Are You A Riviera River Cruiser?

The company’s name doesn’t immediately bring to mind river cruising. After all, when most of us think Riviera, we think of the Côte d’Azur and those glamorous beach resorts such as Cannes and St. Tropez. But Riviera, which in fact cut its teeth on holidays to the South of France, operates a fleet of sleek river cruise ships. We’ve cruised Riviera and found much to appreciate. We wrote about that in our 2018 story, Seven Ways That Riviera Seeks To Stand Out. We believe there are several types of cruisers who may find that Riviera’s style suits them to a tee. Are you one of them?

1. Anglophiles

You won’t feel that you’re in the United Kingdom when cruising Riviera, but you will experience pleasant hints of Great Britain. Let’s start with the names of Riviera’s fleet: Geoffrey Chaucer, George Eliot, Lord Byron, William Wordsworth, Emily Brontë, Thomas Hardy, Oscar Wilde, Jane Austen and William Shakespeare. If you don’t recognize the names of those famed English poets, playwrights and authors, you weren’t paying attention during school. Shame on you! The company also operates two ships on the Douro, named the Douro Elegance and Douro Splendour. It stands to reason that if you’re crossing the gangway to step on a ship named William Shakespeare, you’re going to experience something elegant and a tad English.

2. Value Seekers

On several itineraries where we compared pricing, Riviera offered among the lowest lead-in prices. One difference, however, is that Riviera does not include beverages with lunch and dinner. The rationale is that non-drinkers or even light-drinkers aren’t footing the bill for more robust imbibers. During my cruise on Riviera in 2018, a glass of house wine set me back about $3. If I had two glasses of wine a day for seven days, I would have spent only between $42. I could paid $159 for a beverage package, but that would have been wasted on me. That is the point. River cruise companies bundle the cost of alcohol into the cruise fare. Riviera does not. Riviera does bundle port charges. The difference is that everyone must pay port charges. Some companies do not include port charges, which can add more than $200 per person.

3. Solo Travelers

Solo travelers have it hard. They can be charged double the cruise fare, essentially paying as if two travelers were sharing a stateroom. It makes sense when you think about it. Why would the river cruise companies settle for only half of what they could get for a room? Still, many river cruise companies try to accommodate solo travelers with a couple of techniques: solo cabins and partial discounts. We’re currently updating our Solo Travelers page, but you’ll find general info here. Where Riviera differs is that it offers a select number of totally waived single supplements on every sailing. That’s worth saying another way: On each departure, Riviera offers between four and six cabins with no single supplement. These are not single cabins, but standard size cabins that won’t cost solo travelers double.

4. Anxious Consumers

Worried that you’ll overpay for your river cruise? Or that you’ll be unhappy on board? Riviera says they’re confident that you’ll experience neither of those unpleasant situations, and they’re backing it with guarantees. If you find the same vacation at a lower price Riviera will refund the difference. Riviera’s guests are also protected by the company’s happiness guarantee. If a guest isn’t satisfied by the second day of their cruise, Riviera will assist in bringing them home with a full refund. Note that the cost of air is not included. The thinking is that your flights can be rescheduled, or you can spend time in Europe before returning home on your scheduled flight, using the full refund. There are terms and conditions so be sure to read the fine print.

A Name Not Well Known In North America

As we mentioned at the outset of this post, the company’s name leaves some scratching their heads. There’s logic to the name, however, and some reassurances. Riviera Travel began operating in the U.K. nearly four decades ago by offering getaways to the French Riviera. It’s good to know that Riviera is an experienced tour operator, much like Tauck in the United States. In fact, Riviera and Tauck use the same ship management team, Swiss-based Scylla, one of the best in the business.

I remember my first time seeing a Riviera ship. The year was 2015. Oddly enough, I was cruising on a Tauck ship. Our ship, ms Savor, had docked in Passau, and I decided to take one of the complimentary bicycles on board to pedal all the way to Linz, a distance of 90 kilometers. When I arrived in Linz, tired and hungry, several hours later ms Savor had not yet arrived. I saw another ship, however, that I had never seen before. The name made me chuckle, the ms William Shakespeare. This was Riviera’s newest ship. What’s that all about I wondered. I had never heard of Riviera and certainly had never seen a ship named for the most famous of English writers. Obviously this was the start of something new.

We’ve written a lot about Riviera River Cruises, including a recent post about a New Itinerary from Burgundy to Mediterranean Sea. Read more articles about Riviera here.

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