Bring On The River!

Having worked in the cruise industry now for over 10 years, it’s rare for me to read, see, hear or experience something that is totally new to me.

Sure ships have changed and technology has advanced massively at sea in that time, but once the hype dies down, it all becomes much of a muchness to me.

However a couple of months back I was given the opportunity to experience my first River Cruise, and naturally I grabbed it with both hands.

As my clients and regular readers know, my knowledge base is very much on the ocean side of cruising, and although I have sold a fair bit of river cruising at this point, I never feel that you truly know something until you have done it yourself.

So for those that are interested, I will be sailing aboard the Emerald Sun, part of the Emerald Waterways brand, down the Danube River.

I’ll be flying out to Munich with a few of my colleagues and transferring to board the ship in Nuremberg, Germany and begin sailing.

Here is my full itinerary:

Day 1 – Nuremberg

Day 2 – Weltenburg/Regensberg

Day 3 – Linz

Day 4 – Melk/Durnstein

Day 5 – Vienna

Day 6 Bratislava

Day 7 Budapest

WOW! I actually cannot wait!

Other than a change of aircraft in Munich a few years back, I have never been to any of these places before, so this will be a total first for me, not only on the itinerary, but also as I said before, on the river.

I am particularly looking forward to Vienna and Budapest, two destinations engulfed in history and culture, with more than a few photo opportunities along the way! So look out for my photos in a couple of weeks.

Despite my excitement, I also am a little apprehensive, as quite honestly, I seriously doubt that there is going to be enough to keep me occupied on such a small ship. I am very much used to the bigger ships that are packed full of bars and lounges, with lots going on. So I will be looking for the Emerald Sun to keep me entertained throughout the cruise as well, particularly in the evenings after the day trips and dining experiences are over.

I have been on a lot of small ships and they all keep the entertainment going until the early hours, which is great for someone of my age (30). But I think that as the river cruise market is aimed perhaps an older age group, I may get a little bored, so this will be interesting to see. Luckily I have my work buddies with me so hopefully they will help me out!

So watch this space to see how I get on!

I will blog again in a couple of weeks once I return, and hopefully I will have some nice pictures of the places and of the ship for you to check out.

Wish me luck!

Until next time………..