European River Cruise Watch Outs. 14 Things Brochures Don't Warn You About! 

I absolutely love the fact that your videos are VERY clear and concise, with no stupid distracting music in the background, or in some other people's vids, music seemingly in the foreground. One of the most professional series of vids on RU-vid. Thank you.

My Wife and I along with our good friends (husband and wife) took the Viking Danube Christmas markets cruise Nuremburg to Budapest. Best time ever! What made it better for us was that we extended for two days at the end of the cruise in Budapest and had a great time exploring Budapest. If you've ever considered doing a river cruise, just do it. You won't be disappointed.

This is the BEST travel advice video on any aspect of travel I've ever seen. Very informative, concise, well edited, candid, intelligent, good vocabulary...I could go on and on. Nearly all other videos of this type are just INSUFFERABLE. Excellent work, sir. Pay attention people. This is how it's done.

Very good video. A few years ago, we went to Tuscany. We stayed at an agriturismo and rented a car to explore the region. Six months later, we took a Rhine cruise with friends. The cruise cost three times as much as the Tuscany trip, even before tipping. We much prefer flexibility and setting our own schedule. We also love meeting people when we travel. You don't see any of the citizens on a cruise ship, except for the person who rings up your trinkets. In contrast, by staying at small B&Bs when traveling we made friends and still correspond with them years later. Food on river cruise ships is adequate at best, while when we travel independently we can choose to have a modest meal at a restaurant for the locals or splurge and have a wonderful meal like we did in Paris. Finally, he meant the smaller size and the other travelers. Even though there was only 200 on our cruise, there were five horrible passengers who were either loud drunks or self-entitled jackasses. The ship is not big enough to escape them.

Interesting video, bit critical, I do not remember the restrictions not meal times and most had buffets which gave you flexibility. The pleasure of River cruising is the fact you see a different city or town every day, there are no long days at sea. For someone who is interested in history a River cruise gets to the heart of historical places, not just tourist spots along a coast.

Something I found on our cruise is that we actually did most of our cruising at night when you are sleeping and can't see the sights going by. That was somewhat disappointing.

I just got back from a river cruise with APT. Amsterdam to Budapest. Spent 3 days prior in Paris. I agree with what you say. None of it bothered me and had an amazing time. I could not fault the trip at all.

I’ve only been on one river cruise, from Paris to Normandy on the Seine but I really enjoyed it. I agree with everything he said. You need to know what you’re in for and be prepared. But it really caters to older people. I was in my early fifties and I was the second youngest man on board!

I think the information was excellent. Better to have realistic expectations instead of being disappointed

Went on Uniworld - Amsterdam to Basel. First class all the way. No kids, no slot machines but outstanding cuisine, nightly entertainment, top shelf liquor (included) No endless buffet or midnight buffet, Broadway reviews, water slides, BUT it is restful, and the lock changing was incredible. Sure beats ocean cruises. And yes, when we docked, Viking walked through our reception area. Only thing to keep in mind is the cost, but it is inclusive. I would go again in a heartbeat

Thank you. You have confirmed that river cruising will not be for us!

Lots of good info to ponder, very swiftly spoken, but with such perfectly clear diction that I didn't miss a word.

I absolutely LOVED the cruise I took with my extended family on the Danube (Budapest to Nuremberg). One thing that I would add related to the locks - you might be tempted to leave your balcony door open when you go to bed to let in the fresh breeze, but then might wake up at a lock with a room completely filled with mosquitoes! Also, my stepmom was able to walk short distances, but otherwise was in a wheelchair, and she was fine. My stepsister has Celiac disease, and the cruise personnel went above and beyond seeing to her dietary needs. Would totally go again.

Hi Gary thanks for your comments on the river cruises . I just have to say that I have been on four River cruises, two with Uni world and two with Evergreen and loved every single moment of them ,in fact would say they were our best holidays ever. I would agree that they are an expensive way to travel, however what you get for your money is well worth it. Once I paid the full amount, I found that with each trip I never paid anything else, other than souvenirs that I bought. Uni world was fully inclusive so of course we never paid anything else, Evergreen was fully exclusive except for drinks out side of mealtimes. As we are not big drinkers this was not a problem for us. But with each cruise when we did activities within the boat, example cheese tasting or cooking demonstrations etc they always gave us wine to accompany these activities so there was no shortage of drinks during the day either. On all of our cruises we rarely stopped next to other boats and if we did, I quite enjoyed having a quick peak at the other boats as we walked through. In fact with uni world we were allowed to have a look extensively through the other boats and had a chat to all the other guests sitting in the lounge areas which was really great fun. I have to say that I never found it Regimented, yes we had excursions at certain times so it was in your best interest to get up and have breakfast either at the early bird session or the normal breakfast area and be ready to depart for your excursion, but that’s no different from an ocean liner as well . And it least when it was time for the excursion there was not thousands of people all pushing and shoving trying to get off, The most I’ve had was 120 people and it was very leisurely and easy. We had no difficulty with any of the excursions, because everyone just strolled along quite slowly there was never really any hurry and nothing was difficult at all to manage . And each one of my cruises always had an EASY WALKING Group that went at a slower pace to suit those who needed this. And I never felt that the excursions went more than about three hours anyway and the rest of the time was just free time, so we thoroughly enjoy popping into pubs ,walking around the gardens, looking at different things apart from the usual cathedrals etc that you mentioned... which of course were amazing. We have had quite a large age demographic on our cruises with had people in their 30s and 40s as well as the older groups. Everybody integrated really well and I think it helps having the smaller ship and only one or two lounge areas, as it’s never hard to find someone to sit down and have a chat with or even to find a small corner just read a book by yourself. I have to say that I never found any of my four cruises noisy at all and I suffer from insomnia and I never heard a thing , sometimes the gentle lapping of water but that’s about it .I would never stay on the top deck because I think that sometimes early-morning joggers might make a noise up there but so far noise wise ,we’ve had no bad experiences. We have found the restaurants to be open for an hour or two for breakfast and the same for lunch and you can come and go at any time that you like I don’t find that regimented at all. And on one occasion I did not feel like coming for dinner ,and just mentioned it to reception..just to let them know that I wouldn’t be coming and about half an hour later a gentleman arrived at my door with a very small meal on a beautiful silver tray and a drink as well, just in case I needed something later on ....so I thought that was fabulous service. Obviously if there is four or five courses at night and you just feel like a salad then you just have the one course of what you want, it’s not like you have to eat everything there... you just choose what you like and then leave when you like, it’s really not that regimented ...certainly not in my experience. I am vegetarian and I found all of my meal experiences to be very good and I also let them know for when we had excursions off the boat that included meals, and we had no problems whatsoever. Luckily for us we never had any water level problems, but I can understand that they would be quite an issue at certain times of the year. So you are absolutely correct that people need to do their research and be prepared for changes to itinerary. Just the same as ocean cruises where we have been redirected to other places due to storms etc. One thing I did notice with a lot of the people that I travelled with, was that they had done very little research on their cruise, had no idea of what the cabin was like or the window configurations. They seemed not to know where they were going ,what the cruise included or really very much about the cruise at all, which absolutely surprises me ,,,when you think of how much money you’ve paid for these cruises, I would be absolutely making sure I knew what I was entitled to ,where I was going and what my cabin looked like and what I could expect. So all I can say is that everybody that I’ve travelled with and other people I know who have been on cruises ,have all enjoyed them . it is certainly different from ocean cruising and definitely quieter no casino , no shows ,no excitement it’s just calm and quiet grown-up ,you do have activities, you do have fun things ,it’s just different but good... And I would do a river cruise every week if I could afford it

GARY: After watching one of your posts, for my partner's 72nd birthday in 2017, I booked us a DOURO RIVER CRUISE, with SAGA. This turned out to be the most outrageously funny holiday we have ever been on! Only a week's duration, and with all the passengers "of a certain age", the disco music was superb; and - even the DJ - who lamented what he had been reduced-to on his first night with us, was transformed into a right 'Dancing Queen' by the end of the first evening. We met two wonderful Scottish Widows (!!!) who have remained firm friends. However, my purpose in writing is to say that I would not book a 'balcony-room' next time. This wastes space inside the stateroom; and we spent all of our free time in the public areas, with our friends: so the balcony was a complete waste ( at extra cost).

I learned a lot about river cruises since I knew nothing. Thank you!

I did a river cruise, Tulips and Windmills through the Netherlands with 6 gal pals. It was delightful. It is what you make it!

Viking Cruise on Danube is THE best vacation ever! Worth every penny and highly recommend

I went on Uniworld river cruise. OUTSTANDING. Although expensive, the food was world class, the nightly entertainment was as well. I have been on both ocean and now river cruises. I'd take river cruises hands down. Not garish, no casino to walk through to get to the dining room.Quiet ambiance with passengers being well cared for by the staff. Convivial passengers, very low key and conducive to meeting and talking to fellow passengers. While your points are well taken, to me, this is "the" way to travel via waterways.

Thanks for this concise and informative summary, Gary. Seasons Greetings!

Just came back from my first river cruise. Wish I had this information prior to going. Thanks!

My wife and I went on an Avalon river cruise from Paris to Cannes (our first), and thoroughly enjoyed it. My wife gets seasick so the oceangoing trips are out of the question, she will not even attempt. We were able to mix the activities to our needs. A great choice. Looking at Danube cruises next.

I’ve been on several river cruises and cannot fault your advice. I think the main thing is not to compare them with sea cruises, a completely different experience.

Thank you so much for this fantastic information! I just got through watching your six best river cruise lines. Wonderful!!!

I've never been interested in ocean cruising and thought river cruising would be the only thing to consider when in Europe, but this was very helpful in deciding that river cruising is probably not for me. Cheers

Thanks, Gary! All good information. Merry Christmas!

Went on 2 river cruises with friends. Our friends were ocean cruise travellers and have decided to only go by way of river cruises. Once you pay for cruise you are done with costs. Our friends appreciated the beautiful views every day while on the river. Meals were wonderful, fresh food daily. We did not notice any problems with noise. As far as excursions go we had a fair bit of flexibility. We are taking another river cruise this September.

Four years ago I took my son on Viking’s cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. Fourteen nights; it was worth every cent. He was the youngest passenger-25 years old and he got along well with everybody. My husband, brother-in-law and I did Viking’s Waterway of the Tsars last year. I like river cruising better than ocean cruising.

Wow, invaluable advice. Thanks so much for doing this.

Good list. I haven't thought about most of this. If we ever consider a river cruise, I'll probably look for this again.

We went on one recently and loved every minute of it! We want to go again. AmaWaterway was excellent!

I took my son with me on a Viking Rhine River cruise before he started college. He is into photography so I “sold” it to him as a photography tour. He enjoyed experimenting with time lapse photos going through locks, etc. His tastes really branched out on this trip and he tried many regional foods. I told him up front that most of the people would be older. We were both fine with that. We seemed to be drawn to a lot of people from England when we sat down to eat and had fun talking with them. We also spent some time on our own at each stop. The crew were very helpful with giving us recommendations. I would describe a river cruise as “structured” rather than “regimented.” The Viking ship was not noisy at all. I would gladly cruise anywhere on Viking and hope to again someday. The ship’s layout and decor are very calm. The photos from Uniworld look agitating to me. I imagine the different cruise lines are catering to diffferent styles/personalities. There was one woman on our cruise who seemed to think she was on a party boat. It was rather entertaining but she definitely seemed not to have understood the concept!

You are always thorough - I appreciate it!

I took a river cruise in France this past May. Went from Lyon up the Saone then back down the Rhone to Arles. Cruise line was Luftner on the Amadeus Provence. Absolutely wonderful trip. Most excursions were included and there were optional excursions at a reasonable price. Food and service were exceptional. Yes, it was an "older crowd" and I enjoyed the adult crowd. Would go again in a heartbeat. The locks were fascinating but never woke me at night and didn't find excess noise a problem.

I have been on a handful of river cruises in my late 40's. EVERYTHING he says is spot on! I mainly love them and at moments dislike them for all of these reasons :-)

Brilliant, concisely informative,thank you, subscribed

Absolutely true. Expect the unexpected. We were on Viking last November (2018) and we were warned of low water only a week out. Obviously, Viking knew of the low water levels on the Danube for months. Our river cruise became a motor bus tour. Not what we expected or paid for.

Thank you for the tips ! Having been on ocean cruise I've looked at river cruises & you have pitched many things l would never thought of like the lochs & noise e.t.c.

Thank you for these insights. Very helpful.

Thank you for your well presented and concise informative report - I learnt a lot and you've helped us to make decisions .... warm regards from Australia

This is a brilliant exposé of river cruises. I have been on many in Europe, and all, yes all, of them can be described in the manner that you expressed. Absolutely brilliant information - if I had known this before I may well not have gone. Every detail was right, every last one. Thankyou.

This has proven to be very useful information as we plan for and eagerly anticipate our first-ever river cruise. Thank you for making this video and sharing your insights.

Good vid. We are looking at one of these, so this vid was very welcome. Like others, we know nothing about them. Thank you for the info

Did the Budapest to Amsterdam in 2010 with APT, around September, loved every minute of it.

Great information! Thx so much because I was interested in trying one

Gary, very informative and interesting video. Well done.

Very detailed and informative video. Thanks for taking the time to share this info with us.

This was very insightful and informative. It will help us make plans for future trips. Thanks again, Gary.

Good video with lots of good information. I've seen river cruise ships but have never looked into going on one. I've only done ocean cruises, so I didn't know the differences between that and this. Thanks!

Two years ago I took a river cruise along Rhine with Amway it was great. The food and service where excellent. I am planning another trip with Amway next spring..The accommodations were excellent and never had any problems regarding sound.

This was very informative, insights into things I would not of thought of. Thank - You , again another GREAT video. You also always have GREAT video to go with what your talking about, you don't leave us wondering what or why you are showing us the things you do.

good information my wife has been on about river cruising for awhile, the points raised definitely merit discussion

I am glad I watched this video, great info provided on river cruising. I have watched lots of your sea cruising videos and never thought of the big differences. Thanks and take care

Thanks! Very helpful and informative. Well done!

I love your videos!!!! Very enlightening!!!

Thanks, very helpful. Learned much.

Thanks for the tips. New subscriber here. We are heading to an Avalon River Cruise on the Rhine this week and have been on 5-6 ocean cruises so this was good information on what to expect. Thanks again.

Done a lot of river cruising in Europe and this guy is straight on point!! It's a good way to travel!!

ALL and EVERY video of yours is so informative and to the point. Keep them coming! Great job!

I was considering a River Cruise. I love the info and video. Just subscribed.

I've noticed the larger ships are offering accommodations for solo travelers. It's like a dorm room set-up where there are several small bedrooms that share a large lounge.

My wife and I cruised from Amsterdam to Budapest on Viking. I went into the trip without looking for pitfalls. Thank goodness things went pretty well. Just be aware that if water levels are too high, you will not be using the sun deck at all. And with Europe being so small, if it is rainy in Amsterdam, it will probably be rainy for 2-3 days of the cruise.

Hi Gary Lots of really useful information. A great video. Many thanks. Regards DS

This is an excellent video. I would like to add that the criuse we took (from UK) with an Australian company, APT a few years ago was excellent. Not cheap and I couldn't expect to do this very often. Consifering everything involved it actually worked out at good value however.

Thanks for the heads up...I was sold on river cruising by a friend who had a great time but you have raised some important issues for me regarding mobility and the low level water issues....thx

Thank you for the great info... I did enjoy my river Cruise on the Nile and the Danube...will be glad when travel opens up completely 🤗

Excellent video! We are going on our first river cruise this year. We were aware of some of the pointers but not all. Very informative video, it equips the traveler so they are more aware of what to expect. Thank you for a great video.

Great tips, first time on your channel and now subscribed. 😊

Fab advice, well organised and spoken.

We watched this before our Sept. 2019 Rhine Cruise with Viking. Thank you! There were no surprises and we absolutely loved the trip.

I've been on three European river cruises.....and this video is so real. Very insightful...

Thanks. Very informative and interesting review and it was right on time for me.

I found my last river cruise up the Rhine to be inexpensive and completely relaxing. It was not stuffy in any way . We are going with the same ship this year for a few days around The Netherlands

Thank you for your interpretation of river cruising, it was most informative. Your video clips are essential to either cruise virgins or alternative cruise travellers. Well done & thank you for sharing your experiences.

I love ocean cruising. I appreciate the insight in this segment. This doesn’t come across as off-putting; however, don’t imagine I’d want to do more than one, possibly two. I’ve subscribed and look forward to more of you videos. Thank you.

Very informative. Have not thought too much about a European River Cruise but your review has stirred some interest. Thank you.

Very interesting and informative. Thank you.

We just got back from an excursion on the lower Danube with Grand Circle and had a wonderful experience in spite of many river level problems. To offset these changes the line arranged for addition excursions and comped most (but not all) of the optional excursions and at each end to the trip we spent a few days in hotels but they did pick really nice ones but the meals served in the hotels were not as good as those on the boat. I have never seen any children on any of the boats, I know that Grand Circle does not allow any but we often rafted up with other lines at the docks. Most of our fellow travelers were like us, over '29', and most had made more than one trip with Grand Circle, a few had made 20 such trips, but they were mostly pretty active for older folks. Walking around older cities with cobblestone streets is tough on the legs and feet but remember many downtowns are traffic free and walking is the only way around. In our cabin, the beds folded up during the day, this process was handled by the room attendant while you had breakfast and dropped down while you had dinner. There is no room in the cabin for a third guest, so if you could bring your kid(s) you would have to pay for another cabin. When I travel I want to see the sights, not lounge in my room, so the regimentation needed to accomplish this was not unwelcome, I am not this way at home. Likewise I don't see any benefit to the top deck cabins with balconies. I do find the 'periscope' deck at the bottom level less fun and do pay for the middle deck upgrade. It was way more fun to do day cruising in the lounge or on the top deck where you can mingle with fellow passengers but I don't 'hang out' in my hotel room when I do land travel either, bedrooms are for sleeping. Beer, wine, and coffee was always available there, mixed drinks and bottled beverages were extra. The best part of Grand Circle is the Cruise Directors, these folks are with you everyday making the land tours as well. They come from the area where you are touring, are generally licensed guides in some of the cities and have a great deal of local knowledge. A good reason for repeating trips with the same line is that they continue to offer repeat travelers big discounts on the fare and they have special events for repeat travelers. My ticket included free air travel and that was mostly on Lufthansa, a really good airline.

one of the best videos - very informative - thank you very much!

Very informative! Thank you!

Excellent points. Well balanced, short and to the point. Thank you!!!

Great info. When ocean cursing I love spending time out on the balcony, not so sure I would enjoy it as much on a river cruise.

Thank you very much. I learned a lot watching this.

Very helpful tips. Thank you for the content.

Very comprehensive. Usually, you have to go on these trips to find out the pro's and con's, so thanks for all the tips and advice.

I've been on 8 sea cruises and currently planning on a River Cruise being our next one. I lived in Germany 2010-2014 and have visited most of the towns on the route, but really want to have the River Cruise experience side of it.

Very informative. Thx!

APT cruise, Budapest to Amsterdam June/July 2016 - An Australian company. Excellent (guy/guy couple, we were both baby boomers). I am not naturally gregarious with strangers, but my partner is, so we fitted in well. I loved the microphone/earpiece tour guides which meant we didn't have to stay extra close to the respective guides. The advertised pool was a bit of a no go for me - barely a plunge pool. We had to change boats half way through because the river was too high to allow a boat to pass under one of the bridges. Basically we swapped boats with the cruise coming from Amsterdam to Budapest.- very efficient and the crew were great and very helpful and organised. "Structured" suited me fine especially as the excursions etc were things I was interested in - classical music and historical sites. I wish I could afford to repeat the trip and include the Rhine this time. Sadly, I would have to win a lottery.

Thanks so much for making this video. The information is clearly stated and addressed several issues I had not considered. If I take a river cruise, I have a much better idea of what to expect.

We’ve done a Hawaii cruise, Alaska cruise, a Viking river cruise, and an Athens to Rome cruise with a church. I loved all four and would agree the Viking cruise was more as you described. But I do think of all three the Viking cruise was my favorite. Good info.

Very useful information!! I've often seen ads for European river cruises and been intrigued.

Thanks for the video! Very informative!

All your videos are excellent, with extremely valuable information. Well done!

Very informative video with no filler - good job!

Thanks for the heads up and tips. I am booked 2022 to cruise the Danube solo. You are right it is not quite double for me to go alone. But I am alone in the world so if I want to go anywhere I have to pay the Single rate.

Great video. We had a wonderful cruise with Scenic....no hidden costs....absolutely professional, drinks all day. Lots of great Aussies and super fun.

This is a very helpful broadcast. Many thanks for taking the trouble to share your experiences.

Your videos are always informative. Thank you for saving cruisers from expensive mistakes.

Great information! Thank you!

Really well done video, great information! Thanks so much. :-)