Why Take a River Cruise? 7 Reasons to Hop Aboard Now!

I think we’re riverholics.

So far, we’ve taken six river cruises – two in Egypt, two in France and two in Myanmar (Burma). And we’re itching to book another.

Why take a river cruise? We want to float down another lazy river on another lovely river ship – and fall in love with another part of the world we’ve never visited.

Meandering along serene waterways, river cruises offer an immersive intimate perspective of picturesque landscapes and charming small towns – typically with guided tours included.

And with river cruise lines upping their game lately with upscale new ships sporting spacious balcony cabins, swimming pools and top-notch dining, it’s no wonder river cruising has become quite the rage in recent years!

Curious? If you’ve never taken a river cruise, here are seven compelling reasons to hop aboard and let the river’s flow guide your next adventure.

1) River ships get you close to the action

River ships – maybe they should be called river boats? – often tie up in the heart of the city or village you’re visiting.

Talk about convenience! You can literally walk to the main sights.

Take Les Andelys, the quintessential Normandy village in France.

On our 10-night Seine River cruise with Scenic, we docked right in the village by a neatly manicured stretch of lawn, shaded by weeping willows, where a pair of young lovers smooched on a park bench.

In town, lace curtains framed the windows of old stone and brick houses; fat cows roamed the emerald hills above.

For our guided excursion, we simply walked off the ship and followed a path that meandered alongside the river, then scrambled up some rocks to see the impressive ruins of the 12th-century Chateau Gaillard built by Richard the Lionheart.

Of course, reaching the heart of historical or ancient sites sometimes requires a bit more travel.

Guests are divided into groups of six, each touring with their own van (which shadows the ship onshore), driver and Egyptologist guide. Not exactly a hardship, right?

Mind you, this isn’t typical.

On most river cruises, if the attractions are too far to walk from the ship, you’re shuttled by bus. But the distances are usually fairly short.

2) River ships are small

But, personally, for just the two of us, we like smaller cruise ships. No breathless long sprints back to the cabin to retrieve that forgotten camera or hat! Getting on or off is a breeze too (no waits).

Well, river cruise ships are small.

They typically carry fewer than 200 passengers.

The Scenic Gem that ferried us on our Seine River cruise from Paris to France’s Normandy coast was built for only 126 guests.

The Zambezi Queen – which pampered us on an African river safari (worthy of its own National Geographic documentary) – only has a total of 14 staterooms.

Even one of the world’s biggest river ships, the AmaMagna from AmaWaterways, carries just 196 passengers.

And it has spacious suites measuring 355 to 710 square feet with full balconies, plus a full-size pickle ball court!

The small size of a river ship encourages easy mixing among guests.

On some ships, dining rooms have tables for dining à deux. But we’ve joined fellow passengers too at larger tables – and our meal conversations with outgoing Aussies and cultured Germans, fellow Canadians and friendly Americans, have always been lively!

Cruising alone? As travel writer Irene Levine notes, smaller and more intimate river cruises are ideal for solo travelers (especially baby boomers), who can easily meet and find companions onboard.

3) You see and do a lot!

If you’re wondering what to expect on a river cruise in terms of time ashore, know this: Traditional river cruises maximize your sightseeing time.

Except for really scenic stretches, river ships typically travel to their next destination at night while you’re asleep – so you can spend days ashore exploring.

On both of our Seine River cruises (yes, we sailed the same river twice, first with Uniworld and then with Scenic), we disembarked every day for excursions in the morning and afternoon, typically returning back to the ship just for lunch.

We saw and did much more in a concentrated week than if we’d taken the train, rented a car or booked a bus tour.

Now, there are times when you want to spend a few days just staying put in one city or place.

To satisfy that yen off the river ship, we always try to book-end a river cruise with a pre- and post-cruise land stay in one city or town.

4) River cruising is relaxing

While river cruises offer plenty to see and do, they also often build in laid-back moments, especially during stretches when they’re doing some scenic cruising.

You can kick back in a lounge chair, enjoy the view and soak up your surroundings.

Take our experience on the Oberoi Zahra on the Nile River. These are unhurried seven-night itineraries, unlike the usual three- or four- night cruises offered by most other Nile River cruise companies.

Also, don’t forget that you can always choose to skip out on excursions. You don’t have to go, go, go if you don’t feel like it.

5) River cruises are all-inclusive

Have you ever taken an ocean cruise thinking you’ve pretty well paid for your vacation – only to discover (to your surprise!) that you still have to pay extra for cappuccinos or bottled drinking water in your cabin?

And those shore excursions do put a dent in the wallet, don’t they?

The extras can sometimes double the cost of your ocean cruise.

Not so with river cruises.

Fares on premium river cruises typically bundle numerous perks into the fare – including WiFi, a good selection of wines at lunch and dinner (perhaps even cocktails too) and guided shore excursions (except for, say, hot-air ballooning). This is definitely one of the benefits of river cruising!

And speaking of shore excursions, don’t think just walking (or bus or van) tours.

On the Zambezi Queen, we zipped along the Chobe River in a small aluminum boat to see colorful kingfishers, Nile crocodiles and herds of elephants on the riverbanks. And in Chobe National Park, we bounced along in an open Land-Cruiser (giraffes, impala, buffalo, warthogs, baboons – here we come!).

In Myanmar, on our second Irrawaddy River cruise, we visited villages, monasteries, forts and Bagan’s ancient temples by ox cart, horse cart and trishaw.

How’s that for fun!

Some river cruise lines even offer complimentary bicycles for passengers to use in port to cycle around the area.

Indeed, with many European waterways lined with bicycle paths, cycling and river cruising is an ideal combination for active travelers.

6) River cruising simplifies travel to challenging destinations

River cruises are particularly ideal when you’re looking at visiting places which are difficult to navigate on your own. They sort out all the logistics – you don’t have to worry about getting from A to B, speaking the local language, different currencies or food and safety matters.

Take Egypt, for instance.

And if we hadn’t cruised the Nile in Egypt, would we have seen the biblical scenes of village women washing clothes by the riverbank, fishermen casting nets from small wooden boats and farmers on donkeys carrying sugar cane?

Then there’s Cambodia and Vietnam.

In short, if the thought of handling all the travel intricacies on your own feels overwhelming, a river cruise can offer a relaxing way to explore.

7) You unpack once

This is one of the most obvious reasons to take a river cruise.

If you were hopping from city to city on land (be it on a bus tour or by train or car), you’d be constantly packing and unpacking, lugging bags around and dealing with the hassle of hotel check-ins and check-outs at each new destination.

On a river cruise, you waste no time shifting hotels or packing and unpacking all the time. Unpack just once – and the rest of your journey unfolds seamlessly, allowing you to simply enjoy the delights of each stop along the river or waterway.

So, do you see now why people love river cruising?

The pace of river cruising provides ample time to explore historic sites and learn about the local culture, while also allowing moments to relax onboard in comfort.

And the all-inclusive nature of river cruising gives you peace of mind – you don’t have to constantly think about the cost of this or that.

This unique mix of luxury, adventure and relaxation is what makes river cruising so appealing to many travelers – including us!

Now we’re going to get back to planning that future river cruise…

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Photo credits: © 3, 5, 12 Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase

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