DESTINATIONS CRUISE | RHINE
TRIED & TESTED
RIVERSIDE DEBUSSY
Originally built in 2018 for Crystal Cruises, Debussy
entered service for Riverside in spring 2024. The majority of its UK sales are driven
by the trade – up to 90%, according to the line – and the ship is sure to please luxury-loving clients.
A total of 55 suites – from Melody at 182sq ft to the
Owner’s Suite at four times the size – give uninterrupted
river views with floor-to-ceiling windows. Amenities abound, including butlers, a heated and enclosed swimming pool, a well-stocked fitness suite and a spa.
Large areas are dedicated to dining, with the Waterside
serving the day’s three meals plus Bistro, a coffee bar
stocked with sweet snacks all day. Up to 12 passengers can book the Vintage Room for special Chef’s Table dinners, while in the Palm Court lounge, clients can enjoy gentle piano music as they sip cocktails.
Sister ships Riverside Bach and Mahler, currently
chartered by Uniworld, are also due to rejoin the fleet in 2027 and 2028 respectively.
The Vintage Room
kept the mood lively and the dozens of bridges we passed beneath lit up as dusk descended. The line makes a point of serving local produce, so the canal boat briefly stopped to collect bitterballen, delicious Dutch meaty croquettes that taste best when dipped in sweet mustard. Having missed dinner, I impressed the guide with my appetite.
FLOWER POWER As enticing as Amsterdam’s nightlife might be, our alarms were set for a 7.30am departure to see Keukenhof, a former aristocratic hunting ground turned into a 79-acre tulip garden. Thanks to our comfy coach transfer, we arrived shortly after the 8am opening, so the gardens were peaceful and quiet. “The tulip originally comes from Central Asia,” said our guide, Bert. “There are over 3,000 varieties of tulips, and the bulbs at Keukenhof are hand-planted.” That’s quite a task, considering Keukenhof gardeners
plant around seven million tulip bulbs every year. The gardens are open from March to May, but the best time to see the tulips is the middle of April, Bert explained. Spring departures get booked up far in advance, so clients wanting to see this next year would do well to book sooner rather than later. For just over an hour, I roamed the dazzling
gardens before people started streaming in. I found a sense of tranquillity on long, winding gravel paths
38 10 JULY 2025 Blossom drifted from the
trees like snow and all around there were bursts of colour set against fresh spring grass
that offered plenty of photo stops, including a windmill embraced by bright beds of tulips. Blossom drifted from the trees like snow and all around there were bursts of colour set against fresh spring grass.
WINE ON THE RHINE Back on Debussy, there was an itinerary change afoot as we sailed slowly towards Germany. After the driest March on record in Germany, water levels in the Rhine dropped to half their usual level, so we skipped a planned stop in Utrecht to make a beeline for Dusseldorf. The journey was 21 hours, non-stop, but the blissful
onboard experience reminded me of the joys of staying on a river ship. I indulged in a tasting of local wines from the Rhine Valley, gawped at liveaboard cargo ships and eye-catching industrial buildings along the banks, and worked my way through the extensive cocktail menu – with delights such as the lavender-infused ‘residencia’ or my favourite, ‘the owner’, with its tantalising mix of rum, cinnamon syrup and mango puree.
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travelweekly.co.uk
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Palm Court on board Riverside Debussy; Taittinger; Cochem
on the Moselle River PICTURES: Ian Schemper; Shutterstock/Page Frederique; Florian Trykowski/Nordic Music Photography
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