It’s something that most of us tend to take for granted: Room Service. A staple feature of nearly every hotel and deep-ocean cruise line out there, many properties and ships offer at least a modest menu of made-to-order snacks and beverages. But aboard a river cruise, this isn’t always the case. In fact, room service may not even be offered at all.

Think of it as a boutique hotel: River cruises typically accommodate fewer than 200 guests, and while they offer dining and amenities that rival some of Europe’s best hotels, round-the-clock, on-demand food isn’t always part of the package. Part of the reason for this may be cultural (the last three European hotels we stayed in offered limited room service, at premium prices) but the real reason can be related to the ship’s size: With only one galley and a team of employees that work hard throughout the day, the entire operation just isn’t geared to cook up that burger and deliver it to your room at 2 a.m. or even dinner during dining hours.

But the lack of room service isn’t necessarily a negative. In fact, we doubt you’ll ever miss it.

Snacks are offered in the lounges on most river cruise ships throughout the day, and beverages like tea, water and coffee are on-tap around the clock. Some nights, your river cruise ship might even be docked in a city or town, allowing you to pop off for that late-night bite.

While many river cruise ships eschew 24-hour room service across all cabin grades, some lines do offer limited room service as a perk for repeat passengers or suite guests. Others offer breakfast-only room service.

So who offers what? Let’s have a look at the major lines:

No matter whether room service is or isn’t offered aboard your river cruise ship, chances are you won’t miss it. When all else fails, a walk into the towns and villages where river ships dock can cure most cravings.

In fact, it makes us hungry just thinking about it!