Luxury River Cruise Companies
Some are tour companies, some run ocean yachts, some do only rivers. What each company does tells you what it does best.
Compare Luxury River Lines FreeLuxury river cruise companies are not all cruise lines first. Some grew out of guided touring, some run ocean yachts too, and some do nothing but rivers. Knowing which is which helps you choose.
Tour Companies That Cruise
Tauck
Land journeys on six continents, small-ship ocean cruises, Tauck Bridges family adventures and European riverboat journeys. River cruises lean heavily on guiding, hotel stays and exclusive events.
Riviera Travel
Escorted tours and river cruises; its river fares include a drinks package on most sailings and daily guided excursions.
River and Ocean Under One Roof
Scenic
River cruises in Europe and Southeast Asia, ocean “discovery yachts” Scenic Eclipse and Eclipse II, plus land journeys. Scenic offers combinations of river and ocean itineraries.
Emerald Cruises
River Star-Ships in Europe and the Mekong, and ocean-going luxury yachts in the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Caribbean, Central America and beyond.
Viking
River, ocean and expedition ships; Viking describes itself as sailing 21 rivers, five oceans and all seven continents.
River Specialists
Uniworld
Boutique river ships in Europe, Egypt, India, Southeast Asia and Peru.
AmaWaterways
River ships in Europe, Egypt (AmaNubia), Colombia (AmaMagdalena) and beyond, with land packages in cities such as Basel and Milan.
Avalon Waterways
Suite Ships on Europe’s rivers and in Southeast Asia.
Riverside Luxury Cruises
A small European fleet on the Danube, Rhine, Rhône and Saône.
How to Judge a Luxury River Cruise Company
- How much of the ship is suites, and how many guests it carries.
- Whether drinks and gratuities are in the fare.
- How excursions are run: one tour per port, a choice program, or private guiding.
- Pre- and post-cruise hotels, and whether transfers are included.
- Who you call if something goes wrong — a good advisor is your advocate with any of them.
Rankings help, too: Best River Cruises keeps its own list. Looking for groups or solo trips? See Group River Cruises and Singles River Cruises.
Why It Matters When Things Change
River cruises are exposed to the weather: high or low water can close a stretch of river for days. Larger companies with several ships on the same river can swap guests between ships or bus them around a closed section; AmaWaterways, for example, says it arranges sister ships, overland transfers or adjusted schedules when water levels interfere. A company’s fleet size and land expertise therefore affect not just your good days but how a bad day is handled. That is one more reason to book through an advisor who knows each company’s track record.
Questions About the Companies
Are Scenic and Emerald the same company?
They are separate brands, but Emerald’s US website states that its cruises and tours are distributed by Scenic Tours (USA), Inc., the same company that distributes Scenic.
Why does it matter what else a company does?
It tells you where its strengths lie. A guided-tour company like Tauck builds strong land touring; a line that also runs ocean yachts, like Scenic or Emerald, can combine river and sea in one trip.
Not Sure Which Company Fits?
Tell us how you like to travel. Our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise will match you with the right luxury river company and send free quotes.
Ask Our Advisors