Cruising: Coast's Brian Kelly shares tips for first-time river cruisers

Avalon Envision river cruise ship. Photo / Supplied

Coast's Brian Kelly shares tips for first-time river cruisers

In June, my wife, Roanna, and I had the best holiday of our lives.

Sailing on a nine-day Avalon Waterways Active Discovery Cruise on the Danube, we departed from beautiful Budapest and along the way visited Visegrad, Vienna, Krems, Grein, Engelhartszell before disembarking at Linz.

I suffered withdrawal symptoms for many weeks after. In a word, it was fabulous. This was our first time experiencing cruising and we thoroughly recommend it.

Avalon Waterways offer many different cruise experiences, not just on the Danube but also on many other European waterways, as well as cruises in Asia and the US.

So firstly, if you are planning a river cruise in the near future: Well done! To get you ready for an experience of a lifetime, I thought I'd share with you some tips for first-time river cruisers.

Space odyssey

The beauty of river cruising over most ocean cruises is the small number of passengers. On our cruise, there were 158 passengers. The on-board experience was very personal and there was never a sense of crowding. There's plenty of room on board in both cabins, restaurants and bars. The staff are amazing, and nothing is too much bother.

Log on

If the cruise company has an app, it's important to download it and thoroughly study it before you leave home. The "Go Avalon" app is brilliant, providing everything you need to know about life on board, information on each port, currencies and many other details, including a space for you to keep a journal. Brilliant.

Packing

Check the app for advice on dress codes but generally its smart casual, even at dinner time. As our cruise was an "Active Discovery" cruise, there was a gym on board and mountain bikes are supplied for on-shore excursions, so pack the lycra. Comfortable footwear is a must, and prior to our departure I bought myself a pair of All Birds. Light, comfortable and smart enough to wear to dinner.

Line up

Pack a portable washing line. Laundry facilities are available on board at reasonable prices, but the portable line was handy to wash our undies at the end of each day.

Feel the power

Pack a travel adapter. With mobile phones, iPads, computer and hair straighteners, the adapter was a godsend. It meant we only required one European plug and we never left anything behind. So much easier.

Take direction

Make your cruise director your best friend. Our cruise director, Adrian, was brilliant and each afternoon prior to happy hour she ran a talk in the lounge about the next day's activities. Very informative and a daily must.

Go your own way

Don't feel you have to take part in all of the daily port activities. These are well organised and fun, but sometimes it's nice to just hang back and go off on your own exploring a local village.

Open up

Go with an open mind. The people we met were amazing folk and we thoroughly enjoyed their company. I absolutely guarantee you will enjoy a river cruise wherever it takes you and you will make new friends along the way.