River Cruising with Kids

You may as well hang a sign on the river boat’s gangway that says, “Adults Only”. Kids are few and far between on river cruises. In fact, many river cruise lines have an age minimum (usually around 8 yrs old) and offer no special programs or services for children.

It’s a grownup cruise filled with onboard enrichment lectures, historical visits and shore excursions that may last for 10 hours. From a culinary aspect, river cruises don’t offer mac n cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches or even cheeseburgers. While all menus have the standard grilled steak, chicken or fish with mashed or baked potatoes, overall cuisine has a regional flair or strictly is continental, even on the Mississippi River.

As multigenerational families traveling together continue to grow, a few river cruise companies see this as an untapped gold mine to sell several cabins with one click. Among Europe river cruise lines to embrace this golden opportunity for multigenerational groups and offer designated family themed cruises are AmaWaterways, Tauck, Uniworld and Vantage. In fact, AmaWaterways has partnered with Adventures by Disney for family-themed river cruises for ages 7 and up.

Check river cruise lines’ websites or call them to learn if and when they offer family-themed cruises.