River Cruises vs. Ocean Cruises

[traderrivage]

For all of you river cruisers out there, I wonder what opinions you have about taking a river cruise vs. taking an Ocean cruise. Any thoughts on why you choose a river cruise over an ocean cruise?

 

Thanks for your feedback!

[roaming_kiwi58]

Simple answer:itinerary!

No matter what sort of cruising it is, we love the "moving hotel" concept and not having to keep repacking. We have done a great deal of land travel over the years and the constantly changing hotels becomes more tiring as we get older. Obviously you can visit places on a river cruiser that you can't on an ocean cruiser, so it gives us different options. We never choose a cruise for the ship, always the itinerary. We like small - in ocean cruisers preferably less than 1000 passengers, though we will go a bit bigger if the itinerary is right. We do not need lots of entertainment. So river cruising, with usually about 120 fellow travellers suits us well. But the itinerary is always the number one consideration.

[whatnot]

I agree, it is all about the itinerary. But we DO NOT like big cruise ships either. Small ships go to more interesting ports because they can. The big ones can't go there. The cruise industry has become so big that lots of ports are just too crowded. I like the less visited ports on small ships. We have not done a ship larger than 450 passengers since 2006 and we do an average of 2 cruises per year. We have done Uniworld River cruises, but we have also done (what you refer to as ocean cruises) on Sea Dream Yacht Club (112 passengers), Windstar (150 passengers) and Regent (450 passengers). We also like the moving hotel idea of both a small ship cruise and a river cruise. We also do not need lots of entertainment so both river cruises and small ship cruises work for us. I don't like being herded like cattle on the big ships and don't like anyone trying to sell me my picture! Also, the service on small ships is outstanding!

[cruisinskier]

I also agree the itinerary is a big part of choosing a river cruise. We are about to head out on our first river cruise and the things we are looking forward to include: docking in the centre of town (vs having a 60-90 minute drive in ocean ports like Rome or Florence), staying docked later into the evening in certain ports, doing multiple ports same day, getting to know our ship mates on a more personal level, and having our shore excursions included (along with some beer & wine at meals).

 

It is not a consideration for us but I know some people are more prone to sea sickness and they are better off on a river cruise with less motion.

 

We are not anti big-ship and in fact we have 3 future cruises booked on Celebrity. We will see if we miss the casino, the entertainment, night-life, etc but I have a feeling the intimate environment and cultural experiences will enhance our experience. I will report back in after our trip but we expect to have a great experience and I see including more river cruises in our future bookings.

Edited July 4, 2014 by cruisinskier

[traderrivage]

Great insights! the "moving hotel" description is a really great summary. I too like smaller ships, although the new mega ships make attempts at creating a smaller ship feel.

 

Thanks all!

[Lolotte]

I also like the moving hotel concept. just back from a Viking cruise, loved the itinerary, the service and the food but I did miss the entertainment after dinner and also the pool on a hot day. we will keep doing both !!\!

[Rosethorn40]

I think each type of cruise (River or Ocean) has it's advantages & disadvantages. I am no expert on River Cruising as I booked my first Viking Cruise (Romantic Danube). I don't expect or need a big production show each evening, nor any kind of wild night life, which is good because I don't think I will find it on a European River Cruise. I love the idea that in the course of a week I will get to experience Buda & Pest and Vienna as well as some smaller towns, and travel in a moving hotel. We did a river cruise this past Spring on the Mississippi and I loved just watching the passing scenery going by. As we are traveling in December I won't miss the pool. I might feel differently if it was a summer trip.

 

Going to Europe at least once a year going forward is a priority for DH & I and I think it will be a mix of large ships, smaller ships, and River Cruising.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Simple answer:itinerary!

No matter what sort of cruising it is, we love the "moving hotel" concept and not having to keep repacking. We have done a great deal of land travel over the years and the constantly changing hotels becomes more tiring as we get older. Obviously you can visit places on a river cruiser that you can't on an ocean cruiser, so it gives us different options. We never choose a cruise for the ship, always the itinerary. We like small - in ocean cruisers preferably less than 1000 passengers, though we will go a bit bigger if the itinerary is right. We do not need lots of entertainment. So river cruising, with usually about 120 fellow travellers suits us well. But the itinerary is always the number one consideration.

 

Very we'll said..

[didicruiser]

River and ocean cruising are soooo different, IMHO. The ship experience varies greatly.

Ocean cruising I enjoy the entertainment. Going to the various bars to enjoy different genres of music. People watching is enjoyable also as is watching the ocean go by....

River boats have a little "show" after dinner, some better than others. After the show, just about everybody goes to sleep; usually around 10-10:30.

 

As was stated by previous posters, the ports are definitely better with the smaller river boats. I have met wonderful people on both types of cruises.

Edited July 7, 2014 by didicruiser

[English Voyager]

I think that with a river cruise one should not overlook the possible negative impact of fluctuating water levels.

 

I agree that the itinerary is an important consideration, but, whether a river or ocean cruise, one should ascertain the time of arrival at a given destination, and the length of time one has there.

There can be a great variation between the different Companies.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I think that with a river cruise one should not overlook the possible negative impact of fluctuating water levels.

 

I agree that the itinerary is an important consideration, but, whether a river or ocean cruise, one should ascertain the time of arrival at a given destination, and the length of time one has there.

There can be a great variation between the different Companies.

 

Last year and this year prove your first and last points. There is plenty of information on this forum to show which cruise lines consistently do worse when the weather doesn't cooperate. Avoiding them increases your chances of having a great cruise.

[Hoyaheel]

whether a river or ocean cruise, one should ascertain the time of arrival at a given destination, and the length of time one has there.

 

True, and one should also realize (after doing due diligence and reading Cruise Critic :p) that things are not set in stone. Backups at a lock could change arrival or departure times. Bad weather at a port on an ocean cruise means you might not be able to tender and go ashore. Things happen.

 

Research, plan, then enjoy & be flexible - that's my travel motto:D

 

(I have to say that I don't like big ships and I'm rather terrified of a small river cruise ship too - for the same reason - PEOPLE! :o Big ships have too many, small ships have too few (and no real place to 'hide') Ah well - I'm doing it anyway, and I'm trying to do it with an open mind!)

[aquilegia]

I don't choose one over the other, it's always about the itinerary. I actually don't have any problem with the size of the very large ocean cruise ships. But they are totally different experiences and apart from the fact that you travel by water, you can't really compare them at all. River cruise ships have to be tiny for obvious reasons (narrow rivers, low bridges etc), so they can't have anything like the range of activities of an ocean cruise ship. But by and large you don't need them because you are in a different port every day, there are no 'river days' like the 'sea days' on an ocean ship. And if you're not in port, you always have a close view of countryside, villages etc to enjoy. It's not like being on the ocean where you often don't see anything but the odd ship except when you're entering or leaving port. Think of them as a different kind of holiday.

[TW6cruiser]

They are two different experiences. As others have said it is all about the ports and what you want to see. We've been on many Princess cruises, including two in Europe, and one Viking River cruise. On the river cruise, it is a more personal experience in terms of service especially at meal time. If you want to go to your cabin during dinner it is just a quick 5 minute trip. But then after dinner other than piano music and a few special events, mostly on the river cruise there is nothing to do. On the river cruise the meals are at set times, there is no workout facility, no casino, no "energy". But you also don't have to find a table at the breakfast buffet, or get lost on a big ship. Each has pros and cons. I wrote that on my review to Viking. They kept asking if the experience was better or worse than ocean cruising. It is neither, it's just different.

 

 

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[caviargal]

For all of you river cruisers out there, I wonder what opinions you have about taking a river cruise vs. taking an Ocean cruise. Any thoughts on why you choose a river cruise over an ocean cruise?

 

Thanks for your feedback!

 

We rarely ocean cruise these days as we find:

 

- the ships much too large and overcrowded for our liking

- nickel and diming are a given

- continued decline in quality of food and service

- overcrowded ports

 

If we do take an ocean cruise, it is on a small ship on Oceania or similar, no mass market lines.

 

We enjoy river cruising for the small ship experience, proximity of docking spaces to ports, smaller towns visited, lack of nickel and diming and overall ambiance.

 

We have done 6 river cruises with 2 more booked and AMA is our preference overall.

[PBJ63]

We just completed our first river cruise in June. It was amazing and I am so glad we did it as the itinerary was wonderful. But, that being said, we probably won't do another river cruise. We found the small ship to be just too confining for us. We don't do the shows or casinos, but we enjoy being able to walk around a lot and see various things. We also missed the variety in food offered on a large ship. The food on our river cruise was excellent, but there just weren't many options. Every night was a 3 course 2-3 hour affair. We just don't handle that all that well for night after night. Again, I love that we did the river cruise, but found it just wasn't our "cup of tea."