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I've cruised on European rivers 12 times and I am just back from a Rhine River cruise on Avalon Waterways. Once again, I met so many people who spoke about surprising and frustrating things they'd only encountered and realised once they were on the cruise because none of the lines, reviews, or commentators seem willing to talk about them frankly, or underplay them. Welcome aboard, I'm Gary Bembridge and here’s what you need to know about European river cruising to avoid any disappointments, and make sure a river cruise is right for you.
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0:00
I've cruised on European rivers 12 times
0:02
and just back from a Ryan River cruise
0:05
on Avalon waterways. Once again, I met
0:07
so many people who spoke about
0:09
surprising and frustrating things they'd
0:12
only encountered and realized once they
0:14
were on the cruise because none of the
0:16
lines, reviews, or commentators seem
0:18
willing to talk about them frankly or
0:21
even underplay them. Welcome aboard. I'm
0:23
Gary Benbridge and here's what you need
0:26
to know about European river cruising to
0:28
avoid any disappointments and also to
0:30
make sure that a river cruise is right
0:33
for you. First off, many are surprised
0:35
when they find river cruisers are not as
0:37
scenic as the brochers and ads suggest.
0:40
There is an impression that European
0:41
river cruising is a constant flow of
0:44
stunning postcard perfect scenery all
0:47
the time. However, while there is a lot,
0:49
it's not constantly magnificent as many
0:52
expect. The good news is that the river
0:54
banks are always close by, so you can
0:56
see what's on them. But as a comment
0:58
left by Randy L on a social media post I
1:01
did during that recent Ryan River
1:03
cruise, she said this about experience.
1:05
We found it very industrial, a lot of
1:07
ugly campgrounds and not very scenic
1:10
except for one day where the castles
1:12
were. Of course, there are, as you said,
1:15
some beautiful stretches like when we
1:17
also sailed through that UNESCO World
1:19
Heritage Ryan Gorge that Brandy
1:21
mentioned with around 40 castles dotted
1:23
on rolling hills and quaint towns. Also,
1:27
on other cruises I've done where we
1:28
sailed through things like the UNESCO
1:30
World Heritage Wu Valley on the Danube
1:33
Pass Castles, Malcabi and picturesque
1:36
towns. However, on many stretches of the
1:39
rivers, there are factories, other
1:41
industrial complexes, lots of barges
1:43
carrying containers, fuel, raw
1:45
materials, and other supplies. Also, as
1:48
Randy mentioned, you'll often see
1:50
campsites dotted along the way. You're
1:53
also going to be passing through many
1:54
locks. Personally, while locks are not
1:56
particularly scenic, I find them
1:58
absolutely fascinating. Although while
2:01
most of the passengers actually came out
2:03
to see and experience the first lock we
2:05
went through, for the other 11 on my
2:08
cruise, hardly anyone joined me for
2:10
those. River cruising means being
2:12
prepared for the constant scenery to be
2:14
a mixture of sights, not just what the
2:16
ads all show. I think what adds to the
2:20
image of river cruising though being so
2:22
scenic is that the lions make much of
2:24
the fact that river cruise ships dock in
2:27
the heart of the cities and the towns.
2:31
However, once on a trip, you'll find
2:32
that while that is often true, it's not
2:35
every time. For example, across the
2:38
seven nights, my Ryan River cruise did
2:40
dock in the heart of Amsterdam, Cologne,
2:43
Rudshime, and Mains. On the three other
2:46
days, we docked in more remote places
2:49
with little around other than some
2:50
industrial buildings like in Brak
2:53
because that's the closest spot to get
2:55
to the beautiful Fryberg half an hour
2:57
away and also then to the Black Forest
2:59
which is an hour and a half away from
3:00
there. Another day we docked at Kale, an
3:03
industrial area that is convenient to
3:05
get to Strasburg. While you often get to
3:08
dock in the heart of places with the
3:10
town, sites and things to do are close
3:12
by, don't assume that every stop will
3:14
be. So check the detail of any itinerary
3:17
carefully and thinking ahead is also key
3:20
to avoid the next issue that many people
3:23
encounter. Without good planning, many
3:25
quickly find that the ports can get a
3:27
little bit repetitive rather fast. One
3:30
of the biggest surprises I see firsttime
3:32
river cruisers experience is how quickly
3:34
they find the towns all start to feel
3:36
similar and blur into one another.
3:39
Visiting them can become repetitive.
3:42
This is especially true on the Ryan
3:44
where cities like Cologne, Rudashim,
3:46
Mains, Strasburg, and Fryberg that I
3:48
visited all have beautiful quaint
3:50
oldtown areas. They have cobble streets,
3:52
they always have a big cathedral, they
3:53
have town squares, they have farmers
3:54
markets, but they all start to feel and
3:57
look similar. Now, whilst they're
4:00
absolutely picturesque, they can become
4:02
interchangeable, and it's kind of hard
4:04
to remember which was which. That's why
4:07
when I go on river cruises, I try to mix
4:09
up the cruise with different types of
4:11
excursions. So while I did some town
4:14
walking tours in Strasburg, Cologne,
4:17
Fryberg in Mains, I actually went on a
4:20
tour to the Gutenberg Museum to learn
4:22
about his invention of printing presses
4:24
and to see the original Bibles that he
4:26
printed in Rudy. Instead of going on the
4:28
the town walking tour, I went on the
4:30
cable car over the vineyards to the
4:32
impressive Needa Vault Monument. I
4:35
signed up to do a cycling tour another
4:37
port to get a different experience too.
4:39
Another thing to bear in mind is I found
4:41
that once you've done a particular
4:44
river, be it the Ryan, the Danube, the
4:45
Lua, the Sain and so on, if you go
4:48
again, it can be rather repetitive. Why
4:51
is that? Well, because if you look at
4:53
the itineraries, all river cruisers on a
4:55
particular river usually stop at all of
4:57
the same places and do all of the same
4:59
tours because there is actually a limit
5:01
to the places and must see sites along
5:04
the way. So, I recommend if you have
5:06
been on one river to always go on
5:08
another or if you're repeating river,
5:11
consider a themed cruise such as a
5:13
Christmas market cruise which will have
5:14
a very different focus in all of the
5:17
stops. I also recommend you try and
5:19
match a river much more closely to your
5:22
interests. Let me give you some
5:24
examples. If you're interested in
5:25
shadows and wine, go on the Lir. If
5:28
you're into history, particularly German
5:30
history, go on the Rine. If you perhaps
5:34
prefer bigger cities, you want to visit
5:36
iconic capitals like Vienna, Budapest,
5:38
Bratislava, and even Belgrade in one
5:41
trip, go on the Danube. or perhaps you
5:44
go on the sane to see a lot of Paris,
5:46
French countryside, and visit the
5:48
Normandy landing sites. The next thing
5:51
that most people need to be warned about
5:53
is one where while many know is a risk,
5:56
they don't know what happens if it
5:58
affects their cruise, and that is water
6:02
levels. Most people these days know that
6:05
European river cruisers can be disrupted
6:06
by too high water where it becomes
6:08
impossible for the ships to sail under
6:10
some bridges and too low water for the
6:13
ships to actually physically sail along
6:15
the river. Now on my latest Ryan cruise,
6:17
the water levels were low, but still
6:19
there were enough for us to sell. But
6:21
those on the Mosel River, those cruisers
6:23
couldn't operate fully. The water was
6:25
too low. I've been on several river
6:27
cruises on the Danu Dwa and Po rivers
6:29
near Venice that have all been disrupted
6:31
by low water levels. The impact was
6:34
different based on the level, but you
6:37
should expect some or all of the
6:39
following that I've experienced due to
6:41
water levels. If the ship cannot reach
6:43
the scheduled imbulcation and
6:44
disembarkcation boards, they may change
6:47
even at short notice. Mine months
6:49
changed literally the day before joining
6:51
an ammo waterways Danu cruise which also
6:53
had to terminate in Vienna not in
6:55
Budapest due to water levels. On both a
6:58
Uni World Venice Per River cruise and
7:00
across Europe Lua cruise the ships could
7:02
only move between a few planned stops
7:04
and so we stayed morowed in one place
7:06
and would bust the extra distance to do
7:09
planned excursions adding an hour to an
7:11
hour and a half there and back for those
7:14
excursions. What has not happened to me
7:16
yet, but has to several friends, is
7:19
they've changed ships during the cruise
7:22
itself. They sailed part of their cruise
7:25
on one ship to the point that it
7:27
couldn't go any further. They were then
7:29
packed up and they were moved by bus to
7:31
another ship further down the river
7:33
where the water again was deep enough to
7:35
sail that stretch. It's impossible to
7:38
know far ahead when water levels will be
7:40
low or high because it all depends on
7:42
the weather. So, knowing what could
7:44
happen is really important. Another area
7:47
I found that some people don't
7:48
appreciate, especially those who've been
7:50
on ocean cruising, is how laid-back,
7:53
low-key, informal, and limited options
7:56
there are on a river cruise. Now, the
7:58
ships range from 100 to 200 passengers.
8:01
The Avalon Envision, for example, that I
8:03
was on carried 166 with 47 crew. It
8:06
makes for a very relaxed setup because
8:09
there's never any lines. It's fast and
8:11
flexible. Embarcation, disembarkation.
8:13
There's not a big range of venues on
8:15
board, though. For example, on that
8:17
ship, which is typical, there was just
8:19
one large lounge with a bar, a smaller
8:22
lounge at the rear with scenic viewing,
8:24
one dining room offering buffet
8:25
breakfast, buffet lunch, and a four
8:27
course served dinner, a very small
8:29
fitness center, and then a top deck with
8:32
a hot tub and seating which stretched
8:34
across the whole ship. That is it. The
8:37
daily program of activities was light
8:40
with it most in the evenings for
8:41
entertainment, a visiting local band or
8:43
some musicians, some games or a guest
8:45
speaker. Many lines have a pianist to
8:48
play before and after dinner. But often
8:50
things wind down pretty early. Most
8:53
lines have no dress code, so that also
8:55
makes it feel very informal, too. Those
8:58
people who like or are used to the
9:01
choice and flexibility of bars, lounges,
9:04
entertainment venues like casinos,
9:06
spars, a range of dining options, they
9:09
will find river cruising very different
9:11
because it has none of that. River
9:13
cruising is way less about the ship and
9:16
more about the destination and the
9:18
offship experience of the region itself.
9:21
Although there is one aspect of onboard
9:24
life that some found a big plus and
9:27
others found a big downside. But before
9:30
I address that, I quickly want to talk
9:31
about how I personally remember all my
9:34
cruises, including this recent Ryan
9:36
River cruise. And that's by getting a
9:38
customized map showing exactly when my
9:41
cruise went from the cruise maps. This
9:43
is a company founded by two friends of
9:45
mine, naval architect Will and
9:47
geographer Matt. Made to order using AIS
9:50
satellite ship tracking data. It shows
9:53
where and in this case exactly where my
9:56
Avalon River cruise actually went. The
9:58
cruise maps offers them as frame maps to
10:00
hang on the wall or as I did for this
10:02
one, an A4 map to collect with other
10:05
cruises I've done in my cruise maps
10:08
album. They just need the date, name of
10:11
the river cruise ship, and starts and
10:13
end points to make the customized river
10:15
cruise map. To find out more and get 10%
10:18
off any order, visit the
10:20
cruiseaps.com/t.
10:23
That's the cruiseaps.com/tft.
10:26
Now, back to that onboard river cruise
10:29
line issue. And this is that socializing
10:32
is a big part and feature of river
10:34
cruising. With up to only 200 guests and
10:37
usually much fewer, you get to
10:39
recognize, interact with, and get to
10:41
know fellow travelers really, really
10:43
quickly. It's a small ship and you're
10:45
going to see them at meals, share tables
10:47
with them, be on the excursions with
10:49
them, join and sit with them in a lounge
10:51
for the happy hour, a next day briefing,
10:53
perhaps hang out with them on the top
10:55
deck during scenic sailings, and so on.
10:58
It's a very social environment. If you
11:01
are a gregarious, outgoing person and
11:03
like to meet people, you are likely to
11:06
absolutely love it. However, if you're
11:08
introvert or want to be more anonymous,
11:11
alone, and be under the radar, you're
11:13
going to find that much more challenging
11:15
on a river cruise. Also, it's important
11:17
to understand that the main demographic
11:19
on river cruises does tend to be a
11:21
little bit older, 60s, '7s, and above.
11:23
Cruise lines are trying to attract more
11:25
younger, more families, more
11:27
multigenerational, but that demographic
11:29
are still the vast majority on sailings.
11:32
Something I still see people thrown by
11:34
is that river cruise ships dock side by
11:37
side, sometimes three deep and very
11:39
close. You don't normally see this in
11:42
any of the advertising or promotional
11:44
material. This has some big
11:46
implications. First, if you've booked a
11:49
cabin with a balcony or big scenic
11:51
windows like I'd done, often when you're
11:53
docked, you're going to be looking slap
11:55
bang just a few feet away into a cabin
11:59
or the side of a ship opposite you.
12:01
Second, you may have to pass over or
12:04
through a ship dock next to you to
12:06
actually physically get to the shore
12:07
side. On my most recent trip in one
12:10
port, I had to go up the stairs on my
12:12
ship to the top deck, walk across the
12:14
deck of the neighboring ship, and then
12:16
down their stairs to get to the shore
12:18
and head out on excursions. In another,
12:21
I was actually able to just get up and
12:23
walk through reception area of the
12:25
neighboring ship to get to and from my
12:26
ship. This, of course, had some
12:29
challenges for less mobile travelers. In
12:32
fact, I see many people overestimate
12:34
river cruising suitability for people
12:36
with mobility and accessibility needs.
12:39
As well as this issue, many river ports
12:41
have steep gangways. The towns have
12:43
cobbled streets. Not all the lines have
12:45
elevators between the decks. Few have
12:48
accessible cabins and the tours all tend
12:50
to be walking ones. I also see many
12:53
people considering river cruising
12:55
shocked and surprised at just how much
12:58
it costs. While most river cruise lines
13:00
have inclusions in the fair, for
13:02
example, my Avalon fair of course
13:04
included cabin and dining, but also
13:06
included a choice from at least two
13:07
excursions at every port, drinks with
13:10
lunch, dinner, and during happy hour,
13:12
Starlink Wi-Fi for multiple devices. The
13:15
fair itself was really high, especially
13:18
if you compare it to ocean cruising
13:20
fairs where I could have gone for the
13:22
same price on a luxury or ultra luxury
13:24
ocean line like Oceanania, Silver Sea,
13:26
Seaborn, Explorer Journeys for the same
13:29
price. Avalon is a premium line, so it
13:32
falls between the five-star luxury river
13:34
lines like Riverside, Uni World, and
13:36
Scenic and the three star sort of value
13:38
lines across Europe, Tui, Grand Circle,
13:40
and so on. And it's definitely
13:42
comparable to other four-star premium
13:43
lines like Viking, Emerald, and
13:46
Waterways. A deluxe cabin on the lowest
13:49
deck, which is 3/4 beneath the water
13:51
line, costs per cabin for two people
13:54
from $1,000
13:56
a night. A panorama suite, the main type
13:58
of cabin, which on deck 2 and three with
14:00
wall to-all windows, is from $1,600
14:04
a night, while a royal suite is around
14:06
$2,100 a night for a cabin for two.
14:10
River cruising is pretty expensive
14:12
particularly then I had to add the cost
14:14
of getting there transfers and
14:15
gratuitities to that fair. I've compared
14:18
river versus ocean cruising a few times
14:20
and because many people wonder what a
14:21
river cruise does better and worse than
14:24
ocean cruising I talk about it over in
14:26
this video. So join me over there and
14:28
find out what those things are. See you
14:30
over there.
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