River cruising newbie...

[wobblybob74]

Hello all,

 

We've taken two ocean cruises (and will take our third on Thursday :D) but we fancy trying a river cruise in Europe next. Obviously, river cruising is an entirely different beast to ocean cruising so I have a few questions to ask.

 

1. I am 41 and my wife is 50. Will there be cruisers of a similar age, or is river cruising mostly popular with the more mature traveller?

 

2. Is there any entertainment at all of an evening? Plainly I'm not expecting lavish productions and slightly famous 'acts'!

 

3. What would be the best company to try for a first-time cruise?

 

4. My wife gets quite seasick (but still enjoys ocean cruises). I take it that there is virtually no movement on a river cruise ship? (Except forwards!)

 

Thanks in advance, folks.

 

Rob.

Edited June 7, 2015 by wobblybob74

[caviargal]

1. I am 41 and my wife is 50. Will there be cruisers of a similar age, or is river cruising mostly popular with the more mature traveller?

 

2. Is there any entertainment at all of an evening? Plainly I'm not expecting lavish productions and slightly famous 'acts'!

 

3. What would be the best company to try for a first-time cruise?

 

4. My wife gets quite seasick (but still enjoys ocean cruises). I take it that there is virtually no movement on a river cruise ship? (Except forwards!)

 

Thanks in advance, folks.

 

Rob.

 

1) Best bet for a younger demographic IMO and IME are cruises of 7 nights (versus longer); theme cruises (wine and Christmas markets are two that work for us). While most cruisers will likely be older, we have almost always had a nice mix on our cruises. We started river cruising when I turned 50 and have noticed more and more younger cruises on our recent cruises.

 

2) Yes, normally local acts that range from string music to a chanteuse. On AMA, there has also always been at least one night of high energy entertainment and dancing, which we very much enjoy.

 

3) Read the sticky at the top of this forum - it is a great overview of the various lines and compares them to both ocean cruise lines and hotel chains. We are Oceania cruisers and find AMA to be a good fit for us.

 

4) The only time we have experienced motion is when we bounce off the walls of a lock. :)

[notamermaid]

Hello wobblybob74,

 

as you are based in the UK a company you might like to consider is Riviera Travel which I reckon might not be referred to in the sticky caviargal mentioned.

 

The rivers are calm, you do get a bit of motion on the tidal parts of rivers, I think there is more motion of the waters on the beach at Southport :), the closest I have been to Southport is the Welsh coast.

 

You might wake up when going through locks at night but that is more the noise of the engine, if you are sensitive to noise.

 

Have fun planning.

 

notamermaid

[wobblybob74]

Thanks, both of you :D

[Magnum60]

Hello all,

 

We've taken two ocean cruises (and will take our third on Thursday :D) but we fancy trying a river cruise in Europe next. Obviously, river cruising is an entirely different beast to ocean cruising so I have a few questions to ask.

 

1. I am 41 and my wife is 50. Will there be cruisers of a similar age, or is river cruising mostly popular with the more mature traveller?

 

2. Is there any entertainment at all of an evening? Plainly I'm not expecting lavish productions and slightly famous 'acts'!

 

3. What would be the best company to try for a first-time cruise?

 

4. My wife gets quite seasick (but still enjoys ocean cruises). I take it that there is virtually no movement on a river cruise ship? (Except forwards!)

 

 

 

Rob.

!. River cruises are land tour heavy and can feature lots of walking. We've found that river cruise passengers, regardless of their numerical age, are generally very youthful, in good physical shape, enjoy fun conversation at the bar late into the evening and are far from stodgy ;).

2. Broadway shows - no. Dance and very light musical entertainment - yes.

3. Sub par companies don't last very long in the river cruise business so question number three is really not answerable. Choose what accommodations and services you want and an itinerary that lets you see what you want.

4. Unless you're crossing a large lake and there is a big storm during that part of the trip the only thing that moves is the view. Your wife will experience no motion sickness.

[wobblybob74]

!. River cruises are land tour heavy and can feature lots of walking. We've found that river cruise passengers, regardless of their numerical age, are generally very youthful, in good physical shape, enjoy fun conversation at the bar late into the evening and are far from stodgy ;).

2. Broadway shows - no. Dance and very light musical entertainment - yes.

3. Sub par companies don't last very long in the river cruise business so question number three is really not answerable. Choose what accommodations and services you want and an itinerary that lets you see what you want.

4. Unless you're crossing a large lake and there is a big storm during that part of the trip the only thing that moves is the view. Your wife will experience no motion sickness.

 

Thank you for your very helpful reply :)

[papa B me]

Hello all,

 

We've taken two ocean cruises (and will take our third on Thursday :D) but we fancy trying a river cruise in Europe next. Obviously, river cruising is an entirely different beast to ocean cruising so I have a few questions to ask.

 

1. I am 41 and my wife is 50. Will there be cruisers of a similar age, or is river cruising mostly popular with the more mature traveller?

 

2. Is there any entertainment at all of an evening? Plainly I'm not expecting lavish productions and slightly famous 'acts'!

 

3. What would be the best company to try for a first-time cruise?

 

4. My wife gets quite seasick (but still enjoys ocean cruises). I take it that there is virtually no movement on a river cruise ship? (Except forwards!)

 

Thanks in advance, folks.

 

Rob.

 

1. My wife and I were both 50 when we took our first river cruise last summer with Uniworld. There were only one or two couples younger then us. A number of couples in their 50's with most over 60. This was my greatest concern when we booked this cruise. But my concerns were unfounded. What an active and fun bunch of people regardless of age.

 

2. The entertainment at night was fairly low key. A couple of nights they had local talent of different types. There was a piano player and singer in the lounge every night that would play until the last couples left the dance floor. Usually between 11-12 at the latest

 

3. One of the reasons we chose Uniworld was our age. We looked for a ship/line that would lend itself to activity. Uniworld has "Go Active" excursions which can be a bike trip, hike, kayaking, etc... depending upon the itinerary. They also have bikes that can be used anytime while in port. We used them probably 4 of the 7 days. A workout room was also important to us. The ship we chose(SS Antoinette) also had an indoor pool with jets that can be turned on to swim against the current. We also wanted all inclusive as far at tips and alcohol at any time and not just at meals(especially in the evening). I think there are several other lines such as Scenic, Tauck, and AMA that could meet many of these requirements. You have to look at the individual ships though to find exactly the features you want as not all will have all the features.

 

4. As others have stated there really isn't any possibility of sea sickness. We never felt any motion. I would probably book a cabin on the top floor towards the middle or front of the ship to avoid any vibration/noise that could occur but even if you have some it won't compare to ocean cruising.

 

I highly recommend trying a River Cruise. We are already booked on two more with Uniworld. I had actually been planning an Ocean Cruise but changed my mind after the River Cruise and decided I really love this way of traveling better if it is somewhere on my list to go. I've already got 5 more on my list after the next two.

 

Good luck planning!