5 Biggest River Cruise Mistakes to Avoid

River cruising sounds simple—but first-timers are often surprised once they step onboard. We’re sharing five common mistakes we see again and again, from choosing the wrong cruise line to packing the wrong items, plus a few myths that stop travelers from booking in the first place.

You’ll learn how to compare top lines like Viking, AmaWaterways, Avalon, Uniworld, Emerald Cruises, and Riverside Luxury Cruises, why seasickness fears are usually unfounded, what not to pack, how river levels can impact itineraries, and why these sailings are far more port-focused than ocean cruises.

If you want realistic expectations, smarter planning, to avoid cruise mishaps or cruise mistakes, and a smoother first river cruise experience, this one’s for you.

Here are some helpful articles and episodes to tune into if you’re planning your river cruise: 

• Motion Sickness Remedies (for bus rides, if you’re prone to motion sickness) 
• Packing Tips: Our 5 River Cruise Must-Pack Essentials
• River cruise category on Sometimes Sailing
• Top things to know your first time river cruising (Part 1 of 2)
• Viking vs. AmaWaterways: Who wins? 
• All About American River Cruises with American Cruise Lines
• Christmas Markets River Cruise Planning Guide (Part 1 of 2)

Transcript

Mikkel (00:36)

Talk, we talked about barge cruising and schooner sailing cruises with Maine Windjammer with our guest Tamara Gruber, and the week before that, Costly Scams to Avoid as a Tourist. But today we are back on the rivers, where we love to be. We've been on countless river cruises at this point and have immersed ourselves in the world of river cruising, as you know, if you are a longtime listener and if you're new here, welcome, welcome. Glad to have you.

So that includes talking to a lot of other people in our expertise and their experiences as first timers, because there's always a first time for everyone. So a lot of the time, we have found that there are misconceptions that have come up in the conversation: what things may be expected to happen on a river cruise but or the opposite. Some things that they didn't expect to happen

but did. So today we're talking about the five biggest mistakes first-time river cruisers make and how to avoid them. Now I will say generally speaking, how to avoid them is simply by knowing about them. So, listening to this episode to manage your expectations and you are going to be very much prepared, armed with this knowledge, right Dan?

Dan (01:58)

That's right. So make sure you keep listening if you want to understand how not to make these amateur mistakes and how to manage your expectations. And you know, I see us doing another episode like this in the future. So you want to make sure you hit that follow and subscribe button and you'll be alerted about all our new episodes. 

But first, before we dive in, we have a five star review from Kel Sydney, from Australia, and Kel writes: "Awesome Awesome Awesome" I mean that's a that's a good way to start a review, right? So, "Awesome Awesome Awesome: Loving these podcasts. I'm off to a different part of the world every night. Thank you. We are now organizing our trip to Vietnam thanks to your podcast. ❤️" So that warms my heart because the Mekong River Cruise is one of my favorites. So, so exciting to be able to help as they book their Mekong River Cruise.

Mikkel (03:00)

That's really exciting to me too. Thank you so much for that review. If you have not given us a review, we'd love to hear from you. Of course, we love the five-star reviews, but we're open to all feedback. So if you're listening and you are so inclined, we will read your review on the air.

Let's talk about mistake number one without further ado.

Dan (03:25)

Mistake number one is choosing a river cruise line because you think only one exists, right? But this is pretty common.

Mikkel (03:33)

Yeah.

This is near and dear to my heart because I would say it's the number one thing that comes up when we talk to people that are especially booking their second river cruise line after they have already experienced one river cruise and really liked it or loved it, but found that it was just like lacking something that they were desiring. 

And we say, "You know, there's other river cruise lines, right?" And it is so frustrating to hear when they booked the same river cruise line, because I want everybody to experience a variety of river cruises, just like you wouldn't only want to stay at one hotel brand before knowing which one was right for you.

Dan (04:16)

Yeah, and I get it, right? So you see a commercial or else you get a recommendation from a friend or just whatever keeps showing up in your algorithms and, you know, your Facebook feed or Google searches. There's some really big players and they dominate the advertising that you're seeing. But keep an open mind. Do your homework there's quite a few other brands out there and there might be a brand that is just specifically geared towards you and you may overlook it because of the ads that you're being served.

Mikkel (04:47)

And I think every river cruise line serves a purpose of its audience and attracts a certain traveler. go through five of them and quickly notate what we think it is good for or who it is good for.

I'm going to start with Viking River Cruises. Now they have ocean ships too that we've talked about on the podcast, but they also have river cruises, which is how they started. They have a clean Scandinavian design. They are Norwegian owned and they have a strong destination focus. They have a very consistent product. I would say they are the number one player in marketing. They became very well known from their PBS commercials during Downton Abbey. I even saw a commercial during the Super Bowl this year with Viking that was very heartwarming and of course pulled at our not just wanderlust heartstrings but also small ship sailing and river cruise heartstrings, I would say.

So I would say they're a great introductory river cruise line. A lot of people don't love their payment structure. You pretty much have to put 100 % down months in advance. And to that we say you have other options. Another story that comes to mind is when we were on a Viking river cruise with two adults and their adult children in their early 20s. And they expressed to us that they were missing the active level on a Viking River cruise. So we said to them, "Do you know that there are cruise lines that have more active programming such as Emerald Cruises or AmaWaterways? They both have complimentary bicycles on board."

Dan (06:32)

So speaking of Ama that's another great example. They're probably the number two player in the space. You still see a lot of their ads and they're around, but they have, like you more active excursions, multiple dining venues, and often, slightly more things are included in the price.

Mikkel (06:49)

Right, like that Sip & Sail, which is like their cocktail hour they include drinks during that time, which we really like. They also have more port excursions to choose from per port. So they might be slightly more expensive, but they are including more. And like I said, those bicycles. And like you said, that dining option of the Chef's Table, which is such a nice experience on AmaWaterways ships. Avalon Waterways is known for their panorama suites with beds facing the windows.

Riverside Luxury Cruises, which we've talked about before, because it's one of our favorites... we're foodies, and it's very much not only well known for its gorgeous interior design in their ships, but also the high end culinary focus. So if you are a Riverside Luxury Cruises might be a great fit for you. And also Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, which has very ornate decor and an all-inclusive luxury style might be for you if you’re looking for something a little more high end. So that's just a few.

Dan (07:52)

So don't get us wrong; booking any one of these is not a mistake we're just asking you to do your research and don't go with the first one that you see because there might be something that's a little bit more tailored toward what you're looking for.

Things to take into consideration when you're doing your research is cabin size, excursions, dining styles, service levels, and then also the inclusions as far as itineraries or just other things on board.

Mikkel (08:22)

...like those bicycles, like that Sip & Sail happy hour kind of thing. And again, just to reiterate, river cruising is not just river cruising across the board. Just as hotels are unique even if you're in one destination like Prague, one hotel might differ from another. It's the same with these floating hotel experiences that our river cruises. If you have any specific questions, of course,

Dan (08:24)

Right, right.

Mikkel (08:46)

please reach out to us. We are very accessible. We have a slew of information in our podcast episodes and on our website, Sometimes Sailing. And we always love helping people find a river cruise line that is for them.

Mistake number two, worrying about seasickness. Now this came up because we had a listener comment on our YouTube video asking about seasickness concerns, and I actually said that I've never met anyone who has gotten seasick on the river cruise boat. Have you?

Dan (09:20)

I have not, but let's just reiterate and stress: This is river cruising. Now there's some other forms of cruising like expedition that you're gonna feel a little bit of water and the movement, but on the rivers, the ships are slow and the water is calm and on some rivers, if you need to evacuate, you can just stand up in the river because it's not that deep.

Mikkel (09:45)

True.

Dan (09:45)

So you're really not feeling the tide and you're not feeling the motion when you're on the rivers.

Mikkel (09:51)

And that's not to say that there isn't a tide, because I was actually shocked that when we were on the Garonne River in Bordeaux, there is a current, so much so that there is actually a brewery that makes some sort named after the current of the Garonne River, right? So that was surprising. But it's not like swells in the ocean. It's not like you said, like expedition cruising or ocean cruising, that the motion of the ocean is going to make you seasick. So this is kind of a myth buster.

Dan (10:04)

Right, yeah.

Mikkel (10:19)

Don't worry about seasickness. You're not going to get seasick on board. The rivers are calm. The ships move very slowly. There's not open swells. And a lot of guests forget they're even moving. So this is a first time fear that a lot of people could not book because of. But we are here to say, crumple up that fear and throw that piece of paper into the garbage, if that is your fear. 

Now, buses is where motion sickness may be.

One memory I have of a Douro River cruise in Portugal is that a lot of people on the cruise were commenting how windy the roads were. So the bus rides were a little bit nauseating in terms of motion sickness.

Dan (11:01)

So if you suffer from motion sickness, bring your seasickness or your motion sickness medication. We also have a great article that outlines the remedies—I get seasick. So the remedies I use and what we recommend if you are going on a larger ship out in the ocean or even for a bus ride.

Mikkel (11:23)

And if you have a friend or a family member who is worried about booking cruises because of seasickness, then you have found the best fit for them in a river cruise. So definitely hit that share button, text message, or email this episode to your friend or family member because it will remove this barrier to booking. 

Dan (11:42)

Let's talk about mistake number three, overpacking. You may think you need a formal outfit for river cruises and that's just not the case. A lot of times when people think Europe, they think very elegant or they think river cruises are formal and you need a luxury outfit, maybe a tux or a ball gown or something like that.

Mikkel (12:05)

or even a suit is overdressing.

Dan (12:07)

That's true, yeah.

So in general, river cruises are a smart casual. So nice jeans, maybe designer jeans, sweaters, sundresses, comfortable walking shoes. You can get away with kind of comfortable shoes that look good during the day that you could wear at dinner at night, but

Mikkel (12:28)

Right. And I would say, you know, men can get away with just khakis and a collared shirt maybe if you want to be a little fancy at dinner. You don't see ties. I very often wear a pair of nice pants and a blouse. I wear ballet flats. I don't really take heels unless for some reason, you know, we're going to be there a while. I'm trying to think if I even took heels when we were traveling all of 2023. I want to say no.

So yeah, it could be a little bit dressier on some nights. Like if you want to dress up for the Chef's Table, on AmaWaterways, it's a nice occasion to wear a dress. But it's not necessary. I would say it was even more casual on the Mekong River cruise. People were wearing tropical pattern collared shirts in the Chef's Table, and that felt a little bit more like ⁓ Jimmy Buffett world. But that was a nice luxury river cruise

Dan (13:12)

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Yeah, I could see that.

Mikkel (13:21)

and it was less formal. So, it really depends on the itinerary. This is actually a great topic for a future episode, attire for river cruises. But just keep in mind that it's not formal level by any means, any night. you're going to bring any formal attire for a river cruise vacation, I'm willing to bet it would be a pre- or post-river cruise extension that you're doing on your own or with the cruise line if you've made reservations at a fancy restaurant, perhaps a Michelin-rated restaurant, you know, for example. 

But the most important thing that you'll wear on a river cruise is not a blazer. It's comfortable walking shoes. So if you're going to pack anything on a river cruise, make sure it's great shoes for walking, right?

Dan (14:06)

Right. So that jumps into mistake number four, and that is not understanding river levels. And this can be a really big one and impact your cruise quite a bit. Rivers are natural, they're not highways. So the water level goes up and it goes down depending on the season or else just the weather in the area at the time.

Mikkel (14:32)

That's right. And a lot of rivers have some locks and dams controlling them. But in general, no matter what, especially these European rivers, the amount of rain that they do or don't get or amount of snow can very much affect your trip. It affects the bridge clearance. It affects sections that they can sail or not and the captains can navigate with the ship. 

So sometimes you might have a swap of the ship that you're on if need be. You're going to have more motor coach segments than expected and more bus rides. You might even have embarkation changes. We were on one river cruise with Riverside Luxury Cruises. They did a phenomenal job of alerting everybody that we were going to board in Vilsofen as opposed to, I think it was Nuremberg if I remember correctly, with our Christmas markets cruise because there was just an unexpected ton of rain that season. 

And luckily we didn't have to bus around town, but we did just simply have a change in our embarkation port. trying to think of another time that we had a change. Maybe I'm thinking of this one. We were supposed to board in Nuremberg and ended up

Dan (15:56)

Right, and we went to Regensburg.

Mikkel (15:56)

boarding in Regensburg. So we skipped. We skipped that port. And I think the way to manage this expectation is that while you sort of have a fixed itinerary, and certainly the region is the river, you're booking the Danube. You're not going to go over to the Moselle. But... Or you're not going to go from the Rhine to the Seine. That's not happening. But you have a port schedule that

Dan (16:19)

Right.

Mikkel (16:23)

is in your final cruise documents, let's say, but it could change. So be flexible, enjoy the journey, know that the cruise line wants everybody to be safe and sound and enjoy their vacation. They don't want unhappy passengers. And you'll be seeing the region no matter what. But on a river cruise, you're not booking the minute by minute boarding disembarkation schedule for the ports you're going to day to day. You're booking the region and the experience and depending on the river levels, it might change a little bit.

Dan (16:56)

Mistake number five: Underestimating how port focused river cruising truly is. So unlike ocean actually days at sea and it's enjoying the ship itself is the star. With river cruising, it's all about those ports and the ship, more often than not, is gorgeous and you want to spend time there but it's also getting off the ship and focusing on all the great things that they have planned in port.

Mikkel (17:27)

And you'll be in the ports a lot. There's almost no "days at sea," at the river.

You might have a day on the river, especially an itinerary like the Rhine River if you're going through castle country, let's say, but it is kind of more unlikely that you have an entire day on the river. And that's because the ports are just so damn awesome that you are going to want to walk around the Old Town no matter what European cruise you're on or Asian cruise you're on.

The towns are just so amazing and the destination is as much of a star as the ship is. So I think when people think of ocean cruising, they think of how much time they spend on the ship. They have time for the pool. They have time to try out 10 restaurants. River Cruise ships don't even have a lot of restaurants. Maybe two. Maybe three or four at most if you're on a ship like AmaWaterways AmaMagna that's a double-wide ship or Riverside Luxury Cruises Mozart ship that's a double-wide ship. Most of these ships have a main restaurant and then some other restaurant options. But that's because it's focused on the ports.

The ships are a great place to relax, unwind, refresh, recharge during the mornings, lunches, and at night. But it's really distinct from any other cruising because it is so focused on the ports and those amazing destinations.

And that's why when we made the point— going back to Mistake number one: choosing the river cruise line that's good for you— about it being important to understand what tours are included. So whether they include one option in a port or three, like AmaWaterways includes, it's very important because the destination is also a star of the show.

Dan (19:18)

In closing, none of these are really negatives. They're just simply what river cruising is. When your expectations match the experience, river cruising becomes one of the easiest and most immersive ways to see Europe or the United States or even Southeast Asia.

Mikkel (19:37)

So we hope you have learned something today, whether it's your first or third cruise, and that you are very much looking forward to your next adventure on the world's rivers. If you are interested in river cruising, be sure to check out the show notes. We have so many amazing river cruise articles on our site, SometimesSailing.com, an entire category.

We also have incredible episodes of our podcast, including the Five Things We Always Pack for River Cruises and much, much more. So hit that follow or subscribe button. Don't forget to review us and until next time...

Dan (20:16)

Keep cruising!