Up or Down River?

[lightsleeper]

First time river cruiser

Does it make any difference as to the direction of travel on the river.

Same ship, basically same ports. a Danube cruise in Sept 2019

Appears only difference is direction

[Clay Clayton]

Check out the actual itineraries for each. While very subject to change, you might prefer arriving in Budapest for example, in the evening when it is all lit up....

[acwmom]

In addition, if you are traveling downstream, when docking (mostly late night, early in the am) the boat will rotate 180 degrees so that the bow is facing the current. This can cause some vibration, felt more at the stern of the boat. This may wake some, so is a consideration if you're a light sleeper.

 

Robin

[gnome12]

For a scenic cruising section (Wachau Valley for example) where cruising is done during the day, you will go more slowly and see more going upstream. Other cruising is generally done at night, and you will get from one port to the next more quickly going downstream, leaving potentially a bit more time in port.