My first river cruise had butlers, Michelin-level dining & champagne on tap! Here’s what happened 

When I excitedly told people I was heading on a river cruise later in the year, as a ‘Gen Z’, a few raised eyebrows and several “Isn’t that aimed more at the 70+ market?” responses came my way. 

In fairness, I knew where they were coming from. If cruising has a reputation of catering predominantly for the OAP market that it’s still trying to shift, nowhere is this stereotype more applied than to river cruises. 

Slower paced and with fewer facilities than its ocean sisters, it’s not hard to see why river ships would traditionally appeal to a guest looking to take it easy and opt for a more…sedentary type of holiday. 

Then you have the destinations themselves. Often calling on as many small, quaint towns, as larger cities and capitals, where buzzing nightlife and reams of bars and shops will not be on the menu – instead a more low-key atmosphere altogether. 

But, in a world where we are constantly on the move, over-stimulated by technology and bombarded with so much choice to the point of it being oppressive, I found something hugely refreshing about the prospect of the laid-back life of a river cruise. And so it proved. 

Heading onboard as a first-time cruiser, I really did not know what to expect. What would the food and drink be like? Would I feel the ship moving? What’s the water pressure going to be like in the shower? All the essential stuff. 

So, if, like me, you’ve been river-cruise-curious for a while, or perhaps have never even considered it as a holiday type before, let me walk you through my time onboard Riverside Luxury Cruises’ latest ship, Riverside Debussy, sailing along the Rhine and Moselle rivers from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland. 

Any stresses you may have experienced during your travels to the ship melt away the moment you climb aboard. Not least because a glass of chilled-to-perfection champagne is immediately planted in your hand as you set foot onboard, followed by a gloriously warm towel. 

We flew to Amsterdam, and after a swift transfer (all arranged and included by Riverside), embarked in the city centre, where a valet picks up your bags and delivers them to your room while the onboard team make you feel completely at home in a matter of minutes.

Cabins

From the outside of a river cruise ship, you might think the interiors would be a little on the pokey side, as, due to the nature of river bridges, ships have many size limitations – especially upwards. Not so on Riverside Debussy, and certainly not when it comes to the cabins. My cabin, which was a Seahorse Suite, was as generous as any lovely hotel room I’ve ever stayed in, if not more so.  

A cavernous walk-in wardrobe, bed big enough to get lost in, bathroom with two basins (!), plus floor-to-ceiling windows with a Juliet balcony left me in a state of giddy astonishment as I settled into my floating quarters. 

Waking up the following morning to an idyllic scene bobbing past the window of cows feeding in their meadows while the odd cyclist goes about their morning bakery run is nothing short of blissful. 

Elsewhere in the room, there’s a large TV with plenty of channels and movie options, as well as blackout curtains – ideal for any nervous sleepers on the water. With my sleep track record on the unsatisfactory side, I was over the moon to enjoy deep, peaceful slumbers on Riverside Debussy.

A final cabin flourish is that each guest is assigned a personal butler who’s on hand to assist with anything and everything, from ordering breakfast in bed to booking a spa appointment.

– READ MORE: What to pack for a river cruise: season by season guide – 

Riverside Luxury Cruises Food & Drink

Riverside Luxury Cruises are renowned for their food and drink (they were crowned ‘Consumer Favourite for Food & Drink’ at the Sailawaze Excellence Awards 2025), and this is really something exceptional. 

Firstly, the quality of the produce. There are no freezers onboard – except for ice cream – and you can tell. Everything from the ever-changing selection of fruit to the prawns (virtually the size of lobsters) bursts with a crispness of flavour that’s only found in seasonal produce that’s not had far to travel.

No two evening menus are ever the same in the ship’s understated central restaurant, Waterside, and every night there’s at least one local option for every course – marked by a little star on the menu – that indicates a speciality from the region you’re sailing in at that moment. 

Aside from Waterside, there’s the all-day Bistrot, which has a revolving selection of snacks to choose from depending on the time of day – from bircher muesli or smoked salmon bagels in the morning to goat’s cheese salads and charcuterie boards by lunch. Ideal to swing by and snag something from if you’re rushing out the door for your next excursion. There’s also a sit-down menu with favourites like fresh pasta, soup or crusty sandwiches. 

Every itinerary includes at least one barbecue up on the top deck, and ours was a definite highlight. We sailed out of the fairytale town of Cochem, waving to locals on the riverbank as the afternoon sun beat down, letting out sighs of delight over plates stacked with juicy tuna steaks, tender chicken, chimichurri beef, plus every salad and garnish imaginable.

Riverside’s crème de la crème dining experience is a seven-course wine pairing evening in the private ‘Vintage Room’. Here, the head chef and head sommelier work in tandem to introduce each exquisite course with such passion and knowledge that you can’t help but feel inspired. Bookable for up to 12 guests, this does come with a sizeable price tag (EUR 320 per person), however, it is the ideal treat for any special occasion. 

– READ MORE: 15 unmissable cruise destinations for foodies – 

Excursions with Riverside Luxury Cruises

A key aspect of any river cruise and another area I would argue is woefully misperceived  (and potentially trumps ocean cruises) – the excursions. No days at sea mean at least once a day, there’s an opportunity to hop off the ship and explore somewhere new. And pretty much everybody onboard does. With Riverside, there are at least two shore excursion options every day.

Included for every guest cruise is one ‘Riverside Signature Event’ per cruise that you won’t find with any other cruise line. Ours was a post-dinner ‘Amsterdam Dessert Cruise’ onboard a traditional canal boat, where we wound our way through the city’s canals as the sky turned from light to dark, complete with Dutch live music, champagne (of course) and a friendly local guide. 

A trip to the Keukenhof Gardens to see the tulips in full bloom – there are approximately seven million in total – is a must for any visitor to Amsterdam in spring.  On other days I got stuck in with an upbeat tour of Cologne, focusing on the city’s impressive twin-spired cathedral and almost as impressive beer scene, as well as a peach tasting excursion in the characterful town of Cochem. (Word of warning to any fellow peach-lover: the peach tasting is all in liquid form – mostly of the alcoholic variety. It certainly puts a spring in your step at 11am…)

– READ MORE: 15 unmissable cruise destinations for foodies – 

Wellness

Riverside Debussy’s wellness facilities are small but perfectly formed. There’s a well-equipped gym, a spa treatment room and the pièce de résistance, a swimming pool. Yes it’s compact and probably not where you’d want to practice your lengths, but it’s heaven for a pre-dinner dip or for cooling off after a gym session. 

You can also keep fit by joining the early-morning yoga or pilates sessions in The Palm Court Lounge – the ship’s spacious communal area. 

The spa treatment menu offers a healthy array of massages, ranging from Balinese (gentle) to Swedish Deep Tissue (not so gentle). I opted for a firm Swedish massage and walked away with months of shoulder pain vanished and what felt like three inches taller.

If beauty treatments from the shoulders up are more your thing, ‘Diamond Cocoon’ facials, Vitamin C peels, and all sorts besides are available.  

Entertainment 

Between the excursions, dining extravaganzas and plenty of time relaxing on top deck, drink in hand and watching the world go by, there isn’t too much need for the sort of scheduled onboard entertainment you might come to expect on a cruise, and Riverisde strikes this balance well.

In the evenings, everyone gathers for a mini briefing about the next destination you’ll be sailing into, setting the mood for the following day’s adventures. After dinner, music and dancing is on offer if the mood takes you (and it certainly will take you, if you spend some time by the fabulously inventive cocktail bar).

Other onboard activities during our sailing included a chocolate soufflé making masterclass and a wine tasting focusing on the Riesling wine region we were sailing through. 

Experts say spending time by, or indeed on, water can have positive impacts on mental health, promote extraordinary healing powers and is highly calming. Then throw in five-star service, exciting destinations, and accommodation fit for a king, and it soon becomes clear that a week with Riverside Luxury Cruises is a recipe for deep rejuvenation and discovery, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

– READ MORE: You won’t believe what this river ship has on its top deck! –