PHOTOS: Inside my $7,000 room on a luxury river cruise, quaint atmosphere

• I took a nine-day trip aboard the Scenic Spirit, a luxury river cruise that seats 68 guests.
• My 30 square meter deluxe room had a special area with a glass partition and lots of windows.
• I loved having a butler, multiple seating options, a large shower and a walk-in closet.

Americans have been beautiful obsessed with cruises this year mainly mega ships that can transport thousands of people and have as many restaurants and shops as a small town.

But their vastness and lack of exclusivity are not for every traveler. Enter the luxury river cruise.

They are much smaller and more intimate than the large ships – often with room for fewer than 150 travelers – and usually much more expensive. An all-inclusive river cruise can cost more than triple what you would pay for it simple cabin on a megaship.

This year I went aboard the Scenic Spirit, which can accommodate up to 68 guests. The nine-day cruise took us along the Mekong River Vietnam and Cambodia. The trip then continued with a three-day land tour of Siem Reap’s iconic temples.

Picturesque is one all-inclusive lineso the price for this cruise and land tour includes accommodation, food and drinks on board, WiFi, excursions, transfers, baggage handling, port fees, gratuities and taxes.

Although I received this cruise for free, the fare for my passage would have been approximately $7,075. This is what my 300 square foot luxury cabin looked like.