It’s no surprise that the river cruise industry has its eye on the family travel market. Disney’s entrance into the river cruise market this year made sure we were all keenly aware of the opportunities there.
But beyond some of the bolder efforts to get more families onboard (more active excursions, kid-friendly onboard programs), river cruise lines have been rolling out more deals and discounts of late aimed at those youngest of river cruisers, kiddos.
For instance, Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection has nine different Generations itineraries (as the line refers to its family-friendly collection) on the Rhine, Danube, Seine and Po rivers in Europe, and has offers for kids ages 4 to 18 to sail for free or half off on select departures of those sailings.
Exotic river cruise lines are trying to entice families with younger explorers, too. Pandaw River Expeditions recently introduced a new family-friendly river cruise program, and on designated family river cruises on the Irrawaddy and Mekong rivers kids under age 4 travel for free if they share a cabin with their adult companions, and kids ages 4 to 18 travel at half price if they share a stateroom with two adults.
International Expeditions recently announced that children under 18 travel for free on its Amazon River sailings that depart between July and November. And Aqua Expeditions just introduced a new family-friendly river cruise on the Mekong on its 40-passenger Aqua Mekong and on select family departures children between the age of 7 and 12 will sail for free when sharing with both parents in a triple cabin or when accompanied by a single parent.
River cruising has always battled the impression that it is a pricier form of travel, something that stands in contrast to the more budget-conscious needs of most families traveling with young ones. Recognizing that and offering to allow kids to sail for free or for a deeply discounted price shows that river cruise lines see family travelers as a demographic worth investing in.