River Cruise Advisor

Europe River Cruise Reviews By Cruise Operator

Before you dive in, there is one important thing for you to know: Some river cruises are all-inclusive, some are not. The chart below provides a quick glance at what’s included and what’s not. Also see Comparing River Cruise Companies

Attributes Of The Top River Cruise Companies

	AmaWaterways	Avalon	CroisiEurope	Emerald	Riverside	Riviera	Scenic	Tauck	Uniworld	Viking
Excursions Included?
Beer/Wine Lunch & Dinner?						**
Onboard Bicycles
Fitness Center
Exterior Balconies/Veranda
Two Room Suites	**						**			**
Own & Operate			**
Room Service				**						**
Mini Bar		**		**						**
Dining Venues	3**	2**	1	3	5	2	6	2	**	2
Personal Butler
Port Charges Included
Airport Transfers	**	**								**
Prepaid Gratuities										**
Gratuities Included										**
Laundry Included				**					**	**

River Cruise Reviews By Company

AmaWaterways: Once known as Amadeus Waterways, AmaWaterways has grown exponentially in the intervening years to become one of the major players in the European river cruise market.

American Cruise Lines: Offers river cruises along the Mississippi River, along with small-ship cruises that explore Alaska & the Pacific Northwest, and the North and Southeast United States.

American Queen Steamboat Company: Operates cruises on the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee rivers, as well as the Columbia and Snake rivers. Cruise the Mississippi on the celebrated American Queen or the new American Duchess.

A-ROSA: A long-standing player in Europe, the line recently partnered with David Morris International to bring its unique brand of river cruising to North American audiences for the first time.

Avalon Waterways: With its royal-blue hulls, this subsidiary of Globus Travel is arguably best known for its successful Suite Ships like the Avalon Panorama.

CroisiEurope: In 1976 Gérard Schmitter introduced the river cruise line, CroisiEurope. It’s the only major river cruise company that is family owned. With its headquarters in Strasbourg, CroisiEurope is one of the few suppliers that can dock in this French city. Because it designs shallow-draft river cruise vessels, CroisiEurope can dock in ports where other vessels cannot.

Crystal River Cruises: Crystal River Cruises launched in July 2016, and I was on board to take a look at its first ship, Crystal Mozart. See Crystal Mozart Photo Gallery Now Crystal aims to redefine river cruising. For starters, the company calls its ships “River Yachts.”

Emerald Cruises: Founded by travel company Scenic, Emerald Cruises made its debut in April 2014. Much like its parent company, Emerald Cruises serves travelers who are seeking a luxury river cruise experience. However, river cruise packages are offered at a more budget-friendly price compared to Scenic.

Grand Circle Travel: Founded by Ethel Andrus, who also founded AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), Grand Circle has been in operation since 1958. The company offers land tours, small ship cruises and river cruises. Grand Circle caters to the 55+ community, perhaps more so than other river cruise companies.

Scenic: Led by Australian Glen Moroney, Scenic (previously known as Scenic Tours) operates a fleet of all-step-out-balcony ships in Europe and new ships in Southeast Asia.

Tauck: Long-standing American tour operator Tauck distinguishes itself in Europe by offering river cruise tours featuring hallmarks of the company’s “Uncommon Access.” Have you ever wanted to have a private tour of Prague Castle or enjoy dinner at the Hungarian Academy of Science? You can do it with Tauck.

Teeming River Cruises: For many would-be travelers, however, river cruising remains only a dream. The cost of the experience has been prohibitive for many travelers who would love to see Europe by river ship but simply cannot justify the expense. That’s changing as new operators like Teeming River Cruises introduce river cruises that go for around $200 per person per day.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection: In conjunction with Red Carnation Hotels, Uniworld has crafted some of the most distinctive vessels on the waterways of Europe; something the company has been doing for nearly three decades. Uniworld also offers sailings on Italy’s Po River.

Vantage Deluxe World Travel: Vantage operates four river cruisers: ms River Discovery II launched in 2012; River Splendor launched in Spring 2013; River Splendor launched in Spring 2013; and ms River Navigator built in 200 and refurbished in 2013.

Viking River Cruises: You’ve probably heard of the company founded by Torstein Hagen in 1997, which recently earned a Guinness World Record for christening the most ships ever in a single day. Viking has more river cruise vessels operating in Europe than any other company.

All-Inclusive River Cruise Companies

These companies include prepaid gratuities and complimentary beverages 24/7

• Crystal River Cruises
• Scenic
• Tauck
• Uniworld Boutique River Cruises

‘Premium’ River Cruise Companies

These companies normally price out less than the all-inclusive companies but do not include prepaid gratuities. CroisiEurope includes complimentary beverages 24/7 but lacks bicycles on its river cruisers (the company also operates barges). Viking River Cruises does not feature gyms or complimentary bicycles on its ships.

• AmaWaterways
• A-ROSA
• Avalon Waterways
• CroisiEurope
• Emerald Cruises
• Viking River Cruises

Barge Operators

• CroisiEurope
• Go Barging/European Waterways
• French Country Waterways
• Le Boat

Operating On U.S. Rivers Only

• American Cruise Lines
• American Queen Steamboat Company

Other River Cruise Operators

• Abercrombie & Kent
• Grand Circle Travel
• Pandaw Cruises
• Vantage Deluxe World Travel