Considering A River Cruise? Advice From Friends Is Priceless.

(Rhone River Cruise Photo by Bill Cook)

If you've never experienced a river cruise in Europe or in the USA, advice from friends who have can be your best guide.

For their second river cruise, Ruthanne and Ted cruised the Danube this summer with Grand Circle Tours(www.gct.com); in 12 days, they visited the capitals of 4 Central European countries and highly recommend the experience.

"River cruising provides a view of the countryside not possible on ocean-going vessels
and not similar to road trips. Civilization’s dependency on waterways for communication and growth is evident in the way villages, towns and cities emerge in various fashion along rivers. Travel from this vantage point makes river cruising fascinating."

Ruthanne points out that many travel companies offer these cruises.  She continues,  "The ships range in size to accommodate the type of travel and geographic region as well as the traveler’s personal preferences for amenities.  One big advantage of cruising is that your cabin is your home for the duration of the trip. No hotel hopping/packing and unpacking necessary! It has been our experience that the ship’s crew and staff become as familiar as your fellow travelers. Every effort is made to make you feel like the ship is your home away from home. Fellow travelers are friendly, ready to see and explore new places. There are daily opportunities at mealtimes, during shipboard activities, and on bus excursions to mingle and interact with folks. "

"Throughout this 12-day tour we had city tours, side trips, and personal experiences with the locals. As first-time travelers to areas which were once dominated by the Soviets and as we heard stories and saw places where political unrest prevailed, we marveled at the resilience of the human spirit.  At all times we were constantly in awe of the culture and history and differences among the four capitals and the towns and villages in between them."

"Our trip began with three days in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. Since it escaped WW2 bombing. Prague is a glorious example of a modern city built around the original medieval city. From that location we traveled by bus to Linz, Austria where we boarded our ship to begin the Danube river cruise. A highlight of the river journey was the day we cruised along the Wachau Valley viewing sculpted hills and medieval towns built along the river. Vienna, Austria’s capital, offered many grand architectural examples from the Hapsburg rule as well as a setting for a visit that could have easily focused exclusively on the musical heritage of the city. Slovakia’s capital city of Bratislava provided a very personal experience for us. In addition to seeing the ancient city’s Old Town, we travelers visited an elementary school and were guests for afternoon coffee and cake at a resident’s home. In Hungary, we marveled at the beauty of its capital city, Budapest. Magnificent historical buildings flank both sides of the Danube. We ended our tour with a magical night cruise along Budapest’s portion of the Danube."

Their recommendation to the rest of us?  The unique experience of traveling via riverboat to any destination is one that we feel any traveler would enjoy.

This summer, Jan and Bill chose a Viking cruise on the Rhone River. Jan explains,

(Place St. Nicolas, Auxerre-Photo by Bill Cook)

" We took their cruise on August 23-31 on the Rhone River from Marseilles, France to Chalon sur Soane just beyond Lyon with port calls at all the old  villages, cities and towns along the river. Wonderful guides. Three gourmet meals a day with free  beer and wine. The service was superb. Accommodations new and well thought out for a boat journey. We had a small veranda. The river was calm, serene and beautiful. There were locks and dams to pass through but no disturbance at all. We had excellent weather the whole seven days. We added a three day extension and visited Paris. The cruise arranged all that, hotel, transportation and a tour. We arranged a trip to Giverny to see Monet's home and gardens ourselves. In Paris, we ate at bistros and enjoyed that fare."

Jan gives us excellent advice on booking. "For us, the downside was getting there and back. The airlines were on time but we lacked good connections which resulted in being awake for nearly a day, counting the six hour loss due to time zone. Being seniors, this didn't sit too well. We felt perhaps we could've done better by booking ourselves. We went with the cruise because of being sure to make the boat connection in port etc."

Is this cruise one that the rest of us should consider?  Yes.  Jan comments, "We would highly recommend the cruise otherwise."

Are you interested in river cruising but want to stay stateside?  Carol and Ray have had great experiences on three  US trips with American Cruise Lines. The company boasts that they do "small ship cruising done perfectly," and our friends agree.  The Maine Coast and Harbors Tour was their most recent, just this summer. They enjoyed cruising the Maine coastline with stops in Portland, Bar Harbor, Castine and Belfast, Camden, Rockland, Boothbay Harbor, and Bath.  In addition to great accommodations, wonderful food, and entertainment, the tour provides opportunities to tour  Arcadia National Park, the Maine Maritime Museum, Boothbay's Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, and Rockland's "thriving lobster fishing town." The tour included an expert guide on board and also featured experts at each port. Not to be missed is the Lobster Fest on the beach.

Carol and Ray also recommend the Historic South and Golden Isles cruise and the Mississippi tour St. Louis to New Orleans, round trip.

(Arles-Photo by Bill Cook



(View of Old Village and Castle from
 Ship-Photo by Bill Cook)

Our thanks to Ruthanne and Ted,
 to Jan and Bill, to Carol and Ray for their advice, and to
Bill for his great pictures of the Rhone River trip.