Is a River Cruise a Good Choice For Me

[Woobstr112G]

A river cruise has always intrigued me. One big concern I have deals with walking. Do most of the tours offered entail a great deal of walking? In the past we would hang out on the ship (large cruise ships).. Since river cruise ships are way smaller, I didn't think there would be anything to do to occupy our time.

 

Bob

Edited October 27, 2015 by Woobstr112G

[caviargal]

Most passengers will be off the ship during the day, touring. Pastimes aboard are indeed low key: reading, etc. If you prefer to have scheduled activities while onboard, IMO a river cruise may not be for you.

 

Some lines offer "gentle walker" tours that do not involve a lot of walking. There is always the option to sit in a local cafe and enjoy the people watching/scenery as well.

[Rosethorn40]

We found on our trip on the Danube that in the larger cities there was sightseeing via bus, followed by a bit a walking, usually less than an hour. For example, in Vienna we had a bus tour of the Ringstrauss, followed by a gentle pace walking tour, and then about 45 minutes free time. In the smaller towns such as Passau we docked very close to the city center, had a walking tour of about an hour, and then free time.

 

Depending on what itinerary you choose, if you do decide to walk around, you may encounter cobblestone streets. Also, my experience in Europe is that if in the US, many sites would not be ADA compliant.

[alexandra cruiser]

but totally agree with above. If you simply can t walk, afraid you d be bored on these small ships. That being said,have seen passengers with walkers getting around slowly ON OWN. The gentle walker group STILL requires you to keep up,but al slower pace.Even saw a wheelchair being used,but he could still get on and off ship on his own.Then only able to go a short distance,being pushed.

Also some shipbound passengers said they enjoy just sitting in louge and looking out the windows.You must use stairs to get to top deck.

[Hydrokitty]

Not going to repeat what others have said, but since I've done 8 river cruises and have walking and standing issues, I'll offer a few suggestions. In almost every port there will be a walking tour just to get you acclimated to where you are and where the ship is...you can either take it or not...and you can leave it anytime you please just tell the guide. My biggest problem is standing still for long periods of time, so I bought a cane with a seat attachment that has been a Godsend!! It's a cane when I'm moving and when we stop for background talk I can pop up the seat and sit...costs around $35 from magellans.com, but they have them other places too, sometimes called a sports seat. If you are unable to that, then I would agree with previous poster, you might reconsider a river cruise because there really is nothing to do on board except read or sit on the sun deck and watch the world go by. There's usually no pool and the restaurant is only open during meal time.

[jklc123]

I would only add sometimes river boats are docked in scenic spots, sometimes not. And sometimes the weather is too hot or cold/ rainy for sitting on the sun deck.

[Rebel54]

I don't know much about the topic but I've read that Avalon has "gentle walker" tours. Maybe that would be a good option for you.

[Hydrokitty]

I don't know much about the topic but I've read that Avalon has "gentle walker" tours. Maybe that would be a good option for you.

 

I think by now most of them offer a "gentle" walker tour....too many of us are too old to keep up!! :D

 

jklc is absolutely right about ports. Some of them are lovely, but I remember Constanta where we docked in a huge commercial shipyard!! Lovely.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Some river cruise itineraries involve a lot of daytime cruising, which would make them more equally accessible to passengers of all agilities -- actually, they might be even more suitable for passengers of lesser agility because some posters have complained that daytime cruising means they can't get on shore and be active! Our AMA Rhone cruise had a lot of daytime cruising, and in each port we had Gentle Walkers groups. Also Douro River cruises are required to cruise only in the daytime -- and since the banks are so steep all excursions start with a bus trip. These two itineraries should be more suitable than others.

Edited October 28, 2015 by Host Jazzbeau

[Woobstr112G]

Thank you everyone for all of the input.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Coral]

The other option - while many tours are included, you can also hire your own guide and go off on your own, at your own speed.

[Rebel54]

I think by now most of them offer a "gentle" walker tour....too many of us are too old to keep up!! :D

 

jklc is absolutely right about ports. Some of them are lovely, but I remember Constanta where we docked in a huge commercial shipyard!! Lovely.

 

I'm only 48 but after 22 years in the military, a stint on the police force and late adult onset of asthma...I like the Gentle Walker group option :)

[Hydrokitty]

I'm only 48 but after 22 years in the military, a stint on the police force and late adult onset of asthma...I like the Gentle Walker group option :)

 

You know what else is nice about the gentle walker option? Because you're moving slower you have a chance at taking some pictures!! I'm a photo hound and at times it was very frustrating trying to grab a clean shot while the group is moving away....now I have no choice....but the photo ops are a nice bonus. Sort of payback from the powers that be....you can't walk fast, so we'll let you take some nice pictures. :D

[Di Princess]

My biggest problem is standing still for long periods of time, so I bought a cane with a seat attachment that has been a Godsend! It's a cane when I'm moving and when we stop for background talk I can pop up the seat and sit, costs around $35 from http://www.magellans.com, but they have them other places too, sometimes called a sports seat.

 

Hi, Kitty,

 

Yes, my Magellan's Sport Seat is a life saver. Since it is considered a "health necessity," the airlines do not count it in your carry-on luggage (like my CPAP). I can walk fairly fast but cannot stand for long periods. This is great for when the Tour Guide stops for a while! ;)

[Talisker92]

One thing not mentioned here so far is the problem of being "rafted" with other ships. You may have to go up to the sun deck to cross to shore. Also, the docks are many feet below street level and require climbing stairs or a ramp.

[Hydrokitty]

Hi, Kitty,

 

Yes, my Magellan's Sport Seat is a life saver. Since it is considered a "health necessity," the airlines do not count it in your carry-on luggage (like my CPAP). I can walk fairly fast but cannot stand for long periods. This is great for when the Tour Guide stops for a while! ;)

 

Hi Di, since we have the same sport seat, did anyone tell you about replacing the tips? The gentlemen who convinced me to buy one told me when I got it the first thing I should do is replace the tips with cane tips because they last longer. Apparently the ones it comes with have a very short life when used the way we use them...and the regular cane tips last much longer. I got them in the supermarket....only problem I had was buying the right size.

[Hydrokitty]

One thing not mentioned here so far is the problem of being "rafted" with other ships. You may have to go up to the sun deck to cross to shore. Also, the docks are many feet below street level and require climbing stairs or a ramp.

 

Ah yes, "rafting" the down side of river cruising....although you can meet some interesting people while you're tied up cabin to cabin!! The dock level depends on where you're docked.....I've been on cruises where it's been uphill, downhill or almost straight across. Every day is a different adventure, isn't it.

[Di Princess]

Hi Di, since we have the same sport seat, did anyone tell you about replacing the tips? The gentlemen who convinced me to buy one told me when I got it the first thing I should do is replace the tips with cane tips because they last longer. Apparently the ones it comes with have a very short life when used the way we use them, and the regular cane tips last much longer. I got them in the supermarket, only problem I had was buying the right size.

 

Yes, Kitty. My middle original wore out so I took it to my local, small hardware store to get the correct size because I know they come in several different sizes. The ones on my kitchen chairs were too small. ;)

[Rebel54]

You know what else is nice about the gentle walker option? Because you're moving slower you have a chance at taking some pictures!! I'm a photo hound and at times it was very frustrating trying to grab a clean shot while the group is moving away....now I have no choice....but the photo ops are a nice bonus. Sort of payback from the powers that be....you can't walk fast, so we'll let you take some nice pictures. :D

 

I can live with that. :)

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Is it normal, when rafted, to walk between boats up on the sun deck? I ask because we just came back from Egypt and we were routinely rafted 6-deep, but the walk was through the lobbies. Since I've not yet done a European river trip, I'm just wondering what's normal.

[notamermaid]

It varies on the dock, the river level at that time and the combination of ships. As the designs are sometimes different, you may be on your boat and get one level up onto the next boat or the other way round. I had to cross two boats in Vienna and had to walk across the sun deck on one occasion. It is probably not the rule but can certainly happen to you from my experience.

 

No way of knowing beforehand.

 

notamermaid

[xpcdoojk]

Is it normal, when rafted, to walk between boats up on the sun deck? I ask because we just came back from Egypt and we were routinely rafted 6-deep, but the walk was through the lobbies. Since I've not yet done a European river trip, I'm just wondering what's normal.

 

We did both last year in the lower Danube.

 

jc

[Hydrokitty]

Is it normal, when rafted, to walk between boats up on the sun deck? I ask because we just came back from Egypt and we were routinely rafted 6-deep, but the walk was through the lobbies. Since I've not yet done a European river trip, I'm just wondering what's normal.

 

I wouldn't say it's normal....but it certainly is common. In Egypt we always walked through the lobby, but in Europe it depends. possibly on the way the ships line up, height and entry wise, but I did notice this last trip (Rhine/Moselle) that it was more frequent than not. It is less disruptive, but it can be difficult for people with walking problems. Vantage ships have a mechanical chair, but only one.....I don't know about the others.

[JVilleGal]

Is it normal, when rafted, to walk between boats up on the sun deck? I ask because we just came back from Egypt and we were routinely rafted 6-deep, but the walk was through the lobbies. Since I've not yet done a European river trip, I'm just wondering what's normal.

 

 

Last month we walked thru lobbies at least twice, the other times it was up to the sun deck and across the next sun deck and then up and down a couple set of stairs.

 

Saw some interesting ships though ;)

[Host Jazzbeau]

On both the Rhine and the Rhone we had a mix. I did notice on this Rhone cruise that they try to raft similar ships together, so the lobbies line up [or maybe because security is easier if both ships are the same cruise line?]. Anyway, most times it was through the lobby.