Riviera Travel vs Viking: which river cruise is better?

No score and no verdict of ours: what Riviera Travel and Viking each publish on their own websites, read 10 November 2026, topic by topic, each line linked to the page it came from.

Riviera Travel vs Viking: which river cruise is better?

Neither is better for everyone. Riviera Travel's fares include all-inclusive drinks, free Wi-Fi and guided tours in every port; Viking includes one shore excursion in every port with beer, wine and soft drinks at lunch and dinner. Neither publishes a river fare tied to a sailing date on the pages read.

What is each line?

Riviera Travel is a tour operator, Riviera Travel, LLC of Florida, trading as Riviera Cruises, that began in the early 1980s and launched its first river cruises in 2009; it sells European river cruises on ships it says it built, plus ocean cruises, yacht cruises and European tours. Source

Viking runs river voyages on ships it operates under its own name, with Viking Longships in Europe and ships on the Nile, the Mississippi, the Mekong and the Brahmaputra. Source

Which ships does each line sail?

Riviera Travel sails river ships it says it built, among them MS Geoffrey Chaucer, MS George Eliot, MS Jane Austen, MS Lord Byron, MS Oscar Wilde, MS Emily Brontë, MS Thomas Hardy and MS Douro Elegance, plus Riviera Radiance and Riviera Resplendence, with their five-star sister ship Riviera Reflection due in 2027. Source

Viking sails Viking Longships in Europe, six Douro ships (Viking Gyda, Helgrim, Hemming, Osfrid, Sol and Torgil), Viking Astrild and Beyla on the Elbe, six Seine ships, the Nile ships Viking Amun, Aton and Hathor (with Anubis and Geb due 2027), Viking Mississippi, plus Viking Saigon and Viking Tonle on the Mekong. Source

How many guests are on board?

Riviera Travel carries 124 guests on MS Douro Elegance and 140 guests with 44 crew on MS Geoffrey Chaucer; MS George Eliot has 70 suites and cabins and, from 2027, every guest on it has their own cabin. Source

Viking's Viking Longships carry 80 to 200 passengers; its Nile ships host 82 guests each, its Asia ships 80 guests and Viking Mississippi 386 guests in 193 staterooms. Source

Which rivers does each line sail?

Riviera Travel sells named sailings on the Rhine (Rhine Cruise to Switzerland; Rhine, Strasbourg and Heidelberg), the Danube (Budapest to the Black Sea; The Danube’s Imperial Cities and Yuletide Markets), the Rhine and Moselle (Rhine and Moselle River Cruise), the Douro (Douro, Porto and Salamanca), the Rhône and Saône (Burgundy, the River Rhône and Provence), the Seine (The Seine, Paris and Normandy) and the Dutch and Belgian waterways (Bruges, Medieval Flanders, Amsterdam & the Dutch Bulbfields). Source

Viking sails named itineraries on the Seine (Paris & the Heart of Normandy, Christmastime in Paris & Normandy), the Rhône (Lyon & Provence) and the Nile (Pharaohs & Pyramids, Grand Nile Journey I and II); it also sails purpose-built ships on the Douro, the Elbe, the Mississippi, the Mekong and the Brahmaputra. The pages read name no Danube or Rhine itinerary. Source

How large are the cabins?

Riviera Travel says its largest suite is 29 square metres and that over 80% of its cabins have French or full balconies. Source

Viking's cabin sizes are given for its Nile ships (a Standard Stateroom of 232 sq ft with a half-height picture window to an Explorer Suite of 677 sq ft including a 195 sq ft veranda) and for Viking Mississippi (336 sq ft Penthouse Veranda to Explorer Suites of 657 to 1,024 sq ft, all with a private veranda); no Longship cabin size is given. Source

What does the fare include?

Riviera Travel's fares include all-inclusive drinks with unlimited tea and coffee through the day, free Wi-Fi, onboard entertainment, port taxes and guided tours in every port; its booking conditions exclude gratuities, baggage handling, excess baggage charges, fuel surcharges and items of a personal nature. Source

Viking's Viking Inclusive Value fare includes one shore excursion in every port and beer, wine and soft drinks with onboard lunch and dinner; pre-paid charges, optional facilities and personal charges are not in the fare. Source

Are shore excursions included?

Riviera Travel includes expertly guided tours in every port, led by English-speaking local experts; guests can opt out of any included excursion, while Personalize Your Holiday excursions are optional. Source

Viking includes one guided shore excursion in every port, led by an English-speaking guide; optional excursions such as Local Life, Working World and Privileged Access cost extra, with every excursion rated easy, moderate or demanding. Source

What do solo travellers pay?

Riviera Travel waives the single supplement on select departures, so solo travellers pay the same per-person rate as those travelling with companions; from 2027 every MS George Eliot departure is solo-only, with each guest in their own cabin and no single supplements. No supplement figure is given. Source

Viking advertises Special Solo Traveler Fares and says single supplement savings are off applicable rates. Source

How much is the deposit?

Riviera Travel does not state its deposit amount or when the balance is due; its booking conditions say the deposit is non-refundable once confirmed. Source

Viking offers a $25 deposit as a current offer (US dollars, US residents) on itineraries of 35 days or less departing April 2027 onward, or June 2027 onward for itineraries over 35 days, World Cruise excluded; it states no standard deposit. 2027 departures pay in full by 17 December 2026 or 120 days before departure, whichever comes first. Source

What happens if you cancel?

Riviera Travel keeps the deposit, which is non-refundable once confirmed; it charges a $20 administration fee on all cancellations and changes, including name and date changes. Source

Viking publishes no cancellation charge scale in the pages read; its optional Travel Protection Plan includes a Cancel for Any Reason waiver, under which the nonrefundable part of the trip cost comes back in Viking travel vouchers, claimed within 30 days of cancellation and redeemed within 12 months. Source

Is your money protected?

Riviera Travel says on its general FAQ that it is fully bonded with the CAA and ABTA so that your money is safe in any eventuality, with no bond numbers given; its booking conditions also give Florida Seller of Travel Ref. No. ST40993 and do not say what that registration covers. Source

Viking does not publish this on the pages read.

What happens if the water is too high or too low?

Riviera Travel: When a sailing is disrupted, says it may arrange coach excursions to the itinerary destinations or equivalent alternatives of no more than 2 hours each way, or swap ships to take guests past the affected part of the river; if no alternative cruise of equivalent quality is available, the vacation is cancelled. Source

Viking does not publish this on the pages read.

What if your mobility is limited?

Riviera Travel has no wheelchair accessible cabins on any of its ships; guests should have a good level of mobility, as boarding may involve walking on gangplanks and crossing between double-moored ships. Source

Viking has lifts throughout Viking Mississippi and a wheelchair-accessible Explorer Suite (#300); on its Nile ships the lift runs from Main Deck to Pool Deck only, with none to the Sun Deck; excursions are rated easy, moderate or demanding. Source

Can children come?

Riviera Travel does not allow children under 12 at the date of departure on any of its ships; any minor must be accompanied by and share a cabin with an adult aged 21 or over. Source

Viking says there are no children on board its river ships. Source

When is each not the fit?

The limits below are published by each line on their own websites.

• Riviera Travel: not the fit if you use a wheelchair: there are no wheelchair accessible cabins on any of its ships. Source
• Viking: not the fit if you live outside the US and want its published fares: it says all prices are in US dollars and for US residents only. Source

How do their reviews compare?

Their figures per platform, read 10 November 2026, each from a listing under the line's own name; a whole-company profile is marked. Figures are never added together.

• Viking: Trustpilot (whole company): 1.7 out of 5 from 384 reviews, newest 10 November 2026. Read 10 November 2026.
• Riviera Travel: no Google or Trustpilot listing under Riviera Travel's own name was found.

The lines at a glance

One card each, as on every Uncompromised Travel river cruise page: what each sells, why to choose each, what to ask for and the limits each publishes.

Which other lines sail the same rivers?

The lines that sell sailings on the same rivers are compared on What are the best alternatives to Viking River Cruises?

Richard Jasinski · Uncompromised Travel · written from Valencia · first published 10 November 2026 · updated 10 November 2026