Riviera Travel
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Flawed experience
We really appreciated the comfortable and spotless cabin, superb meals on board and the easy camaraderie among the passengers. We found the daily tours rather hit-and-miss: some were fun and interesting but the guides often seemed bored in their work. The stops were quite short at most places and we saw nothing of Cologne as we arrived at the boat in the dark, at around 7 pm, and departed Cologne at 3 am. The two long expeditions were on the final days of our cruise but would be at the start of the northbound version. These are very weather dependent: the lake trip was a long and rather pointless journey as the rain fell incessantly; the Bernese Oberland outing hit beautiful sunshine and spectacular views but there was a long, long coach journey to be endured. The packed lunch provided for this outling was shockingly poor so help yourself from the excellent breakfast buffet unless you want to starve. One aspect of the trip spoilt it for me and makes it most unlikely that I will use Riviera Travel again. This was the constant nagging about tipping. This started at the first 'briefing' and was repeated whenever an opportunity presented itself for the tour leader. My preference is for staff to be properly paid and for tipping to be a private matter for personal service. I certainly dislike constant lecturing about the amazing staff (especially the tour leader) and being told the exact amount that should be tipped.