Why Are River Cruises EXPENSIVE? – The Truth Behind The Price

If you are considering your first river cruise, you might be wondering what you actually get for your money.

I’ve been on quite a few river cruises and I am always incredibly impressed with the value for money that they offer.

During this article, we will look into everything that a river cruise fare includes.

Why Are River Cruises Expensive?

River cruises often appear expensive because they include a lot compared to land-based vacations or mainstream ocean cruises.

As a general rule river cruises include food, drinks with meals and often some excursions. River cruising is a luxurious way to travel, and the price reflects this.

There is a lot of variety within the river cruise industry when it comes to what is included in the cruise fare.

Budget river cruise lines like Tui include less, but their fares are considerably cheaper in the first place.

River Cruise Lines Have High Crew Costs Due to High Standards of Service

River cruise ships typically only have around 100-150 passengers.

For a ship of this size, there will be around 50 crew members which means that the crew are able to give a very high standard of service to all guests.

On some of the most luxurious river cruise lines, each cabin will have a Butler who is on call for guests whenever they need anything.

On a river cruise, the same crew members may have multiple jobs to complete.

For example, the waiters in the main bar may also work as waiters in the dining rooms during dinner.

This is one of the reasons why you really do get to know the crew on board, you see them all day every day!

The Crew of River Cruise Ships Live Onboard

The crew lives on the river ships and, unlike ocean cruise ships, do not have designated crew areas.

This means that even when the crew isn’t technically working, they’ll be found all over the ship and are always happy to chat with guests.

What Are Activities Managers on Cruises?

The first river cruise I took was with Emerald. All Emerald cruises have an Activities Manager on board in addition to a cruise director and other cruise staff.

Our activities manager was an amazing man was Drazen, we quickly became friends with him and he even took us out for a drink!

Drazen was responsible for things like aqua aerobics, gameshows, guided walks, and hikes.

We joined Drazen almost every day for an afternoon walk or hike. One afternoon we hiked up a mountain and when we got to the top Drazen pulled 5 bottles of water out of his bag and offered them to the guests!

I found it hard to believe that he had carried the extra bottles to the top, we each carried one up and that was hard enough.

This is just one example of how friendly and helpful the crew can be on river cruises.

Another example was on the Saga River cruise I took. Our Cruise Director Charlie made a point of telling guests when they should turn on and turn off airplane modes on their phones to avoid charges.

River Cruise Lines Have High Food Costs Because The Quality Is High

On almost all river cruises you’ll find that all food onboard is included.

There are some exceptions to this, of course, some budget lines have specialist options but generally speaking, river cruise lines include all food.

What is The Quality of Food Like on a River Cruise?

The quality of food on river cruises is some of the best that I’ve ever experienced. Below is an example menu from my Emerald River cruise.

At a minimum, there will be a choice of starter, main, and dessert for every meal. On some river ships, you may find that you have five or more courses!

Due to the smaller number of guests, it’s often easier for the kitchen crew to amend or change dishes for those with special dietary requirements.

Allergens were clearly marked on the Emerald menu, and the menu was available to view before mealtimes. I loved this as I often had decided what I wanted for dinner before I even entered the dining room.

What Food Options Are There on River Cruises?

On most of my river cruises the breakfast was buffet style with lunch and dinner being waiter service.

In addition to the main dining room, there is usually a second option for breakfast and lunch where guests can eat if they don’t want to eat in the main dining room.

I often ate the ‘lighter’ lunch option when I didn’t want to dine in the main dining room. The food was just as good.

When I took a luxury river cruise with Uniworld, the food was fantastic. Find out everything I ate (complete with pictures) when I was onboard here:

Here’s Everything I Ate on a Luxury River Cruise (Main Meals, Buffet and More)

During our Emerald River cruise, we had the most amazing BBQ on the top deck.

We were all chatting with each other in the sun, and the waiters were bringing wine and beer. It was incredible.

Some River Cruises Don’t Charge for Basic Excursions

On almost all river cruises, at least some excursions are included. On some river cruise lines, daily excursions are included.

The included excursions are usually a combination of a walking tour with bus elements, and they’re often run by local guides.

In addition to the included excursions, there are usually excursions that guests can pay extra for should they want to take part in a certain activity.

The Budget River cruise line Tui doesn’t include excursions as standard, although on my first sailing with them, they gave us a discount code worth £120 off excursions.

Find out all about that river cruise here:

River Cruises Sometimes Include Bike Tours

Many river cruise lines will offer bike tours free of charge to their guests.

Several lines also have bikes that they keep onboard which guests can take off the ship if they want to explore by themselves.

Bicycle tours usually require quests to sign up ahead of time, and there are limited spaces available.

River Cruises Sometimes Include Daily Walks

In addition to the included excursions, there may be the opportunity to go on other included activities like guided walks or hikes.

During our Emerald River cruise, we tried to take part in as many activities as we could – and ended up with at least one tour, or usually two tours, per day.

The daily walks were a great opportunity to get to know the other guests. I’m not sure why, but the people on the river cruises are just so friendly.

It’s one of the main reasons why it’s almost impossible to get bored on a river cruise. To find out why river cruises definitely aren’t boring and to learn what you can expect to get up to onboard, check out this post:

Are River Cruises Boring? Some People Say Yes – I Don’t! Here’s Why.

On River Cruises Drinks Are Usually Included With Meals

Almost all river cruise lines do include some drinks within the cruise fare. It may be all drinks, or it may be drinks at mealtimes.

On the river ships I have sailed on, tea and coffee have always been available free of charge, and you can buy any extra drinks you would like (if they aren’t included.)

What Drinks Are Included on River Cruises?

The most common option for included drinks is that beer, wine, and soft drinks will be included with meals.

This means that the free drinks are available in the main dining room when meals are being served and also in the main lounge at the same time.

You will probably find that you spend very little extra on drink when you are on a river cruise because of this.

Dinner can often last a long time and with the drinks flowing guests are rarely in a rush to leave the dining room!

Top Tip: Make sure that you have a full glass before you leave the main dining room. You can take it with you to your cabin or into the lounge to continue your evening.

Some River Cruise Lines Include ALL Drinks 

On some river cruise lines, all drinks are included at all times. These tend to be the more premium cruise lines like Uniworld, but there are quite a few river cruise lines that offer this option.

Guests on river cruises don’t really tend to drink to excess as they are busy exploring the ports or enjoying the food onboard.

River Cruise Lines Dock Centrally and Pay For The Privilege 

On ocean cruises, you’ll often find that the port where you dock is miles away from the place that you want to visit.

If you are visiting “London” on an ocean cruise ship, you’ll probably be docked in Southampton – which is around 80 miles or 90 minutes on a train away from London.

Actually getting into the city can be an added expense that can really add up, especially if there are multiple people in your family or group.

One of the main advantages of river cruising is that the ships dock right in the centre of the town or city.

You very rarely have to commute to visit your destination and you’ll usually be able to just wander off the ship and wander back whenever you wish.

Although the cruise fare is more expensive, far more is included than on an ocean cruise. You are unlikely to spend any additional money on excursions or public transport.

If you would prefer a river cruise with more activity, why not consider a Cruise, Barge and Bike holiday? I had a fantastic time on the two cruises I took.

Find out more about these amazing biking holidays here:

Before You Go

Find out what I packed for a European winter markets river cruise here:

What I Packed For a European WINTER River Cruise (Essentials, Clothes and More)

Find out what is included in a Barge and Bike cruise here:

What Is Included On A Bike And Barge Cruise?(Food, Excursions, Bike Hire and More)