River Cruising Ins and Outs

I'm breaking into my series on the trip for this "helpful hints" post.

If you're already familiar with river cruising, feel free to skip this one.

By now, some of my faithful readers may be wondering if river cruises are for them.  In particular, some will want to know how much the river cruise experience differs from the ocean cruise.  Since I have just finished my very first river cruise, I am now obviously a complete expert on the subject!  (coughcoughcough)  In this post, I'm going to give some ins-and-outs of river cruising, distinguishing between general points and those that apply specifically to Avalon Waterways, the cruise company I have sailed with on my first river cruise.

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First, the generic points.  River cruises are intimate.  Our ship can carry 128 passengers, and on the second week was about 2/3 full.  You quickly get to meet fellow passengers, and all kinds of crew members.  Most of the crew quickly recognize you, and get to know your likes, dislikes, and habits.  You rarely get that kind of easy camaraderie on an ocean cruise with its much bigger numbers.

River cruises are very leisurely.  Rivers can be narrow and twisting, locks can be frequent, and the cruise ships generally move at about the same speed you might manage on an old and worn-out pack animal.  This is not the holiday for people in a hurry.

River cruises have limitations in facilities.  Onboard swimming pools are found on very few ships, and where they exist they are miniscule -- soaking tubs, not really for swimming.  A single-seat hair-dressing salon or a 2-machine gym is about the best you can hope for.  Self-serve laundry facilities?  The height of the unlikely.  It's all a matter of most efficient use of the very limited space.

Cabins are not just small, they are tiny.  A double bed eats most of the room.  Forget about a bathtub, you're getting a very tight little shower stall.  Storage space is a huge issue.  Pack less than you've ever packed before in your life, because there's barely enough space under the bed for two suitcases between two people and you need all the rest of the minimal space to put your things away.  I can't help noting that I have trouble finding enough space for my stuff even though I'm travelling alone.

River cruises stop daily.  After about 4 days, you begin to realize that one quaint European town looks much the same as another.  No one takes it amiss if you decide to go off and explore on your own or just spend a day on board.  And then there's the running gag about the ABCs of river cruising: on Day 1, ABC stands for "Wow, that is A Beautiful Cathedral."  By Day 7 it means, "Oh, no, Another Bloody Church!"  One church per day is de rigeur.

Because of the soaring popularity of river cruises, you will have the experience of being docked in parallel (2 or even 3 ships abreast) during your trip.  This may mean that you have to cross through or over one or two other ships to reach shore.  Alternatively, their passengers may be crossing through or over your ship.  It's a fact of river-cruising life.

Re: going through locks.  Be prepared for the smell of decaying marine plant life on the lock walls.

Meals are a bit more limited than ocean cruises.  No 200-dish buffets here, the galley (kitchen) just isn't big enough.

Public space is limited too.  There's a dining room, a big main lounge, sometimes a smaller lounge as well, and the top deck with ample outdoor sun-and-sitting space.  That's it, that's all.

Speaking of that top deck: on some waterways there are more than a few low bridges, and that top deck area may have to be closed for a while.  You just have to suck it up, as the alternative is to find yourself being guillotined by a railway trestle -- not a very pleasant way to go.

Same as ocean cruises, the price point is reflected in the range of included services and features.

In brief:  read ALL the advanced information available on the websites of different companies.  

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Now, what's specific to Avalon Waterways?

First of all, please note that I am not being paid by Avalon to write commercials for them.  I have just been blown away by the quality of the service and product at every level you can imagine.  This trip has far exceeded all my previous experiences with ocean cruises, and I feel has given me far better value for my dollar than almost any previous holiday -- even though it has cost me many dollars.

The cabin is cleverly designed with an angled wall which sets the bed facing the windows and the beautiful views.  The angled wall also allows for a slightly bigger bathroom, and in particular a slightly bigger shower stall.

The bed is incredibly comfortable, and can be adjusted by housekeeping if necessary to meet your own particular needs.

The front of the cabin ("Panorama Suite") is a 3-panel sliding glass door, and 2 panels can be slid back all the way to create a "balcony effect" out of the entire room.  I love just sitting by that huge open window on the small sofa, and watching the world drift slowly by.  The a/c disconnects automatically when the window is open.

Cabins are serviced promptly and thoroughly twice a day.  Garbage emptied, towels replaced as requested, shower stall cleaned and dried, beds made up, all the expected things.  I'm not exaggerating when I say that I go to breakfast at 8:00 in the morning, and when I finish my second cup of coffee and get back to my room by 8:30 it's been serviced.  Every time.  Same with the evening service while we're having dinner.

Breakfast and lunch are served as buffets.  You get an assortment of cold dishes, and several hot ones.  At breakfast there's an eggs/omelettes to order station as well as a good selection of European and American breakfast standards, including my special addiction: smoked fish.  

At lunch, there's always a salad bar, a couple of hot dishes with appropriate sides, a carving board, and some fruit and small desserts as well as soups, breads, cheeses and crackers, and ice cream to order.

Dinner time is a sit down meal, in four courses -- with multiple choices for each one.  This isn't quite as extravagant as it sounds, since the portions are deliberately kept small by comparison with North American restaurants (exception: the pasta dishes lean towards the "big" end of the scale).  Appetizer, soup, main course, and dessert are offered.  All of the food has been excellent, and sometimes much more than that.  There's also been very little to no repetition of dishes at lunch and dinner.  Meals usually feature regional dishes.

At lunch and dinner hours, Avalon also offers a lighter bistro meal in the lounge which includes many of the same offerings as in the restaurant, but in smaller portions.  Once or twice a trip, the lounge lunch is replaced with a grill lunch on the top deck, weather permitting.

Although every meal includes vegetarian selections, these are often not vegan or strict vegetarian.  You would have to put that or other specific diet needs as a special request when booking your trip.

Wines, beer, soft drinks, coffee and tea are available at every lunch and dinner, included. The wines are usually different every day, and local wines of the regions we travel through are emphasized. At other times, alcoholic and soft drinks are available at the bar for a "generous" fee.

Every afternoon, there's coffee/tea with sandwiches and deadly-rich European cakes in the lounge, and there's also a daily half-price happy hour, either before or after dinner (depending on the day's touring schedule).  Then there's the late night snack at 10:30 p.m., but as a born early riser I never lasted that long so I don't know what's available for late-night snackers.

Coffee, espresso/cappuccino, tea, and the like are available from a machine 24/7, along with cookies, in the small rear lounge at the back of the top cabin deck.

Things you can't get in the catering department: there's no coffee/tea making facility in the cabin -- no space for it!  And if you're fond of room service, you can get a light continental breakfast delivered to your cabin for a surcharge -- but that's all.  No room service at other times.

On one or two days a week, there will be local entertainers.  Otherwise, the ship's faithful and able cocktail pianist holds the stage during afternoon coffee, happy hour, and after dinner.

Laundry service is available, and is quick and efficient.  You put out your dirty clothes in a bag with an order form, leave it in your room, and housekeeping picks it up.  You get the clean clothes back within 24 hours.  The price is about half of what comparable shore hotels charge for a similar service.

At every daily stop, there is always an included guided walking tour of the immediate town or some nearby community.  The walking tour always includes a specific group for people who need more time to walk from point to point.  Avalon uses exclusively local guides and they are all well-informed and (mostly) fluent in English.  Indeed, English is the working language of the entire cruise.  You are always welcome to go off on your own, too -- provided you make it back in time.  Bicycles are available at all stops by advance reservation, and at no charge.  At some ports there are bigger optional excursions, which cost varying amounts.

This brings me to the onboard Miracle Worker: the Cruise Director.  Sabine has been the go-to person for all issues, questions, problems, and points of interest.  If she doesn't know right off hand herself, she can tell you exactly how/where to find out.  She's especially well versed in the locales of those essential modern travel partners, the ATMs and the pharmacies -- and these are also marked on the very clear maps distributed free to those who want them at each stop.

Not only does she know (apparently) almost everything, but she always has a smile and a friendly greeting for everyone, and never seems to turn a hair or get the least bit flustered no matter how badly things are going off the track (if you've been following this series, you have some idea of the issues to which I refer).  I'm sure all Avalon cruise directors are as good as Sabine, and that speaks well for the company's ability to recruit and keep top quality people in what are, after all, seasonal jobs.

Financial matters: unlike ocean cruises, you have to consider two separate tabs on an Avalon cruise.  You pay the cruise director for any of the optional excursions (not the daily walking tours), and you pay the front desk for bar and laundry charges and any other incidentals.  These accounts can be paid by card or cash.

Tipping is expected at the end of the cruise for the Cruise Director and for the crew as a whole.  These tips can be prepaid before sailing (I did).  Tips are not expected for local guides and bus drivers, and the literature explicitly states this point.  It's a nice relief from the need to carry wads of cash in local currencies in countries which don't use the euro.