Sail Aboard Riviera Radiance, Riviera Travel’s Newest Ship

Gliding through Austria’s Wachau Valley on a sunny day in late September with Riviera Travel on their newest ship, Riviera Radiance, I can’t help myself: As the gorgeous vineyards, castles and tree-covered slopes pass by, I start humming Johann Strauss II’s 1866 masterpiece “The Blue Danube.” This stretch of the Danube River is particularly beautiful—and Riviera Radiance provides the perfect platform for enjoying the scenery in comfortable, hum-worthy bliss. 

Riviera Travel debuted the 178-guest Riviera Radiance in June and has been plying the waters of the Danube ever since. The launch of the new vessel is just one of the many developments underway at Riviera Travel as the United Kingdom-based company makes a push into the North American market. Until now, the 40-year-old company has mostly catered to British guests, earning a reputation as a leading tour and river cruise operator in the U.K.

To appeal to North American guests, Riviera Travel has launched a major rebrand, featuring Riviera Radiance. Riviera has opened a new U.S. headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, expanded its North American sales team, debuted a new booking website and training platform for travel advisors, and created a new North American agent advisory board. Next year, Riviera Travel will also debut a new all-inclusive drinks package and will begin offering new “Grand Tours” itineraries designed specifically for North American travelers.

Against this backdrop, I wanted to experience Riviera Travel’s product first-hand and see what North Americans might make of the experience. In September, I had the opportunity to join a seven-day sailing aboard the Riviera Radiance on the line’s “Blue Danube River Cruise” itinerary. Here’s what it was like—and what your clients can expect.

Three Delicious Dining Venues

Riviera Radiance is the first in the fleet to offer three distinct dining venues. I had a chance to sample all three during my sailing, and am happy to report they’re all delicious. The only issue I faced was deciding which one to visit for any given meal. 

The ship’s main restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, providing an elegant setting and large tables for travelers to mingle as they enjoy their meals. Breakfast is a hearty buffet, with the option to order fresh-made dishes like omelets, avocado toast and eggs Benedict from the menu. Lunch and dinner are served tableside, with a salad bar available only at lunch. 

At the very back of the ship on the upper deck, guests will find the Riverview Kitchen, an intimate eatery with an open kitchen and panoramic views from floor-to-ceiling windows. At lunch, it’s a casual bistro dishing up burgers, pizzas, soups, salads and hearty favorites like fish and chips. Come dinner time, it transforms into an elegant and cozy fine dining restaurant with dishes like rosemary-marinated lamb rump steak and grilled sword fish. 

Mosaic—a brand new tapas-style concept—is located on the lower deck. The menu draws inspiration from the great rivers of Europe, including the Douro in Portugal, the Seine in France and, of course, the Danube. Some of my favorite bites were the gambas al ajillo (shrimp cooked in oil and garlic), the sole meunière (a lemony, buttery filet) and the wiener schnitzel. 

Room service is also available for breakfast, with lighter fare like baked goods, yogurt, cereal and fruit available for delivery between 8 and 10 a.m. Each room was also equipped with a small, simple espresso maker—meaning no pajama-clad trips down the hall to fetch a cup of joe in the morning. Larger, high-tech coffee machines were also positioned outside the lounge and in the Riverview Kitchen, serving up piping-hot lattes and other espresso drinks—so no one ever went without their caffeine fix. 

For now, a “Superior” drink package is included with every booking. This means wine and beer are free at lunch, and wine, beer and some spirits and cocktails are free from 6 p.m. to midnight. But starting next year, Riviera Travel will switch to an all-inclusive model, with most drinks available at no extra charge from 10 a.m. to midnight.

I was impressed with Riviera Travel’s cocktails (and mocktails) of the day, which were a fun treat to try each evening before dinner. One day, it was a bright green concoction with a hint of basil, while the next it was a fizzy, Aperol spritz-inspired sip with a hint of passionfruit and lemon. Most evenings, everyone gathered in the lounge around 6 p.m. for drinks, light appetizers and a quick briefing of the next day’s adventure. 

Spacious New Suites

The vessel boasts 89 cabins spread across three decks, including the largest-ever accommodations in the brand’s river cruise fleet. 

For travelers looking for a little extra room to spread out, there are the Grand Suites on the top deck, which offer 344 square feet of space to relax and unwind. The Grand Suites have a king bed, a separate living area and a private balcony with outdoor seating.

Superior Suites are slightly smaller, measuring 258 square feet, but still offer plenty of room for one or two travelers. Located on the top and middle decks, these accommodations feature floor-to-ceiling French balconies and a sofa, chair and table. 

Standard double cabins are located on all three decks and offer 172 square feet. These accommodations have either a French balcony or fixed windows, depending on their location. 

All Grand and Superior Suites, plus double cabins on the top decks, qualify for “Riviera Plus.” This upgraded offering includes luxury toiletries; a chilled bottle of Champagne upon arrival; locally inspired souvenirs to bring home; a 10 percent discount on a massage, spa treatment or hairdresser visit; and 10 percent off onboard laundry services.

Dramatic Split-Level Design

New for the Riviera Travel fleet is Riviera Radiance’s innovative split-level design. In practice, this means travelers enter the spacious lounge on the top deck, but can take a small flight of stairs down to a slightly lower, additional lounge area near the bar, located at the very front of the ship. A few more steps down takes them to the main restaurant on the middle deck. This design feature adds a touch of drama and elegance to the ship’s main public spaces, with beautiful curved staircases and ornamental balusters adding to the contemporary aesthetic. 

Split-level aside, the rest of the ship is intuitive and comfortable. The lower deck features the Mosaic restaurant, as well as a small but well-equipped fitness center with a treadmill, a stationary bike, a rower, free weights, kettlebells, yoga mats and stability balls. Nearby, there’s a spa treatment massage room, as well as a sauna and steam room that are available by appointment. 

The middle deck is the heart of the action, home to the reception desk, a tall lobby accented by a dazzling chandelier and the main restaurant. The top deck is home to the lounge, the Riverview Restaurant and a small outdoor seating area off the back of the ship. The outdoor sun deck has ample seating and lounge space, a small hot tub and several oversized hammocks for soaking up the views. 

Diverse Itineraries on the Danube

The “Blue Danube River Cruise” itinerary sails roundtrip from Budapest, with transfers to and from the airport. After departing Hungary’s capital city in the evening, the vessel sails overnight upstream to Esztergom. Next up is Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, followed by a pair of stops in Dürnstein and Melk, Austria. Linz (with an option to visit Salzburg by coach) and Vienna round out the voyage, with one final day in Budapest. 

The itinerary includes free shore excursions at every stop—primarily, city or landmark tours led by local guides. In some destinations, optional add-on excursions are also available for an extra fee, such as apricot tasting in Dürnstein or wine tasting at Schönbrun Palace. 

We also got to enjoy some locally inspired entertainment during the trip. A quartet called Ars Mundi came onboard while we were docked in Vienna and performed several Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, Johann Strauss II compositions—it was outstanding. In Budapest, we enjoyed a lively Hungarian folklore show that included live music and traditional dancing, which was also wonderful. (Throughout the voyage, an onboard pianist named Daniel also regularly played tunes in the lounge. The cruise director also hosted a few evening activities, including a brain teaser-style trivia game and a night of music and dancing.) 

Riviera Radiance will offer a variety of itineraries on the Danube, including several themed sailings and holiday cruises. Foodies can look forward to “Gastronomy of the Danube” while solo travelers can enjoy dedicated departures of the “Blue Danube River Cruise” itinerary. Guests hoping to enjoy the festive season in Europe can join the “Danube’s Imperial Cities and Yuletide Markets” itinerary, the “Christmas on the Danube” voyage or the “New Year on the Danube” sailing.

Guests Onboard the Riviera Radiance

No surprise here, most of my fellow travelers on Riviera Radiance by Riviera Travel hailed from the U.K. Aside from the handful of other American journalists on board, I counted six other guests from the U.S.—including a pair of couples who had booked the trip somewhat last-minute because it still had availability. 

Personally, I loved having the opportunity to chat with the British guests on Riviera Radiance. In the lounge and at meal times, it was fun to compare notes and share what we knew about each other’s countries and cultures. We talked history and politics, chatted about differences in our daily lives, and shared tales from our favorite travel adventures. I found them to be well-traveled, intelligent, curious, friendly, polite and engaged. Travelers tended to be older, in their 60s, 70s and 80s, with varying levels of mobility, though there were a handful of slightly younger guests on the trip, too. 

The U.S.-to-U.K. ratio is likely to shift starting next year, since Riviera Travel only recently amped up its efforts to attract North Americans and since most travelers book river cruises a year or two in advance. And how do British travelers feel about a potential future influx of Americans on their river cruises? “People are people,” one woman from Oxford told me with a shrug when I asked her this very question. The prospect didn’t bother her one bit. Given our shared language and history of cooperation, I think everyone will get along just fine. 

There were a handful of distinctly British elements on the voyage, though, thanks to Riviera Travel’s strong U.K. roots. While informing us about the next day’s weather, the cruise director made a reference to Michael Fish that went straight over my head—until I asked a British passenger to fill me in. Fish is a British meteorologist who worked for the BBC for 30 years, and famously got in a bit of hot water for downplaying the severity of a storm in 1987. Tea was more popular than coffee, and every morning there were “Britain Today” news print outs on the table in the lobby. 

Overall, I think North American travelers will thoroughly enjoy sailing with Riviera Travel, particularly onboard the brand new Riviera Radiance. The ship is gorgeous and filled with light, the staff goes above and beyond to make the voyage memorable, and the itineraries provide the perfect introduction to some of Europe’s most iconic destinations. The opportunity to mix and mingle with guests from another country—and learn about what life is like in the U.K.—is an added bonus of Riviera Travel’s deep roots and robust history.

This article originally appeared in TravelPulse.

Contact My Journey Begins Travel to book your European river cruise with Riviera Travel.