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Different
product, different culture
River cruise operators offer a litany of advantages
over other forms of travel: You pack and unpack once. You travel along
historic river trade routes on which great cities arose. You dock not in
harbors but in city centers within walking distance of favorite
attractions. There are no long days at sea. Each day the ship docks at a new city
or village. There is no seasickness. Fares include meals and shore
excursions.
Unlike traditional cruising, the attraction is the
destination rather than the onboard experience.
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Quotes from the Travel Industry Executives
“We’re different from ocean cruises. The ocean cruising industry is focused on
keeping people on the ship and generating on-board revenue. We’re focused
on getting them off the ship to experience the destination.”
“Although onboard amenities are evolving, I don’t
want to pretend that a ship can compete with Vienna, Prague, Amsterdam or Budapest.”
“The best of both the cruise world and the tour
world.”
“You get to know a region in depth and spend quite
a bit of time in the area without the inconvenience of changing hotels
every night or getting up early for motorcoach departures”
“You float between multiple areas of interest in
one day, and your hotel travels with you. You can go back to your cabin,
change, and take a nap whenever you want.”
“If you’re traveling from Cologne to Vienna, would
you rather do it on the deck of a ship -- looking up at the sunshine, able
to step off in villages along the way -- or would you rather do it on a
bus? “
“I know we love to say ‘deluxe motorcoach,’ but it’s
a bus on a highway. Most would say, ‘Yeah I’d rather move around.’ It’s a
much more civilized way to travel.”
“You know 95% of what you’re going to spend before
you leave.”
Mainstream and beyond
“A single “Cruise ship is 3,000 passengers. An average river cruise ship is 200
passengers.”
“The big-cruise industry is growing at an 8.5%
compounded rate. The river cruise business doubled in five years.”
River
cruises can also be tough for operators to manage.
“Like anything else, there’s a level of complexity
that doesn’t meet the eye at first glance,” “There are issues like high
water on the Elba River. When the rivers get too high, boats can’t pass under the
bridges.”
“Each river has its own personality and thus
creates different challenges. “
“This is the time of river and small-ship travel. I
think we’re just getting started.”
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