We went river side with Riverside on the Rhone

After some major complications with travel due to the forest fires in the south of France we flew to Geneva and had a spectacular train journey from Geneva to Viviers. Due to this we were a day late for our embarkation; Riverside couldn’t have been more accommodating with regular check ups and also arranging a taxi to meet us on our trains arrival.

As we arrived at Riverside Ravel she looked stunning; she is now 7 years old but was out of service for 3 years as she was formally owned by Crystal Cruises. I can positively say this felt like a new ship experience. Riverside acquired Ravel alongside her sister ship Debussy and  Mozart in 2023 and pride themselves on being the epitome of Ultra Luxury River Cruising.

A major thing to note with Ravel and Debussy is that the lead in grade of Suite is a French Balcony which is unheard of on 95% of river ships. Another great positive for solo cruisers is that Riverside offer a zero supplement on their lead in grade as long as there is still availability; this means on Ravel and Debussy the Symphony French Balcony Suite are with no supplement. Riverside also offer private transfers for all guests regardless of whether you have booked your flights through them or not which is another huge benefit!

As we spent some time exploring onboard it became apparent just how large the ship was for such a small total capacity; space per guest is probably the highest I have know within all of cruising not just Rivier Cruising. Riverside Ravel does have a pool onboard that also has a current system fitted; making it the perfect place to relax or a more challenging swim for those looking an alternative to the very well fitted gym onboard.

If relaxing is what you were truly looking for Riverside also have Spa Facilities onboard.

Riverside Ravel also has the most stunning bar on the upper deck which is the perfect place to enjoy a pre or post dinner drink. We actually enjoyed two lunches onboard on the upper deck and also one dinner that was absolutely fantastic. Due to the height of bridges on the Rhone whilst sailing the upper deck is closed to both staff and passengers; the great thing with Riverside Ravel is that there is deck space at both the front and aft of the ship to still take in the great scenery the South of France has to offer whilst sailing.

The dining room onboard Riverside Ravel offered more variety than I have known on any other river cruise line whilst also being still as culinarily excellent as can be. A great result of Riverside more than impressive space per guest is that more tables of 2 are offer than any other river cruise ships. After dinner every evening we headed up one deck to Palm Court which is their lounge are onboard and is also where the cruise director will hold their briefs pre dinner. Architecturally this area of the ship is stunning with oodles of light as a lot of the ceiling in glass enclosed. This is a great place to enjoy post dinner drink and watch the world sail by with Riverside’s resident Pianist playing.

Overall I was absolutely blown away by the quality of service onboard, quality of the ship and quality of food. I can completely agree with Riverside’s claims that they are offer the very highest level luxury on the river.