River cruises have always been known for their more inclusive pricing. In fact, many river cruises offer complimentary features that are simply unheard of in the world of deep-ocean cruising, like Wi-Fi access, bicycle usage, and even tours ashore — all included in the cost of your river cruise.
Another added feature that many lines include in the cruise fare is complimentary beverages. These include beer, wine and soda. Spirits (like whisky, vodka or Aquavit) are typically not included.
Your location on the ship also plays a crucial role in the complimentary beverages: A glass of wine at dinner is complimentary, but a glass of wine in the lounge after dinner could cost you €6.
Complicating matters still, some river cruise lines offer free-flowing beer, wine and spirits, mirroring luxury deep-ocean cruise lines, on certain itineraries. Others only offer wine with dinner, while still others offer it free of charge at lunch. Ditto for beers and soft drinks.
So who offers what? Here’s our rundown of current beverage policies on a few of the major river cruise lines.
| LINE | Complimentary Wine? | Complimentary Beer? | Complimentary Spirits? | Complimentary Coffee, Tea, Soda? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-ROSA | Complimentary | Complimentary | Complimentary | Complimentary |
| AmaWaterways | Europe: Lunch & Dinner Russia: Dinner only Vietnam: Lunch & Dinner Africa: Lunch & Dinner | Europe: Lunch & Dinner Russia: Dinner only Vietnam: Lunch & Dinner Africa: Lunch & DinnerDinner only | $$ | Coffee & Tea: complimentary Soda: Europe - Same as Beer & Wine; Russia - extra charge; Vietnam & Cambodia - Complimentary. |
| Avalon Waterways | Europe: Dinner only Mekong: any time Yangtze: Dinner only | Europe: Dinner only Mekong: any time Yangtze: $$ | Mekong: Yes Other Itineraries: $$ | Cofee & Tea: complimentary Soda: dinner only, except in Egypt (lunch and dinner only) and Mekong (complimentary) |
| CroisiEurope | Complimentary as of 2014; excludes premium brands. | Complimentary as of 2014. | Complimentary as of 2014; excludes premium brands. | Complimentary as of 2014. |
| Emerald Cruises | Complimentary during Lunch and Dinner | Complimentary during Lunch and Dinner | $$ | Coffee & Tea: Complimentary Soda: Complimentary during Lunch and Dinner |
| Scenic Tours | Complimentary as of 2013 | Complimentary as of 2013 | Complimentary as of 2013 | Coffee, Tea & Soda: complimentary |
| Tauck | Complimentary as of 2014 | Complimentary as of 2014 | Complimentary as of 2014 | Coffee, Tea & Soda: complimentary |
| Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection | Complimentary; except for premium brands | Complimentary | Complimentary; except for premium brands | Complimentary |
| Viking Rivers | Lunch and Dinner only | Lunch and Dinner only | Lunch and Dinner only | Coffee & Tea: Complimentary Soda: Lunch and Dinner only |
The best policy is to always check with your cruise line about what it includes in your cruise fare, and what comes at an additional charge. You can do this by picking up printed brochures, but the most reliable course of action is to visit the river cruise line’s FAQ (or Frequently Asked Questions) page online. Brochures must be printed months in advance, whereas the internet is usually updated with the latest information.
8 Responses
Thank you. Sorry for the problems with the comments section. We will look into it. Yes, Uniworld did go all-inclusive in 2014, and we’ve yet to update the chart, but your note is a reminder that we need to do so. Thanks much, Ralph
Message *Hi, I attempted to write a comment regarding your chart on beverages however it did not post, froze repeatedly and even after setting up an account, I have since deleted it something like disgus, it still did not work. I don’t know if this is new because I was pretty sure I had posted before on the ocean cruise site. This site really needs work if you want it to make use of comments.
What I was trying to say is that the chart appears to be very out of date. I believe Uniworld has now beverages included. I know for a fact that Scenic includes all beverages, rare wines and spirits require a charge however with this exception all PREMIUM spirits are included, even in the minibar in your room.
Thank you. We’ve updated the chart.
We are just off a AMAWaterways cruise in Europe and all beer and wine are included for lunch and dinner. Also, there is Champagne for breakfast every morning.
It’s a tough job but I am always available to test out all beverage policies! 🙂 Happy Memorial Day!
Many thanks to our “field reporters” for clarifying. We will update in the chart. Thank you!
Beer, wine and soft drinks are also complimentary on Viking during lunch and dinner.
Thanks for letting us know. We count on our reporters in the field (like you!) to help us get these things right!
Love your blog… always very informative.. but I did want to let you know that now Uniworld offers the beer and wine complimentary with their Lunches too… just got off the River Duchess and had wine with lunch every day…. keep the great articles coming!