Dr. Krystal Sodaitis welcomes Sydney from The Poodle Booked It and River Cruising Masterclass to explore the growing river cruise market, new cruise lines, luxury innovations, family-friendly options, and concerns about overcrowding and overtourism across Europe’s rivers.
Are river cruises entering a golden age, or is the industry heading toward overcrowded waterways?
In this episode of Luxury Cruising, Dr. Krystal Sodaitis welcomes Sydney to discuss the growing river cruise market, emerging cruise lines, luxury experiences, and what travellers should consider when choosing their next river cruise.
From Explora Journeys and Celebrity River Cruises to Viva, Trafalgar, Lindblad, and Century Cruises, Sydney explains how new brands are developing distinct experiences. They also discuss family-friendly amenities, culinary adventures, shorter itineraries, and expedition-style excursions, alongside concerns about overcrowding, overtourism, sustainability, and the long-term viability of new cruise operators.
Discover the newest river cruise brands, their unique selling points, and how growing competition may reshape pricing, itineraries, and the river cruising experience.
Episode Highlights:
About the Guest:
Sydney Schellinger is a lifelong cruiser who fell in love with river cruising in 2021 and set a goal to sail as many as possible. She created the River Cruising Masterclass Podcast to answer the many questions travelers have about the wide range of river cruise lines and experiences. As a travel advisor, she helps clients match their style, budget, and travel companions to the perfect river (or ocean) itinerary.
Connect with the Guest:
Website: The Poodle Booked It
Social media: @Traveladvisorsydney
Email: sydney@thepoodlebookedit.com
About the Host:
Dr. Krystal Sodaitis is a pediatrician, executive, and life coach for neurodiverse physicians—and the passionate host behind Luxury Cruising. She brings expert insight and honest excitement to every interview, helping curious travelers elevate their adventures at sea.
📍 Website: luxurycruising.net
📧 Email: luxurycruisingpodcast@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/krystalsodaitis
📝 Looking for the perfect luxury cruise: Take our quiz
👥 Want to be a guest? Fill out this form to connect.
Looking for the perfect spa experience: Spa table
[00:00:00] Welcome back to Luxury Cruising. We are live on YouTube. Yeah. I am here with Sydney from The Poodle Booked It, also host of the River Cruising Masterclass. And I asked Sydney to join me on this YouTube Live because she also has a couple of amazing YouTube channels.
Sydney, you wanna talk about your channels? Yeah. I have the River Cruising Masterclass, which is under my YouTube, with The Poodle Booked It, and we honestly talk about river cruising all the time. we're currently doing a fun series where we are actually talking about all of the top... It was 15, I keep adding to it every single time we talk, river cruise companies that are out there and what that looks like for the market, and who that cruise line is for.
Yeah. So I was one of those people that was just so excited when Explore Journeys announced that that they had had an agreement with a ship builder that they were going [00:01:00] to be moving into the river cruising market. what did you think when you saw that announcement?
my first thought was, I don't know if they've done ocean long enough to hop into a new area when we still are finalizing that, if you want my personal opinion. But it's also just there's a lot of different companies that are throwing their hat into the ring when it comes to river cruising.
so it's exciting, but it's also a little bit nerve-wracking in terms of, what that looks like for, overcrowding in the rivers- Yeah ... 'cause there's only so many places for them to go. So that is, I guess the high level of it because in the last year there's been, I think, five cruise lines that have either started brand new or are announcing new river cruises, for the same rivers that, have hundreds of ships on them already.
Yeah. With established cruise lines, and established [00:02:00] cruise lines aren't stopping either. I think I just saw today that, Viking either floated out or took, possession of two new longships. Yeah. So Viking is the number one cruise line out there, and they have, I think, over 120 ships already.
and the second largest is gonna be AmaWaterways, and they are going from 32, which is where they're at now, to over 50 by 2032. So we're talking six years and they're gonna have 50 river cruises on the market. So everyone is doubling down. and I know that it's a huge market and everyone wants to do it.
It's my favorite way to travel. I can't argue with it. But we are definitely getting to a point of understanding, what this looks like for the future. Yeah. Before we get to any of the other ones, what are you thinking that Explora is gonna be what are they adding to the market?
What's their signature gonna be?
I think it's more like MSC [00:03:00] coming into the market, 'cause I think it's also, gonna be a play like Celebrity is doing. 'Cause Celebrity's philosophy was, we're not gonna take from any other cruise line. We are basically doing this for our brand loyal customers who have wanted us on the rivers.
so I think Explora is the like, luxury end of MSC. So those people who are usually doing like, the yacht club with MSC or Explora, that's who I think is going to be the key market. I haven't seen anything yet about what they're bringing different to the cruising experience. Because everyone has their, little tiny thing that makes them different from everyone else.
... and so that's where I don't know how they're gonna fit into the feel already, and who's out there. Yeah, and that's a really interesting perspective thatI knew that about Celebrity. So Celebrity also announced maybe like two years [00:04:00] ago that they were gonna be entering the river cruise market.
They're starting with two ships, and they start, uh, next fall, right? 2027, August, something like that? Yeah. Yes. And they're starting with two ships, that the renderings look gorgeous, and I think that they announced that they were going up to 10 ships. and so, like the sort of the thought behind that was that, they wanna take loyal Celebrity- passengers, loyal Celebrity guests who maybe have done, the Med 100 times and they've done the Caribbean a bunch, and they want to move over to river.
And instead of trying a brand new cruise line, they will just go with something that is familiar, tried and true. They sort of know the Celebrity brand. And so to think that Explora and MSC is kind of taking a page from that, I hadn't even considered it, but I think so. I mean, I think that Explora is really [00:05:00] developing a very loyal base.
I know I'm dying to get on an Explora Journey ship. It looks gorgeous ... and for you, you don't even really like ocean that much or you're been there, done that. But still, like it's such a draw. And I can see how if they're sort of following-- And look, I know there are a lot of MSC haters out there.
I'm not an MSC hater, but also as someone who sails Royal Caribbean a lot, like their ships are kind of like Royal Caribbean copies. Like come on. I mean, all of the mega ships are copies of each other if you get down to the bones of it because they're all made by the same ship builder.
Yeah. you know, they all have their different flair on how they do things, but that's gonna be the same as the river, right? So for the, every ship has to be a certain size to get through the canals, and the locks. So you are not going to have anything crazy in terms of size difference. And so really, like river cruising is about the software.
[00:06:00] Like the hardware is all the same. So the software is where all of these cruise lines have to distinguish themselves in what they're gonna be offering on the rivers. Yeah. Yeah. So what do you think for Explora the software is going to be? How are they gonna distinguish themselves? right now they're really known for, the heavy spa and, 'cause they have, I think, like, nine or 10 spa features on their Explora ships, the salt rooms, the pools, just the, quiet luxury of their product, as well as a great, food situation.
It's not like their ocean ships include excursions. ... They do have a very large footprint, because their entry-level suite is, like, 350 square feet, give or take. so they're very much known for just that, the feeling. Now, I will say that they are one of the only luxury cruise lines that is more pro-kids.
So I'm hoping they're gonna bring that into [00:07:00] their river cruise, so that those people who are wanting to bring their kids might have a better option than what's available now. most of the river cruise lines accept children, but I would be interested to see if maybe they make it their approach to instead of just accepting children, to be kid-friendly, which will be, like, having rooms that can fit more people in them, setting themselves that way.
Because, they're one of the only luxury cruise lines that has a actual kids' club or places where you can drop off the children. and so that's something that I would be interested to see if they bring onto the rivers. Yeah, that is a good point. Yeah, I have heard that as well about Exploras, that they are definitely more kid-friendly, than the other luxury lines.
And so, yeah, whether it be rooms that can sleep more than two people, more connecting rooms. I mean, I know Riverside, I think, has some connecting rooms, but they're probably only a handful. Yeah. [00:08:00] AmaWaterways does as well, because they are used by Adventures by Disney.
Uniworld has some ships as well as, Tauck, because they both do kids programs throughout the summer and Christmas months. So it's not that there isn't something out there, but there just isn't a, like, a 365 one. Because, Tauck and Uniworld only do it at certain times where they're have kid-friendly programming.
Because they'll change it, and they'll actually have extra excursions that focus more on engaging that sort of piece of it. So that's where I think, would be an interesting approach if they were to take it. What do you think, because MSC is such an international, really European-based cruise line, and they're one of the only, like, European cruise lines that has made the sort of like crossed the ocean to try and tackle the North American market.
Like P&O, even though they're owned by Carnival, like [00:09:00] you don't see P&O ships here.Not successfully. but again, most of them aren't. But I, I think it's just, as you, what you're probably asking is how are they gonna change the approach?
Or- Well, I'm just wondering if that, when we're talking about attracting more families, does the fact that they may have more of a European base increase the number of families? 'Cause obviously cruise lines wanna make money, and if they can't make money th- because families just aren't river cruising, they're not gonna do it.
So I guess I'm just, like, trying to root for the families out there that wanna bring their kids on a river cruise. and to make it more successful, do they think maybe more European families, not just North American families, but European families, Australian families, international families, will go on Explore Journeys River because MSC is an international cruise line?
Does that make sense? Yeah, I don't think that really is going to matter, in terms of it being, like, [00:10:00] an international, because, Scenic and Emerald is an Australian brand, so they have their kind of setup. Riviera Travel is a UK brand, and they are going to have a more European, feel to their ships.
And percentage of people on a river cruise that is not American is going to be Riviera. They're, like, 60/40, uh, UK, to, like, American or, non-UK. so I don't know if it's gonna matter. I don't know if it's going to change how they approach it. I think it'll depend on if the US market is in charge of developing the program or if, the European headquarters is going to take more of approach.
Because I think it'll change based on who their target audience is, which I assume- is going to be Americans. which means that they're going to kind of, focus on that piece versus, like, the Europeans. 'Cause most Europeans, while they like the idea of river cruising, it's not, like, their [00:11:00] top travel option either.
Interesting. I didn't know that. So it's really, river cruising, is it more geared towards, like, North Americans than- or not geared toward North Americans, but is that generally there are more North Americans on river cruise ships across all brands than Europeans? 100%. I didn't know that. Good to know.
Yeah. Well, Europeans just feel a lot more comfortable traveling, domestically through all of the different countries and cities than we do. they also don't hate as much having to pack and repack. And so it's a similar concept where you will have older travelers, who will do it just for the ease.
But ... in, you know, the North American market you're more likely to get younger to go on a river cruise just because they do like how everything is included or they don't have to pack and repack every night. so there's a bunch of pieces like that, which is one of the reasons why I like river cruising.
but the European market is not as strong as the North American for river cruising. [00:12:00] Interesting. Wow. let's move to the cruise line that you talked about a little bit on the last time you were on the podcast, which is Viva. ... has Viva started sailing already? Yes. Viva has been in the waters I think in, since 2025, '24.
basically what Viva is a shipyard, and the shipyard who creates, Tauck, Riviera, and I believe there's one more, was like, why is there a separation between the ships that we build and us actually being in the market? And so they took, their ship builders, and so that is their parent company, and created Viva.
And so Viva is, I think they have, five or six ships. And they've actually also introduced the Viva boutique brand, and I'm very excited about that because they're actually gonna be doing the Po River in Italy. It's the only
cruise line that's actually [00:13:00] going up the Po River.
So there's one cruise line right now that does the Venetian Canal, and that's Uniworld. And basically it's the, river that goes from the Venetian Canal. So it starts in Venice and it goes up, into Italy,near Milan. it's new and developing.
It's not something that I'd recommend for a first-time Italy traveler. But it is, an option for someone who wants to kind of experience a different piece of it, Awesome.
so that sounds really cool. And what value, other than, like, this new river that,did you say Taok and Uniworldyou're talking about Italy? Yes. so Uniworld does the Venetian Peninsula, so basically, like, the little tiny part where Venice is, they kinda go up and down it and do that.
There's only one, uh, river cruise line that's gonna go up the Po River, which is going to be the Venetian Canal up towards kind of Milan. It doesn't actually [00:14:00] get there, but that's gonna be Viva. Okay. The Po River. That's what I could not remember. Yeah. So wow, that sounds really cool. I am so excited to honestly get on it, but kind of experience it.
I think it's gonna be one of those things where it is in development. It is definitely not for someone who's, again, as I said, a first-time trip to Italy, 'cause it's not hitting any of those, like, highlights or the big pieces. It's for someone who wants to kinda go into that, region and
It's gonna be so great for those foodies who want to do that. They're gonna have cooking classes. They're gonna pull it all together, and it's part of their boutique brand, which is going to be more of their upscale, brand with Viva. 'cause they're also doing the Beyond on the Seine. but those are their two, it's like the upscale of their own Viva brand.
Oh, interesting. So within [00:15:00] Viva, they're going to have different categories of
ships or experiences?
yeah. So basically they have two different, categories, Viva and then Viva Boutique
so with Viva, you're going to get at least one shore excursion included in every trip as well as drinks on board and things like that. Uh, with their boutique product, it's where they're just gonna go into a little bit more of a luxury end. you gonna have a couple of options for your shore excursion.
They're gonna go a little bit more in depth in terms of, like, the, quality of the rooms, less people on board. really just elevating the experience, which is why they're doing more unique things like the Venetian Canal, like, the Seine That sounds fantastic. I love that. And is that like their, going to be their marker?
you know, what are they, what do... Other than this boutique experience, is there anything else on the, non-boutique experience [00:16:00] that they are hoping to bring to river cruising or bring to the river cruising market? So I would put them into like the premium category. So they're working on competing against, like Viking and, those different cruise lines.
They are really great though for shorter ship, cruises. So they have a lot of three to five to six day where they're kind of going into some more unique areas and putting in those things, which I think is great to elevate river cruising to people who don't wanna spend seven days on a ship but still want to go on it.
so like if it fits to do, five days on the main canal instead of doing, you know, seven days from, you know, Amsterdam to Basel, but, and then have another, five days here or there, that's something that you can do with them. but they're very much focused on not having to have a lot of extras once you get on board, so less things that are cost.
[00:17:00] it's one of those things where they have a great price point for everything they're offering because they don't have a certain name attached to it. They don't have anything like that. Uh, the only negative though is like they don't have any contracts for like air, so people who want like everything put together for them would definitely like recommend using a travel advisor so they can kinda help put all of the extra pieces together because that's not something that the cruise line is going to do for you.
Awesome. I think you know a good travel advisor, so if people want- I know one. I think I know someone that could help someone out with that if they were looking to, I don't know what you're talking about. But I know that we've been talking about just new cruise lines, so I might as well just blow your mind on those that have started in the last year or are starting next year.
Yes, please. Um, okay. do you know the brand Trafalgar that does group- Yes ... group, group tours? They are now in river cruising as well. They started at the beginning [00:18:00] of this year, and they have two ships, and they have a third coming out next year. what it is, is Trafalgar is owned by the TTC Cruise group, so it's Trafalgar Touring Company, and that brand owns about 20 to 25 touring brands, and one of those is Uniworld.
So what you're getting is you're getting an older Uniworld ship that has been retrofitted for a Trafalgar tour customer. because what they figured out is that a lot of people who are on a Trafalgar trip don't want to step up into a Uniworld product because it is a more of a luxury product versus Trafalgar, which is a premium product.
And so they've brought in the Trafalgar River Cruise to kind of be that barrier, for those that want to experience it. But they are still gonna have the Be My Guest experience, which is something they're kind of bringing to the rivers where it's that, like, Nana's cooking class, those pieces like that, that they're really stepping into [00:19:00] it, into setting that up.
One of the great things is that they are, have such a great history of touring that is gonna be their specialty is the fact that they have those amazing guides in all of these cities. Yeah, that sounds amazing. And they're British, aren't they? Trafalgar? Is it British? I mean, the name itself, but it's very much like an American touring company.
Okay. Yeah So maybe I just thought, I guess because of Trafalgar Square, I just figured, oh, this is a British company, but maybe not. Maybe. I honestly, I could Google it. you have the Trafalgar Square, yes. we've talked about celebrity- Mm-hmm
and how celebrity is focusing on that, and they're starting next year. the renditions look gorgeous. I'm excited for the plunge pool on the back. they've definitely pulled out all of the stops in terms of it. and they are focusing on, you know, like, multiple dining venues. Add some drinks, you know, like, a couple of bars, like a martini bar, kind of taking the essence of what they're known for on the [00:20:00] ocean, bringing that into river.
They are doing it where they have, three or four different types of shore excursions, and one of the new ones that they've introduced is where basically it's like you'll have an app, and they'll kind of, you can follow along, and they'll have guides at stops. like, if you were in Vienna, you would go to,
St. Stephen's Cathedral, and instead of, being with a tour group, you would meet a guide there who would explain everything to you, and then you would go off to the next point- Oh, that's so cool ... and have a tour. So it's so that you don't feel like you're like, "I'm following the leader," because that's something that people don't wanna do.
and so that is that. So if you felt comfortable to, you know, kind of explore on your own but still wanna get those highlights, that is what they're, like, test piloting as the idea that they're going for. And then you can also just listen on your phone if you wanted to, but the idea is that some of the main points would have guides
there, to talk through it.
that sounds [00:21:00] like a Rick Steves. Have you ever
Heard of those, like, Rick Steves, ... like, step-by-step walking tours that you listen to him, and they're like, "If you look up, you can see a building,"
and you're like- ... "Oh gosh, there is a
building."
And so, except that it's like, "And now take two steps. go down two doors and walk into this bakery and talk to Mario, who is waiting to explain to you how they create their singure- signature croissants." And then you walk in and you're like, "Hi, can I talk to Mario?" And he just does his thing, and you move on.
that, in theory, is what's going to happen. again, nothing is set in stone at the moment because, what they say now versus what they do in the future. Also, if the ships aren't completely full, I don't know the cost of having multiple tour guides on top of having, the normal other ways.
I don't know how they've determined what the, cost add versus value. So that is some of the things that I think about, on everything like that. but that's kind of what they're bringing into it, as well as they've redesigned some of the suites, which look really nice. like they have one that has, [00:22:00] like, an overhead view where you can just, like, look at the stars vi- feel.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Where you can just, like- I- ... lay in your bed and kind of like a a sunroof in your stateroom. Yeah. I just don't know how that'll look, though. Like, how are they gonna block off that area on the top deck for people not to walk over you and you can just be like, "Oh, who's down there?"
You know? Yeah. I'm not sure. Yeah, that has to be, like, its own little area on the top. Yeah. And then you have to be able to, like, draw the blinds because otherwise, like, you wake up, like, the minute the sun's up you're like, "I'm up now." That's, yeah, that's true. You'd have to have, like, a press button.
You know, my, I'm usually- Yeah ... on the bottom of the ship, so it's never been a problem for me Yeah, when we get there, we'll tell you people. Yeah. We'll tell the whole audience exactly how it works when we get there. When I make it, I'll let you know,Yeah. Yes. When Celebrity invites me to- Yeah ... you know, try out- Celebrity
their signature suite, I'll let you know. Yeah. and then another one that hasn't really gotten a [00:23:00] lot of attention is, I don't know if you've heard of Lindblad. Yes.
they're such small ships,
they now
have a river cruise. and are they bringing just...
Because Lindblad is really not having- ... exhibitionists on the river cruise, no. You know what? Expedition What people do in their own areas is totally up to them. I'm sure there is someone that rents out, like, does a charter for it, but- Oh, I'm sure.
they do it on the big ships as well. I, you know, anyways, I digress. yeah. So Lindblad does that, and I reached out to them 'cause I was curious about what their s- claim to fame is, right? Like, how are they elevating this service? They've rented out these beautiful ships because there's a company that is renting out,their river ships.
It's about 120 people on board, all, you know, French balconies, beautiful luxury rooms. and they're focused on bringing, that expedition piece. So they're having two expedition leaders on all of their trips on top of, like, every day going to that. But they're focusing more on, the [00:24:00] photography expedition and how you can kind of elevate those pieces of it, learn a different side of it versus just a typical walking tour.
Understanding how, you know, this played into certain pieces of history, setting up all of that sort of stuff. So that was what they were selling as, like, the piece of it. it definitely feels similar to, as we talked about with Celebrity, where, people who go on, like, the Nat Geo Lindblad expeditions are very brand loyal.
And so they decided to add a river cruise because they kept getting asked for it from their clients. and so they're doing the Rhine and the Danube. they have their expedition partners. They've been on it for this year, and I haven't heard anything bad come through the, like, conversation piece.
But I also haven't heard anything in general, so I'd be curious for if anyone who listens has been on them, what they thought in comparison to how the brand normally is, and if it felt like the same similar, [00:25:00] like, collection. If it felt- Yeah ... the brand and what it's supposed to be, which is an expedition, but we're in a very, commercialized area, in a sense.
Yeah. Yeah. Well, for sure, yeah. If anybody listening, either on live on YouTube or on the podcast feed, has ever been on Limblad, and certainly if you've been on the Limblad River, we'd love to hear about your experience and you can come on the podcast and I'll- Yeah ... hear all about it, all the details.
I'd love it. Give us all the tea. Absolutely. I was gonna say, and then another new cruise line is going to be Century, or it's new to Europe. Yeah. I'm really interested in this one, especially since it's sort of like Explora and, Celebrity in that it's an established cruise line, except it's Chinese.
Like, they are primarily only in China.
Correct.
But their China product looks
amazing. I'm gonna be going on it soon. Yeah, and now they're bringing that- I love it ... to [00:26:00] Europe, and- Yeah ... I am just fascinated. and I'd love to hear your opinion too, like how a Chinese company is going to, approach the European river cruise market and bring all that amazing Chinese service and tailor it to the European market.
Yeah. So first off, the history of Century Cruises is it's actually a newer brand in terms of it being to the, like, consumer. so Century Cruise Lines is actually a shipbuilder in China, is how it originally started. And it basically white labeled all of its cruise lines in, China for Viking, for Ama, for, like, all the cruise lines that had a China river cruise, before COVID.
And so when COVID happened, everyone's, you know, contracts kind of became null and ... You know, that they expired. No one wanted to do it, so they're like, let's just make it our own [00:27:00] product." And they've created an amazing experience in China where you have a two-week itinerary, and you have four days on the river in the middle, which I absolutely love, and all of your excursions, your food, everything is included from start to finish, even when you're on land.
and they kinda take you through the highlights of China, in, these groups. And, I've met with the owner as well as, like, the business development manager of, Century Cruises, and I'm super excited about that. And I think that there are a lot of people who are interested in doing China and setting that up.
And what they've also talked about is bringing that same level of service, and the fact that they are a shipbuilder, and they see that there is, a need for, more options on the river in Europe. And so what they've done is it's the Century Star is the first one that they have, and they're also doing Egypt starting next year.
So they are expanding like [00:28:00] crazy. but their goal is to bring that five-star level, Chinese service into the European river markets. They are ... They just started sailing, of course. Last month was their first one, and they've been hit with the low water Of course. but the ship is absolutely gorgeous.
they are really focused on, like, the subtle red tones and making sure that the food is at that same level that they're working at. They have about 180 people on board, which is on the, larger size. So the highest number that you'll see is 190, so they're at 180. but they're very much focused on bringing in value for what you're getting.
So all of your drinks are included. One excursion, so not multiple, but one excursion per day. and being that premium to premium plus for those that are wanting to do that sort of, cruise line as well. And do you think in Europe they're going to have that same [00:29:00] model where you have some land-based on the river for a few days and then more land?
I don't see that in their itineraries right now. they are focused more on just, like, getting their cruise set up. They might start doing a couple of, like, pre or post. Trafalgar actually does that on theirs. So if you do their Rhine, it's 10 nights, and it's two nights in Amsterdam, either pre or post, and then the seven-night river cruise.
But, I haven't seen Century doing that yet because they're really just focused on getting their feet wet, right? Because, we're just talking about cruise lines that started in this year or are starting next year, but So many new cruise lines, and as we've talked about, when we circle back to the fact that we have all these really cool cruise lines, and I guess it's the same thing as you think about it with just cruising in general, is we're be- as a society, we've become hyper-fixated on, [00:30:00] specialties and the niches.
And so all of these cruise lines are trying to fit into that certain personality that will fit their niche. And the idea is not to be perfect for everyone, but just to be perfect for that right client so it's like, 'cause, again, with luxury cruising, I think there's, you know, 30-plus, cruise lines and every hotel line is now getting into the cruise game.
Mm-hmm. So everyone is trying to find the cruise line that fits their personality and will fit what they're looking for. but with that is, the negative side of it, which is the overcrowding of these destinations to the point where these ships are gonna be four to five, you know- Yeah
you know, docked together, four to five, and things like that. You also are having a lot of problems with over-tourism in Europe. Yeah. and you know, you saw that in Barcelona. Another place that did that was Amsterdam. Mm-hmm, yep. So [00:31:00] Amsterdam is now limiting the amount of river cruise ships and large ships that can go into it a day.
So a lot of new cruises you'll actually see don't end in Amsterdam, but end about an hour south, and then they take a bus to Amsterdam- for the end- of the Rhine River cruise. And Venice did that.we talked about going up through the Venetian canals, but that's probably- Yeah
one of the few ships or cruise lines that is able to do that. most of the large ships are docking outside of Venice. They don't actually dock in Venice anymore. Correct. There are very few ships that can, and so that's going to be those situations that happen. and so that is where a lot of people in the travel industry, like if you ask advisors, we are concerned about,just too many boats on the river, because there's only so many places that you can go and dock, and how it's going to affect just everyone's [00:32:00] experience.
Because the first thing that people don't like about river cruising is when you dock, you're most likely going to be docked right next to each other. So if you're in a balcony room, you know, if you don't close your windows- Yeah ... you might be doing a peep show for someone else, and if you let people know ahead of time, that's something that they can prepare for and they're okay with.
'Cause like when you're sailing, that's when you really care about the fact that you're parking next to each other. But usually it's like two, maybe a max of like three boats right next to each other, but as we get more and more ships, it's figuring out, okay, how many ships can one small, cute little town in France actually handle at a time?
and so that's like the negative side of all of this and how it's gonna work. What's going to happen in the future most likely is, you know, a lot of your cruise lines are, start on Saturday, Sunday. Viking has a cruise that starts every single day on the Rhine and the Danube just because that is, Viking has over 100 ships.
But [00:33:00] these newer players are not gonna be starting on a Saturday or a Sunday because they're probably going to get better, docking position if they leave on a Tuesday, and they can like follow and not be on the same sort of like loop as all of the other ones. Yeah. I guess in a good sense I think what we're gonna have is we're gonna see a lot of cruise lines investing in these cute little cities that aren't being developed at the moment.
Yeah, developing docking and maybe even- Yeah ... some sort of in- 'Cause- ... internal or interior industry. what you don't want though is that they develop a dock, sort of what you start to see in the Caribbean, is that the port only exists for the cruise ship. so it's like, on the Danube you see this now because normally on a lower Danube River cruise from like Budapest to, Nuremberg or wherever they go in Germany, you know, usually that's the only stop they do in Hungary is Budapest.
And now you're seeing on some of the newer cruise lines they're going [00:34:00] to Esztergom. Esztergom? If I'm pronouncing it right. Yeah, I'm going there in April. I'll let you know how it is, but w- they're stopping There's not a lot there. There's not a lot in Esztergom. well that's just it.
but we're stopping there because that's what, you know- Yeah ... and they're gonna be developing this as a city because a lot of the newer cruise lines are stopping there because- Yeah ... it's another stop that's different that they don't have to be as, docked up for. Yeah. I mean, it looks like it has a beautiful city center.
you know, you're gonna be there. It's cute. I mean, It's a very cute little city and, I mean, it might be good- Yeah ... for the town to get some tourist dollars and, you know.yeah. So you're gonna have some newer cities that are gonna pop up in terms of that. Uh, you're seeing that already again on the Danube, and you're gonna see it on the Rhine in terms of like new cities that are gonna pop up.
I personally think those are, is the best positive of this because, the cities that I have the least expectations for are the ones that I always get most excited about when going back to because I had such a [00:35:00] great time there because I think I did have low expectations, and I was able just to enjoy the city for what it was.
So those are some of the things that can be positives of it, but again, I think there comes a point, and I know that Europe is so particular on over-tourism, I wouldn't be surprised if some of these are, like, the straw that broke the camel's back, in terms of them having a discussion as, like, the EU- Yeah
about what is too much. the Douro in Portugal has already limited, the amount of ships that will be on the Douro at any given time. So they've set the max, and so that's going to help that piece.
But yeah, I think that there is a lot of advantage to all of these, to variety and to all of these river cruises and river cruise lines starting and offering these niche product. But I think that, I worry that, you know, a lot of these cruise lines only have a couple of ships.
I [00:36:00] mean, Celebrity has already said that they're going to have 10 ships. a lot of these cruise lines only have, two or three ships. And so it's just an economy of scale that you know, if they can't fill the ships, if they don't have an economic model that will be able to sustain the line, then, like, is the quality gonna go down?
Are they gonna go out of business? that's the thing. each of these, there's a lot of new lines. They may only have two or three ships, which is good because there's not gonna be another Viking with 100 ships to fill the rivers, but are they gonna be able to last? Is it gonna be sustainable?
And, you know, when something starts going down, they don't just go out of business. Usually the quality goes down first. Yeah. The quality will go down first if that is, you know, like the concern of a river cruise line. And I think that's where it helps to have someone to kinda talk you through what you're thinking and, like, what is a priority for you as a cruise line.
I don't think people only having two ships is going to make it or [00:37:00] break it because most of the time they are gonna have investments from other things because most of the cruise lines I can tell you, like, who their parent company is or where their investments are coming from so that you can kind of see where the stability of the brand lies.
and why it might be like, so for example, Riverside, uh, luxury cruise lines used to be Crystal, right? And that company went bankrupt during COVID. So Riverside is one of those ones where you're like, well, there's only three. they are owned by a very prominent Portuguese, hotelier, and, they are actually making all of their money to, like, sustain their brand by the two ships that they're leasing out to Uniworld.
And so anything that their brand makes is just name recognition and building out at this point. So that's why, you know, they've set what they want as their brand style, and they're not willing to sacrifice on it in terms of, like, lowering the price or the quality of service. And so [00:38:00] that is where they've set up their, you know, brand at.
And it is right for the right person, but other people might find it really annoying with what they do. So that's kind of where most of them have some sort of backing unless, you know, another COVID comes up. But again, every other river cruise line made it besides Crystal. Yeah. And their, a lot of their problem actually was, like, the ocean and how expensive it was to keep that going.
yeah. And they've come back. I don't know. I think the Crystal cruise line is still around, but it's owned by somebody else. I'm not sure if it's owned by the same company. It is. It's owned by Abercrombie & Kent now. That's right. Uh, which is a very high-end, touring company.
that's right. anything else new, and exciting about river cruising that we haven't covered? Yeah. I don't know if this cut out before I said it, but I wanted to say that, the Douro River is now actually doing limitations to how many cruise ships are on it.
Oh. So I'm gonna say I wouldn't be surprised if other [00:39:00] rivers follow suit. The Douro does have the benefit of it only being in one country, but the Portuguese government has now put in a limit to how many ships are there. So I don't know if they've hit it yet, but like, cruise lines are implementing, different things, and I think it'll be similar to like the Galapagos.
You can only have less than 100, I think it's like 88 ships. And so those- Yeah ... permits are worth their weight in gold. but yeah, so the Douro has kind of set up that expectation, and I wouldn't be surprised If France is next because France has rivers that are only in that country, so it makes it easier for them to, like, limit.
I'm not saying that as someone who is listening to the French government, but I'm just saying, like, that would be the next one that I would think would do something like that. But I see that coming up in the next five years of them starting to limit how many cruise lines or cruise ships are in a river at a time so that we don't have this problem.
Yeah. [00:40:00] Yeah. TBD in the meantime, people need to get on, just need to go. Go before you're even more limited. honestly, right now is the best time to go on a river cruise because there are so many people in the market. You have so many options. That gives you better pricing, better way to find that right ship for you, and also just to kind of be able to, experience it before too many people do.
and there is too many ships on the water, and you just see ships instead of enjoying the beautiful nature like, is behind me. Yeah. this is the Mississippi, but because of the fact that it's, like, a triple decker, but it was what I had in my photo stock that I pulled real quick.
But, that is something that I would recommend. I wouldn't focus on age scaring anyone off from being on a river cruise. I've sent clients in their 20s. I'm in my 30s. I did my first one when I was in my 20s. It's an amazing experience because it is so easy to just, like, disconnect and, [00:41:00] do it, but you also have to have the mindset that you aren't gonna be entertained all the time.
And you have to be okay with that. but it is definitely a crazy place. It's a crazy time on the river, as they say, and ... I'm about ready to create my own cruise line just so I can have it because there are a bunch of other ones that are just popping up out of nowhere. I didn't even mention it.
There was one called APT Touring. That's another Australian brand that has anoth- two ships on the European rivers. I'm doing an interview with them in two weeks, kinda talking about their brand and what they have. They have a really cool,situation that they're doing, but they, focus on longer ones because their key market is Australians, and for them to get to Europe, it's a lot.
So their ships are, I think it's, like, the 10 to 21 days is kinda how they do their cruising, and so they go to some really cool ports. Wow. And they have a beautiful ultra-luxury ship that is phenomenal. But yeah, again, I just mentioned another cruise line that we hadn't even talked about before.
Do you
see how many we're dealing with here
They keep popping up. But
you mentioned you're interviewing them, which might be a great segue to tell [00:42:00] people, is it gonna be on your podcast? It will, yes. we are working again through my series. we're almost finished with it.
I'm on you for Uniworld. It'll be coming out, I think tomorrow. I don't know when this is posting but anytime you see this, my episode will post and then we'll be doing Viking, and then I'll be doing some latecomers, which is gonna be Century, APT, I have Viva, and then I'm also gonna be reaching out and be interviewing one of the, managers of Viva to talk about their Italy tour- cruise 'cause I'm obsessed with it.
And so that's coming out. And then after that, our next series is going to be on the Danube, and I'm reaching out to some of the, tourism boards and we're kinda doing a deep dive into the ports and what you can do on top of your river cruise line excursions. that sounds awesome.
Tell everyone, where they can find your podcast. Yeah. Anywhere. I'm easy. Spotify, Apple, YouTube. Everywhere that I can, is where that is. It is the [00:43:00] River Cruising Masterclass for those that wanna know more about river cruising besides what our amazing podcast here on luxury cruising. you might hear some repeats 'cause I'm pretty sure this will also be porting over to my channel.
Absolutely. but my goal is, for this new season, 'cause we are on season two, is to once a week also do, like, high-level news. And so anything that I hear, I'm gonna do, like, just an episode of, river cruising news that kind of come up and my opinions on it, as well as our weekly episode.
That is the goal. Don't hold me to it, though, 'cause I am imperfect. That sounds fantastic. And one more time, the name of your travel agency. The Poodle Booked It. I don't know if you heard him in the background barking every once in a while, but he controls my life, and he is a great tour guide. Yes. Awesome.
Well, he's got to be on the podcast as well- Yeah ... especially since your travel agency is the namesake. and- What can I say? We love him. We love our poodles and our pets, [00:44:00] What's his name, just 'cause we have to know? Winston Theodore. Winston Theodore. Um, he has the bow ties to match all of the, uh, seasons.
He's got his Halloween one on right now. he is extra in every way that I am as well. I love it. I absolutely love it. Well, it's fun as always. Thank you so much for giving us a masterclass in the latest and the newest cruise lines that are going to be entering the market and have entered the market recently.
for anybody who is watching the replay on YouTube, drop me, like, a replay, a comment, a question. We're here for all of it. And if you're listening, to the podcast on the usual channels, thank you for listening. And until next time, I wish you safe and luxurious cruising.