Ways to cruise
A hundred and fifty guests, a different town each morning and the ship tied up in the middle of it. The gentlest way to see Europe, and the easiest for anyone unsteady on their feet.
Free initial consultation · Personally planned · No obligation
River ships are long, low and small, and they moor in the centre of Vienna, Budapest or Bordeaux rather than a container port an hour away. Nobody gets seasick, nobody tenders, and the whole party can walk off the ship into a town and be back for lunch.
Uniworld and Scenic run the boutique end: antique-filled or sleek, all-inclusive, with excursions and bikes built into the fare. The limits are real: cabins are smaller than on ocean ships, there is no children's club, and the pool is a plunge. For grandparents, first-time cruisers and anyone with limited mobility, the river is often the right answer.
Is this your kind of ship?
Tell us who's travelling. We'll say whether river is the right way to cruise for your party, and if it isn't, what is.
Ask a Cruise SpecialistFirst-timers and anyone who dislikes open sea: a new town every morning, no tenders, and the whole boat small enough to feel like a house party.
Anyone who wants a pool worth swimming in, a spa, or long lazy sea days.
Cruise lines
Honest ratings on every line page, including who each one isn't for.
All-inclusive discovery yachts with helicopters and a submersible, plus a well-regarded river fleet.
Boutique river ships with lavish interiors and dedicated family sailings in the school holidays.
Calm, adults-only ships with Scandinavian design and an excursion included in every port.
Luxury doesn't mean every ship suits every traveller. We'll tell you if we think a cruise isn't a good fit, even if that means recommending something else.
Where we'd sail
Rhine, Danube and Douro: a new town every morning, no sea days, everyone back for dinner.
Cruise ideas
Planning figures per person, not quotes. Final price depends on sailing date, suite and availability.
Budapest to Passau on a dedicated family departure: castles, chocolate and no sea days.
How it works
No obligation. No pressure. Just a conversation about what would work for your party.
Two to five minutes online, or a call. Who's travelling, roughly when, and what matters most.
A cruise specialist talks it through: the party, the occasion, the budget, and anything that worries you.
Not forty options. Two or three we'd actually recommend, with the reasons, and the ones we'd avoid for you.
Cruise, suites, flights, hotels before and after, transfers, excursions, dining and any celebration on board.
Nothing is booked until you're happy with the plan and the price.
Documents, confirmations, requests to the ship, and one person to call before and during the voyage.
Good to know
Often the best. No sea days, no motion to speak of, and a new town each day. If the river suits you, an ocean cruise usually follows.
A few lines run dedicated family departures in school holidays with activities for children; outside those, river ships are adult in feel. We will tell you which departures work.
Mostly one or two levels with a lift between main decks, but the sun deck is often stairs-only and cabins are compact. We check the specific ship and cabin with the line before recommending it.
Why Blackbury
Hundreds of sailings, a handful worth your party's time. We do the narrowing down.
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Not all luxury cruises are alike. We know the difference between the lines and find the ship that actually suits your party, travel style and budget.
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Flights, suites, hotels before and after, transfers, excursions, dining and special requests, handled together as one plan.
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One specialist owns your trip from the first conversation to the day you get home. You are never passed around a call centre.
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Travelling with three generations? We plan around different ages, interests, energy levels and mobility needs.
Cruise guides and inspiration
Our own planning notes on the lines in this style.
Our shortlist of the luxury ships that work when grandparents, parents and children travel together, and the ones we would not recommend.
The questions we ask a ship on behalf of a guest who uses a stick, a frame or a wheelchair, the ports that are kind and the ones that are not, and why the right cabin matters more than the right line.
Crowds, buffets, seasickness, feeling trapped, dressing for dinner, children underfoot and the price. What is true of a 3,000-guest ship is mostly untrue of a 300-guest one. Here is what we tell first-time guests.
Other ways to cruise
Couples and small parties who want a private-club feel, small harbours and the least 'cruise' of any cruise. Few children's facilities.
Grandparents, couples and adult families: calm, polished, ports the big ships cannot reach. Limited provision for younger children.
Three generations at once: real children's spaces, more restaurants, connecting suites and room to disappear. Still all-suite and quiet by design.
Antarctica, the Arctic and the far north with a luxury ship under you: zodiacs and naturalists by day, a proper dinner by night. Best for active grandparents and older teenagers.
Don't spend thirty hours comparing forty ships, cabins, dates, flights and hotels. Give us five minutes and we'll narrow it down to what is worth considering.