We are a 40-something U.S. couple who has traveled a fair amount, always independently. In the U.S. and occasionally in Europe, we have also stayed a up to a week at a time at resorts that are mostly inclusive, typically 2 meals a day and sports activities. These are not isolated places where you stay at the resort all day , but are near areas with museums, shopping, or natural attractions. We are big city people in our everyday life and like to vacation in cities as well. We are happier traveling with people slightly older than we are rather than younger, but we would be uncomfortable with a group
that was entirely retirees and older.
We like the idea of river cruises especially for Europe since it seems like we would be able to have the convenience of meals and lodging and have some quite "down time":to just look at the passing scenery. Casual luxury is how I'd describe our style, dressing for dinner means neat business or casual dress, not formal wear (sports jacket, not a dark suit and tie). Good food rather than buffets or huge all day meals, but nothing fussy or molecular gastronomy either . Light lunches but leisurely dinners sound perfect.
We'd love to see smaller towns that we haven't seen when we do our major city trips and the idea that transfers into town seem simple. We're not at all interested in evening activities other than an occasional lecture or some light background music.
I know people who love group tours and activities, and some people who love huge party cruises, That's great for them but it sounds horrible to us, the way our vacation choices sound horrible to others! 
So is river cruising as good an idea as we think? Will we be bored watching the world go by if we end up with several rainy days? Is there enough space on most ships to move around so we don't get cabin fever? Are the days on shore rushed going from museum to castle and back again? Is 8-10 days a good amount of time for these cruises?
Obviously the most important choice will be the specific itinerary and ship. Costs can vary by so much so we'd be happy to hear specific experiences and tips on getting the best deals . Thank You!
Will we like European river cruises?
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We too are independent travelers who took our first river cruise this past May. We had only done one ocean cruise on Oceania (small ships)and the rest of our Europe travels have been on our own.
We loved the river cruise experience. We went on Avalon from Prague to Budapest cruising the Danube. The first three days we spent in Prague and then were taken by bus to Nuremberg where the cruise started. The boats dock mainly in town and access is easy. There is always an included morning tour and optional afternoon tours. We liked the casual pace and small towns. This is a completely different experience from ocean cruising and we found it suited our style much more.
The cabins are a good size with plenty of storage space. The breakfasts and lunches are buffet style and were excellent. Dinners were very good with many choices from the menu and included good local wines. In the evenings there was entertainment in the lounge, either a keyboard player and dancing or some local entertainment which we enjoyed. Very low key.
We have friends who travelled on AMA and gave it high marks as well. I would suggest you do some comparison shopping with the major cruise lines - AMA, Avalon, Viking and if you want luxury check out Tauck.
Hope this is of some help to you.
We look at a river cruise as a floating hotel. We eat on board when the boat is moving, otherwise eat off the ship. We do some of their included tours and ask for entrance tickets to sites covered if we wish to go on our own. You can be as independent as you wish. We never go on tours, usually rent apartments and cottages so this is as organized as we get.
HappyTrvlr---so which river cruises have you taken? You've peaked my interest.
Our travel style seems right in line with yours and we are booked on our first river cruise (our first ever cruise) this coming June. We are sailing with Viking on the Duoro River in Portugal.
It is a bit of a leap of faith, having the same concerns as you. We visited Portugal last year and loved the country, people, food and wine. So from that aspect, we know we will enjoy the cruise. Looking forward to the new on board experience. The ship has only 124 passengers and we enjoy meeting new people, but mostly enjoy our time alone. Hopefully we will find a happy medium.
Good luck. Enjoy!
My husband and I are in our mid-forties and took a cruise in 2010 on the Rhine with Uniworld. While we did enjoy it quite a bit, I should mention that the cruise was free to us (earned as a travel agent), so my perspective may be different had I paid for it
. It was also the first major trip away without our 2 kids (extra relaxing).
There were only one or two other couples close to our age. Most were 55+.
We found the trip to be very relaxing! We did some of the tours, but often we would spend our morning or afternoon time riding and exploring with the provided bikes. That was our favorite thing of the trip.
Eating on the boat all the time got a bit dull. One of the best things about traveling for me is eating and trying different foods/restaurants! We did eat out a few times, but since we did not pay for the cruise, I felt okay about doing that.
I think you also do not get as immersed in the culture as you do when traveling independently. It is a very convenient and relaxing way to see a lot of different towns/cities. And, I did enjoy being on the river!
I would do it again, but right now, at this point in my life, it would not be where I would spend my vacation dollars. I would do a European bike trip!
Hope that helps!
We did two of Viking's, the Russian River Cruise and the Danube, AMAWaterway's Mekong River, and Victoria's Yangtze River( 4 day.)There was a more diverse age group on the Mekong.
In Europe, liked the Russian River cruise from St. Petersburg to Moscow better than the Danube, more interesting, but I already been in Germany and Austria.
We really appreciate the different perspectives!
We are independent travelers and will continue to be, but we were thinking of something different as a break. I think of the cruise like I do resort travel. Stay in one place, have your meals there when you want but the ability to skip some or go elsewhere occasionally.
The places we'd visit on the cruise would be places we didn't necessarily plan to see on other trips, so they would be like a bonus. I'm sure every port has something to see and do.
The personal experiences you've shared are very helpful. I know these cruises tend to have older clientele so we just wanted to get an idea how much older. And we'd like to count on having most meals on the ship, so quality is still important. The balance between private time and public seems like it will work out fine.
It sounds like all the cruise lines we're considering are mentioned here , mostly favorably. It may just dome down to price and timing.
If you have more ideas about these questions I asked before:
Is there enough space on most ships to move around so we don't get cabin fever?
Are the days on shore rushed going from museum to castle and back again?
Is 8-10 days a good amount of time for these cruises?
There was plenty of space on the boat and "cabin fever" was never a problem. The public outside decks and inside public spaces were large and inviting. The cabins on Uniworld are small but well designed with good storage. I don't think we ever felt rushed. 8-10 days for the cruise is perfect. You may want to add a few days before or after since you will already be in Europe!
We took a Burgundy canal cruise 30 years ago and loved it although at that time we were the youngest people on the boat. Cordon Bleu chefs and chateaus, it was lovely. We would now like to take a similar cruise in the UK and would love names of cruise companies.
Thank you all for the great information on river cruises. I would like to know about the time of the year you went and what temperatures to expect. I have noticed the earlier in the year, the cheaper. But, if it is too cool to be outside on the decks, well, that would not be good. Some say it doesn't matter, just layer! We are looking at the Amsterdam to Basel trip and the Tulip Time one in Denmark. Thanks for any info you can give.