Escorted tours specialist Trafalgar became the newest river cruise line to start operations last weekend with the launch of not one, but two ships: Trafalgar Verity on the Rhine and Trafalgar Reverie on the Danube.
Both ships are chartered from the luxury river line Uniworld, which, like Trafalgar, is owned by The Travel Corporation. They will be joined next year by a third ship, also leased from Uniworld, which will sail on the Seine, and three new-build ships in 2028.
Travel Gossip Editor-in-Chief Linsey McNeill boarded the 128-passenger Verity for a three-day special sailing from Amsterdam to find out what the ship – and the cruise line – have to offer.
We certainly couldn’t miss Verity in the line-up of ships at Amsterdam port. Built in 1999 to resemble an historic steamboat, the yellow-painted arched windows make it stand out from the rest.
Inside, it’s really quite cute, with fresh blue-and-white wallpaper and furnishings, white wood and Belle Epoque-style furnishing. The ship was last refurbished in 2010, when it was still part of the Uniworld fleet.
The cabins
It has 64 cabins over three decks, 10% of which are interconnecting, making them ideal for families. In fact, Trafalgar is one of only a very small number of cruise lines looking to attract families and multigenerational groups.
There are no children’s facilities on board any of its ships – and there aren’t any plans to add these to the new-build ships either – but TTC Deputy CEO Melissa DaSilva said she was confident the line would appeal to families with children from five-plus, especially pre-teens.
My French Balcony stateroom (as shown in the main image) – which had a large dropdown window, flooding it with natural daylight – was very pretty and cosy with its blue-and-white walls and padded headboard. The cunning use of mirrors made it feel bigger than it was.
A key selling point for sister line Uniworld is the handcrafted beds made by Savoir, which feature in posh hotels such as The Savoy, and I’m pleased to say that Trafalgar has the same, topped with crisp linen, plump pillows and plush duvets. I’d defy anyone not to have a good night’s sleep cocooned in one of these.
All cabins have a TV, a small wardrobe (no room for longer coats or dresses) and a safe. The Brits might lament the lack of tea and coffee-making facilities in their cabins, but these are available 24/7 in the ship’s lounge, which is close by.
The shower room in my French Balcony stateroom was compact with a decent-size, walk-in shower with a door (thankfully no clingy shower curtains in these cabins), but someone of a larger build might find it a bit of a squeeze.
Verity has 16 of these French Balcony staterooms, four larger suites (which include a ‘lightly stocked’ minibar and a bag of laundry once a week), all on the Rhine Deck on level three, 37 Deluxe cabins on Danube Deck on level two, and seven Classic staterooms (below) located on the lower deck (Moselle) with non-opening windows positioned at the water line.
Cabins on the new-build ships will be larger than on Verity, said Melissa, who acknowledged they are ‘quite compact’.
Lounges and dining
Verity’s lounge at the front of the ship has a bar at one end, and a circular gas fire at the other, which is a bit of a novelty on river cruise ships. It’s here that guests gather for pre-dinner cocktails, evening entertainment (more about this later) and to relax during the day. Alternatively, there is also a small Captain’s Lounge (below).
Verity has only one restaurant, at the ship’s rear, which serves a buffet breakfast with an omelette station, plus buffet lunch and à la carte dinner. It’s worth noting that Trafalgar’s new-build ships coming in a couple of years will have additional dining, along with other facilities not available on the three leased ships.
The choice at the breakfast buffet was not massive but perfectly adequate with a selection of hot food, cold meats and cheeses, yogurts, breads and pastries, as well as a choice of eggs.
The three-course dinner menu had a choice of meat or chicken, fish or vegetarian, such as surf and turf, eggplant schnitzel and pan-seared halibut. I thought all the food was tasty, with good quality ingredients and plenty of different flavours.
Wine and beer are included with meals, but pre-dinner or after-dinner drinks cost extra. Trafalgar doesn’t, as yet, offer drinks packages. TTC EMEA Managing Director Kelly Jackson told me it ‘probably’ wasn’t necessary since guests were likely to spend most of their time exploring off the ship.
Other facilities
On the lower deck, there’s a small spa area, and Verity also has a compact fitness room, plus a self-service, free-to-use laundry room. You might not think this necessary, but Kelly told me that for some passengers, the option to do their own laundry (in addition to a paid-for laundering service) is a deal breaker. Go figure.
On the top deck, there are sun loungers but no pool. The addition of a pool is being considered for the new-build ships arriving in 2028, said Melissa.
What’s on
Entertainment on river ships is generally low key compared to ocean ships. Trafalgar offers evening entertainment in the lounge, such as a DJ, singers or ‘pub’ quizzes and comedy.
In the morning, the cruise line will also offer wellness sessions, either on the deck if it’s warm enough or inside.
Pleasingly, wifi is included in the package price.
Excursions
When asked where Trafalgar sits in the cruise market, Melissa described it as a ‘premium’ brand positioned between Viking and Avalon Waterways. Where it beats other cruise lines, she believes, is with its excursions.
Trafalgar is well-known, and well-loved, for its land-based tours and it has migrated its concept of offering local, immersive experiences onto the river.
One free excursion will be offered at every port, with options including expert-led walking tours, a ‘Be My Guest’ dining experience with locals, and ‘Make Travel Matter’ tours that support local communities.
There will also be a range of excursions available at additional cost, such as cycling through vineyards or classical concerts in Vienna. In addition, guests will be able to hire bikes on board.
Who will book Trafalgar River Cruises?
So far, a third of all bookings for the inaugural 2026 season have come from past Trafalgar guests, who have enjoyed one of its land-based tours. No doubt, they are curious to see what it can do on a cruise.
Trafalgar will continue to target past guests since its market research showed that, while 17% had already taken a river cruise, a much higher percentage – 74% – said they were ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to take one if available from Trafalgar.
Melissa said the company had kept its existing customers in mind when pricing its river cruises and considering what to include.
Rhine cruises on Verity are a minimum of nine days, while Danube cruises on Reverie are seven.
