A river cruise can cost thousands of dollars.
Before you choose a river, cruise line, itinerary, cabin, or promotion, make sure you understand the decisions that can change the entire trip.
That is why we created the First River Cruise Planning Guide.
7 Costly Mistakes to Avoid Before Your First River Cruise
Here’s a quick look at what’s actually inside.
This Is A Lot More Than Seven Quick Tips
I probably could have made this a 15-page PDF, listed seven mistakes, added a couple of pretty river pictures and called it a guide.
That isn’t what this is.
The First River Cruise Planning Guide is 142 pages of practical information designed to help you actually make better decisions before you put down a deposit.
You’ll work through things like:
- Is river cruising actually right for you?
- Which river fits the type of trip you want?
- How river cruise lines really differ
- How to read an itinerary beyond the list of ports
- Which cabin features are worth paying for
- Mobility, walking and accessibility considerations
- What to pack — and what you probably don’t need
- What the entire vacation is really going to cost
- The questions you should be able to answer before booking
And there are worksheets, comparisons and checklists throughout the guide so you can apply what you’re reading to the cruises you’re actually considering.
Take a look at part of the actual table of contents.
This guide was created specifically for first-time river cruisers who want to make better decisions before paying a deposit.
Inside, you will learn how to:
- Choose a river based on the experience you actually want
- Compare river cruise lines beyond the marketing
- Read an itinerary beyond the list of ports
- Decide whether a cabin upgrade is really worth the money
- Evaluate walking, mobility, and excursion demands
- Prepare and pack for the realities of river cruising
- Calculate the true cost of the entire vacation
- Ask the right questions before paying a deposit
The guide also includes worksheets, comparison tools, a river cruise cost calculator, mobility assessments, and a final booking-readiness score.
Before You Start Comparing Cruises, Figure Out What You Actually Want
This is where I think a lot of people start backwards.
They start with Viking versus AmaWaterways. Or the Rhine versus the Danube. Or they find a sale and start trying to decide whether it’s a good deal.
I would start somewhere else.
What actually matters to you?
Scenery? Food and wine? History? Smaller towns? More free time? A slower pace? A bigger cabin? Better service? Price?
The guide includes a First River Cruise Priorities worksheet that asks you to rate the things that matter to you, identify your five biggest priorities and then narrow those down to your three non-negotiables.
If you’re traveling together, I actually recommend that you each complete it separately and then compare answers.
You might be surprised by where you agree — and where you don’t.
The point isn’t to find the river cruise everybody else says is best.
It’s to find the one that fits the two of you.
Here’s The Kind Of Detail I Want You Looking At
Let’s say you’re comparing two river cruises and both of them list Vienna.
Same city. So that’s basically the same thing, right?
Not even close.
One cruise might arrive early in the morning and stay until late evening. You could have time for a city tour, lunch, several hours on your own and maybe even an evening concert.
Another cruise might arrive after lunch and leave that evening.
Both brochures get to put “Vienna” on the itinerary.
You are not getting the same Vienna experience.
That’s why one of the biggest things I teach in the guide is to stop counting ports and start looking at what your days will actually look like.
- Arrival time.
- Departure time.
- Excursion length.
- Free time.
- Motorcoach time.
- Daytime scenic sailing.
- Early mornings.
- Late returns.
Those details may not look nearly as exciting in a brochure.
They can make a huge difference once you’re actually on the trip.
If you’re planning your first river cruise, these are exactly the kinds of things I want you looking at before you spend thousands of dollars on the trip.
The Cruise Fare Is Not The Cost Of The Vacation
This one drives me a little crazy.
You’ll see Cruise A advertised for one price and Cruise B for another price, and naturally the cheaper number looks like the better deal.
Maybe it is.
Maybe it isn’t.
The cruise fare is only one piece of what you’re actually going to spend.
- What about airfare?
- A cabin upgrade?
- Pre-cruise hotels?
- Post-cruise hotels?
- Airport transfers?
- Optional excursions?
- Gratuities?
- Drinks?
- Meals ashore?
- Travel insurance?
- Seat assignments?
- Even things like your phone plan, airport parking or pet care while you’re away?
The guide includes a True River Cruise Cost Calculator so you can put the whole trip on paper and compare cruises using the number that actually matters:
What is this entire vacation likely to cost us?
Because a lower advertised fare does not automatically mean a less expensive trip.
Special Price
Regular Price: $27.75
Launch Price: $9.95
The guide is available now as an instant digital download.
After purchase, you will receive access to the complete 142-page First River Cruise Planning Guide.
Before You Pay A Deposit, Can You Answer These?
Toward the end of the guide, I give you 35 questions I think you should be able to answer before putting down a deposit on your river cruise.
Here are just a few of them:
- Does this cruise support our three most important travel priorities?
- Have we studied the actual day-by-day itinerary instead of only the port list?
- How much meaningful free time will we have?
- How much motorcoach travel is required?
- What is the actual interior square footage of our cabin?
- Which excursions cost extra?
- Can we comfortably manage the ship, gangways, motorcoaches and excursions?
- Do we know exactly what is included and what is not?
- Are airport transfers actually included under our travel arrangements?
- Do we understand the deposit, final payment date and cancellation penalties?
If you can confidently answer those questions, great.
If you can’t, I would want those answers before I put thousands of dollars down on the trip.
That’s really what this entire guide is about.
Not talking you into a river cruise.
Helping you make sure that if you book one, you’re booking one that makes sense for you.
Created by Empty Nester Getaways
We help empty nesters plan river cruises, European vacations, and bucket-list trips without spending endless hours comparing ships, cabins, itineraries, transfers, and fine print.
Our goal is simple.
Help you choose the trip that fits you.
I’m Eric, and my wife Cheryl and I own Empty Nester Getaways. We help empty nesters plan river cruises, European vacations, and bucket-list trips.
I put this guide together because there are a lot of decisions to make before booking your first river cruise, and some of them aren’t obvious until you know what to look for.
You can use the guide to plan on your own, or if you’d rather have help comparing your options, that’s something we do, too.