River cruises

River cruises are characterized by the fact that, as the name suggests, you travel on the river instead of the high seas. As a rule, river cruise ships are somewhat smaller so that they can travel everywhere and have correspondingly few passengers on board. You will be able to admire the scenery on both sides of the river and, depending on the shipping company and booking, make several shore excursions or trips along the river in question. As a rule, the ships sail during the day and are in a port or similar at night. Enjoy the convenience of all-inclusive prices and excellent catering on our river cruises, including gourmet meals and drinks at no extra cost. Experience carefree luxury as you explore scenic waterways.

The main cruise lines are A-ROSA, Nicko-Cruises and Anton-Götten Reisen. However, every major river also has local cruise lines or operators.

Ocean/Standard Cruises

By far the most common type of cruise you can book. There are many different sub-types which are listed below, sorted from most common to least common:

Fun-Cruises

The most common type of cruise. They are on the largest ships, which are almost small towns with swimming pools, clubs, casinos, theaters and much more. There are also shopping streets on the ships, as well as lots of restaurants with different cuisines and at least one buffet. The shore excursions are usually visits to vacation resorts and/or places of interest. There are large shipping companies such as AIDA and TUI Cruises, but also many others.

Theme cruises:

A variation group of vacation cruises that focus on a specific theme. These range from concert cruises such as the “Full Metal Cruise”, to theater plays, yoga, etc. The offers are constantly changing, have something interesting for pretty much everyone and offer unique experiences. You can find a detailed list here.

“Classic” cruises

This type of cruise is all about relaxation and is particularly popular with the more affluent sections of the population. It is characterized by amenities on board and a feeling of exclusivity. Many courses are offered on these cruises; from knowledge transfer and sports to traditional board games and music, everything is included. Especially on American ships, there is also a casino. These cruises often last 14 days, but there are also long or world cruises, which are usually between 90 and 120 days long. These cruises mainly take place from fall to spring.

Those who like it exquisite can also treat themselves to a particularly luxurious break via the MSC Yacht Club, for example, or similar offers from other shipping companies.

Sailing cruises

Sailing cruises are, as the name suggests, on sailing ships that have either been renovated and rebuilt after the Second World War, or are complete replicas of old sailing ships. This type of cruise is somewhat rarer, which makes the experience all the more interesting. Sailing cruises are very similar to classic cruises in terms of amenities, but the leisure facilities may differ.
Shipping companies include Star Clippers, for example.

If you are interested, you may even find a ship on which you can help with hoisting the sails and other tasks - an experience that every sailing fan should have at least once. However, such offers are even rarer.

Expedition cruises

The rarest and most demanding type of cruise. Here, full emphasis is placed on the experience and the transfer of knowledge. Expedition cruises take you to the North Pole, for example to admire the Aurora Borealis. Depending on the shipping company, hikes along the coast are also offered.

Hurtigruten and Nordic Expedition Cruises offer relatively frequent trips.

Shore leave offers

There are many different offers for shore excursions. Be it tours through party districts and cultural sites, or hiking and cycling tours, from a few hours to several days, there is pretty much everything that can be done in 1 to 2 days. Each provider does something different and if you want, you can also explore the respective place on your own.

Types of travel on the ship