Are my concerns about European river cruises valid?

I have traveled to Europe many times and have a pretty good idea for what I like and do not like when there on a land based vacation.

What I like when in Europe:

- Staying in very nice hotels that will be a memorable part of the trip. Hotels are more than just a place to sleep for me. I like staying somewhere that is special, upscale and nicer than my house.

- A decent amount of down time. When I was younger, I'd want to see as many sights as I could in a day. But now, I'd rather take a more leisurely pace, with time to just relax if I don't feel like doing anything that day.

- Flexibility to plan as I go. I usually have a list of things I'd like to see before I arrive, but once I'm there it's rare that I check off everything on my list. If I missed the big museum on Tuesday, I know that I can check it out later in the week if I want.

- Enjoying nice dinners at local restaurants. I use review apps to see what restaurants in the area get great reviews and might offer an experience I would not find at home.

- Shopping in non-tourist areas. I'd rather explore where the locals shop.

- Self guided tours or very small tours (less than 10 people) led by a local, where you can spend just as much time getting to know then as you learning about their city.

What I don't like when in Europe:

- A rushed schedule. I don't want to feel exhausted at the end of the trip. I made the mistake a couple of years ago by planning a trip to Ireland with too many stops/overnight stays in one week. In hindsight, I would have cut the stops by a third and explored each city I stayed in a little more.

- Group tours and big buses. I'm sure you've seen what I'm talking about. A large herd of people walking together through a museum or historic site, following a guide holding a sign above their head so people don't get lost. Some even include headsets. Same thing with a big bus tour where the guide uses a microphone to speak while someone else drives.

- Eating with other tourists. Obviously not possible to avoid all tourists, but I'm talking about places where at least 75% are not local.

I'm asking becasue another couple who we have traveled with many times asked us to join them on a river cruise in Europe next year. They went on their first European river cruise this summer and loved it so much that they can't wait till they go back. While I've traveled with them many times, we've learned that some types of trips are better than others. Where they like more structure and predictable meals, we like being able to go at our own pace and the joy of finding a restaurant that caught us by surprise.

I'm sure you can tell from my likes/dislikes above, I already have a perception of what to expect on a river cruise. I do like the idea of getting to sample several different cities that I normally would not visit. But I've read that you can create your own DIY trip on land that follows a similar route.

I should also mention that I have a love/hate relationship with ocean cruises. I love being sailing the ocean and being able to sample a few different ports. Some destinations are better by an ocean cruise ship, like Alaska where it would be difficult to visit the same ports by land or air.

With all this information, I'd love to hear from some of you about if you think I'd enjoy a river cruise in Europe. Maybe I'm being to closed minded. Maybe there are other river cruises that would be a better fit for my travel style. Since I'm pretty well traveled in Europe and can get around there on my own, maybe another region like Asia where I would not typically travel on land on my own would be better.

Thanks for hearing me out and I hope to hear from some of you.

I think you have really answered your own question. You really don't want to take a river cruise and have pretty much convinced yourself that you would not like it.... and indeed you probably would not.

On a river cruise you don't stay in hotels, you eat most of your meals in the same place, you won't be on tours with less than 10 people and the ship sails whether you are ready to leave that location or not. If it's not for you it's not for you.

We're going on our first river cruise in a few days, and I share your concerns. We're actually doing a Road Scholar trip, so lectures, tours, meals, etc, are all included - in one big happy family. There looks to be up to 40 participants. We'll be on CroisiEurope, a French line, which seems to be decent, but not super fancy.

For me, however, since I am the one who does 95% of the travel planning and coordination, the thought of occasionally having someone else do it all is very appealing. We usually travel in a multigenerational group of 8, which is a bit like herding cats. We always do private tours in port as I prefer the flexibility and the ability to get away from the crowds. This trip is just dh and me. I've given less thought to this 2 week trip than I've given to some of my errand runs into Austin.

I'm assuming that some river cruise lines are conveyance and meals only, and the excursions are extra? If that's the case, you could still do your own tours or DIY in the ports. You can also opt to eat in port when available, as opposed to going back to the ship. Choosing an itinerary that gives you evenings in ports would let you wander the towns more.

There are also companies that are more high end, like Uniworld, and some that seem to cater to a more active group. I think AMA has bikes you can check out for free in each port, and excursions grouped by more or less active?

I've ocean cruised a few times, and spent 2 years basically at sea in the Navy on a ship with an active operational schedule. The whole "on the ocean" bit is not a novelty to me. I actually don't like sea days, don't like big crowds, and prefer cruises that take me to a different port everyday. I do like the idea of not changing hotel room every day or two. I'm hoping the river cruise will do this with the added benefit of seeing the countryside as we pass through it.

I've resigned myself to the food not being exceptional. Decent is not bad if someone else is cooking for me all week.

We're also spending a 3 days in Amsterdam, at a very nice hotel, prior to the cruise, to give me some of the land based perks I like - wandering the streets, trying new cafes to sit and people watch, etc.

Thanks. i realize that I've pretty much made up my mind, but I'm hoping to hear arguments that I wasn't expecting. So I really like your reply as it sounds like we have some things in common. I'll be very curious to hear what you think after your cruise. Have fun.

Thanks. i realize that I've pretty much made up my mind, but I'm hoping to hear arguments that I wasn't expecting. So I really like your reply as it sounds like we have some things in common. I'll be very curious to hear what you think after your cruise. Have fun.

We are independent travelers and generally visit Europe 3x a year. River cruising is something we first tried in 2008 and we have been on 15 total. Initially, this mode of travel was very appealing as we often took my mom with us and she was in her 70s at that time and walked with a cane for assistance. Then she had two knee replacements and was more mobile, but still aging. River cruising turned out to be ideal for us to travel as a family as DH and I could take off on the more active excursions and mom could enjoy the "gentle walker" options. We enjoyed our meals together and everyone was able to get the vacation experience they enjoyed, while still traveling as a family. Mom passed away last year but we have now found that river cruising works for us when we want a trip that does not involve a lot of packing and unpacking or moving around. DH especially (we are 10 years apart in age) enjoys a more relaxed pace in terms of changing hotels and has long referred to the land trips I plan as a "forced march". :)

We participate in only about half of the group excursions as a rule, and have no problem taking off on our own to explore.

We are sailing next year for the first time on Amadeus river cruises. They are not well known in the US as they have been marketing primarily to the European market for many years and are well known there. We were fortunate to have the chance to visit one of their river boats in France last year and found it very well appointed. Berlitz rates it highly as do some of the high end tour companies who charter their ships. The appeal lies in the fact that they do not include excursions, but instead have them for purchase, at very reasonable costs. They have a great reputation in Europe for food and service and a very reasonable price structure. We are going with a group of 13 couples and singles are very much looking forward to a new experience.

We have also been aboard 2 of the ships of Croisi to visit and, while clean and well maintained, we prefer more luxurious rooms and public areas and know this line would not work for our tastes.

Hope that helps a bit!

Why don't you hire a barge or cruiser and have your very own river cruise. Very flexible, you would have to research your stops and where you can berth.

There are loads of companies that hire boats out for 1 or 2 weeks.

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What I like when in Europe:

- Staying in very nice hotels that will be a memorable part of the trip. Hotels are more than just a place to sleep for me. I like staying somewhere that is special, upscale and nicer than my house.

YOUR CABIN WILL BE NICE BUT NOTHING CLOSE TO A "VERY NICE HOTEL" ROOM. SMALL.

- A decent amount of down time. When I was younger, I'd want to see as many sights as I could in a day. But now, I'd rather take a more leisurely pace, with time to just relax if I don't feel like doing anything that day.

YOU CAN BLOW OFF EXCURSIONS AND JUST DO YOUR OWN THING ONBOARD (SHIP WILL BE EMPTY) OR OFF THE SHIP

- Flexibility to plan as I go. I usually have a list of things I'd like to see before I arrive, but once I'm there it's rare that I check off everything on my list. If I missed the big museum on Tuesday, I know that I can check it out later in the week if I want.

NOT POSSIBLE TO DO BECAUSE SHIP DEPARTS AT A SPECIFIC TIME & THERE'S NO WAY TO GET BACK TO THE TUESDAY MUSEUM

- Enjoying nice dinners at local restaurants. I use review apps to see what restaurants in the area get great reviews and might offer an experience I would not find at home.

ON OCCASION YOU CAN HAVE A NICE LUNCH ASHORE. USUALLY NOT DINNER UNLESS OVERNIGHT IN A PORT EXCEPT SOMETIMES AT START & ALWAYS AT END OF CRUISE

- Shopping in non-tourist areas. I'd rather explore where the locals shop.

OFTEN POSSIBLE. YOU CAN INFORM YOUR GUIDE AND WANDER AWAY FROM YOUR WALKING TOUR & REJOIN AT THE MEETING POINT (IF BUSSED) OR OFTEN JUST WALK BACK TOU THE SHIP ON YOUR OWN. VARIES BY PORT OF COURSE.

- Self guided tours or very small tours (less than 10 people) led by a local, where you can spend just as much time getting to know then as you learning about their city.

UNLIKE OCEAN, REALLY DIFFICULT TO ARRANGE PRIVATE TOURS AS RIVER CRUISE TIMING AFFECTED BY LOCK TRAFFIC AND POSSIBLE MOVED DOCKS

What I don't like when in Europe:

- A rushed schedule. I don't want to feel exhausted at the end of the trip. I made the mistake a couple of years ago by planning a trip to Ireland with too many stops/overnight stays in one week. In hindsight, I would have cut the stops by a third and explored each city I stayed in a little more.

"explored each city I stayed in a little more" OBVIOUSLY RARELY POSSIBLE ON RIVER CRUISE

- Group tours and big buses. I'm sure you've seen what I'm talking about. A large herd of people walking together through a museum or historic site, following a guide holding a sign above their head so people don't get lost. Some even include headsets. Same thing with a big bus tour where the guide uses a microphone to speak while someone else drives.

YOU JUST DESCRIBED NEARLY EVERY RIVER CRUISE TOUR

- Eating with other tourists. Obviously not possible to avoid all tourists, but I'm talking about places where at least 75% are not local.

BREAKFAST & DINNER ABOARD SHIP HAS ZERO LOCALS, ALL TOURISTOS

 

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Based on your well considered preferences you should avoid river cruising like the black plague

I'm a diy-er for travel and while I enjoyed the ship & the ports on our river cruise (NUE-BSL Christmas markets on Avalon) I am too frugal to skip excursions that have already been paid for, so river cruising isn't for me at this point in my life. I didn't want to do the tours every day (and we skipped one or two) but since they had already been paid for.....Well, it just wasn't my choice. Perhaps if the per diem cost were much lower. My in-laws LOVE river cruises and have done many, but they don't want to fly much any more so they're stopping- for different reasons....We'll see if that sticks. I think they'll get bored with cruises they can drive to. For us, we'll stick to an apartment rental and a few days exploring an area on our own....

If there was a scale of 10 for river cruise enjoyment odds I would put you at 3. But you would even need to work at that. Sorry for the direct answer. Many things that you like doing you cannot do on a river cruise. Yet on the other hand I like the DIY and hotel scenario you describe and nevertheles enjoyed my river cruise very much. It is just not the thing I could do every year and I would struggle to like that kind of indulgence for more than a week.

If you think our opinions have not helped you decide yet, have a look at the stickies on the top of the page and do not go for more than 8 days (on a ship, excluding pre- or post stays). Avoid the aquarium class, meaning cabins close to the water line, they will not be for you.

I like kerryincorks suggestion of a self-drive barge or boat cruise. Plenty of options for that in Ireland, Britain and France.

If you would like to experience the rivers of Europe on a day-trip basis there are also local companies that do the scenic stretches and some inbetween. The Rhine and Danube have many options, there are some on the Moselle. The Elbe has some great paddlewheelers. I do not know the situation on the other rivers.

notamermaid

Why don't you hire a barge or cruiser and have your very own river cruise. Very flexible, you would have to research your stops and where you can berth.

 

There are loads of companies that hire boats out for 1 or 2 weeks.

 

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Wow, I had no clue there was even such a thing. Sounds very cool and something that would be very unique. I need to do some research on this as it sounds like it might be a good compromise. Our friends would be happy because they are on a river cruise, I would be happy because I'd be more in control and could eat locally instead on the barge. Thanks so much!

Based on your well considered preferences you should avoid river cruising like the black plague

Thanks. I guess I should not have been so black and white in my original post as I realize I can't get all of my "likes" on a ship. I just wanted to paint a picture of the types of things I enjoy to see if there were others who enjoyed the same things but also had good experiences on river cruises. I love your reply to my comment about big tours LOL Made me smile :)

I'm a diy-er for travel and while I enjoyed the ship & the ports on our river cruise (NUE-BSL Christmas markets on Avalon) I am too frugal to skip excursions that have already been paid for, so river cruising isn't for me at this point in my life. I didn't want to do the tours every day (and we skipped one or two) but since they had already been paid for.....Well, it just wasn't my choice. Perhaps if the per diem cost were much lower. My in-laws LOVE river cruises and have done many, but they don't want to fly much any more so they're stopping- for different reasons....We'll see if that sticks. I think they'll get bored with cruises they can drive to. For us, we'll stick to an apartment rental and a few days exploring an area on our own....

Sounds like you and I have similar travel tastes so I appreciate you sharing your experiences.

Please try river cruising you might be surprised.

We travelled with APT from Budapest to Amsterdam and had a great time.

The "wired for sound" tours are in fact a boon to someone with bad hearing, and the beauty is that you can be a fair distance from your guide and still hear clearly what they say - no need to bunch up.

You can of course go off by yourself at each stop - one lot actually left and rejoined after racing us along the banks on push bikes.

The rivers, going up and down the locks, and the fact you're close to shore the whole way makes for fascinating sights.

And best of all its all inclusive - booze, food, tours, tips etc. No nasty surprises at the end.

If there was a scale of 10 for river cruise enjoyment odds I would put you at 3. But you would even need to work at that. Sorry for the direct answer. Many things that you like doing you cannot do on a river cruise. Yet on the other hand I like the DIY and hotel scenario you describe and nevertheles enjoyed my river cruise very much. It is just not the thing I could do every year and I would struggle to like that kind of indulgence for more than a week.

 

If you think our opinions have not helped you decide yet, have a look at the stickies on the top of the page and do not go for more than 8 days (on a ship, excluding pre- or post stays). Avoid the aquarium class, meaning cabins close to the water line, they will not be for you.

 

I like kerryincorks suggestion of a self-drive barge or boat cruise. Plenty of options for that in Ireland, Britain and France.

 

 

If you would like to experience the rivers of Europe on a day-trip basis there are also local companies that do the scenic stretches and some inbetween. The Rhine and Danube have many options, there are some on the Moselle. The Elbe has some great paddlewheelers. I do not know the situation on the other rivers.

 

notamermaid

Yep, reading my original post to myself I see now I was too direct :) I know I'm not going to find the same things, but thought it would help to let people know what I typically enjoy. But I am open to new experiences and willing to try. My concern right now is the cost. I'm hesitant to try something where "I score a 3" when it has a pretty high price tag. My rough estimate last night came up with my land based trip being much lower than a river cruise. Thanks though for your input. I really appreciate everyone sharing their opinions with me.

For barges and boats here is one option: http://www.gobarging.com/ but there are lots more. Perhaps a travel agent can help you if you cannot find the wood for the trees on the world wide web.

notamermaid

I do think you may find a good compromise where it would increase you from a 3 to maybe a 6 or 7. Here would be my recommendations:

#1. Choose a high end river cruise line such as Uniworld, Tauck, Crystal or Scenic where it is all inclusive with 5 star food and service.

#2. Choose a suite instead of normal cabin where the square footage will be close to 300 sq ft. With all the lines I mentioned above except Tauck this will include butler service which can greatly enhance your experience

#3. If you choose the higher end lines they are very likely to have smaller tour group sizes as opposed to a mid to low end line. I've been on excursion with Uniworld with less then 10 as they divide up the tour groups into manageable sizes.

#4. Choose an itinerary that is likely to have later stays in the evening and/or over nights and has fewer bus rides or at a minimum shuttle service back and forth to the main town. For us that has been the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel. Many of the stops you walked right off the boat into the old town and the ones that didn't had shuttle service back and forth. I think the longest bus ride we had was 15 minutes

#5. Only take one included excursion per day and use the rest of the day to explore on your own. Or simply use the included excursion as transportation or as an overview of the town. We often start out on the tour then tell the guide we are heading out on our own. Then we either meet them back at the appointed time or walk back to the ship. OR we take a taxi back if we aren't ready to leave as long as you are back in plenty of time before sailing,

#6. Choose a line with active excursions such a biking, hiking, kayaking, etc... These tours are are often much smaller and have a DIY feel to them.

#7. Plan a precruise or post cruise or both stay at each end of the trip to have the best of both worlds of the river cruise and diy. When we did the Rhine we spent 2 days in Amsterdam before and 5 days in Switzerland at the end.

#8. Only choose a 1 week cruise so if you find it isn't for you at all it isn't that long.

We love river cruising, ocean cruising, and land diy trips. Each are totally different and enjoyable. If you are prepared for what to expect I think it would be worth trying one especially with great friends. Hope this helps

I do think you may find a good compromise where it would increase you from a 3 to maybe a 6 or 7. Here would be my recommendations:

 

We love river cruising, ocean cruising, and land diy trips. Each are totally different and enjoyable. If you are prepared for what to expect I think it would be worth trying one especially with great friends. Hope this helps

Great suggestions for the OP.

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how nice the accommodations are. Maybe the cabins are small but the bedding and bathrooms very nice despite the small size. The tours aren't really bus tours per se. The bus is used to transport you but then you are broken down into walking tours or even hikes. Not as intimate as ten people but not fifty either. After about an hour walking tour you have free time. You may ditch the tourguide whenever. The first thing they do is show you where you will all meet up and the time.

My observation of river cruise tour groups in European cities we have visited is that the more luxurious lines (Tauck, Uniworld, Scenic, AMA -- and surely now Crystal) have much smaller tour groups than the mainstream lines = another reason to choose one of those to more closely meet your preferences. The newest ships on most of those high-end lines also have larger cabins [e.g. most cabins on AMA's older ships are only 170 sf -- although that is still larger than some other river cruise lines' minimum -- but their newer ships have many cabins at 210-235 sf and suites at 350 sf].

I think you might want to try a river cruise. My husband and I like much of what you do about travel. We took our only (so far) river cruise last Thanksgiving aboard Crystal to see the Christmas markets. We really enjoyed it and will absolutely do another if timing and itinerary look appealing.

We aren't just averse to big tours, we are averse to non private tours, and in general, tours at all. We NEVER do cruise ship excursions. We also have a love/hate relationship with cruising. It's nice sometimes to prop your feet up and just wake up somewhere interesting. It's also great to hop on a train or rent a car to go somewhere where you are the only visitor in town. Back to excursions, our first time on a bus for a tour (ever!) was with Crystal for the river cruise and there were about 10 other people on the bus with us. With few exceptions the tours were small, had wonderful local guides and moved quickly. The only large tours were when we were at a very popular site. But they did a good job of breaking us down in to small groups with a fast moving and slow moving tour, among others. We were fine with the idea of skipping the excursions if they felt like, well, a cruise tour. But we did quite a few tours because they were enjoyable. We also did our own thing walking around the towns, dining in great restaurants, using Crystal's ebikes to explore further afield. We felt like we got our money's worth out of the cruise with the tours we did and the experience we had.

The fact that you are cruising past gorgeous scenery is also its own excursion. You could just sit and watch the world go by and feel like you are seeing Europe, because you are. And when you stop in a port town, you are right there and it is easily accessible. None of this nonsense of cruising to landlocked Rome. ;)

The ship is lovely. It is like a small luxury hotel, our usual preference in lodging. It didn't feel like a cruise ship. We did pre and post cruise travel on our own and stayed at those can't miss, "best of the best" hotels. That hotel itch was scratched for us.

We were usually on our own to enjoy lunch at a restaurant of our choosing, or we could go back to the ship. We were also in port until late on many occasions making dinner in town easy. Crystal also makes reservations for all guests at a Michelin starred restaurant in one town during your cruise. In Vienna I believe there were 4 or 5 restaurants to choose from, lunch or dinner, while we were there for a few days. You didn't go as a group, though they would provide transportation if you wished. We also had dinner at a 2 Michelin star restaurant that is also currently ranked number 9 on "the list". But we did that on our own. Food is a very big part of travel for us, and that was not impeded by traveling with Crystal. And the food onboard was excellent and the choices always included local specialties. The very gracious staff we befriended onboard would always tell us what we could not miss from the menu.

The river cruise felt much more like we were on a floating luxury boutique hotel than any other cruise we have done. No shopping malls, stores, casinos, movie theaters or show lounges aboard. Our tasteful, boutique hotel waited for us as we and the other 150 or so guests went off and saw the sites, walked the town or did a tour. It didn't feel like we were "that group" from "that ship".

I'd love for you to try it and then write a review, because I love your writing style. ;). And because I think you'll enjoy it, as we did.

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Your travelling likes and dislikes sound very like my own. I usually combine a cruise with self organised independent travel (for example a two week cruise with two weeks doing a self drive holiday in another country). In 2015 I went on a Danube River cruise with many of the concerns that you have. I found that I could have a wonderful time if I did not take the included tours. In almost all places I did my own DIY sightseeing directly from the ship or used the cruise coach to get somewhere and then left the tour (after telling the guide) to do my own thing and then meeting up again to get the coach back to the ship. The only included tour I did was of Melk Abbey. Everywhere else (Bratislava, Vienna, Durnstein, Regensburg and Nuremberg) I did my own sightseeing. In Vienna where we were for the entire day, I used the cruise bus to the city, left the tour to do my own sightseeing, did not return to the ship for the included lunch but ate in the city and then got the shuttle bus back to the ship late in the afternoon. There was a heat wave in Europe while I was on the cruise so I was able to stop for a drink, snack or Gelato whenever I wanted. The cruising part of the cruise was wonderfully relaxing and scenic. I love cruising past tiny towns and beautiful countryside. Sitting on the Sun deck after dinner with a glass of wine as we slowly cruised down the Danube on a summers evening was wonderful. I will admit that I did not particularly like having to eat dinner at a set time on the ship but I looked at that as an opportunity to meet lovely fellow cruisers.

That being said you will not have the opportunity to go back to something you have missed, you may find that you will not have enough time to see all that you want or eat dinner at local restaurants. You will be able to eat lunch at local restaurants on some days, shop where the locals shop and do your own sightseeing if you wish to. I had a wonderful time and saw many beautiful places that I probably would not have if I hadn't done my river cruise.

My suggestion would be to do a short river cruise of seven days or less and not feel that you have to do the included tours. Combine this with some independent travelling before or after the cruise so you can have the best of both worlds. You may also like a river cruise in Asia, India or the Amazon if you haven't been there previously. Otherwise as previously suggested a self cruise on a barge or cruiser could be great. Last year while in Carcassone I met two couples who were cruising the Canal du Midi in a rented cruiser who were having a wonderful time. Canal cruises in the UK are also very popular. There are canal cruises that provide a skipper and crew so that you can sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery or you can also self cruise.

Like most travelling a river cruise is what you make if it. Good luck and happy travels.

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I do most of my travel on my own with my DH and even though we prefer independent travel we take a cruise about once every 18 months and I must say, it's nice to let go of dealing with logistics and detail planning once in a while.

You mentioned that friends have invited you to join them. Have they already selected a cruiseline? Based on your description of your travel style you should definitely shoot for a more high-end line: Scenic, Uniworld, Tauck or Crystal and make it a short cruise and book a suite as the basic cabins tend to be tiny.

Are you very good friends with the other couple and do you enjoy spending time with them? Though you have different preferences a cruise could take many of the negotiable aspects out of the equation when planning what to do each day. There are fewer choices on a river cruise and you could all just go with the flow, enjoy each others's company and enjoy not having to plan so many details as a land trip entails. You can always add days or weeks at either or both ends of the cruise to get your independent travel fix.

.Crystal also makes reservations for all guests at a Michelin starred restaurant in one town during your cruise. In Vienna I believe there were 4 or 5 restaurants to choose from, lunch or dinner, while we were there for a few days.

As of 2018, this is no longer included with Crystal.

caviargal,

thanks for the info. I expect it became too much of a complicated matter to arrange with the restaurants/chefs. From what past cruisers have reported by now it seems that the food on the two Mozart and the Bach are as good, or at least are rated in the "Michelin star realm". I think the passengers will be well looked after by the ships' chefs.

notamermaid

I'll be sure to post a follow up when we get back. I'm not sure I would have picked CroisiEurope as a line, but the trip is due to a Road Scholar deposit from another trip that was "use it or lose it" so there you go. I gave dh a list of 10 RS trips I'd like to do, this being the only river cruise, and told him to pick the one that appealed to him. CroisiEurope seems, from where I am pre-trip, to be a Holiday Inn sort of level - clean, well kept, not fancy. I hoping that excepting the ship itself, the experience of river cruising would be similar throughout.

Looking at river cruise lines, I'd probably be drawn to AMA, so if we like river cruising, that might be our next line. I know for a fact I'd choose an itinerary with more evening port time, but again this wasn't a choice between cruises, but a choice between trips in a similar cost and time frame.