There's nothing quite like knowing you have all the time in the world to enjoy every moment of a weeklong river cruise vacation.
But what if your clients are short on time yet still want a full river cruise experience?
Shorter river cruise itineraries are nothing new, as a number of
river cruise lines have long offered journeys shorter than the average
seven-night voyage. But lately, it seems as though shorter itineraries
are getting a fresh look by river cruise lines that want to offer more
flexibility to travellers, be it for those looking for a quick weekend
getaway or those who want to try river cruising but don't want to commit
to a weeklong stay.
"Why shouldn't people be able to get on in Vienna instead of Passau,
or only do the stretch from Passau to Vienna – or if someone wants to do
a long weekend and they want to combine it with whatever else on land?"
said Gregor Gerlach, co-owner of Riverside Luxury Cruises.
On Riverside, Gerlach said, "people can do three days, four days,
seven days or a total of 14 days... it just gives so much more
flexibility."
Here are some of the lines that offer journeys shorter than a week in different regions.
Short river cruises in Europe
Avalon Waterways offers four- and five-day cruises along the Upper Danube, Rhine and Moselle rivers. Pictured, the Avalon Panorama. Photo Credit: Avalon Waterways
A number of river cruise lines offer three-, four- and five-night
itineraries in Europe for travellers who are short on time or looking to
customise their journeys with add-on packages.
Riverside Luxury Cruises is offering just that, with three- and
four-night itineraries on the Riverside Mozart, sailing on the Danube
River, and the Riverside Ravel, sailing on the Saone and Rhone rivers.
AmaWaterways has introduced a shorter itinerary on the Danube this
year. The company's new, five-night Majestic Capitals of the Danube
itinerary will take guests to the capital cities of Hungary, Slovakia
and Austria. This itinerary will be offered throughout April, May and
December onboard the AmaLea, AmaViola and the double-width AmaMagna.
Viva Cruises offers a number of short river-cruise itineraries on the
Danube, Rhine, Main and Moselle rivers, with the widest array of
shorter itineraries on Rhine sailings. Travellers have several options
for three- and four-night cruises throughout the year, including a
four-night New Year's cruise roundtrip from Frankfurt, Germany, with
stops in Speyer and Strasbourg; a four-night cruise roundtrip from
Dusseldorf, Germany, that visits Amsterdam and Rotterdam; and a
three-night holiday cruise that visits Dusseldorf, Koblenz, Bonn and
Cologne, Germany.
Avalon Waterways, Emerald Cruises and Amadeus River Cruises also
offer shorter cruise options on the Rhine and Danube rivers. Avalon
Waterways has a four-day cruise on the Upper Danube between Budapest and
Vienna; a five-day cruise between Frankfurt and Basel on the Rhine and
Moselle; and a five-night holiday season cruise, also between Frankfurt
and Basel, that focuses on Christmas markets in France's Alsace region
and Germany.
Emerald Cruises has two, five-day holiday cruises on the Danube,
Rhine and Main rivers, while Amadeus River Cruises has two, five-day
Advent cruise itineraries on the Rhine River between Cologne and
Strasbourg.
Short river cruises in Egypt
Historia Cruises, one of the newest river cruise lines to launch on
the Nile River, offers a variety of shorter cruises itineraries.
In addition to its seven-night roundtrip cruises on the Nile,
Historia has one-way, three- and four-night cruises that depart on
Mondays and Fridays, starting from either Luxor or Aswan. The short
cruises cover Egypt's most iconic monuments, temples and sites,
including the Valley of the Kings and the temples of Karnak and Philae.
Short river cruises in Asia
Pandaw offers short cruises on the Ganges River in India and the Mekong River in Vietnam. Pictured, the Kanee Pandaw. Photo Credit: Pandaw
Shorter cruise trips also exist on a few of the most popular river cruise routes in Asia.
Pandaw offers three- and four-night cruises on the Ganges River for
those who don't have time to dive deep into the heart of West Bengal but
want to at least see the highlights. The cruise begins in Kolkata and
sails up to Murshidabad, visiting Hindu temples and rural villages.
Guests then disembark to take a four-hour express train back to Kolkata
and are transferred to hotels before heading home. The company also
offers three- or four-night itineraries on the Mekong River.
Aqua Expeditions has three- and four-night cruises on the Mekong
River and offers daily excursions twice a day for travellers looking to
get the most out of their short adventures. All three-night itineraries
depart from Phnom Penh in Cambodia, while the four-night itineraries can
depart from either Phnom Penh or Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
Short river cruises in the Amazon
Aqua Expeditions offers short-cruise itineraries on the Amazon River
in Peru, with three- and four-night itineraries available between Nauta
and Iquitos. Guests will have a chance to immerse themselves in the
biodiverse rainforests of the region, explore the surrounding waterways
of the Peruvian Amazon and participate in adventurous activities like
piranha fishing and guided treks into the jungle.
Source: Travel Weekly