When you discuss river cruising in any form, a lot of the time comparisons and contrasts are drawn with the world of ocean cruising. It makes sense, since both forms of travel share a lot in common. But what’s really interesting is that river cruising is a much younger industry. Ocean cruising has existed in some form now for many decades, and as such has evolved, whereas you could argue that river cruising is still finding its feet.

If you track where ocean cruising has come from and where it’s heading, it is clear that there’s now a much wider array of cruise lines and styles of sailing that you can choose from. Think back to the early days when ocean cruising was all about luxury, for the upper classes of society only. Compare that to now, when that market still exists with six star ships but you’ve also those targeted more at younger couples and families, with bright colours, waterparks, arcades and more catering to a completely different level.

The variety of different ships on offer is what’s so interesting these days and it leads to the natural question – will river cruise ships ever go the same way and move to a market with more options? Will we ever see family-oriented river cruise ships?

I don’t just mean river ships where kids are permitted. I mean where they are actively encouraged – with clubs where they can be supervised and enjoy plenty of activities, with dedicated menus, and with fun attractions on-board.

Space in an issue – the most that your standard river cruise ship will feature at the current time is a swimming pool on the sun deck, a couple of restaurants and a lounge, a gym, a small spa and a library. There simply isn’t the room to have all of this as well as an arcade, sports facilities, kids clubs, waterslides and more.

But compromises could be made. Shipbuilders are an intelligent bunch and, if there’s a market for it, they’ll find a way to incorporate at least some of these features onto a decent-sized river cruise ship that can handle most of the major rivers in the world that are popular for the industry.

Personally I can’t ever see us being presented with a ship that is aimed squarely at the family market, with bold colourful designs and loads of features specifically for children. But I can definitely see a potential market and cruise lines reacting to that, with maybe a couple of additions. But then I’m no market expert, and it’s definitely a subjective topic, so what do you think?

By Ian Lewis
Google