Rhine River Losing Ground for Where Repeat River Cruisers Want to Go Next

As more river cruisers look to repeat their European river cruise experiences, the popularity of the Rhine River as a repeat destination is slowly going down. Two years ago, a survey of nearly 10,000 past Avalon Waterways cruisers found that 75% of past river cruisers wanted to explore the Rhine River. This year, the same survey found that 51% are eager to explore Switzerland and Germany on the Rhine.

Also down is the Upper Danube, which 64% of respondents said they were interested in sailing two years ago vs. 32% this year. The Lower Danube saw a smaller drop off — 34% in 2023 vs. 27% this year.

The rest of the rivers stayed mostly the same with 39% saying they want to sail through France on the Seine, Rhone, Saone, Garonne, and Dordogne Rivers – the same percentage as 2023.

Up slightly from 31% 2023, 33% of respondents said they want to discover Portugal on the Douro River.

Another shift in patterns from two years ago is who people want to travel with. In 2023, 73% of respondents said they still consider their partner to be the best person with who to share their river cruise with. This year, that has dipped to 60%. Staying about the same are the percentage of past Avalon cruisers who want to cruise with a friend cruise – 27% this year vs. 30% in 2023.

What’s also gone down significantly is the number who said they plan to go solo on their next trip – 12% this year vs. 24% in 2023.

On par with two years ago is the percentage of past cruisers who say their ideal river cruise length is 10 to 12 days – 51% in 2023 vs. 50% this year.

New for this year, Avalon Waterways asked previous cruisers about sailing during shoulder season: 75% said they want to book a fall or winter sailing.