I have yet to experience a River Cruise, which is on my “TO DO” list for sure. But a friend recently went on one and was gracious enough to share his experience with me, so that I could share with you. Here are some questions and answers he provided. He has crammed A LOT of information in here. A big THANK YOU to Russ Gallant!!
What cruise did you take? Cruise line? #days/itinerary etc?
My father who recently turned 85 had always wanted to go on a river cruise in Europe – mom however was not so much into boats. My wife Irene and I are not typical cruisers either – we’ve travelled the world but mostly via small boutique hotels and not so much with All Inclusive experiences.
While both parents are still mobile we decided to investigate European river cruising and see what might be of interest. We were all very familiar with Viking River Cruises as they have a large fleet across Europe and an advertising budget to match – but with due diligence we also looked at Emerald Waterways, Ama Waterways and Avalon Waterways.
Almost all the cruise lines had the same itineraries on the same rivers with very few differences – so the deciding factors were not so much about the ports of call or destinations but about the on-ship experiences, the “hotel” part of the cruising – the cabins and food programs, and any special amenities each cruise line tended to offer on their ships.
After both thorough investigation of each line’s catalogs and watching a lot of YouTube videos to get a sense of cabins and ships – we selected Avalon Waterways as the choice – with these factors heavily influencing our decision:
Avalon is the only river cruise line with what are termed Panorama Suites – every cabin above the waterline is uniquely designed with the foot of the bed facing the riverbank – this is very unique to Avalon as all of the other cruise lines have the beds parallel to the riverbank – meaning watching the scenery go past while lying in bed is not ideal.
Avalon’s ships all boast an 8 foot wide opening window in each cabin – a double sliding door acts as your cabin floor to ceiling window and it can be opened a full 8 feet wide to make your whole cabin into a balcony suite.
Avalon is a subsidiary of the Globus/Monograms land touring company – while most of the cruise lines have a history in boating, Avalon comes from a heritage of land touring through their various guided and non-guided touring companies – to us this made us feel like the on-land excursions in each port might be more unique or with better local tour talent because they have a much larger network of resources to access.
The itinerary we chose was the Romantic Rhine – an 8-night cruise from Amsterdam in The Netherlands to Basel, Switzerland – cruising through the Rhine gorge area of Germany and the french Alsace region.
We booked about 14 months in advance – due to the small number of passengers on each voyage and the limited number of ships which can be on these rivers during the cruising season – availability is typically competitive. Also note some cruise lines have different policies on the deposit required and when final payment is due – Avalon required payment in full 90 days before our planned departure which is one of the more generous policies – some cruise lines require payment in full 30-60 days after booking – which means you could be tying up a lot of money for a trip not happening for a year or more. Do your research!
We chose the southbound route beginning in Amsterdam and headed upriver towards Switzerland, which was an odd feeling at times – because you are traveling geographically southbound, but against the flowing river. We chose a late may departure for a few reasons – unlike can cruising – seasonality makes a much larger impact with river cruising – nearly all the rivers go through periods of low and high water – for the Rhine the river can get full when the Alps snowmelt raises water levels and during drought seasons the very shallow river can get too low to support commercial traffic. in 2018 many river cruises became bus tours for large stretches of the Rhine, Rhone and Danube rivers due to unprecedented drought across Europe. We carefully watched the trends and chose May as a good time where drought was unlikely but also too much water (which is also a problem, keeping boats from being able to fit underneath the dozens of bridges impossible) was less of a concern. May was also a good time for generally good weather – not too hot, not too much rain, and it was the tail-end of Tulip season in Amsterdam so we had high hopes we’d be able to take that in as well.
With river cruising, the staff to guest ratio is quite good – with 47 crew members to handle only 66 panorama suites and 17 waterline staterooms (the least-expensive cabin option – with waterline windows but no panorama views). I should also mention that all cabins are outside cabins – there are no inside cabins on river long ships as the ships are restricted in both width and height in order to make it under the various bridges and into the various locks as you move up or down river.
We flew into Amsterdam a few nights before departure, leaving Boston on Wednesday and arriving very early Thursday morning at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. We had pre-organized transfer from the airport to our hotel for a few nights – in the north part of Amsterdam and only steps away from where the many River Cruise lines dock.
Amsterdam is a great city to walk and explore with loads to offer from food & fashion to museums and culture. There’s something here for everyone and we spent Thursday exploring the city and its beautiful and unique neighborhoods with canals and houseboats and stone street side houses.
Pro tip: The trick to beating jet lag is if your arrival is very early AM, stay up – stay up as late as you can – at least until 9pm. If you go to sleep at the normal time in the local timezone and wake up at the normal time – you’ll adjust to the local timezone overnight and feel great the next day. If you nap on the morning you arrive, you will spend the next several days trying to get onto the local schedule and always feel out of sync.
On Saturday we boarded the Avalon Vista and had some time to explore the boat. It’s a beautiful Long Ship (as these types of ships are called because they are long, narrow and much less tall than typical ocean liners) – with only 3 cabin levels and an open-aired rooftop area. The Vista was built in 2012 and didn’t show a day of age, with everything in top condition, tastefully designed in understated modern design. There were included excursions in every port for both active and low-activity-level passengers and on this boarding day it was no different with an afternoon foodie walking tour of the Jordaan neighborhood of Amsterdam.
What cabin category were you in? Please describe your cabin. What did you like or dislike?
The cabins we chose were the Panorama Suites in Category P on the Royal deck which is the topmost deck below the rooftop panorama deck – we had a midship cabin which had plenty of storage (with room for us to store our small carryon-type suitcases under the bed).
The bathroom was large with a roomy walk-in shower – the entire bath was done in marble tile and the amenities provided were L’Occitane branded. Hair dryer was included. Cabin was air-conditioned, however if you open the panorama sliding window it shuts off the A/C to conserve energy.
Avalon offers various bed configurations in either a queen sized bed or separate twin beds for each room – they accomplish this with a split foundation. Avalon also offers different mattress firmnesses from very soft to very firm – our dedicated housekeeper made sure to check with us after our first night to make sure we were happy with the bed and didn’t need any adjustment. They had options for pillows and bed linens also – it all felt like a very 5-star experience between the personal attention and attention to detail in every aspect. 2L of water were provided each day and they would empty your mini-bar fridge if you like so you could store supplies you bought in town if needed. We prefer sparkling water and mentioned it to our housekeeper – from that day on she made sure we always had two bottles in our room at all times – often replacing bottles used throughout the day.
In addition to the bed and small desk we had two comfortable chairs and a small table in front of the panorama window – with enough room to relax and enjoy some wine while watching the river scenery gliding by.
We loved everything about these cabins and there wasn’t anything i’d note as a negative. Avalon hit all of our needs on point – but I would caution that each line has its own unique elements and other cruise lines may be more to your liking – some are more casual, some are more dressy, some more ornate and some more understated. So do your research, watch the video reviews on YouTube and make an informed decision.
What is included or excluded in the cruise?
From our research only slight differences were observed from one line to the next in terms of what was included in the cost of the trip.
Avalon Waterways included all meals, with both a buffet breakfast which covered all the bases from cereals and fruits to pastries, cheeses and meats, eggs made to order, smoothies and everything else you could imagine – they also offered an early riser and late-riser breakfast in the panorama lounge at the front of the ship which was mostly continental style.
Lunch was offered every day in the panorama lounge as a mix of salads and cold offerings with soups and hot entrees buffet style.
Dinner was offered as an a la carte menu in the main dining room and was a sit down affair with 4-5 courses, always 3 or 4 selections using ingredients local to the region we were sailing through as well as everyday options of fish, chicken, beef, pasta and vegetarian options. They were extremely capable of catering to special dietary needs and invited those with any preferences to meet with the chef and staff on day one to discuss options and how to best cater to your taste throughout the cruise. This too felt like over the top service and something which could only be accomplished on a ship of this size with this type of staff.
Also included was unlimited wine and beer during lunch and dinner time – we had to pay for wine, beer and spirits at other times, with a 50% off happy hour about an hour before dinner each night. Some cruise lines offer liquor packages like you might see on an Ocean Cruise ship but I would not recommend it on a River Cruise (Avalon does not offer a drinks package) because outside of lunch and dinner you are spending the majority of your time in the daily ports of call sightseeing, adventuring or relaxing. Unlike an Ocean Cruise – the point of River Cruising is mostly to get to all these neat little villages and castles and cities each and every day.
Avalon had about 15-20 nice mountain bikes and an Adventure Host who would help organize any bike trip you wanted to make in a port of call – helping with maps and directions and providing the departure times and dock locations for the boat.
Included in most of these River Cruises and also with Avalon were the daily excursions offered in each port of call – in some ports there were multiple offerings – some more less-skilled walkers and some for more adventurous types. I should mention here that my wife and I are in our early 50’s and were among the younger of passengers on this itinerary – overwhelmingly due to cost and the type of sights to be seen these river cruises tend to attract the recent retiree – i would say 65-70 was the median age. That being said, everyone was fit and mobile – there is no real way to accommodate wheelchairs on these types of ships – they dock alongside rivers that are not handicap accessible, there are stairs between decks, and so forth. Our boat did have a small one-person elevator that went between the three passenger decks but it could not go to the roof deck because there was no room for an elevator shaft on the roof and still be able to fit beneath bridges.
Many of the ports of call also had Optional excursions – these were mostly bus-oriented tours often going to locations of interest that were an hour or more away from the riverside. As with most places, not everything of interest is right on the river – sometimes you have to go inland, and if this is a trip of a lifetime – it may be worth it to take a comfortable bus ride to get to that sight or destination. We did not take any of the optional excursions other than the trip on Sunday to the Tulip Gardens – it was the last day of the season they were open and it was not an expensive cost to travel the 40minutes by bus to spent a half-afternoon roaming the endless gardens of tulips, lilies and greenhouse exhibits of other flowers and orchids.
Most River Cruise ships have the option of including the staff and cruise director tips into the overall cost of the trip and we elected to do this to make things simple for us. At the end of the trip the bill for our cabin extra charges – which included off-hours beer/wine and cocktails, a load of laundry we had done halfway through the trip was around $150.00. So not a huge amount of money and a good indication that nearly everything we needed was already accounted for in our initial payment.
Was there entertainment on the ship? Shows? Casino? Shops?
As I mentioned earlier its a relatively small ship with a big feel – the main public spaces are the dining area which is only open at breakfast, lunch, and dinner time and the panorama lounge on the middle deck which is where the bar is, where the buffet lunch is served and where there is nightly piano bar kind of music until about 9pm or so – from there it gets a little more lively for dancing but remember this is an older crowd – 60+ so no disco, no house music, no nightclub.
A few times throughout the cruise local musicians would come on board and perform for 90min or so after dinner – they were great and really enjoyable because it was so close to the local culture we had just seen that day.
No casino on these boats due to space – and shops are restricted to a small bookcase next to the front desk where you could get a ship-branded towel or hat or some other small item – no traditional retail like you might see on an Ocean cruise – but then again, you are in all these villages each day where retail is certainly one of the options for spending money.
I should say here also that unlike Ocean cruise ships – you CAN buy wine or beer in your different ports of call and bring it on board to consume – i mentioned earlier than you can also have your mini-bar emptied out to make room for those things. We did this a few times and it was nice to sit on the roof deck on a sunny afternoon, drinking wine and watching castles go by.
Each night before dinner, during happy hour, the cruise director would talk about the next port of call, the included and optional excursions and what to expect. We did not have to sign up for any tours ahead of time – we made our decisions based on the weather and how we felt that day.
What was your favorite and least favorite ports of call and why? Did you do any shore excursions?
So we had main ports of call in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Cologne, Germany, Koblenz, Germany, Strasbourg, France and Breisach, Germany, with a few smaller villages in between which we may have docked only for a half-day or so – enough time to explore on our own or take one of the offered excursions.
The Keukenhof Gardens just outside of Amsterdam were a highlight – this is the big destination during tulip season with millions of tulips planted for viewing for just a few short weeks in the springtime. The millions of tulip and other bulbs are donated each year by all of the famous dutch growers and planted over many days in the fall and early winter. Immediately after the blooming season the gardens close to the public again and every one of those tulip bulbs is dug up and destroyed – to be replaced by new ones in the fall. They destroy the bulbs for a few reasons – they want to avoid hybridizations across varieties and ensure fungus or other pathogens cannot take root.
Amsterdam itself is wonderful – I travel there frequently for my work but this was the first time to have my wife and parents with me. The public transit here is good, efficient and inexpensive – but also due to the canals everywhere – it is a big walking (or biking) city. Our first two days in Amsterdam we walked over 15 miles each day. So wear good shoes, no heels – Amsterdam is almost entirely cobblestone so heels would be dangerous. Biking is also an option -there are millions of bikes in Amsterdam, but biking is not for the unexperienced here – bike traffic is real and you can really hurt yourself if you don’t know what you are doing. Also walking be aware that bikes have the right of way over both pedestrians and cars.
Cologne (Koln) is famous for it’s huge and amazingly beautiful gothic cathedral – but the town itself is also charming for its native beer, Kolsch – Kolsch is brewed and served in little bars, breweries and pubs on every street corner – served in tiny 200ml straight-sided classes only big enough for a few big gulps – but as soon as you put down your empty glass, a server will glide by and drop a new full one in front of you without asking. With each beer he’ll mark a coster with a mark to keep track of how many you’ve had and when you’ve had enough – put the coaster on top of your empty glass and he’ll know you’re done and he’ll add up the number of checkmarks on the coaster to arrive at the total price. Its a very efficient and unique experience – the beer is good too – light and refreshing.
While my parents participated in many of the included excursions including visiting mechanical musical instrument museums, castles, the black forest, we spent a lot of time exploring these villages on our own – walking and taking in the sights and taking loads of pictures. Although there are excisions included in the trip for every port of call (and figure on an 8 day cruise you have at least 7 ports of call) you’re not obligated to do them all – you should feel free to spend time on your own, or on the boat catching up on reading, in some cases the boat traveled between local towns on the river while groups were away on an excursion – they would meet the boat back at the new docking location. In a few of those instances we decided to stay on the boat and watch the scenery from the roof or from our room through the big windows. Having the ship all to ourselves and getting some time to relax between those 15mile walking days. We did not want to have a vacation where we didn’t get at least some time to relax and do nothing.
Did you use room service?
We did not use room service and I’m not sure it was available – meals were are specific times because the relative size of the kitchen on boats of this size I think pose some challenges to cooking meals at different times. Meal preparation for 150 or so passengers needed to be carefully coordinated so that each course came out at the same general time – this would make preparing a room service meal for one challenging i think.
What was the dining like?
I would say the dining was beyond expectations – i think partly because of the relative small number of guests who needed to be served each night, the chef and crew would take on provisions each day from the local ports – often gathering local fresh ingredients to ensure a wide variety of dishes from a wide variety of regions while still doing so with limited kitchen capacity and staff.
Lunches were buffet style with loads of both cold and hot options, carving stations and soups. Desserts were always offered.
There was a coffee area at the back of the ship that had automatic espresso and other coffee drinks, fresh juices, teas and fresh baked goods – cookies, canapés, and pastries. This was always stocked with something new and was available 24/7.
Dinner in the main dining room was a sit down affair – with a mixture of 2-tops, 4-tops and larger 6-8-tops for large groups traveling together or super-sociable people. Seating was first-come – no assigned seating so you could move around to different areas throughout the cruise. The staff was always fantastic, very service oriented and well-trained.
A full menu was presented each night and you could get a preview of the night’s meals on your room television or various monitors throughout the ship. Wines and beers changed as we moved from holland to Germany, France and back to Germany. My dad had the fish dinner each night and it was a different fish and different preparation each night. Great variety of offerings to satisfy any taste.
Burgers, hotdogs, pizza are not on the menu and not part of the offering. Though you can find those things in the various ports of call and if the boat isn’t moving, you’re free to come and go from the boat as much as you like – even having dinner in the village instead of on the boat.
I would characterize dinner as fine dining, although the dress code was very casual – no t-shirts or jeans, but jackets and ties or evening wear was not required and not worn by anyone we saw. Again, these cruises have you walking 10-15mi a day so most people’s wardrobe is mostly activewear, comfortable clothes, comfortable shoes.
Did you do any pre or post cruise travel?
As mentioned earlier – we did pre-cruise travel in Amsterdam for two full days before we boarded the ship. We saw some must-see tourist sites including the Anne Frank museum (buy tickets 6 months in advance, online only – you can no longer buy tickets at the door) – we also hit the Food Hallen which is a big multi-vendor food hall built inside of an old tram railcar factory. We toured the Heineken museum in a nice VIP tour with some cool behind the scenes views of the original factory. We also went to the Botanical Gardens to check out the variety of exhibits there. We had drink and dinner one night at the QO Hotel’s Juniper and Kin rooftop bar, on the 21st floor of the hotel with a splendid view of south Amsterdam.. later having dinner in the ground floor restaurant Persin known for authentic dutch fare prepared with stunning and artful simplicity. I really recommend both places for a truly unique experience.
The rest of our time was walking the small bridges and canal sidewalks exploring this adorable little city. At night Irene and i would go out after dinner to explore the local dutch brewery and bar scene and to sample some bitterballen – a local dutch bar snack and treat.
Did you need to utilize any services on board? If so, what did you use and were you satisfied?
The only on-board services we used was the laundry! haha. To be honest, these ships do not offer a lot of services – there is a small single-seat hair salon, a small home gym with a few treadmills and free weights.
But we spent most of our time outside – either on excursions, exploring or on the roof deck where we could either relax on one of the many chairs or walking the length of the ship to get some on-board exercise. The ship’s adventure host also held stretching and yoga on the roof each morning for those who were interested.
In closing:
I had never thought I’d get the chance to do a trip like this and I wasn’t sure I was even the type who would enjoy it if I had the chance – i had so many preconceived ideas about what these trips were about – that the boats were cramped, the passengers were old, the tours were tame and the food was below standard.
What I discovered was that the experience was more luxurious than I could have imagined – the staff were friendly and genuinely happy. The ship inexplicably and amazingly glides through the water – even upstream against the current – with almost no noise, no exhaust smoke, not a single sway or rocking – just an effortless slicing through a sometimes strong current river.
The scenery you see from a river is like nothing else – countryside, farms and vineyards, mountain castles and dozens of little villages built around and near the primary commerce transportation of those years – rivers. Super charming, super humbling in the work ethic and back to basics lifestyle.
Whether the ship was traveling during the day and we’re watching 30+ castles on both banks of the river as we did sailing through the Rhine gorge or as we watched from the roof deck as we enter and exit the engineering marvel that is a river lock the travel while on the ship was just as interesting and exciting as the time spent off the ship in the little villages and towns along the river.
We would definitely take another one of these cruises one day – perhaps on the Amazon river or the Mekong river – something even more exotic.
Just Cruisin' 