I spent the last week in Europe attending River Cruise training. I loved it and learned so much in the classes and training. I got to tour nine ships and participate in meetings on planning River Cruises.
With my refreshed knowledge of river cruises I wanted to share a few unique benefits.
Seeing Multiple Countries
The Ships dock in the city center with easy access on and off the ship.
This is a BIG one for me. You unpack once. The ship is like a floating hotel, so the hotel moves while taking you to a new city each day for long port times and normally docking in the city center.
The ease of seeing lots of cities most River Cruises are at least seven days, with some lasting up to 49-night sailing on the AmaMora that will cruise the Rhine and Danube rivers.
The Food
The chefs on many of the River Cruises shop at local markets and cook small batches of incredible food.
You get the opportunity to enjoy fresh ingredients and local cuisines that the chefs have specialized in.
Being Able to do it All
It is cost-effective, so much, including excursions are included in the total for many of the cruise lines.
While attending training, I talked with a sales rep who had sailed last Christmas on a Christmas Market Cruise. During the cruise, the ship was decorated with fantastic Christmas decorations. They were taken to the church and town where Silent Night was written, and they were treated to a performance of Silent Night in the church where it was first performed.
Options are Endless
It is key to use a travel professional who understands the river cruise lines and ships. The different cruise lines meet a wide variety of needs and wants. There are luxury, moderate, and value river cruise lines that meet different needs and budgets.
I got the pleasure of personally touring: Ama Waterways (toured three ships), Avalon Waterways, Scenic River Cruise Line, Viking Cruise Line (toured two ships), Amadeus Cruise Line, and Riverside Cruise Line.
The Two River Cruise Lines stood out to me for inclusions, value, amazing ships, and food were Ama Waterways and Avalon Waterways.
Then for Luxury River Cruises – Scenic River Cruise Line and Riverside Cruise Line.
Viking and Amadeus Cruise Line are more of value cruise lines. With Amadeus Cruise Line you need to fully understand that not as much is included as the other River Cruise Lines.
All the cruise lines listed above are good, with each cruise line meeting different client needs and wants.
These examples of what is included on most AMA Waterways and Avalon the Two River Cruise Lines stood out to me.
AmaWaterways
- Beer, wine, and soft drinks at lunch, dinner, and happy hour sparkling wine at breakfast, along with tea, gourmet coffee, and bottled water
- At least one complimentary shore excursion in every port Special events, such as dinner in a castle
- Bikes for passenger use
- Wellness classes
- Specialty restaurants
- Wi-Fi
- Complimentary entertainment on-demand in staterooms and suites
Avalon Waterways
- Beer and wine with lunch and dinner, sparkling wine with breakfast on all European river cruises. Complimentary coffee and teas are served throughout the day, along with bottled water.
- At least one complimentary shore excursion in every port
- Special events, such as dinner in a castle
- Bikes for passenger use
- Specialty dining at Panorama Bistro
- Interactive entertainment on-demand system in staterooms and suites
- Wi-Fi
Do you want to know more about River Cruises? Our team would love to assist you with planning a River Cruise. We can go over the different cruise lines and what is included with each cruise line to create the perfect trip just for you.