Q – My next-door neighbor and his wife, who are far better traveled than we are, just returned from a river cruise where they said they got a great deal of knocking about as the ship progressed with the ship rising and falling and shuddering. They were on a longer Rhine/Danube cruise, something we are considering, so we are naturally concerned. My wife is deathly afraid of sea sickness and has never cruised for that reason. I thought a European cruise along the “quiet” waterways would alleviate her concerns. Love to know your thoughts.
A – Our first thought is that, perhaps, you should consider moving. Your neighbor is prone to exaggeration. The rivers in Europe just never get that rough. They are as smooth as advertised. Our suspicion is that they were traveling between Amsterdam and Budapest, a stretch that includes more than 100 locks where the ship can be lowered or raised. There can be some scrapping as the ship’s side brushes against walls or equipment and there is some creaking and churning. But that happens in our bedrooms at home. We try to warn you about anything really worth being concerned about when it comes to river cruising. This is not one of them.
