6 reasons to take a river cruise

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River cruising is one of the fastest growing trends in travel, but what makes it so popular? Here are 6 reasons to take a river cruise.

Background: I have river cruise envy

Ever since my sister Catherine did an AmaWaterways river cruise with her family I’ve been seething with jealousy. Why can’t I do a river cruise? I like slow travel. I like ships. I like floating down rivers looking at castles. River cruising is tailor made for my style of travel, and I’m putting it high on my ‘to do’ list.

After pestering my sister with questions about the cruise here’s what she said:

Our ship had wonderful staff, university quality lectures and great food including decadent plates of pastries laid out daily. We had first-rate tours of major sites as well as visits to unexpected destinations. Cocktail parties onboard, so the guests could mingle, were appreciated and enjoyable. The entertainment of singers, dancers, and a pianist added to the spirit of the trip.

As river cruising is such a hot travel trend right now, I decided to look more closely into this elegant way of travel and came up with 6 reasons to take a river cruise.

Cruising the Douro River on the AmaVida

Wandering Carol’s 6 reasons to take a river cruise

#1: You should go on a river cruise because of the history of the world

Hear me out. Once upon a time people settled new lands, and because they needed fresh water and transportation routes they settled on riverbanks. Therefore, river cruising goes where all the exciting history is. In fact, you’ll be floating through the footsteps of time (if you can float through footsteps) and into the heart of historic cities.

#2 River cruising is like window shopping

Think of the world as a great big store. You can sit on the deck or look out the panoramic windows and pick out things for your wish list: Castles, of course, come to mind, but you could add other things such as swans, ducks and temples of gold.

Try a wine cruise on the Danube on the AmaBella

#3 River cruising will up your cultural cool

How fun would a themed cruise be? When it comes to AmaWaterways I’d be torn between a Wine Cruise on the Danube and an Art Cruise of Paris & Normandy, but I think the art cruise would win (because I could still drink fine wine – and in unlimited amounts).

#4 You won’t lose things on a river cruise

Every time I leave a hotel I forget something. I’m still upset about the paisley robe I left in the Catskills. A cruise ship is like a floating hotel so you only unpack once and your wardrobe never gets left behind, not even that horrible shirt you wish you’d lose.

#5 Intimacy

Yes, yes, river cruises are romantic and a big draw for couples, but when I say intimacy I’m talking about the size of the ships. The largest ship in AmaWaterways’ European fleet has a max capacity of 164 passengers, so you’ll never get lost in the crowd. Or on the ship.

See Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar, on a cruise

#6 Location, location, location

As the popularity of river cruising grows so do the itineraries. My top pick for an exotic destination would be Myanmar, but AmaWaterways also offers cruises in Europe, Africa, Vietnam and Cambodia. So start dreaming now – and put a river cruise on your ‘to do’ list today.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by AmaWaterways, pioneers of luxury river cruising. Visit their website for more info.

Read more: about luxury travel and what it means.