USA River Cruises specializes in… well, river cruises in the USA. I’m sure that was obvious to you. But that’s not all we do. Our passion for small ship cruising expands worldwide! Wherever in the world, you dream to go, there’s probably a small ship cruise nearby. Here’s a look at our European cruise options.
AMA Waterways
Our cruise expert, Nadine, is in love with AmaWaterways. She takes a group of friends every other year; Christmas Markets, Normandy, Portugal – any AMA cruise is a potential party for Nadine! AmaWaterways loves cruising all the European rivers, like the Danube, Douro, Main, Rhine, Seine and more. See the tulip fields in the Spring, walk the sidewalks of France in Fall, or go shopping at the German Christmas markets in the Winter. Every season is open and an adventure waiting for you.
Nadine and friends cruising Paris and Normandy in November 2018.
Viking River Cruises
You saw the commercial while you anxiously waited for the new episode of Downton Abbey to start and thought, “Hmm… that looks interesting!” Viking has been the longtime standard for river cruises in Europe, making their name known worldwide. The Viking boat is all about simple, modern Scandinavian design, surrounded by tour experts who offer the best in local dining, shore excursions, and magnificent European history.
Viking Ocean Cruises
Cindy has become our biggest advocate for Viking’s new ocean cruises. Larger than our normal river cruise ships, the seven-ship Viking fleet each carry 930 passengers, meaning they still qualify as a ‘small ship,’ or at the least a medium-sized ship, depending on who’s definition you’re using. But the bigger ships mean Viking is no longer limited to the rivers of Europe, but can now cruise the oceans, the Mediterranean, and the Caribbean! Viking River Cruises has a proud legacy, and the Ocean Cruises had to meet all loyal cruisers’ expectations. The Viking experience had to translate to the bigger ships, and it does. Ask Cindy about how the Viking Ocean experience compares to the Viking River. She’s a big fan! See her cruise scrapbook of her Athens to Venice cruise on our blog.
Cindy and friends on their Athens to Venice cruise in 2017.
Barge Cruises
Europe has rivers, channels, seas and oceans… and canals! The continent is covered in miles of man-made canals that have been maintained and now provide the path for beautiful, slow-moving luxury barges to take you to beautiful regions of Europe. Some of the barges are only available to charter, which is perfect to take a group of friends, family, co-workers, or your best travel buddies on a new experience together. But there are barges that sell individual cabins, and you can make quick friends with the others onboard while you enjoy the week exploring ancient ruins, tasting classic cuisine, and truly resting in your pastoral surroundings.
Hurtigruten Cruises
Hurtigruten was founded as a way to keep communication lines going year-round with the Northern half of Norway. Now more than 120 years later, the cruise line has ten ships that cruise the coastline, with a departure almost every day of the year! You can cruise 7 days northbound, or 6 days southbound, or combine them for roundtrip fun! The ships still operate to ferry cargo, and locals use the ships as ferries to the next stop. Choosing which season to visit in is important. Read more about that here. Hurtigruten has also branched out to include slightly larger expedition ships made to cruise the polar regions. These ships cruise Greenland, Iceland, and Spitsbergen – a unique part of Europe that not many cruise ships can take you to!
No matter which waterway you choose, Europe is worth visiting! The hundreds of years of history, the fantastic local cuisine, wine and beer, plus the new experiences and people you get to meet on your journey are all worth putting Europe on your Travel Bucket List. Will you be busting through ice north of the arctic line, or lazily cruising the canals of rural France, or enjoying views of castles as you cruise the rivers of the continent?
Call our cruise experts to decide which destination and cruise ship is the right pick for you: (800) 578-1479.
