First things first ... cost !!! At first sight, the cost of river cruising is off-putting, especially for those who have the benchmark of ocean cruising. BUT, it's important to remember what has been included in the price of a river cruise; typically: home-to-port/airport transfers, flights, overseas transfers, a wide variety of excursions whilst on the cruise, wine at dinner (sometimes at lunch too). The cost of the non-cruising element of a typical cruise must not be under-estimated - I've typically spent £50/day for excursions/trips and drinks on an ocean cruise.

If you are put off by the brochure price, the very cheapest way to river cruise is to try and pick up a cancellation. This means ringing operators DAILY asking if there have been any cancellations, and getting details. You must be ready to travel at the drop of a hat - not everyone's comfort zone, but you can get 50-60% off if you take the risk. The only down-side is that you get no choice of cabin - you get the cabin that would have otherwise been occupied by the person(s) who cancelled. This turned out to be important ... see the detailed review below.

Now the cruise: We sailed from the Amsterdam to Basel via Kinderdijk (Netherlands), Cologne, Koblenz, Heidelberg, Strasbourg, and Breisach over a 7-night/8-day period. Read more