When we hear the words “cruise vacation,” large ocean liners usually come to mind. The lesser-known river cruise, however, can have some amazing attributes as well. Here are 10 reasons to shake off the sea and give river cruising a chance for your next vacation.
1. You’re less likely to get seasick
One beauty of the ocean is the way its waves roll over the surface. That beauty can fade fast if you’re stuck in your room, hunched over the john with motion sickness. While river cruise passengers may feel some movement of the boat, it is much less dramatic.
2. More of a cultural focus
Ocean cruises are great for leisure and water sports while river cruises delve into cultural aspects of the places they visit. You can even tailor an inland river cruise to focus on the aspects of culture that interest you, whether they’re art history, local food or regional beer and wine making. Also, many stops will be right in the heart of amazing cities, such as Paris on the Seine.
3. The ships are smaller
A smaller ship means fewer people, so you can become more familiar with fellow passengers and with members of the crew, maybe even forming new friendships. It will also feel like less of a tourist invasion when the boat docks and the passengers enter the town.
4. Shorter embarkation/disembarkation
Another benefit to taking a smaller ship is that it takes less time to load and unload the passengers at each stop, which means less waiting at each port and better use of your limited vacation time.
5. Scenery is constant and ever-changing
On ocean cruises, you see a lot of, well, ocean. While the vast blue expanses are lovely, they can become tedious after a while. The great thing about river cruises is that there will always be scenery and it will change as the boat passes through cities, hamlets, forests and farms.
6. More inclusive packages
Ocean cruises are great at covering all the necessities in their packages; food, shelter, transfers to the embarkation point, and even some activities, but river cruises tend to be even better at including day tours and other excursions in their vacation packages (sites that charge admission excluded), possibly because they tend to stop at more historical sites.
7. More sustainable
The smaller cruise ships on rivers tend to use less fuel and therefore have a smaller environmental impact than their large ocean counterparts.
8. Docks closer to attractions
As mentioned earlier in this article, a lot of river cruise ports are right in the cities. Most of them are inland. This means they are usually closer to interesting historic, cultural and entertainment sites, so you’ll have to spend less time (in some cases less money) transferring from the ship to the sites.
9. There is a greater diversity of sites
It’s tough to get tired of beautiful beach after beautiful beach, but it’s also really nice to mix up your trip. On a river cruise, you can relax, tan, taste local foods, tour old breweries, shop new styles, explore museums and try some sports, all on one cruise!
10. Wifi
It’s more difficult to connect when you’re out at sea, and ocean cruises can charge a lot when the wifi is working. More reliable and often free, river cruise wifi can be a handy tool for checking in at home, researching the next port or posting all those amazing photos that will make your friends wish they could be there.
Start your search for your next river cruise vacation by going to www.rivercruiseexperts.com
One beauty of the ocean is the way its waves roll over the surface. That beauty can fade fast if you’re stuck in your room, hunched over the john with motion sickness. While river cruise passengers may feel some movement of the boat, it is much less dramatic.
2. More of a cultural focus
Ocean cruises are great for leisure and water sports while river cruises delve into cultural aspects of the places they visit. You can even tailor an inland river cruise to focus on the aspects of culture that interest you, whether they’re art history, local food or regional beer and wine making. Also, many stops will be right in the heart of amazing cities, such as Paris on the Seine.
3. The ships are smaller
A smaller ship means fewer people, so you can become more familiar with fellow passengers and with members of the crew, maybe even forming new friendships. It will also feel like less of a tourist invasion when the boat docks and the passengers enter the town.
4. Shorter embarkation/disembarkation
Another benefit to taking a smaller ship is that it takes less time to load and unload the passengers at each stop, which means less waiting at each port and better use of your limited vacation time.
5. Scenery is constant and ever-changing
On ocean cruises, you see a lot of, well, ocean. While the vast blue expanses are lovely, they can become tedious after a while. The great thing about river cruises is that there will always be scenery and it will change as the boat passes through cities, hamlets, forests and farms.
6. More inclusive packages
Ocean cruises are great at covering all the necessities in their packages; food, shelter, transfers to the embarkation point, and even some activities, but river cruises tend to be even better at including day tours and other excursions in their vacation packages (sites that charge admission excluded), possibly because they tend to stop at more historical sites.
7. More sustainable
The smaller cruise ships on rivers tend to use less fuel and therefore have a smaller environmental impact than their large ocean counterparts.
8. Docks closer to attractions
As mentioned earlier in this article, a lot of river cruise ports are right in the cities. Most of them are inland. This means they are usually closer to interesting historic, cultural and entertainment sites, so you’ll have to spend less time (in some cases less money) transferring from the ship to the sites.
9. There is a greater diversity of sites
It’s tough to get tired of beautiful beach after beautiful beach, but it’s also really nice to mix up your trip. On a river cruise, you can relax, tan, taste local foods, tour old breweries, shop new styles, explore museums and try some sports, all on one cruise!
10. Wifi
It’s more difficult to connect when you’re out at sea, and ocean cruises can charge a lot when the wifi is working. More reliable and often free, river cruise wifi can be a handy tool for checking in at home, researching the next port or posting all those amazing photos that will make your friends wish they could be there.
Start your search for your next river cruise vacation by going to www.rivercruiseexperts.com
(This article was written by Riley G.)
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