Having never been on board a river cruise before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. After spending a week cruising the Rhine and Moselle rivers with Riviera Travel, I can see why it’s so popular! Once we had landed in Düsseldorf, we enjoyed a short transfer to meet the ship in Cologne. I was blown away as soon as I stepped on board the ship by the excellent level of attentive service and the beautiful décor of the ship. However, my favourite thing about this cruise was the stunning scenery. Every time you look out the window there is something to see. Whether it’s a cute little village, vineyards or even a lock. I thoroughly enjoyed sitting on the top deck just taking it all in.
The Ship
My cruise was on board the Ms Geoffrey Chaucer. This ship can hold up to 178 passengers and has 4 decks in total. On the lower deck, you will find cabins, the main dining room, Gym and Spa. On the middle deck, there is the reception area, more cabins and the lounge. The upper deck has more cabins and the Bistro restaurant. The top deck is the sun deck which is full of comfy chairs and sun loungers as well as a small plunge pool. I was lucky that on my cruise we had great weather so I was able to make good use of the sun deck. It is the perfect place to relax and gives you 360 views of the land around you. However, the lounge and bar area also offer comfy seating and great views through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
All of the cabins on board were light and spacious with nice little touches such as a refillable water bottle, tea and coffee facilities, bath and shower products and a welcome pack containing postcards, maps and information sheets about the places you will be visiting. I stayed in a standard French balcony suite on the middle deck. I loved this cabin because it has large floor-to-ceiling windows which you can open and push all the way along to create a balcony feel within the room. The first thing I did every morning was open the curtains to see where we were and let the sunshine in. Every day you have a housekeeping service in the morning and a turn-down service in the evening. The turn-down service will leave chocolate on your pillow and a programme of what’s happening the next day.
Dining
The food and Drink on board was delicious. The main dining room is open for buffet breakfast, table service lunch and a la carte dinner and it is open dining between 7:30 and 9pm. The lunch and dinner menus change every day however there are some options that will always be available. For lunch, you can either go up to the buffet or order something hot off the menu and for dinner you will be able to have 3 courses. All of the food was hot and fresh every time and there was so much choice that I never ate the same thing twice! There is also the Bistro Restaurant at the back of the ship which not only gives great views but great food as well. The menu in here is different from the main dining room but it will stay the same for the entire cruise. The Bistro restaurant is open for lunch and dinner but you do need to book a table. My favourite meal I had on board the ship was in the Bistro. I had Bruschetta with fresh tomatoes and balsamic vinegar for a starter followed by Steak with a rich peppercorn sauce and crispy chunky chips, followed by a layered chocolate opera cake for dessert, all paired beautifully with a glass of wine as recommended by the maitre’d. Great comfort food which gave me a home-from-home feeling.
Excursions
Each day we docked in a different town along the river. One of the best things about river cruising is that you dock right alongside the bank of the river so when you step off the ship, you are already right in the heart of the town without the need for a transfer. Riviera Travel provides complimentary walking tours in each port of call which are led by local guides. These last approximately 1 hour and a half. The guides all live in the areas that you are visiting meaning you will be given a lot of first-hand knowledge and a very thorough tour. If you struggle with mobility, they always provide 1 group number which will take you on flatter walkways at a slower pace to make sure that they can accommodate as many people as possible. If you don’t fancy doing the walking tour then you are also free to get off and explore at your own leisure. In all the towns we visited there were plenty of bars, restaurants and cafes as well as quirky little shops. My favourite activity I did was the cable car. A lot of the places we visited had a cable or chair lift which takes you up to the top of the hill and gives you the best view of the river and town below. It only cost a few euros each so I would definitely recommend doing it if you can. The noddy trains are also a really fun way to see the town. My favourite place we visited was Cochem. It was incredibly picturesque and had everything you would expect from a German village and more. We crossed over a bridge to begin the tour which gave a great view down the River. After the tour, we found some shops to browse and went to a bar for a drink. Before it was time to get back on the ship we did the cable car up the mountain. Cochem also has a large castle on the hill which you can get to by bus.
Either the night before you dock or in the morning before you get off, the cruise director gave a presentation in the lounge with information regarding the place we would be visiting. I found this really interesting because it was just an introduction so that you would know what to expect along with some helpful recommendations of things to do and see. I would highly recommend going to these presentations because it helped me to make the most of the day once off the ship.
Entertainment
Throughout the cruise, we had light entertainment. On the second night, they brought onboard a German folk band which was good fun and got everybody singing. They also did a pub quiz night and had live music from the onboard musician every night. My favourite evening was the very last evening onboard. We were docked overnight in Cologne and we had a presentation from the Lindt chocolate museum. She told us about how they developed the chocolate into what it is today and we all had a plate of chocolate so that we could taste the different stages of chocolate as she was talking through it. I then went and found the Lindt chocolate shop the next day so that I could buy lots to take home with me!
Another reason I would recommend a cruise on the Rhine is so that you can see the Rhine Gorge. The Rhine Gorge is a UNESCO heritage sight and is home to around 40 castles and forts and some beautiful villages at the bottom of the steep slopes. It took a few hours to cruise through and the cruise director gave a commentary the whole way so that we could learn the history of what we were looking at. The views were absolutely breathtaking and it’s a part of the cruise that you definitely wouldn’t want to miss.
Staff
The Final thing I want to mention is the staff on board. They are amazing and were certainly one of the highlights of the cruise. They really made the effort to get to know everyone and after a few days, the bar staff even knew what my favourite drink was and would bring it over without me having to ask. Nothing was ever too much trouble for them and they always had a smile on their faces which shows that they really do love their job!
Summary
In Summary, if you are considering a river cruise but not sure if it’s for you, I say go for it! I really enjoyed my week onboard and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a very relaxed holiday but something other than a beach holiday. The best way to describe a river cruise is a multi-centre city break onboard a floating boutique hotel and if you choose to go with Riviera Travel, you will be very well looked after.
