2010

Cruises Offer Informality And Access

Marie Wakefield
http://www.cruises.gogoodpages.com
10/27/2010
River Cruises Offer Informality and Access
By M. Wakefield.

We visited two European capitals, explored a 900-year-old Benedictine abbey, saw

where World War II Nazi leaders were convicted of war crimes, attended an organ
recital, watched a glass-blower create exquisite shapes, bought a souvenir horse
made of stone and a bell made of glass. We didn't have to unpack but once and
overnighted in the same room the entire trip.

We did all those things and more on a European river cruise, an increasingly
popular option for Americans.

"We've grown from 12,500 passengers in 2001 to around 50,000 this year," said
Lisa Juarez, vice president for marketing communications for Viking River
Cruises, which now operates 23 ships, more than any other river cruise line. Other
major lines also have experienced sharp increases in passengers.

Several factors are fueling this boom in river cruises, says Juarez. One is that
travelers have tired of sailing on huge ocean-going ships "with 2,000 of your
closest friends" and want a different, more intimate experience. Another is the
ongoing increase of 55-plus travelers -- the aging baby boomers.

As for river cruise prices, Juarez said they are "typically less than ocean cruises
and on a par with high-end bus tours."

We paid in advance in dollars, not euros, and the fare included all meals, ship
transportation and onboard entertainment, as well as many shore excursions. That
avoided having to change a lot of dollars into euros abroad, but the real advantage
of the river cruise was its convenience -- no constant packing and unpacking, no

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searching for restaurants, no checking in and out of hotels, or schlepping luggage
onto trains or buses.

We chose a seven-night cruise on the Danube River from Budapest, Hungary, to

Nuremberg, Germany, on Viking River Cruises' 150-passenger Viking Spirit. On
the way, we passed through 23 locks and stopped at seven different destinations in
three countries. A sort of laid-back mini-sampler of Central Europe.

SMALL, SIMPLE

Informality was the rule. We had no formal nights (and only one somewhat dressy
evening), dined at one seating with whomever we pleased and soon made many
new friends.

"I don't like big ships. This is small, more my speed," said Nancy Collier of
Denver, who has sailed with husband Bud on ocean-going cruise ships.

That sentiment was echoed by many passengers on the cruise, some of whom, like
Dinah Bloomhall of Fort Myers and Richard and Kay Inman-Palthe of San
Francisco, had taken as many as five river cruises previously and loved them all.

"Why do people like river cruises? They see a lot in a short time, [the water's] not
rough, and it's safe to walk around these cities," said Manfred Mayer, the Viking
Spirit's hotel manager. To which American passengers might add convenience and
value for their dollars.

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Another incentive: plenty of choices. These low-slung river ships cruise on more
than a dozen European rivers, as well as some in other continents, so travelers can
choose a cruise that stays in one country, for instance, or one that visits several. It's
even possible to take a river cruise all the way from Amsterdam on the Atlantic
coast to the Black Sea, passing through 12 countries.

In fact, one facet that appeals to river cruisers is that Europe has so many rivers
and so many cultures that one can take multiple cruises and never have a repeat
experience.

Michael and Christine Pescasio went on a Russia cruise five years ago, took this
one on their anniversary and may do a French river on a future anniversary. Kay
In-man-Palthe of San Francisco, on her sixth river cruise, remembered with
fondness "our Rhone-Saone cruise, where we had a great chef and visited little
villages" -- a far different itinerary from our Danube cruise.

MANY AMERICANS

The company we cruised with caters to Americans, and nearly all passengers were
from the U.S. All announcements and bulletins were in English, local guides on
shore excursions spoke English (some more so than others), as did Viking staff
members who had contact with passengers (except, oddly, the captain).

Breakfast and lunch were buffet style, while dinner was served. The presentation
and the dishes were generally of high quality. Food was international but slanted to
American tastes -- bacon and eggs for breakfast, for example, and they even had
peanut butter.

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Among other European river cruise lines, Uniworld also caters primarily to
Americans, as do certain other ships that run cruises for American tour operators.
But even on lines that attract European travelers, English is widely used.

Music on board was provided by a pianist who played old pop standards before
and after dinner. For most of us, that was fine, as nearly all the passengers were
seniors for whom that was familiar music.

On three evenings, however, the ship brought in entertainment from shore. One
was a talented Hungarian quartet that played folk music, accompanied by a couple
in costume who performed traditional dances. Another was a Bavarian musician
who played oompah music and spent too much time having picked-out passengers
"play" funny instruments. The third was a German glass-blower, who claimed he
and his father worked at one time with famed American glass artist Dale Chihuly.
He gave a glass-blowing demonstration that packed the lounge.

SHORE TIME

These shows all came on evenings when the ship was moving, so we didn't miss
any shore time.

That was important, because destinations were what brought most of us on board.
We spent hours in seven different ports (-- overnight in Budapest, all day and
evening in Vienna, an afternoon and night in Nuremberg, partial days in Melk,
Passau and Regensburg, and three useless night hours in Linz. Sometimes we took
ship-offered shore excursions, sometimes we explored towns on our own. Those
were the highlights of our trip.

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In Budapest, we arrived from the United States on a Sunday afternoon and could've
explored the city on our own that day, but most of us were too worn from the
overnight transatlantic flight to do more than unpack and settle in.

But the next day, the ship took us on a city bus tour that wound up at the famous
Fisherman's Bastion that overlooks the Danube River. There, we were given about
an hour's free time, though it proved to be too little . That was one complaint that
was pretty universal among passengers: the shortage of free time if you took the
free ship excursions. A hour simply doesn't allow much exploration, and if you
skip the shore excursion to enjoy the town on your own, you miss out on other
aspects.

So, like many other passengers, we compromised. We took the free, ship-arranged
tours in Vienna (some of which, like the 15-minute tour of Belvedere Palace, was a
waste of time ), a shore excursion to the great Benedictine abbey in Melk, Austria
(interesting), and other ship tour on a smaller boat through the narrow Danube
Gorge (also interesting) that wound up at the flood-prone Weltenheim abbey, the
oldest in Bavaria.

But we skipped tours in Nuremberg, Passau and Regensburg. In fact, my wife and I
agreed that Passau was the most rewarding place we visited, primarily because we
explored most of it at our pace and discretion. We did join the ship group at the
Passau cathedral for a recital featuring the largest organ in the world, but then
nosed around shops and byways on steep, cobblestoned streets on our own and
took a local lunch at an outdoor cafe across from the river.

Besides the included ship excursions, the ship offered several optional tours at an
additional cost of about $60 per person. We took two; both were worth the price.

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One was an evening chamber music concert in Vienna, an excellent recital that
also featured two operatic singers and two ballet dancers. The other was a
Nuremberg tour centering on Adolf Hitler's rise and fall and on the famed
Nuremberg war crimes trials.

RIVER TIME

Our times sailing on the Danube were also fulfilling. Some passengers chose to
watch the passing scene through the picture windows in their cabins or in the
lounge. But the view was best from the open top deck, where lounge chairs and
beverage service awaited.

Pastel-colored villages and onion-steepled churches came and went as we sailed

upriver, as did vacation cabins built on stilts (to escape flooding, as in the Florida
Keys). Forested hills, which create colorful panoramas in autumn, created dramatic
backdrops and occasionally we came upon really impressive sights, among them
the imposing green dome of the Renaissance cathedral in Esztergom, Hungary, and
the night-lit rectangular "upturned table" castle overlooking the river at Bratislava,
Sloakia.

Even the Danube itself had its attention-getting moments, as when we entered each
of the 23 locks on our route. The locks can hold two river cruise ships like own and
usually did so (we tailgated another Viking ship doing the same itinerary), each
one carefully maneuvered to rest just inches from the wall. The locks fill quickly,
raising or lowering our ship as much as 80 feet in a single stage.

At the end of our trip, most passengers -- including us -- were ready to go on

another river cruise. That's the true test of a successful journey.

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We'll do another European river next time, but for those going on the Danube,
there is one thing they should know: The river is not blue and never has been,
despite what one might be led to believe because of the famous Blue Danube waltz
written by Johann Strauss.

As one of our guides put it, "I think Strauss drank too many schnapps before he
wrote that waltz."

Making a stop at a Louisiana plantation on a Mississippi River cruise was easy as

could be: The captain simply drove the ship's bow right onto the shore and had the
crew shove the gangplank onto the turf.

That's one of the charms of inland cruising: The ships that ply the world's rivers,
lakes and intracoastal waterways are mostly small; they can get to places that big
ships can't.

Access to small places-plus other allures-has led to a recent surge in the popularity
of inland cruises. Since 1995, river cruises have increased 20 percent a year in
Europe, said Ron Santangelo, president of Peter Deilmann Cruises. In the same
period, American Classic Voyages-the largest U.S. inland cruise company-has seen
its passenger count double, according to the cruise line's Jim German.

Sailing in smooth waters at a leisurely pace, these ships give their passengers time
to reflect, time to share thoughts with others. They also dock for longer periods,
providing more time to explore interesting ports of call, and that's really the name
of their game.

``We're inextricably linked to our destinations,'' said Rod McLeod, president of

American Classic Voyages. His company operates the famous Delta Queen paddle-

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wheelers on the Mississippi River and a similar vessel on the Columbia. And last
month it launched a new ship, the 224-passenger Cape May Light, that runs on
America's coastal waterways.

You take an East Coast cruise, McLeod said, because it's a great way to visit
historic ports like Charleston, Norfolk, Alexandria, Annapolis, Philadelphia,
Newport and Boston. On the Mississippi, cruises are the gateway to such storied
cities as New Orleans, Natchez, Vicksburg, Memphis, St. Louis and Cincinnati. On
the West Coast, you can sail through the magnificent Columbia Gorge on the
Columbia River or explore California's Wine Country via the Petaluma and Napa
Rivers. Summer sailings on the Great Lakes take you to such great cities as
Toronto, Detroit and Chicago as well as car-less Mackinac Island. And in Europe,
river cruisers wend through more than a dozen countries, visiting such diverse
cities as Dresden, Porto, Lyon and Koblenz as well as the better known Paris,
Frankfurt, Rotterdam and Vienna.

But itinerary isn't the only bonus of an inland or coastal waterway cruise.

Since ships that ply these waters are more intimate-usually carrying only 50 to 250
cruisers-you get to know your fellow sailors early on, and most of the crew as well.

For most Americans, these types of tours are a novelty. Until now, their picture of
a cruise likely was colored by visions of steel drums and palm trees. Being so
wedded to car and air travel, many have not realized until now that they can reach
many of the same destinations by water.

Another plus: Most shore excursions on these cruises are included in the fare-a
significant factor when compared with prices of other types of vacations.

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As on other types of cruises, there's no need to pack and unpack every night. And
like ocean cruises, inland voyages offer a unique view that no land vacation can
match.

``You get a really different perspective being on the water,'' said Steve Dickmann
of Madison, Wis., a passenger on an east coast cruise last month aboard the new
Cape May Light.

The difference?

Rather than motoring into Washington on a busy expressway, you cruise past
Mount Vernon and Fort Washington on the scenic Potomac River. Rather than
fighting inner-city traffic in Baltimore, you anchor just a few steps from
downtown's skyscrapers. You cruise past the Ghost Fleet (mothballed naval
vessels) anchored in Hampton Roads, a sight you can only enjoy by sea, and you
sail through dozens of pretty white-canvased sailboats to anchor off Annapolis,
America's greatest sailing center as well as the home of the United States Naval
Academy.

While this and some other experiences are common to both inland and sea cruises,
their differences extend beyond itineraries.

Since most inland-cruising ships are far smaller than ocean-going megaliners, they
have fewer onboard facilities and services. Though completely modern, cabins
tend to be compact. Entertainment is usually of the piano-bar variety; some ships
have a singer, comedian or lecturer performing in the single lounge. Dining
selections may not be as extensive as on large cruise ships, though they are
generally of high caliber and often reflect the tastes of the region. Spas, swimming

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pools and fitness rooms-common on sea-going ships-are found on only a very few
river cruisers.

But there's also less demand for such facilities among those who take inland
cruises. The overwhelming majority of passengers are retired. They dine earlier,
go to bed earlier, move slower. Many also are veteran travelers. They've been there
and done that by land or by ship; now they're looking for new experiences.

To serve them, since 1995 U.S. operators have put seven new ships into service on
U.S. coasts and rivers, and long-abandoned cruising on the Great Lakes is enjoying
a remarkable renaissance. With 56 voyages on tap, the number of Americans
touring Great Lakes destinations by ship will more than triple this summer.

But inland-sailing Americans aren't just rolling on the rivers at home. Increasing
numbers of them are heading abroad.

In Europe, they cruise to such venerable cities as Rotterdam and Cologne on the
Rhine, Budapest and Vienna on the Danube, Moscow on the Volga. Egypt's Nile
beckons with the majestic ruins of Karnak and the tombs of long-ago pharaohs. In
South America, they motor through rain forests teeming with parrots and monkeys
on the Orinoco and Amazon, and in China dozens of American-laden ships steam
between Chungking and Shanghai on the mighty Yangtze, sailing through one of
the world's most magnificent canyons, the Great Gorges.

While this kind of cruising is growing worldwide, nowhere is it booming more

than in Europe. More than a half dozen new ships inaugurated service on European
rivers last year alone. The largest company, Viking, now operates 28 vessels on the
continent's rivers. Only five weeks ago, Deilmann put a new ship, the Casanova,
into service on Italy's Po River and it's already almost sold out for the season.

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The company has also just announced it will build another new ship and run it on
the Oder, the river that forms the border of Germany and Poland.

``We'll be offering something very different, something no other ship offers-bird-

watching and nature preserves,'' said Deilmann Cruises' Santangelo. With so many
ships running on Europe's rivers, cruise lines are beginning to look for niches to
claim as their own, he said-a little-traveled waterway, perhaps, or a different cruise
focus.

For Americans traveling to Europe to board river cruisers-close to 90,000 last year,
as many as cruised on American waters-that's a welcome trend because it gives
them ever greater choices. Already, river cruising in Europe has expanded from the
dominant Rhine, Main and Danube waterways to numerous less celebrated rivers
like the Elbe, Moselle, Rhone, Seine, Po and Douro. Americans now can explore
almost every European country by water.

``The message is finally getting out that you can visit central Europe without going
on a bus,'' said Santangelo.

That word, however, hasn't yet penetrated to Americans traveling within the United
States, perhaps because the country is so large and so much of it inaccessible by
water.

But American Classic Voyages' McLeod, for one, is confident that America's
awakening interest in this kind of cruising will continue to grow. He's got another
new coastal cruiser coming out this fall, and there are other coasts to explore.

A new age in cruising may be just beginning.

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