The Differences Between Common and River Cruises

River cruising is an activity that has seen immense growth in the last few years and has nearly caught up with the common ocean cruises. People were sailing rivers long before they even took to the seas, but river cruising has only recently become commercially popular. It is thought that this is due to changes in the tastes of vacation goers and the desire to get away from the masses. There are many books you can buy about large ocean cruises, but below is a selection of information tit-bits about river cruising.

More Stops. Whilst ocean cruises might go days between ports, river cruises stop much more frequently and on more occasions. In practice this means that river cruises are often more active than ocean cruises and you will see a lot less of the boat for sure. With this in mind, you might want to think about allocating more money for spending at the ports than on getting the best cabin

More Locals. Increased contact with the local populations is another result of stopping more often. On some Amazon and Rhine River cruises for example, locals are actually welcomed onto the boat to sell goods and meet the guests. This all adds to the experience, but be prepared to be in contact with lots of different people over the course of your river cruise. You might even want to invest in a translation book to help communications along.

More To See. Not only is there constantly things to see happening on the river banks, but it is usually much easier to see wildlife in the river itself compared to the oceans. Sometimes on big ocean cruise ships you can go days without seeing much more than a seagull, but with river cruises you will need your camera ready at all times. Regent Seven Seas Cruises even employ local tour guides for large parts of their cruises to point out sites of interest to ship passengers.

Tags: advice, river cruises, river cruising, tips