Tour Europe by Ship
Page 2
Continued from page 1
ABOVE: Two SNAV ferries flank Cunard's Queen
Victoria at the Stazione Marittima in Naples.
Four ways to cruise
European cruises fall into four categories:
Sea cruises
Dozens of ships offer cruising in the Mediterranean, the Baltic,
the North Sea, and other coastal regions of Europe. These vessels are similar in
concept to the transatlantic ocean liners of yesteryear, and they carry anywhere
from 100 to 3,000 or more passengers in cabins and suites. Most
newer ships offer private balconies, and nearly all have amenities such as
swimming pools and nightly entertainment. (See our
reviews of ocean cruises.)
River cruises
On the Rhine, the Danube, and other great rivers of Europe,
luxurious cruise boats glide past the local scenery and stop often to allow
sightseeing on shore. These boats are low in profile, to fit under bridges, and
they typically carry 50 to 200 passengers. (See our
illustrated MS Maribelle
review.)
Barge cruises
From the 1800s through the mid-20th
Century, small barges hauled freight over a vast network of canals and secondary
rivers in Europe. Today, many of those barges have been converted into luxury
cruise vessels. Because the typical "hotel barge" carries only 6 to 12 guests,
barge cruising is more intimate than a ship or a riverboat. It's also
slower-paced, with daytime stops and overnight mooring at small villages. (See
our illustrated La
Renaissance hotel-barge review.)
Yacht cruises
A few companies offer cruises aboard large sailing yachts in the
Mediterranean and Aegean. These "soft adventure" cruises appeal to sailors and
aspiring sailboat owners.
Because most first-time cruisers prefer seagoing ships,
mainstream cruising--especially "port-intensive" cruising--is the focus of this
article.
Next page:
Port-intensive
cruising
| 
Durant
& Cheryl Imboden's
