European River Cruises
 

Looking for information/experiences others may have cruising the rivers of Europe. We are planning a cruise of the Rhine; 8 days - Amsterdam to Zurich in September. And not having done such a thing, we'd greatly appreciate any information we can get.
Thanks,

Wife and I took a river cruise during the tulip season in Amsterdam. The cruises are fantastic. Our ship (if u can call it that) had 18 crew and about 125 passengers. The cruise is very intimate and there is no formality like on the large ships. The cruise people met us at Newark airport and took our luggage and when we landed in Europe they were there to greet us. The cruise is everything that the advertise it to be. The food was great and you sat where u wanted each meal. NO FORMAL NITE WHERE U NEEDED A SUIT. You will enjoy it.

I've had friends that have done the larger ships on the rivers in Europe and loved it. Personally, we've done the rivers and canals in France, Belgium, and The Netherlands on the smaller, self piloted house boats and would probably rank them as our favorite vacations. You have to be able to get off and on the boat to dock it, so it's not for everybody, but, if you can drive a car, you can pilot the ship. The boats are app. 30' to 50' long, with 2-4 bedrooms, full kitchen, AC (depending on model), bathrooms, etc. We always went with another couple, so the cost was reasonable. You can stop wherever you like and stay as long as you like, as long as you have the boat back on the designated day and marina. Again, it's not for everybody, but it makes for a great time with the feeling of exploration. We always got our boat thru a company called LeBoat, and they represent several companies. Last time contacted them they were in MD, but may have moved.

My occasional traveling companion and I booked our very first Danube River cruise for August 2011 last summer. We'd long dreamed of doing such a trip, but felt we really couldn't justify the expense. Then, Viking River Cruises offered a 2-for-1 deal that was impossible to resist!

We travel as singles for a variety of reasons. When a week-long cruise whose normal brochure price for a single was just shy of $6,000 was offered for closer to $2,900, we just had to book it!

So, I can't help Fourpar just now about what to expect, but know that when I was a travel agent, eons and eons ago, river cruising always was our clients' absolute favorite vacation!

Yes, there are costs above and beyond the real deal, but we both feel that we're about to embark on the vacation of All Time!

SWR
:beer3:

River Cruise
 

We did a river cruise almost 2 years ago, we went with Amadeus, now AMA waterways. It was a dream, once in a lifetime vacation. We went to Paris first, then Luxumburg, and traveled the rhine & Mosel, absolutely the best vacation we have ever had. We ended in Amsterdam, and did the tulip gardens, we went in April, and it was beautiful. It is a much different atmosphere than an large cruise ship, smaller, and less formal. We loved it, the excursions and tours are included in the price, and also wine with dinner.
Entertainment was also, local from each port we stopped in. I think if you do the research, and have the itinerary you want, you will love it.

Several years ago I won a cruise from Cologne, Germany to Basil, Switzerland -- I believe what is called the middle Rhine. It was spectacular and I highly recommend it. Of course winning the whole thing made it even better.

Name?
 

What is the name of the river cruise you used?