I would be interested to find out how the European river cruises 'work'. When do the ships actually cruise along the river - day or night? When do they stop at/how long do they stop at cities? It is difficult to understand this from their itineraries - it states days at one port after another, which indicates night travel.
I would want to see the countryside and travel during the daytime.

Welcome to Cruise Chat. I love river cruising. Depending on the itinerary you will do a little of both traveling at day and night. I did the Danube Christmas Market cruise from Vienna to Nuremburg. We saw plenty of beautiful scenery of the Wachau Valley and Bavaria . On this section of the river there are numerous locks and we were able to watch the river boat enter and exit the locks. I wouldn't hesitate to book a river cruise.

Each river cruise and ship has a different itinerary,,,so look at the brochure and it will help explain time in port and time cruising...I like Uniworld out of 8 river cruises...nice rooms and good food...if you like scenery and quaint cities, try Portugal...France for great towns,Russia for history,Egypt for going back in time,etc....lovely way to see a country and like a hotel that follows you along...have plenty of time to see sights as ship docks in city center and can go off on own or take ship s tour...even if it travels at nite ,,,can sit on top deck with drink and still enjoy it all...give it a try and you ll be hooked...PS.also love ocean cruises,,,just different,,,no problem with rough seas,etc...

Thank you for the information. We also love ocean cruises!

Have revceived a few brochures with 2 for 1 prices,for early bookings, for next year....try looking on the various websites for deals....see some are already sold out,,,so nice to get a deal ...just a hint,,good luck...let us know what you decide....