Affiliate & Commercial Relationships

How We Earn Money

It is important that you understand our financial relationships with the companies and travel professionals we report on.

River Cruise Advisor is owned by Avid Travel Media Inc. We may receive revenue from sponsorships, referrals, commissions, hosted trips, and other commercial relationships. These relationships help support the site, but we work to keep them separate from our editorial opinions.

Do cruise companies pay us to write specific articles?

No. Some cruise companies support River Cruise Advisor through sponsorships, but sponsorship does not buy a story, guarantee favorable coverage or give anyone editorial control. If we ever publish sponsored content, we label it as such.

Cruise companies may suggest topics, provide news, or submit article ideas. We decide independently whether a story is useful and relevant to our readers.

Do sponsors dictate what we write?

No.

Sponsors do not control our reviews, recommendations, opinions, or conclusions.

Have sponsors ever objected to our coverage?

Yes.

On one occasion, a cruise company objected to a story about river conditions in which reader comments were unfavorable to the company. We declined to remove the story and subsequently lost the company as a sponsor.

Do we filter negative reader comments?

No.

We welcome differing viewpoints and information that can help travelers make better-informed decisions, provided comments comply with our moderation policies.

Do we receive complimentary travel?

Yes.

Cruise lines, tourism organizations, and other travel companies sometimes provide complimentary or reduced-rate travel, including press trips and inaugural sailings.

This access allows us to experience ships and itineraries firsthand. We recognize that complimentary travel can create the appearance of bias, so we make an effort to separate editorial judgment from commercial relationships and to provide useful, independent reporting.

When a piece draws on a sailing provided by a cruise line, we say so in a line labeled “Disclosure” near the top, naming the writer and the cruise line. Guest writers who traveled as guests of a cruise line are disclosed the same way.

Do we earn commissions when you book through us?

Yes. We may earn a commission when you book a cruise through us, at no extra cost to you. Britton Frost’s bookings are described below.

Are we travel agents?

Britton Frost is a travel advisor affiliated with Cruise Planners and may receive commissions when she books travel for River Cruise Advisor readers.

We may also refer readers to other travel advisors or travel suppliers. In some cases, Avid Travel Media Inc. may receive referral fees, lead fees, or commissions when a reader books through one of those relationships.

When personal information is shared with a travel advisor, we do so only with the reader’s consent.

Do we earn money from hosted trips?

River Cruise Advisor also organizes and hosts selected river cruise and hotel-barge trips. Avid Travel Media Inc. may earn revenue or commissions from these trips.

Does commercial support affect our editorial coverage?

Our goal is to remain useful, independent, and transparent.

Sponsors, travel suppliers, and referral partners may have commercial relationships with River Cruise Advisor, but they cannot purchase favorable editorial coverage, and we work to keep our judgment independent of them.

If you have questions about any commercial relationship mentioned on the site, contact us at compliance@rivercruiseadvisor.com.

Thank you for visiting River Cruise Advisor.

Ralph Grizzle & Britton Frost

Last updated: October 2026