We've been on one European reiver cruise, a "Dutch tulip" cruise in April, 2007 on the Avalon Poetry. We didn't expect a Regent experience: the boats simply aren't big enough for that. What we exepcted, and got, was a small but comfortable room (170 square feet, which is big for a river ship), adequate food which was a bit too much based on pork and cream sauces for our taste (but the pastries were excellent), and a chance to get up close to European inland places.

More than half the PAX were from one tour group, which sometimes made the rest of us feel like fifth wheels. As a result of the group, service outside the dining room was great, while the dining people seemed to pay attention to the group while ignoring the rest of us.

All in all, I (Joe) would try a river cruise again, but Joan is not sure she would. If we do another river cruise, though, it will be during the mild weather and relatively long days of spring or fall (probably spring), not during the short daylight, cold weather period of the B&K 2009 Christmas market river cruise.