I love cruises! I’ve been on many ocean cruises over the years, with a variety of cruise lines. I love the wonder of being on the ocean, the majesty of the ship, the décor, the variety of dining and the entertainment. But I’ve always wondered what a river cruise would be like, sailing on a much smaller ship with far fewer people and something to see all the time (as opposed to the open sea between docks), and on a body of water that’s not quite so “wild.” Finally, I took the plunge and went on a river cruise and loved it. The differences are many but there are similarities too. If you love ocean cruises, will you like river cruises? This article will help Real Food Traveler readers decide. Full disclosure, I am basing this article on my singular river cruise experience plus having interviewed frequent river cruisers. And, to be honest, many of our fellow river cruisers had never been on an ocean cruise and peppered us with questions about what that’s like. So, this article is for all of you!

Save this article to Pinterest to help you decide whether you’d prefer an ocean cruise or river cruise, or both. Photos and graphic courtesy of RealFoodTraveler.com.

Ocean Cruise-Lover’s Guide to River Cruising

Big picture, being on an ocean cruise is like being in a city. Being on a river cruise is like being in a neighborhood.

Ocean cruise ships are huge; carry thousands of people; have multiple places to eat, drink and spend time; live entertainment throughout the day in a variety of locations; and plenty to see and do onboard. You could go the whole cruise and not see the same people.

By contrast, on a river cruise, because the ships are much smaller and typically carry up to 190 or so people (on Viking Longships, one of which I was on, for example), you get to know your fellow travelers. There aren’t specialty restaurants and there are just a few locations to eat such as the main dining room and a casual, indoor/outdoor terrace café. Some river cruise ships have a pool and some have workout facilities and spa. Entertainment, which happens a few times during the journey, is held in the Lounge.

Here are some other differences ocean cruise-lovers should know about river cruising

Cruise Director/Program Director

On an ocean cruise, you hear from the Cruise Director on overhead announcements throughout the day regarding excursions, on-board entertainment, activities and other need-to-know news. They often serve as emcee for shows in the theater and you may see them around the ship.

On a river cruise, the comparable person is the Program Director (or they might be called something like the Hotel Manager depending on the cruise line) who serves a similar role but, because there are far fewer people and because the ship is smaller, you encounter them often. This person also provides a nightly overview of what to expect for the next day in terms of excursions, introduces the chef who previews that night’s dinner, and runs some of the evening activities. They are also present on some excursions and available for questions onboard and off. They get to know you and remember little things about you. You feel like they are your host while on the ship – like you came to visit and stay with them and they are showing you the ropes of everything. This, of course, varies with cruise lines but reflects our experience.

The Food and Dining Scene

Timing: One of the main differences is that dinner starts at a specific time on a river cruise whereas you can sign up for a time on an ocean cruise or go to the buffet at leisure. On our Viking cruise, dinner was at 7pm, immediately following the daily briefing meeting on the Gullveig Viking ship we were on, which sailed the Danube.

Places to eat: On an ocean cruise, you can eat at buffets, the casual spots or main dining room, all included with your fare. Or you can eat at the specialty restaurants that cost extra and require reservations. Each restaurant has a completely different look and vibe. Some ocean cruise lines even have dining “experiences,” slightly more expensive but more eventful and interactive dining opportunities such as Princess’ “360 Dining Experience.” Click on the purple bar below to learn more about it.

Aboard Princess Cruises’ Discovery ship, the “360” dining experience goes above and beyond a specialty dining restaurant on board. Photo by Courtney Drake-McDonough for RealFoodTraveler.com.

On a river cruise, all food is included in your fair. There’s a casual eating area at the front of the ship where you can choose from lighter fare or order from the menu. Or you can go to the actual dining room and order off a menu for breakfast (buffet too), lunch and dinner.

On the Viking River Cruise, you can have an omelet made to order (veggies, ham and cheese for me), order from the menu or choose from the buffet.

Besides the reduced number of dining options, another big difference on a river cruise is that there aren’t ever-present opportunities for food. On an ocean cruise, even outside of dining room or buffet hours, there’s usually a pizza restaurant and maybe burger/hot dog spot serving up non-stop.

On our Viking River cruise at least, if you’re hungry mid-morning or mid-afternoon, you’re “limited” to scrumptious cookies available next to the coffee and tea station. And, in the lounge, they have various salty-crunchy nibbles to enjoy with your drinks. Not to worry though because there are so many options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including multiple offerings for starters, main dishes and desserts (with nightly specials related to the region you’re in and classics they have every day/night), you’re not likely to go hungry.

At dinner, both ocean and river cruises offer options that harken to the local cuisine the ship is sailing through. This meal of sauerbraten, schnitzel, red cabbage, potato salad, sausage and sauerkraut is from Viking River Cruises while sailing in Germany.

Dining companions: On an ocean cruise, you’re most likely to eat at a small table with the person(s) you came with or maybe others you’ve met. On a river cruise, there are hardly any individual tables, so the river cruise culture is that you’ll share a table with others. Don’t even try to be anti-social – we had a great time getting to know different table-mates at each meal with whom we then chatted with as we saw each other on the ship and in ports, furthering that “neighborhood” feel!

Entertainment

On an ocean cruise, there is entertainment galore throughout the day, in a variety of locations around the ship. There might be a band playing in a disco, a pianist playing in the atrium, violinists in a lounge, and a big review with singing, dancing and, potentially, acrobatics, playing in the theater! We love that about ocean cruises and missed the big theater productions while on a river cruise. But there was a fantastic pianist onboard who performed a variety of stylings a couple of times per day in the lounge. And, in certain ports, local entertainment was brought on for the evening including a local jazz group and an operatic trio. I loved that we were experiencing local talent who came on our ship specifically to entertain us for that evening, making our ship an extension of their neighborhood!

An example of a grand theater on a cruise ship, where impressive shows happen.

On our river cruise, there were also educational offerings specific to the areas we were sailing through along the Danube (Hungary, Austria and Germany), including a lesson in German language essentials, in Viennese coffee culture (so we knew how to order correctly in port), and a cooking class in how to make apple strudel. These educational opportunities were fun and also helped us make the most of our excursion times.

A slice of apple strudel made during an onboard cooking demonstration by the culinary team while sailing on a river cruise along the Danube.

Excursions

On Viking, there’s one “included” excursion per port that is part of your fare. But there are also additional excursions you pay extra for. We added on a “Budapest by Night” tour the first evening which took us around in a big coach bus to see the beautiful buildings and historic bridges illuminated in a golden glow. However, we were perfectly content with the included excursions the rest of the trip such as guided driving/walking tours and special opportunities only Viking has access to.

On a river cruise, there’s one included excursion per port but you can also pay for other ones such as “Budapest by Night,” seeing the city’s nightly illumination of key buildings and bridges. It’s a beautiful sight. 

On the average ocean cruise, there are no included excursions. You pick which ones you want when you are planning, or on-ship (we strongly recommend reserving ahead), and pay for it over and above your base fare. We’ve also arranged for our own tours through options like Viator, which can be much less expensive, but those vendors aren’t in communication with your ship should there be a problem or delay. Personally, I find a level of comfort knowing the bus and tour operator are vetted and arranged for by the cruise line. We didn’t arrange our own plans on the river cruise because the included excursions enabled us to see and learn a lot.

Key West, Florida is one of the ports on an ocean cruise where you can walk off the boat and tour around on your own. 

On a river cruise, you walk off the ship and meet your excursion guide, such as for a walking tour. Or, you get on a bus and are taken on a tour or to a destination. In some ports, you can also walk off and go into town on your own, with freedom. This is a similarity between the ocean and river cruises.

A view of Passau, Germany through an arch during a walking tour, one of the included excursions on Viking.

One of the most surprising things about river cruise excursions is how you get off the boat. Sometimes, you’re just walking off the ramp and onto the dock. But there are times when multiple river boats are all docked together, literally parallel to each other with mere inches between them. So, you walk through each other’s boats to get out! The first time this happened, it was so unexpected.

Sometimes, multiple river cruise ships stack side-by-side and guests literally walk through each ship to get to the dock. It’s one of the interesting aspects of river cruising.

And on ocean cruise ships, some ports don’t allow (or can’t accommodate) the ships to get close to the dock so the ship drops anchor, “parking” out a distance. Smallish boats (with seats and a cover), called “tenders,” ferry passengers from the ship to the dock and then back again.

Some ports can’t accommodate a ship so they anchor at a distance and ferry guests on dingy boats from the ship to the port. Catalina Island is an example of one of those ports.

Locks to Love

Another thing ocean cruisers will be very surprised about is the “lock” experience. River cruise ships typically pass through a series of locks that help regulate the level of the river in an effort to prevent flooding. The ship sails into the lock area, with tall cement walls on either side (they sometimes have to get ridiculously close on one side) and, slowly, slowly, the water level rises beneath the ship until it’s as high as the next level of water and then it proceeds on. It’s a very interesting experience and we all eagerly watched the first few and then the thrill kind of wore off. You barely feel that it’s happening.

The décor and deck

On an ocean cruise, every part of the ship you walk through looks different. It’s almost like walking through a decorator showroom. And each restaurant has its own look and different menu. On a river cruise, there’s a cohesive, elegant, not-particularly-themed look between the restaurants, lounge, lobby and library area. As we noted when walking through other Viking ships on our way out to excursions, the main difference was key art pieces that related to that particular ship’s name.

Top images are from a Viking river cruise, showing a library area and deck with herb garden and games. Bottom photos, lavish dining room and deck seating area on Carnival ocean cruise.

On the deck(s) of an ocean cruise, you will find a pool or two (or more), bars, restaurant stands, a stage, basketball court, and big showy things such as a water park. On our river cruise, the deck had tables and chairs, lounge chairs under a canopy, putt putt golf, shuffleboard, and a lovely herb garden that the culinary staff picks from every day, plus a walking track that equaled a mile after 12 laps around. Some river cruise ships do have a pool up top but personally, we didn’t miss it.

The cabin experience

This is where things are very similar with an ocean cruise. Cabins vary in size, placement on the ship and price, of course. And, like on an ocean cruise, depending on what level you’re on, you may have different amounts of square footage and configuration; sliding doors and a balcony; French balcony with just sliding doors and railings; or just a window. There are a limited number of big suites on both ocean and river cruises that provide more space, more perks, more views – and a much higher price tag.

On both ocean and river cruises, every cabin has a steward who cleans daily and leaves the next day’s newsletter and excursion tickets at night.

I’ll pause here to say that one of the BEST things about cruises, ocean or river, is that you unpack once! Even though you are visiting multiple destinations, you don’t have to repack and unpack every time like you might with hotels on land-based vacations. Your hotel goes along with you! 

On our river cruise, we chose a cabin with a long, head-level window that was just above the water – the level at the lowest price point. It let in plenty of light and we could see what we were passing as well as a family of swans passing right beside the ship! It suited us fine because we were up top or off the ship most of the time. But it would be pretty wonderful to slide open a glass door or even sit on your bed or balcony, and watch the scenery go by, at an easy, slow pace.

On an ocean cruise, the least expensive rooms have no window at all and are called “interior” rooms because they are, literally, in the center section of the ship. Other rooms might have just a porthole, a smaller window, or there are rooms with balconies and sliding doors. Of course, the more “viewability” and square footage you have, the more the cabin costs, both on river and ocean cruises. It’s personal decision (and a budgetary consideration) as to which type you choose. Take into account how much time you think you’ll spend in your cabin versus out and about on the ship. If you’ll be spending most of your time out of your cabin, you can get away with a lower-priced/lower-level room. One personal note though regarding ocean cruises – I tend to get a little nervous when I start to feel more motion than usual on an ocean cruise. Being able to look outside to see that the ocean is NOT churning as much as my imagination thinks, is very comforting. I wouldn’t be able to do that with an interior cabin! Just sayin’.

Here’s a sampling of cabins we’ve had. The first two are on ocean cruises. The third is on a river cruise. Decor and square footage varies but cabins typically have the same features which include a bed, dresser, closet, tv and bathroom with shower.

The costs

On an ocean cruise, there are a lot of dining options available that are included with your fare. But you pay extra for alcohol, smoothies, coffee drinks and specialty dining (which is often an absolute bargain compared to what you’d pay at a comparable restaurant on land).

On a river cruise, all dining is included and, while the dining locations and vibe are limited, the menu options are many and offer regional offerings each day. On Viking, for example, wine and beer are included with lunch and dinner but if you want to have a variety of alcohol through the day, there is a drink package to purchase.

Enjoying a glass of chilled white wine on the Aquavit Terrace on Viking’s Gullveig River Cruise ship.

As mentioned above, excursions are always extra on ocean cruise ships and there is one included excursion per port on a Viking river cruise.

On our river cruise, Wi-Fi was included and was high-quality. You pay extra for Wi-Fi on ocean cruises and typically have various price levels to choose from.

Ways to budget for any kind of cruise

I’ve always been an advocate for ocean cruises because they are a great way to budget – if you plan ahead for excursions, dining, alcohol and Wi-Fi, there won’t ever be surprises you might have with a non-cruise vacation such as the variables of a meals/resort fee/parking/car rental/taxi ride, etc. that really add up and can cost more than you anticipated.

A river cruise offers the same budget-ability as an ocean cruise, if not more so, since dining and an excursion per port are always included. The only variables will be add-on excursions and the spirits package, both of which you’d know about ahead of time during planning.

To be perfectly frank, we were always a little thrown by the fact that river cruises appear to be quite a bit more expensive than ocean cruises. But when you take into account all that you can add on to an ocean cruise, plus your airfare, compared to a river cruise which includes multiple excursions, some alcohol, all dining, Wi-Fi, plus, in some cases, airfare (or a reduced rate towards it), the difference isn’t so drastic.

And, after taking the suggestion of a friend who goes on many cruises, I signed up for the e-newsletter for several river cruise lines and kept watching for great deals for the location and timeframe my husband and I wanted. The cruise lines offer frequent deals so, although it’s daunting to get all those emails and brochures delivered to your home, it’s worth looking them over for what works for you.

Left, a view of the deck of an ocean cruise and right, a view from the deck of a river cruise.

BONUS:

Tips for knowing which type of cruise you’d like:

You’ll probably prefer an ocean cruise if you…

1. Like the idea of being on the ocean.
2. Don’t mind “days at sea” when you might only see ocean and won’t have an excursion.
3. Thrive on being around a lot of other people.
4. Prefer a lively, bustling atmosphere.
5. Want a variety of dining locales and decor.
6. Want a salon, spa, fitness facility and classes.
7. Like the entertainment options throughout the ship including the big shows and night clubs.
8. Absolutely must have a pool and hot tub.

You’ll probably prefer a river cruise if you…

1. Are concerned you’d get seasick on the ocean.
2. Like the idea of being able to see something all the time, from neighborhoods to cities to stretches of nature plus people enjoying swimming, fishing, and canoeing.
3. Like the idea of a smaller group of fellow passengers whom you have the opportunity to get to know (and don’t want kids on board!).
4. Love history and beautiful scenery, including castles.
5. Like being familiar with where everything is located on the ship (no need for a map to help you find your way).
6. Appreciate the availability and personal contact with the crew whom you’ll find yourself chatting with each day.
7. Don’t need a spa, salon or fitness facility, taking advantage of the deck, walking track and walking during excursions.
8. Don’t mind not having “big” entertainment options.

This ocean cruise-lover is now also a river cruise-lover. Sometimes you want to take in big city life and other times you want to enjoy the neighborhood. Both types of cruises have a ton to offer and are a great way to experience the world, meeting new people, exploring sites, celebrating the things that make us different and similar. Go into each with realistic expectations, knowing the kind of vacation experience you prefer. But I suggest giving both a chance since they are both a great way to travel.

-Story and photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough, Publisher and Managing Editor of RealFoodTraveler.com.