by Alan K. Lee
My first experience with river cruising came on a Rhine River cruise that my wife and I did in 2015. That was one of the most stress-free, relaxing vacations we’ve ever taken, and we fell in love with Europe on that trip. In 2018 we did an independent tour of Tuscany and Cinque Terra in Italy, and we were in the beginning stage of planning another independent trip, this time to Portugal and Spain, when the Covid-19 pandemic put all our travel plans on hold. We did no traveling at all in 2020, except for one trip to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, and very little in 2021. But toward the end of 2021 it looked like the pandemic was waning, and countries in Europe were reopening, so we began thinking about another trip across the Atlantic.
There were still a lot of different and seemingly ever-changing travel restrictions from one country to the next, though. Planning a trip seemed like a pretty daunting task. So, we started thinking about an organized tour of one kind or another. I wasn’t completely sold on another river cruise at first, despite the entirely positive experience we had on our Rhine River cruise. But a river cruise does offer a good middle ground between an organized tour and independent travel, and allows you to get a taste of a variety of cities, other destinations, and often multiple countries, in a short period of time. There are down sides, of course, but since our first river cruise was such an easy and enjoyable experience, we decided maybe another river cruise would be a good way to ease back into international travel.
We ultimately decided to take the plunge and booked a Danube River cruise, despite the risks. And there were significant risks, both health-wise and financial. The risk of catching Covid-19 was still there, of course, but the cruise line’s testing and vaccination requirements (more on those later) were more strict than any of the country’s that we would be visiting. That helped ease the fear of catching Covid. The financial risk came from having to pay for the trip upfront with no guarantee that the trip would not be cancelled or that we would not be able to go because one or both of us tested positive for Covid, or some other circumstance beyond our control. And cancel-for-any-reason travel insurance is expensive, so much so that we decided to forego it.
I was considerably more concerned with the financial risk than the health risk. The cruise line promised to provide a voucher for a future trip if the trip was cancelled on their part due to Covid or other reasons. But I had read stories about cruise lines not fully living up to those promises. And if we had to cancel the trip, or failed to pass the required pre-trip Covid testing, we might lose the entire cost of the trip.
Since we had to provide proof of a negative test taken no more than 72 hours before our flight, we didn’t know until less than 48 hours before boarding our flight that the trip would actually happen. But we both tested negative, and the trip came off as planned. The photos here are from that trip.
Once on board, we were tested again for Covid, and then three more times during the voyage. Fortunately, we tested negative each time, as did all of the people we got to know on the cruise. At least four couples did test positive during the cruise, though, and were removed from the ship. And then we had to pass a sixth test before we could return the U.S. That all added a bit of stress to this trip that didn’t exist on our Rhine River cruise, but we still had a very enjoyable trip.
If you’re contemplating a river cruise, start planning well in advance of your intended departure. Cruises often sell out early, and the more desirable staterooms go quickly. Early booking also usually gets you a better price. We booked our Danube cruise six months in advance, but we still had to settle for a basic stateroom on the lowest deck (our window near the ceiling was just barely above the waterline). The better staterooms on the deck above ours were already fully booked, as were most of the more expensive suites on the top deck.
Both of our cruises were on Viking River Cruises, and both were very enjoyable and problem free. Viking is the largest river cruise line, but there are many other river cruise lines operating in Europe and elsewhere. Uniworld, Tauck, AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways, and others all offer a variety of river cruises.
Viking caters to middle aged or older couples (children under 18 are not allowed on Viking cruises), and river cruise lines haven’t typically catered to families or single travelers in the past, but that is changing as cruise lines look to expand their clientele.
Itineraries, cruise length, amenities, number and type of shore excursions, and river boats sizes and number of passengers vary, both between cruise lines, and often between different cruises offered by the same line. Prices also vary between cruise lines and by seasons.
The more research you do, the more likely you will find that cruise that perfectly matches your needs and desires. The Affordable Tours website is a good place to start. It gives a good overview of the benefits of river cruising, river cruise destinations, information about most of the cruise lines, and suggestions for which lines to check out based on your preferences. Check out the cruise lines’ web sites, also. And there are other websites that provide information on river cruises, as well.
Before our 2015 Rhine River cruise, I was not sure that river cruising would be to my liking. But by the second day of that voyage I knew we had made a good decision. That cruise is easily the most relaxing trip I’ve ever taken. We simply had nothing to do except sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery. Everything was taken care of for us. Most meals were provided, and the food was superb. That was a pleasant surprise.
Another surprise was the quality and variety of the shore tours. The Heidelberg tour, for example, was conducted by a grad student at Heidelberg University working on his doctorate in history. We got a college course worth of local history packed into a two hour tour. And the pub crawl in Cologne was almost worth the price of the whole cruise. Most of the actual cruising was done at night, so on most days we spent the majority of our time on shore. There was at least one free tour each day, and usually one or two optional, extra cost tours. And there was always time to explore on our own at each port of call.
Viking lost a lot of their staff during the pandemic downtime, and many of the crew members on our Danube cruise were new and still learning their jobs. The level of service and the quality of the meals was a notch below that of our Rhine River cruise, but still nothing to complain about. And without exception the crew members on our ship were friendly and eager to please.
Viking “longships” carry about 190 passengers. Some of the ships on other lines carry as few as 125 passengers. With relatively few other passengers and a small ship, you have plenty of opportunities and ample time to get to know your fellow travelers on a week long cruise. Meeting and getting to know people from other places and other walks of life that share your wanderlust is one of the benefits of a river cruise. Most of the people on the cruise were Americans, but the crew members came from all over Europe, and there was a surprising amount of interaction between the crew and the passengers.
River cruising is not for everyone, but my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed both of our cruises. If you think you might enjoy a river cruise, check out the various cruise lines and search out other peoples opinions. You might find a reason that will stop you from going, but if not, give it a try. You might love it.
Look for more on our Danube River cruise in future posts on this site. And if you’re interested in learning more about our Rhine River cruise, click on any of the links below.
Posted July 5, 2022
All photos © Alan K. Lee