River Cruising

Posted on October 17, 2013 by CruiseMiss — Leave a comment

I have never been on a river cruise, I think the fact I would not be on an ocean going vessel sometimes puts me off, after all you are aware by now that one enjoys the motion of the ocean, but every time I visit Amsterdam I see all the beautiful river boats lined up, waiting to embark on some rather interesting journeys and I think the appeal for me is actually growing.

If I did decide to do a river cruise the hardest part would actually be deciding where to go. European river cruises sound nice, the Danube looks incredible. I looked at one itinerary that began in Nuremberg and ended in Budapest! One of the calls was to Passau and from here you could either visit Salzburg in Austria or the medieval town of Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. I would definitely go with Salzburg, I am a huge Julie Andrews fan and would relish the opportunity to visit the places where The Sound of Music was filmed. I have said since I was a child, watching the movie with my grandma that I would love to visit Austria one day so that would be an opportunity I couldn’t pass!

On the other hand though I know several people that have taken French river cruises and they all came back with the burning desire to do it all again. I enjoy cruising to the South of France and visited Paris and Normandy in my youth so it would be nice to have the chance to explore the more intimate areas of the country. Rouen is a place that has always intrigued me (although I still am not 100% sure how you actually pronounce it!) and is renowned for its ties to Joan of Arc, where in 1431 she was accused of heresy and burned at the stake. Not that I quite fancy the same fate, but I would like to visit and learn more. You can never learn enough!

Like ocean cruises there is so much choice. You have the above, but then the temptations of Russia, China, Asia and the Ukraine are also thrown in just to make the decision even harder. Southeast Asia, now that would be an experience! Asia as a whole is on my bucket list but a river cruise down the Mekong would be one of those once in a lifetime things I think.

I quite like the more relaxed idea of a river cruise, I know our cruise ships are relaxed too, don’t get me wrong, but I suspect the overall pace aboard a river boat would be somewhat slower. Saying as I am not one to worry about evening entertainment I would thoroughly enjoy sitting on the open deck every evening as we glide from place to place, without a care in the world. Sounds tempting, doesn’t it?

We shall see what the future holds! Maybe I will try one and encounter the same passion for river cruising as I have ocean cruising. At the end of the day so long as I am on a boat (or ship) and seeing the world I am thoroughly content!

Have you done a river cruise, if so what did you think?

Author: Danielle