River Cruising Europe - what a way to go!

November 2010 - I'm proud to talk about an experience of a lifetime; 15 days cruising the Danube, Main and Rhine Rivers visiting five countries and 13 cities.  Please enjoy this brief description of my personal experience and let me design your next trip to Europe the only way to enjoy a relaxing visit to so many ports of call and so much education.

I boarded the ship in Budapest after a pleasant flight from Seattle to Paris connecting to Budapest on Air France; a special treat and surprisingly enjoyable.  Not only is the service level high, the meals, beverages and entertainment offerings were outstanding!  Two hot meals on the flight over, selecting from a printed menu offered to everyone, along with complimentary beverages both alcoholic and non alcoholic hot tea, coffee was plentiful.  Experiencing air travel the way it use to be and by far 1000% better then any domestic flights in the U.S. or North America as a matter of fact. 

Here are some points about river cruising:

• The passengers aren't elderly, they are very active youthful and enjoying life
• The ships don't offer "glitz and glamour", they offer comfort, style and a casual relaxed atmosphere
• The dining options are very good, menus include daily local features or chicken, fish or steak
• Optional menus offered daily are a full vegetarian menu or lite menu at each evenings meal
• Breakfast offers cook to order eggs with a full buffet to dress your breakfast as you wish
• Desserts are the best part of the lunch and dinner meals as far as I was concerned, yummy!
• Entertainment is local and ship board, lectures informative and offer great educational value
• Cabins are great I highly suggest cabins with a French Balcony as opposed to the lower decks
• Modern amenities, U.S. power plugs on the Legend, Internet, well stocked bathrooms
• Complimentary beverages, coffee, teas, ice tea 24 hours a day, bottle water always in your cabin
• Complimentary shore excursions at each city or port of call with free time and shopping time
• Normal walking and slow pace tours offered were available, making this flexible for all levels
• Special tastings and food samples in each region allows you to broaden your horizons
• Relaxed slow pace cruising along the rivers allows for some excellent photo opportunities
• Optional extended shore programs are offered at an additional cost, I enjoyed a concert in Vienna
• Walking into town from the ship makes shopping or visits to bakeries or brew pubs very easy
• Complimentary wine with dinner is a great ice breaker and opens some great conversations

Most costs are all inclusive on river cruises, gratuities and specialty beverages along with adult beverages are charged on consumption. The Internet is offered as a complimentary service along with the support of the staff and management, rental equipment is also available for casual users of the Internet.

As for the cruise and overall experience, I found it to be rejuvenating, relaxing and without a doubt stress free, no language issues, most villages or towns are very receptive to tourism and you're welcomed like family members at the local brew pubs and pastry shops.  Relaxing in the afternoon and often a little nap time was enjoyable while taking advantage of my cabin as much as possible, my cabin offered a full french balcony; which is a sliding glass window that opens, no step out.  The window is the entire size of the cabin so is adds some great depth and expansive feeling to the cabin, satellite T.V. was adequate with daily shows about travel to the areas that we were visiting extending the educational value of the trip. 

As with most cruises the meals seem to come fast and often, however it is the full itinerary and enjoyment of a relaxing cruise the burns up the time so fast, I found the entire cruise to be so refreshing that I am planning on another trip to the South of France with extensions in Paris or Versailles.

A couple of points that you also need to know, this type of travel is great for multi generations if the children are adults and maybe staying in adjacent cabins, children will not enjoy this cruise nor is it designed or equipped to handle children.  They will be very bored, seniors will enjoy this cruise but there are some limitations such as a wheel chair will not work on some ships and this should be investigated very carefully, although you can stay on the ship at any port, getting to the dining room, lounge area or observation deck requires stairs on most ships.  (some offer elevators for the inner decks only)  Passengers with limited mobility that need walkers or canes can enjoy selected slow pace walking tours or stay on the ship, however they must be able to navigate stairs on the ship as well.  Otherwise this is a perfect match for most travelers looking to explore, educate themselves on Europe as will as pack and unpack only once, taking your hotel room with you.

Value of this type of trip isn't hidden, compare a 7 / 9 / 15 day cruise with the actual costs of a decent hotel, meals and optional tours with the complete cost of the cruise.  A 15 day cruise with air, insurance, meals, walking tours and ship entertainment averages $400.00 per person per day, based on two sharing a cabin.  A standard hotel in Europe without the luxury averages over $400.00 per night per room, then you have meals, entertainment, tours and transportation bringing your cost to over $700 per person per day plus the international air fare; even with sharing the cost of the room between two guests.  I'll be happy to create a cost comparison for you. The luxury offered even the value priced cabins can't be matched to a land tour, the value is without a doubt great and makes this type of European travel affordable and flexible in many ways.

If you're into ships with casinos, large shows and dancing all night this might not be the cruise for you, however; if you're looking for value, education, relaxation, casual atmosphere with first class luxury amenities and great meals with variety then you're the right fit for this type of travel.  

Try it!  I think you'll love it!