A viking river cruise was truly relaxing. 190 passengers, no crowding, everyone eats at the same time. And no kids! Enjoyed every minute of our 14 day trip Amsterdam to Budapest. I was on navy aircraft carriers (2) and the 5k crew was quite enough for me.
Funny, me too. I never thought I would want to go on a cruise after my Navy hitch was up, but I have gone on a few.
The first one was a ten day cruise on the Nordic Prince with a couple we knew, and it was great fun.
All the ones I have gone on since then (maybe three) have not been as much fun.
I would NOT go on that thing. I am sure it is safe enough, but...too many people.
What carriers were you on? I spent time on the Kennedy, Eisenhower, Lexington, and FDR back in the mid-late Seventies...:)
We did a river cruise to Normandy. There were 120 people onboard and the food was sensational. No casino, no kids, no pools just pure relaxation and lovely people.
I think I would enjoy that.
Years ago, I had a subscription to Smithsonian Magazine, and they started sending me brochures for their travel packages, some including river cruises on small ships or by land or rail. But OMG! They are expensive!
But one reason for that is that all the travel packages include guides who are experts in the interest areas of the various travel packages, i.e. historians, art historians, archeologists, astronomers, zoologists, etc., and is more geared towards an educational experience rather than the normal tourist experience.
Not something I could ever afford unless I one day on a whim bought a Mega Millions ticket (which I rarely if ever do) and hit a huge jackpot. But if I did, I might consider it then. LOL!
https://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/
We did the same cruise in May 2019, but in reverse. Did the 2 pre-days in Budapest and the 2-post days in Amsterdam. Then took the high-speed train to Paris for a week, and then the Chunnel train to London for a week.
Trip of a lifetime!