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River cruises are a wonderful option for the parameters set out by the OP.
Viking is not the only option. I should check out Gateway cruises.
We had a memorable Danube cruise with that company ; smaller number of passengers, great food and entertainment, new ship, excellent shore excursions. It was less expensive than Viking when we travelled.
Not really true. We saw plenty of scenery from the windows, we often took off about 5 or 6pm, & had several hours of daylight left to look at the scenery, I loved seeing the scenry as we ate dinner. And one full day, iirc, was dedicated to scenery as we passed though a valley on the Rhine with many castles. The boat tour director gave as full commentary as we sailed through the valley.
I wish people who have comments based on adverts & not real life experience would be more careful with untrue comments. I loved our Viking Rhine cruise & do plan on doing one in France next year.
The amount of misinformation about river cruises on this thread is staggering.
River cruising is not similar to ocean cruising, so anyone who tells you that they have cruised (and they mean ocean cruising) cannot tell you anything about river cruising. Ignore them.
River cruising experiences are more alike across cruise lines than different. Viking has their own cadre of cheerleaders, but so do the other lines.
River cruising in Europe is very popular with cruising the Danube and the Rhine some of the most preferred itineraries. Not sure the fighting in the Ukraine has upset river cruises on the upper Danube and the Rhine. Wonder why that came up??
Princess cruise lines do not have river cruises. Not sure why they were mentioned.
Tours, tips, and beverages at meals are usually included in most river cruise lines.
No smoking is generally the rule on all riverboats.
Having a successful river cruise is highly dependent on river levels. The boats need adequate water depth to sail, but if the rivers are too high, the boats won't fit under the many bridges that cross the rivers.
Go on the internet and search for European River Cruises. You will see sites sponsored by the cruise lines, but also sites that are dedicated to cruising and include forums for discussions of river cruising. I would include some here, but you will find it more productive to perform your own research. And besides, it's fun!
I've done river cruises. They can be very nice if you understand how they operate. Do your research so that you will not be disappointed.
You should be able to find a more informative discussion of river cruising before deciding on your vacation plans.
CAVEAT: If this thread is moved to Cruises, be very wary of people who talk about cruising and have only done ocean cruising. The only similarity ocean cruising has to river cruising is that there is water outside your cabin.
We plan on doing plenty of research ahead of booking. Like you say, doing the research is half the fun! Thanks for your response.
One personal comment on European rivercruises: all that gorgeous scenery that you're seeing in this PBS commercials? Not really gonna happen. The ships dock during the day and travel at night.
That was not my experience. The Viking ship only docked during the day for shore excursions. We saw a lot of the local scenery, including the inside walls of locks.
More information on Domestic/US River cruises please?
We are done with trans Atlantic travels, all wonderful experiences.
Thanks for any personal experience of Domestic river cruises.
I suggest that you visit websites dedicated to cruising for more discussion from more knowledgeable cruisers. If you search for "cruise reviews", you should get links to cruise sites with extensive reviews and commentary of all forms of cruising, including US inland cruises.
River cruises are a wonderful option for the parameters set out by the OP.
Viking is not the only option. I should check out Gateway cruises.
We had a memorable Danube cruise with that company ; smaller number of passengers, great food and entertainment, new ship, excellent shore excursions. It was less expensive than Viking when we travelled.
Do you mean Gate 1? They do lovely affordable European river cruises.
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