This was our first river cruise, and we had great expectations. We had read reviews, talked to neighbors, and got mostly positive feedback. We pictured ourselves riding along the Rhine, Main and Danube, sitting on the sundeck and watching the castles go by.

There were a few days where that actually happened. But far more often, we were going through locks looking at the concrete walls (too many to count), sitting at a dock double parked (so you view is a suite on the other ship), or taking long bus rides (way too many).

Our understanding was that in some cases when the rivers are high, the ships might have a problem getting under bridges, but they just closed the upper deck and folded down the railings, etc. Well, the other problem is when the rivers are low. Then there is no solution except to pack up and ride a bus down the river to another boat, or finish your trip with a bus tour. Scenic usually has ships going in the opposite direction, but it was a 3 hour bus ride to the other ship, and then the next day we had to ride the buses back 2.5 hours each way to do the scheduled tours. Read more