TRAVEL
River cruising 10 REASONS TO CHOOSE A RIVER CRUISE FOR YOUR NEXT VACATION By Jean Freitas, Maritime Travel Port Moody
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must admit the first river cruise I did was for one simple reason — I get seasick. I love to ocean cruise, but it doesn’t like me back. Solution: river cruises as the waters are always calm. Once I sailed the Rhine, I was hooked. I have now sailed on 10 river cruises! Sailing along the rivers is a very relaxing way to spend a holiday. There is nothing like sailing along the river watching the castles and vineyards go by or docking in the heart of towns and being able to walk along the pathway or head into town for a coffee and pastry. You can be as active or relaxed as you wish. Here are 10 more reasons to go river cruising: 1. Small intimate ships with single-seating dining and gourmet meals. 2. Specialty cruises with themes such as wine lover, active and discovery, beer tasting, culinary, Christmas markets and tulip time. 3. Choose your style — all excursions included, all spirits included, or a combination thereof. Each cruise line is different in their inclusions. 4. Casual dress code — you can leave your tux and tiara at home. 5. Unlike ocean cruises you always see land — on both sides of the ship. 6. Unpack once and settle in. 7. Local entertainment and experts are brought on borard for your benefit. 8. Some river cruise lines will waive the single supplement. 9. Many river cruise lines have family-specific sailings. 10. Port intensive — it’s about the destinations more than the ships. Although Europe is the most popular destination with rivers such as the Rhine, Douro and Danube, you are not limited to one continent. There are sailings all over the world such as the Mekong in Cambodia, Ganges in India, the Amazon in South America, the Nile in Africa, and closer to home the Mississippi, St. Lawrence and Columbia rivers. Distances between ports on river cruises are quite short, and boats will often dock at a different location each morning and evening.
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The staterooms are comfortable although sizes can be smaller then some ocean cruises. Lines like Avalon Waterways use the space effectively to create a generous room size with floor-to-ceiling sliding windows. River cruising has risen dramatically in popularity over recent years, and although they are more expensive than a budget-type vacation, there are no hidden costs, crowds or lineups. But, if you find cruise advertisements that sound too good to be true, they probably are. There are many river cruise companies out there, so enlist the aid and services of a travel agent or river cruise specialist who has the experience of selecting and booking river cruises. n
Advertise in our SUMMER 2020 EDITION! Contact us today! Judith Lucas judith.lucas@experiencetricities.ca 604-722-5188 www.experiencetricities.ca THE TRI-CITIES COMMUN ITY LIFESTYLE MAGA ZI NE
EXPERIENCE TRI-CITIES | SPRING 2020
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