River cruising with kids - are you sure that's a good idea?
We’ve ocean cruised plenty before, but the rivers are a different beast. Would the ship be too small, the itinerary too boring, the clientele too old? We got a great option on a family cruise with A-ROSA, and I will tell you all…
It’s fair to say that the typical river cruise customer is a bit older, but with lots of work being done to highlight the active nature of many of the places you’ll visit, plus more of a trendy take on ship design and dining, you can now find many options where the age range is more of a mixed bag. On A-ROSA, who are fairly unique in that they welcome children on board, the split in the school holidays was probably about 70% over 50 and the rest a mixture of couples, multi-generational families and a few families with kids aged from baby to teen. The atmosphere was so lovely: relaxed, friendly and a great balance. It had that rare thing of being family-friendly in the school holidays, but not a playground of rampant, ear-splitting kid hell.
We cruised the Northern Rhine, custom-picked for my husband for its variable weather. At the time of travel, Europe was locked in a weeks-long heatwave and drought meaning that river levels were reaching record lows making some stretches of the Rhine impassible. For our trip, this didn’t affect us except that we started an hour and 20-minutes’ drive north of our original starting point in Cologne. River levels rise and fall, and the cruise lines are great at quickly and expertly amending routes to make the journey go without a hitch. We sailed around Holland and Belgium to places we’d never really heard of which can sometimes be the case with a river cruise. And what a treat it is!
Our own itinerary took in Hoorn, Lelystad, Ghent, Dordrecht, Antwerp and Nijmegen. On a river ship, you literally pull up in the centre of town so you can amble on and off when you want. It’s like a little city break every day. We squeezed loads into the week – some for us, some for the kids and I can share details of them all if you’re interested in this route. But, some concise highlights: Hoorn which is a really pretty Golden Age city (a bit like a mini Amsterdam) but somehow when we visited it was their biggest festival of the year and so instead of the lazy afternoon strolling through pretty streets and sitting in a pavement café, it was actually a full-on rave with a huge funfair and many, many Dutch people drinking Heineken and bellowing. Everyone got back to the ship in a state of shock but it was so fun! Lelystad we took the train to Amsterdam because canals and a Red Light District – where can you go wrong with a toddler and a five-year-old? In Ghent, we went to an amazing indoor/outdoor waterpark with loads of slides and pools and a big spa. In Dordrecht, we got a tour of A-ROSA’s brand new ship which has been designed especially for families with a kids’ club and cabins sleeping five. In Antwerp, we visited the MAS Museum which was spread over 10 storeys and did a corking job of keeping all ages engaged and happy. And there’s a lovely bar with 360-degree views of the city on the top! Nijmegen was my favourite place despite having never heard of it before. It was market day and it was so pretty and cosmopolitan I was having visions of moving here, perhaps shopping for local produce to carry home in the basket of my bike…
In between being in port, you’re sailing which tends to be a mixture of daytime and overnight. The daytime sailing is lovely. If the weather’s good you can chill on a lounger on sun deck and have a cocktail and just watch the views go by. They held events like a brunch as you cruise down the river, food and wine tastings, games tournaments. The ships are small compared to ocean ships but you’ll find plenty to do and it’s a great balance of busy days exploring and relaxing time on board. Our ship had a beautiful spa right at the front with an outdoor jacuzzi. Lois and I got up at the crack of dawn on our first day, got our robes and slippers on and went. It was totally empty and we had the most surreal time sitting out in the jacuzzi slowly gliding along the river, going under bridges and watching the morning joggers and dog walkers go by.
So many people have asked me since we’ve got back, ‘weren’t the kids bored?’. I’m the first to say this isn’t the type of family holiday for everyone, but honestly, it was one of the nicest trips we’ve had. The atmosphere universally was so friendly and welcoming and we instantly felt totally at ease. Our cabin setup was perfect with two interconnecting rooms meaning we had loads of space and all got a decent night’s sleep which is half the battle. There was music and entertainment in the evening, in the daytime games like mini golf and giant checkers. A little kids club that ran just in school holiday times. They made Lois mocktails in the bar and they left a highchair for Bill permanently setup in the restaurant. There were kids dishes at dinner. But mostly, being off ship in a new place every day was brilliant. It was all the things we love about a city break but made a million times easier with no packing and unpacking and loads of freedom to do what you want, when you want.
There’s so many river cruise lines out there now, and I can help you choose the right one for you. A-ROSA are excellent because they offer a really relaxed atmosphere with lots of flexibility both on the ship and in port. Likewise, you can opt for cruises that are more structured with included tours, ones just for adults, boutique ones, ones with butlers! Similarly, there’s a huge choice of rivers and ports to explore too, both across Europe and with an increasing amount in places like Africa and the Far East.
For me, I’d definitely river cruise again… they had me at Premium All-Inclusive and a complimentary spa!
Considering it? I’ll use my first-hand knowledge and great relationships with a world of suppliers to find the perfect cruise line and itinerary for you.