- River cruisers are getting younger and are looking for more active shore excursions.
- There has also been a trend of passengers looking for more local and authentic experiences.
- Lines are saying there has been a big shift away from passive observation to active participation.
Gone are the days of coach tours and banal shore excursions, as river cruise lines have evolved to create more interesting and active experiences for passengers.
As some lines have reported, the average age of river cruisers has dropped by 15 years to around 60, who are more active and fitter than ever.
Combined with the growth of multi-generational families, which include teens and millennials cruisers, river companies have had to create a new set of shore excursions that appeal to varying age groups.
“The big shift has been away from passive observation to active participation. A decade ago, excursions often meant sitting on a bus with a headset. Today, guests want to meet real people, learn something new, and feel like they’re part of the fabric of the place, even if just for a moment,” said David Cox, the CEO of APT Travel Group.
“We have embraced this by creating more intimate, culturally immersive experiences. In Canada, for example, a beloved guest experience is meeting a real-life Mountie and hearing tales from the iconic Royal Canadian Mounted Police.”
Lines like AmaWaterways have said over the last decade, cruisers are also looking for more ways to understand the local culture and communities, wherever they are traveling.
“The overarching experience our guests are looking for is cultural immersion. Over time, guests have evolved their expectations, wanting a deeper understanding of the places they visit, as well as making a positive contribution to these communities,” said Steve Richards, the Managing Director of AmaWaterways in Australia.
“We place emphasis on authentic experiences, such as visiting a local’s home to make yoghurt and Banista in Vidin, or craftsmen’s workshops along the Mekong.”
How are shore excursions developed?
Cruise lines will heavily engage with their tour directors and conduct guest research to find out what their clientele enjoys.
This could range from food and wine, to art and history, and even sporting shore excursions.
Abercrombie & Kent, who operate in Europe, on the Nile in Egypt, as well as the Amazon in Peru, heavily consult with their guests and will alter shore excursions after listening to their feedback.
“Recently, we chose to revise our itinerary in Cochem and the visit to the Cochem Castle. The castle is often very crowded with other cruise ship tourists. This wasn’t really an A&K experience,” said Michelle Micken, Head of Marketing at Abercrombie & Kent.
“Our Resident Tour Director suggested we switch this and visit instead the Bundesbank Bunker, which is one of the best-kept secrets in Germany. It was built to survive a nuclear war, and 15 billion German Marks of a secret emergency currency were stored here during the Cold War. So far, guests have enjoyed this new visit in Cochem.”
Cruisers are getting active
Both AmaWaterways and Avalon Waterways have found river cruisers are looking for more active excursions, which has led to the development of bike riding tours and even intensive hiking around Europe, Asia and beyond.
“Since launching the Active and Discovery itineraries on the Danube River in 2017, we have added these popular itineraries to every major European waterway, increasing our offering by 600 per cent, which really shows the growing demand for active, experiential travel,” said Chris Fundell, the Head of Marketing for Globus Family of Brands.
“We’ve found that our bike excursions (by bicycle or by e-bike) are by far the most popular shore excursions. Our guests love jumping on a bike and soaking in the scenery and in-town adventures while pedalling around, with one of our expert local guides taking the lead.
“Some favourites are the guided bike tour along the famed Ringstrasse and pedestrian avenues of Vienna and the unique experience of cycling in two countries along the Mosel.”
Richards also said that their Wellness Program has increased in popularity, and AmaWaterways has created experiences for guests of varying degrees of fitness.
“AmaWaterways offers an entire Wellness Program to cater to this. Your Wellness Host (on all European and Mekong ships) will lead daily classes and activities onboard, while also escorting our more active shore excursions like hiking and biking through cities and surrounding landscapes,” he said.
“We’re acutely aware that activity comes at different levels for our guests, so we’re prepared with three levels of activity for many of our shore excursions. From gentle to regular and active, we encourage all guests to experience a town in the best way they can.”
Once-in-a-lifetime experiences
David Clark, the Managing Director in Australia of Tauck says more than ever, guests are looking for unique experiences, which are inaccessible by not just to the general public, but also to other river companies.
“We have amazing experiences on all of our river cruises, that are not done by other competitors. And remember, all of our shore excursions are included in the fare,” he said.
“For example, on our Exploring the Douro voyage in Portugal, we have a shore excursion which takes our guests to a Michelin-star restaurant in Pinhão. We have this amazing culinary experience at DOC, entices with a special culinary experience at DOC, an acronym for “Degustar Ousar Comunicar” (translated to Taste, Dare Communicate).
“And no other cruise line offers this experience. We had the head chef come out and explain the dishes – all of which are created with flavours that we had never experienced before, like this octopus carpaccio.”
Clark also said that in Vienna, they host an amazing opera evening at Palais Pallavicini, which includes a four-course dinner, free flowing wine and cocktails which the line has exclusivity of.
“While most lines will offer an evening of opera and ballet performances at the Palais Lichtenstein, which might only include one cocktail and a two-course meal. But ours is more opulent and extravagant.”
