How to Choose a River Cruise

River cruising and ocean cruising are two very different beasts. Industry insiders will go so far as to claim the only thing they share is that both activities take place on water.

The differences are in the scale and facilities of the ships, the pace of life, the proximity of towns to mooring places and what's included in your cruise fare. The size of river cruise ships in Europe, the world's most popular river-cruising location, is particularly constrained by the narrow waterways and locks they navigate and the low-slung bridges under which they squeeze. The glitzy casinos, spas, cinemas, shops and multiple restaurants found on today's ocean-faring giants simply don't fit.