Jenson, Hubs and I have only ever been on one cruise, around the Hawaiian Islands. It was on the SS Independence, which was run by American Hawaii Cruises, which was owned by American Cruise Lines. After 9/11, tourism to Hawaii dropped drastically, and they ended up shutting down the Hawaii cruises. The cruise was extremely well run, the food excellent, the staff courteous, attentive, helpful, and wonderful. We would do that cruise again in a heartbeat if ACL still had it operational. We know that ACL does river cruises in the US, and we regularly receive brochures, special offers, etc., from them. We figure that eventually we will go on each of the river cruises that they offer (including Alaska). We love the fact that the riverboats have no more than 150 passengers (and some less than that). Most of the rooms have private balconies, which is nice. And, I think river cruises would be wonderful because you get to see so much, you don't have to worry about the motion of the sea, and you still can do shore excursions. So, go for it! Have a great time, take lots of photos, and post some of them here for us to enjoy when you get back.

I have never been on a river cruise so this is just aimed at general cruising in Europe experience: I was worried about looking too much "like a tourist" and didn't want to wear my comfy sneakers and hat - but then I realized all those ultra fashionable Euro women were not on their feet in the sun 10-12 hours a day like I was! Plus the camera and other boat occupants really gave it away anyway. Walking sandals also worked well for me. I invested in a very light and comfortable white raincoat/windbreaker that didn't quite look like a raincoat - very useful. I didn't quite realize that I would definitely want 3 outfits per port day - comfy cabin clothing, nice clothing for supper, and comfortable clothing to tour in that I couldn't wait to get out of back at the ship as I typically felt extremely grimy after a long day on the streets. I brought enough to do laundry twice which is about right for me on a 14-day trip, but this was on a trip with sea-days so there was downtime for laundry which maybe wouldn't be the case on a river cruise. I always pack a couple of those little polyester roll-up bags tucked in my tote for shopping. And a stash of healthy granola bars for if I get snacky while touring. Wet wipes because sometimes Purell just doesn't seem enough. Speaking of ATM visits - I never experienced anything yet like using a gas station ATM in Sav-La-Mar, Jamaica guarded by two guys with machine guns! I definitely wasn't worried about getting mugged... Left behind - I always bring too many shoes. I always regret leaving flipflops behind - there's just always one grimy shower stall or one rainy day on deck or one damp laundry room where I want my flipflops. Packing e-reader instead of books is well worth it for the weight/space saved. I always pack too many tops and not enough pants/bottoms - forgetting that when travelling, pants are exposed to too much grime and sweat to re-wear reliably. For me, I do pack laundry detergent and a bunch of scarves and nondescript black clothing for suppers. We like coffee and bring travel coffee mugs. Taking photos is important for me so I enjoy having a nice camera along and have never felt like I was unduly targeted for having one. Check dress code and events schedule - people will dress nicely for formal dinners/galas/parties (but evening gowns not required! just something you'd wear to a nice dinner out). My husband has skipped formal meals before due to not wanting to pack a sports/suit jacket...he was happy but I was not! (I like the fancy food). Some people still do evening gown it up to the nines! It is likely that shorts and tank tops would not be allowed in the dining room at supper.

Did you find anything? I went with Viking last summer. We were quite pleased. That said, it seemed to be more about the eating and drinking than the places that were visited. We had shore excursions everywhere, but they tended to be short. Excursion leaders, all locals, were very well versed in their subjects. Food was terrific, though,and so was the ship. Ages of participants were older than expected. Many guests did not even go on the excursions?!

Some of our DH's must be brothers. Unless HE thinks it's a good idea or I drag him along, he's not for it. But like Annie's DH, he always has a good time and talks it up after we get back. Just a couple of weeks ago a buddy of his was talking about what a fabulous time they had on a river cruise, and he sort of mentioned going on one in passing one day. Imagine my shock! Even though he's been lukewarm to my ideas on it, I now have hope!! And I'm on it!