We are looking to do a riverboat cruise that would go through Germany. We have looked at many and not sure which one to take. But what i was really wondering was. I will be traveling with a 76 year old and was wondering if the guided tours was something that an older person would be able to do. They are pretty active still. But was really wondering if they are a lot of walking required?
Also, wondering if there are any recommendations which river cruise would be the best to see?
Thanks,
Jeff
Posted by
Used to be Steilacoom, now it’s Las Vegas
2291 posts
We did a Viking river cruise in France, but it looks like most of them are pretty similar. I would say absolutely "yes" for your travel companion. I don't remember anyone with a walker, but other than that, there was quite an age range. None of the tours covered particularly difficult terrain. In one town, they divided the group into 3 groups and rotated us through a tram ride. Other times there were buses to take us to sites.
Posted by
The Heartland USA
8936 posts
Jeff
Best place for reviews is cruise critic.com. You will find a lot of reviews on the various cruise companies and cruise itineraries.
Posted by
Reston, VA, USA
810 posts
Jeff, I've done 3 cruises on Grand Circle Travel with my mother who is in her 80s - the last one was the Rhine-Mosel cruise when she was 85. She's perfectly healthy but fairly sedentary, and those tours were all fine for her. There is usually some kind of walking tour of the city you are visiting, which is likely to be 1.5 - 2 hours of walking and standing, but as long as your companion can manage that you all should be fine.
I'll put in a plug for Grand Circle Travel; we have found them to be a good value, with excellent staff, comfortable rooms, and good food. The cruises we have done so far are Vienna-Amsterdam, Budapest-Black Sea, and Rhine-Mosel - none of which exactly fits your Germany criterion, but I think they have an Elbe cruise that might work for you. We loved river cruising - no need to pack up and move every day or two, and the world rolls by outside your window!
Posted by
Magyarország / Rep of Texas
20029 posts
Viking has a number of cruises that extend the full length of Central Europe (including Germany). I have never been on one but its on the list for when its more appropriate for my energy level. I have noticed that almost every night they are running advertising on television. What I find interesting is that despite the length of the journeys they have 45+ seconds of their 60 second spot is filmed in Budapest. Seems to me I could save 8 days of floating and just go to Budapest: http://ec2-54-245-244-125.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com/ad/7wvw/viking-river-cruises-see-things-differently- Okay, I am extremely biased on this subject.
On a serious note, while I haven't been on a Viking Cruise, since so many end up or start in Budapest I have had the opportunity to talk to some of the passengers; to a man they all spoke well of their experience. Hmmmmm. I wonder if they were to ashamed to admit that they realized that they could have spend the entire time in Budapest and would have had just as good a time. Okay, kidding again. I wish you the best and know you will have an amazing voyage no matter where the river takes you.