Our Experience on our European River Cruise

To celebrate our 15th Anniversary, my husband and I decided to take a European river cruise.  It was the ideal way to celebrate as we were looking for something low-keyed and relaxing.  The ship we chose only carried 164 passengers and we liked the more intimate size.  The larger Mediterranean cruise ships hold thousands of passengers and we didn’t want that for this trip.

Cruising on the AmaPrima

River cruises have become so popular and we were amazed at the “traffic” we saw when docking at a port.

 European River Boats dock off each other

You would also see other boats cruising by but never enough to spoil your view or enjoyment.

Cruising down the Danube in Austria

Book Your River Cruise Early

We couldn’t be too choosy as to where we were going to cruise as we were only booking the cruise a couple of months in advance.  Most guests on the boat booked their cruise a year in advance.   Ours was a spur of the moment decision made in May for a July trip.

We were lucky to get a reservation on a boat.  We were told there was a cancellation on an Ama Waterways cruising the Danube so we grabbed it.  It was on a cruise line that another friend had travelled on and highly recommended so we grabbed the opening.

Another couple was going to join us but the boat was sold out, so book early!   However, if you do decide that you would like to cruise at the last-minute, there are cancellations that do pop up if you are flexible on dates.

What to Expect on a European River Cruise

European river cruises make for a relaxing vacation.  If you want a bustling nightlife with a host of activities, this type of trip is not for you.   River cruises tend to be an older crowd (I was by far the youngest) and there were no children on board.

Dining Room on the Ama Prima

We met many wonderful people from several different countries at our dinner table every night.  The majority of the passengers on our ship though were from the U.S., Canada and Australia.  You are free to sit where you like so you have the option of making new friends or dining with the same people every day.

Surprisingly some people stayed on the boat the whole time and didn’t bother to get off and tour the port cities where we docked.

Most cruise lines offer many excursions and tours.  We chose to tour the Audi Factory in Germany which you can read about here:  European River Cruise, Part II, Audi Factory Tour.  We also did a guided tour in Vienna and went to a Mozart concert there as well.

We had a great host that hosted daily casual gatherings.  He would tell us about each port and share some history with us.

Our River Boat:  Ama Waterways AmaPrima

We were only the second voyage on the AmaPrima

We loved the Ama Waterways line and especially our boat, the AmaPrima.  It was only the boat’s second voyage so it was very new!  I like new and I like clean, so I was a happy traveler.

Since the size of the boat isn’t very large, it was so convenient to walk to the restaurant, lounge and other areas of the boat.  If you forgot something or wanted to stop back at your room, it was a quick trip.

We boarded in Nuremberg, Germany, traveled through Austria and ended with a few extra days in Budapest.  You can read about our Budapest visit here: European River Cruise, Budapest, Part III.

Our River Cruise Accommodations

Our cabin was lovely and beautifully decorated.

First off, our accommodations were amazing.  Our stateroom was beautifully decorated and the bathroom was all marble and surprisingly not as tiny as I thought it would be.

We had a balcony in our room but it truly isn’t worth the extra charge.  We had dreams of having a night-cap on the balcony as we cruised down the river but after the first night, we realized that wasn’t an option with the bugs being attracted to lights on the boat.

During the day we were out and about on the ship or touring on land.

Internet access wasn’t as good in our stateroom as it was in the main common areas.

Daily Routine on the River Boat

The early mornings on the boat were so quiet and peaceful

My husband and I are early risers and one of our favorite things to do was to get our coffee at the self-service coffee bar and take it out on the deck and watch the sunrise.  We were so surprised that there were so few people on deck, often having the deck to ourselves with the occasional crew member walking by.

Sunsets were stunning

Breakfast was a fabulous buffet with different stations for fresh fruit, omelets, pastries, etc.  It was open seating and casual.

If we were cruising, most likely we were going through some locks which we found fascinating.  More on that below.

When on land and not doing a guided tour, we just walked around and enjoyed the port we were visiting.

Semi Private Dining Room

On the AmaPrima there was a special smaller dining room that you were able to make a reservation for one evening.  The views were amazing.  We chose the night of our anniversary to dine there and the service and food were wonderful.

Each guest could select an evening to dine in the more intimate dining room

Our 15th Anniversary on the Ama Prima River Cruise

Our anniversary dinner view

Dress Tips for a River Cruise

We traveled in July and ran into some unseasonably warm temperatures.  It was 102 when we were in Vienna.  We dressed up one evening for the private dining room where my husband wore a jacket and I wore a long skirt.  Other than that, it was more dressy casual for dinner and casual during the day.  My husband wore a nice shirt and pants most evening, sans any sports coat.  I wore casual dresses.  For the ladies, it can get cool at night so a shawl or light jacket is recommended.

Great walking shoes are a must when in port.  You often have cobblestones to walk on.  For my tried and true packing tips and recommendations, see the following posts:

30 Packing Tips for Europe

5 Packing Tips for Europe and Other Overseas Destinations

Traveling Through the Locks

via Geoff Jones

The engineering of the river locks were fascinating

The most fascinating part of the river cruise were the locks that we traveled through and there were approximately 20 of them.  The engineering is amazing!  One of the locks drops the boat approximately 120 feet!

In the picture below you can see my fellow passengers snapping pictures and looking at the walls of the lock as our boat was lowered into the canal.

Passengers would gather on the upper deck

to watch the boat travel through the locks

Europe’s Signature Window Boxes

One of my favorite things about Europe are the beautiful window boxes. They add such character and charm to the buildings.   They seem to have the best green thumbs.  Every box is always full with blooming colorful flowers.

Love the European window boxes!

Stunning!

European river cruises have gained in popularity and I can see why.  It’s a great way to travel, easy to get on and off the boat and a fabulous way to tour Europe.   It was especially relaxing for my husband.  On other trips to Europe we have rented a car and he did all the driving.  What I loved was not having to pack and unpack at each destination.

Do you have any interest in a river cruise or have you been on one?  Please share in the comments below.

Thanks for visiting my blog.  Be sure to read about the rest of our cruise in the links below.

European River Cruise, Part II, Audi Factory Tour

European River Cruise, Budapest, Part III

If you are planning on an overseas trip, you may be interested in my tried and true packing tips:

30 Packing Tips for Europe

5 Packing Tips for Europe and Other Overseas Destinations

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