All inclusive river cruising is on the rise, with most lines offering guests complimentary drinks during meal times. Here’s what the lines are offering.
Only Viking River Cruises, Evergreen Cruises and Tours and Riviera Travel offer drink packages on board. On other lines, guests will have to purchase drinks by the glass outside of meal times.
Riviera Travel is the only line where all drinks and beverages are only available with purchase. Meanwhile luxury lines like Crystal Cruises, Uniworld, Scenic and Tauck offer unlimited complimentary drinks on all of their cruises.
There are also plenty of opportunities to sample and purchase local wine while cruising in Europe. If you plan to enjoy them back on board, each line has their own policy on where you can consume it and the corkage fee.
Read below to see what the lines offer.
All drinks are included at all times
Crystal Cruises
All included on Crystal are fine wines, champagnes, premium spirits and specialty coffees. Also available on board are Master sommeliers and a Connoisseur Wine List. Premium spirits include Grey Goose, Herradura Silver, Knob Creek and Hennessy VSOP. Guests can also bring alcohol on board to consume in all public areas and staterooms with no corkage fee.
Uniworld
The line offers complimentary and unlimited wines, beers and spirits on board. For spirits, they feature brands like Grey Goose, Tanqueray, Martell cognac and Glenfiddich single malt whiskey. They also bring on board local favourites like apricot schnapps in Austria’s Wachau Valley, calvados in Normandy, France. They also have beers from Austria’s only Trappist bewery and Chimay in northern France.
Tauck
Unlimited beverages including coffee, tea, soft drinks, beer, wine and spirits featured onboard for the duration of your river cruise.
Selected drinks are included at all times
APT
Unlimited beverages including coffee, tea, soft drinks, beer, wine and spirits are served on board. New for 2020, APT will include a selection of premium wines with dinner each evening aboard its Aria and Concerto River vessels, allowing guests to enjoy some of France’s best-known wines from Burgundy, Côtes du Rhône and the Loire Valley. Premium spirits, French Champagne and selected wines are available at an additional charge.
You can bring newly purchased wines purchased from your vineyard tour back on board. But you can only consume it within your cabin and no additional corkage fee will be charged. However guests are not allowed to enjoy those wines outside of their cabins.
Scenic
Unlimited complimentary beverages. Choose from their extensive bar menu and enjoy their complimentary in-suite mini bar. All beverages are included except for a very small number of fine and vintage wines, Champagnes and spirits like top shelf whiskies.
Selected drinks are available at meal times
Viking River Cruises
Complimentary hot teas and specialty coffees available on board anytime. House wines, beers and soft drinks with on board lunches and dinners are also included. Outside of meal times, guest can purchase individual glasses of wine, they start at $7.25 (USD$5). Cocktails from $10.88 (USD$7.50).
The line also offers a Silver Spirits package which includes any drinks up to US$15.00, including soft drinks and juices, premium wines by the glass, cocktails and aperitifs, the Chef’s Table premium wine pairing and 15% discount on premium beverages above $50. The selection of wines changes twice per cruise.
The Silver Spirits Beverage Package is priced at $39 (US$20) per person, per day.
Both guests in the stateroom have to get the package. And you must order and pay for this Viking Silver Spirits beverage package at least 30 days before your cruise. See the sample bar list with prices here.
The line also has no corkage fee for all bottles of wine brought on board and consumed anywhere on the ship.
Avalon Waterways
Choice of complimentary wine, beer or soft drinks with dinner & lunch and sparkling wine with breakfast on Avalon Europe river cruises. Coffee and tea are available free of charge throughout the day from “early riser” breakfast through dinner. Guests are also welcome to bring their own wine on board to enjoy without corkage fees. However, you cannot bring it to dinner.
Evergreen Cruises
Complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks served with lunch and dinner on board. You can also bring your own wine on board to enjoy in your cabin and during mealtimes without corkage fee. Outside of that, there is a corkage fee of $20.35 (EU$12.50) for wine and $60.22 (EU$37) for liquors in areas like the bar, lounge and pool deck area.
The line also offers drink packages that you can purchase on board. The “Emerald Extended” package is $17.75pp (EU$10.90pp) per day for select drinks and $37.46pp (EU$23pp) per day for the “Emerald Premium” for access to the full menu.
Teeming River Cruises
There is complimentary coffee and tea while drinks packages are available for house wine, draft beer and sodas in the Restaurant. The drinks package for the 15-night itinerary comes up to $179 per person ($12 a night).
There is a corkage fee of $8 (EU$5) per bottle.
Travelmarvel
Complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks served with lunch and dinner on board. Tea and coffee available at all times.
Drinks optional
Riviera Travel
Drinks and beverages are not included in your cruise fare. The line offers an additional drinks package that offers a selection of drinks to guests during lunch and dinner. The package includes a selection of draught beer; non-alcoholic beer; soft drinks; juices; red, white and rosé house wines; and wine recommendations from the menu by the glass.
The price of the drinks package varies depending on the length of the cruise, with a five-day cruise package starting at $129 per person.
Drinks packages must be purchased by all guests in the same cabin or suite, and do not include drinks from the bar. Read the sample bar menu with prices here.
Karen Boblett is correct. The wine is great, the service excellent. The crew on Croisi-Europe are excellent. I would travel with them again.
You didn’t include Croisi-Europe River boat ships where all drinks but premium liquars and wine are charged on your bill, otherwise, all day when the bar is open the drinks are included. Also, after you get back from your tour, you are greeted with the drink of the day, if you want it. Lunch and dinner three bottles of wine are put on your table: red, white and rose (all French). The waitress will come around and if one bottle is finished, she will ask you whether you want another bottle and if so, she will bring it. All wine not drunk up is corked for the next meal.