Meet The Upstart River Cruise Company Making Waves In Europe
By
Baldwin Ho
on
16th May 2025
River cruising is the perfect antidote to the bloated ocean cruises that occasionally dominate news
headlines.
Offering serenity and sightseeing while being more sustainable, they're emerging as a superior alternative. Riverside Luxury Cruises has entered the fray and is raising the bar on the level of luxury, river cruisers can expect.
The History
By industry standards, the company is still a toddler having launched in the spring of 2023. The company was created by the high-end German hospitality group, Seaside Collection. They have exclusive resorts spanning the Canary Islands to the Maldives. They had an opportunity to join the prestigious river cruising industry when Crystal River Cruises declared insolvency in 2022. Ships were bought and refurbished and now they have three ships: Ravel, Mozart and Debussy. The names reflect the musical heritage of the destinations you visit on these cruises. They sail mainly on the Rhône and Saone rivers, Danube and Rhine respectively.
The Lowdown
Being the new kid on the block, you can tell management is about customer satisfaction and getting great word of mouth rather than profits. Their chefs reportedly have twice the budget for meal preparations compared to similar cruise ships. Their sommeliers take great care to support local wines. Their staff-to-passenger ratio is one of the best in the industry. On the Riverside Debussy, they have 55 suites matched with 55 staff and crew. They offer butler service in all their suites and only the finest material is used to decorate the ship. We went on their Romantic Rhine Southbound cruise recently to see if they are living up to the hype.
The Rooms
Most of their suites are the Riverside or Seahorse suites, which are extremely commodious at 24 m2. With a walk-in wardrobe and plenty of shelf space, you won't have to be a magician to find space to unpack your clothing. Each suite offers a panoramic French balcony. Riverside understands the most scenic backdrop is the picturesque countryside they sail past, hence you are served floor-to-ceiling glass windows, which can be opened.
The light and airy room is matched by understated colours in the room. However, you won't miss the high-quality furnishings such as the plush leather seating and the finest Egyptian linen for the bedding. They have a high-end Julius Meinl coffee machine, binoculars, an audio device for excursions and a complimentary mini-bar. They offer snug Scandinavian duvets and a pillow menu to guarantee the perfect night's sleep. In addition, they provide 24-hour room service, which is uncommon in the industry. Finally, every guest is greeted with a bottle of Champagne in their suites on arrival.
The Dining
Their culinary offering is one of the most praised aspects of the ship. The primary focus is the Waterside Restaurant, where breakfast, lunch and dinner are served. Apart from the evenings, it is generally a buffet service and the selection is impressively extensive. They source the finest of ingredients, you might spot green-lipped mussels and Madagascan tiger prawns. They always have a live cooking station, so that your omelette is cooked to just the right firmness or your tuna steak is still juicy and succulent in texture.
For dinner, it is generally a 5-course affair, if you opt for the soup and pasta courses as well. They generally promote wines from the region of your cruise, so in our case, it was wines like Dr. Loosen Dry Riesling from Mosel. Dishes also have a local focus, so we got to try a tompouce, which is the Dutch version of a mille-feuille. They also have a bistro offering casual dining and tapas-style dishes throughout the day. You know their kitchen team is up-to-date with modern trends when you see they offer bubble waffles on their bar snacks menu. For each cruise, weather permitting, they also aim to host a gourmet barbecue on their vista deck on level 4. Dishes are prepared using professional Big Green Egg grills.
The pièce de résistance is their Vintage Room experience. This intimate private dining room offers Michelin-quality tasting menus for up to 10 people. They will open as long as at least six people are booked in. Dishes you are guaranteed to have not seen anywhere else include a refreshing heirloom white tomato soup and a citrusy Pomodoro dessert using basil, tomato and yuzu. There is a growing movement of using vegetables in dessert courses from Michelin-starred restaurants. Their wine pairings are a no-expenses spared affair such as the enticing, crisp Robert Mondavi Chardonnay 2018. Robert Mondavi was the Godfather of the American wine industry and is credited with cementing the importance of wine pairings with food. It is priced at EUR 320 per person.
The Amenities
River cruises are not generally known to be an amenities-rich environment, as you do tend to have daily excursions. However, on the Debussy, they do have a decent-sized dipping pool, a well-equipped gym with the latest Technogym equipment and a spa treatment room to ensure there are no aching muscles after action-packed excursions. They have at least six e-bikes and six pedal bikes for those who want to cycle around the countryside when the ship is in port.
They host informative port talks, as well as wine-tasting and cookery classes such as learning how to make a chocolate fondant. Entertainment in the evenings is mainly courtesy of their in-house musician, although they do have visiting performers on occasion who might perform a Broadway spectacular.
The Excursions
River cruising is all about excursions and Riverside Luxury Cruises doesn't disappoint on that front. They always have two options per outing and will run an excursion as long as one person is signed up. They have a logoed coach that follows the cruise ship, so you are always ensured of a high standard of travel and they have an in-house staff who come along on each trip to ensure the highest standards are observed.
Flexibility is also a key factor in booking with Riverside Luxury Cruises. On our trip, due to low water levels, we only reached Cologne on the Rhine. However, they redirected to the Mosel River to ensure passengers would still enjoy a scenic cruise experience. The Mosel is arguably even more enchanting with verdant vineyards, dramatic castles and fairytale villages.
Highlights of our excursions included a tour of Keukenhof, a botanical garden in the Netherlands during tulip season. We also visited the world-famous Eltz Castle in Wierschem, which seems to have appeared on every travel blogger's Instagram account. Riverside Luxury Cruises also runs exclusive excursions, for example, we had a dessert cruise on board the Vondel in Amsterdam. We got to sail along the canals at night time with the twinkling lights, a knowledgeable guide, traditional music and an abundance of irresistible desserts.
They have ambitious plans to expand to other regions and have more river cruise ships, so this is one brand to sit up and take notice of.
Riverside Luxury Cruises
Starting rate from £3,168 for their Amsterdam to Basel 8 days cruises
Dates: various dates each month until September 2025.
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