We were beguiled by Riviera's marketing which extolled luxury and a 5 star experience. Our expectations were very high and we expected to be wowed by high quality, haut cuisine and exceptional food experiences. We expected luxury cabins with high quality toiletries, bathrobes and towels and linens. We expected service which put the customer at the heart of the concept. In short, after paying ...
This was my first river cruise and a solos cruise with 64 singles, although some friends booked together. The boat was stunning and lower cabin was very comfortable and quiet. L'Ocitane toiletries, towelling robe and slippers, satellite tv and double bed to myself. Of course, no time spent in the cabin because fellow travellers and the rest of the ship is so inviting. Big windows, lovely lounge ...
We chose this cruise from Avignon because it ended up in Lyon where we have family we wanted to visit. The cruise overall was fair to good but could have been much better. From speaking with the staff, they have heard the concerns before but have not acted upon them.
Embarkation was poorly planned. We were to meet at Hotel Kyriad in Avignon for a 4:30 p.m. pick up - which is way too late. ...
This review endorses that of BJ149 regarding his July 2019 cruise on this ship and should be read in tandem. (We only wish we had read it before booking!).
We have enjoyed nearly sixty ocean cruises and three river cruises (this being our first with Riviera) and never before have we experienced such inefficiency, poor administration, lack of courtesy, mediocre food, poor service and overall ...
Our tour started in Basel on the Rhine. There are 2 exits at the airport, We and a dozen others unfortunately chose the French, exit and it took 45 minutes to track down our Swiss rep which apparently is a constant problem for Riviera guests at this airport and not emphasised enough in the guidance notes. Our river boat was superb. the cabins, facilities, food and staff faultless although ...
Detailed review and long…….
JOINING
With our past experiences of joining cruises in Europe the most important factor was flying direct from our local airport (BHX) with no connections at other hubs. Rushing between gates at Frankfurt or Schiphol is not for us, and from many others we have met who have had horror stories of missed connections and lost luggage.
Our flight to Lyon was ...
We had high hopes of this cruise with previous experience of the company and fairly good reviews. The flight to Lyon was fine but had to wait nearly 30 minutes for one of our party in a wheelchair who seemed to have very little assistance which I was promised also but didn’t get. To get to the coach with was parked some 10 minutes walk away across roads up and down pavements hauling all your ...
Unfortunately our cruise on the River Douro got off to a bad start as a radar fault at Porto airport meant that our TAP Portugal plane was prevented from leaving Gatwick for 24 hours. On our delayed arrival in Porto we were taken by coach to a quay further up river to join Douro Elegance. The ship has defined booking times at the five locks on this river so she had to move. On boarding ship the ...
Just returned from a 7 night cruise to Provence on the river Rhône from Lyons to Avignon.
The ship is classed as 5 star, but I would take issue with that.
What we found disappointing, was the way the cruise was structured. We started the cruise at Lyons, then sailed upriver to Chalon sur Soane for Beaune, we had a pleasant excursion to Beaune, after which we sailed slowly back down the ...
The boat is first class, in first class condition, which is a credit to the crew who are courteous, diligent, conscientious and helpful. The excursions were good, as they should be, and kept to schedule apart traffic congestion around Amsterdam.
The clientele are white elderly British, which was not what we were expecting. While superficially the atmosphere was polite, there was an ...