RIVER CRUISES ARE FINE VACATION OPTION

Ocean-going cruise ships are getting bigger and bigger. They're going to have to find a new word for "mega." How about "mega-mega?" Ships are coming on line that will hold over 4,000 passengers. They'll be so big that the they will be anchored permanently somewhere in the Caribbean, and the islands will be towed to them. Ocean cruising can certainly provide a wonderful vacation---for all budgets---but the experience is not what you'd call cozy. Cruising on rivers, on the other hand, might be an ideal way to go from place to place without having to unpack more than once. River cruises have been around for a long time, but the big-time glamour and pzazz has always gone to the behemoths of the seven seas. Even the Titanic made ocean cruising look great. (Up to a point, of course.) So let's give some high-fives to ocean cruising's little cousin---the riverboats. The river cruise boats are tiny by comparison---they hold a rough average of 150 people, so you don't have features like rock-climbing and deck-tennis and Las Vegas-style musical extravaganzas in auditoriums that seat a few thousand fellow passengers. Many river boats don't even have swimming pools, though hot-tubs are frequent amenities. Bars, lounges, dance floors, hair salons, libraries and gift shops are common on riverboats. Cruising time ranges from a few days to a few weeks, and prices are competitive, if not lower per person per day than ocean sailings. What's particularly attractive about river cruises is that you're rarely more than a stone's throw from shore, so sight-seeing is a full-time delight. Life on shore is always more fascinating than looking at ocean waves. When you dock in a port, it takes just a few minutes, and you're off the boat in a twinkle, often just a short walk to the center of town. FREE SHORE EXCURSIONS River cruises offer shore excursions in every port, and most of them are included in the price of the cruise. No extras to bother your credit card. The boats can navigate to places that ocean ships only dream about, so your land activities are unique. Compare, for example, a mega-mega disgorging 4,000 people en masse into the town of Sitka, Alaska, with a river boat that takes a single busload of passengers to the extraordinary civil war remnants in Natchez, Mississippi. Food on the river boats can be excellent, but given the necessarily smaller kitchens you won't find the assortment you're offered on the biggies. However, you're often in port during meal times, so local restaurants can round out your choices. Cabins are also smaller on the river boats, again, due to the smaller size of the boats themselves. They have to be able to sail under bridges and through narrow canals, and their drafts have to fit the depths of the rivers. River boats don't have stabilizers like their ocean-going counterparts, but they don't need them. River sailing is calm, and sea-sickness is simply not an issue. A WORLD OF CHOICES There are river cruises in the U.S. (which eliminates the need for trans-oceanic flights) and in many exotic countries abroad. Google "river cruises" and you'll find mind-boggling choices. Just a small sampling: In the U.S. you can cruise the Mississippi, the Columbia and inland passageways along the northeast and southeast coasts. Europe is criss-crossed with rivers that can take you to cities not accessible by ocean ships: Prague, Paris, Moscow, Kiev, Lyon, Budapest and dozens more. For more exotic locales you can sail on the Nile, the Yangtze, the Mekong and the Murray (in Australia, and one of the best river cruises you'll find anywhere.) You can book on the Internet or though travel agents. Shop aggressively, as many sailings offer good bargains. This article supplements Chapter 3, pages 88-98 of Personal Finance. Access the textbook by clicking on the box in the right column.