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Ciadan
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Hubby (52) and myself (50) love the idea of a German river cruise for our 25th anniversary next year. My daughter thinks it's a great idea - says it's middle-aged inter-railing :') but others have told us we're too young for that type of holiday (we're relatively fit and in our minds we're still 25!). :D So, wise people of these Boards... your advice would be greatly appreciated. Should we do it? :confused:

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Ciadan

 

We were first timers this past Dec (we are both 54 - but feel better and in better health then when we were 25!...) and we absolutely loved our first AMA Rivercruise. Would do another one again in a heartbeat!.

 

Have you sailed on ocean cruises in the past - and if so what lines?

 

A lot will depend on what your expectations are for the sailing and what your likes and dislikes are - as is the case with any trip one takes.

 

River cruises are definitely not for everyone. We have sailed with two other couples in the past and all we kept saying during our sailing is that couple number one would love a river cruise and couple number two would be miserable on one.

 

Always find these boards extremely helpful - and I can honestly say all the posts and blogs I read prior to our sailing were spot on - in terms of our experiences. On the ocean boards you get the gamut of opinions and experiences which I have always taken with a grain of salt.

 

If you are interested in exploring small and large cities - and like more of a boutique "hotel" experience - without all the bells and whistles (activity wise on a ocean ship) then I would think its worth you researching. Like I said we sailed AMA - and I am already researching a future sailing on Uniworld.

 

Feel free to ask questions - we sailed the Danube.

 

Bob

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Thanks for your reply Bob. We've never cruised before but I'm about to go on a short Bahamas cruise next month. :cool:

 

We both really like the idea of a river cruise - exploring European towns, sitting back on deck or on our balcony with a glass of wine, watching the scenery, and none of the worry about driving on the "wrong" side of the road! ;)

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If that's your attitude, you would probably have a great time. We have done three with Uniworld and enjoyed each one a lot.

 

Yes, it's a slower pace than we usually do if we are on our own. We find it relaxing. We are a year or two younger than you and we go at a rapid pace on vacation. We find a good balance is to take a few days on our own pre or post cruise, then use the time on the ship to relax.

 

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I am about your age, and am going on my 5th river cruise in 4 weeks. (4th on Uniworld). Age is just a number! Like JP, we run ourselves ragged for a few days pre-cruise, then let Uniworld take over.

 

Because there aren't many people on a river cruise, you will get to know your fellow passengers. We have always found fun and interesting people we enjoyed spending time with. In fact, a couple we met last year, on our Rhine cruise are cruising with us on the Seine next month.

 

Most cruising is done at night, though we've always had at least two half days of scenic sailing. In town, you can choose a ship excursion, go off on your own, or a little of both. Some lines have active options, many offer hikes and bikes. Many have bikes on board for passenger use.

 

My husband and I like to climb church towers and Castle ruins. The views can't be beat.

 

It sounds like you have the perfect attitude for a river cruise.....

 

Feel free to ask more questions!

 

Robin

 

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Thanks for all the replies. :) Hopefully this time next year we'll be on a short countdown to our first river cruise. Have a bit of research to do first! :D

 

We are older than you and addicted to river cruising. Avalon is our cruise line of choice. We book the “aquarium “ rooms to save money as we aren’t in the room much.

 

The Rhine is an excellent first river to cruise. We combined it with the Moselle.

 

Summer is the best time to cruise as you are more able to sit on the top deck. We did two autumn cruises and froze up top.

 

There can be water level issues as well in the summer. Read the stickies at the top of this forum.

 

Planning Is half the fun

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I don't think you're too young at all. On my two river cruises, most of the passengers were in their 60s and 70s, but some were younger than that, and some older.

 

Roz

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The summer months always skews a younger age due to teachers love to travel. Plus teenagers are off from school and go with their parents or grandparents.

 

Amawaterways offers an active excursion at every port which usually includes hiking or bike riding. I believe Avalon has certain sailings with active excursions.

 

 

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Oh it will definitely be a summer cruise Cobbie48. Thanks for the tip re water levels.
Do you have to travel in the summer? Europe is much busier in the summer, especially in August. Many people that don't have to travel in the summer prefer May, June or September.

 

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Do you have to travel in the summer? Europe is much busier in the summer, especially in August. Many people that don't have to travel in the summer prefer May, June or September.

 

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We have no time restrictions thankfully. :) By "summer", I mean May-end Sept, when the weather is warm, not just "school holidays summer". :cool:

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We have no time restrictions thankfully. :) By "summer", I mean May-end Sept, when the weather is warm, not just "school holidays summer". :cool:
I have done Europe river cruises in almost every month from March to November and personally prefer cooler weather. I find it easy to dress for comfort at 50 degrees, impossible to dress for comfortable walking etc when it is 90 (and yes it can be 90 or more). IMO off season has weather more to my liking, crowds are less and prices are cheaper - win, win, win. But if everyone agreed with me two of those wins would go away.

 

While you would likely be some of younger on a river cruise, most river cruisers are active, young at heart and interested in learning. River boats pretty much require mobility and are not total veg-out experience that ocean cruises can be (not that one has to treat an ocean cruise that way). In general river cruises treat people as adults - you get a daily program listing when tours depart; if you don't show up it is assumed that was your choice. The included introductory walks are generally helpful but if you want to do something else that is your choice - just make sure you know when and where the boat will be (sometimes the boat will move during a tour).

 

Having done over 20 river cruises i am prejudiced but I think you'll love it.

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Well ... we're in our 30's .. would we be too young? We're only 3 weeks from our first Uniworld cruise although my spouse has already been on a cruise before!
It would be a rare river cruiser who would avoid you just because you are younger. You are not too young if you are aware of what you are getting into. Most days are pretty full with sightseeing and tours often leave at 8:30 or 9. If you want a full breakfast that means up by 6:30 or 7am. Dinner is typically at 7:30 and often there is post dinner local entertainment (eg folk dancers). Given the busy days and early mornings the lounge is pretty quiet by 10pm, but usually the bartender stays until the last customer leaves. Don't expect a party all night crowd.
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Thanks for your reply Bob. We've never cruised before but I'm about to go on a short Bahamas cruise next month. :cool:

 

We both really like the idea of a river cruise - exploring European towns, sitting back on deck or on our balcony with a glass of wine, watching the scenery, and none of the worry about driving on the "wrong" side of the road! ;)

 

Don't draw too many conclusions from a "short Bahamas cruise" wrt to River Cruising.

 

Other than both including a steel structure floating in water they are not very alike!

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Well ... we're in our 30's .. would we be too young? We're only 3 weeks from our first Uniworld cruise although my spouse has already been on a cruise before!

 

 

What's "too young"?

 

But do expect to be one of the younger couples on board. You will probably see some teens or 20 somethings on "graduation trips" with family but IME experience the crowd will be older for two simple reasons: cost of the trip and number of days ... both of these factors tend to drive average age up ....

 

I remember the first time we took a cruise that was more than 7 days, we were in our 30's. We were getting a drink b4 dinner and were the only folks at the bar ..... I asked the bartender, "what's the main difference between a 7 day and a 14 day cruise?"

 

He looked around the bar and said, "20 years. Average age goes up 20 years."

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We did our first River Cruise last September with Avalon and loved it. We are 54 years old and have traveled all over the world via cruise ships and trains. There was a good mix of ages on the River Cruise and it was what I would call a very spry group. There is so much walking required for the tours in the towns and there are also usually options for more strenuous hiking, say up to a castle or through a vineyard. There were also bikes onboard that could be checked out and used while in port. It is a great way to see lots of small towns within a short time period. Rooms on the boat were a good size with the entire wall as a sliding glass door. Food was good. Overall we loved it and will hopefully do many more.

 

 

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I'm 47, and loved my first river cruise. In fact, I vastly preferred it to mainline ocean cruises. Yes, most of the included tours moved at a slower pace than i usually take, but there is always the option to break off on your own. I never cruise for the ship, or the party atmosphere on a ship anyway. I am all about the ports, and what they have to offer. The ship is just a floating place to sleep.

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I'll be going on my first Viking river cruise in 4 weeks. I'm 49 and my husband is 48. The idea of river cruising has always appealed and despite being told it's only for 'oldies' we were not deterred. We're so looking forward to it and meeting our fellow travelling companions whatever their ages :):)

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The summer months always skews a younger age due to teachers love to travel. Plus teenagers are off from school and go with their parents or grandparents.

 

Amawaterways offers an active excursion at every port which usually includes hiking or bike riding. I believe Avalon has certain sailings with active excursions.

 

 

Yes Avalon also has active excursions. We are set to sail on Avalon in June and there are usually 3 options of excursions, which at least 1 will be some sort of a walking tour/hike or biking. One stop also has a canoe excursion.

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An AMS to BUD cruise on Uniworld in May will be our first river cruise. I've been lurking on this board for three months or so and reading everything I can find from all sources.

 

We're elite on Celebrity with ten ocean cruises, so I track that board as well. I'm very pleased that most experienced river cruisers on this board, regardless of the line sailed, have generally had a really enjoyable time. The Celebrity board mostly has posts complaining about MDR service, food quality, poor overall service or aggressive onboard marketing to a captive audience. The mass market cruise lines are sacrificing quality and service to remain price competitive. I understand you get what you pay for, but it sounds like this trip will be a very big upgrade for us. We're very excited!

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GoSpurs

 

I completely agree with you on your comments re: the ocean boards.

Posts of late focus more on the negative vs the positive and while I am all for reading both the positive and the negative - it does appear that the nickel and dime theme (unless one travels in a suite or on an upscale all inclusive line) is a recurring theme along with a decline in food, service, etc. Also the thought of disembarking with 2000, 3000 or 4000 people in a port now is not something I am interested in doing. Walking off the ship into a city or town as we did on AMA was something we had not experienced before except on our Canada/NE sailings or in Alaska - that and the boutique "hotel" experience sold me.

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Hello Ciadan,

 

I am glad to read that the previous posters have been able to dispel your doubts about river cruising and been able to sell you to actually trying one! Usually works. :D

 

Joking aside, you do seem to have the right attitude towards river cruising and there is not much I can add to the previous posters' great advice. I would just say that, as you have no time restrictions, go for anything between mid-May to end of June or anytime in September. Should you also be free to go for more than 9 days look at cruises on the Rhine and Moselle that are from 10 to 13 days long. Or just do the Rhine with a pre- or post- cruise and leave the Moselle as your cruise after that. After all, you might enjoy your first cruise so much that you will want to go again!

 

Have fun planning and do come back to the forum with more questions anytime.

 

notamermaid

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