Whenever you plan a cruise getaway, you can’t help but imagine what will happen during the trip. You create pictures in your mind about the destination, the views, and the luxurious treatment.
Cruise ship companies try hard to unite both expectations and reality. The latter just manages to prevail every time.
When the expectations and reality are so far apart, the entire trip is ruined for everybody. That’s when the cruise gets bad reviews and those reviews turn into a bad reputation. One bad review is even enough to destroy the idea of cruises for people who haven’t experienced it yet.
River cruises are different from ocean cruises in many ways. A kosher touring service, for example, can only accommodate a few hundred guests compared to the thousands that are booked in those giant ocean cruise ships.
Here are other ways you can differentiate riverboat cruises from the ones sailing on the ocean.
Amenities Onboard
Ocean cruises have more amenities than riverboats, given the size of the ship. Ocean cruises have pools, hot tubs, waterslides, even lawns of green grass just to name a few.
They look exactly like in the brochures, just add in the thousands of other guests who want to unwind in the same place as you.
What river cruises lack in amenities, they make up in views and destinations. The conditions in riverboats are relatively less stressful.
This gives more space for the energy and excitement of traveling. You are given a choice whether to stay on the ship or go to one of those well-curated excursions.
Boarding
On the day of boarding, guests going on an ocean cruise would board from a port. A busy terminal where both commerce and leisure are expected to operate next to each other in harmony. Imagine a mix-up of trucks, container vans, and people who can’t wait to take a break. The situation can get stressful, to say the least.
For riverboat cruises, the scenario is a little less crowded. When you’re booked to go on one of those kosher Europe tours, chances are you’ll board near a picturesque riverside community.
It can get busy too, but the number of people in there is significantly fewer compared to ocean piers.
Conclusion
The main difference between river and ocean cruises is perhaps the guest experience. What makes up the best experiences is a collection of everything the trip has to offer.
People often go to river cruises because of the fact that they are organized for a particular niche. Kosher river cruises are a good example—a luxurious cruise especially created for people who are very particular with their food choices.
Other people prefer the seemingly endless party experience in bigger cruises. How you choose your cruise depends on your taste and preferences. One is not particularly better than the other.
The word vacation may translate differently for many people. What matters at the end of the day is whether or not you enjoyed your experience.