Not quite a year and a half out from its launch Riverside Luxury Cruises is quickly building a reputation for excellent service and some of the best food on the European rivers. The line just debuted on the Travel + Leisure Top 10 River Cruise Line list, coming in at number eight with a score of 94.62.
Riverside has been active in courting the travel trade including having a presence at the last two ASTA River Cruise Expos and has been inviting advisors onboard in large numbers. The reviews from advisors have been glowing.
TMR’s recently returned from a short four-day sailing onboard Riverside Debussy where we had the chance to see what all the fuss is about.
Here’s what we think travel advisors should know about Riverside Luxury Cruises.
Service is a highlight
Service onboard Riverside sailings is top-notch. Seriously. Crew are friendly and proactive, eager to make sure you’ve got what you want. Once our butler realized one of us enjoyed white wine in the afternoon, he made sure to have a chilled bottle ready.
The one time a waiter got an a la minute breakfast order wrong, he insisted on fixing it rather than let us fill up on second-choice buffet items.
What we loved most was that the line has found a way to walk the line between truly upscale service – the wait staff put on a white glove before taking empty wine glasses or replacing silverware – and laid-back companionable, where the crew feel comfortable enough to joke around with guests.
We also loved that the crew spoke multiple languages, so the guests from Germany could speak German when they needed to, and a couple from Costa Rica was able to speak Spanish.
With a little bit of notice, crew will also try to make most requests happen. We were sailing during the European Cup (soccer), and one of the crew members found a Serbian website to stream the games from, setting up a watch party in the Vintage Room.
Best food on the rivers?
When travel advisors I emailed with heard that I was onboard Riverside, they invariably responded to me with, “You’ll love it. They have the best food on the rivers.” (That’s not an exaggeration. I literally got that message from three advisors I emailed with during my voyage.)
Neither my guest nor I are what you’d call foodies. She’s a pescatarian and I have my own slew of dining preferences. But there wasn’t a single dish (except one soup during a tapas evening) that we didn’t enjoy whole-heartedly.
We particularly liked that many of the dishes could be made vegetarian or even vegan, expanding the number of options we had each night. There were also several always-available options – the pesto pasta, which I only discovered on the last night of my sailing – was exquisite.
Riverside is unique in that meals aren’t dictated by a corporate overseer. Each ship has its own executive chef who is in charge of creating the menus. The only corporate instruction? Focus on local ingredients and dishes. Riverside Debussy’s executive chef Gareth Gradwell, told us it was like being given the key to his very own restaurant. His passion and enthusiasm for his menus was palpable.
We did not get to try out the Vintage Room during our short four-day sailing, but advisors we’ve talked to all raved about it.
Maximum space, minimum company
Despite being what I would call a fantastic product, it would not be false to say Riverside is struggling to fill some of its sailings. On our sailing of Riverside Debussy, which can hold up to 110 passengers, there were just 28 people. One of the crew members mentioned that a future sailing so far had just four people listed. (Though I can only speak to Debussy, word on the advisor street is the other ships are similarly sailing at less than full capacity.)
On the one hand, it makes for a quiet, though amiable journey. All the English-speaking guests got to know one another and socialized throughout the day. There was never a rush to grab a seat for the evening’s talk about the following day’s activities, and dinner was similarly never crowded.
The most crowded we ever saw the lounge was during an afternoon Bingo game, where at least half the passengers came to try and win a facial massage.
On the other hand, river cruises are often convivial and social and with only 28 people onboard – or four as in the case of the future sailing – opportunities for socializing and meeting new people are limited.
There’s also a chance that the superb service we received was partly because the crew-to-passenger ratio had to be greater than 1-to-1.
Varying shades of inclusiveness
Riverside offers four fare levels, starting with a basic fare that only includes meals; and Wi-Fi; water, coffee, and tea at meals.
At the upper level – Premium All-Inclusive Including Excursions – the fare comes with all meals, a premium beverage package, a choice of excursions in each port, minibar items personalized to your client’s tastes, and Wi-Fi.
Other options are Premium All-Inclusive (basically all above except excursions in port) and Full Board Including Excursions (just meals and Wi-Fi, plus excursions).
As an example of pricing, an upcoming seven-day Danube River cruise on the Mozart in a Riverside Suite ranges in price from $7,805 to $9,128 depending on which fare is selected.
Even with the most inclusive fare, there are some extras. The spa, for instance, which offers four types of massages and three face care treatments – all ranging in price from €65 to €149.
Also extra are room service canapes, like shrimp cocktail (€16) a fruit (€12) or cheese (€14) plate, and caviar (ranging from €65 to €85).
Abundant snack options
Circling back to food, there’s really no reason to splurge on the canapes. There is always food available throughout the day, from salad fixings, small plates, and delicious cakes in the Bistro to cookies near reception and popcorn in the lounge.
The layout in the Bistro is particularly great after an active excursion that’s finished well before lunch or dinner is served.
All combined, it’s the best offering of between-meal dining I’ve ever encountered on a river ship.
Quiet evenings
At the 2024 ASTA River Cruise Conference in Amsterdam earlier this year, Riverside Debussy was the place to be, with DJ’d music each night and a party atmosphere. It’s the vibe Riverside Luxury Cruises CEO Jen Halboth has said she wants for the line – essentially to be the Virgin of the river cruise industry, a disrupter that brings a new kind of energy to river cruising.
Our four-day sailing on the Main River was anything but. Nights were quiet affairs with a keyboardist, and a handful of the most social guests drinking together. One evening a student violinist came onboard from the local university to play a diverse set of music for 30 minutes.
Honestly, it felt a bit more like the old days of river cruising than anything new.
We’re not sure who was in charge of evening entertainment, but they may have been assuming that’s what the onboard guests wanted. The average age was likely over 65, and while some of the guests might have objected to something more upbeat, not all would have.
Daytime entertainment was similarly quiet, but that’s not too unusual on the rivers. On our four-night cruise, we had one full day in port and two half days. On the first half-day, a lively game of Bingo was enjoyed by everyone who attended. On the second, a cooking demo and cocktail class were also enjoyed.
Diverse clientele
With just 28 people onboard Debussy, you might expect the diversity among guests to be at a minimum. You’d be wrong. Onboard our sailing was a mix of Germans, Canadians, Americans, Australians, and a couple from Costa Rica. Ages ranged between early 50s to mid-90s. (The 94-year-old woman from Australia put some of the younger folks to shame.) Some were onboard for a week, others for two weeks or longer.
The mix felt different from other river cruises I’ve been on. Most have a mix of English-speaking guests from the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Australia, with not too many non-native English speakers. Riverside is doing a marketing push globally and the results make for an international blend of people that adds to the overall travel experience.
Missing fitness options
In previous conversations with Halboth, she described the ideal Riverside guest as the affluent family that’s skis in Aspen or jets to Europe for a long weekend. Minus the skiing, my guest very much fits the affluent, urbanite guest profile Halboth describes: married professional, early 50s with a teenager, who flies business class, and doesn’t give heading to Paris or Amsterdam for a long weekend a second thought.
She mostly enjoyed the Riverside – and river cruise – experience but had one comment for the feedback survey.
No yoga.
It might sound minor, but the lack of scheduled exercise sessions was a real miss for her. Yoga, Peloton, CrossFit, Rumble Boxing – these are essential aspects of life for this demographic. It’s why Virgin emphasizes its expansive fitness options. The night before we got off, there was a yoga session listed for the next day’s afternoon, but despite two half days of sailing nothing was offered while we were onboard.
In a similar vein, the small fitness center had no treadmill. In order to “close” the circle on her Apple Watch, she’d sometimes have to walk the halls to get her steps in.