The Top 6 Reasons People Sail on River Cruises
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist
We almost exclusively specialize in European River Cruises and European travel. It often has us researching every aspect of river cruising but since 2009 our clients have almost selected river cruising for the same 6 reasons.
Interestingly, the first top 5 reasons listed in this blog were cited in the 2022 Travel Market Report Survey of River Cruise Trends by travel agents who sell or specialize in river cruise vacations, but we also find another important factor is to celebrate a milestone event.
I should also point out that it often is a combination of these reasons, so I tried to list then in the order of importance to our clients but realize each of us is different and one reason may be more important to one client than another.
So, I thought I’d share with you the top 6 reasons our friends and clients pick river cruising for a vacation.
# 1 Destination and Itinerary of the Cruise
With good route options available to our clients, the most important factor we find is what they will see and experience during their river cruise.
River cruising is all about the destinations. Even though I have been traveling to Europe for over 52 years and we have led several group tours, I could not do what the river cruise companies do in one week—these folks are experts in showing you the best sights in the least amount of time.
It is truly a unique way to see the interior of a country. It is different from a land-based tour and different from an ocean cruise.
You usually dock very near or right at the destination of the day and there is a tour or place to see every day—no sea days like on a big ocean cruise ship. Being near or in the center of the city, town, or village you are about to explore is a big advantage. In five minutes, all guests are off the boat and seeing the sights.
Cochem, Germany—an easy walk to the old walled city after a van ride to the castle or for the more active, a hike up to the castle for a tour
Bratislava Castle—your river ship docks in easy walking distance to the old town or a more active hike up to the castle
Most lines also offer different groups during the tours—regular, active walkers or gentle walkers, so your desired way to see the destination is matched with your tour.
# 2 Combined Land Vacations of Pre or Post Land Excursions
The option of adding to their vacation with either a pre- or post-excursion is also a key motivating factor for our clients.
We find that most of our clients want a more in-depth look at some destinations and the land excursions options provide just that. There are some great places to extend the river cruise experience and it often makes sense to stay for at least a week either before or after a 7-day cruise or both, which most of our clients choose to do. Long haul flights and flying expenses make a longer stay a better overall value to most of our clients.
Maybe Paris, Budapest, Prague, Lucerne, Zurich, Lake Como, or the Lorie Valley—already you can see the great options directly added by including a tour extension with the river cruise lines or we can help tailor a trip for the more adventurous.
Prague Castle—a very popular pre or post land excursions extension is the city of Prague, Czech Republic
The wooden covered bridge in Lucerne, Switzerland—great alpine post or pre tour land based excursion add on to a river cruise
Stunning Budapest Parliament Building at night—a great extension option.
# 3 Cultural Experience with Locals
Since you often port near smaller towns, it is easy to meet and learn about how others live.
Most lines provide local cultural events with food preparations, wine tastings, music and performances or just sampling local cuisine during the voyage. Some come on-board, others are offered on site.
Learning and tasting wine in France
Wine Tasting on a France river cruise—this is one of Anne’s favorite picture of us.
How about truffle hunting? Or maybe a more active bike ride to stop and see a smaller village or tavern?
Truffle Hunting
# 4 River Cruises Are a Good Alternative to Escorted/Guided Tours
Perhaps the best part of experiencing a destination is not having to pack and unpack often—the typical river cruise of 7 days helps you see more with less hassle.
Often the biggest surprise to new cruisers is how compact and well organized a rivership is—somehow putting 130-200 folks on a vessel that generally must meet size limitations to fit through the various locks with luxury accommodations and venues is hard to fathom even from pictures or videos.
Before I went on my first Europe River cruise in 2009, even after studying river cruising, I had no real concept of the overall experience. It was even better than I had imagined and still is after 24 river cruises in Europe.
Think about this—would you rather be crammed in a bus, or wandering the decks of a riverboat with a glass of wine in your hand, or better yet, lounging in a small pool in the summer watching the world go by as you are propelled to your next exciting port? You don’t have to ask my choice—where’s my wine glass?
Well not in a hot tub, but still better than a bus tour!
# 5 Luxury Experience as Part of Their River Cruise
How you travel is important—most of our clients tell us they want a well-appointed stateroom and an excellent dining experience with well prepared food and good wines.
The best ship sailing in Europe—the AmaMagna—here is a SB category suite—awesome space to relax!
Excursions, all meals, and accommodations are included on all river cruise lines. On most lines, the meals are great and there are enough choices that even the pickiest eaters will find something they enjoy. They also handle dietary restrictions well, which makes your trip easier and more enjoyable.
On river cruise lines, your food, meals with wine or beer at lunch and dinner, your stateroom and even occasional entertainment is included in the fare. There is even champagne or sparkling wine at breakfast on many lines.
The clear, upfront pricing helps make it easier to budget for your vacation. River boats are small (only 100 to 197 passengers), friendly and comfortable. The food is generally very good to excellent, but some lines are better than others.
# 6 Celebrate Milestone Events
Many of our clients tell us they want to do something special to mark an anniversary or birthday or retirement. The reward of celebrating life’s moments is noteworthy and adds meaning to the hard work or partnership of our lives.
Life is too short, and it is easy to let our everyday challenges of living stop us from appreciating how well we have faced living. Clearly celebrating success and the passage of time is important.
An Anniversary Celebration for Irene and John
One of our river cruise groups celebrating life after our 2019 D Day 75th Anniversary Tour on an AmaWaterways cruise
Birthday Celebration on an AmaWaterways Cruise 2018
Our Final Thoughts
All of this makes sense to us—they mirror our experiences with clients and are often the exact reasons we enjoy European river cruising so much.
We hope you enjoyed this report, and it helps you to understand why we enjoy helping folks experience river cruising—it packs so much in so little time yet in a relaxed and fun trip that is hassle free.
Don’t you think it is time you went on a river cruise—we would love to help you get the trip you desire!
We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts. We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe. We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you. We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.
When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip. You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience. And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process. We think we have all these qualities.
Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you! We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com. We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!
ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry. Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA. Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations. She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors. An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.
HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 52 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:
AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent
