Research suggests 85% of American parents are planning to travel with their children in the next year.

City vacations are experiencing a rebound, with the percentage of families taking a family trip increasing from 34% in 2021 to 65% in 2022. A river cruise is a good alternative as city vacations become more popular.

River cruising is more than making a leisurely trip along a picturesque waterway. It’s an educational, enriching experience for the whole family. Visiting castles and historic ports of call helps foster a love for geography and culture. River cruising offers children a range of opportunities to learn and grow while creating lasting family memories.

Five Reasons To Take a River Cruise

River cruising often incorporates smaller cities and historical sites not ordinarily accessible by larger ships while offering educational value. Taking the kids on these unique trips can be a fun, family-friendly travel experience. What can families expect if they take children on a river cruise?

Live History Lessons in Historic Cities

Historic cities along river cruise routes offer families easy access to enriching educational and cultural experiences. These urban city centers, steeped in centuries of history, serve as living classrooms for children where you can link history to the current curriculum.

Travelers can also have experiences linked to significant historical events, such as world wars and other landmark events. For example, tourists can attend the nightly “Last Post” at the Menin Gate on a Rhine River cruise in Belgium or take a World War II Remembrance cruise from Paris to Normandy. These experiences fit well with many schools’ curriculums.

Exploring ancient architecture, hearing stories of past civilizations, and participating in cultural food experiences can help young travelers absorb real-life lessons while creating family memories.

Find Disney Magic on The River

While a river cruise may not sound like a trip where you encounter Disney, some mouse-adjacent experiences are available during these excursions.

River cruises often travel past real-life castles that inspired movies and books. These fortresses along the riverbanks transport children into the pages of their favorite stories and can bring those tales to life.

From the turrets of Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, which inspired Disney’s iconic Cinderella Castle, to the Château de Chambord, which resembles the castle in Beauty and the Beast, river cruising unveils a world of imagination.

Each river has its own impressive locations to explore. The Danube River, for instance, features the Bratislava castle and the white-turreted Castelo of Schloss Artstetten, as well as the Burg Katz sitting on a hilltop along the Rhine.

Guided Tours Included in a River Cruise

Guided tours and engaging activities are part of a river cruise experience; these cruise lines often include the excursions in the trip’s price.

AmaWaterways also offers child-friendly excursions. These planned experiences allow families to explore, learn, and create lasting memories together without having to do the preparation ahead of time.

Guided tours and activities foster a sense of togetherness, sparking conversations and building shared memories for the years ahead.

Luxury Accommodations

River cruising allows families to travel comfortably and in style within a boutique environment. The ships are smaller than large ocean ships and provide a cozy, relaxed atmosphere, allowing families to connect as they cruise.

Some cruise lines now cater to families with well-appointed cabins. Arosa River Cruises offers family cabins onboard ArosaSena that accommodate larger families and regular cabins, a kids’ club, and a kids’ pool.

Parents looking for luxury can enjoy an atmosphere that combines the comforts of a boutique hotel with the knowledge that the kids will enjoy an adventure on the river with the opportunity to explore.

Lucia Rowe, managing director of A-ROSA River Cruises UK & Ireland, says, “A-ROSA SENA is the only tailor-made river cruise ship for families and a great choice for all nationalities, including Americans who want to discover Europe. One of the best things about river cruising is that your ship takes guests into the heart of a range of cities and towns so you get to see so much, all with only having to unpack once – something that families love.”

Our ships are so welcoming, and whatever families want to do during their holiday, river cruising on A-ROSA SENA is the perfect environment for that.”

Access to Hard-To-Reach Destinations

River cruises offer trips on rivers worldwide, with a wide range of destinations. Whether travelers want to explore European cities like Budapest along the Danube or the ancient temples along the river Nile, a river cruise suits many preferences without requiring long car or bus journeys.

The Douro River travels through Portugal and Spain while the Moselle twists its way through the vineyards and hills of Luxembourg, France, and Germany.

These places are often harder to reach by plane or cruise ship, and transfer times take up part of the vacation. River cruising enables you to hop off the ship in a remote part of the world with smaller towns and cities within walking distance.

Is River Cruising for Families?

Exploring a range of destinations on a boutique-style ship makes river cruising a good choice for kids’ vacations. With a blend of comfort, convenience, and cultural immersion, they are an increasingly popular choice for families seeking a fulfilling travel experience.

These excursions combine adventure and relaxation as families make memories sailing the world’s most scenic rivers.

This article was produced by Cruising For All and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.

Donna Vallance | Wealth of Geeks undefined