7 Reasons You Have to Try This New Luxury River Cruise Line
I cruised on Riverside Mozart with Riverside Luxury Cruises. We began our weeklong voyage in Budapest. (Photo by John Roberts)
Quick Guide to Riverside Luxury Cruises
Riverside Luxury Cruises is a new all-inclusive luxury line with voyages on the Rhine, Rhône, Danube, Moselle, and Main rivers.
I cruised on Riverside Mozart on the Danube River in the summer of 2023, the first season for Riverside, and had a wonderful time. The highlights for me were the beautiful ship, friendly and attentive service, fun shore excursions and the best food I’ve had on any cruise.
This is one of the barbecue dinners we enjoyed on the top deck of Riverside Mozart. (Photo by John Roberts)
Riverside Luxury Cruises is operating three ultra-luxury ships. While the cruise line is new, the ships Riverside sails on the European rivers might sound familiar to cruisers.
Riverside Mozart, Riverside Debussy and Riverside Ravel are former Crystal Cruises ships. That company went bankrupt, and Riverside Luxury Cruises bought the fleet of popular ships. They are incredibly spacious, beautifully designed and filled with inviting amenities.
Personally, I am grateful that Riverside saved these ships so that we can continue to enjoy them on all-inclusive journeys to exciting destinations.
Have a look at what Riverside Luxury Cruises is all about and where these river ships travel. You can find plenty of awesome cruise itineraries still available for 2024, and Riverside has just released its schedule of sailings for 2025, too. (Read more about them below.)
1. A Full Array of Cruise Amenities
All cruisers enjoy Riverside’s signature intuitive and personalized service, with butler service in every suite.
Plus, gourmet cuisine is made with high-quality, fresh ingredients a la minute. Your cruise fare includes premium wines and spirits, complimentary StarLink broadband Wi-Fi, and unlimited shore excursions that explore the history, culture and landmarks in each fascinating port.
Video: Riverside Mozart Full Ship Tour
Video: Riverside Debussy Full Ship Tour
2. Every Stateroom Is a Suite
The all-suites Riverside Mozart, Riverside Ravel and Riverside Debussy offer the most spacious accommodations, highest staff-to-cruiser ratio and more onboard amenities than other river lines.
Videos: Cabin Tours for Riverside Mozart and Riverside Debussy
3. Going to the Places You Want to See
Riverside Luxury Cruises offers more than 170 departures on 52 distinct itineraries for 2025, ranging from three to 23 nights, aboard Riverside Debussy, Riverside Ravel and Riverside Mozart.
For some itineraries, you can combine cruises aboard both Riverside Debussy and Riverside Ravel for extended vacations up to 19 nights, exploring the Rhine and Rhône rivers, respectively.
Riverside Debussy will also cruise the Main and Moselle rivers and join Riverside Mozart on the Danube.
On all voyages, ships stay late or overnight in some of Europe’s most charming villages and historic capital cities. This way, you get more time to explore and experience these vibrant destinations and see them through the eyes of the people who live there.
(Note: Riverside Luxury Cruises new 2025 voyages are now open for bookings. For more information and to make a reservation, U.S. and Canadian travelers should contact their travel advisor; visit Riverside-Cruises.com/en; or call 1-833-305-3313. Travel advisors can register and book their clients through a dedicated partner portal at www.Riverside-Cruises.com/TA.)
“No other line delivers Europe like Riverside Luxury Cruises,” Riverside CEO Jen Halboth said. “Our 2025 portfolio delivers more opportunities for luxury travelers to delight in the adventure of exploring new destinations, while being pampered with exceptional cuisine, high-touch service, and spa treatments.”
Riverside Debussy will sail on April 2, 2025, with a 7-night voyage during the prime of tulip-blooming season in the Dutch countryside. You cruise roundtrip from Amsterdam to visit Arnhem, Nijmegen, Antwerp, Gent, Middleburg, Veere, Dordrecht and Rotterdam.
A second voyage also takes advantage of tulip time with an April 23 departure.
Riverside Ravel and Riverside Mozart start their 2025 seasons on April 10 and 17, respectively. Riverside Ravel will cruise a 3-night, Rhône sampler from Lyon to Avignon, with visits to Viviers, Tarascon and Arles, while Riverside Mozart offers an Easter voyage on the Danube River from Passau, Germany, to Budapest, Hungary. The itinerary also visits Ybbs and Melk in Austria and Bratislava, Slovakia, with a chance to Easter Sunday in Vienna.
Video: My Danube River Cruise on Riverside Mozart
4. German Heritage on the Rhine, Main and Moselle
Riverside Debussy sails past Medieval castles, fascinating towns and dramatic wine valleys along the Rhine, Main and Moselle rivers throughout the spring and summer seasons. Seven-night itineraries alternate departures from Amsterdam and Basel, Switzerland, and feature some of the world’s most historic cities, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Rhine Gorge with its famed gallery of picturesque castles, and the wine valleys of the Middle Rhine.
In mid-September 2025, Riverside Debussy combines the Rhine and Main rivers on a 7-night voyage from Amsterdam to Nuremburg, Germany. The voyage include a stretch of the 106-mile Main-Danube Canal in Bavaria. A return voyages in late-October brings Riverside Debussy back to Amsterdam.
Cruisers can also pick shorter, 3- to 6-night sailings throughout the year to explore the Netherlands, the Moselle River’s beautiful vineyards or the Upper Rhine Valley. These cruises depart from Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Trier, and Basel, Switzerland.
5. Danube Voyages on the Legendary Riverside Mozart
Riverside Mozart is a spacious 154-passenger luxury river ship and the pride of the Riverside Luxury Cruises fleet. (Photo by Brigitte Redel)
Riverside Mozart will cruise a variety of 3- to 7-night itineraries mostly between Passau and Budapest and bring passengers to captivating Bavarian, Austrian, Slovakian and Hungarian cities and towns. These voyages includes cruising through Austria’s stunning Wachau Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
In late-May, Riverside Mozart offers two, 3-night segments on the Lower Danube from Budapest to the Iron Gates in Serbia. Travelers can combine the subsequent, 4-night return itinerary back to Budapest for a 10-night roundtrip voyage and does not repeat stops.
Riverside Debussy also will cruise the Danube River in the fall. A 7-night voyage offers a special itinerary from Nuremburg to Budapest.
Then, the ship will cruise the Lower Danube on four 3- and 4-night voyages. Travelers will enjoy the natural majesty of Europe’s deepest and longest gorge flanked by the Carpathian Mountains and the Balkan Hills. You get a chance to see medieval fortresses and castles from the Roman, Ottoman and Habsburg empires, as well as cultures and cities once kept behind the Iron Curtain.
Departure cities also include Belgrade, Serbia, and Giurgiu, Romania. Cruisers can combine these itineraries for a 15-night, Lower Danube adventure, cruising roundtrip from Budapest, or cross Europe from the Black Sea to the North Sea on a 23-night grand voyage, departing October 7 from Giurgiu to Amsterdam.
6. Savor the Scenic South of France
Riverside Ravel offers 4-, 5- and 7-night itineraries on France’s Rhône River between Lyon and Avignon, with visits to Arles, Viviers, Tain L’Hermitage, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Tarascon, Port St. Louis and Vienne.
Riverside Ravel also ventures up the Saone River on eight summer and autumn cruises that visit the Côte Chalonnaise and Maconnais wine regions of Burgundy. These cruises stop at Macon, with tour options to Chalon and Tournus, as well as destinations on the Rhône River.
Riverside Ravel ends the 2025 season with a 4-night itinerary, departing on November 21, from Lyon to Avignon.
7. Christmas Markets and Festive Getaways
In late-November, Riverside Mozart cruises 3- and 4-night Christmas Markets itineraries along the Danube, with departures from Vienna, Passau and Budapest. Travelers can choose a 6-night Christmas cruise departing Vienna on December 20 and celebrate Christmas Eve in Passau, or ring in the New Year in Bratislava and enjoy New Year’s Day with an overnight in Vienna on a 7-night voyage departing December 26.
Riverside Debussy also visits the bustling and festive German Christmas markets on a variety of 3-night itineraries throughout Germany along the Rhine, Main and Moselle rivers. The ship concludes 2025 with a 10-night Christmas and New Year cruise from Basel to Amsterdam. You can observe Christmas Eve in Strasbourg and ring in the New Year with two nights in Amsterdam.