering what line they cruised with "just 3 tiny meals a day"? I'm 6'3", over 200# and active, and in 20 river cruises on multiple lines I have never encountered this. Indeed most breakfasts and lunches are buffets with lots of great choices. IMO if anyone on any cruise I have been on made that claim I woild say they were trying to have a bad time and disregard all of their claims.

I'm wondering what line they cruised with "just 3 tiny meals a day"? I'm 6'3", over 200# and active, and in 20 river cruises on multiple lines I have never encountered this. Indeed most breakfasts and lunches are buffets with lots of great choices. IMO if anyone on any cruise I have been on made that claim I woild say they were trying to have a bad time and disregard all of their claims.

 

My thoughts exactly! We have done 14 river cruises, some better then others based on our preferences. Never had "tiny meals" on any and we stay very busy and average 8-10 miles a way of walking when in port. We also choose itineraries where we are overnighting as much as possible and go off the boat after dinner.

Well this thread certainly shows it's horses for courses. Well I will enjoy our holidays this year, cabin in the forest, river cruise, our own NB cruise, Scotland lodge and hire NB with friends to see the Kelpies. Bit of a full year but plenty of water without the ocean. Happy cruising wether it be on ocean, river or canals. CA

It is great that we have so many choices in travel. Last month I learned a valuable lesson about pre judging what I will and won't like. I absolutely love River cruising with our third one with Uniworld coming up this June. Because I loved the small ship atmosphere and have been blessed to have a suite with butler service I assumed and even said I would never do a mass market large ship. However, two other close friends have been asking my wife and I for several years to sail with them on a Royal Caribbean cruise. I delayed and made excuses. However, I finally decided to go this past February just for the friendship. They chose the Oasis which had over 6000 passengers plus staff. I was able to book an owners suite with 550 sq ft and a 260 sq ft balcony for about half of my normal vacations cost. Suite benefits included reserved seating in the shows and other nice perks. We were quite surprised how much we enjoyed the variety of shows, restaurants, and activities. It was polar opposite of the river cruise experience and I still prefer river cruising overall. Now in all honesty this would not be the type of vacation I would book again for just my wife and I. However, we have recently booked for next year an Azamara cruise to Spain that only holds about 700 passengers. So to the OP I would just say that my decision and experience was the opposite of yours which is we did River Cruise first then mass market ship second. But you won't know until you try it so you might be pleasantly surprised that you will really enjoy river cruising and it will be just another option to try something different and go somewhere different. I've learned a lesson not to pre judge the experience, take it for what it is, and most likely will find it enjoyable even if its something I don't try again.

Mlb,

 

I've done over 20 ocean cruises and 1 river cruise, with another river cruise booked for this fall. I like both forms of travel, but as someone already pointed out, other than involving a vessel sailing on water, they're distinctly different. My advice is to try one, maybe 8 days to start. Prior to my first river cruise, I'd only been to Europe once before. It was an escorted bus trip with my college alumni association. I enjoyed the trip but it was exhausting schlepping a suitcase in and out of a hotel every night, and having to meet the bus every morning at a very early hour. Also hours spent on the bus riding from place to place.

 

Unpacking and packing once were a big plus on the river cruise, as well as the fact that we docked pretty much in the heart of things at each port we visited. I found the included tours to be excellent, and I picked the active group at each stop. I thought there was the right mix of touring and down time, and didn't expect a lot of night life as my purpose in taking the trip was to see parts of Europe I was unfamiliar with. As far as 3 tiny meals, that was not my experience on Uniworld. We were fed well, and I was impressed with the variety they provided including local specialties. If someone went hungry it was their own fault.

 

The average river cruise has 200 passengers, and you get to know your fellow sail mates much better than on a ocean cruise. That may or may not appeal to you. As a solo cruiser I found that to be a plus.

 

Since my river cruise in late 2015 I've done 2 ocean cruises. As I mentioned before I have another river cruise coming up this year, followed by an ocean cruise early next year. My plan going forward is do a mix, with more ocean cruises simply because of the price of river cruises and the added cost of flying to Europe. I'm still working, so European river cruises involve more time off from work, which can be tricky.

 

Let us know what you decide.

 

Roz

When I posted my original question, I was looking for replies only from those who LIKE ocean cruising. I felt that those would be the people who could give me the input I am looking for (and it's the reason the word LIKE was capitalized in the title). Either some people missed that, or simply wanted to put in their 2 cents anyway. So the comparisons between the 2 styles of cruises are well intended but not what I was interested in finding out. So I will bring up a couple of things and skip some others.

 

I think I know I'm on the side of those who can find enjoyment in most types of travel. Some types enjoyed more; some types not quite as much. If ocean cruising wasn't fun or interesting, the CC boards regarding that type of cruising wouldn't be so active nor so large. Yes, I know there are more ships but those have increased a great deal in the last few decades and river cruises are increasing a lot, too. So both styles of cruising have their appeal.

 

It's not hard to find a mainstream cruise fare costing about $100/day per person. Even less for a transatlantic sailing. (This can be true on almost any mainstream cruise line for most of the most destinations, though not all.)

 

As for the hidden costs of cruising and the things that are included with the higher end cruises, I have not personally known anyone who has spent $2000 onboard a cruise in addition to the cost of the cruise itself. Our highest onboard expenditure on any of our cruises (a couple of them have been 12 days long, but that has been our longest) was $475 - all together, not pp. - and it was because of a ship conducted diving excursion which is always pricier than when you arrange one independently. Usually we get at least one onboard credit and often 2 as those are so easy to get. I do know that some of our friends who cruise have talked of spending as much as $700 or $800 both couples and families (alcohol and shore excursions mostly, even with a couple of kids along and with some onboard shopping thrown in). I overheard one man talking to his buddy on a ship's pool deck who was very upset when he found he and his wife had spent $1,200 on mostly alcohol with 2 days still left to go of a 1 week cruise. (Not our style to drink a lot, but we get free drinks early to mid evening on 2 of the lines we've frequented enough to be a certain level past cruiser.) Don't take my word about costs, though. Here is something that gives a better picture of usual onboard expenditures. After this I will focus on other things - like port and other information. (BTW, that $1,454 in the first article INCLUDES the cruise fare):

 

Typical cruise spending and expenses - Cruise Market Watch

 

 

The average cruise passenger spends a total of $1,454 per cruise. Note this is for all cruise lines, luxury to contemporary. With the typical cruise lasting 7.1 days, this amounts to a per passenger per day (APCD) projected to be $205, with $155 per day ticket price (75.6%) and $50 per day on-board spending (24.4%).

 

www.cruisemarketwatch.com/articles/typical-cruise-spending-and-expenses/

MLCruiser,

We are on the vantage Splendor May 31, which will be our first river cruise.

We are avid cruisers have done well over 40, stopped counting. Love cruising, have been on small, Windstar 144 people, to Celebrity( our go to cruise line), To luxury, Regent.. we have had a wonderful time on each, experiencing new ports. We do travel AQUA class on Celebrity to enjoy the Blu restaurant, so I'm finding that the deal we got on Vantage is higher, but feel the small ship is more costly. It does include my shore excursions except for one optional we opted to take. I usually get the drink package, gratuities and ship board credit on Celebrity so my onboard bill usually is nothing. We do private tours with others fromCC so on a 14 day cruise we could incur $700.00 in touring. I'll let you know what I think of river cruising when we return.

I have done over 40 ocean cruises, so yes, I love it;).......I took my first River Cruise last year and LOVED IT....REALLY

LOVED IT:D....they are totally different experiences. It is not a fair comparison (in my opinion). They are night and day

different. Have I gone on more ocean cruises since that river cruise? Yes but I want to go on another river cruise.

 

I was not bored at all, was off the ship every day doing excursions. I met wonderful people, ate delicious food (Plenty

of it, never went hungry), experienced top notch service and it was just an amazing experience...sailing with 150 people.

 

Now, I still love ocean cruising. Went on one for a week in February over Superbowl Sunday and had a lot of fun:)

I won't say the food and service were the same as on the river cruise......that would be a lie. Cooking for 150 is like

going to a 5 star restaurant, cooking for 3000 can't be........virtually impossible.

 

My next cruise is on a 5 star line.......I am going on SIlverseas in August and the ship holds 550.......circumstances

have given me this chance and so I am taking it. It will be my first "luxury ocean cruise" and I am really looking forward to it:)

 

River Cruising and Ocean Cruising.........I love them both and next year is my BIG 60 and I am trying to decide what

to do for it!........researching...and more researching......60.......where has the time gone?

Maybe the problem is that while you tried to make it clear who you wanted to hear from, and you provided a lot of relevant information about yourself -- you didn't actually ask a question?

 

So here is my attempt to answer what I think you wanted to ask: DW and I have done 11 ocean cruises, 2 river cruises, and several DIY land trips. We enjoyed all of them, but in looking back I do see something of a "you get what you pay for" rule operating -- e.g. our two least favorite ships were NCL. But the winners included small ocean ships (Oceania, Crystal and Azamara), medium ocean ships (Celebrity M-class), and somewhat larger ocean ships (Celebrity S-class) -- we were able to appreciate each of those classes of ships for what they are; we don't think we would like really small ocean ships (too confining) or really large ones (too frenetic). The two river cruises were both on AMA: the Rhine and the Rhone -- and we enjoyed both of them very much and have booked another AMA cruise/safari in Africa for next year.

 

As others have said, ocean cruising and river cruising have very little in common. River ships hold between 100 and 200 passengers [the ships are close to the same size, so this is definitely a "you get what you pay for" situation as regards space and service]. There are three meals a day plus snacks in the lounge and a coffee machine available to you 24/7. The food is very good on the better lines, and the freely poured wine is good too. Service is very personal [on our Rhone cruise one of our companions complained at the first dinner about the quality of the olive oil, so they sent someone out the next morning to buy a bottle of really good EVOO for our table for the rest of the cruise]. You are never out of sight of land [the rivers in Europe are nowhere near as wide as the mighty Mississippi -- think of the Hudson Valley instead]. You find yourself in a different town each morning, with an included tour that gives you a good introduction and free time to explore a little more on your own [e.g. in Arles after the included tour we were able to follow the entire Van Gogh art walk on our own]. You can usually have lunch on land if you want [although it's included on the ship], but the ship often sails at dinner time so there aren't many opportunities to have the evening meal ashore. Entertainment is very low key: a keyboard player in the crew and some local entertainers brought on for an evening here and there [although that is nice because they reflect the local culture rather than being Broadway wannabes].

 

All that said, both ocean cruises and river cruises can only be an introduction to an area. For a really in depth immersion in the local culture you must do a land-based DIY tour where you stay in local hotels, eat all your meals in local restaurants, and spend enough time to see all the major sights in each place. We enjoy those tours too, but they are exhausting [at least when planned by yours truly]. [Well, maybe an exception to the "rule" I just stated is Azamara, which is recently featuring country-immersion cruises like the one we have booked for next Jan. 15 that visits all the ports on the Pacific side of Costa Rica.]

 

Finally, the cost issue. River ships hold between 100 and 200 passengers. The dis-economies of small scale mean they must be more expensive than ocean cruises with 1000s of passengers. So if you decide to do a river cruise, you just have to deal with the price structure. IMHO you would do yourself a disservice to try to get the cost closer to ocean levels by booking the least expensive river cruise you can find -- you will probably discover the reason they are able to market at that low price. I have put together some Stickies at the top of this thread that can give you some good basic information:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2233868

the choice of cruise lines:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2415906

and itineraries:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2220727

 

I hope this is the type of information you wanted.

Excellent response, Host Jazzbeau. Great explanation of the differences and the cost structure.

 

Roz

 

Sent from my SM-S820L using Forums mobile app

Your initial point well taken, Jazzbeau.

 

Also, there is validity to what you say about pricing. Still, there has to be some additional overhead that large ships with huge musical, lighting, acrobatic and sometimes very professionally done Broadway type shows (which in some cases have included well known celebrities at times) not to mention various physical pursuits (from ice skating to ziplining, surfing, skydiving simulator ride, and even bumper cars) and the very excellent and well equipped (sometimes even computerized) children's centers and so on have to require a good expenditure of money as well as personnel for the operation and maintenance of such thing. Then there is the pretty much 24 hour availability of food for those so inclined. (I'm not comparing the appropriateness or appreciation of these types of things as compared to the the lack of them on a river cruise Just thinking there is quite a cost to them.)

 

You are a very valuable host and contributer on these boards so let me thank you now for the many valuable pieces of info. you supply to so many of us. BTW, I did actually read the reviews and assessments on all of the river cruise line on this and other websites before I even had a clue which lines we might consider before getting serious and beginning to ask questions re: river cruising. (I had not read the info. on referrals, though and am glad I saw it later!) There were about 3 or 4 that I thought would likely work for us. I've also read some information from a popular online agency that books all types of cruising a while back that initially helped us with itinerary we thought we'd like and want to try first. We've actually booked something and now I'm working through the travel and pre-post cruise itinerary stuff.

 

With regard to the wideness of the Mississippi, I've seen it frozen over and seen it high and low (esp. in the sections at St. Louis, Hannibal, Memphis and New Orleans) but one can always see the shoreline and what's on it fairly well. No doubt not as close up as you can on the Rhine, etc. I think the Missouri is likely about the width of the Rhine and several other European rivers. At least I'll soon get to find out!

 

I'm sure your immersion style cruise will be enjoyable.(Many of us will enjoy reading your review afterwards, which I hope you'll post!

We have done 36 ocean cruises, we are currently on a Viking 23 day cruise Amsterdam to Bucharest we are in day 8 this is our first river cruise and it will be our last! It's much to regimented for us, plus don't like the no room service and quite frankly the food has been pretty bad, we are in a suite but storage space is very limited, staff is very friendly but that does not make up for the bad food and regimented routine!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I have over 20 ocean cruises and have done 2 river cruises. The Rhine and the Rhone. The only thing I liked about river cruising are the ports. Very enjoyable on the Rhine but the regiment and dining options (you must share a table) and we prefer privacy and dining for two. The staterooms are also very small. DH really disliked it.

After all that was stated above, I am off next week for a Danube river cruise with Tauck. I prefer unpacking once (just like an ocean cruise). Tauck is highly rated, smaller guest load, and larger cabin (200 sq. ft). Pricey, YES, but you get what you pay for and all inclusive.

The reason for this river cruise is to see Prague, Vienna and Budapest. I do not anticipate taking another river cruise again and this offered exactly what we needed. How bad can it be ;-)

 

I prefer ocean cruising by far and have enjoyed smaller ships such as Oceania, Seadream (under 100) and really have enjoyed Celebrity S class ships when the itinerary and timing is right for us. They all offer something special and I have an Azamara, Viking Ocean, and Regent booked thru 2019. As you can see, timing and itinerary are what is important for us when choosing a cruise line.