I am an experienced ocean cruiser but recently I embarked on my first-ever river cruise. Ocean cruising and river cruising are similar in many respects; however, some things are glaringly different. Let’s talk about the five key differences so you are prepared for any future river cruises.

Security (or perhaps lack thereof)

Anyone who has ever cruised on an ocean line will know that in order to board the vessel you have to pass through security. This security is really similar to what you would experience in an airport – both you and all your belongings pass through a scanner. On an ocean-going ship, this happens in every port of call! On a river boat, this does not happen at any point, it does not happen on boarding day nor does it happen at any of the ports of call. While this is super convenient, it does realistically mean that anything and anyone could be onboard…

Dining

Modern-day cruising has evolved to the point that on most ships food is available 24 hours a day. This is not the case on a river boat! Dining times are fixed and if you want a meal outside of those times you are out of luck. I would recommend packing some snacks in your luggage in case you are feeling a bit peckish. Of course, if you are in port you could always hop off and sample some local cuisine.

Bumps in the night

If you have ever sailed on an ocean ship that has an early morning arrival into port then you will know that you will often awake to the sound of your Captain parking. If you are cruising down a river that has locks in it then you will hear an almost identical sound as you enter a lock. The problem with this is that you may hear it multiple times a night…If you are a deep sleeper you will adjust with relative ease. If not then you are going to have many wake up calls in the still of the night.

Time in port

If you are scheduled for a short port call in ocean cruising, then it will still be approximately six hours. In contrast when river cruising port calls of 3/4 hours are common. This is because you may be scheduled to complete two ports in one day or you may be scheduled to scenic cruise. Contrary to what you may think you can still achieve a lot during a short port call and this is because river boats are smaller and therefore can dock much closer to the action.

A slower pace of life

It goes without saying that because river boats are much smaller than ocean ships there is not as many bells and whistles. You are not going to find water slides, theatres, ice rinks or cinemas onboard. With less onboard attractions there isn’t as many places to be and this leads to a very relaxed atmosphere onboard. They are the perfect place to bury yourself in a new book, admire the scenery or chat to your fellow passengers (because a smaller vessel means that you are going to get to know your fellow guests very well).

Have you ever been on a river cruise? What did you think of it?