Sailing in Style: An Unforgettable Journey with Riverside Luxury Cruises Aboard the Mozart

Hi, my name is Peter, and I am a cruise specialist with Art of Travel. I was lucky enough to be offered a couple of nights on a river Cruise Ship called the Mozart – the first of three ships entering the river cruising market by a company called “Riverside Luxury Cruises.” The clue is in the name: Luxury. This company has it in abundance. On this ship, and the next two – the Ravel sailing the Rhone & Saone and the Debussy sailing the Rhine – all are simply beautiful ships to complement the amazing service on board.

I was fortunate to be able to travel with my daughter. We did an overnight stay at Heathrow, which was fine, but we made the mistake of getting the shuttle bus to the airport. Don’t do it; get a cab instead. Great flight with Austrian Airlines and met at Vienna airport for the seamless transfer to the ship.

Being my first river cruise, I was quite taken with the docking area; it was in front of the Waterfront Hilton. Our coach pulled up in a very small parking area, very nicely laid out with shrubs and bushes, which we walked through and onto the ship. This was a pleasant contrast to the usual huge docks, buildings, and car parks you get at ocean cruising terminals.

The impeccably dressed staff were lined up with a very warm welcome and flowing Champagne. We were then escorted by our “Butler” to our adjacent cabins.

More Champagne

No big sail away deck party – in fact, I think I was on my own watching us leave the Hilton Waterfront and immediately the ship manoeuvred a one movement U-turn, setting sail for Melk, our first stop.

I said I would come back to the “luxury” part of this company’s name. Apart from the beautiful finish in the cabins, as you can clearly see, and throughout the ship, it could also be used to describe the service on board..

Unlike lower deck cabins on most river cruise ships with high, narrow windows, the Mozart, has almost full-size picture windows. Brilliant!

I soon found out why nobody was on deck for the sail away: it was fast approaching time for dinner, and having seen everything else, we could not wait to see what they had to offer in that department. The food was beautiful and complemented by superb wines, recommended by our Sommelier.

The Beautiful Waterside Restaurant

The evening was rounded off by live music in the Palm Court.

The next day, we arrived at Melk. I chose to do the guided tour of their famous monastery; we were also joined on the tour by Mr. Jon Knight, the head of sales for the UK and Ireland for Riverside.

My daughter and I had found the Spa on the first day and had a dip in the pool and Jacuzzi. She also suggested to me that rather than join me at the Abbey, the right thing to do for research purposes was to sample a full-on pampering session. It was a good choice, as it is the sort of thing she is quite familiar with. Not from a beautician’s point of view, but massage therapy, and she said the treatment was superb. (That’s the way this company does it)

Ok, back from the Abbey and pampering. On to the next stop: Durnstein, a beautiful little village surrounded by vineyards. The excursion here was a combination of a walking tour of the village combined with a wine tasting session. I have to say it was brilliant, in no small part due to our amazing guide. She was so full of life and the funniest person ever without knowing it. Watch out for her if you do this cruise.

Above the town is a castle ruin said to be the place where Richard the Lionheart was held for ransom, and when this was paid, the town benefitted immensely. Apart from that, it is a very quaint little place, and I loved it.

   

This is our Brilliant Guide

And so, we return to The Mozart for more amazing food and a brilliant live band. A great trip – thank you, Riverside.

Apart from being a pure luxury product, they have a great range of options. You can book cruises of 3 to 14 nights. You also have the following flexibility when booking:

• Premium All-Inclusive, including Excursions
• Full Board, including all Excursions
• Premium All-Inclusive
• Full Board

All Riverside bookings currently have an early booking discount of 15% until the 30th of April 2023. And in its first season, it is also offering a 20% introductory discount on all bookings until the 31st of May 2023. So if you like the look of this wonderful product, don’t miss out on these generous discounts.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Cheers for now,

Peter