1st time river cruiser

[sarahspeedy87]

Hello, I am after some advice. My husband and I are in our early 30’s, we am normally an ocean cruise and fancy a change this year so have been looking at river cruising instead.

I have found one with Riviera but am worried that the excursions might be a little bit slow placed( as i have read) so should I be looking at the more trends ship such as the u by Uniworld? Although the decor is very loud and I like a bit of luxury. Any advice would be great?

Thanks

 

Sarah

[notamermaid]

Hello Sarah,

 

welcome to the world of river cruising. On top of the river cruise forum title page you will find some stickies by our host jazzbeau that are great for first time river cruisers or those thinking of trying it out.

 

But back to your question. On my river cruise there was a couple in their thirties who seemed to be enjoying themselves. River cruising can be slow paced but you can make it very busy if you take all the offered excursions and head out by yourself during freetime. Or do your own excursions with bike rides, etc. It also depends a bit on where you go. Just remember that evening entertainment is very low key. This is where U by Uniworld is supposed to differ.

 

You could certainly look at this new type of cruising and I should think it is quite different from Riviera Travel. Although I must say that as regards luxury level I find the Emily Bronte and the Lord Byron quite appealing.

 

As U by Uniworld is new there are no reviews yet. Official normal itinerary sailings will start in Spring. Bear in mind that U by Uniworld will not be all-inclusive and excursions will differ quite a bit from the norm. It sounds fun from what I have read especially for the more adventurous people under 40. But we are not all party or sports people, no matter what age, so if you like laid-back with some activity in a group and on your own in a good mix, complete with pampering and are happy with sharing tables with people over 50 then Riviera Travel would be fine for you as well.

 

Could you wait with your decision till the first two or three sailings of U by Uniworld have been?

 

Where are you thinking of going, I mean country or route?

 

notamermaid

[Hoyaheel]

I don't think all excursions are going to be slow paced - most will have the option to do a slow paced tour if you prefer, but in general - we found ours (Avalon, NUE-BSL, Christmas markets) to be generally decent paced (we were 41 & 46 when we took that cruise). There are many more boats/companies offering active tours (hiking, biking etc) that you can explore - more than just U by Uniworld.

 

We actually liked the fact there wasn't evening entertainment - but then, my first cruise (age 13) was on HAL, as was my second (age 33) ;-) If you're interested in what a river cruise DOES offer, instead of how it differs from ocean cruising, it doesn't matter how old you are.

 

[that said, I still prefer land travel in Europe - my preference is to rent an apartment in a city for a long weekend or week and just explore, shop markets, cook etc - I don't like paying for river cruise excursions because then I feel compelled to take them when I usually prefer to explore on my own. The excursions are usually good - that's not the problem ;-)]

[texkan]

My suggestions to you are to research ALL the different river cruise lines and rivers. A few river cruise lines are offering new active discovery cruises. Again research, research, research. Look at Avalon for new active discovery cruises in the 2018 catalog or website.

[English Voyager]

I prefer a leisurely paced walking tour as it enables one to take photos or videos of sights of interest or beauty.

[MOTY]

We went on our first river cruise last month (ages 32 and 38) and we had a fantastic time. We met a few other 30- and 40-somethings on the ship and enjoyed going on the excursions with them, and also drinking with them in the lounge after dinner. Many of the "older" guests had their own fun there, too! :D

 

We sailed with AmaWaterways, and they gave us options of what kind of pace we wanted on our tours. One for "gentle walkers" and another more fast-paced tour. Either one would have been fine. If we had gone on the gentle walkers option, we would have been able to take more pictures. They also had hiking and biking tours, but most of them had to be canceled because of snow/ice on the trails in early December.

 

Let me know if you have more questions, I'm happy to help! I absolutely loved it!

[Got2Cruise]

You don’t need gentle walker tours if you want to take photos. Each tour no matter which cruiseline includes headsets where you can hear the guide speak. So it is very easy to allow the group to continue and take your photos and then catch up. Believe me, the regular tours don’t move all that quick. Also you can simply ditch your group and meet them back on the bus at the given time.

 

 

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[JPH814]

I find it amusing the perception that river cruising is for old people who need a slow paced vacation.

 

My wife and I have done three now. We are early 60’s and quite active. River cruising is exhausting. Every morning up for breakfast then off the ship about 9. Usually not back until late afternoon. (Yes there are “gentle walker” options but we take the regular tour) Shower, dress, happy hour and briefing on next day. Dinner and maybe a post dinner drink in the lounge. Ready to crash by 9:30.

 

Repeat for 7 days in a row. Or more. No “sea days” like ocean cruises.

 

 

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[Roz]

I find it amusing the perception that river cruising is for old people who need a slow paced vacation.

 

My wife and I have done three now. We are early 60’s and quite active. River cruising is exhausting. Every morning up for breakfast then off the ship about 9. Usually not back until late afternoon. (Yes there are “gentle walker” options but we take the regular tour) Shower, dress, happy hour and briefing on next day. Dinner and maybe a post dinner drink in the lounge. Ready to crash by 9:30.

 

Repeat for 7 days in a row. Or more. No “sea days” like ocean cruises.

 

 

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Agree with JPH's assessment. That has been my experience also. River cruising is anything but slow paced.

 

Roz

[sarahspeedy87]

Thank you, and sorry if I have offended anyone. I was just trying to read reviews for the shore excursion and a few people mentioned they where quite slow paced. But great to hear they are not, we are normally off the ship at 8am, do our own thing around town and then back on just before the ship leaves.

 

 

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[H2Otstr]

I find it amusing the perception that river cruising is for old people who need a slow paced vacation.

 

My wife and I have done three now. We are early 60’s and quite active. River cruising is exhausting. Every morning up for breakfast then off the ship about 9. Usually not back until late afternoon. (Yes there are “gentle walker” options but we take the regular tour) Shower, dress, happy hour and briefing on next day. Dinner and maybe a post dinner drink in the lounge. Ready to crash by 9:30.

 

Repeat for 7 days in a row. Or more. No “sea days” like ocean cruises.

 

 

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I agree. On a slow day, or short day, (some stops are only for a few hours) we log about 3 miles on our fitness tracker. On a busy day we put in 10 miles.

[Roz]

I think those Viking TV ads that show cruisers sitting in deck chairs and loungers and just watching the scenery go by are very misleading. I've had several people I work with approach me with questions about river cruising. Some of them thought it would be a good way to travel with elderly and/or disabled family members and friends. I've had to explain the reality of what river cruise travel entails.

 

Roz

[JPH814]

Thank you, and sorry if I have offended anyone. I was just trying to read reviews for the shore excursion and a few people mentioned they where quite slow paced. But great to hear they are not, we are normally off the ship at 8am, do our own thing around town and then back on just before the ship leaves.

 

 

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Please don’t take my comments as being offended Not offended at all.

 

Another thing to realize when comparing ocean to river cruises: on ocean cruises you pay for each excursion. So depending on the port, you make a judgment if you want to pay for an excursion or do the port on your own own

 

At least with Uniworld, virtually all excursions are included in the price. ( one or two optional ones per week may have an upcharge). So you can do the port on your own, or even book private tours, but in my experience it is rarely necessary

 

 

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[gnome12]

You have to be careful about booking private tours because docking times can change at the last minute due to water levels and river traffic.

 

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[Roz]

Gnome gave you good advice. Agree with KPH. Uniworld's included excursions are very good. No need to pay for private tours when you've already paid the cruise line.

 

Roz

 

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[acwmom]

I agree with all of the above. A river cruise can be more exhausting than Disney:D

 

With regard to going off on your own, on our Rhine Cruise last spring, we had a couple in their early 30's that did that on many days. I'm not talking arranging their own tours, just wandering around town on their own, choosing to skip the walking tour. My husband and I will often do that, as well, if there is a climb we want to make. For example, we passed on Uniworld's included Cologne tours, and climbed to the top of the Cathedral tower. In Durnstein, we skipped the walking tour, and hiked to the castle ruins, above the city. In both cases, we knew when the ship was scheduled to leave, and made it back with plenty of time to spare.

 

Robin