We have been on 9 river cruises about 5 ocean and the river cruises are MUCH preferred. Do not like days at sea and crowded on and off ,not casino fans., etc…..So river cruises are for us………thanks….You did a good job in comparing the cruises.🇨🇦❤️🇨🇦
We've watched quite a few of your videos and have to say no matter what you're reviewing we completely enjoy watching you both. We love you and your honest and fun banter also great information. Thank you Paul and Carole. 🥰
We have done 33 ocean cruises and two river cruises. The river cruises were both with Viking and we did the Grand European and the Waterways of the Tsars. They were both 15 day cruises with a pre-cruise for each. We did get to know everyone with a couple of days and that is usually a good thing because most river cruisers are quite experienced travelers and mostly interested in the destinations. There could always be some that you find annoying so you quickly learn who to avoid and who to hang out with. We really enjoyed the local entertainment that came on the ship in most ports, very interesting and fun. We actually had a glass blower in one place in Germany and it was fantastic, interesting and entertaining.
This is the most informative video I’ve found on so far. I’m 71 and single and going on my first river cruise on the River Douro with Saga next month, I’ve never been on a sea cruise either. Your vlog was very entertaining and I feel more confident that you said it’s suitable for single travellers. As I’m going in a group with Saga hopefully I’ll find other people to talk to. I enjoyed your other Tui vlogs as well!
I have had river cruises on my bucket list so this video answered lots of questions. I know not to expect the same experiences as I've had on my ocean cruises. I like variety and I will love a river cruise, for sure! Being prepared for the different style and being flexible will go a long way to having a pleasant river cruise experience. My favorite parts will be the daily excursions and easy access to the town centers. Loved this vlog!
Some cruise lines even offer cruises where you ride a bike during the day (if you want) and the ship goes on and meets you to get on board in the evening. I think that would also be fun. :)
Have been on two river cruises Budapest to Amsterdam and Moscow to St Petersburg. Both really great and good value for your money. To J Lizardi, "strangers are just friends you have not yet met". There are some wonderful friendly people out there all enjoying their river cruise holidays. Thanks Paul and Carole for yet another down to earth vlog.
I didn’t know that when I went in a river cruise. I walked back, thought I was in my reception area and realized everyone was speaking German!😂 I loved Budapest and Vienna and the interesting port talks every night, and loved the dancers in their local dress. We had the crew put on Cinderella for us, changing costumes behind a curtain, and the main characters were men! with wigs! It was hysterical.
Very nice, thank you. At 65 I would never go on a large cruise ship with thousands of people, and many far too young to be around. When it comes to crying babies? no no no no no never! I love river cruising for so many of the reasons you stated and would not recommend this type of travel to young people since there's not enough onboard entertainment. If ever a crying baby gets snuck onboard there's going to be more than one adult ready to toss it overboard. lol
As always very entertaining, thank you. Our first two cruises were river cruises and both were on the Egyptian Nile and absolutely fab. However, with Paul in mind, many of the excursions are early starts so that might cause a few frowns. On our second cruise the one lock at Edna was rather entertaining for through our open cabin window flew a table cloth which landed beside me. One of the chappies selling his wares from the riverside was taking full advantage of our stationary position by bartering with the other guests on the top deck but his aim was slightly off 😝. Needless to say I turfed it back and thankfully my aim was marginally better. Yes, there’s no escaping fellow passengers who may have a few strange ways. We had one couple whom we nick named ‘Mr & Mrs Happy’ as oh dear they never smiled. Well, that was until the Galabeya party night, what a completely different couple they turned out to be when we were all in fancy dress playing silly party games.
LOL brilliant, good job you had a good aim! There is always a Mr & Mrs Happy 😂😂 funny they cheered up in fancy dress guess they prefer to be someone else!
You two are a hoot! Loved your video post. It seemed like you covered everything! I’ve been on a Viking cruise down the Rhine and LOVED every minute of it. Am doing the Viking Christmas Market Cruise in late November. I can’t do an ocean cruise as I get deathly sick 😢 but the river cruise was fine. I did however just to be safe wear a patch. Thank you for your post.❤
Great being part of the live premier. As always a balanced review and some really interesting facts to think about when choosing a river cruise. Thank you!
You two crack me up, I love your videos very informative and you always have a great laugh along the way. You're the kind of people we love to meet on our holidays. Great luck to you both xx
@@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel yes! I just found this channel and subscribed. I’m going to make my husband watch this…he has a wonderful sense of humour and is still trying to teach me how to have one (jk ☺️) but we want to go river cruising and this was very informative. ❤️🙂
I sure wish I lived in Europe. It's so blooming expensive to do river cruising from the states. I'm still planning one for my 60th birthday in 2025....but I know it will be the most expensive thing we've ever done!! Thanks for your information....much appreciated!
Thank you for your TUI Isla river cruise videos. My husband and I have done 19 ocean cruises and have just booked our first river cruise on the TUI Isla for the Rhine Christmas markets at the end of this year. It was very helpful to hear all you comments about the difference between river and ocean and to see around the Isla.
OK....I just deleted what I wrote so I will begin again. I have been researching river cruises and I guess that is why your video popped up today. I am a senior citizen who travels alone now and I have no problems doing that. I meet lovely people along the way and since I am outgoing and a fun-time person, that helps. I have been alone for about 25 years and refused to just sit when I retired. I have been on many cruises from the states, but I have never been to Europe and am beyond doing that now, so I cruise to the islands for the most part. When you talked about being able to see in other people's windows I was laughing. When I cruise, I usually choose a cabin with a view because, traveling alone, I have to pay the price for two people. On one of my cruises, I awoke and opened my curtain and I was staring at a port-o-potty. It was a lovely turquoise color, but completely unexpected. I found out that they were doing repairs to the port area and that was why it was there. I took a photo of it from inside and it has been a real conversation photo for others to see. By the way, my son's name is Paul. I think I would have loved being with you two on that cruise. You seem to be a lot of fun.
@joyce Avalon (and I hear some other lines are as well) doing a no singles supplement. The cost is still a bit more than the pp price but not so prohibitive. I’m booked with Avalon in August 2023
Hi there, we have cruised on Uniworld and Emerald Waterways, both had elevators. But you are right that river ships will not accommodate wheelchairs or scooters, as you may have to climb stairs over another ship. I use a walker and not a problem, except we did have to carry it over another ship. Your cruise was an excellent deal, even without including all excursions or drinks. Especially due to that fab suite you had.
Went on a Tui Nile cruise in 2013 - probably one of the best holidays I have had, so much fun. Unfortunately things were not going so great in Egypt and there were a total of just 28 pax on the boat, and yes there were 2 who were real party poopers ( nice was to say downright rude actually ). However the rest were fabulous. In some ways it was great that there was so few people at the sights as we could get around them with ease, but it must have severely affected the livelihoods of the wonderful Egyptian people (not just saying that, they are some of the loveliest people I have ever met). I would recommend it wholeheartedly x
fantastic information included in this video. A ton of information that is very helpful and informative. You included a lot of things I would have never considered or thought about before booking, like opening up your curtains in the morning and having folks staring right back at you. I know people wouldn't want to look at "this" first thing in the morning. Well, unless it was a Halloween cruise. 😉
Aww that was a fantastic vlog for river cruising.. Very interesting and informative.. Must say looks great.. So many ports, excellent way of seeing and experiencing different places. Floating hotel takes you there, no hassle.. Thanks Carole and Paul.. Thanks for sharing your holiday.. Much appreciated.. Xx 😊
As you say, the key to a successful and enjoyable cruise is research. That’s particularly important when it comes to the itinerary. Don’t assume all river cruising is the same as the Tui product though. Riviera Travel has free dining. Within set time periods you can choose when you eat. If you want a small ship experience, and with good research, river cruising is hard to beat.
Omg you two are brilliant. I'd love to do a river cruise. You sound like your from Bristol as well 🙂. Great video very informative and I don't mean this in a rude way but it's so nice to see older people doing vlogs.
Extremely helpful information. I just found you two and absolutely love your honest reviews. Our brother-in-law in from the UK and would love you two also. We're from the US. We loved your Celebrity review of I think the Beyond, which is one of the latest reviews, 2023, which includes updated info and all the nasty changes. So sorry that Celebrity has changed so much, but I guess all the cruise lines have changed, but a lot of people are now saying that the exceptional service and food is gone from Celebrity. We have been and are interested in a river cruise, but will have to research more. At this stage in our lives we really enjoy just being on the water, be it ocean, especially or probably river. Sometimes we take a Caribbean cruise, but just stay on the ship because we've seen all the ports. Being older we don't do or don't want to do, long shore excursions. Still, we still want to do something again. Europe was/is always our favorite, but we'll have to investigate more since we'd have to travel from the US. We also haven't cruised since COVID. Thank you both for being so fun and HONEST. Love you guys!
Hi there, I sail with Uniworld. My second cruise is in Bordeaux this time around. They are an excellent company to deal with and their pricing is all inclusive. I did the Rhine and Mosel in 2019 with them and was impressed. Next year I am trying out barge cruising
Just watched this video again and it was so useful. So much good information to help me manage my expectations. I definitely think a TUI river cruise is an affordable option to start with.
Great video - I love how relatable you two are ( LMAO at the sausage and pretzel pics). I wish travel in general and all types of cruising was easier and cheaper for us Canadians but I still cannot wait for a river cruise.
We have done 66 large cruise ships, and 15 river cruises. Asia, Europe, and in July will be doing the Snake and Colombia rivers. We both absolutely love river cruises over large cruise ship, any day! Also, this summer we are bgoing to be taking 2 river cruises in Europe, that we had canceled because of the Rona!!! Vickie from SE Pa USA
Hubby and I started with a river cruise, from Ottawa Ontario Canada, down the Ottawa River to Montreal Quebec, then up the St.Lawrence River to Kingston, on board St. Lawrence Cruise Lines' Canadian Empress (a replica riverboat with 70 passengers). We had portholes, but a bit more space, certainly not the type you were on. And meals were amazing, and set too. All our excursions (daily) were included. In less than 100 days, we'll be doing the Boston to Montreal cruise on board the MS Volendam (Holland America). It will definitely be an experience for us, our first night our 39th anniversary.
Right then! Really good overall guide to river cruising as ever guys. Definitely worth considering and I like the idea of an easier to navigate ship as well. That poor window cleaner hehe. Plus no seasickness is a plus. Looking forward to the next adventure!
THANK YOU--this is great. Cruise with Ben and David has made me want to do a holiday river cruise. YOU MAKE so many great points. BRILLIANT. OF COURSE, YOUR BANTER IS GREAT partly because you see things differently, it makes for a very thoughtful vlog. I am looking forward to your coverage because I want to see Vienna. Thrilled about the seasickness!!!!
@@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel went on viking from regenburg to Budapest was fantastic. Food great everything spotlessly clean. Staff great. They had wheelchairs that could b used to go on trips. Someone always helped hubby get me on and off boat and into bus if it was a bus trip.honestly can't fault them. This was our first trip would lv to do more .
Hello from Key West, Florida, USA! Thank you for this video! My husband and I are set for our first European river cruise in 3 weeks, and I have been quite nervous about it. Like you, we have cruised the ocean ships many, many times and have been told not to expect a river cruise to be anything like an ocean cruise. Your video has been extremely reassuring and was full of helpful information to make the most of our trip!
Interesting! We are going on a Saga River Cruise in September and you have given me an insight into what to expect. Actually glad that you can’t eat all day as I put on so much on Spirit of Adventure which doesn’t seem to go since returning. We are on Spirit of the Danube. Looking forward to it more after watching your blog
I am finally up to date with your vlogs. Another excellent review. I have decided river cruises are not for me. However I have decided to do a saga cruise to the Caribbean after the feedback from your saga vlog. Many thanks
A great review on river cruises. I had to laugh at Carole saying about Paul getting up early for 7 days his head would explode.!!! My hub Den is just the same,NOT a morning person at all.lol. Cant wait for the full vlog. xx.😄😄😄
Wow, I really enjoyed your thoughts on river cruising. It sounds like something I'd love. I had watched someone else's review and it made me thing I wouldn't like it. I love that the ships dock in the center of the towns / cities they visit. Thanks!!
absolutely brilliant video will watch a lot more now of yours. My partner (who is ex Marella, P&O, cunard staff) are looking for a river cruise holiday for Christmas/new year. We are now looking at tui after this. It is a mind field with the prices but your video I am sure will help him decide. Enjoy your travels
We went on Amamagna Christmas markets 2019, she was stunning and there was so much space to relax. Too cold to use the pool! Love this format of conversation
@@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel I do get what Paul is saying about the price associated with River ships though. They definitely are in “treat” category IMO. Especially considering you’re not in your cabin a lot with all the stops, But on the flip side that includes so much like excursions ect., so it is what it is!
We’ve done one River Cruise and that was with Viking and when we actually had a key 🔑 for our room! We turned them in when we got off and when we got back on we had to check in and get our key back!
We cruised from Florida over to Barcelona, boarded the Liberty of the Seas to NAPLES, took the train to Venice, then train to Salzburg, then train to Budapest and did a 14 nt River cruise on the last sailing of the Viking Sun to Amsterdam, train to Essen and stayed with friends for a few day, took the train to Paris stayed a few nts, then the train to Rotterdam boarded the Oasis and cruised back to Florida! Total of 57 days!!! And no flying!!!! ❤️
Don’t judge all river cruise lines by this review. TUI is the budget line. Others, especially Scenic, offer much more onboard, including multiple restaurants, fitness and spa, and more entertainment and excursions. Paul and Carole do bring the charm.
We weren’t criticising TUi far from it, we loved our TUi experience we just wanted to point out the main differences. I agree we are very charming 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Sorry - didn't mean to imply your experience wasn't good. Just wanted others to know that your readers know that not all river cruises are so basic as the one you took. Keep up the reviews.@@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel
Too late for us to watch "before you book" as we are heading off on our first one (Scenic - Danube) in 3 weeks! We started planning nearly 3 years ago, but, well, we all know about the pandemic postponements. Now it's finally here! I've had a hard time believing we are going and have therefore not felt too excited (sadly). THANK YOU for this video, though. You have made it feel real and I'm starting feel a little effervescence brewing in my veins.... and a slight giddiness creeping in! Yippee! Bring it on!
Thank you so much for this series of videos - we are off on the Tui Isla, our first ever river cruise, leaving next Wednesday (21 December) as ever is. I've found your videos really helpful, especially the cabin tours. I feel far more prepared and know a bit about what to expect now.
Thank you for your excellent vlog (as always) I have watched all episodes and am pleased you enjoyed yourselves so much. It has confirmed to me however, that it is not for me so I really appreciate your advice
Thank you for all your great videos, as of today i booked my first one on the isla for oct 2025! as you said the prices are huge as a solo traveller so had to book early to get the cheapest😂 Thanks again 😍
Aww, I can imagine that privacy can be a problem with river cruises. When I was walking near the river Rhine in Cologne, I always enjoyed waving at the passengers on the passing cruise ships and many waved back. We could even shout some kind greetings to each other. :D I didn't look in the cabins of course, but if someone wanted to, that would surely be easy. :/ And on the way to the next port, there are often cycling and walking paths as well.
great video, I am going on Tui Isla on the 29th May. We are doing the Moselle cruise.This will be our first with Tui. We have done 3 other River cruises with other companies,our last one before lockdown was with Riviera and I loved them. I do not want to try a ocean cruise as I don't like the hugeness and so many people on them. Also I don't want to just see sea,I like scenery,I also suffer with seasickness lol. A couple of important things i feel I should point out regarding River cruises. 1. on some of the rivers,Danube,Moselle,Main,Rhine etc. There can be lots of locks,which you did mention,but also Low Bridges. Now this can mean that the top deck is unavailable sometimes.It can be the whole week depending on the water levels and height of the ship. Now some companies will inform you before you book,others do not until a few days before as I have just found out from a facebook page I am on. So people should always do some research and check before booking. At the moment their are some very angry customers who have just been told the sun deck is closed for the whole of their trip. 2. My advice is check out other River cruises for the River you want to do with different cruise lines and compare the price,what is included,what excursions they do.Also youtube and facebook are excellent in finding out about each ship. Do your research. We are trying Tui this time and it is a lot cheaper than our others we have done in the past,I just hope I will not be disappointed.
Really great commentary!! I keep looking at river cruises. Seems like a great way to see Europe! Also glad they are inclusive of solo travelers. Just got back this week from Disney. I could use a relaxing cruise. LOL.
Thank you. Brilliant coverage. I even managed to get Hubby watching and he was very keen by the time you had finished. Brilliant we can start planning our rivercruise. This is so helpful. We are comfortable to go with Tui, as we have had fabulous cruises on Marella Discovery 1 and 2 so thought we would like the rivercruises. Looks like our kind of fun. You raise many important features to bear in mind so thank you for that. Questions, 1. Was it difficult to book and organise the rivercruise with Tui ? Question 2, was the bedroom comfortable, nice bathroom, comfy bed etc. Question 3. Would you go again with Tui.
Thanks Janet! Not difficult to book at all, can book online or through a Travel Agent or TUI shop. Our cabin was amazing would definitely book a French Balcony Suite again! We would definitly go with TUI again. Suits us perfectly!
@@janethoughton6094 you won't regret it Janet. Such a great video as always by Paul and Carole! I have my own travel business with expertise in cruise and ski. The deals for this year are off the scale....please do contact me if I can help book your dream trip.xx
I wouldn’t leave my curtains open in my cabin anyway, because it would let the light in! Always get dressed before you open the window. Those window washers can be dangerous!
Hi Carole & Paul , When you're on Norway cruise , the trip from Olden to the glacier, Birkdal ,is worth doing , Olden it self is a lovely village walk from the ship. At Bergan go on the train up to the view over Bergan , called Floen. I've replied on utube as don't do Facebook!!!! Enjoy Noway.😀
Another great video, thanks for the information… am not sure we will try river cruising at the moment but am still really interested in hearing about your experiences 😊
We are booked on Saga in October. They allow us to bring my husbands wheelchair for going ashore but can't use it on board ship. Also they do have a lift. Its our first river cruise so thanks for your thoughts, very informative.
Great reviews guys. Wouldn't mind being on a river cruise with ye cos ye are good fun. Im going on ocean cruise this year and planning my river cruise for next year. Thanks very much for all the information 😊❤
@@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel brilliant. We are thinking of summer 2023 have too many ocean cruises booked before then ! What cabin was your deck on for this ?
@@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel if you get back early to the ship when you have all inclusive. Could you get an alcohol drink in the afternoon. Were the bars open in the afternoons?
Where have you been? This is the first time I've seen you two, and really enjoyed listening to you. My husband would agree with you Paul, he says I do more steps then him, because I've got short legs🙄! Anyway, we too have booked our first river cruise, with tui, on the Isla but on the Rhine. We are also going with tui, to the Caribbean in April, and nobody ever does a report of their sea cruises, we have done 3 with them, and they've been great. We originally booked the Caribbean, in 2020 but with it being more money, we wanted a cheaper holiday this year. So now really happy with our choice. Thank you. Madeline
Glad you found us! We have done a lot of TUI/marella Cruises pre pandemic and hoping to do another one next year! We really enjoyed our river cruise, hope you do too!
The big question is,would you do a river cruise again? Oh ps, lovely surprise to see you on Emma’s RU-vid this week. I think it was the 90’s party cruise, but I watch so many videos I can’t promise.
We did a river cruise starting from Vietnam very different we visited a variety of villages. I got tired of people after awhile I had no desire to talk to anyone I’m introverted by nature. Everything was good then a couple we had dined with got very sick then others on the same floor got sick By the time we were ready to continue our trip onto Laos we both got very I’ll. Thankfully my friend in Laos took us for medical treatment as she speaks English We ended up canceling our arranged flights home and after 6 days in bed flew home Another month to recover at home
