River Cruising - That's Entertainment

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What's evening entertainment like on a river cruise?

Dinner was over and the night was still young. Passengers gathered  in the lounge for some entertainment. Unlike ocean going cruise ships, river vessels don't have the room for large theaters. Instead, the lounge is the focal point for entertainment. This makes entertainment very intimate with everyone gathered around in a circle around the "stage".

Most nights during our Avalon Waterways Rhine & Moselle river cruise, Jerry, the pianist, performed while passengers danced the night away.   

One night the crew put on a talent show for us. The Hotel Director served as master of ceremonies for the night's entertainment. He started by playing the piano for us.  He then brought out several crew members to perform.   

Watch these videos to see how talented they were. 

 

Avalon Artistry II Crew Show 2

Avalon Artistry II Crew Show 3

The After Party

After dinner and dancing, enjoy a late night snack in the lounge. Unwind with your favorite cocktail.  In the videos, you saw how talented the bar tenders were - maybe they'd put on a second act if you asked them to.

If you prefer lounge acts to Broadway performances on your ocean cruises, you will be happy with the entertainment on board a river cruise.   If not, then perhaps you'll just want to head to your cabin to relax before exploration begins again in the morning.

 

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Dining on a River Cruise

What's a typical evening onboard a river cruise like? 

When we last left our exploration of a river cruise, in River Cruise Anatomy - Safety First,  we'd had our safety briefing, welcome cocktail party, and port talk from the Cruise Director.  It's now time for our first meal onboard the vessel.  We'll use our Avalon Waterways Rhine & Moselle river cruise for real examples throughout this mini-series.

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Dining on a River Cruise

Dining on a river cruise is very similar to the large cruise ship experience, but on a smaller scale.  

Each evening the menu will offer starters, appetizers, main courses, and desserts that are unique, as well as selections that are always available.

On Avalon, several wine and beer selections are also offered - some for free, and others at reduced pricing. Most other lines are similar.

Our Dinner Selections

• Lamb's Lettuce with Potato-Bacon Dressing
• "Zuricher Geschnetzeltes" Pan fried strips of Veal Loin in Creamy Mushroom Sauce served with Rosti Potatoes
• Classic Vanilla Custard with Berries
• Freshly Sliced Fruit

View the rest of the menu in our photo album: Artistry 2 - Embarkation Dinner

Dining Room with a View

Dining on an Avalon river cruise is open seating.  There were several different size tables for you to select from.   Pictured here was a typical table for six. 

You'll notice the large picture windows in the background.   We had a front row seat for all the action as our ship entered one of the 35 locks we'd traverse during the cruise.  If you look at the rest of the pictures in our photo album, you'll see that we were lowered quite a few feet before our ship exited the lock.  Also, the sun was setting making for an enjoyable backdrop.

The evening isn't over - stay tuned to see what's next.

 

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River Cruise Anatomy - Safety First

At the conclusion of our last post, Anatomy of a River Cruise, you were relaxing in your cabin before dinner.  You checked out the schedule in more detail while you were relaxing in your cabin.   We continue our anatomy lesson with what happened next.

 

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Schedule at a Glance

Besides the printed schedule that was on your bed in the cabin, the computer monitor in the lobby had the day's events posted. You could also pull up the schedule, as well as other information, on the TV in your cabin.

It is very easy to find out about the schedule.

Safety Exercise

All passengers assembled on the sky deck at 6:15 PM where they were provided with a life jacket. Unlike large ocean cruise ships, the life jackets are stored in compartments on the open top deck. Instructions were given on how to put on the vests and after everyone was accounted for, we returned them and headed to the lounge for the actual safety briefing.

Our Cruise Director (CD), Mark, introduced the First Captain who welcomed us onboard and introduced the rest of the crew.  Mark then took over and provided the safety briefing.   In the event of an emergency, we would assemble on the sky deck where we'd be given life preservers like we were in the exercise.


Port Talk

Prior to dinner every evening, our CD held a briefing about the next day's activities.  On this first evening, he gave an overview of the first few days by showing us a presentation.   Most days started with an included excursion in the morning, followed by lunch, and one or more optional excursions in the afternoon.  There were some days where we'd have an afternoon sailing to our next destination.  Some days included overnight stays, where we could explore on our own in the evening if desired.

Following the talk, there were sign-up sheets for those passengers that had pre-booked included and optional excursions or for those that might have changed their minds after hearing more about the ports.  

​We hope you are hungry - it's time for the Embarkation Dinner, which deserves it's own post.

By now you should see some similarities and differences between ocean and river cruising.

 

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Anatomy of a River Cruise

​So you want to go on your first river cruise and you don't know what to expect.  We'll walk you through the cruise from start to finish.

If you've been on ocean cruises before, and not on a river cruise, you'd notice several differences upon arrival at the embarkation port. You'll probably first notice it's a much smaller ship with not as many people. Perhaps one of the most dramatic, and welcome differences, will be how easy the embarkation process is.

Pre-Cruise Option

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We will assume a European river cruise for the purposes of this post.   Since most passengers are traveling from overseas, the cruise line offers a pre-cruise package.  Selecting this option takes all the extra planning out of the equation and offers the most seamless experience.

You arrive at your destination one or two days before the cruise departure and are either met at the airport or you can arrange your own transportation to the pre--cruise hotel.  Let's assume you have the first day to explore on your own.  Most hotels have mid-afternoon check-in times, but they can store your baggage so that you aren't held hostage to your bags until then.  You can then explore the city until later in the day.

The day of your cruise there are two choices:  a pre-cruise excursion (usually at an extra cost ) or transportation to the pier.  In either case, when you arrive at the ship, you'll drop off your baggage and meet in the lounge on the ship.   The crew will take care of your checked bags.

Embarkation will take place in the ship's lounge.  Someone from the crew will come around and check you in and then the staff will give a short briefing about the evening's events.   After a champagne toast and introduction of the crew, it's time to head to your cabin to freshen up before dinner.

Welcome Aboard Briefing

Each evening you'll gather in the lounge for a briefing about the next day's tour options.   On most cruise lines, there will be included excursions and there may be optional excursions available for additional cost.   Most tours will have different groups so that you can participate at your own pace.  Walking tours for example will have slow pace and fast pace at a minimum.  

Besides the briefing, there usually is a cocktail hour before dinner.   Most lines have open seating for dinner so you can meet different people throughout the cruise or stay with your own group.

To Be Continued ...

You've had an enjoyable day at the pre-cruise excursion.  You've already made some new friends during the past two days, and you are planning to meet them for dinner.  It's time to relax a bit before the evening festivities. 

 

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