Recommend cruise line for family trip to Germany

[amyhphoto]

I’d like to start researching a future trip to Germany. We’re a family of 4. Kids will be 8 and 11. I’ve only cruised the Caribbean so I’m not familiar with the River Boat Cruises other than the Viking catalogs that seem to arrive monthly. What lines should I focus on? Thanks

[LHT28]

some lines  do not allow young children

You may want to ask on the river cruise forum

 

[wheezedr]

Viking is clearly the largest in that arena but as was previously pointed out they do not alllow younger children.  When we sailed there was one couple with 2 older children,  16 and 19 if I remember.  You should realize that there are no children oriented activities on a river ship.  You are looking at a ship with roughly 130 to 190 passengers and where every day is a port activity day.  No pools, no climbing walls, entertainment may be a singer or a pianist in the evening.  I always tell adult friends who are experienced ocean cruisers that the only 2 things river and ocean cruising have in common are that you are in a ship on the water.

[capriccio]

47 minutes ago, amyhphoto said:

I’d like to start researching a future trip to Germany. We’re a family of 4. Kids will be 8 and 11. I’ve only cruised the Caribbean so I’m not familiar with the River Boat Cruises other than the Viking catalogs that seem to arrive monthly. What lines should I focus on? Thanks

There is an entire board here on Cruise Critic dedicated to River Cruising: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/115-river-cruising/    I recommend that you start your research with the stickies posted by Host Jazzbeau on the top of the first page.  As others mentioned, some lines do not allow children or, increasingly common, only allow children on specific sailing.  After reading the stickies, feel free to ask questions because that board has some of the most informative posters on Cruise Critic including a number that live in Germany.

[Coral]

Crystal does allow kids. At least there was a 5 year old or so on our sailing. There are inside swimming pools on the ships also. Not a lot of activities for them.

 

Amawaterways, Tauck and Uniworld have some ships/sailings that are designated for families. I would check them out.

 

Amawaterways has a connection with Disney: https://www.adventuresbydisney.com/river-cruising-with-disney/  

 

[amyhphoto]

11 hours ago, Coral said:

Crystal does allow kids. At least there was a 5 year old or so on our sailing. There are inside swimming pools on the ships also. Not a lot of activities for them.

 

Amawaterways, Tauck and Uniworld have some ships/sailings that are designated for families. I would check them out.

 

Amawaterways has a connection with Disney: https://www.adventuresbydisney.com/river-cruising-with-disney/  

 

Thanks so much for your helpful reply! I didn’t know Crystal did those types of cruises!

[Texas Tillie]

4 minutes ago, amyhphoto said:

Thanks so much for your helpful reply! I didn’t know Crystal did those types of cruises!

 

Crystal got into the river cruising market about 3 years ago. They have 5 boats, 4 new ones and a complete remodel of one old one. The old one sails between Vienna and Budapest on the Danube only as it is wider than most river boats and doesn't fit through the locks on the Rhine.

[Coral]

15 minutes ago, amyhphoto said:

Thanks so much for your helpful reply! I didn’t know Crystal did those types of cruises!

Crystal started river cruising in 2016. They have 5 ships so their itineraries are limited but if you are new to river cruises, you may find one that you like. I was on the Crystal Mozart at the end of November and there was only 1 child. He was on a lot of tours with us and seemed to be having fun.

[Hlitner]

You have specified a country (Germany) that really does not have a lot of cruise ports.  Like many countries in Europe, Germany is best enjoyed on a land trip (we prefer to simply rent a car).   A River cruise is certainly a much better option then any Ocean Cruise...but river boats are not well suited for children/teens.  When our DD was 9, we took her on her first European trip.  Although she had been cruising since age 5, we realized that a European cruise was not the ideal thing for a child.  So we flew into Frankfort and ultimately spent our first night in a small time on the Rhine (Assmanhausen).  We then used a combination of boats and trains to move up the Rhine to Cologne, over the Amsterdam, and then down to Paris for a few glorious days.  Then we trained over to Switzerland for a few days before heading back to Germany and home.   Now, having over forty years of extensive travel experience we would probably opt to lease or rent a car for a few weeks since that would give us the maximum flexibility.

 

Hank

[Essiesmom]

Do river cruise boats have cabins for four?  Or connecting cabins?  Would you be comfortable with your kids in their own cabin if the cruise line allowed it - or be happy having to split up?  EM

[Coral]

1 hour ago, Essiesmom said:

Do river cruise boats have cabins for four?  Or connecting cabins?  Would you be comfortable with your kids in their own cabin if the cruise line allowed it - or be happy having to split up?  EM

The 3 lines that I mentioned have certain sailings that they are catering to families. For example - AMAWaterways has 3 ships that has rooms for 3 and connecting cabins.

 

https://www.amawaterways.com/connections/multi-generational-ships

 

 

 

[Coral]

Here is an option for a land trip designed for kids:

 

https://www.adventuresbydisney.com/europe/germany-vacations/

 

I am not as daring as Hank is to rent a car in Germany (they drive fast!). 

[Essiesmom]

4 minutes ago, Coral said:

Here is an option for a land trip designed for kids:

 

https://www.adventuresbydisney.com/europe/germany-vacations/

 

I am not as daring as Hank is to rent a car in Germany (they drive fast!). 

 

Not sure I am as daring as Hank, but I did live in Germany for three years, and I had a car...  But I was much younger then.  Will say that I got any desire for speed out of my system while there.  EM

[CPT Trips]

Who said there aren't many ports in Germany? Wurzburg, Nuremberg, Rudesheim, Cochem, Boppard, Zell, Bernkastel, Speyer, Koln, Bonn, Trier, Koblenz, Bamburg, Wertheim, Passau, Regensburg are all cities/towns in Germany where we docked.

Then there are Rothenburg and Heidelberg that we visited on ship's excursions.

[Coral]

48 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

Who said there aren't many ports in Germany? Wurzburg, Nuremberg, Rudesheim, Cochem, Boppard, Zell, Bernkastel, Speyer, Koln, Bonn, Trier, Koblenz, Bamburg, Wertheim, Passau, Regensburg are all cities/towns in Germany where we docked.

Then there are Rothenburg and Heidelberg that we visited on ship's excursions.

We even visited Munich on a ship excursion.

[Roz]

I beg to differ with Hank.  I just got back from an Amsterdam to Basel cruise, and most of the port stops were in Germany - Frankfurt, Rudesheim, Speyer, Cologne, Heidelberg, etc.  

 

If you really want a German flavor, try Arosa, German river cruise line.

 

Roz

Edited January 21, 2019 by Roz

[Hlitner]

50 minutes ago, Roz said:

I beg to differ with Hank.  I just got back from an Amsterdam to Basel cruise, and most of the port stops were in Germany - Frankfurt, Rudesheim, Speyer, Cologne, Heidelberg, etc.  

 

If you really want a German flavor, try Arosa, German river cruise line.

 

Roz

Beg all you want 🙂  (only teasing).  We have done river cruises in Germany (on both  the Rhine and Danube) and loved the voyages (on Viking).  However, there were very few children on those river cruises.  In fact, on our 14 day River cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest there was not a single child or teen.  We have also driven rental cars through a good part of Germany and there is much more to that beautiful nation then what you can see on a River cruise.  Compare seeing Germany on an Ocean and/or River cruise to seeing the USA on an Ocean and/or river cruise.  Just like in the USA, there is an awful lot of Germany not accessible to those cruises :).  Another issue with River cruises is the very brief time in many spots (we once saw an entire country in less than 3 hours).  Also consider that many of the best River cruises includes group tours...which are not generally designed for children.  Our daughter (now a mother of her own children) still remembers her first European trip (age 9) when we stopped for frequent "Orangina Breaks"  not to mention frequent ice cream stops :).  

 

Hank

[Coral]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Beg all you want 🙂  (only teasing).  We have done river cruises in Germany (on both  the Rhine and Danube) and loved the voyages (on Viking).  However, there were very few children on those river cruises.  In fact, on our 14 day River cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest there was not a single child or teen. 

I think if they stick to the "family voyages" that those 3 lines have, they will have more kids and it will cater to families in activities. At least their website appears to be kid family for these voyages. I do believe the best way to see a country is via land though.