Poised for rapid expansion in the U.S. and Canada, Riviera Travel North America is, at the same time, launching a new river vessel, the 178-passenger Riviera Radiance, on Europe’s Danube River this year. That’s opportune for a line in high-growth mode as “when people are heading for their first European river cruise, they tend to pick an itinerary on the Danube,” says Marilyn Conroy, executive vice president, business development, Riviera Travel North America.
Sporting a split-level lounge, Riviera Radiance also will offer French balconies and floor-to-ceiling windows in 80 percent of its cabins and suites. In addition, River Radiance will debut Riviera’s largest accommodations—344-square-foot Grand Suites. Plus, the ship will have two new specialty restaurants—a tapas eatery as well as the Riverside Restaurant.
Founded four decades ago, Riviera—which recently renamed its Riviera River Cruises division as Riviera Travel, bringing all of its brands under the same name—is the U.K.’s largest travel and cruise brand. In 2025, it will offer cruises on 15 vessels on multiple European rivers. On the Rhine, one popular itinerary operates between Cologne, Germany, and Basel, Switzerland, and among other itineraries on that river are the popular Christmas Markets cruises. In addition, “we've just launched a new Paris festive cruise of four or five nights, and we're also doing a lot of combination cruises right now,” says Conroy.
Riviera's hottest region? Conroy says it's Portugal’s Douro River where Riviera positions three vessels. It's a trend we’ve heard from many other European river lines, too, this year. "Everybody wants to go to Portugal," she says. And this year, Riviera's guests will have a new Portugal option with the launch of Riviera's new 114-passenger Riviera Rose.
Expanding Riviera’s Reach
Not surprisingly, a large percentage of Riviera’s guests hail from the United Kingdom, but others originate in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. And the line draws “a little bit from Ireland,” Conroy adds. Currently, she estimates that 20 percent or so of Riviera’s client base is comprised of U.S. and Canadian travelers, but she expects that to grow significantly.
With Riviera’s revenues doubling annually on strong passenger growth, the North American market potential definitely “now has the attention of the U.K,” she says. “While nobody outsells Riviera in the U.K., the market is pretty saturated there,” Conroy explains. Since the line only markets to English-speaking travelers, plus “surveys confirm that North America is not yet saturated for river cruise sales," she tells us: "There's room for growth. It makes sense for us to jump into this market."
To propel that expected market expansion in the U.S. and Canada, Stuart Milan was appointed earlier this month as the new president for the North American operation. He’ll split his time between the U.K. and the newly opened flagship U.S. office for Riviera in Fort Lauderdale, FL. After seven years as the line’s executive vice president of sales and marketing for North America, Conroy has shifted to the line’s new EVP position in business development.
In addition, Francis Riley was named as Riviera's new senior vice president, trade sales and partner relations in North America. And, recently, the sales management team expanded with the addition of cruise industry veterans Dana Horton, Andy Stewart and Clark Reber.
Extending Its Reach
Conroy, now collaborating with the line’s internal marketing, PR and sales teams to develop new North American initiatives, participated earlier this week in Cruise Lines International Association’s 2025 RiverView Conference in Budapest, Hungary. Currently, she's chatting with advisors and trade executives attending this week’s ASTA’s River Cruise Expo in Vienna, Austria, which runs through March 16.
The goal for both conferences is for advisors to learn more about river cruising via robust training sessions, river vessel inspections, overnights on ships, supplier presentations and short sailings between the two conferences. For example, Riviera’s 167-passenger William Wordsworth was on site for advisors to inspect and sail on.
Currently, “we’re actively working with 4,000 or so travel advisors,” Conroy tells Travel Agent. She’d like to see that increase to about 5,000. Riviera currently has agreements with such consortia and agency host/franchise groups as Travel Planners International, the Oasis Travel Network, Ensemble and others.
“While Covid pushed everybody back, we’re now seeing growth,” she adds. “So, we said, ‘let’s do this properly, opening up the Fort Lauderdale office, increasing our sales coverage and putting in a proper e-learning center,'" which will debut online later this year. Right now, advisors can make Riviera reservations online on the line's website or talk to a dedicated reservations number. For training, “we have an agent tool kit on our website, we’re constantly doing webinars and we'll set up private webinars for any agent any time. We have a dedicated sales team so we do a lot of cruise nights.”
One sales and marketing hook that resonating with guests? “North Americans love themed cruises, and they’re perfect for groups,” Conroy says. So, the line has introduced a slew of those. For groups, Riviera also provides one complimentary berth after seven berths are booked, “So, the eighth person is free,” says Conroy. That compares favorably versus many other lines. “We’re really focused on groups and we’re supportive because we’re ‘hungry’" for expansion.
Riviera's Product Evolution
At the same time, “the product itself has evolved, and is now far more user-friendly,” she emphasizes. “Primarily as a result of talking with travel advisors, the product has recently been enhanced.” For example, in late December 2024, the line began offering guests new options for hotels, transfers and more touring choices. Advisors and guests specifically had asked for more than just one shore excursion option in port. Now, that's a reality. Also, Riviera enhanced its drinks packages, also helping to draw more U.S. and Canadian travelers.
We wondered where Riviera fits in the grand scheme of European river cruising. Cruise lines are often described as either contemporary, premium, upper premium, luxury or ultra-luxury. Is the river line luxury? Or is it premium? “I’m very fussy about the word 'luxury,'” Conroy acknowledges. “'Luxury' means different things to different people.” Her personal perspective is that luxury equates to total inclusivity. She views Riviera as highly inclusive, so “I truly position us at the very top of premium,” or upper premium. “In describing us, though, while I’d take the word ‘luxury’ out, I’d definitely make it ‘luxurious.’”
In the past, all Riviera’s ships were named for such British literary notables as William Shakespeare, Geoffrey Chaucer or Lord Byron. But the arrival of Riviera Radiance and Riviera Rose this year, plus the 178-passenger Riviera Resplendence, launching in 2026. signal a new chapter. The goal in the names is clearly greater Riviera brand recognition. By way of background, all the river line's vessels are owned and operated by Scylla of Switzerland with what Conroy describes as "strong influence from Riviera."
Across the fleet, “we have superb hardware, and the feel onboard is very cosmopolitan,” believes Conroy, pointing to modern, comfortable and welcoming design. “For Brits and Americans it’s very comfortable,” she says. "These beautiful vessels have open seating for dinner, so you don’t have to rush down” at a set time,” says Conroy. She also stresses that all cabins are a minimum of 183 square feet, a bit larger than the minimum range for some other river lines.
On the drink side, Riviera provides complimentary wine, beer and spirits for lunch and dinner. What’s a bit unusual—and a plus for some clients—is that the evening complimentary flow of those beverages lasts from 6 p.m. to midnight, not simply an hour or two. And, in 2026, guests can sit back and relax with all-inclusive drinks on all Riviera ships from 10 a.m. until midnight.
Differentiating the Product
At the two trade conferences this past week in Europe, Conroy spoke to advisors—some not yet familiar with the product—about key differentiators. "First and foremost is price value," she believes, noting that the line's prices can be "significantly less” than many others. Other factors include significant inclusivity, that recently expanded drinks policy and itineraries recently tweaked to become more immersive.
For instance, one seven-night Rhine cruise avoids much time spent on an industrial canal while sailing from Amsterdam. Instead, by boarding in Cologne, guests have an extra day and a half in Basel, Switzerland, at the end of the voyage for touring and a train ride. In France, Riviera’s week-long sailings between Lyon and Avignon enable the ship enough time to sail into medieval Beaune in the heart of Provence. “A round-trip from Lyon wouldn’t be able to do Beaune, so you’d miss it or have to take a two-hour bus ride to get there,” says Conroy.
Certainly, the line is one for advisors to watch as it ramps up its sales and marketing efforts to the U.S. and Canadian markets. For more information about Riviera, visit www.
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