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Small Ship Cruise vs Riverboat

Prini

Hello Fellow Travelers,

I took nine Tauck land tours. I've done almost all the U.S. ones except Hawaii, Alaska. and The Mackinac trips.
I did the Israel/Jordon ten years ago and the Florence, Venice, and Rome, about six years ago. I visited many places in Canada.

I'm tired of staying in six hotels or even four. The packing and unpacking and seeing very little of one place is not for me anymore.
I travel alone as most of my friends are cheap, ha, it's true.

I never took a cruise. I am thinking of doing either a small ship or riverboat.
Any thoughts on which would be better for a first time solo journey next year (maybe May).
What is the good and bad part of going on either ship?

Sorry if these are silly questions, but this is an expensive journey.
While doing my own research, I want to hear from experienced first hand travelers who have the passion in their belly.

Thanks in Advance.

Comments

Claudia Sails

The river cruises have the advantage of offering the Category 1 cabins (smallest and partially below the waterline) without charging a single supplement. Of the two, we've only done river cruises as I tend to get seasick in rough conditions.

Your concern about seeing very little of one place won't be solved as river cruise itineraries are pretty fast moving with normally only one day spent sightseeing at each port. If you add time at the start or end of the cruise you'll be able to spend additional time there. Some people believe you see more on land tours than river cruises but European rivers were centers for transportation and commerce so there are lots of interesting locations.

There might be more to do during the down time on the small ships compared to river cruise ships where there is mainly hanging out in the lounge or sundeck, the occasional presentations on topics by the TDs, some special entertainment or activities in the lounge, a small gym, putting green, bikes to borrow, and a small library of movies on demand in your room.

Good luck.

kfnknfzk

You ask legitimate questions. After many land tours we took our first riverboat cruise. We have been hooked since. Aside from not having to pack and unpack, we find the boat’s amenities to be superb and the food and service sublime.

I have only taken one (1) small ship cruise and was very disappointed in the amenities, onboard ambience and food. My husband thought the infirmary was the nicest part of the ship.

We all have different expectations, traveling styles and likes/dislikes. I recommend taking a river cruise first then a small ship cruise next so you can decide which works best for you.

Best wishes to you.

British

Just a comment that there are hotels at each end of either type of ship, so that’s packing three times.

MikeHenderson

River cruises are not my favorite way to travel. While you get to unpack one time, you only get a passing glance at the towns and cities that you visit. The boat travels at night (except on the Douro), departing in the evening about dinner time, so you almost never get a chance to visit a city at night.

In the morning when you wake up, the boat is usually docked, you have breakfast and then get on a bus for the day’s excursions. The excursions can be interesting.

For Europe, we prefer to travel on our own, staying in a city for several days. The trains are very good and reasonably priced so you can go from city to city easily.

Of course, traveling on your own requires you to do some research and make all your arrangements but I found it wasn’t too bad.

Otherwise, we do the Tauck land tours and put up with the packing and unpacking. Tauck usually stays in a hotel for two days – a single night stay is unusual.

We do a fair amount of ocean cruising and use Regent Seven Seas for that.

[Added note: The Tauck Hawaii tour is very good. I recommend it if you haven't been there, but it does involve changing hotels.]

Claudia Sails

No British, not all river cruises include a hotel at the start or end unless you opt to use a gift of time or add hotel days yourself either at Tauck's hotel or your own choice.

Smiling Sam

I've done both, here are a few thoughts:

Riverboat vs small ship:

a) food/amenities on board are similar, but not identical
b) small ship cruises cover more distance and therefore the scenery can be more diverse
c) riverboats not impacted by rough seas
d) small ships not impacted by river low or high water levels
e) riverboats often stop in much small cities
f) both tend to be about 6-7 days on the vessel, tours may or may not be extended with hotel stays on either end
g) both reduce time for individual exploration relative to land tours
h) both include tour director tips, land tours don't

British

Whoops Claudia. I defer to you! I’ve only taken the Milan Amsterdam cruise which was good. It was good to explore Milan and Amsterdam on extra days both ends. The ship and river cruises are definitely way easier to do. Still prefer land tours.

bucketlist

We generally opt for land tours. There are more interesting itineraries, more time to eat on our own and to do a bit of exploring in free time.

However there are times when the itinerary is best seen via a ship. We loved the Venice to Croatia Ponant small boat tour, the Silver Seas ship in the Galapagos and the old Ponant sail boat Mediterranean trip before it was remodeled. However sometimes a land tour could be better than small ship, e.g., the Costa Rica small ship tour.

We prefer the small ship over river boat tours because unlike on the riverboat where you are hopping over other ships and looking in their bedroom windows when docked. Often the only reason to visit a site is that it is on the river. We love the ocean and don't get seasick. However, we look forward to taking the Egypt trip when things calm down!

Food on the ocean and river boats are just ok, not terrible. We don't travel on tours for the food, just expect it to have options, to be cooked well and have decent ingredients. We like the fact that tips, alcohol and WIFI are now included on both sailing options. In the early days of our travels with Tauck our comments always included a request for free wifi - and it finally happened.

British

Our recent Small ship tour had excellent WiFi. Previously you were constantly being logged off and could only register one electronics each. This time there was no restriction.

MikeHenderson

Our recent Small ship tour had excellent WiFi. Previously you were constantly being logged off and could only register one electronics each. This time there was no restriction.

The riverboats used to provide WiFi through the local cellular network, and that was very limited. Now, most of the riverboats, and especially the small ships, use StarLink.

kfnknfzk

In comparing the public spaces only, I believe the riverboats offer a quieter, more subdued and refined experience, especially in the lounge area.

On the Ponant boat, the dining and bar areas are loud, cavernous spaces with no intimacy; fine if you are very gregarious and prefer socializing over reflection.

As I always say, there is a traveling style for everyone. The only right one is the one that works for you.

gladysorlando984

I'm a solo traveler and have taken many river cruises, usually a river cruise in the spring and a land cruise in the fall.

You get to experience more of the cities with the land cruise, packing and unpacking does not bother me, I pack according to the days we are staying at the different locations.

On the river cruises where there is an opportunity to spend pre cruise days at a hotel before embarking I take advantage of it by booking private tours, the last river cruise I took earlier this year we spent 5 days in Montreux including the GOT. We were able to see quite a bit of the city.

Sealord

The riverboats have consistently good food and service. Tauck uses at least four or five cruise companies for small ship cruises, and one is not a small ship. You really need to do your homework to see what appeals to you. Find a trip, find the boat, and ask away.

Prini

THANKS EVERYONE! I am undecided and i hope to book something by July 31 to get the Gift of Time.
I really appreciate your thoughts.

Best,

jonmacks

We did a Christmas Markets tour with Tauk, which was wonderful. This is an off season cruise, in November and early December, but we were very comfortable as we dressed warmly. We stopped at towns in Germany and Austria. The Christmas market in Vienna was amazing. This is a great way to see some of these river towns along the Rhine and Danube. Tauck went out of its way to make it special. The boat was very festive for that time of year.