Rhine Cruise

Anything to do with river cruising
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Bobbie
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Rhine Cruise

#1

Post by Bobbie »

Just back from our first river cruise on the Rhine. We went with Riviera Travel and the ship was called the Antonio Bellucci. I simply could not fault it, from start to finish the cruise was just amazing. The ship, the crew, the food, the places we visited, all just brilliant.

OK I know river cruises are more expensive than ocean cruises, but with P&O I feel they are out to relieve me of as much cash as possible whilst onboard - with this ship there was none of that. In fact there were lots of lovely little "extras" - cold fruit drinks and wet flannels every time you returned to the ship from being ashore, trays of canapes some nights (as if we hadn't eaten enough!), free cocktails on deck, to name a few.

The ship holds 140 passengers, it wasn't quite full as there were a few singles onboard. Everyone was so friendly and we had such fun, some days my face muscles ached from laughing so much! The age range was about 50 - 87 (at least the oldest lady I met was 87!). We are in our mid fifties, but we became very friendly with a couple in their 80s and a couple in their early 70s. Gosh, did we have fun! You could sit anywhere in the restaurant, but we ended up all sitting together every night, and one night we all went ashore to a German Bierkeller after dinner!

The entertainment was low key, a pianist/singer who played in the lounge every night, a short port presentation most nights, and on one night a music quiz which WE WON! At last! On P&O we have always been pipped at the post by some clever dicks! There was a tiny dance floor so we did manage a rumba and a cha cha, with two other couples on the floor it was crowded! One night there was a bit of a party atmosphere and I have to admit to doing the actions to YMCA and the Birdie Song (embarrassing!) P&O have taught me well!

One thing I will say, it was NOT a relaxing holiday. On the Rhine we were not actually sailing that much, we were doing a lot of sightseeing - which was great, but half way through I was longing for a "sea day" to recharge my batteries!

I would definitely do another river cruise at some time in the future, it was really lovely.

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Manoverboard
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Re: Rhine Cruise

#2

Post by Manoverboard »

Thanks for that ' Bobbie ', welcome to the Riverboat Club :thumbup:

Our TA recently sent us a Riviera Travel Riverboat Criuise Line-ish brochure and I did wonder what they would be like ... now I know.
Keep smiling, it's good for your well being

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oldbluefox
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Re: Rhine Cruise

#3

Post by oldbluefox »

Thanks Bobbie. Fascinating to read of somebody's view of a cruise other than what they tell you in the brochure. Sometimes brochures don't do the actual cruise line justice.


simeon
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Re: Rhine Cruise

#4

Post by simeon »

We have been on a number of cruises to various parts of the world, but we have never gone on a river cruise of any type. We are coming up on our 10 year anniversary and have already decided that we are going to renew our vows as part of celebrating our accomplishment. One of the ideas we have thrown around is the idea of doing a river cruise as part of the celebration and France has been on our list of countries to visit for some time. I have been to other countries in Europe but haven't set foot in France. Thanks for taking the time to share about your experience. Reading posts like this makes me excited about the idea of a river cruise. It seems to be a niche within the cruise industry that is rapidly growing into a popular choice for people. It isn't particular surprising as river cruises provide the ability to visit some of the most beautiful cities all over the world where conventional cruises simply cannot do the same.

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Mervyn and Trish
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Re: Rhine Cruise

#5

Post by Mervyn and Trish »

Thanks for that Bobbie. We did a Rhine cruise last year with Avalon. Different company but sounds like a similar experience. Would certainly recommend it to anyone wanting a change from a sea cruise, but as you say, don't expect a rest! Ours was pretty full on too!

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oldbluefox
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Re: Rhine Cruise

#6

Post by oldbluefox »

simeon wrote:
We have been on a number of cruises to various parts of the world, but we have never gone on a river cruise of any type.
I know it doesn't take much doing Simeon but on the Queen Elizabeth topic you said 'The idea of taking a cruise has been something that I have wanted to do for a number of years. I have never had the resources to do it in the past, but this year is going to be very different. The fact that the cost of taking a cruise has dropped significantly compared to what it cost just a few years ago makes this the perfect idea for a holiday this year. My wife has been on a number of cruises, but I have never had the luxury'.
Have I misunderstood somewhere?

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Dark Knight
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Re: Rhine Cruise

#7

Post by Dark Knight »

A river cruise is on our list too
Portugal or France
Nihil Obstat

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Meg 50
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Re: Rhine Cruise

#8

Post by Meg 50 »

we've 'done' the Rhine (combined with a week on Lake Como - by train on from Basel),
the Rhone/Saone

and intend to do the Danube in a year or 3
Meg
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