6 Reasons to Set Sail on a River Cruise with Kids

Whenever a Viking River Cruises ad popped up during my PBS binge-watching sessions (Downton Abbey, of course), I thought, “That’s what I want to do someday when I’m older and the kids are gone.” They seemed like such a low-key way to enjoy intimate destinations. And quiet. They seemed quiet and meant for adults only.

When I had the opportunity to join a river cruise specifically for families, I wondered just how good could a cruise could be without the water slides and kids’ clubs, the bumper cars and Cirque du Soleil-type theatrics. But when I boarded my first voyage in Amsterdam to sail down the Rhine, at every turn was a family with kids ranging in ages from 8 to 18, often with grandparents in tow. And by the end of the slow-moving holiday, we discovered all the reasons a river cruise isn’t just for the silver-haired crowd.

In fact, we loved it so much, we took a trip down the Danube on another cruise line just to be sure it wasn’t a fluke. And it wasn’t. It’s actually one of my personal favorite ways to cruise.

Here are reasons to consider river cruising for your next family vacation.

Highlights of Taking a River Cruise with Kids

It’s Perfect for Multigenerational Vacations

Aboard family river cruises, you’ll often encounter large families with grandparents, their children and their children’s children. This is because river cruises inch their way down rivers, allowing guests to disembark every morning to explore a nearby village before returning in the late afternoon to refresh, then enjoy dinner and leisure time together as the ship sails on to a new destination in the evenings. Think of them as floating hotels where every family member can select a stateroom that fits their needs and budget.

During time in port, families can elect to join excursions together after breakfast on board or go their separate ways, with the more energetic members of the group going on adventures while others hit museums and sights at a more leisurely pace. If anyone wants to return to the ship to lounge on the sundeck, grab lunch or a cocktail, or just squeeze in a nap, the vessel is there and waiting. And once little ones hit the hay after dinner together on the ship, those who want to can gather to listen to live music, play board games or simply watch the scenery while meandering down the river.

It’s a Great Way to See Multiple Destinations

Traveling with kids, especially little ones, often means traveling with a lot of stuff. The beauty of a river cruise is that you can unpack your gear just once and travel to very different countries and regions without having to carry it from place to place. For example, a voyage down the Rhine will allow your family to visit Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France and the Netherlands, while on the Danube, you can disembark in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania and more, depending on the length of your cruise.

Another difference between a river cruise and an ocean vessel is that disembarkation and embarkation doesn’t involve long lines, TSA-style security and passports. Walking off a ship in port is as easy as walking out of a hotel. The walkways around the river valley are flat and easy to maneuver with a stroller or by bike, the latter offered (and included) on most river cruises. Should you participate in an excursion that requires transportation, the buses provided will have room to store what you need for the day, so you won’t be stuck schlepping oversize bags filled with snacks, toys and supplies.

Family Programming is Immersive and Educational

For river cruises specifically catering to families, the crew is dedicated to making sure all ages have plenty of fun. AmaWaterways, for example, partners on cruises with Adventures by Disney, Disney’s high-end group-guided family vacation experiences. These voyages feature Disney’s Adventure Guides, trained to provide the same level of service and hands-on support you would receive on any of their group adventures.

During an Adventures by Disney voyage down the Danube, excursions off the boat gave us VIP experiences that immersed us in local culture, like learning to make apple strudel in Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna and going deep into the Alps to explore a salt mine outside Salzburg. Adventure Guides also escorted us as we followed our ship by bicycle, allowing us to explore the countryside, grab ice cream in a small village and do a little shopping in areas we may have missed had we decided to stay on the river that day. (We caught up to the ship in the evening; that’s how slowly they sail! P.S. — this means no one gets sea sick.) At dinnertime, Disney’s team entertained the kids as a group, providing them with a chance to play together while parents enjoyed a gourmet meal.

You Don’t Have to Interact with Anyone Else

While you’ll have plenty of opportunities to engage with fellow passengers — of which there could be just 100 to 200, versus the thousands of guests on a typical ocean liner — you also don’t have to interact at all if you’d rather make your cruise all about your family. You won’t be seated at communal tables at meals, and you aren’t required to participate in any activities on or off the ship. Should you choose, you can debark for the day and do exactly what you want at your own pace until you need to be back on the vessel. You can also elect to have meals delivered to your room; we often had breakfast delivered so we could eat and get dressed at our leisure.

Ships are All-Inclusive and Luxurious

When you think “all-inclusive,” you don’t always think “luxury.” However, there is an upscale air associated with river cruising and the cruise lines certainly do their best to outdo one another by oozing class. From offering baroque-style suites with marble bathrooms and fine linens to preparing multi-course menus that rival those at a high-end restaurant, river cruise lines will pamper you.

Even better, it’s all included. Every evening after dinner on our Uniworld voyage, we would return to our room to a bottle of chilled wine and a cheese plate waiting beside a jar of freshly made cookies and milk. The crew knew we loved to take a morning bike ride every day and had bikes ready and waiting as soon as we finished breakfast without our ever needing to ask. And it didn’t matter how dirty the kids got; laundry service was also included with our suite and our clothes were returned to us the very next day.

It’s Easy to Book and Plan

Visiting a faraway continent or country with kids may feel overwhelming, but booking a river cruise is a simple process. You’ll often need to reserve a hotel room in your departure city for at least one night before the cruise, and you may want to book another in the city where it ends, but Ciao Bambino’s Travel Advisors work directly with the cruise lines to manage these bookings and can provide suggestions for things to do in each city. Before departing on the voyage, you’ll have a chance to pick and choose excursions and things you’d like to see and do in your various ports of call, and once on board, the crew is happy to help you continue to plot your days.

Perhaps the most difficult of choices is which destination you want to traverse! Peruse these ideas for great places to visit via ship, and then reach out to CB’s Advisor team for planning and booking help.

Relevant Links: 

Browse all ideas for large and small ship cruise vacations on Ciao Bambino

Cruising with kids: 11 great destinations to explore by ship

Consider an AmaWaterways river cruise with kids

A taste of Germany for teens on a Vantage Travel river cruise

10 must-know tips before booking a family cruise

One for the bucket list: A catered barge cruise in Europe

Editor’s note: This post was accurate when published. We advise checking independently for the latest information and updates. Ciao Bambino does not accept responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in, or for any actions taken based on, the information presented.