My first river cruise with Danfluvial

I have the honor of introducing you to Vero Boned, a woman traveler who narrates her experiences on her travel website sinmapa.net and that helps other people organize their trips through their travel guides, with practical information and advice.

Vero is a journalist by profession and a traveler by conviction. Enjoy traveling the world. 

We have interviewed her on our blog. He tells us what his first river cruise with Danfluvial was like and how he lived this experience. 

What destination did you choose to take your first river cruise?

We chose to do the Camargue, which is a natural area in the South of France that is between the Rhône coast and the Mediterranean coast.

How long was the itinerary for the river cruise?

We chose a slow navigation that was going to take us about 12 total hours of navigation in the 5 days, traveling and navigating the channels of the Rhône.

The idea was to take a trip slow, without hurry and calm.

How much did you know about river tourism? How long had you known about this type of tourism? Did it take you long to decide to take your first river cruise?

The truth is that I didn't know anything about river tourism until they offered me a 5-day getaway. 

As soon as they explained to me a little bit about what the experience was going to be like, who we were going with and so on... I was delighted to accept!

Is it easy to schedule stops? Some people are concerned about this part of the trip.

It was quite easy because on the Danfluvial website everything is very well explained and they tell you what intermediate stops you can make. We researched on Google the name of the towns or cities that were recommended to us and we looked for information on what to see and what to do in each of the towns and very well. We thought it was very accurate.

In the places you stopped, How Were the things you wanted to visit up close?

The sites were very close and we could easily reach them on foot. 

We tied the boat and calmly got ready and went down to explore the cities or towns, go to eat there or do the shopping. 

To bring food on board, did it seem easy to stock the boat?

I thought it was great that Danfluvial offered a welcome kit on board to have the most basic things on the boat, like some bread or a coffee... things for a first meal.

Having the basics on board on the first day of your first river cruise is important. 

When you pick up the boat it is interesting to have a first cup of coffee. In any case, it seems to me that it is very easy to supply the boat, since you stop in different towns where there are either supermarkets or you can find food stores.

Would you say that local product stores are the best option to buy?

Without a doubt we bought whenever we could in the towns or cities where we stopped with the boat so that we could consume fresh products from kilometer zero. 

Although we had the initial Kit, on the first day we did make a large first purchase in a supermarket to be able to have the basics such as cans of preserves, packets of pasta and so on. 

In the towns we bought fresh ones like fruits and vegetables. 

How do you decide or how do you know where to moor the boat?

The day we went to pick it up they gave us instructions and a little book with all the necessary information.

Plus, they gave us tips and information on all the stops. 

Is the boat easy to drive?

Personally, since I had no experience, I was extremely good at it 😉 They explained to us the techniques for going forward, backward, turning, stopping... when you pick up the boat they explain everything to you. And it's quite intuitive. 

I was pretty good at it and so were my companions, so I guess it's not complicated in general (there were 7 of us on the boat).

I think it's pretty easy to drive.

What type of boat did you choose? Did it have a kitchen and living room?

We chose a large boat, a Vision 4 SL, premium range because we were a group of friends and within the group there was a couple with a baby, another couple alone, another friend and me.  

We chose a boat with 4 cabins with a private bathroom, it had a kitchen, a living room, the entire upper part with a barbecue... we rented bicycles to explore some destinations by bike. 

Great 😉 

 Pass the locks, How is? Is it simple?

We didn't have to make any locks on our first river cruise because the stretch of canal we navigated didn't have any. 

But the truth is that I have seen some photos and videos and other colleagues who did live the experience and told me about it and I would like to be able to live it sometime. 

I think it would be very interesting to live that experience. 

Does it seem to you, Vero, that the boat does not move much and is safe?

It seemed to me that the boat did not move much, an ideal slow speed to drive it, not feel afraid, not be in danger and be able to enjoy the journey.

At the end of the day it is the key, if I wanted a speed boat I would not have chosen this type of experience. One catches a jet ski in the Mediterranean and that's it. 

I think the idea and concept behind these boats without a skipper is to go calmly, enjoying the landscape, enjoying the company... enjoying the slow travel.

What's it like to have dinner by moonlight on a boat?

Dining on a boat, on a canal, on a river seems to me to be a beautiful, interesting, even romantic experience, even if you go with your friends...

You are calm, you have time, you can extend the after-dinner session as long as you want because there is no one to close the restaurant for you.

I think it is a nice experience of coexistence and sharing with your travel companions.

Do you sleep well on board a boat like these?

The truth is that you sleep fantastically well on the boat. 

It doesn't rock much. When you choose where the boat is going to stop, it is usually a quiet area, in fact you can even choose if you want the area to be more isolated or less because of the surrounding noises.

Sleep is usually quite restful. The cabins are very comfortable and so are the beds. I slept like a baby, luxury!

Did you have breakfast on the boat too?

Yeah! It is one of the advantages if you are a large group, everyone gets up at the time they want and has breakfast at the time they want. 

Plus, you save money by having some of your meals on the boat and not off all the time. 

What is it that you loved and will never forget about your first river cruise?

What I liked most about traveling this way is the experience itself. 

This is when you really become aware that you not only have to enjoy the destination, but the journey, the journey.  

During this journey one shares with his or her traveling companions (whether family, friends, partner or whatever...) long moments, conversations, without rushing, a nice coexistence. One shares from meals, dinners, breakfasts. 

I think it is a good way to travel without the rush, without the crowds. 

I really liked the experience and would definitely repeat it. Definitely! 

 What would be your next river destination if you could return next week?

I think I would do the Canal du Midi. Not only because I think it is one of the mythical ones, but also because of the cities you can go through like Toulouse, Carcassonne, Narbonne.

I think it also has locks and that way I could live the experience of the locks and it is also a journey that can be done in a few days without having to make a very long trip, on a bridge of about four or five days you can do it.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about taking their first river cruise?

I would tell him to cheer up, that it is worth it, that it is a brutal experience. Entertaining, comfortable, safe…  

At first you may think that renting a boat without a skipper can be very expensive, or that you may be afraid because you don't know how to drive or handle a boat.

At the end of the day, if you do the numbers, you realize that you don't spend much more than traveling independently on traditional, public means of transportation or even in your own car.

I should also say that it is very easy to drive the boat and there are always people willing to help you if you have any problems.  

One day when we were having a hard time mooring the boat at one of the destinations, people from next door came to help us. It's a good way to meet people from there and people who are traveling the same way as you. 

Vero has a post on his blog in which he tells you about his experience with the boat without a skipper in the Camargue, you can read it by clicking here. 

From Danfluvial we thank you for the interview Vero, and we are happy that you enjoyed your first river cruise in the Camargue. 

We are waiting for you to go to the Canal du Midi whenever you want.