River trip planned? You are prepared with this knowledge

No waves and no passenger masses: river ships slide calmly on the water, the shore always in sight – and every day they arrange in another city. The demand for travel on the Danube, Rhine and Co. is unbroken.

But what is the audience on board the ships and can you really not become seasick? Questions and answers about river cruises:

What about the age cliché?

On river trips, the audience is actually somewhat older than, for example, on Upper Sea cruises. This is shown by data from the University of Passau that were collected on behalf of the IG River Cruise industry association.

In 2024, 69 percent of people from Germany, Austria or Switzerland who booked a river cruise in Europe were between 56 and 75 years old. The passengers from the German -speaking countries tend to be a little younger than overseas as Australia or the USA, which are an important target group for European river travel providers.

Is there a dress code on board?

Comfortable, but neat, it can be summarized. There are usually no gala evenings or other evening events on river cruises – if so, this is mentioned in the program. « The classic captains dinner is almost no longer available, so guests do not need an evening dress or tuxedo, » says Christofer Knaak, cruise expert at the journal « Touristik Aktuell ».

For the city tour and other excursions, you are well served with practical clothing and comfortable footwear. With flip -flops and undershirt, you shouldn’t appear at the buffet. In the evening, the outfit can be more formal-that is, shirt or blouse instead of a T-shirt. However, this is not a must.

Do you become seasick on the river?

No. « The movements of the stable river ships can hardly be felt even in bad weather and waves – even for weak stomachs, » says Detlef Scholz, Cruise Director at the provider Viva Cruises.

How is the land tours going?

The river ships are mostly close to the center, so that you can walk into the city. If the ship anchor a little outside, there is usually a bus transfer for the passengers and often a guided tour, which you can also leave by arrangement. Only one thing should not be done: come back too late, because the ship is not waiting.

How do you agree on board?

Almost all river cruise ships today have a colorful mixed workforce: service staff from Indonesia, Burma, Portugal and other distant corners of the world are not uncommon. They speak English well and also endeavor to clarify basic questions in German. However, you shouldn’t expect perfection, but very friendly service.

Is it important to you to be able to do everything in German? Then a question from the organizer or shipping company is a good idea whether the on -board language on the desired ship is German.

Are all river cruise ships the same?

« At first glance, many river cruise ships in this country indeed appear identical, also due to their given structural dimensions, » said cruise journalist Knaak. « In style, equipment and on -board concept, they differ considerably. » There are classic cruise ships, but also modern floating boutique hotels or ships with family cabins and kids club.

From the equipment to the program, the comparison is worthwhile, because shipping companies and organizers slightly spoil different target groups.

A week or two on board: won’t that be boring?

The charm of a river trip is the slow, almost meditative character of the trip, the calm lifestyle on board. If you need permanent entertainment, water slides and evening disco, you are probably better off on one of the large rights of rights.