River Cruises Provide Informality And Accessibility

We did not have to unpack, but lived in the same room the entire trip.

We did these things and much more on European river cruise, an increasingly popular option for U.S. Citizens.

Viking River Cruises, which has 23 ships, more than any other river cruise line has seen a 3fold increase in business since 2001. Other major lines also experienced sharp increases in passengers.

Several factors are fueling this boom in river cruises. One is that travelers have had to sail on big ships "in 2000 of the closest friends" and want a different, more intimate experience. Second is the continued rise of 55-plus travelers - the maturing baby boomers.

As for the river cruise prices, they are generally smaller than ocean cruises and on par with high-end charter bus trips.

We paid in advance in dollars, not euros, and the price included all meals, ship transport and on-board entertainment, as well as many outings. By avoiding having to change a lot of dollars to the euro in foreign countries, but the real advantage of the river cruise was its convenience - no constant packing and unpacking, no one tries to find restaurants, no checking out and in the hotels, or schlepping luggage on the train or buses.

We chose a seven-night cruise around the Danube River from Budapest to Nuremberg, Germany, on Viking River Cruises '150-traveling Viking Spirit. In route, we passed through 23 locks and stopped at seven different resorts in three countries. A kind of laid-back mini-sampler in Central Europe.

Small, simple

Informality was the rule. We had no formal nights (in support of a somewhat elegant evening), ate at a seat with whom we pleased, and soon made many new friends.

A person said: "I do not like big ships |. Why do people like river cruises? This is really little more my speed "|. We went to two European capitals, so a 900 year old Benedictine monastery, so when World War II Nazi leaders were convicted of war crimes, attended an organ recital, as a glass fan creates exquisite shapes, bought a souvenir horse made of stone and a bell made of glass. 'As has sailed with her husband on ocean-going cruise ships |. For most of us, which was good, because almost all passengers were seniors for who was familiar music.

This sentiment was echoed by many passengers on the cruise, some of which had just as much as five River Cruises past and loved them all.

It a lot in a short time to see the water is not rough, and it is safe just to walk around these cities. That the American passengers would be the convenience and value for their dollars to add.

Another incentive: Plenty of choices. The low-slung river cruise ships in more than a dozen European rivers, as well as some other continents, so travelers can choose a cruise that stays in a single country, for example, or who visit more. It is also possible to consider a river cruise from Amsterdam on the Atlantic coast of the Black Sea, through 12 countries.

In fact, a facet that attracts river cruisers is the fact that Europe has a lot of rivers and a lot of cultures that can take several cruises and have a repeat experience.

Michael and Christine went to Russia cruise five years ago, took one of their anniversary and can perform a French river on the future anniversary. Kay In-man-Palthe of the Bay Area, on her sixth river cruise, remembered with joy "our Rhone-Saone cruise, where we had an excellent chef and visiting small villages" - a completely different route from our Danube cruise.

The company we went with is popular with Americans, and almost all passengers are from the USA All notices and bulletins were in English, local guides on excursions speak English (more than others), as did the Viking staff who had contact with passengers.

Breakfast and lunch are buffet style while dinner was served. The presentation and the dishes were generally high quality. Food was international, but pleased American tastes, bacon and eggs for breakfast, for example, plus they even had peanut butter.

Among other European river cruise company, caters Uniworld also mainly to Americans, as well as some other ships running cruises for the American tour. But even on lines that attract European travelers, English is widespread.

Music on board was carried out by a pianist playing old pop standards, pre-and post-dinner.

On three evenings, but the ship brought in entertainment from the coast. It would be a talented Hungarian folk music quartet, along with a couple in period costume who performed traditional dances. Other would be a Bavarian musician who played oompah music and spent much time picking out passengers 'play' fun instruments. The third would be a German glassblower, who claimed that he and his father used to work with renowned American glass artist Dale Chihuly. He gave a glass-blowing demonstration which packed the lounge.