Editor’s Note: This is the final article in a three-part series about Riverside Debussy. First, we detailed our Seahorse Suite, No. 215, then looked at the river vessel’s public spaces and dining. Here’s a snapshot look at the Vintage Room experience onboard, with insight about the new Riverside Luxury Cruises from one of our dinner companions, Gregor Gerlach, the line's co-owner and chairman.
While sailing the rivers of Europe in pampered comfort and style, it's a given that luxury travelers often seek out exclusive, one-of-a-kind experiences. For guests sailing on Riverside Luxury Cruises’ newly launched Riverside Debussy on the Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers, one savory option is the seven-course, private Vintage Room experience for up to 10 guests.
The Experience Begins...
Located behind The Bistro on Riverside Debussy, the elegant Vintage Room awaits Riverside's guests who've made a reservation for this optional experience (295 euros per person); it's offered on select days during all cruises.
After offering a warm welcome, servers will hand travelers a flute of fine bubby (Taittinger, Prelude Grand Cru NV, Reims, France, 2012, on our cruise) who then enter a private dining room fit for royalty in an elegant, modern way. Decor-wise, the intimate room is a pleasing mix of gray and white hues, plus yellow lighting highlights. Guests will sit at an elongated table set with fine china and crystal. We found the gray leather chairs quite comfortable during our evening here.
Upon arrival, each plate holds a printed high-quality, cream-colored copy of the menu. Most notable, it's personalized with the guest's name at the top and the date of the dinner. Underneath are printed papers describing each wine to be served that evening. Guests can either hold onto the menu and descriptive papers or, as we and most of our companions did, hand these to a server to be taken to the guest's suite as a keepsake.
Developed by the ship’s executive chef Gareth Gradwell, the menu varies by the area of sailing. That said, on our late March voyage, the first course was smoked caprese with burratina, tomato, basil and balsamic. Next, we savored a unique surf-and-turf tasting dish. It consisted of a thin slice of beef sirloin, topped with a sliced seared scallop and highlighted by Andalouse sauce and edamame puree.
The experience has a bit of “show” to it, as well, as noted by the presentation of roasted yellow capsicum course, with fresh anchovy, coriander and paprika chip. It came in a glass container with servers lifting the glass lid once it was placed in front of guests.
Then, just prior to the arrival of the main course, we cleaned our palate with the "Taste Bud Refresher" course. It consisted of a martini spicy passion juice and lime.
Insight From Co-Owner Gregor Gerlach
As we dined on the various courses and learned about the fine wines that accompanied each course, we also socialized with fellow guests. Among them was Gregor Gerlach, co-owner and chairman of Riverside Luxury Cruises and The Seaside Collection.
Today, Riverside operates three ships on European rivers. Besides the newly launched Riverside Debussy, the line introduced both Riverside Ravel, a sister vessel, and the much wider Riverside Mozart in 2023. Two other sister vessels to Riverside Debussy (also owned by the river line) were recently chartered for three years by Uniworld Boutique River Cruises; they're now sailing in Europe as Uniworld's Victoria and Elisabeth.
As we chatted over a savory dinner, Gerlach acknowledged to Luxury Travel Advisor that in a few years (after Riverside has further built up its business), it could take those two vessels back if it needs more capacity: “That’s the idea," he said.
Asked about the need to find more prospects as well as the industry-wide trend of more younger travelers wanting to try river cruising, Gerlach had these thoughts. First, he believes that younger guests will appreciate a vacation—as other guests do—without continually packing and unpacking.
“But they also want to move,” he said. “I think a 35-year-old will want to have a more active time.” So, Riverside offers many shore options with biking, kayaking and hiking. He believes that "the sweet spot” about a river cruise “is really to enjoy a relaxing holiday and an active holiday” at the same time. Putting that another way, it's about "having the right balance of what guests enjoy on the sun deck, while at the same time [offering them] hiking up the mountain," he said.
In Riverside’s pricing model for the U.S. and Canada, there is one option—inclusive fares that cover such elements as Wi-Fi, a premium drink package, gratuities and, yes, those important excursions.
Also, Gerlach said that many younger travelers don’t want to stay only in one destination, a positive for river cruising because "the moving is already done for you on the ship." Also a factor, he said, is that some travelers are now opting for smaller ships on the ocean side, so, for their next vacation, they may look to global rivers.
Cuisine Is a Big Draw
Food is another big area of emphasis for enticing luxury guests aboard river vessels, said Gerlach, pointing to his company's luxury resort experiences within The Seaside Collection. “So, on the ships, we’re also putting a lot of emphasis on food—and even the former Crystal people will say, ‘oh, you’re so much more demanding.’” Even with having an ex-Crystal chef on Riverside Mozart, “it took us almost a full season until we were happy with what we were getting,” said Gerlach.
Much of that is because of the extensive F&B management input, and “our F&B budget is twice as high as anyone else’s on the river, and we have significantly more chefs in the kitchen, he said. For that, he credits the former Crystal “because we have kitchens that are big enough.”
Gerlach said that when Crystal’s former river ships were on the market for sale, many people were saying, “oh, they’re badly designed,” citing only 55 guest cabins. “The thing is that you don’t have 55 cabins only because the cabins are bigger,” explains Gerlach. “That’s only half of the explanation. The other half is that there’s more crew here, so you need more crew cabins and that takes up space. Plus, there needs to be more room in the kitchen and storage rooms" to do the type of culinary service the new line desires to provide for guests.
Simply put, "if you want to cook fresh, you need bigger kitchens," he stressed. "You need more chefs, but you need the space for more chefs.” The company compared the number of chefs needed for its luxury property in the Canary Islands and compared that to what could be done on the rivers. Essentially, Riverside and the Seaside Collection concluded that Crystal’s previous level of chefs and restaurant staff are the sweet spot for a European river product.
The Vintage Room Experience Continues...
As our creative, inventive Vintage Room tasting menu experience continued, we admired the main course put before us. We loved the tender, pink spring veal, highlighted by pistachios, tri-colored potatoes, Chanterelle and truffles. Throughout the evening, we sipped on a lineup of fine wines, including these:
- White Wines: Schloss Gobelsburg, “Ried Lamm,” Gruner Veltliner, Kamptal, Austria, 2021; and Gantenbein, Chardonnay, Graubunden, Switzerland, 2021.
- Red Wines: Rudolf Furst, GG, “Schlossberg” Spatburgunder, Franken, Germany, 2020, and Marchesi Antinori, “Guado Al Tasso Cabernet Sauvignon-Cabernet Franc, Tuscany, Italy, 2020.
After the main course, it was time for yet another course—a smooth, goat-cheese cheesecake with Tonka beans, walnuts and hand-made crackers. That was followed by the yummy “Chocolate Heaven” dessert with Tonka beans, caramel-Baileys and Maracuja. Accompanying that chocolate course was a dessert wine: Chateau D’yquem, Premier Grand Cru Classe Superior, Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc, Sauternes, France, 2019.
In addition, the sommelier offered this digestive: Rochelt Mirabelle, Fritzens, Austria.
As noted, the Vintage Room is an optional experience. Right now, guests cannot book this in advance, so those interested in a reservation should chat with their butler or the Reception desk. Typically, this tasting menu experience with fine wines is offered on select evenings, based on demand. While the maximum capacity is 10 guests, the line tells us that it will accommodate a smaller number of guests at times (for instance, likely seven, eight or nine guests), but also will cancel or try to reschedule if only a few guests book.
Multi-generational family groups or multiple sets of couples traveling together might talk with the line upon boarding about how to reserve the Vintage Room for a private group dinner to celebrate a birthday or anniversary.
Sailing Along
As we dined, Riverside Debussy's crew members were readying to sail the waterways of Belgium and the Netherlands. In early May 2024, the ship will then navigate to other central European rivers for the 2024 season.
We were on a five-night cruise, but if guests desire a lengthier cruise, that's doable, too. "That’s the nice thing about the Rhine; you can go onto the Main and the Danube and down,” Gerlach told us. “So, we have the trip to Bucharest, Romania, and it’s a three-week trip. If you want to do a longer trip, that’s really nice as you’re not going back the same stretch.”
When guests sail, they'll likely find top-notch service. At least 50 percent of crewmembers once worked for Crystal in the past. But is Riverside now attracting those former Crystal guests? “Yes,” Gerlach answered, adding that the line doesn’t know exactly how to identify those past guests. That’s because in the aftermath of Genting Hong Kong’s insolvency, A&K Travel Group not only purchased Crystal Cruises two ocean ships but also Crystal’s intellectual property, including the customer database.
A growing staff in North America is helping Riverside do more to introduce itself to American and Canadian guests. Certainly, guests who are now traveling and experiencing top-notch service, a strong culinary and wine focus, spacious suites and special experiences are helping, too. For instance, exiting the Vintage Room and returning to our suite, we discovered a clear packet folder on the bed. It was the personalized menu from our dinner and the wine descriptions. We thought: “What a great way for guests to remember a fine evening." We have to admit that we've looked at it a number of times and have shared the details with friends asking about this experience. It’s just one of many small Riverside touches that add up and should help encourage guests to return in the future.
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