Cruise Buzz

River cruising is on the rise: not the river but the niche market

Today’s Travel Weekly #TWchats was all about river cruising. We had great attendance from cruise lines, travel agents, journalists, bloggers, and consumers.

It’s clear that there is a lot to like about river cruising. Some of the reasons this specialty cruise niche market is popular include unpacking once and then having the ability to watch the world go by or getting into the heart of a city to enjoy  local culture and history.

I have been on three river cruises and I really like how the boats take you right into the heart of a city.

A lot of iconic cities (especially in Europe) are on the banks or close to rivers. The river was integral to transportation in the old days. Now river cruise customers can experience the slow pace of life on the rivers whole exploring the history, culture, and food found along the river banks.

Gary Bembridge author of “The Cruise Traveler’s Handbook” puts it this way, “it is an uncomplicated way to explore a region and is becoming popular with travelers wanting to see a region and get a feel for the culture, history, art and food in a region in an uncomplicated way.”

Reasons to love river cruising

Expect to have a very organized river cruise.

River cruise companies (and travel agents) can help arrange almost door-to-door service, helping travelers arrange every detail from flights, hotels, transfers, and tours. The cruise fare includes organized tours (mostly walking tours) to help guests fast-track their immersion. For those more adventurous types, river cruising is a great way to unpack once while seeing multiple destinations at the same time.

Replay: What do you think is the most popular river cruise itinerary, and why?

Some of my favorite tweets from the chat

 

@CruiseBuzz you just put a big smile on my face!

— Guy A. Young (@Uniworld_Guy)

 I love …. Walking off the ship and wandering for awhile!

— Rebecca Tobin (@TWrtobin)

@CruiseBuzz I think the shore excursion ‘Tribes of the Three Gorges’ up the Xiling Gorge, near the dam. A real experience!

— Keith Kellett (@NomadKeith)

@CruiseBuzz Most memorable experience? There’s been so many! But touring the In Flanders Fields Museum after hours with @tauck was amazing.

— From The Deck Chair (@deckchairblog)

Photo snapshot

 Going. Going. Gone.  This is a screenshot of some of the photos that people posted on Twitter. I took it because it can act as a time capsule from our time on the chat. Photo credits to Michelle Baran, Avalon Waterways, AmaWaterways, Rebecca Tobin, Tauck, and Chris Owen.

River cruising resources

 My live voyage reports from river cruising in Europe

• Danube Waltz Christmas Markets Cruise via Viking River Cruises
• Rhine River holiday markets cruise via Uniworld Cruises

 River cruising journalists, experts, websites, and  cruise lines

• Chris Owen (@OrlandoChris) http://t.co/dUsH7S7XqM
• Michelle Baran (@mbttravelweekly) http://t.co/4FvoRmTtSP
• Jeff Titelius (@JeffTitelius) http://t.co/jpI8q5peJB
• River Cruise Advisor website with Aaaron Saunders (@DeckChairBlog)  and Ralph Grizzle (@AvidCruiser)
• Travel Weekly (TWtravelnews) Headline news of the travel industry and organizer of #TWchats

 

• Abercrombie & Kent (@AKTravel_USA)
• American Cruise Lines (@American_Cruise) http://t.co/EuZGQAysPP
• AmaWaterways (@AmaWaterways) http://t.co/ztonfoxFiR
• Avalon Waterways (@AvalonWaterways)  http://t.co/AiHzP2dN5L
• Tauck (@Tauck) http://t.co/jtM7KeFSbA
• Uniworld Cruises (@UniworldCruises) http://t.co/wf2tJX0Z29
• Viking River Cruises (@VikingRiver) http://t.co/y29pTSsZMf