Riviera Travel Reviews 

Great help on the phone arranging a specific yacht trip to Croatia for us in 2027. Knew a lot about the boat and itinerary and we managed to reserve a good cabin on the dates that suited us best. Very professional service.

We recently returned from our first and last cruise with Riviera Travel. The cruise did not start off very well when we were left stranded (along with 51 other passengers from Manchester) at Düsseldorf airport. Eventually, a member of the party rang the ship to find out what was happening, only to be told that they had sent the transport to Cologne airport. Not a very auspicious start to our holiday after a very early start. Unfortunately, it was only a sign of events to follow - organised by a patronising + clueless cruise host who constantly changed the daily arrangements to suit himself. By the end of the cruise, even the loyal, seasoned Riviera travel enthusiasts were saying they had never experienced such ineptitude on these cruises before. Along with many other passengers who reported the events that happened + contacted the company on return, we have not had the courtesy of a reply. However, the restaurant + bar staff were excellent. We are, also still waiting for the compensation awarded to most of the Manchester contingent soon after arrival.

I recently booked a River cruise, the service I received was first class, everything was explained well in a friendly helpful way, at the same time very efficiently and professionally. I look forward to travelling with Riviera again.

We have used Riviera many times and they have always exceeded our expectations. Our agent Jacqueline was absolutely first class. Patient, diligent, always professional and a joy to speak with.
First class service from booking to the cruise itself.

The simplicity of it all no fuss going through all the stages

We have just booked a 5 night river cruise with Riviera for the coming new year, having just returned from a Rhine cruise during which we experienced excellent service from the Riviera staff, and the on board crew.
This latest booking was made very efficiently by Laurie, following initial email contact, and finalised by a friendly phone call this morning.

Excellent river cruises, we have had 4, so easy to book 2 others, both on the Danube. The ships are well appointed with superb food and service.Very comfortable cabins and great excursions. When booking had a very helpful and efficient lady Gemma Read, made the booking process very easy with all points we asked covered, always rang back on times to suit us, 1st class

As a royal customer, we have been with Rivera for more than 6 trips ( some were good, some had issues ) ! Before booking a trip around end of May 26 , called Rivera and confirmed the cancellation policy with the company ( there might be a chance we need to rearrange the holiday due to my elderly parents health). Paid the deposit and before paying the balance, tried to call Rivera but have been put on hold constantly for a while, the person who called back does not really want to know the query and ask me to send an email instead. E mail replied received a bit late ( was told due to back log) , the reply was not helpful and unprofessional . Replied the email but never received the response. Have to chase the response again by phone , finally the person who wrote the mail called back after 3 days , after 2 phone calls, advised her line manager will call back. Two days has past not a sign from Riviera. Tried to call again , not surprisingly, no one answered the call AGAIN . The cancellation policy is not clear enough / lack of specific details for customers to understand the implication . To make things worse , the company has the perception for lacking the trust on us despite being a royal customer for so many years . Rivera also selected the certain recorded calls to listen rather than listening to ALL the calls( they missed the most important call for some weird reason ) . We have also been told "as you have the ability to read the policy on line " , implying we are deliberately knowing despite the "fact" the holiday might be cancelled , but still booked it in May . I feel the certain staff in customer service team lack of the basic customer care skills and "think " we are not trust worth! Looks like the company is struggling for the appropriate staff level and makes you wonder if the business is viable ! We have no intention to go with this company again !

I tried to book on my smartphone but when I got to read the terms and conditions before proceeding with the booking, I could not back out of that screen which meant I had to go in and put all my data in again!

I had a complex issue of splitting an earlier booking confirmation. My call was answered by Hannah who patiently listened to the detail. After seeking advice on a couple of points she successfully divided the booking between the two travelling couples. Hannah was friendly, extremely helpful and thorough in dealing with all aspects of this booking. We looked forward to our next cruise with Riviera.

This was our eleventh holiday booking with Riviera and, once again, we received great customer service, this time from Michelle.
Everything very clearly explained and very friendly conversation.
Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Riviera for your next trip. Always reliable and great itineraries.

Good, informative, and helpful discussion free of sales pressure.

Booked what I thought was a half board holiday as per the advert in the paper, only to discover that it is in fact only B&B. No mention in the booking process, only after receiving the paperwork as a note in all the T&Cs.
Not too impressed

My reservation is the way the website worked. Two things in particular, when I was filling in the booking form, I clicked to read the terms and conditions, as one is encouraged to do, I couldn’t seem to get back to the application page and had to start again. Also earlier in the booking process I put in my filters , River Cruise , Europe , France,Train ,May 2027 , but then seemed to be sent to a page which required me to opt out individually of worldwide offerings.

It was really straightforward. I had no difficulties at all.

Booked on line. The member of staff was extremely helpful and provided answers to all our queries. The booking process was quite painless and quick.

We've used Riviera since 2019, and it was wonderful then.
Things have changed a lot.
We've just returned from their Lake Maggiore Highlights Tour (July 2026), where we stayed at the Regina Palace Hotel in Stresa. There was a separate dining room for Riviera guests, which sounded OK, but the truth is, we were treated as second-class. We weren't allowed to use the outside terrace at breakfast or dinner, even though it was connected to our dining area by open double doors. I have never been to a hotel before where I've been denied access to any area; it was outrageous.
We had a different dinner menu from the other guests, and some of the food was obviously warmed up and not freshly cooked. The food was generally bland.
When they took us on an excursion in 2019, we were given lunch with wine included most of the time.
We had no lunches this time, just told where there were bars and restaurants, before being dumped for 2 or 3 hours of free time.
Our group of 24 mostly agreed that we were given rooms which needed refurbishment. Our room (142) had air con which we couldn't control; it was full on all of the time. I complained to reception, and they admitted that a lot of switches didn't work because of the age of the hotel, so I had to phone reception when we wanted it off.
I've used Riviera a lot, but the quality has gone, I'm afraid, and that's a shame.

Riviera have always been a good company to book with. Friendly staff, easy booking procedures and quick confirmation of booking via email.

We chose the Douro cruise from Porto to Salamanca and during the most part of the cruise it was fabulous. The food provided was of great quality with enough variety to more than satisfy guests. The staff worked extremely hard to ensure guests had a pleasant trip. However please be aware that the itinerary can change and you may not visit the ports you were expecting to see. We had this experience on our cruise as there was an air show on the weekend we were due to end our cruise. This was very disappointing for us as we had booked the cruise on the basis of seeing Porto where the air show took place and because of road closures which weren’t available until 2 days prior. In fairness to Riviera they did provide alternatives which were very enjoyable but ultimately not why we had booked that particular cruise. Also something else to be aware of on the last morning of your cruise expect to be taken off the ship, regardless of the time of your flight. We were told we had to leave the ship by 9.30 am, this is so that cleaning can commence and apparently this is across all partners. Just in case you are new to cruising!!!

Booking achieved