As we mentioned at the outset of this post, the company’s name leaves some scratching their heads. There’s logic to the name, however, and some reassurances. Riviera Travel began operating in the U.K. nearly four decades ago by offering getaways to the French Riviera. It’s good to know that Riviera is an experienced tour operator, much like Tauck in the United States. In fact, Riviera and Tauck use the same ship management team, Swiss-based Scylla, one of the best in the business.
I remember my first time seeing a Riviera ship. The year was 2015. Oddly enough, I was cruising on a Tauck ship. Our ship, ms Savor, had docked in Passau, and I decided to take one of the complimentary bicycles on board to pedal all the way to Linz, a distance of 90 kilometers. When I arrived in Linz, tired and hungry, several hours later ms Savor had not yet arrived. I saw another ship, however, that I had never seen before. The name made me chuckle, the ms William Shakespeare. This was Riviera’s newest ship. What’s that all about I wondered. I had never heard of Riviera and certainly had never seen a ship named for the most famous of English writers. Obviously this was the start of something new.
We’ve written a lot about Riviera River Cruises, including a recent post about a New Itinerary from Burgundy to Mediterranean Sea. Read more articles about Riviera here.