How to book a river cruise with Global River Cruising

With September being the peak season for river cruising in Europe and Christmas just around the corner (a highlight for any river cruise enthusiasts), we thought we put the spotlight on how to book a river cruise with Global River Cruising.

As you can see from our website, you have to get in touch with us directly to book a river cruise with Global River Cruising. We like to find out more about the river cruise of your choice and your overall preferences to be able to recommend the best possible river cruise for you.

We are a team of three (Alex, Rachel and Simeon). One of us will be your personal point of contact.

After the initial contact, we will be going through 5 key questions.

Have you been river cruising before?

This gives us huge insight into where to start with the conversation. If you haven’t been on a river cruise before then we start to describe what a river cruise is like, what the rivers are like and what the ships are like. We also ask if you have been ocean cruising as this provides a contrast to your previous experiences.

If you have been river cruising before then we ask with which company and on which rivers.

How many people are looking to travel and when?

Our brains are quickly crunching through all the likely scenarios regarding the expectations to set on availability. A large group hoping to travel in the near future is a tall ask as river cruise ships are small. However, we know where to look and it doesn’t involve trawling the internet for hours as a customer would have to do. From a single traveller to larger groups, we know where to look from now and into the future.

When and where do you want to go?

Based on what the answer to the first two questions is will let us know how realistic your research has been at this point, what pace of cruise would suit you best and how much travel to and from you actually want to do, energetic or relaxed. What must see sights are you really interested in?

What is your budget?

You might not feel entirely comfortable discussing your budget at this point, but we have to set expectations, so we always follow up with an amount. Good river cruises are not cheap but do offer fantastic value, however, a price is a price, even after a discount. It pays to set expectations and get a you the right holiday for them.

Are there any health issues we need to be aware of?

Due to the infrastructure of a river cruise ship and getting on and off, if a customer has mobility issues, these just need to be covered.

After, we covered the 5 key points, we provide a selection of cruises that fit your criteria and a few extra things that you may not have thought about.

The team of Global River Cruising work with nearly 20 river cruise operators but most customers that come to us have maybe only heard of one or two. We like to explain our choices, pricing and inclusions. It is a really tailormade service for each enquiry and shows a real knowledge and trust in our skills.

Understanding that you have got the best value for your budget or had it explained that a bit beyond gets something much better is what we pride ourselves on. After all, people contact us for advice and our agency services, so we guide you through the whole process from selection, holiday and return.

We pride ourselves on the fact that many of our customers return and recommend us to others.

About Global River Cruising

Global River Cruising is a family owned business, run by us, husband and wife team Alex and Simeon Leete and we’re supported by our experienced and knowledgeable team member Rachel Taylor.

All enquiries and bookings are taken by our team who will then be by your side every step of the way to answer any questions or to provide advice when or if you require it. We also work directly with Fred Olsen Travel who deliver our administration office in Ipswich.

Here you can find out more about us.

How to book a river cruise – Alex Leete

Alex first started working in travel marketing back in the days of the big four tour operators working for Airtours in the hills about Lancashire. This was brochure driven, pre-internet, high octane fly by the seat of your pants stuff with destinations from Turkey to Australia to deal with. As the budget airlines took over, the industry changed and Airtours left the north of England, so it was time to move onto other marketing challenges such as working for the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation and running a children’s football coaching company after having 2 kids. Setting up Outta Here Travel and Global River Cruising once having moved to North Cornwall was coming back to the travel industry and matching it with a lifelong interest in history. For the last six years during the rise in popularity of river cruising the business has grown to cover Europe and South East Asia and North America, helping many customers enjoy river cruising for the first time and working with some great river cruise companies.

How to book a river cruise – Simeon Leete

With a background in aerospace engineering, a master’s degree in marine renewable energy, Simeon most recently worked as a senior IT Customer Service manager for Lloyds Commercial Finance before making the move to North Cornwall. Simeon has grown to enjoy the travel industry. He was co-opted/arm twisted into Outta Here Travel and built our first website from scratch. He now manages the sales and customer service side of the business. He loves talking to people. Attention to detail and making sure that customers get the holiday that is best for them are his main motivations. Dealing with the quirks of the travel industry brings daily head scratching but the delight of customers who have enjoyed a river cruise recommended by him and come back to book their next one with the Simeon they trust to get it right, provides great job satisfaction.

How to book a river cruise – Rachel Taylor

Rachel has been working in the Travel Industry for over 25 years, starting out working for a small independent travel agency, then working for 2 of the big multiples such as Thomas Cook and Going Places. She has worked for Cruise.co.uk an online agency which specialise in all ocean and river cruising before joining Global River Cruising in March 2016. She says herself that she has been very lucky in her chosen career path visiting some wonderful destinations and still having a passion for travel.

How to book a river cruise – Get in touch!

We hope our outline on how to book a river cruise with Global River Cruising has answered a few questions you might have had. As always, please feel free to get in touch to discuss any questions you might have around the world of river cruising!