For health matters, do you think that traveling on the river cruise in the smaller vessel is safe

I prefer the smaller vessels and yes, would also feel safer from catching a virus.

It onLy takes one contagious person to spread disease.

We did a Rhine river cruise on a smaller vessel (Uniworld) in 2016 and even pre-pandemic there was hand sanitizer everywhere and signs prompting you to use it. As far as we know no-one got any gastric illnesses on our cruise but it was only 8 days long.

We know many people who have gotten sick on bigger cruises - both gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses.

Ditto what Carol said.

Well, I have my doubts about taking them Cruise on the river or on Cruise smaller ships also. I would definitely go, but this health issue the current health is his issue is really holding me from making the decision.

Charlotte, I know how important this trip is to you. Is Paris or the cruise now the most important? If Paris, go there, but take to heart that the travel agent is not working in your best interest. Wear a mask when you’re out and about, be careful where you sit in restaurants and have current vaccinations; you have a better chance not getting sick. There are no guarantees.
ADDING: I still do all of these safety measures at home. On last year’s monthlong trip, I did the same. The 1 1/2 week RS tour was Covid plagued. I was one of the survivors. Despite all my safety precautions, two weeks after getting home (and three weeks after the tour ended) I came down with a Covid variant. Not from the tour or plane; who knows where. It can happen to anyone whether you’re home or away. So can the flu, a cold or tripping and falling.

As for the cruise, I have no experience. I think some of the same precautions are the same. But I would guess that the smaller the ship, the less ship-borne illness.

All of your posts ask about safety and health. The chances are the same at home or traveling. Can you share what your worries are? Getting sick? Fear of being alone and sick? The language barrier? As I mentioned in another post, have travel insurance with evacuation and a contact who can fly to your bedside if needed (travel insurance will state if and how that is covered). Please don’t let the trip naysayers rule your decisions.

Charlotte, perhaps you could "time" your journey for about 2-3 weeks after you are eligible for your next booster. That's what we are loosely thinking on this end.

Having had 5 vaccines now (we get boosters as soon as eligible...so much so that last time the pharmacy had "just" received their supply of boosters less than an hour prior to our vaccine. I actually tried to get another booster a few weeks ago and was told: nada...you are up to date. Can I pay out of pocket? nada: not eligible for a booster. So, that's that.
Therefore, Fall seems to be the most hopeful time for us to travel. But, of course, if you happen to test positive for covid before then, once you recover, you have a few months of woooohoooo.....go/travel/enjoy. But, I do not wish "testing positive" on anyone, as not everyone recovers as quickly/nicely as others.

That said, we only have one life....and we gotta live it. We struggle with the answers of how much and when. (We are STILL masking inside public places....realizing we are not the norm, at least not in our state (where masking/vaccines were a challenging topic from the get-go).

Do not know the answer. I think it all depends on one's individual health/risk situation.

I'm not as risk averse as Maggie-I haven't worn mask for a long time now, except when going to doctor's ofc. Like Maggie, I plan my next booster to be 3 or 4 weeks before a situation where I especially want to avoid illness.

You’d probably feel safer since on a river cruise there are probably fewer than 200 people. However, you’re still around large numbers of people when on the cruise tours walking around the different stops. It only take ones person. For some viruses I’m sure you’re better off on a river cruise.

Charlotte, I've looked briefly at some of your other posts. I'm wondering if you took any of those trips. If so, what did you do to be cautious against viruses such as covid? Did those precautions work for you? If so, I would repeat what worked.

I do not believe that being almost 80 and masking means that you are risk averse: it means that you take statistics seriously. The elderly's immune system is not as strong as those who are younger. Masking works. Also, statistically, the fewer people on a vessel, the less chance you have of getting any viruses. I would opt for the smaller vessel.
Personally, my husband and I are very aware of the dangers of getting any type of virus, but specifically covid at this point. My husband is a heart transplant recipient who received his gift before the covid vaccine was available. He has had nine full doses of Pfizer and Moderna combined with little protection due to being immunocompromised. HOWEVER, this has not stopped us from traveling. We have been to England for two weeks, summer 2022 and to France and Spain for a month, winter 2023. We've worn N95 masks religiously on flights, in airports, etc. Even in the winter, we ate outside when possible or inside at tables far away from everyone else. All we had to do was walk into a restaurant with our masks on and we were immediately whisked away to an isolated table. We did not take our masks off until after our meals were delivered and the waiter had left. In other instances, I informed the person seating us that we were immunocompromised--it's a common language, it appears that everyone knows, and we were given accommodations. Guess what--we never became ill.

I also wonder why your daughter and others have cautioned you against traveling. Are there reasons that may be valid that we do not know about? If so, I hope you will discuss them thoroughly with your medical advisors. I'm hoping the best for you.

Charlotte,

For what it's worth, we were in Paris recently, didn't mask, rode insanely packed trains to Versailles (we did mask on this), public transport, cafes, and sights, and were quite amazed we didn't come down with something. A small river cruise comes with no guarantee at all. As the above posts say, it only takes one person to infect many others. You will have the same risk stateside, or anywhere else for that matter. Do what makes you comfortable. If you are this worried, you will not enjoy yourself. But if you are adventurous and really want to see Paris, do a cruise, etc., then don't let fears get in your way. Go and enjoy yourself, mask up, keep hand sanitizer in your bag, and live your dream. Only you can decide what is best for you. Good luck, and happy travels whatever you decide!