TEN THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT RIVER CRUISING

I am not affiliated with Tauck, nor am I being compensated in any way.


This is a multi-part series about our Danube River cruise.

Scenery along the Danube River

Have you ever been, or thought about going on a river cruise? 

We just returned from our first river cruise experience 
along the Danube through eastern Europe.

 The itinerary took us through five countries,
starting with three days on land in the Czech Republic's beautiful city of Prague.
From there we went to Germany to board our floating hotel, 
and cruised through Austria and Slovakia, 
until arriving in Budapest, Hungary, where we spent the last two days on land.

The dark blue and yellow lines show our route (photo by Tauck).

A host of river cruise lines offer a wide range of pricing.
Overall, the experiences are similar, but depending on whether one chooses 
budget, luxury, or something in between, things can vary from ship to ship.
The size of cabins, quality of food, types of excursions, range of amenities, 
extra charges, caliber of tour guides, etc. are some of the variables.
We thoroughly researched several companies before making our decision to go with Tauck.

Our ship, the MS Joy

The couple we were traveling with had used Tauck before,
and recommended them highly.
In the end, that was good enough for us.
Plus, a bonus for me was that Tauck's itinerary gave us two days in Vienna, 
while most (all?) others offered only one day.

Almost everything was included in our tour  --
 excursions, all meals on the ship, drinks (including alcoholic beverages), 
transfers, and gratuities.
The only additional costs were for a few meals on land when we were on our own.  

Having been on one river cruise doesn't make me an expert, 
 but I can share some basic thoughts on the experience.

1. Our river boat, the MS Joy, was comfortable, luxurious in an understated way, 
and had all the necessary amenities.

There were no ice-skating rinks, no bowling alleys, and no casinos or comedy clubs,
yet, we had everything we needed.
The ship had a main dining room, spacious lounge/bar area, smaller restaurant 
for more casual fare, hair and nail salon, spa, small gym, and boutique.
I meant to use the gym......I really did, but the closest I got to it 
was the hair salon across the hall. 
I did get a workout at the boutique, however.

Main lobby and boutique above; restaurant below.

The Compass Rose -- main dining room

The Panorama Lounge and Bar area

The upper outdoor deck had lots of seating, canopies for shade, 
a putting green, and a hot tub.
Bicycles were available for use on land when we were docked. 
Fortunately, the weather was perfect, and we spent a lot of time on the deck 
enjoying the scenery along the Danube River shoreline.

2. There are relatively few cabins which made for an intimate group 
of fellow travelers. 

The MS Joy has 67 cabins, and accommodates 130 passengers.
That's a far cry from the 4,000 people on our Norwegian Breakaway cruise!
The intimate size made it conducive to meeting people.
Most folks on our ship were from the US, but there were a few from more exotic locales, like New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong and Portugal.

Cabins were on three levels, with seven different pricing categories.
I didn't see the other staterooms, but ours was spacious,
with a large bathroom and huge walk-in closet.
Our suite had two large floor-to-ceiling french balconies,
and when we opened the doors, it was like being outside without being outside.
The king-sized bed faced the windows,
which was a marvelous way to watch the scenery go by.  
The mini bar was complimentary, and there was a Nespresso machine, 
should we have an coffee craving.
One thing to note.........river cruising has become quite the rage,
and because there are so few cabins, they sell out quickly.
We booked ours a year in advance to make sure we got the cabin type we wanted.

3. Most of our fellow travelers appeared to be in their 50s to 70s.

It's a well-known fact that river cruises attract an older crowd,
and I reluctantly admit to being in that demographic.
Tour companies have tweaked their marketing campaigns to attract younger folks, 
and while there were a few people in their 40's,
I'm guessing the majority of guests were not the type to be up partying till the wee hours.  
Most of the people I spoke to were well-heeled, and seasoned travelers, 
 but, like our host, the MS. Joy, they were quite low-key and understated.

3. The majority of meals are on the ship, which limits the number of 
local dining experiences. 

This is just a fact of cruising life,
and was one trade-off I knew I'd be making when deciding to go on a river cruise.
A big part of my joy of travel is sampling regional cuisine.
I was actually glad that some of our meals weren't included,
as it gave us a chance to try some local restaurants while on land.

On the upside, dinners on the ship always included regional fare.
There was spatzle and strudel in Germany, weiner schnitzel and sacher tortes in Austria; goulash and gundel pancakes in Hungary.

Some of our meals were outstanding; one or two was disappointing, 
but overall, the ship's food was quite good.
White glove service was excellent, and the waitstaff was first-rate.

Reservations were not needed for dinner, nor were we seated with 
people we didn't know, although I wouldn't have minded that on occasion.

Should hunger strike at any time of day, 
Arthur's, the smaller restaurant, was open all day until 11:00pm,
and a Bite To Eat menu was available from 10:00am till midnight.
Food or drink could be delivered to your room, or to the outdoor deck, the lounge, 
and I dare venture to guess, the salon, 
if you really wanted to eat while getting your hair blown out.

 Suffice it to say there was no shortage of food aboard the MS Joy, 
and I may or may not have had dessert twice a day...........
plus chocolate croissants and muffins for breakfast.

Zweibelroastbraten in Austria

 4. On-board entertainment is low key, compared to ocean cruises.

Even without the elaborate shows that large cruise ships are known for,
we were amply entertained on our river boat, 
albeit on a scale in keeping with the size of our vessel.
Every evening, Corrado played piano in the Panorama lounge,
and one night, he led us in a group karaoke sing-along.
Local entertainers came on board several evenings when we were docked.
In Austria, a trio of string musicians treated us to a classical music performance;
in Slovakia, performances by Slavic musicians and dancers was enjoyable,
especially when Mr. Goo Shoes was pulled out of the audience
to waltz with one of the dancers!
There was a strudel-making demonstration,
a scarf-tying presentation (after which the scarves were suddenly front and center 
in the boutique), and information sessions on the places we visited.
By far, the best entertainment of the week was the staff show,
which was absolutely laugh-out-loud hilarious! 

 There were also several evening excursions off the ship,
where we dined in elegant palaces, 
while being entertained by classical musicians, singers and dancers.

Slavic musicians entertained us on board when we were docked in Bratislava.

The staff show was hilarious!

5. Dress was casual, but not sloppy.

 I was all in a tizzy before we left about what to wear at night. 
"On-board dinner attire is 'smart casual,' " according to the cruise handbook.
What the heck does that really mean? 

I packed what I packed, and hoped for the best.

Men's dress code was pretty straightforward:
 khakis or nice jeans and collared shirts were the rule.
Shorts, tank tops, and flip flops were verboten at dinner.

For the most part, women wore pants and nice (but not fancy) tops.
Dressing up was optional for the Captain's Welcome reception, 
and the special evening excursions, 
and most people did get a bit more gussied up for those. 
In the end, it really didn't matter; 
however one was comfortable was totally acceptable,
as long as they didn't look sloppy. 

6. Getting from place to place was effortless.

 It probably goes without saying that the biggest benefit of cruising 
is waking up in a different place everyday
without the hassle of unpacking/re-packing.
Let's face it........schlepping our luggage from here to there is getting old..........
or maybe it's us who are getting old. 
From the minute we claimed our bags in Prague, 
until we landed back in NJ, our luggage was handled for us. 
I loved that part! 
Compared to other travel itineraries, cruising is the most civilized way 
to get from place to place.
We effortlessly sailed through five countries........
Of course, it helped that a drink was almost always in hand while traversing the Danube! 

  7. Sea-sickness was not an issue, as river cruising is smooth. 
 No waves, no sea-sickness wristbands, no drinks toppling over due to rough seas.
Heck, half the time, I had to look at the shore line to see if we were moving.
The other half of the time, I thought we were moving but we weren't.........
chalk that up to the endless flow of free cocktails!  

8. Unlike large cruise ships, river boats can often dock in the heart of a city.

At several of our stops, we were docked right in town.
It was nice to be able to get on and off the ship any time we wanted.
In some locations, however, buses transported us to our destinations.
 Travel time varied from a few minutes to a couple of hours,
depending on where we were heading.

The morning we awoke in Slovakia, this was the view of Bratislava from our bed. 
I don't know about you, but when I wake up at home,
the view from my bed is the bathroom door. 

9. You may have to walk through another river boat (or they may have to walk through yours) to embark or disembark.

River boats often have to dock right up against each other. 
They are so close, you could reach across and shake hands with the other passengers.
 It was a little weird to open our curtain one morning 
and see another boat inches away from our window. 
Yep, we kept the curtains closed while we got dressed that morning!
There was one instance when another ship's passengers 
had to cross through our lobby to get to the dock,
while our vigilant security guard made sure that no one took a wrong turn.
And, one time we had to pass through another ship to get back to ours.
This wasn't a big deal at all, just something to be aware of.

The railing of our ship is on the far right; the brown deck is another ship docked next to us.

10. Water levels can affect river cruise itineraries. 
This is a biggie to be aware of before you go. 
If the river's water levels are too high or too low, the ships can't pass. 
This isn't usually a trip-buster, as cruise lines will adjust itineraries to compensate
by busing passengers to different ports, 
or even continuing tours on land and putting guests up at hotels.
I imagine, however, that it would be disappointing to have to forfeit all or part of the cruise,
which, let's face it, is the main event. 
Fortunately, our trip had smooth sailing for our entire journey.

We saw many other river boats during our journey.

Service on Tauck was top notch -- our every need was catered to. 
Our tour directors were professional, personable, and ready to help with any question.
The cruise director ran a tight ship, so to speak,
which made for a most pleasant and safe journey.
We had such a great experience, it's likely this will not be our last river boat cruise.  
 I'm already eyeing the Rhine........or maybe the Rhone..........or perhaps the Seine. 
Pick a river.........any river! 

To be continued......... 

Have I piqued your interest in going on a river cruise?
Why not pin this for future reference? 

I'll share details about all of the places we saw soon,
and one thing I can promise you is that the photos are spectacular! 
Here's a sneak peek at my upcoming post about Prague. 

This is a multi-part series about our Danube River cruise. 


Read Our First Day In Prague here.

Read Day 2 In Prague here.
Read Day 3 in Prague here. 

Read A Day In Medieval Regensburg, Germany here.

Read Picturesque Towns Of Austria Part 1: Engelhartszell here.
Read Picturesque Towns Of Austria Part 2: Salzburg here.
Read Picturesque Towns Of Austria Part 3: Durnstein here.
Read Scenery Of The Wachau Valley here. 
Read Vienna: Exploring The Old Town here.
 Read Bratislava: Slovakia's Charming Capital here.
Read Budapest: The Pearl of the Danube River here.
 

Resources:

Tauck Tours

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