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March 31, 2025

River cruising is big business. I mean, really big business! And it was a type of cruise that I had not really considered until I started to look into the type for a database of ships that I was working on at the time.

Unbelievably there are more river cruise ships operating that ocean going cruise ships. And it is a relatively new phenomenon, certainly compared to Ocean cruising with the number of new ships multiplying at a rapid rate of knots over the past decade. What is interesting is the number of Ocean cruise companies that are taking to the river with operators such as Saga, Celebrity, Crystal, TUI taking to the waterways of Europe. They join established operators such as Viking who went the other way into Ocean cruising and relatively new companies which as Amawaterways and tour operators such as Riviera competing for business.

I have previously sailed with Amawaterways on their Ama Viola and Ama Verde taking me the length of the Danube and I thoroughly enjoyed everything about the experience. So much so that I felt the need to crack some of the other waterways where these ships ply their trade.

Our TUI River cruise took us down the lower part of the Rhine from Germany through to Switzerland.

I have travelled extensively with TUI in both Thomson and Marella Cruises guises. From Vietnam in the East to The USA in the West and the whole of the Mediterranean and parts of Northern Europe. When they are on their A game, they are superb, especially when they try out new destinations. The product suits me well and I have always had a good cruise experience.

TUI dipped their toes in the river cruise business in 2021 with three ships which their parent company TUI Germany had built for them in the around 12 years ago but exited the market 3 years later citing poor demand and increased competition.

Fast forward to 2019 and the ships were bought back and an extensive refit brought them up to new standards and targeted at the UK market. The three ships operate on the Danube and the Rhine but in 2024, another vessel was added to the fleet operating on the Nile with a second ship now planned for the same river plus a brand new build for the Douro river in Portugal and a further ship next year for Northern Europe.

It has been a meteoric rise and seemingly demand is huge for the river cruises. A straw poll on board our ship showed that virtually everyone had been on an Ocean Cruise, a sizeable number of us had been on several river cruises and some had taken multiple cruises with TUI before, so it was a well-seasoned crowd we sailed with.

Our cruise was covered that strange time of the year between Christmas and going back to work after new year. As such the ship was still dressed for Christmas but the focus was very much on New Year, which is seemingly a big deal in Germany. It was in Koblenz that we spent New Years eve along with several other ships. Drinks were flowing and as midnight approached our ship sailed out to mid river, so we had a grandstand view of the huge fireworks display that was all around us. It was easily the best New Year’s Eve that I have ever experienced. Our cruise was also special because we had several gala dinner evenings which were simply sublime. On New Years Day there was an extensive brunch on for most of the morning and a relaxed atmosphere ensued.

Entertainment on board was in the hands of three UK based vocalists who performed a wide range of music throughout the cruise as well as manning the interactive quick or sing along in the evenings. It was all very cosy and pleasant. The food as with all river cruises was locally sourced and thus freshly prepared to the local style which was typically German dishes which were both flavoursome and filling. The local wines were also rather good.

The model on TUI river cruises is slightly different to Marella cruises in that all-inclusive does not include drinks outside of mealtimes although a very reasonably priced package can be bought onboard if you want drinks in the day or after dinner. Gratuities are included, but unusually no shore excursions are which given the route we were on was not much of an issue as we were able in most places able to simply walk off the ship and into town.

The ship herself was lovely, to me as good as the Ama offerings, the food was very much equal and the staff just as good. I could not really call it was to which I prefer. The only real issue I found with the ship was that the open dining arrangement did not really work too well because most people wanted to eat early, and the ships main dining room was only capable of handling just over half the passengers onboard. There is a bistro onboard which can manage some more but it was not the most comfortable of spaces. In summer of course when the weather is nice there is the option of eating on deck but in winter that was not an option.

Strangely the dining room is separated from the main lounge and reception area by passenger cabins, so it was a bit odd walking through to get to the restaurant and as people got wise to the lack of tables in the dining room, the corridor was invariably packed. The solution was to get there 15 minutes before to get a table of your choice. I saw a number of people turned away as we were eating as there was no spare tables for them.

City information was given each evening before dinner, so we were fairly well versed on what to expect. The ports were interesting but as It was New Year on some ports of call the shops were shut, this was also true on Sundays. But that was fine it just meant less crowds and more space to wander.

The vibe was very much similar to Marella’s ocean product with the familiar livery and branding onboard. The advantage of TUI is that they operate their own aircraft, so you are able to buy a package that takes you from your home airport directly to the ship all with TUI staff looking after you. This is an attractive proposition although airport choices were limited to Manchester and London Gatwick at this time of the year.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and would absolutely book another river cruise with TUI in the future.

Don’t miss more updates, news and reviews about TUI river cruises on Cruising Journal.

Christopher Brindle

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