Should we take a river cruise?
 

My fiance and I have planned a honeymoon for end of June and beginning of July 2016. The plan is for Switzerland (Lucerne & Wengen & surrounding area) and Italy (Amalfi coast)

I have heard of river cruising because of Viking commercials. It has always intrigued me, however I am not sure if we should add a cruise to our honeymoon or not? We would be able to add the time if this sounded like a good idea.

My fiance and I are in our early 30s. Would we be considered the youngest on these river cruises?
We love to travel and thought a river cruise would be a great way to relax and see more of Europe. We do not need a lot of night life in the evenings, however we do enjoy sitting at the bar drinking wine. We would like the vessel to have a pool/hot tub, a place to get a massage, and maybe some kind of entertainment.

I researched A-Rosa river cruises....does anyone have any opinion or input on this company? Any others that I should look into? Or should I wait to take a river cruise until we are a little older? I know that sounds terrible, but would love honest answers.

Thank you!

River cruises tend to get an older crowd than the ocean cruises, but on all of them we have gone on, there were always some 30 somethings aboard. That said, you may find the included excursions somewhat slow paced; in distinction from ocean cruises that do not include tours, you are unlikely to find independent tour patrons on cruise critic who can join you.

If you choose a river cruise, consider AMA cruises as they have good evening entertainment, good bartenders, and bicycles which you can use for independent touring in nearly every port.

BTW, Amalfi will be jammed in your time period and this will be made worse by the arrival in port of one or two cruise ships daily. You may wish to rethink that as peaceful honeymoon destination.

Thank you so much for your input Jeff. Maybe we will still do some research on the river cruises and I will look into AMA.
Is it required to do the tours with the cruise line? Or could we venture off and discover the area on our own knowing there is a time we need to be back on board?

Thanks for the advice on Amalfi. Any ideas you have of other places to look into for a honeymoon?

You might check the water levels as sometimes the water is so low that the trip becomes a bus excursion.

And be forewarned that folks have complained that have a balcony because river cruises DO raft up together in ports which means you are looking at another boat and not the view.

Check out to see info at cruisecritic.com

Honeymoon cruises are the perfect choice to relax after hectic wedding planning but the average river cruiser are in their 50s, 60s, or 70s. So, I think you should drop this plan.

It is not required to take the tours with the ship, but they are included in the cost and there will be no credit for the tours you choose not to take.

At that time of year, it is still cool in Northern Europe, despite the long days. Because of that, it tends to be far less crowded than the south. You should be able to get good deals in Denmark, Sweden or Norway. Plan an open jaw return flight from any of those locations and consider taking a local ferry from Stockholm or Oslo to Copenhagen.

Cruises are pretty regimented. You eat all of your meals on the ship, you have very limited time off the ship to sightsee on your own, etc. For me that would not be a good formula for a honeymoon.

I think you might be happier choosing a few locations and spending four or five days in each place. That gives you time to explore, to find your own favorite places for coffee in the morning, for pastries, a charming little place for lunch, etc. Sitting at a bar (or in a cafe) drinking wine is so much more interesting in a city or town than on a cruise ship.

We are an older couple, and tried a smaller cruise ship on sea. Honestly, we'll do our best to avoid them in the future as we felt the choices in restaurants and entertainment (including music in the bars) were too limited.

This means, we won't be going on a river cruise.

Thank you all so much! I am thinking maybe we will skip the river cruise for now and concentrate more on certain areas and the freedom to roam and enjoy places on our own.

Thank you all!!! Any other advice for places to see...feel free to give your opinion!

I just want to wish you all the best for your honeymoon.I hope you both have a great time together.

Not everyone on River Cruise ships is old, don't be put off thinking you will be the youngest. It is "YOUR" honeymooon and a River Cruise would be just right in my opinion