Riverside Mozart Review

When Riverside Luxury Cruises bought Crystal Mozart from Crystal Cruises in 2022, they acquired a ship which had recently undergone a multi-million dollar bow-to-stern refurbishment.  Renamed the Riverside Mozart, this luxurious 160-passenger all-suite river cruise ship offers an upmarket river cruise experience and will appeal to the over ‘40s, empty nesters and even to multi-generational cruisers.

The ship still glimmers as if new. Its double-width stands out from every other river cruise ship (save AmaWaterways' AmaMagna) and allows space for facilities which most river ships can only dream of, like an indoor pool, a wraparound promenade deck and large gym.

Mozart’s size also means it has more space per passenger than most other  river ships, with four restaurants, two lounges, two bars and a deck plan which is designed so that nowhere ever feels crowded. There are two main hubs. Outside is the sun deck, with lots of colourful seats (think oversized bean bags and deck chairs), a pop-up bar and a herb garden. Inside is the beautifully decorated Palm Court lounge which leads onto an al fresco terrace.

Riverside Mozart Itineraries Stick to the Danube River

Riverside Mozart offers itineraries ranging from three to 14 nights and, unusually, offers the ability combine shorter itineraries (as long as they’re consecutive) to create your own longer voyage. The ship's size limits it to certain stretches of the Danube, however, and it's unable to travel on other European rivers such as the Main or Rhine.

We sailed on a four-night round-trip Vienna voyage which visited two countries - Slovakia and Austria. The cruise took us through the Wachau Valley, famed for being the prettiest stretch of the Danube and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bratislava was the only stop in Slovakia, but in Austria port stops included Melk, Durnstein and Krems.

While this itinerary offered a great variety of culture, castles, hikes, wine and abbeys, it’s also a good itinerary for making use of the ship’s 30 bikes, half of which are electric. Instead of getting back on the ship to sail the short stretch from Durnstein to Krems , you can take one of the ship’s bikes and cycle it – it takes approximately 40 minutes. You could walk it, but it would take twice as long

Riverside Mozart’s Deck Plan has a Sun Deck, Wraparound Promenade, Indoor Pool and Spa

Every venue on the four-deck Riverside Mozart is easy to find, with nowhere terribly far. Up top is the long, wide sun deck, perfect for soaking up views of the Danube and for experiencing the ship sailing under low bridges and navigating locks. There are more chairs than there are passengers here, with an assortment of sun beds, funky bean bags and deck chairs. There’s also a herb garden (it’s newly planted and still a work in progress) and a pop-up bar which is a lovely spot for a sundowner and for the ship’s weather-dependent barbecues.

Deck three has the wraparound promenade (a lap takes 2.5 minutes) as well as the ship’s impressive total of four restaurants, piano bar, cigar club and the main lounge called Palm Court. This is where guests tend to congregate for after-dinner drinks and dancing and is where the ship’s pianist usually plays. On Deck 2 are the upper category cabins as well as a spacious, indoor spa which has a hot tub, steam room, sauna and indoor pool. You’ll also find a hair salon and a handy self-service laundry.  The remaining suites and gym are located on Deck 1.