Riviera Travel Takes Aim at U.S. Market

Riviera Rose (Courtesy of Riviera Travel)

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Marilyn Conroy (Photo: Gerry Barker)

By GERRY BARKER
North Palm Beach Life

It's hard to believe a travel company that's been in business 42 years and won multiple industry awards year after year could be a best kept secret here in America. Meet Riviera Travel.

British-based, Riviera is ready to educate the North American market about their European river cruises, which, says Marilyn Conroy, their executive vice president for business development, offer "top of the line premium river cruises at less than premium prices."

Ms. Conroy was at the recently-concluded Seatrade Cruise Global conference in Miami Beach to spread the word about how Riviera is ready to "go full force in North America."

"We've got 13 beautiful ships," she said, "with three new ones coming out this year." One of those is the Riviera Rose, boasting a new split-level design, which just started sailing on the Douro River in Portugal. Riviera's ships sail all of Europe’s major waterways, including the Danube, Douro, Rhine, Moselle, Main, Rhône, Seine and the Dutch Waterways.

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Oscar Wilde (Courtesy Riviera Travel)

​Riviera is also known for their immersive cruise itineraries, such as their 15-day Budapest to the Black Sea cruise that "takes guests to the furthest part of the Danube Delta discoverable by land or sea," exploring Kalocsa, Belgrade, through the Iron Gates Gorge to Bucharest and then Budapest. "We offer the most innovative itineraries out there," said Ms. Conroy.

She pointed out also new is the branding. Previous Riviera ships all bear the names of British authors -- such as Geoffrey Chaucer, Oscar Wilde and Emily Bronte. "We wanted to put the new ships in our own name to help get the word out about the brand," she said.

When it comes to river cruising, she said it isn't as easy for river cruises to differentiate themselves as easily as the big oceans ships. While the mega ships can offer everything from ice skating rinks to rock climbing walls, river ships "can't be longer than 433 feet" and can't be too wide in order to nagivate the locks. Thus Riviera's commitment to bringing guests a luxury experience at an affordable price.

Part of Riviera's commitment to expand in North America is a new U.S. headquarters office which opened in downtown Ft. Lauderdale. It serves both as a call center and support for travel advisors. "I've always been an advocate for travel advisors," she said.

So, what's included on a Riviera cruise? "Just about everything," Ms. Conroy said. On that list are all meals, choice of shore excursions, Wi-Fi, drinks, non-premium liquor, as well as onboard bicycles if you are so inclined. "You also get the use of a concierge if you have a specific request," she added, "such as purchasing tickets to a museum or event." And what about gratuities? "They are entirely at the client's discretion."

One growing segment of the cruise market is the solo traveler, and Ms. Conroy said Riviera caters to those  guests by not charging a single supplement, offering more dedicated solo travel departures than any other river cruise brand. In fact, Riviera Travel won the 2019 Cruise Critic UK Editors' Picks Award for Best for Solo Travellers.

With so much focus on North America, Riviera Travel won't remain a best-kept secret for U.S. travelers much longer.

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