Skip to main content  See also:  Eight considerations regarding
European river cruises  Kids out of the house? College
education(s) paid for? No more mortgage payments?  East nave of
the Cologne Cathedral. William Fietzer for Vantage Rhine River
cruise ship, River Splendor  Then you may be in the market for a
European river cruise. Thousands between the ages of 55 and 70
already have. And according to Viking River Cruises chairman,
Torstein Hagen, the boom in river cruises has become so big that
he contemplates Viking alone having 100 ships cruising the
world’s river ways by decade’s end. Avalon Waterways managing
director Patrick Clark concurs, adding “Unless we screw it up,
the [growth in] demand will continue for years."  Clark cited
intimacy (150-200 passengers as opposed to 3000+ for European
ocean cruises) and guided tours to the top attractions even in
small towns as major reasons why many experienced cruise
travelers now choose river cruises as their next vacations. They
appreciate going "through a co