A main dining room that can seat everyone at one time, a reception atrium with guest services and small shop, some have a small fitness centre, or massage room or hairdresser. River cruise ships generally have three decks with a sun deck on the top, and then inside a main lounge area with a bar, which is the main meeting point for talks, events, and socialising. And they are largely the same layout inside too, as space is limited. The ships are all the same because they must be! There’s a length, width, and height required to travel under the bridges, through the locks and manoeuvre the twists and turns of the rivers.įrom the outside, all river cruising ships look the same. This is something that people used to ocean cruising can be thrown off by. One thing that struck me when I first went on a river cruise is how the ships all looked the same and how similar and limited the facilities were. In some years people have also been moved to a different ship down the river to by-pass low water levels.
Guests were then bussed to different places we were scheduled to visit. On a CroisiEurope Loire cruise we had to say moored half-way along the route. On my last Viking River cruise, water levels were so low we could not get past Vienna and had to moor there, along with dozens of other boats.
So, the cruise line can moor up and bus guests on the different excursions. One some days you may only move 20 to 40 miles along the river. River cruises don’t cover a lot of ground, unlike ocean cruises. There are solutions that the lines put in place, so be aware when booking and be ready to be flexible. Too much or too little, and they cannot pass under some bridges along the route.
#COULD A RIVER BOAT SAIL IN DEEPER WATERS FULL#
Poor winter snows and low summer rains can make it impossible for the boats to travel their full itinerary. Water levels are river cruising’s archenemy. It causes itinerary disruptions and changes and is probably the main disappointment travellers experience with European river cruising. The next issue is not something mentioned by the lines up front, but it is in the fine print. Late deals on river cruises are less frequent than for ocean cruises, in my experience. So, planning and booking far ahead is a good idea. This means that demand is high, and they often sell out as they’re concentrated into a few months. These may make a difference on whether you would choose it as a vacation or not.įirstly, you can only cruise European rivers for part of the year, as the season runs for just 7 months between April and October.Īlthough most lines also offer Christmas market cruises on the Rhine and Danube in December, most river cruise boats are laid up for up to 5 months of the year. However, I keep stumbling across things I don’t think are as crystal clear as they should be. I’ve been on several European river cruise lines, and I’ve had a good time. 10 Things European River Cruise Lines Don’t Like Talking About
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