The number of glorious and historical cities in the heart of Europe, built by a river is enormous. Some of those include Bucharest, Belgrade, Bratislava, Budapest, Vienna, Duisburg, Munich, Basel, Strasburg, Mannheim, Heidelberg, Cologne, Karlsruhe, Bonn, and Rotterdam.
Europe has a very extensive river network which interconnects various European countries and even today many transports of good take place through the rivers. Protecting that network is of very high priority for most European countries as many economies rely hugely on that when it comes to transporting goods and trading. Travelling in central Europe by land is not mandatory as the rivers can get you virtually anywhere: from the south to the north and from the east to the west.
What not many people know though, is that the river artery is still very alive and there are many boats passengers can choose from. One of the nicest experiences though, is a Luxury Cruise on the mighty Rhine for example, for all those who couldn’t afford a cruise in the open sea because of financial or time constraints. Rhine River Cruises are available in Germany, France, Switzerland and Holland and are quite popular. The scenery changes rapidly with medieval towns, beautiful cities, enormous churches, fairytale castles, historical points of interest, narrow streets and canals.
River Cruises are not habits of some older times as more and more young people participate. Cost and time for planning are much lower compared to a cruise into the open sea. Unlike the sea, it is unlikely to feel sick in a river cruise while the chance of expreriencing bad weather is very small if any! Sharing a river cruise in a boat with your favourite ones should be a memorable and wonderful experience.
Many cruises claim to offer the newest service or have biggest accommodation areas on their boats, and it is true that the standards of cruise ships are improving all the time. But what does a cruise ship need to offer in order to call itself a luxury cruise?
Service. A luxury cruise relies on offering excellent service to keep its clientele happy. Sometimes a cruise ship might not have the best facilities in the world, or might not go to the best locations, but can still be classed as luxury due to the exemplary service they offer. It goes without saying that staff on the boat will look professional and act in a friendly and polite manner at all times. Most importantly on luxury cruise ships, guests will be able to communicate any problems they have very easily and get them rectified quickly.
Facilities. Because cruise ships are arguably limited in the space and facilities they can provide, it is imperative that what they do offer is of a very high standard, and suitable for the type of clientele on board. Facilities can mean anything from the dining room to the swimming pool and most luxury cruises keep their facilities up-to-date and well maintained. Silversea Cruises are well known for offering some of the best facilities of any ships.
Food. This is one of the most important elements for any ship. The quality and variety of the food on board can mean the difference between a very enjoyable cruise and one that people wouldn’t go near again. It is not uncommon for a luxury cruise to have a world-class chef on board preparing the food, or at least controlling a team of chefs underneath them, who are available to cook something up at any time of the day. Cruise companies such as Oceania cruises pride themselves on the food and drink they offer to guests and actively encourage their guests to ask for tailored dishes.
Cruising has become something of a phenomenon over the last 10 years. It has managed to shake off the old conception of being something only enjoyable to those who have retired and have a bit of money to burn, rather than leave it to anyone in their will. Cruise companies have diversified and now offer not only a much larger range of destinations but also theme, length, price, quality and demographic. This has made cruising a great deal more popular with previously-uninterested groups, and has also meant that more people are choosing to book one than ever before.
The UK are those at the forefront of this move off of terra firma. Britain has also been a sea-loving nation and it seems they have been proving it by racking up a huge 1.6 million cruise booking just this last year. Out of the total cruises booked in Europe, this makes up a whopping 35%. Only Germany has a vague chance of challenging this title with a total of 21% market share according to results from a study conducted by Silversea Cruises at the Seatrade cruise convention in Miami.
The most popular cruise destinations for Europe as a whole are the Atlantic Islands and the Mediterranean. This highlights just how much people value a bit of sun and some crystal clear waters to swim in. You don’t actually have to leave the boat these days to enjoy a fun-filled vacation. Most good luxury cruises are equipped with multiple swimming pools, dining halls, theatres and even golf courses.
“A rise of just under 70% has been seen over the last 5 years, in the European cruise markets alone…a trend that is set to continue” says chairman of the ECC and CEO of Oceania Cruises, David Dingle.
According to Dingle, there are currently 17 new cruise ships being constructed for European companies and will all enter the market by 2012.
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