Travel

Traveller films her Vienna voyage with an ultra-luxurious new river cruise line that offers VIP treatment, from personal butlers to white-glove dinner service

  • Jo Kessel filmed her four-night voyage on board Riverside Mozart
  • The ‘luxury floating hotel’ is the first ship for new firm Riverside Luxury Cruise 
  • READ MORE: What Britons say made the summer holidays of bygone more fun

Travel writer Jo Kessel filmed her round-trip voyage from Vienna on the brand-new cruise line Riverside Luxury Cruises. The footage shows how the 160-passenger ship is so wide that it can accommodate facilities most river cruise ships can only dream of, like an indoor pool, a wraparound promenade deck and even a herb garden. Plus, it gives the inside scoop on the ship’s gourmet cuisine, fine wines and even finer WCs…

When Crystal Cruises collapsed in 2022, the German hotel group Seaside Collection saw an opportunity for expansion and decided to buy five of Crystal’s deluxe river ships. 

These acquisitions saw their portfolio increase by nearly 50 per cent. And now, not only is Seaside the proud owner of eleven boutique hotels in destinations such as the Maldives and the Canaries, but they’ve also added five luxury floating hotels to their name.

Running a successful hotel group is one thing; launching a river cruise line is an entirely different ball game. Riverside’s ambition is to be a leading player in the ‘ultra’ luxury market, offering the finest wines and cuisine on the rivers. 

Their first ship to take to the waters was the Riverside Mozart and I hopped on board to check it out.

Jo Kessel travelled along the Danube on board Riverside Mozart, the first ship operated by the brand-new cruise line Riverside Luxury Cruises

Jo describes the cruise ship Riverside Mozart as a ‘luxury floating hotel’

The video starts on Riverside Mozart’s sun deck, the ideal vantage point for soaking up the passing scenery as the ship sails down the Danube. 

Here there are more seats than passengers – colourful deck chairs, bean bags and sun beds. There’s even a herb garden whose leaves are later spotted garnishing much of the ship’s cuisine and even the occasional cocktail!

Riverside Mozart is double the width of mainstream river cruise ships and has facilities that most river cruise ships can only dream of, like a wraparound promenade deck (a lap takes two and a half minutes), a fully-equipped gym and a stunning spa. 

Few river cruise ships have a swimming pool, let alone an indoor pool with a twist. But Riverside’s has a counter-current which can be turned on. Watch out, it’s strong and transforms a swim into a hardcore workout!

Above is the ship’s herb garden – its leaves garnish much of the ship’s cuisine

Riverside Mozart’s indoor pool has a counter-current that can be manually turned on and off

The ship features a wraparound promenade deck and a fully-equipped gym

‘There are more seats than passengers – colourful deck chairs, bean bags and sun beds,’ writes Jo 

Next the video moves to the cabins. Every room is a suite and every suite comes with a personal butler. Mine’s called Daniel and he’s like a genie – your wish is his command. Duties include packing/unpacking, tidying up and organising in-suite dining. 

My cabin is called a Penthouse Suite (it’s one of the upper-category cabins) and has a walk-in wardrobe, silk and velvet furnishings and a marble bathroom with a ‘magic’ Japanese-style Toto toilet which opens, closes and flushes automatically. It’s even got a heated seat and is a constant source of amusement!

Best of all is the ‘French Balcony’, which offers spectacular views of the river. The Danube is a mighty waterway that is nearly 1,800 miles (2,850km) long and snakes through a staggering ten European countries. It inspired Johann Strauss to compose a famous waltz, which is the soundtrack to half this video. 

He called it ‘The Blue Danube’ and for that reason many a holidaymaker expects the river to be the colour of the sky on a sunny day. In truth it’s a murky taupe, although locals claim it’s clean enough to swim in.

Jo’s cabin, one of the upper-category cabins, is called a Penthouse Suite 

The features in Jo’s suite include a walk-in wardrobe, silk and velvet furnishings and a marble bathroom

‘Every suite comes with a personal butler. Mine’s called Daniel (above) and he’s like a genie – your wish is his command,’ writes Jo  

During most of the voyage we sail through Austria’s Wachau Valley which, as well as being the prettiest stretch of the river, is a Unesco World Heritage site. 

The ship makes either one or two stops daily, and the port of Melk is a good opportunity to take out one of the ship’s 30 bikes to explore. Melk also has a stunning abbey set in beautiful gardens, which feels very Sound of Music.

Much of the valley is easier to explore on foot than on two wheels, however. In the tiny town of Durnstein an uphill hike leads to the ruins of the 12th-century castle where King Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned. 

‘The ship makes either one or two stops daily, and the port of Melk is a good opportunity to take out one of the ship’s 30 bikes to explore,’ writes Jo 

Melk has a stunning abbey (above) set in beautiful gardens ‘which feels very Sound of Music’

And if you climb high enough in the town of Krems you’ll reach the valley’s vineyard-smothered slopes. The bar Weinstein offers wine-tastings from the region and my favourite is a white called Ried Harzenleiten from a winery called Weingut Hofstatter. It’s dry, full-bodied, with notes of nectarine.

Back on board the wines are also top notch and free flowing. Riverside prides itself on its premium all-inclusive package, which includes meals, drinks (alcoholic and soft) and excursions. 

Informal BBQ lunches on the sun deck were a personal favourite (think prawns and steaks whacked on the grill and served with salads) and there’s even an artisan gelateria – the mango ice cream’s superb. 

But it’s the gourmet five-course, white-glove-service dinners that take cuisine to a whole new level. They’re a feast for the eyes as well as the taste-buds. 

There’s even an artisan gelateria on the ship. Jo recommends the ‘superb’ mango ice cream 

An apple strudel-making demonstration (pictured) is one of the entertainment options for passengers 

TRAVEL FACTS

Riverside Luxury Cruises offers a 4-night roundtrip Vienna cruise on Riverside Mozart (www.riversidecruises.com) on a Premium All-Inclusive basis (including full-board, drinks, one excursion per port and gratuities) from £1,429pp.

There’s never a dull moment on a Danube cruise, whether you’re on land or water. Much of the fun is incidental, such as navigating the river’s locks or sailing under low bridges. 

But Riverside also schedules organised entertainment, and this is where the film ends, with an apple strudel-making demonstration followed by a terrific, intimate performance by songstress Maya Hakvoort. 

She’s an Austrian musical superstar and belted out classics from shows such as Les Mis and Cabaret.

Her performance was a fitting finale to a voyage where every guest experiences the suite life and is made to feel like a VIP. 

The only problem with being so royally pampered is that it’s a wrench to say goodbye. 

No more Danube or gourmet cuisine or vintage wine cellar. But worst of all… there’s no more butler!

For more videos from Jo, visit her YouTube channel, Go With Jo.

RIVERSIDE MOZART AND THE RIVER DANUBE BY THE NUMBERS

  • Riverside Mozart has 81 suites and can sleep 162 passengers.
  • It has four decks and is 395ft (120m) long and 75ft (23m) wide.
  • The ship has 85 crew members – one crew member for every two passengers.
  • The Danube is nearly 1,800 miles (2,850km) long and passes through 10 countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Moldova, Germany, Slovakia, Serbia, Romania and the Ukraine.
  • There are five river ships in Riverside Luxury Cruises’ fleet. Joining Riverside Mozart from August 2023 onwards will be Riverside Debussy, Ravel, Mahler and Bach. They will sail in France and Germany.

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