Heading off on my first river cruise

Very soon myself and 3 of my colleagues are lucky to be embarking on the MPS Rotterdam for a river cruise along the Dutch and Belgian Waterways. For me this will be my first river cruise and have to say I am a little excited, anxious and intrigued all rolled into one.  I am much more used to Ocean Cruising and mainly on the larger ships such as the Independence of the Seas, Ventura and the Celebrity Constellation etc.

So i have been looking into the main differences between an Ocean Cruise and a River cruise, so I know what to expect, and here a few of the main differences.

1) Size – Most river cruise ships hold between 50-150 guests – which means you get to know your fellow travellers and  no lengthy queues to get on and off the ship. Whereas on a Ocean Cruise the ships hold up to 6000 passengers and can mean a long wait to get off the ship especially if its a tender port, you may also see somebody once on an Ocean cruise and then never see them again due to the size of the ship and the number of passengers.  Being on a river cruise means the crew have the time and the chance to get you as a guest.

2) Destinations and Ports – on a river cruise as they are much smaller and able to sail along the rivers you get to see more towns and villages that are to far away to by an Ocean Cruise. The river cruise boats dock within the town so its easy to disembark and walk off. On an ocean cruise some ports are over an hour away by coach, and other ports are accessible via a shuttle bus organised by the cruise line and majority of them charge for these

3) Entertainment – these could be where I might struggle – i am used to Broadway style shows, having a flutter in the casino, taking part in a quiz or playing the odd game of bingo and dancing the night away. On a river cruise the entertainment could be a singer/band or a destination lecturer.  There are also no shops on board so no flash sales to spend my money on (which I think my partner will be very happy about)

4) Everchanging scenery – on a river cruise even after you have set sail you will be still surrounded by land and the view will be forever changing – from different towns/villages, castles, mountains etc. Whereas on a Ocean cruise not long after you have departed the port, you will then be faced with an open water of sea and nothing else.  A River cruise also has no waves which means no sea sickness (i am a very good traveller so the motion of the ocean has no effect on me – but I know for others it can ruin a holiday)

5)On a river cruise there is no need to leave your luggage out overnight for it to be collected, you can keep this with you until departure. Whereas on a cruise ship unless you self disembark and take your own luggage, then you are expected to have left your cases outside your cabin by midnight the night before.

I will let you know how i got on with my river cruise in a couple of weeks. If you know of any big differences i need to be aware of then please let me know as I would love to hear them.