Travel smart: A river cruise critic

European river cruises are hot, with more than 50 new ships set to debut by the end of next year. But one travel authority isn’t a fan.

Arthur Frommer, longtime head of the giant Frommer’s guidebook empire, says the lack of solo travelers, families with children, budget travelers and people under age 50 sterilizes the experience.

“When a cruise ship proceeds at a speed of 4-or-so miles an hour, as most river cruise ships do, the atmosphere is not one for swingers,” he says. A river cruise is mostly about “being waited upon hand and foot and fooling yourself into believing that you are seeing a succession of foreign countries.”

Frommer, 85, became famous for writing the first modern guidebook, “Europe on $5 a Day” in 1957. That book gave thousands of Americans the courage to travel abroad on their own, something he still advocates.

Meanwhile, river cruise companies must be doing something right. Their business is booming.