Average Age Question

[Dem920]

OK, this is a weird question, but what is the average age of river cruisers. The reason I ask is we are trying to plan our vacation for 2013 and I think it would be a good way to see more of Europe, but would be bringing my kids. Now, my kids aren't little kids, they are in their late teens and early twenties, but I want to make sure there will be things for them to do at night if I take them on this type of vacation. We went to Africa last Summer and they loved it, but not sure if a river cruise around Europe will be good for them. IF you think they wil like it, is their a particular cruise line that would be best for the younger set. My husband and I are in our 40's and would love some active excursions while docked.

 

We have done the large cruise lines in Europe, but wanted to get more local flavor.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Teresa

[LHT28]

From what I have read the entertainment in the evening barley keeps the adults occupied so if bring children make sure they can entertain themselves

I think the average age is probably 70

We have not done our cruise yet but just from my research

 

I am sure others will have the correct answers

[4774Papa]

OK, this is a weird question, but what is the average age of river cruisers. The reason I ask is we are trying to plan our vacation for 2013 and I think it would be a good way to see more of Europe, but would be bringing my kids. Now, my kids aren't little kids, they are in their late teens and early twenties, but I want to make sure there will be things for them to do at night if I take them on this type of vacation. We went to Africa last Summer and they loved it, but not sure if a river cruise around Europe will be good for them. IF you think they wil like it, is their a particular cruise line that would be best for the younger set. My husband and I are in our 40's and would love some active excursions while docked.

 

We have done the large cruise lines in Europe, but wanted to get more local flavor.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Teresa

We have only done one river cruise in the past couple of years, the Vantage Russian River. I was 63 when we did the trip last year and the average age was higher, probably in the upper 60s. I will say that the vast majority were in good health and got around fairly well.

Vantage attracts people that seem to be financially comfortable. Met several physicians on the trip.

Compared to the last Caribbean cruise we just finished last month, there the river cruise people were more fit, not as many obese people.

[franski]

Teresa -

 

Night time entertainment very limited/laid back on a river cruise. No gambling, very few (if any) shows. One option would be to search for an itinerary that spends evenings docked - and your kids can look for something "local" in town.

 

DH and I are mid-late 50s (DH = 57, I am 55) and we tend to be on the younger end of the spectrum. We have met a few teenagers/20-somethings on our cruises, but they are few and far between.

 

Some of the lines offer a "family friendly" itinerary - but it may be geared towards kids a bit younger than yours. Check out Uniworld - as I believe they do offer this type of trip on the Seine.

 

The crew on a river boat tends to be young, so if you do go, you could ask the crew what they do for entertainment in the evenings. I am sure they can make suggestions.

 

Fran

[Wormy53]

My DH and I are also 50's and just booked our first river cruise. With all the new builds and all the recent increase in river cruise advertising, I am betting that they are trying to bring in us babyboomers. I know that I have gotten a TON more snail mail lately regarding river cruises, and that doesn't even begin to include e-mails. We were ready to try something new.

 

I think that if the kids loved their cruises in the Med, that they will probably like seeing another view of Europe.

[Jesterscourt]

I think a river cruise would be very exciting for the young adults. I recommend doing your homework about each stop so you can plan some exciting things to do during free time and at night when docked. Try to go on an itinerary where the boat docks right in town or right at a metro stop so they can walk right off and back on without much hassle. For example, the Danube River trip that starts in Passau and ends in Budapest afforded us the opportunity to disembark with relative ease ( with the possible exception of Vienna, but even there we found it exciting and adventurous to take the metro and were experts after 2 days). We were able to walk into the tiny Austrian town of Durnstein at night and it was like a ghost town with steep steps and narrow foreboding alleys in total darkness (good thing we brought flashlights!) almost like the set of a medieval horror movie. What kid wouldn't have a field day with that? This trip gives you Munich and Vienna with tons of things that interest the entire family, and ends (or begins) in Budapest where they will never forget the Museum of Terror or the shoes on the Danube, and where they would have a blast spending a day with the locals at the thermal baths.

The most boring aspect of the cruise for them will probably be those interminable slow meals at night

[pingpong1]

Wormy53 - You are correct that the River Cruise industry is going to (has got to) somehow start marketing to "boomers" because their past demographic of cruisers (people our parents' ages) are either "fading away" or becoming just too frail to be able to continue to enjoy this type of cruising in the future. LHT28 - I completely agree with you, as well. At 64, I was one of the younger/healthier folks on my recently completed cruise. I was one of only about 6 passengers who were physically capable of "hoping" up the stairs between decks. There are few (if any) river boats with elevators. As you probably know, Europe does not have their own version of the "Americans With Disabilities Act". How do you even begin to make a 500 year old cathedral or castle ADA compliant!? 400 year old cobblestone streets are very difficult and hazardous for a disabled person or a 70+ year old with poor vision, severe arthritis, or knee problems to walk on. There's only so much room on one of these relatively small river boats. The stairs (ladders) are steep and narrow and it's very easy to lose your footing if you're not careful - even if you're younger. The hallways are narrow and there are ever-present "trip hazards". It is not in the River Cruise industry's best business interest to over-emphasize or warn of these impidements because they would scare away many of their most-frequent (and affluent) customers. The demographic is overwhelmingly in their late 60's and early to mid-70's on these cruises. I saw a few folks who were in their 80's. Healthy for their age but still in their 80's. There is virtually nothing onboard the ship in the evening to peak the interest of the average teen (a pianist playing the "swing hits" of the 40's! I doubt it) The only channels I got on our flat screen TV (the 3 channels that were in English!) was Bloomberg Financial Channel, CNN International, and BBC World News. It even put me to sleep! The movies that were played on a continuous loop included "The Sound of Music", "A Bridge Too Far", and "Valkieri". And there was nothing wrong with that for the vast majority of people who made up the passenger list. But again, nothing geared to young adults. By 9:30PM or 10PM, most people were in bed (to sleep!). The average teenager I know would be looking for the nearest railing to jump overboard from! Even in most of the villages we pulled into, they were rolling up the sidewalks by 8PM. Most of our cruising was at night, making our way to the next set of Cathedrals we were going to be touring the next day. The late teens/early 20 "somethings" would be interested in hanging out with all the other young people in the central parts of Amsterdam - That's where it's "happening" for the younger set and there was some excitement there. But we were only there for two nights before the cruise boat actually weighed anchor and started heading south on the Rhine. After that, I didn't see any opportunities that would attract the younger group mentioned in the original post. Regards.

[LHT28]

I recommend doing your homework about each stop so you can plan some exciting things to do during free time and at night when docked.

Just curious how do you find what ports that you stay at for the evening ?

 

I have yet to find any port times listed for any of the river cruise lines.

 

I know on the cruise we booked we overnight in Amsterdam,Vienna, Budapest & stay late in Marksberg for the dinner in the Castle there but no other clues on times for the other ports

[LHT28]

Wormy53 - You are correct that the River Cruise industry is going to (has got to) somehow start marketing to "boomers" because their past demographic of cruisers (people our parents' ages) are either "fading away" or becoming just too frail to be able to continue to enjoy this type of cruising in the future. LHT28 - I completely agree with you, as well. At 64, I was one of the younger/healthier folks on my recently completed cruise.

 

Well I am the same age (64) but just had knee replacement in Jan so no hopping up any stairs just yet ;)

The boat we booked has an elevator but not from the bottom deck so we did book the middle deck..hopefully I will be good to go by June

Bed will be looking good by 11 pm for me ;)

 

I think many younger folks these days my be bored by river cruises but some may enjoy the experience just depends on their own little personalities

 

Lyn

[travelgirl87]

The cruise lines seem to be getting better at attracting people -- both young and old -- with their newer ships. We'll be on the Vantage Discovery II soon (the first of three sister ships that Vantage is rolling out) and not only does the ship have elevators between some of the decks but the cabins are all fitted out with wifi, entertainment-on-demand (video, etc), and GPS tracking. Actually wifi is available throughout the ship and is free (yay!). The detailed itinerary on Vantage's website shows the times the ship is scheduled to arrive/leave each destination along with a blurb about what attractions will be seen that day so that it's easy to plan your own activities to supplement/replace what is scheduled.

[4774Papa]

I agree with many of the posts that river cruise boats don't offer much in the way of entertainment for young people.

 

However, don't forget the trip itself, which is the heart of the matter. When I was in my teens and twenties, I would have died to have gone to Europe on one of these river cruises.

 

I am a history buff and travel still gets my blood flowing. If your kids are interested in history and European culture, they would love a river cruise in Europe.

 

I lived overseas when my kids were teens and they loved all the history with the old cathedrals, medieval fortifications and European ambiance.

[Dem920]

The comments are all helpful. I like the idea of porting overnight to getting the local flavor. I think the kids would enjoy that. They do love history and if they had the internet they would be set. We would be going in July or August do any of the ships have pools or jacuzzi's?

 

I appreciate all the help.

 

Teresa

[whitemocha]

I was 30 when I went on my first river cruise a couple years back. I was by far the youngest passenger. The next youngest was a lady in her late 40s. In general it seems like the demographic on river cruises are fairly limited -- an overwhelming majority of travellers are financially affulent caucasians in their 60s and 70s... as opposed to the ocean cruises I've been on where the demographic is much more diversified. There's some kind of regulation in place so even all the staff have to be from European countries. In this sense I do much prefer the big cruises where I can meet people from different backgrounds, cultures, ages, etc.

 

That being said, I still enjoyed the river cruise on the Danube. Just had to ship focus from people & entertainment to more towards scenery, art & history. I particularly liked how on a river cruise you can see all the castles, houses, forest etc you're passing by while sailing, and most of the time you can walk into town from where you dock.

 

So I guess it'd be a good fit if they are looking for a slower-paced, relaxed, cultural vacation. Bring a book or laptop and you can entertain yourself while the most beautiful scenery drifts by in the background. If you want something active & adventurous, there are better options out there.

 

BTW since my mom really loves river cruises, when I go with her I try to balance out the "slow" cruising portion with more packed & exciting destinations a few days pre-cruise/post-cruise. Works out well for both of us.

[franski]

I believe the SS Antoinette has a pool and a (3D) movie theatre. This could help keep the younger members of your family entertained.

 

The Antoinette cruises the Rhine (Amsterdam to Basel) so you could extend on either end. There is lots to see in Amsterdam - if you have not been there before. Or - you could take the train from Basel and head towards Geneva, or elsewhere (the rail system is so civilized in Europe...)

 

Also, not sure if you have any "techies" in your family, but one of the stops on this cruise offers a trip to Speyer --> and they have a great Technology Museum there. They have a full-size 747 on pillars, and you can climb up a ladder and walk around inside. To come back down, you can climb back down the ladder, or you can slide down on a slide made for just this purpose.

 

Have fun planning!!

 

Fran

[pingpong1]

Dem920 - It did occur to me a couple of minutes ago that there is at least one river cruise line (I think it might be Uniworld) that carries bicycles onboard. When the boat pulls into the port, they unload the bikes and your kids/teens/young adults could "blast off" and ride all over the place. Europe is very "bike friendly" and this would allow them to cruise all over these villages and little towns and see more than they possibly could on foot. They'd just have to be back before sailing time so the bikes could be loaded back onboard and they wouldn't miss the ship. You might want to check this out. Regards.

[LHT28]

Not sure how many children you are bringing but the cabins I have seen only sleep 2 so if more children then you may need more cabins

 

It may not be as cost efficient as the Ocean going ships are

[caviargal]

OK, this is a weird question, but what is the average age of river cruisers. The reason I ask is we are trying to plan our vacation for 2013 and I think it would be a good way to see more of Europe, but would be bringing my kids. Now, my kids aren't little kids, they are in their late teens and early twenties, but I want to make sure there will be things for them to do at night if I take them on this type of vacation. We went to Africa last Summer and they loved it, but not sure if a river cruise around Europe will be good for them. IF you think they wil like it, is their a particular cruise line that would be best for the younger set. My husband and I are in our 40's and would love some active excursions while docked.

 

We have done the large cruise lines in Europe, but wanted to get more local flavor.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Teresa

 

IMO a river cruise would be very boring for your kids. There is very little to do in the evenings after dinner and there will be very few guests aboard even close to their age.

 

We are in our 50s and find it too quiet in the evenings most nights.

 

AMA had the youngest demographic of our 5 river cruises and the best all around entertainment. They actually had good music (live and DJ) until quite late in the evenings and we stayed up dancing til 1am two nights, very different from our other river cruises where the carpets roll up about 11am.

 

AMA also offers not only bikes but guided bike tours that ranged from 15-22km on our sailing. On several days these tours stared in one port and ended in the other, which was reached later that afternoon. They were very popular. The passenger mix was much younger as well.

 

If you decide to take them on a river cruise then I suggest one with extended times in port as well as overnight stays so they can get out and about in the ports. For us, the cruises that had too much sailing time by day were not our style, as there is nothing to do except watch scenery, attend lectures, read, etc. Some folks find this ideal but for us, it is just too slow a pace.

 

I think an independent trip by train in Europe would be a lot more fun. I have been going to Europe since I was 16 and would not have enjoyed a river cruise at those ages. Even now, we choose carefully and generally choose one when traveling with multi-generations as this is an easy trip with seniors.

[Jennmc68]

Look at Uniworld - they offer a few "multigenerational" cruises in the summer months which are geared for all ages and advertised as such in the brochures.

 

I am booked on one of these with my children this summer - younger than yours, but equally thrilled with history and exploring castles, cathedrals, etc. We just discovered this week that our itinerary is one that my MIL was considering, so she is now booked on it as well, along with her partner.

 

The upside is that all those who don't want to cruise with younger travelers - fair enough- can avoid these booking dates. The boat will have a wii or Xbox set up in a games room, and tours are modified a bit.

 

Will they be bored on the Cruising bit? That depends on them personally - just as it does with adults. My 65 yr old father is not coming because he would be "bored" - he can't sit still much longer than the average 6 yr old unless he's on the computer!:D

 

Must add, though, that my TA said that the idea of multigenerational cruises is a growing one and considered an untapped niche, so they expect to see more families river cruising in the coming seasons!!!

[Buck1949]

Dem920 - It did occur to me a couple of minutes ago that there is at least one river cruise line (I think it might be Uniworld) that carries bicycles onboard. When the boat pulls into the port, they unload the bikes and your kids/teens/young adults could "blast off" and ride all over the place. Europe is very "bike friendly" and this would allow them to cruise all over these villages and little towns and see more than they possibly could on foot. They'd just have to be back before sailing time so the bikes could be loaded back onboard and they wouldn't miss the ship. You might want to check this out. Regards.

 

Hello there fellow Arizonan....... I am planning (way in advance) a River Cruise for September 2013 (Amsterdam to Basel) via the SS Antoinette. Would love to compare any information that you have or that you discover regarding river cruising.

 

I am in the Phoenix area, and this will be my first River Cruise... (after 3 "Big" Ship Cruises). We are also considering spending a total of about 3 weeks touring Germany while over there.

 

Thanks,

[stanc3]

We went on the Antoinette from Basel to Amsterdam at the end of August. We loved the ship and the crew. It was an amazing trip on the Rhine seeing the castles and wonderful towns along the way. We did spend a couple of extra days in Basel and 3 days in Amsterdam. We would be glad to answer any questions you may have. In October we are going from Budapest to Prague.

[Aussie Teen]

We are on the Amacello doing the same cruise this August and I am interested in knowing about the weather. I realise it will not be the same this year but some idea of the temperature would be helpful. We have 4 days in Amsterdam as well.

[jacksonnh]

Here's some info on Amsterdam temps and weather in Aug. You can search there for other locations.

 

http://goamsterdam.about.com/od/amsterdammonthlyguides/a/August-In-Amsterdam-Travel-Advice-Weather-And-Events.htm

[Buck1949]

We went on the Antoinette from Basel to Amsterdam at the end of August. We loved the ship and the crew. It was an amazing trip on the Rhine seeing the castles and wonderful towns along the way. We did spend a couple of extra days in Basel and 3 days in Amsterdam. We would be glad to answer any questions you may have. In October we are going from Budapest to Prague.

 

A quick question....regarding your cruise. Did you by chance look at the Avalon Waterways cruise that is virtually the same? I have preliminarily priced out the Avalon compared to the Uniworld and found almost the exact same itinerary etc for almost $1000 cheaper than Uniworld.

 

Just curious if you or anyone compared and if so why you picked one over the other.

 

 

Thanks in advance.

[cbb]

I used to teach seniors in high school (and community college) and I don't think my students would have enjoyed the nights on board. We often would be underway during dinner so there wouldn't be any chance for your kids to experience night life in town. Check the itineraries and see how many ports you would overnight in. They probably would enjoy most of the ports during the day but the club scene starts late so overnights would be necessary.

 

Our experiences with Avalon cruises was that most of the folks were in their 50s and early 60s and active. Sure there were some older folks but most were agile and we had some younger people too. Lots of boomers and many were from Australia and New Zealand.

 

On our trips there was virtually nothing to do after dinner. That was fine for us as we downloaded our daily photos, did some hand laundry and read. Boredom question depends upon how easily they entertain themselves and you know your kids better than we do!

[Buck1949]

We went on the Antoinette from Basel to Amsterdam at the end of August. We loved the ship and the crew. It was an amazing trip on the Rhine seeing the castles and wonderful towns along the way. We did spend a couple of extra days in Basel and 3 days in Amsterdam. We would be glad to answer any questions you may have. In October we are going from Budapest to Prague.

 

Sorry to keep asking these questions...but also did you or anyone check the Viking River Cruise that is almost identical. While I am still leaning toward taking the SS Antoinette via Uniworld, the $1000+ price difference for similar accomodations and excursions does weigh into this also.

 

As I have mentioned previously... I have had both knees replaced (last one a year ago) so am also looking at what kind of trips/excursions I can take since walking great distances is still a problem.

 

Anyway....any information (tips, suggestions, have to see, need to avoid) or just about anything else would be appreciated.

 

I have large ship experience but have never been on a River Cruise.

 

Thanks once again,