World’s best river cruises for 2015
When most people think of a cruise they think of a luxurious cruise liner travelling through a vast expanse of ocean. But this may very well be changing.
River cruises are growing in popularity to the point where travel expert Linda May Dinsmore described river cruises as one of the “hottest markets with travel agents” right now.
And it’s easy to see why. Before river cruising the easiest way to see multiple parts of Europe in a large group would’ve been a bus tour which requires frequency switching of hotels, waking up early, packing and unpacking. But a river cruise allows you to visit multiple destinations in luxury.
River cruises often offer exciting, once in a lifetime, special shore excursions, such as truffle hunting in France or an after-hours illumination of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice.
Image credit: Shutterstock / Igor Plotnikov
Cruise Critic recently announced an entirely separate section in their annual awards, dedicated solely for river cruising.
And the results are in! The big winner was Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, taking the titles for Best River Cruise Line, Best New River Ship and Best Shore Excursions.
Cruise Critic Best cruise lines — River, 2015
Best river cruise line: Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection
Best itineraries: Viking River Cruises
Best new river ship: S.S. Maria Theresa (Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection)
Best dining: AmaWaterways
Best cabins: Avalon Waterways
Best enrichment: Grand Circle Cruise Line
Best shore excursions: Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection
Best for active cruisers: AmaWaterways
Best value-for-money: Emerald Waterways
Hero image credit: Twitter / Jeff Titelius