Why Are River Cruises so Expensive?

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River cruises can be a great way to explore places and start your cruising journey. While river cruises can be enjoyable and an overall fun experience, certain questions may arise when making such decisions. The river cruise cost is one of the major things that comes to people’s minds, and the whole question of why they cost so much oftentimes hinders them from opting for a river cruise. This article explores factors that contribute to river cruises' costing so much and what you’ll be experiencing for this kind of amount.

Why Does the River Cruise Cost This Much?

River cruises can seem a lot more expensive than ocean cruises, but this price is rightfully so, as some features are unique to river cruises. These features and factors have been listed below for your reference:

1. Smaller Ships

Ocean cruises usually have around 6,000 passengers and are extremely large to cater to this number as well. In comparison, river cruises are much smaller and also offer enough space for a maximum of 100 to 200 passengers at a time. 

Since passenger capacity is much lower but demand is the same, the costs for such trips are much higher. The ships are designed to provide first-class accommodations, with many cabins, including exclusive balconies and other luxury amenities. 

2. Inclusivity

You'll find a lot of all-inclusive river cruises that offer an array of amenities, such as meals, drinks, and daily excursions, as part of the overall cruise base fare. This contributes to the overall high pricing, as you'll find that ocean cruises are cheaper because these amenities are not offered with the base fare. This feature removes the worry you might have about any additional cost since everything is already included in the initial amount.

3. Higher-quality Food

With passenger numbers so low, chefs aboard river cruises are not required to make food in bulk and can focus on accommodating meals for every passenger. The smaller amount of food means that chefs create these dishes with more care and focus, which in turn provides a higher quality of food for all passengers aboard the ship.

4. High-quality Room Service

The high river cruise cost also comes because river cruises are smaller and cheaper vessels to build in comparison to their ocean counterparts. There is always space for upgrading and improving all rooms. You'll also find that the latest technology is more incorporated in river cruises than in ocean cruises that cater to thousands of passengers.

Another factor contributing to high-quality room services is the large number of crew members aboard such river cruises. Often, one Butler is allotted to every room on certain ships, which again raises the operation cost.

5. Destination and itinerary costs

River cruises usually take more scenic routes and have longer and more detailed excursion trips than ocean cruises. They frequently visit some of the most attractive and culturally rich areas, including European cities and beautiful landscapes along rivers. The costs of docking at these destinations and providing travelers with interesting land excursions may be more costly than those of traditional ocean cruises.

6. Limited Chances of Profit

This is because river cruises cannot offer large amenities such as spas, fitness areas, and specialty restaurants aboard the ship. Since river cruises cannot profit from such services, the majority of the prices are already included in the base fare, making them much more costly than ocean cruises.

How to Save Up on a River Cruise?

Now that you're aware of why river cruises cost so much, it's time to understand how you can save money while booking such kinds of cruises for your next vacation:

1. Booking in Advance: 

Planning and booking your river cruises in advance can provide you with a lot of perks. There are a lot of early bird discounts that you can avail yourself of if you book early. Not only that, but you can also avail discounts on your preferred staterooms by planning ahead of time.

2. Booking at the Last Minute:

Similar to booking in advance, if you are most spontaneous, you can wait until the last minute of the trip to make your bookings. Cruises usually use this time to fill in any unsold rooms that may be available, which can often lead to an overall drop in the cost.

3. Seasonality:

While you’ll find a lot of all-inclusive river cruises, the seasons in which you travel should also be given importance to save money. The summer season tends to see the highest travel demand. This results in much higher trip costs compared to the spring and fall seasons. Since cruises are looking to fill up empty spaces, costs usually drop during these seasons. This can help you save money while also experiencing a more quiet and inclusive vacation with fewer people around.

Conclusion

A river cruise cost may seem high, but once you learn and understand more about all that they have to offer, the cost becomes worth it. In comparison to ocean cruises, river cruises offer a lot more inclusivity in their packages. Not only this, but if you opt to go on a river cruise, it calls for a more personalized experience. All of these factors come together and justify the higher costs of river cruises. If you've been looking for a booking partner that offers the best cruise deals on a hassle-free booking process, then opt for CruiseBooking.com!