multi-generational river cruises

We have been ocean cruising with our two children since 2011 and love it. Due to extreme vertigo I can not cruise so we are considering a family river cruise next July in France. Children will be 2 weeks shy of 16 and 13.

Has anyone tried one of these river cruises? Any thoughts? We would have to get 2 cabins but Uniworld is now building a boat for 2017 with adjoining cabins.

We don't have kids, but friends of ours just returned from a Rhine River cruise with their 15 & 11 year olds, who loved it. Unsurprisingly, the crowd was mostly retirees, but my friend said her two boys has a grand time and didn't get bored. I would imagine it is all dependent on tolerance for historical/cultural tours as well as the ability to stay entertained without all of the bells and whistles of an ocean cruise.

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Tauck has cruises aimed at families, and AMA's new boats have cabins designed specifically for families. AMA uses those new boats for some cruises co-marketed with Disney, but those boats are available throughout the season for AMA cruises too.

We are doing our first river cruise on the Rhine in Sept 2017 so we are starting to plan for that trip now. Not be familiar with included excursion on River Boats we are wondering if you have to sign up for particular excursions ahead of time or do you sign up on board. Is there usually room for everyone who would like to go on a particular excursion?

We are doing our first river cruise on the Rhine in Sept 2017 so we are starting to plan for that trip now. Not be familiar with included excursion on River Boats we are wondering if you have to sign up for particular excursions ahead of time or do you sign up on board. Is there usually room for everyone who would like to go on a particular excursion?

Most river cruises have many included excursions as part of the package. There is space for everyone on the ship to participate in those excursions. But you are not required to go on every excursion, if you want to skip one and do a port on your own.

There are also optional excursions available in some ports. Those you pay extra for, and the space available depends on how many sign up for it.

We are doing our first river cruise on the Rhine in Sept 2017 so we are starting to plan for that trip now. Not be familiar with included excursion on River Boats we are wondering if you have to sign up for particular excursions ahead of time or do you sign up on board. Is there usually room for everyone who would like to go on a particular excursion?

On a Tauck River cruise there will be choices at a number of stops and you sign up for a particular event whilst on board, usually a couple of days in advance. There is plenty of room for everyone and unlike a number of river cruise lines there is no extra charge. Everything on a Tauck cruise is included in the price. Tauck have a cruise director and three tour directors which means when you combine those with local tour guides you'll always be well looked after. Enjoy your cruise.

Thank you for your replies to our Tauck question on excursions. We had been wondering how that worked.:)

Thanks to tjb19841987 and Host Jazzbeau for replying to my question. After this weekend's events in France we are now unsure about bringing our children there until things stabilize. We are not usually afraid of world events but France seems to be a target. Due to my medical issues we are now not sure what to do as France was decided upon because the Paris to Normandy route is relatively flat topography.

Decisions, decisions!

Hello 1of4,

I understand your concerns. May I suggest something quite different? There is a company called Arosa, a German river cruise company that branched out onto the North-American market a few years ago. The demographic is somewhat younger than you might find on some other cruise lines. They have a modern, clean and tending-towards-spa-and-mild-adventure-cruises image. For the German market they offer family cruises. You might find those too awkward because of the language barrier, but do give them a try, I mean look at their online-catalogue. They have an American office. From 2017 they sail the Seine also, but the route they offer mostly for international customers is Amsterdam - Basel. What variations there are with this company you can see from the thread by marysb on her river cruise with ARosa: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2370628

On one or two of their family cruises (in German only, I believe; again, check with a TA or the online brochure) they offer a trip out (not far from the Rhine it is) to an adventure leisure park. A great place for the young ones (from pre-school to the young-at-heart grandparents).

The Rhine is a nice river to sail and while the castles are perched high on hills you can easily get around most towns as they are obviously in the river valley. Most of them are flat to not really hilly. You could stay in the valley while your children can go on a coach trip (check for age restrictions for unaccompanied children). Amsterdam is really flat, of course. Talking of which, have you thought about a cruise in the Netherlands and Belgium instead? One such itinerary is offered by Avalon.

Come to think of it, perhaps you might be happier with very little time in Paris and then head East to Metz or Remich to get the ship along the Moselle? http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2353480 could give you some clues if this might be for your family.

Alternatively you can still have a look at the standard Danube cruises. I am sure other cruisers can help you with some ideas so that you can decide if such a trip might be "the right one". :)

notamermaid

Thanks Notamermaid! Wonderful ideas. Our children are really young adults and not too little anymore (except in my heart). Our son will be 13 and daughter just 2 weeks shy of 16 when we hope to travel. We have to go in school holidays and before the 3rd week in July when our son is away wilderness camping in north. All Amsterdam/Belgium river cruises seemed to be in the spring when they are in school. But I will look again.

Thanks again. Perhaps the Rhine is the way to go!

You are right partly, sorry, the cruise with Avalon that I meant - it includes Namur in Belgium - is only available in Spring and in October. The adventure park I mentioned is near Rheinhausen not far from Breisach in the Upper Rhine valley. Great for your teenagers with all its rides and other attractions but also nice just to stroll around and enjoy a slow train ride on a park railway and sit in cafés. School holidays mean such a park is quite full, but then Paris and tourist areas in France will be if you hit the late July date the French children go on holiday. You will find the temperatures quite bearable (almost all the time) in the Rhine valley, especially the more Northern part. But the Danube would be nice as well, I guess.

If you think they might not like seeing too many cathedrals and churches you could choose an itinerary that includes Bonn or Düsseldorf instead of Cologne. But Cologne is stunning... some nice shops on Schildergasse, as well.

Anyway, glad I could be of help.

notamermaid