Joining a cruise with Heritage Line is an adventure in various ways, including discovering and experiencing a destination with all its facets of culture, nature, food, craftsmanship, local people and so on. Why river cruising is an overwhelming and fascinating way of travel – we have outlined in our previous series “Reasons to Take a River Cruise”. In addition, a river cruise, especially with Heritage Line or aboard a Heritage Line ship, enables travellers to make new friends, sometimes for life. Why do we say that? Let us explain.

Creating the ambiance to socialize in a natural way

Many who book and travel with Heritage Line are by nature cruise aficionados, which means they are travellers who love to travel on the various waterways around the globe. First timers are certainly going to go on to become repeat cruise lovers as well. The intimacy which we provide onboard our bespoke ships, with inviting and spacious private and public areas, imparts a naturally relaxing environment and atmosphere. Everything is carefree and easy; everything is laid back with a refined ambiance flowing through it.  That is the foundation of the milieu we provide to make our guests feel at ease, which consequently allows communication with others to happen naturally. It is the charmed vibe aboard a Heritage Line ship.

Small ships – big friendships

Many guests are surprised by how many passengers we host onboard. Many of them have done a European river cruise where the ships are very large and host between 100-200 people in cabins of sizes between 14-30 sqm normally. On the Mekong River for example our luxurious ships host a maximum of 52 guests. If you cruise in Laos there are only 20 guests on board. In Halong Bay one travels with just 10 to 22 companions. The ships are small in regard to the number of guests, but large regarding cabin size and open and public areas – indoor and outdoor lounges, bars, sun decks, observatories, open bridge policy, lobbies, library corners… these are all places to make lovely chance meetings with fellow passengers. So it happens that a little chit-chat of two couples in the library ends up in planning the next Heritage Line cruise together.

A good friendship takes time – so do our cruise itineraries

Travelling along a river is a matter of time. And actually, so are good friendships. Except for the Bai Tu Long – Halong Bay and Lan Ha Bay cruises of one or two nights, our itineraries start from 3 to 11 nights. Our most popular cruises are 7-nights long – on the lower Mekong in Vietnam and Cambodia, the Upper Mekong in Laos, and the upper Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) in Myanmar. This allows our guests to mingle with others and find “their soul mates” after a few days. Sometimes after two or three days, dining rooms are rearranged to form “friendship tables” at which people from the same or different nationalities have bonded to become cruise buddies or – new friends for life.

Our celebrated barbecue nights really break the ice

The various events we host on board offer opportunities to mingle and compare notes of what experiences have been had with fellow passengers. The favourite icebreaker is the gala barbecue dinner buffets on the sun decks, decked out for the evening’s events and replete with cultural performances showcasing the talents of local musicians and performers, followed by dance music till late. The staff love to join in and take pride in teaching some local dance moves or rock away to oldies and goodies. After all, everyone on board, passengers and staff, are family!

Good vibes only

The East India Club – Club 1930 Bar – Kipling’s Lounge – aptly named venues for the eras they evoke. They will transport you to bygone times of grandeur and civility enjoyed by river cruisers of the past. At these thought-provoking and uniquely decorated spots, some of which are open-air, guests meet up for an afternoon cocktail or after dinner aperitif and perhaps to hang out till the wee hours discussing the topics that are best discussed sitting at a proper bar counter or the surrounding intimate seating. At the bars, the bartenders and barmaids are eager to join the conversation when prodded and will offer stories and jokes to while the night away.

Traveling is an interest in education

Many of our guests have a higher goal – learning about local cultures – when choosing a Heritage Line cruise. We do not provide only adventure and sightseeing – we also offer our guests comprehensive insights into the history, life, culture and society of each destination through lectures and presentations on board and through our enthusiastic guides during excursions. They are very proud of their countries and love to impart their history and culture in natural and easy-going interaction with their “students”. All are impressed and delighted to see how interactive the journey is.

The greatest link to friendships – our staff

Our staff live on board and the boat is their home when working and they form close-knit relationships with their peers who are their second family. This comradery forms the mindset that makes them want to integrate each new passenger into their onboard family. They pleasantly surprise you when by the second day on board passengers are all heartily greeted by their names whenever the staff interacts with them. It’s not only guests who form new friendships with each other but with staff as well, staying in touch by social media long after the journeys end. Parting is truly sweet sorrow at the end of a Heritage Line cruise.

The way to a person’s heart (or to friendship) is through their stomach

Nothing can connect people more than food. Enjoying it and talking about it is probably one of the favourite topics in the world. That is why in Vietnam locals often ask when welcoming a friend “Did you eat already?” instead of “How are you?” Our goal is to offer a food journey of such variety and quality that it will supply ample pleasure and surprise for enthusiastic conversations around what is presented in our dining rooms.  And we do mean “presented” as how good a dish look is just as important as how it tastes. Our servers are well versed in what they are offering you and our chefs are present in the dining rooms and of course love to hear the comments and answer questions about the food that they have prepared with care and enthusiasm to please all tastes.  The dining rooms are designed for elegant intimacy and comfort and conversations often last long after the plates are cleared.