River Cruise Tips

The upfront cost of a river cruise may be higher than that of comparable land vacations or ocean cruises, despite the fact that many amenities are included. A river cruise may not be right for you if you are very careful with your money and prefer more adaptable choices that meet your budgetary requirements. Even though river cruises are a novel and interesting way to see Europe, you should be aware of these potential drawbacks so you can choose the style of vacation that best suits your preferences.

A few surprising facts about river cruising There were a few surprises and things we didn’t expect to encounter on river cruises but mostly found interesting and/or super cool.

Don’t bring a hair dryer, flat iron or curling iron. Most river cruise ships will have a hair dryer in each stateroom. And due to electricity requirements, guests are usually NOT allowed to bring their own curling irons or flat irons onboard.
On the other hand, you might find some on your cruise ship that are made to work with the ship's electricity needs. You can get one from reception and use it while you're on the cruise. Be sure to ask ahead of time!

Experiences like entering locks for the first time are priceless. Watching a river cruise ship pass through a lock for the first time can be fascinating, even if you have no interest in engineering. Ships dock right next to one another. Once, I opened the curtains to our balcony to find myself staring into the dining room of another cruise ship. And several diners staring back at me.

It's so bizarre! This means that sometimes, you may be going through another cruise ship to get to shore. Or, you may have passengers from another cruise ship going through your cruise ship to go ashore. And, that for those hours when your ships are docked right next to each other, you may not have the beautiful river view you get otherwise.

I’m so impressed by the organization and communication that occurs in the whole embarkation and disembarkation process for river cruises. Ours worked perfectly and ran like clockwork! Embarkation: You’ll be given a time when you can check into your stateroom. Most people arrive before then and you can usually drop off your luggage with the ship staff and they’ll tag it for your room. Then when you check in, your luggage will be waiting for you in your room. Check out borneo nature cruise.

Disembarkation: You will be informed of the disembarkation schedule two nights prior to the day of disembarkation. They have a chart organized by departure times and modes of transportation that you can check to make sure you’re in the right departure timeslot. It’s also color coordinated with luggage tags that you’ll need to attach to all of your luggage pieces. So it’s vital that you give your cruise ship personnel your departure plan info so they can ensure you and your luggage are slotted into the right time.