Riverside is bringing new playfulness to river cruising

Travel Weekly

13 hours ago

ABOARD THE RIVERSIDE DEBUSSY -- Looking around this ship, what struck me most was how much fun people were having. The guests. The crew. The CEO. It felt more like a reunion than people meeting for the first time.
My traveling partner noticed it, too, commenting that it seemed like everyone genuinely enjoyed being together.
During an eight-day Rhine river cruise last month from Amsterdam to Basel, Riverside Luxury Cruises CEO Jennifer Halboth credited that fun to what she calls the crew's creative and understated approach to delivering luxury service.
It was something I noticed throughout the sailing: running jokes shared between guests and crew; a singer's infectious attitude that practically forced us out of our seats and onto the dance floor; and when a bartender let my friend and me hop behind the bar for an impromptu lesson on how to make the perfect whiskey sour.
Halboth said she wants the staff's personalities and creativity to be on display during Riverside sailings. The line also aims to "deliver the best, but obviously in a really kind of understated, not stuffy, authentic way," Halboth said.
"We've got this standard we want to deliver, but I find when the ship is doing its best is when every crew member gets to be their authentic self when they are meeting the authentic selves of our guests," she said. "You don't want to feel like you're talking to the same person every time. They have their own story, and their story starts to pull out your story."
Riverside's Debussy sailing the Rhine. Photo Credit: Riverside Luxury Cruises
What that translates to is a crew that brings a spark of fun and playfulness to the Riverside experience. One crew member left such an impression on a guest that they coordinated for a surprise piece of cake to be delivered during a wine tasting to celebrate the crew member's birthday.
Executive chef Simeon Petkov said that under Riverside's management, he has more freedom to tap into his artistic nature in the kitchen. He formerly worked for Crystal Cruises, which owned the Debussy and Riverside's other river cruise vessels, and where he said operations were more corporate.
"If you have imagination, and if you're striving to do something, you can really do it," he said. "You can really experiment."
That approach lends itself to curating a brand that strives "to be unique in every facet: how we work with the trade, how we cater to guests, onboard," Halboth said.
For example, she said, the line aims to connect with travel advisors in personalized ways, like orchestrating a Christmas-in-July event to highlight the brand's holiday market cruises. The line's northeast director -- a sommelier -- hosts wine tastings to demonstrate the line's commitment to cuisine.
And despite competing against players that have operated river cruises for decades and with fleets 10 times the size of Riverside's, Halboth said the brand works hard to promote itself to travel advisors, such as by attending trade shows like ASTA River Cruise Expo and offering advisors deals to experience the product.
Halboth said that in terms of its hospitality and culinary, Riverside's "front of the house … has really delivered." She is confident about the onboard product and said the brand is focusing on improving the "back-of-house" operations, like its booking engine.
Riverside Debussy passengers, including CEO Jennifer Halboth, hit the dance floor. Photo Credit: Brinley Hineman
The 110-passenger Debussy, which was about half full, is beautiful, open and bright, with modern décor that feels like being in a luxe, landlocked hotel instead of floating down a castle-lined river.
Riverside will add two ships to its fleet in 2027 and 2028, the Bach and Mahler, respectively, which are currently chartered by Uniworld. Those vessels will bring Riverside's fleet to five.
When asked if more ships are in the plans, Halboth said the line will observe how the 2026 season goes, but she anticipates the brand will be "firing on all cylinders."