What is up with Emerald Cruises?

Travel and Leisure

I belong to a Facebook group that is dedicated to river cruising; it's a fun way to learn about this unique way of travel, and share thoughts and experiences. Recently, there's been a few folks who have indicated that their Emerald cruise had been cancelled, with very short notice (often less than three weeks prior to embarkation). Similarly, there have been a few posts about Scenic cancellations, which is the parent company for Emerald.

So what is happening here? Some think that Emerald is simply cancelling and consolidating undersold cruises; if they are really doing this, they are supposed to be letting booked passengers know they've been cancelled 60 days notice prior to departure. There was also a perfect storm brewing earlier this year when Emerald/Scenic was hacked, causing an IT outage that took out their systems right around the time when travellers were getting ready to book post-pandemic trips, and indeed, filling potential empty rooms. But I think that there's a couple of other factors playing here too. My hypothesis is that when the pandemic hit, cruise staff had to go find other jobs; now that cruising has resumed, they all haven't returned to their pre-pandemic roles, and Emerald/Scenic struggled to fill vacant positions. Additionally, while Covid-19 doesn't pose a life-threatening risk for most of us since we are fully vaccinated, there can still be outbreaks that will take crew members out of service for 5 days or more. These factors seem to have been playing out, as I received this response from another group member, who received the following from Scenic w.r.t. their cruise cancellations:

"The whole team are excited to welcome back our river cruising guests in Europe, with over 40 cruises departing across our Scenic Group fleet (including our Scenic Space-Ships and Emerald Cruises Star-Ships), delivering guests a truly unsurpassed cruising experience on the magnificent waterways of Europe. 

Scenic Group, was required to reschedule a small number of our early season river cruises, due to an unexpected and short-term shortage of crew members, which caused a delay in the release of visa applications.

We apologise to our impacted guests, and have worked to seamlessly adjust guest’s arrangements to alternative river cruises as a priority to ensure minimal impact. Our commitment to delivering an enriching luxury river cruising experience for our guests was at the forefront of our decision making, and our crew are an integral part of this.

We continue to closely monitor these global challenges and continue to be focused on what we love to do, bringing the wonder, luxury and joy to our guest’s cruising experience, as they journey with us in Europe."

But with an Emerald cruise booked for this October, I wanted to try and determine if there was a high likelihood that ours could be cancelled as well. Is it 50%? Or something more like 10%? So with selfish intent, I asked the group who had been cancelled by Emerald, and what route and date they were embarking on the ship. Now I know that this is a totally unscientific evaluation; who knows how many guests are on these cruises that are not members of the FB group? And what percentage of the cancelled group members are actually going to go to the group page, see my post, and comment on it? While the methodology is likely flawed, I had committed to providing an update to the FB group, so let's continue.

(Updated) As of May 16, only five (5) travellers have come forward to indicate that their Emerald cruise was cancelled this season; I don't expect any more. I counted the number of cruises for April and May, and it amounted to around 69 sailings. So that's about a 7% cancellation rate - a far cry from my feared 50%. Statistically however, what has happened does not have a bearing on future cruises, as Emerald (and Scenic) may have resolved their staffing issues now. But if we look at which routes cancelled, that may be more valuable. Three were Danube trips; I thought that since the lower portion of the Danube isn't the most popular, that two of these might have been undersold, but one of the cancelled guests indicated that her sailing was nearly full! This leads me to believe that the Danube ships were/are having staffing problems rather than undersold rooms. The other two were Rhine and the 2-week Amsterdam to Budapest sailings, both in April; since no other cancellations were reported in that region after April, perhaps they sorted out the staff challenges sooner? In the end, we will never know what caused these cancellations, and the data cannot be extrapolated to other routes; e.g. despite the fact that no sailings were reported cancelled on the Douro, that doesn't mean it didn't, and can't happen.

Our Emerald Destiny ship is 80% booked for October!

So have I alleviated any concerns about my cruise being cancelled? No. Without any concrete facts and with the limited data gathered, this endeavour was a bit of a bust. However, with the Emerald booking site back up and running, I was able to mock up a booking on our sailing date, and can see that there are only 11 Panorama Balcony Suites (Cat C, B, and A) left to choose from! With a capacity of 60 available, they're at over 80% occupied in the decent rooms, making it unlikely that they'd cancel our sailing due to being undersold. I know that ships often sail with a lot more empty staterooms than this, so I am starting to feel pretty good about our early fall trip, Covid pandemic and water levels notwithstanding.

But in the end, if you want some peace of mind, it still makes sense to plan for the unexpected, and develop a contingency plan that you can "pivot" to, if necessary.

A new unit of value (for me)

Retirement Life

This one is going to take a bit to explain. There’s a 2002 movie called, “About A Boy” starring Hugh Grant. It’s a cute, feel-good movie about an immature young man named Will (Grant) who learns how to act like a grown-up through his interaction with a little boy. Anyhow, as part of his character development, we learn from Will how he divides his day into blocks of time or “units”, which equal half-hour periods. 

For example, watching a TV show, well that’s one unit. Internet research (flash cut to Will typing into the url field supermodelswithseethroughtops.com): two units. A visit to the local pub: three units. You get the idea. For years, I've been using this in various forms, so I decided to put this concept into play as a way of measuring my purchases through the work I perform.

As you might have gleaned from past posts, I pass some of my spare time by being an Extra in local TV and film production here in Vancouver. We aren’t referred to as Extras really, I think because that implies something trivial, or added as an afterthought, when we really can be integral to the scene, and sometimes play a pivotal role for the actors to put themselves into character. Referred to in the industry as Background (or BG for short), we are placed on set to add realism and a moving environment for the camera. 

Covid-era Background Holding

Most days on set involve a lot of downtime; sitting around in “Background Holding”, where you can read a book, watch some Netflix, chat with friends, or even have a brief nap. Sure, when the Background Wrangler calls you to set, you need to drop everything, and go do your thing, but you’re effectively being paid for doing nothing most of the time. My wife was chatting with our neighbour over the fence one day, and she was telling her how I had been working in Background. She told her, “It’s great for him; he gets fed, meets up with his friends, can read a book, and it fills his day.” Our neighbour exclaimed, “You put him in daycare!” Which is not far from the truth, in reality.

Anyhow, since this retirement hobby isn’t a revenue-generation necessity, I consider the income I receive from Background work as sort of a bonus. And sometimes, it can be substantial; while a minimum day is only $225, a longer day brings in overtime pay, and sometimes double-time, and can total $450 or more! And not long ago on a brief 4-hour shoot, I was “upgraded to actor” (more on that in another post), which tallied up to over $1,100!

But the basic day, after commissions paid to my agent, is about $200, or what I refer to as one “Background Unit”. So for the last few years, when I consider buying something, especially a purchase that might seem extravagant or perhaps a little out of range for my Scottish financial upbringing, it becomes defined by the number of Background Units it would cost. A new pair of Gore-Tex shoes? One Background Unit. Seat selections for our upcoming overseas flights? Two Background Units. New patio dining chairs? Well that was five Background Units. 

Anyhow, I don't think it will be recognised by the IMF, but for the time being, it's my new way of measuring value.

"About a Boy" images courtesy of Universal Pictures.

Book your rental car early

Travel and Leisure

Here’s a recent lesson that I learned the hard way - book your rental car as far in advance as you are able to. See, almost all rental companies allow you for free cancellation right up to the day of your pickup, so there is no reason not to book when you establish your travel plans.

I didn’t do this. I knew where we were going, had found a reputable and inexpensive rental agency, and even checked their pickup and return locations. And then I got to thinking, “Hey, maybe I should book this with a credit card that doesn’t have foreign transaction fees”. So I signed up for a Home Trust VISA, and after a couple of weeks, it showed up. But as I was reading through the insurance benefits, I realized that it did not include the typical rental car coverage that my other VISA card has. Oh well, I might as well bite the bullet on the increased transaction fees, in return for the rental car insurance. 

Imagine my surprise when only a few weeks later, the cost for the same rental had doubled! Yes, the exact same pickup and drop-off locations, same dates and vehicle selection. But using a car to get around Croatia is still going to be the best way, so I continued with the booking. And guess what? I didn’t even need a credit card to secure the rental! So ultimately, I didn’t need to wait, as I could have used any old credit card when we arrived to pick up the car in Dubrovnik. With the no-risk cancellation policy, it should have been a no-brainer to take care of this a month ago!

Ultimately, it is not a big deal in the overall cost of our upcoming vacation, but it still pains me that we’re paying more than we should have. Oh well, 4 days x $50 = $200, or as I like to equate it to, is one day of working in Background. 

Edit; After doing a little more research online, I managed to find a slightly better deal, saving $100. The new rental agency isn’t charging the drop fee for returning at a separate location, and using a discount code I found on the web, trimmed off another few dollars. Still, it would have been another $100+ cheaper if I had booked a month ago!

Flying business class for less

Travel and Leisure

Note: the method outlined below doesn't work with all airlines - best to call and check first. I've done this recently with Air Canada and Lufthansa.

Welcome to Business Class!

My wife calls me cheap - I prefer the term frugal. But yes, I do like to watch my spending; I blame it on my Scottish side. I once told her that when I was younger, I would never buy fresh-squeezed orange juice, as it was so much more expensive than frozen concentrated OJ. On a trip to the grocery store a number of years ago, I was hesitating as I reached the juice section, and she scorned me with, "we can afford orange juice!"

But that said, I'm not a business class kind-of-guy. I mean, I don't drink champagne regularly, and have not yet acquired a taste for caviar. Yet there are some tangible benefits that accompany flying in the comfy seats, but it usually comes with a prohibitive cost. Sure, when I was working, I managed to benefit from either the accumulation of frequent flyer points to use for upgrades, or sometimes, I'd just get bumped up by the gate agent. But now that I'm retired, getting into business class seems to be more expensive than I remember, and my frugal nature prohibits me from pulling the trigger on a $5,600¹ return ticket to Europe. But there is a way to get nearer to the front of the aircraft without breaking the bank; I'll outline how I like to do this by buying the upgrade à la carte, and why it makes sense for us.

For most of us on the West Coast, getting to Europe is a 10+ hour affair, and then depending on the final destination, it might require another inter-country flight after transiting a hub (we try to limit to one stop). What we've found on our previous European trips, is that the eastbound flight over the Atlantic is the toughest one. Leaving at dinner time, we usually struggle to get to sleep after supper, and manage to get only a couple hours of fitful sleep, and end up arriving in less than top shape.

Business Class lie-flat seat

With the advent of lay-flat seats in business class, experienced travellers can actually get in a decent amount of sleep on the trans-Atlantic flight, and land in Europe relatively refreshed. Being in business class for the short, inter-country flight that follows isn't much benefit, as you're not going to go back to sleep for an hour, and you certainly don't benefit from alcohol service at 9 am! Going back home is a little different, as the long haul flight occurs during the waking hours for your timezone-adjusted body, and as such, we don't find the need to sleep on the westbound segment. While I'd still like to fly in the cushy seats going back, it's less of a priority, as we'll be back home in our own bed, re-adjusting to the Pacific timezone. And you don't have the same need to be fresh on arrival like you do when you touch down in Europe in the morning.

Business Class on the eastbound long haul segment

So this is the new way we like to fly to Europe, for the time being. I'll try to upgrade the eastbound, long-haul flight to business class, and don't bother with any changes to the regional hops. For the westbound overseas flight, I will either try to get into Premium Economy, or at least pay for seat selection that gives us more legroom. What I do, is book and pay for a normal set of economy seats, paying attention to the type of aircraft used by the airline on that route. e.g. pick a small regional-style jet, and the business class seats may not be lie-flat. I may even "mock up" a flight on the carrier's website in business class, and make sure there's ample availability by previewing the seat map. Once you've received your confirmation and booking reference code, you can go into the airline's website, and pull up your flight reservation. Somewhere on the page, you'll see options for seat selection and a button for upgrading each flight segment of your itinerary. In my case, the eastbound, long-haul flight could be upgraded to Business Class for $1,080 - which is a relatively good deal. By upgrading à la carte, you are avoiding the full-upgrade cost on all your segments; in this case, business class would have been $4,108 more than economy, or $2,054 each way. I look at it as getting 50% off, with business class travel for 90% of my outbound flight time! I've even done this on a non-stop YVR-ZRH flight (i.e. no regional hop after) and also ended up paying far less than half of the calculated one-way difference. Update: the upgrade may not be available immediately after booking or with certain airlines. On an upcoming Air France flight, I am able to see that plenty of business class seats are available, but an option to book and pay for one does not exist - yet. After calling in, I discovered that the option to purchase is somewhat demand based; i.e. they want to sell the business class package, before offering to others to upgrade. This means I have to keep checking the site to see if seats become available for à la carte purchase. 2nd update: an option to pay for an upgrade on Air France/KLM never came up, even at check-in!

Upgrading to Business Class gives you premium lounge access

Ok, so what's the catch here, you're probably thinking? Well there are a few gotchas, because the airline conditions still exist as originally booked; e.g. the fare privileges of point accumulation, change fees and cancellation policy apply as they were on the economy ticket. You're effectively only getting the "flight experience" upgrade, and nothing else; e.g. there are still extra fees for checked baggage. But you get priority check-in and boarding, which has some intangible benefits. Oh and lounge access, which is also a nice-to-have, especially as a treat on the outbound segment. I've even used it on arrival in Frankfurt, which is great if you want to have a hot shower to wake yourself up after the long trans-Atlantic flight. All of these things add up to the reasons why we think it makes sense to upgrade the eastbound flight to business class.

What about Premium Economy?

While not as deluxe as business class, the premium economy section also has some benefits, like a more spacious and comfortable seat with extended legroom. Take for example, the new Lufthansa 2nd generation premium economy seats shown here (coming soon, I've been told). These look like what business class seats used to be - a wider, more cushy version, with extended pitch. Using the same math, I booked into premium economy for $370 for the westbound long haul segment, versus the difference on that upgrade would have been $1,015 for the full, round-trip booking, so less value, discount percentage-wise. I would probably have been ok back in Coach for the 11-hour overseas flight, but I'm sure I'd have heard, "we can afford orange juice".

Making the most of your European vacation

Travel and Leisure

When we first started going to Europe, we did virtually no planning at all. We'd have our plane tickets, passports, and hotel rooms booked, but that would be about it. We've gotten lucky for the most part, as we've received good advice from friends, colleagues, and hoteliers. Like the time we were in Rome, and the owner of the B&B gave us advice on where to get tickets for the Forum & Colosseum without having to wait in line for hours. But there were also many frustrations, like trying to navigate our way to our hotel in Toledo, without a map, GPS or internet connectivity to guide us. Of course, if you're going to do a guided tour or maybe a river cruise, you don't have to worry so much about all the little details, but there should still be some pre-trip organisation on your part. So as we start planning again for the return to travel, I thought I'd jot down some of my travel planning methodology and organisation that I was using pre-pandemic for a trip to France (that we ended up cancelling). In our experience, a little bit of preparedness can make the trip that much more fulfilling; it's also kind of fun to help get into the excitement of a new trip.

With the proliferation of social media, Tripadvisor and other travel sites, you can do a ton of research, long before you head across the Atlantic, all from the comfort of your own home. I like to start with my friends who have visited the country or places that are on the itinerary. Best yet, is if you have someone who lives there; the best travel memories I have, were from trips when I was able to experience the places like a local. Usually, the basic information you want to get early on are things like, "How many days would you stay in Paris?" or, "Would you choose Strasbourg or Colmar as your base for three days?". These are the basics that help you plan your days and time at each destination. Of course, everyone has their own ideas on how best to spend their time, but after a while, you'll be able to interpret answers and adjust accordingly.

Google and Google Maps

I know this seems obvious, but you'd be surprised how much information you can find on your own that will help you build your itinerary. For example, we don't like to spend a long time on inter-city travel. So rather than trying to do France in it's entirety, I Googled the TGV rail network and route durations to come up with a rough circular itinerary where each leg was 2.5 hrs or less. With 14 nights available to us and since we were flying in and out of CDG, we chose Paris, Reims, Alsace and Burgundy for general territories. Next, using same Google technique, I zeroed in on which towns and areas to visit and stay in. Then once we had established a basic outline, I started searching for attractions in the nearby area. Would these be accessible by train/transit, or would a car be necessary for getting to Bourges Cathedral? Using Google Maps, it was pretty easy to figure out when it made the most sense to hire a car, vs. taking the TGV. Which brings me to...

Getting Around

Once you arrive, it's nice to have an idea of how you're going to get to your hotel or next destination. Is the Metro/Underground going to get you where you need to go? (Tip: when using the underground in a new place, use Google Street View to have a virtual "look around" ahead of time, so that you can easily get your bearings when you come out of the station entrance). Or are you in a party of 4, where a taxi/Uber is going to be easier and more cost-effective? Bear in mind that using Uber or Lyft will require data services or Wi-Fi for your phone; we have found that most places have some sort of free Wi-Fi from a nearby restaurant or hotel. Something to look into prior to arrival, is a city pass; some large cities offer a combined pass for all-you-can-ride bus service, discounts or admission to major sites/attractions, and sometimes even city-wide Wi-Fi! Usually available in various multi-day options, these can be great, if planned for and used wisely. For example, the Firenzcard (Florence) can be useful if you are staying out of the core, and plan on visiting a lot of museums, as it will pay for itself in entrance fees (and allow you to skip lineups); free transit will just be a bonus. We didn't buy it however, as we stayed right in the town centre, and could walk everywhere.

Obviously, you can hire a car anywhere in Europe, but do you really need one? We avoid it wherever possible, as parking is usually constrained in the heart of the city, and navigating in a foreign country is not always easy. However, there are times when it really is the best way to get around, or perhaps you are in a party of four, and it works better than other transit options. We try to wait until we are well out of the major city centre before picking up our car, or better yet, take the train to our final area before renting. Make sure you either get a European SIM card for your smartphone to assist you with Google Map navigation, or you can use the maps.me app, as I find that it does a better job of route calculation in offline mode.

In the city centres, sometimes the overly touristy "hop-on, hop off" bus can be very convenient. They typically stop at all of the major attractions, and run from morning till night. With a flat fee for the day, this can be a great way to see a lot of the things that are on the periphery, without spending a lot of time walking, or taking individual buses or taxis. While the underground (or "Metro" as it is often called) is typically very efficient, it doesn't help you orient yourself in the bustling city centre, as you can't see major landmarks whizz by. On my first trip to London, we were stymied getting our bearings, as we had spent the first few days using the Tube; had we taken the Big Bus Tour on our first day, it would have really helped us for the rest of our stay.

We haven't tried it yet, but can't wait for the day that we get to a city that offers e-scooter sharing systems. Rather than tire yourselves out by walking up and down the hilly neighbourhoods of Lisbon, why not use an e-scooter? Available almost everywhere, e-scooters can be rented for around €10 per hour, and offer a fantastic way to scoot (see what I did there?) around the city. Again, since your smartphone will be required to download the app, find an e-scooter and hire it, you may need a local data plan or WiFi. 

Rick Steves

I didn't used to be a guidebook type-of-guy, until we discovered Rick Steves. We have primarily been using Rick for basic, "how many days do we need in Porto?" kind of research questions, but loved his free Audio Europe walking tours. His content seems to be targeted at budget to mid-range, American travellers, that may or may not have struck out on their own to Europe. A lot can be gained by watching the free, overview programmes on your desired destination (on his website or his YouTube channel), and more off the destination specific page on his site. Do you really need the guidebooks? I would say not, as you can get 75% of what you need from his free stuff, and fill in the rest with Tripadvisor and Yelp (e.g. hotel and restaurant recommendations). I ended up doing an ask on Facebook as to anyone that might have some France books, and got a pocket guide from someone. I picked up the full guides for Paris and France on eBay; while not current issues, most of the info is still pretty solid. Regardless, they make for great reading material to get you excited for your upcoming trip!

Day-by-day planning

This is normally something that we didn't used to do, and we'd make up our day-touring activities on the fly. Until that last day in Rome, where we didn't think to look into the Metro rotating strikes, and couldn't get to Ostia Antica. The things to look out for, are regional bank holidays, Sundays, and attraction closures. You don't want to be planning around being at Versailles on a Monday, or you're going to be extremely disappointed when you arrive. What activities can you group together on a single day? For example, although the Roman Colosseum and Forum ticket is a two-day entry, you can really do both in one day if you plan appropriately. What about those quiet Sundays? Some attractions or historical sites might be open, as well as cathedrals. It's also a good day for outdoor exploration, like a picnic in Florence's Boboli Gardens, or the Szimpla farmer's market in Budapest, which we stumbled upon by pure chance! And don't forget about the weather... what activities can you substitute if sky opens up and your Pitti Palace garden walk is ruined? You don't have to plan your days down to the minute, but by building a rough draft of your days in each city, you can avoid disappointment.

Where to eat?

As one who likes to get a good meal that reflects the local cuisine, I often go onto Tripadvisor or Yelp the night before to at least get an idea of what our food options will be where we will be touring. The usual spots that are in the tourist zones, or right on the pedestrian streets, are typically not very good, as they cater to those who make a last minute choice to sit down for lunch. But if you walk only a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the high street, you can find better food, and usually at a lower price. I like to create a trip within Tripadvisor, and then can tag a restaurant (or hotels & attractions) to it. If you input the dates of your trip, you can even put your saved items right into a day on your schedule. Thanks Kimberly for reminding me of this tip.

Using your mobile device

I wrote a more extensive piece on using your phone in Europe, but it's not just a great picture-taking and navigation device. Obviously the aforementioned Google and Tripadvisor are great tools, but it is also nice to have your details handy, without having to carry around printed copies of your plans etc. I started using Tripit back when I was travelling a lot for work, and it allows you to create an itinerary simply by emailing your docs to plans@tripit.com. It works pretty well, and usually can automatically add the details into the app; for other specific info, you can add it in later (e.g. seat assignments, etc.). Other key apps that help organise me include Airbnb, and SeatGuru, but these can be used from a tablet or web browser, and aren't necessarily required to be on my smartphone. Other things that come in handy, are photos of your important ID documents, e.g. driver's licence and passport (and proof of vaccine); we like to leave our passports in the room safe while we are out and about.

Upgrading your travel kit

I also wrote about this recently. Another pre-trip planning thing for me/us, is to take inventory of the things that we will need for our next trip, and maybe make some changes. With a late summer/early fall trip upcoming, I started to think about some things that might be better suited to the weather at that time of the year. One thing that working as an Extra in the TV & Film industry has taught me, is that you can find great deals on used clothing and accessories using Facebook Marketplace. Maybe I need to get better footwear, and perhaps a more versatile jacket? Or since we're probably going to go to Croatia first, the 4-wheel spinners that we normally take for luggage might not be cobblestone-appropriate? Pre-planning ahead gives you plenty of time to keep any eye out for deals on lightly used, pre-owned kit. Or is there some travel essential that you missed last time, that you should really add to this trip? I also wrote about that. With some time to spare before departure, you have a good window of opportunity to get items that you want off eBay and shipped in time. 

It was Louis Pasteur that once said, "Chance favours the prepared mind".

Comparing balconies on river cruises

Travel and Leisure

Here's a recent topic of discussion on the river cruising FB group that I belong to. "Which stateroom should I pick?", or more accurately, "Who has the best balcony?". And to be clear, I'm not referring to the rooms at the bottom of the ship; I'd not recommend anyone travel down there unless that is all their budget will permit. What I mean by a balcony room, are usually the ones that are on the middle and top level of the ship, that are effectively one notch up from the basement.

Promotional shot courtesy Emerald Waterways

First of all, I just wanted to throw it out there, that most river cruise ships don't have what most would think of for a hotel room balcony; i.e. a separate outdoor space that you can step out onto, and close the glass door behind you. Given the size limitations, river cruise ships can't offer the same type of true balconies that ocean cruisers might be used to, with a landing that sticks out from the side of the ship. There are a few operators that have an outdoor space that some folks would consider to be a balcony (more of a veranda by definition); e.g. Ama (see below), or the Viking Veranda suite. Most operators will try to lure you from the bottom rooms of the ship that only have small portholes or windows (that do not open) with exciting names like "French Balcony Stateroom" or "Panorama Balcony Suite". All of these essentially offer floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall scenery viewing and access to fresh air, but there are subtle differences, and indeed varying costs associated with each. What we call these rooms is irrelevant however, as long as you know what you are getting - i.e. you're not walking out onto an outdoor space with anyone's French Balcony.

Rhine photos from the top deck

But before I outline some of the key differences we've seen, I thought it merited a description of what you end up doing in your room, and why that may affect your choice of stateroom. It may not be obvious, but when you are on a river cruise, you don't end up spending that much time in your room during daylight hours. As I documented in my last post, a typical day will have you out-and-about after breakfast, and the only real time you spend in your room is late afternoon, after you've returned from touring, and are freshening up before dinner. On a nice day, you'll more likely to be up on the top deck, enjoying a cocktail, or perhaps up in the front lounge, conversing with newly made friends. Most cruising occurs at night, and pre-conceived visions of lounging in bed watching the scenery go by are rare. And on the day that you do sail the castle-lined Middle Rhine Valley, or picturesque Wachau Valley, you'll want to be up on the top deck, not down in your room.

Ships un-rafting from one another

Another key factor that most newbies don't consider, is where and how river cruise ships dock in port. Ocean cruisers may be used to anchoring well away from the town centre, and so every outside room still has a view or a glimpse of water somehow. Of course, all river cruise rooms are "outside" by design, but often times, your room will literally be within arm's reach of the river wall. If you're on a higher deck you might be staring at folks walking by on the promenade in Budapest, while you are enjoying your morning coffee in your PJs. Other times, you could wake up "rafted" next to another ship, and your expensive balcony now has a splendid view into another traveller's room, or even better, the ship's restaurant.

Rare daytime cruising (window closed)
in the Monarch Queen French balcony

The last point I'll bring up about balconies, relates to the classic promo video of the good-looking, 50-something couple, sharing a warm embrace, while leaning on the railing and taking in the view, with the breeze gently blowing her hair back. Unless you're sailing in the heat of the summer, that scene is mostly fiction; when you are at sail, even on a nice spring or early fall day, the motion-created airflow can make for very chilly conditions. On the rare occasions when we have been in our room while sailing, we've always had to close the sliding glass door to stop the wind from buffeting us. Ok, so let's get to some balconies.

This is the classic "French balcony"; not really a balcony at all, but a sliding glass door that has a railing for both your security and something to lean on. This is one is from a Viking Longship, and what I don't like, is that there is no sitting area for you to enjoy a drink or whatever. At only 135 sq. ft., it's also one of the smallest rooms in this category I've seen. Note how this is two panes of glass, so opening fully only gives you 50% of the available width; when standing at the railing, there will barely be enough room for two people to stand side-by-side.

We like the above type of arrangement as our minimum level stateroom; floor-to-ceiling sliding windows, with a couple of chairs and a cocktail table in-between to rest your iPad, beer or whatever. These rooms typically are more like 170 sq. ft., allowing for the extra room between the bed and the windows. I couldn’t find a good photo of our setup on Gate 1, so I grabbed the photo above of the MS Fortuna, operated by Dutch Barge river cruises.

Here's where things start to get interesting; the above Viking Veranda Stateroom has both an inside sitting area AND and outside veranda. At 205 sq. ft., this is a pretty large room (for river cruising), but bear in mind that you are sacrificing that outside space 100% of the time. i.e. how much time will you really spend out there? Note also that this longship only has one chair inside, but does include a stool, either for a place to rest your drink, or for your partner to sit on (but not both).

Here's another concept, with twin sitting areas, featured above on an Ama river cruise ship. Rather than sacrifice the entire outside space, they've split a small sitting area for both inside and out. Again, you need a decent-sized room to pull this off, and I believe Ama runs about 210 sq. ft. I've never seen one of these in person, but it may appeal to some looking for that outside experience.

This is also a relatively recent innovation, with Emerald's Panorama Suite (and other operators like big sister Scenic); not really a suite, but with their window split horizontally, the top portion slides down into the bottom part to create a railing that runs the full width of the room. You can kind of make out that they've used flooring near the window to create the illusion that you are on an outside deck. It's a really clever design, and you can find more by searching for videos on it. The one drawback that we found with this type of balcony window is that when you are sitting upright in the deck chairs, the railing is right at eye level; I found that I had to slouch down a bit to take in the scenery while seated. Scenic has the same style of window, but they also have a divider/sliding door to your room, so you can create a more outdoor feel, if desired.

My last example is Avalon's Panorama Suite (again, not a real suite), with a 3-panel slider; this gives more space to the outside when fully opened. These are over 200 sq. ft., and with no footage sacrificed to outdoor space, these are some of the largest rooms in this category. Most folks love the orientation of the bed, allowing for guests to lie down while watching the scenery go by, but as I've commented, this likely won't be a common occurrence. I do however, like the love seat and chair conversation area, and that would be where I would spend most of my waking time while in this room. Note that from videos I've seen, it appears that the loveseat faces backwards; e.g. you'll be looking at where you were rather than forward if sitting there.

I think the time of year you will be cruising and what you want to get out of your in-room experience will ultimately sway your preference. e.g. on a Christmas Markets cruise, you'd probably not opt for a larger outside space. Our choices however, have usually been guided by the best price we could find; i.e. when we found a Danube trip on Gate 1 that was offered for a great price, all we cared about was that we did have the floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors. Sure, we'd love to try Avalon's Panorama Suite, but when we saw a 50% off sale for Emerald, we jumped on that offer!

Read more: 4-part series on River Cruising

A day on a European river cruise (with hints and tips)

Travel and Leisure

Most folks that I talk to don't know what river cruising is like. They might have a familiarity with ocean cruising, but that doesn't even come close to the experience on Europe's waterways. We've been on four river cruises (Uniworld, Vantage, Gate 1, and Emerald) and feel comfortable saying that for the most part, they operate the same on a day-to-day basis. So to help you with some questions that you newbies might have, I'll detail what a typical day is like for you, and some hints and tips we've learned along the way. Disclaimer: of course there will be differences here and there; e.g. in Vienna, the ship docks a short coach ride from the centre of the city, or you might elect to take the optional trip to Salzburg instead of staying in Linz. And on the Douro, since you only cruise during the day, that experience is not at all like the rest of European river cruising; some have reported that the places the ship docks for the evening have very little to offer. The day I'll outline below is what you'll experience for 70+% of your days on the ship, when you've docked in a somewhat larger city.

Morning & Breakfast

European-style breakfast in Brussels

Good morning and welcome to your new port-of-call! Hopefully, you've managed to get some rest overnight, as you have a big day ahead. For most, this will mean starting with a leisurely buffet breakfast in the main dining room around 8 am or so; full American-style breakfast options will be available, as well as all sorts of pastries, various cheeses and cold cuts, cereals and fruit. There will be an "early-riser" continental breakfast available in the ship's lounge around 6 am for those that are super eager to get moving. We've never gone into town that early, but the access to something to eat has come in handy when we've had trouble coping with the timezone change (she sends me down the hall for a banana and tea). A tip for those that get hungry easily, is to grab a muffin or an extra piece of fruit from the buffet for a mid-morning boost of energy; I like to make a mini bun-wich from some meats, cheese and a freshly baked roll. We bring along assorted ziplock bags so that your snack doesn't end up smushed all over your stuff in your day bag.

Included walking tour

The ship will usually moor a stone's
throw away from the Old Town

After breakfast, there's enough time to get yourself sorted out for the day; pack your napsack with water, camera, and other essentials, grab your audio device (usually in a charging cradle on the desk or in the closet) and tour lanyard. As you leave the ship, you'll be given a numbered passcard; this is to be handed back in each time you return to the ship, so they can account for your presence. Some operators are using scanners to swipe your badge instead. Onshore, you'll meet the group you've been assigned to and a local tour guide will take you on an hour or so's walk through town. At some point you would have been given the option to participate in the "slow walkers" group, if you were so inclined. This tour group would take the same route, but just at a much more leisurely pace than the rest. Typically, these tours start at the ship around 9:30-10 am, and end before lunch in the middle of town. The guide walks through town, describing the sights with historical context; because you have your audio device, you can hear the guide, but don't necessarily need to be beside them. 

Touring in Regensberg

With a transmitter range of about 30 metres, if you spot a good scene or photo opportunity, you can easily pause to grab your shot, then rejoin the group. You will be given the option to follow the tour guide back to the ship, or you can stay and continue exploring. Most folks tend to wander off on their own; if you're in a larger centre, this is a great time to pull out your Rick Steves free audio tour to get more in-depth insight. Tip: it's pretty safe anywhere your cruise will go to, but take off your nametag lanyard after you've left your tour group; you're still likely to look like a tourist, but perhaps you'll appear less like a target for the unscrupulous.

Lunch

Cheap wiener schnitzel

Since most of the time the ship is docked so close to the old town areas, it makes economic sense to go back to the ship for your mid-day meal. It's also an opportunity for you to change out your wardrobe - e.g. maybe the mid-day sun has burned off the morning mist, and now it's time to shed your jacket and put on some shorts? For lunch onboard, some operators serve a 3-course affair, whereas others offer it buffet-style; some like Emerald offered both. Sometimes there will be the same menu items available in the rear lounge, presented in self-serve chafing dishes, for an easier and quicker lunch option. Of course, you can find a local meal in town, and I would recommend this in places like Vienna or Strasbourg, where the ship is not close by. Tip: when seeking out a meal in town, take a few minutes to walk away from the main pedestrian strasse (also noted as "straße"... the ß replaces ss on some signs etc.); you will find better food at a lower price when you are a block or two from the tourist zone. 

Afternoon

This is where you have a blank slate for most itineraries. Some "Deluxe" operators will have another included excursion planned for you, but for others, you've got the entire afternoon to do as you please. Hopefully, you've figured out what you plan on doing the day before (more on that later). We try to hit the other recommended attractions and must-sees, before strolling the High Street and heading back to the ship. I like to buy a couple of local beers along the way (at a fraction of the price of a beer onboard), and enjoy them on the deck or in our room (if the view is not blocked by another ship). When you re-board the ship, don't forget to hand in your passcards/swipe your badge!

Belgium is for beer!

Likely, you've met some other travellers, and you'll end up swapping stories on what you saw and found on your day's excursion. If you're feeling peckish, there will likely be a snack available either in the lounge or at the back of the ship. We usually end up with an hour or two back on the ship relaxing, and then have some time to freshen up before heading to the cocktail lounge. FYI, drinks in the lounge will carry a charge, unless you are on a Deluxe, truly all-inclusive cruise. You can also use this time for pre-planning the next day's free time - Tripadvisor and other travel sites are good resources for this. An important thing to consider: will you need to download an app or some data to help you navigate or make better use of your time tomorrow? Now is the time to do this, before the ship starts moving, and you lose Wi-Fi. e.g. for larger cities, we like to use Google's offline map feature, and download the data while the ship's connectivity is at its best. More on using your smartphone here.

Port Talk & Dinner

Cruise Director port talk

Each evening, around 6:30 pm, the Cruise Director will give a port briefing for tomorrow's destination. They will outline the day's itinerary, and timing for specific and important events, like when the ship will depart. Optional tours will be described as well, giving those who would like to participate a chance to sign up last minute. On your embarkation day, the welcome reception often includes free cocktails, as well as on the Captain's Dinner evening. Sometimes they hand out maps of the town for tomorrow; if you don't get one, don't worry, as they will have copies at the concierge desk in the morning. There will be a brief Q&A, where things like regional tipping and local attractions are discussed. At the end, the Cruise Director will signal that is time to head to the dining room for a full 4 or 5-course meal. Wine and beer flows freely during dinner; I appreciate a nice bottle of wine, and usually the wine selection is fine for my palate. Tip for those frugal travellers like me: get the serving staff to top-up your wine glass before leaving the dining room and heading to the cocktail lounge. In our case, she doesn't drink, but I get them to fill "her" glass as well.

Evening

Evening stroll around Köln

Occasionally, the ship will stay docked overnight or will depart late, and you will have time again after dinner to explore the town, or grab a pint with the locals in a nearby pub. Some of the best photos from our trips are the ones at night, where the buildings are lit up from below. Photographer's tip: you can use your iPhone to capture some of these images, but try to rest it on a stable surface to avoid blur, and make sure you turn off the flash. If you have a newer iPhone, you should familiarize yourself with the new Night Mode feature that will greatly enhance your low light shots. More often however, you'll start sailing in the evening, sometimes during dinner, so pay attention to when that will be in the port talk. You don't want to be the couple that decided to have a local meal in town, only to arrive back at the dock with no ship to board! Back in the lounge, there will be some sort of local entertainment (don't expect ocean liner-style), or in some cases, a game night run by the Activity Host. We've had quite a bit of fun on these nights, and won some minor prizes for our efforts!

Book bikes ahead of time

Activities usually wind down in the lounge by 9 or 9:30 pm, and most folks head back to their staterooms for some much needed rest. But before your head hits the pillow, if you haven't done so already, we recommend taking some time to review where you will be, and using Google and sites like Tripadvisor, plan out your free time for the next day (see note earlier about downloading - once the ship is in motion, typically Wi-Fi is out). We spent hours in the Speyer Technik Museum, but would never have heard of it if we didn't do some research. Did you want to use the bicycles for touring later tomorrow afternoon? You might need to book those the day/evening before. Or if so equipped, maybe you want to reserve some time in the spa for a massage after tomorrow's 10,000+ steps in town?

That's your day on a river cruise... good night!

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