Luxury Rhine, Danube, Elbe, and Rhone Cruise Liner Shut Down in 2010

German luxury riverboat cruise liner Peter Deilmann Riverboat Cruises is going out of business and shutting down all Rhine, Danube, Elbe, Seine, and Rhone boats from the 2010 season.

photo credit: martinroell

As has been suspected for some time, luxury German riverboat cruise liner Peter Deilmann Riverboat Cruises (Peter Deilmann Flußkreuzfahrten) is going out of business at the end of the 2009 European river cruise season. Peter Deilmann has already sold some boats and suspended cruises on less popular rivers including the Elbe but from 2010 Peter Deilmann will not operate any riverboat cruises at all in Europe. Peter Deilmann continue as a very up-market luxury ocean cruise liner. All Peter Deilmann riverboat cruises will continue until the end of 2009.

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Top Cruising on the Rhine, Moselle, Main, Danube, and Elbe in Europe

The Rhine (Rhein), Moselle (Mosel), Main, Danube (Donau), and Elbe Rivers offer the best luxury riverboat cruise vacation trips in Germany.

photo credit: ♠ le max

Luxury riverboat cruises are a wonderfully convenient way to travel Europe. German rivers including the Rhine, Moselle, Main, Danube, and Elbe see many luxury multiple day riverboat cruises on cruise lines including Peter Deilmann, Viking River Cruises, Tauck, Amadeus Waterways, Arosa, and others. Cruises are available year round although spring, summer, and autumn are the most popular seasons to cruise German rivers.

When comparing prices bear in mind that not all internet reservation services can book all saving discounts, e.g. discounts for children or major anniversaries. Do compare rates and use a traditional travel agent if necessary to secure the best deals.

Note: Peter Deilmann will suspend riverboat cruises from the 2010 season.

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The Rhein / Rhine / Rijn in Switzerland, France, Germany, Holland

The Rhine River, Europe’s premier waterway, flows from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea through Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.

photo credit: jessicafm

Traveling along and on the Rhine River has long been popular. Europe’s premier waterway has been very important for commerce in the pre-industrial era and although the Rhine is now less vital for trade, the river is still very much used commercially. The Rhine is also very important for tourism. Boat cruises – from short day-trip excursions to multiple-day cruises – are very popular. The banks of the Rhine are also popular with hikes and cyclers while simply driving through parts of the Rhine Valley is most enjoyable too.

The Rhine River is 1,320 kilometer (820 miles) from its source in Alps in Switzerland to the North Sea in the Netherlands. The Rhine River is Der Rhein in German, Rhin in French, and Die Rijn in Dutch.

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Best Rhein Riverboat Trips from Köln, Bonn, and Düsseldorf

Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD) offer cheap day trip cruises on riverboats on Rhine River (Rhein) from Cologne, Bonn, and Düsseldorf, to Remagen, Linz, and Koblenz.

photo credit: el_tommo

Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD), the largest operator of day cruises on the Rhine River (Rhein), offer many roundtrip cruises in both Cologne (Köln) and Düsseldorf. However, most Rhine River day cruises on this section of the Rhein are from Bonn to Linz. Many more cruises are available in the Middle Rhine (Loreley) Valley between Koblenz and Rüdesheim / Bingen.

Rhine River day pleasure boat cruises are generally available from late March to end October. The high season is from late April to early October when more Rhein cruises are operated. Winter cruises on the Rhine is rare but sightseeing cruises in Cologne (Köln) and Düsseldorf are popular during the Christmas market Advent season.

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Tour the Rhein and Loreley Valley on Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD) Riverboats

Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD) is the best-known day-trip riverboat cruise line on the Rhine River. Several further boats tour the Loreley Valley between Rüdesheim, St Goar, and Koblenz.

SS Goethe Historic Rhine Steam Boat

The Rhine River is a very popular day-trip destination from cities such as Cologne (Köln) and Frankfurt am Main. Trains run on both banks of the Rhein but nothing beats a cruise on the river itself. Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD) has the largest number of boats on the Rhine River and many cruises through the lovely Loreley Valley. However, several further companies operate cruises on the Rhine and past the Lorelei.

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Short Riverboat Pleasure Trips from Frankfurt on the Mittel Rhein

Cruising on riverboat on the Rhine, especially the Mittelrhein with the famous Lorelei Rock, is a popular day-trip excursion from Frankfurt am Main, Airport or Cologne (Köln).

photo credit: Daxis

A day-trip excursion including a pleasure cruise on a riverboat on the Rhine River is for many travelers a highlight of a German vacation. Few tourists can afford luxurious, multiple-day riverboat cruises on the Rhine River (Rhein) but shorter day cruises are more common and fairly cheap. The Loreley Rock (Lorelei) is the most popular spot along the romantic UNESCO-listed Mittelrhein – many riverboats cruise this section of the Rhine River. Great public transportation links bring the Rhine within easy daytrip reach from Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt International Airport (FRA), Mainz, Wiesbaden, and Cologne (Köln).

Many cruise lines have special savings offerings for children, pensioners, birthdays, anniversaries, and even cyclists.

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Top Luxury German and European Riverboat Cruise Tour Operators

Peter Deilmann Cruises, Tauck, Viking, and Amadeus Waterways are amongst the top luxury European riverboat cruise line companies.  German Arosa is a new addition to the Rhine River in 2009.

MS Heidelberg on the Rhine River (Photo: Peter DeilmannKreuzfahrten)

Many different cruise lines have luxury cruises on the Rhine (Rhein) and other German and European rivers. Some of the top riverboat cruise lines marketing in the USA and other non-European markets include Tauck World Discovery, Peter Deilmann Cruises, Amadeus Waterways, and Viking River Cruises. Arosa, a German shipping company, added the Rhine in 2009 to its cruise itineraries on the Danube and Rhone Rivers.

• It is worth comparing prices online and through different reservation services. However, always read the fine print when comparing cheap prices. Some cruises include more excursions, more meals, free wine, tips, and services in the base fare when the tour is sold in international markets. Cancellation conditions and refund policies also vary widely.

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Cheap Bookings and Low Prices on European Riverboat Cruise Holidays

Prices vary widely when booking a Rhine River riverboat cruise holiday. Cheap prices may have fewer option included although cheap deals are to be had.

MS Heidelberg on the Rhine River (Photo: Peter DeilmannKreuzfahrten)

Prices often vary widely on riverboat cruises on the Rhine River and tributaries such as the Moselle, Main, and Danube. Cheaper prices are available for early reservation but different levels of luxury and the inclusion of on-shore excursions can also greatly influence the price.

Rhine River cruises often book out early with last-minute reservations and late-booking discounts almost unheard of. Discounts are available for early reservations where “early” for some lines can be more than a year in advance.

• 2009, however, may be a great year to get discounts on luxury European river boat cruises – many companies extended the period for early bookings and heavy discounts are being advertised.

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Save on Reservations of European Riverboat Vacations

Cheap fares for Rhine cruises are great but the size of riverboats, facilities, and level of luxury also matter when making reservations for European riverboat vacations.

Amawaterways' Ultimate 21-Day River Cruise

Many different cruise line operators use boats of various sizes and levels of luxury for cruising on the Rhine River (Rhine) and its tributaries in Germany. Before booking a cruise, bear in mind that the level of luxury and the number of options included in the cruise price can have a great impact on the final price of the cruise. There is little point in paying for a boat with a swimming pool when cruising in late autumn nor in trying to save a few dollars but ending up with substandard food or a really cramped cabin.

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Cruising the Rhein, Mosel, Main, and Danube (Donau) Rivers

Cruise routings of multiple-day, luxury Rhine River boat cruises can be extended by adding the Moselle, Main, and Danube Rivers in Germany.

photo credit: matticgn

The Rhine (Rhein) River is enormously popular for both day trips and multiple-day cruises. Luxury European riverboat cruise liners such as Peter Deilmann, Amadeus, Viking, and Tauck cruise the Rhine both on the classic full Rhine route as well as by adding Rhine tributaries to form more interesting itineraries. It is even possible to cruise from the Rhine to the Danube basins by using the Main-Danube Canal.

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