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Review summary
Riviera Travel is exceptionally well-rated by customers. Customers particularly appreciate service and professional, though some mention concerns about customer service and communication.
The online booking was relatively straightforward - I had to stop and start a few times to check dates etc before completing the whole process.
The personal details section asked for my middle name - I don’t have one - and then didn’t enter my surname so I finished up having to ring and speak to an agent - who sorted things quickly.
I opened an online account so I can fill all the necessary information - passport details etc. However, although I had had my confirmation email, this hadn’t registered. I contacted the online assistant and everything was sorted quickly.
So, four stars as everything was booked - but not five as I had to contact Riviera twice - which was quick and easy.
Ben made the booking experience really simple. He was very informative & answered all my questions e.g about the included optional excursions & I was relieved that not all involved a lot of walking but utilised land trains or coach tours with adequate time to explore independently. I can make periodic payments before the final payment is due. I can contact Ben if I have any further queries but Riviera Travel Q&As pages are very informative. Confirmation of booking was emailed promptly.
The ability to communicate with one particular agent who took a personal interest in my booking. It was never suggested that I 'go online'.
Able to make contact seven days a week
If reaching the Black Sea delta is important to you, then be warned – it isn’t important to Riviera.
Riviera’s Budapest to the Black Sea river cruise utterly failed to deliver the trip they’d offered and we’d expected and paid for.
Due to low water levels in the Danube, the cruise failed to achieve about 25% of its planned distance. Everyone on the trip was automatically given a 5% refund but this was wholly inadequate given the failure of the trip to achieve it’s basic objective. The whole point of booking this particular cruise was to reach the Black Sea delta and its unique wildlife location. We did not reach Tulcea or the legendary city of Constanta and the Black Water industrial area that we were also anticipating.
The alternative trips organised did not remotely compensate for the loss of these destinations. The Kopacki Rit nature reserve trip was a farce. My group only had a 40 min rush along the boardwalks before we were back on the coach for a 50 min boat ride. The 9 hour round coach trip to the Black Sea at Varna was equally farcical with only 2 hours at this seaside town before we had to return. These felt like 'tick-box' exercises rather than the real experiences that Riviera had offered and I'd expected and paid for.
Looking at water level data for the Danube after out return, it was obvious that levels were falling rapidly and the ship was never going to reach it’s destination. But at no point were we alerted to this and offered the opportunity to rearrange. Riviera must have known in advance before we ever left Budapest that they were not going to be able to deliver the trip we’d booked.
I cannot see any warning anywhere in their brochure advertising the trip where it says that the cruise may not reach the Black Sea due to river conditions. I have joined other trips in the past which are subject to natural variations, like wildlife behaviour or the aurora, and these have always given a % success rate and a clear warning that there might not be sightings. The Riviera description for this trip gives no such warning. If it had, we would not have booked it. And if climate change means that the likelihood of reaching the Black Sea is growing ever-more unlikely then maybe Riviera should stop offering a trip it cannot deliver.
To add insult to injury, Riviera have offered us a 20% discount on a future river cruise in a similar top-deck cabin to the one we booked for the Danube. But they have rejected my request for additional compensation for the cruise they’ve already failed to deliver and have limited the refund to a paltry 5%.
This was our 6th trip with Riviera and until now I would have considered myself a satisfied and loyal customer but feel devastated about the failure of this trip to deliver and the inadequate compensation we have been given. Riviera clearly give no weight to our lifetime value to the company and we will never use them again.
A quick response to the phone call. The lady we spoke to was pleasant and efficient. The booking was completed in a very short time and the confirmation email arrived very quickly
Booking thorough but rather tedious.
It would make things a lot easier if it was possible to do a repeat booking online rather than having to ring up.
(Having read the Riviera reply, I feel it is missing the point somewhat as it is possible to fully book most of their river cruises online if you don't want discount applied).
I have had a dreadful and stressful experience trying to book a cruise with Riviera Travel. The member of staff I was given to deal with the booking was simply incapable of understanding or taking in any of my booking requirements. From the start I was given confirmation for the wrong number of cabins, the wrong river, a very ambiguous quotation on which cruise had been chosen and total confusion on the mobility requirements of one of our passengers. The same member of staff was also very arrogant and very rude. I therefore will find a different company to book with next time and would advise others to do the same.
We have just returned from a tour of Berlin and Dresden with a visit to Colditz included. We had a great time and met some lovely people. The two hotels were excellent. Dresden has a beautiful city centre that has, since the reunification of Germany, been wonderfully restored after the devastation incurred during the war. I would give a special mention to our tour manager, Simon, who was very attentive, knowledgeable and prepared to above and beyond to ensure everyone's holiday went smoothly.
The holiday I wanted had no single occupancy rooms available, however after speaking to a lovely advisor called Elaine, Riviera contacted the hotels and managed to get the rooms and book the holiday. Elaine went the extra mile. She did everything she could to help us.
I rang and spoke to Amanda who was very helpful and listened to all of my queries re booking another Rhine cruise.
She explained everything and I was able to book without any problems. Thankyou
My booking was complicated by wanting to use an enhanced discount as compensation for a previous booking that had a few problems.
We got there eventually but it was like pulling teeth.
Tia was very helpful after I managed to create 2 accounts by accident . . Other than this we did the entire booking online and it was very simple and accurate . We are now looking forward to a new Year trip on the Danube on the MS Riviera Radiance
I phoned Riviera to enquire the availability of a particular 2026 holiday as a solo traveler I found the lady at Riviera extremely helpful and gave me a week to think about the holiday I have had multiple holidays with Riviera and always found them to be excellent when dealing with them
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