German hotel group Seaside Collection started its river cruise line, Riverside Luxury Cruises, after Crystal Mozart (an opulent ship, almost 40 years old, from Crystal River Cruises) came on the market. The group snapped this ship up when Crystal went bust in 2022, and in April 2023, the vessel started sailing as Riverside Mozart.
The company also tracked down and rehired many of the on-board staff who had worked for Crystal, and beat off rivals to acquire Crystal’s four other – and almost new – river ships (two are currently leased to Uniworld but are due to return to Riverside in a couple of years).
Alongside providing the luxury hardware, Riverside’s focus from day one has been on food, service and excursions. Fine dining makes up much of the culinary offering on board, there are two crew members for every four passengers and tours include some unusual offerings such as helicopter flights over the Danube. On all departures, English is the main language.
1. Where does Riverside cruise?
Although there are only three vessels, Riverside offers a good selection of sailings on rivers in France and Central Europe. Riverside Debussy offers the most choice as it sails along the Rhine, Moselle, Main and Upper and Lower Danube.
Cruises start from four days around the Netherlands during tulip season to one-week cruises between Amsterdam and Basel in Switzerland or between Budapest and Nuremberg.
Several itineraries pair the Rhine with the Moselle River, visiting the wine towns of Bernkastell and Cochem as well as Roman Trier, said to be Germany’s oldest city. Come December, Christmas market cruises link Frankfurt and Düsseldorf. Longer 15-day voyages connect Amsterdam and Budapest – add another week, and you can sail from Amsterdam to Giurgiu (the port for Bucharest) in Romania.
Riverside Mozart is almost twice the width of other river ships, so it can only sail on the Danube, where the locks are wider than elsewhere on Europe’s rivers. A selection of four and five-day cruises between Vienna, Budapest and Passau can be combined into voyages of a week, 10 or 11 days and even a fortnight.
Most include a couple of days in the Austrian and Hungarian capitals, and also call into Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Longer trips visit Linz, Melk and Dürnstein in Austria. In Grein, tours visit a castle owned by descendants of Prince Albert, consort of Britain’s Queen Victoria.
Riverside’s third ship, Riverside Ravel, explores Burgundy and Provence on cruises on the Rhône and Saône Rivers in France. Itineraries start or end in Lyon or Avignon and include short four-day taster cruises and one-week sailings. Longer voyages pair the two.
Favourite ports include Tain L’Hermitage, where the vineyards are among the most expensive real estate in the world, and Arles, the pretty Provençal city that inspired Van Gogh’s greatest masterpieces.
Rhône cruises also call into Châteauneuf-du-Pape, where a complimentary wine tasting takes guests into the cellars of the original chateau.
2. Who does Riverside Luxury Cruises appeal to?
Riverside might be a German company, but most passengers are from North America. Europe comes second, with the UK in third place.
In general, they are affluent independent travellers in their late 50s or older. The line gets a few families, but most guests are couples or those travelling alone (there is no single supplement on selected suites).
Aside from the promise of fine dining and high staffing levels, which include a butler for all guests, many are there for the line’s hands-off hotel style (there are no cruise directors or port talks about the following day’s activities). The luxury of choice that comes with the variety of itineraries and price points on offer is also attractive.
For those who don’t want to put their hand in their pocket on holiday, the premium all-inclusive with excursions package does the lot – drinks, selected tours and dinner at the Atelier. The latter serves light bites by day and transforms into a fine-dining venue in the evening. If it’s not included in the price, it costs an extra €25pp.
Other packages either exclude drinks but include selected tours, include drinks but exclude tours or just cover accommodation and meals. Tips and Wi-Fi are included as standard for all.
3. Riverside Luxury Cruises’ fleet
Riverside Mozart (162 passengers)
This is the grande dame of river cruising, with an opulent interior that’s more akin to what you’d expect in London’s top hotels than on a river ship. There are six categories of suites, the smallest of which comes with a French balcony, while the Penthouse, Mozart and Owner’s Suites come with limousine transfers. Meanwhile, the spa has a heated current pool, sauna, steam rooms and treatment rooms.
Sails to: The Danube
Riverside Ravel and Riverside Debussy (110 passengers)
No expense was spared building these ships, which have plenty of marble and plush loungers. The lounges mimic conservatories, with glass roofs that let in lots of light. You’ll also find four places to eat, an indoor pool, massage room, a gym, and a pop-up bar on the sun deck. All rooms are suites and have panoramic drop-down windows. There are no guest rooms on the lower deck.
Sails to: The Rhine, Main, Danube, Rhône, Saône, Moselle
4. Access for guests with disabilities
None of the ships has accessible cabins. Lifts on Ravel and Debussy serve the two accommodation decks only. On Mozart, a lift also goes to the third promenade deck. Guests need to use the stairs to reach the sun decks.
5. Loyalty scheme
At present, there is no loyalty scheme.
About our expert
Jane Archer
Around 25 years ago, Jane never expected to even step on a cruise ship. Now, she spends more than 100 days a year at sea or on the rivers and can’t imagine seeing the world any other way.