A European River Cruise: The True Value

European river cruises are the most relaxing and fun way to travel.

It’s Less Expensive Than You Think

Many people dream of a European river cruise vacation. Unfortunately, some are put off by the price tag not realizing just how much value they provide. With European river cruises, you get convenience and a range of amenities and services which make the trip more enjoyable and stress-free.

From meals and entertainment to transportation and sightseeing, you’ll find that almost everything you could want is included in the package.

Plus, with the convenience of a river cruise, you can easily explore more destinations without having to worry about the hassle of packing and unpacking. So, if you’re looking for an amazing European vacation that offers great value for your money, consider a European river cruise – you won’t be disappointed!

When comparing costs, look at more than the sticker price; look at what you get for it

Compare a River Cruise to Exploring Europe on Your Own

You are a self-confident traveler so you figure you can put a European vacation together on your own. And you can, if you have many hours to devote to planning and piecing it together. And you don’t mind making a few mistakes.

Advantage 1: Hassle-free planning

All you need to do is find the cruise and itinerary that best fits what you want to do. Of course, there are various price points and many itineraries for European river cruises. There are many travel advisors who specialize in river cruises who can help you choose the best for you. Then just book the cruise, book the flights and transfers and start packing.

And those inevitable travel mistakes? You don’t have to solve them alone because you have cruise staff to help you sort things out.

Most Americans think of a Viking River Cruise when they think a river cruise, because Viking advertises so heavily. There’s nothing wrong with a Viking River Cruise. You will come back quite happy. But there are so many other choices, do yourself a favor and ask a travel agent who understands river cruises help you find the perfect one for you.

Advantage 2: Unpack Once

We have planned and taken many wonderful self-guided trips. I love planning travel. But when I realized how many hours per trip I spent packing, unpacking, taking transportation to the next town, finding places to eat, etc., I began to wonder if there wasn’t a better way. It turns out a European river cruise is a wonderful way to maximize precious vacation time and experience more each trip.

Even on guided tours, the process of packing and moving can take up a lot of time each day. On a European river cruise, all that goes away, and ALL of your vacation time is spent relaxing and enjoying your destinations.

Advantage 3: See More and Do More

Because you are not spending half your precious vacation time packing, moving, and looking for food, you can visit more places. On most European river cruises, the ship travels while you sleep. You go to bed in one place and wake up at your next destination! Magical!

Advantage 4: Much More is Included

Let’s do a little math. Depending on the cruise you choose, you can expect European river cruises will include: three meals a day, snacks, all transportation, all accommodations, all shore tours, beer and wine with lunch and dinner, a daily cocktail hour, and nightly entertainment. Most have a pool and a gym. Some even have Pickleball! The accommodations are similar to a 4- or 5-star hotel, so let’s compare a river cruise to a self-guided European vacation, based on two people traveling together with similar accommodations:

$350 per night for 4 to 5 star hotel
$250 per day for three multi-course meals and snacks and beverages (including alcohol)
$350 per day for group tours
$250 Transportation between cities, moving cities daily

Obviously, this can vary based on your travel style but this amounts to $1,200 per day! That’s $8,470 for seven days.

You can take an AMAWaterways seven-night cruise for $7,500 or less. And they have bikes onboard you can use for free. Your cruise director will arrange for a cab if you need one. While AMAWaterways is our personal favorite, there are several other wonderful river cruise lines to choose from.

But I Don’t Need to Stay in Nice Places

If you are more of a budget traveler, the river cruise value is still there. There are river cruise lines that provide excellent value with a bit less luxury. For example, two of you could take a Riviera Cruises line vacation for about $5,000. There won’t be quite as much included, but you will have a wonderful time.

AMAWaterways even has free postcards they will mail for you to make your friends jealous.

A good travel agent can help you choose the cruise and itinerary that’s just right for you. We recommend Ralph Grizzle’s River Cruise advisor website as it is full of helpful information about river cruising.

Advantage 5: Where Can You Go?

While we have focused on European river cruises, you can take river cruises all over the world! The Amazon, the Nile, Africa’s Chobe, Columbia, Portugual, the Ganges, and the Mekong Delta are some exciting examples. There’s even a cruise of Venice, And many lines offer fantastic river cruises devoted to those wonderful Christmas Markets.

Seeing the U.S.A.? If you want to stay in the states, you can river cruise the Mississippi, the Ohio, the Snake, the Columbia, the Great Lakes, the Erie Canal, the Hudson, and more.

Three Magic Words: European Christmas Markets