What it takes for a European river cruise to be considered ‘the world’s best’

European river cruises are perhaps the fastest-growing category in vacation travel today, and their incredible popularity has prompted new companies to rush into the market, and for existing river cruise lines to rapidly expand their fleets. With so many new choices, how can you determine which river cruise line is the best?

"Travel + Leisure," the respected magazine of authentic, upscale travel, helps take the guesswork out of making travel decisions with its annual "World's Best" readers survey. The results of the 2011 survey are available in the magazine's August issue and Connecticut-based travel company Tauck was named the "World's Best River Cruise Line."

Travel + Leisure readers rated operators of river cruises based on six different criteria, including value, itineraries/destinations, cabins, food, service and activities. But because competition is so stiff, what else does it take to be the best? A number of things, but years of experience is essential.

It takes time to develop and leverage connections and expertise with premium-quality guided land tours that make a cruise into an experience, rather than just a vacation. Because the company has been in business since 1925, Tauck has that experience - it has been on Travel + Leisure's list of the "World's Best Tour Operators & Safari Outfitters" every year the list has been published.

But there are other things that make river cruises a superior experience, according to Tauck CEO Dan Mahar. Here are four key elements of a great river cruise:

Uncommon access.
"We go to places and deliver experiences that our guests either wouldn't know about or wouldn't have access to if they were traveling on their own," says Mahar. "Guests on our river cruises enjoy the same kind of unique, authentic experiences ashore that have distinguished Tauck's land journeys for over 85 years."

All-inclusive pricing.
"We build all the major cruise costs into one simple, easy-to-understand cruise price that's paid prior to departure," says Mahar. "All shore excursions, tips, wine with onboard dinners, port charges, entertainment and more are taken care of in advance, so it makes for a far more relaxing vacation."

Top-notch staffing.
"Where many river cruise lines have just one cruise director to see to guests' needs, each Tauck riverboat has a dedicated cruise director and three Tauck directors aboard," explains Mahar. "As a result, our guests enjoy superior, personalized service both on board the ship and ashore."

Intimate, club-like atmosphere.
"We've intentionally limited the capacity on our river cruises to just 118 passengers, so our guests enjoy an intimate, club-like atmosphere," says Mahar, who noted that other riverboats of the same size routinely carry upwards of 140 passengers. Tauck ships also have four times the number of suites and junior suites found on many other lines.

For more information on Tauck's award-winning river cruises (as well as their land journeys and small-ship ocean cruises), go to www.tauck.com.