Brinley Hineman
It might be the middle of summer -- though, as I write this, New York is experiencing a break in the heat -- but fall and winter are approaching sooner than we might like. That once meant a break in the river cruise calendar. But now, river cruise lines are catering more to off-season travelers.
AmaWaterways chief brand ambassador Kristin Karst shared earlier this year at the ASTA River Cruise Expo in Vienna that the line had expanded its preseason departure dates on some ships on the Rhine and Danube and now offers river cruises in February. Meanwhile, it extended its season on the Douro in Portugal to include November and December.
The prices for the cruises are lower, too. Take a seven-day holiday market cruise sailing roundtrip from Passau, Germany, with Amadeus River Cruises for example: it costs $1,556, compared with an eight-day cruise roundtrip from Passau in August for $2,633. Airfare is also cheaper in the off-season.
River cruise lines have touted off-season sailings as a less crowded way to explore cities, making it a strong draw for travelers looking to enjoy Europe in a more intimate and affordable way.
Having sailed on the Danube in March and the Rhine in June, I can attest to this. Though I loved my Rhine cruise with Riverside Luxury Cruises, our destinations were crowded. The crowds didn't dampen my experience, but comparing it to my sailing in March, it was a stark contrast.
On that March cruise, on the Emerald Luna, we were practically the only ones visiting the smaller villages. In Durnstein, a small Austrian town, I saw no tourists other than my fellow Luna passengers. Luckily, we had an unusually warm day then, which was a pleasant change from the chill and snowflakes I had seen earlier in the week (so you see, there can be some drawbacks to early- and late-season cruises). The near-empty town and bright sunshine made for a charming afternoon walk along quiet, uncrowded cobblestone streets, and I explored Durnstein at my own pace.
Avalon Waterways' "cozy cruise" collection encourages travelers to visit Europe in the fall and winter. The river cruise line said earlier this year that there was so much demand for off-season cruising that it launched harvest-time wine cruises in October and November.
"Cozy cruising is finding its moment," said president Pam Hoffee. "Travelers are craving authenticity, beauty and even more breathing room."
Avalon conducted a survey of 10,000 past passengers earlier this year and found that a whopping 75% of them wanted to cruise during the cooler months.
That includes holiday-market cruises, which are a significant draw for travelers, even if we don't think of them as technically "off-season." I haven't sailed a Christmas market cruise (yet!), but I was awed by one of the AmaWaterway ships at the ASTA expo that was decked out in holiday decor.