If you are considering a TUI river cruise, you may be wondering what is included. I did, and I have recently returned from a river cruise on the TUI Aria.
In this post, I will tell you what is included, and mention other costs that you may incur along the way.
I have sailed with other, more expensive river cruise lines in the past, where everything is included, so I was interested to find out whether “budget” river cruise are actually good value for money.
Is Food Included on TUI River Cruises?
Food is included on all TUI River Cruises.
The onboard restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The number of restaurants available varies by ship.
A six-course gala dinner is also held on every sailing, and afternoon tea is held once a week.
When is The Main Dining Room Open on a TUI river cruise?
The main dining room is open at set times for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
These times could vary depending on sailing times, land excursions, etc. The best way to check is by looking at the TUI river cruise app ,which is regularly updated with any last-minute changes.
Breakfast was usually between 7 am – 9 am. Lunch was generally between 12 am – 2 pm and dinner was between 7 – 9 pm.
Unfortunately, there were no later breakfast options for those like me who prefer to get up a little later on holiday.
Do TUI River Ships Have a Buffet?
TUI river cruise ships do have a buffet of sorts. They offer buffet options in the main dining room for breakfast and lunch.
The only other food option available is to head to the coffee machine near the main atrium, where there are sometimes jars of cookies! You may be lucky….
To learn more about the facilities available on TUI river ships check out the deck plans on their website here:
TUI River Cruise Deck Plans (affiliate link).
Do TUI River Cruises Have Room Service?
TUI don’t offer room service on their river cruises as standard. If you buy the “little extras package” for £35, one room service continental breakfast is included.
To use this just hang the tag on the outside of your cabin door and choose the time you would like it delivered, the latest time being 10 am.
Do TUI Provide Tea and Coffee Making Facilities or a Mini Bar?
On TUI river cruises there are tea and coffee making facilities in every cabin, with biscuits restocked daily.
The mini-bar fridge was empty on my latest river cruise, but that was handy, as we could buy drinks and snacks from supermarkets on land and keep them cool there.
Can you Bring Food Onboard From Land?
On a TUI river cruise, you can bring food back on board from land. I made a successful trip to a nearby supermarket to stock up on chocolate, snacks, and Pepsi Max!
No security checks were made when returning to the ship, so there was no problem with bringing back extra supplies.
Are All Drinks Included on TUI River Cruises? – It Varies!
As standard, TUI include drinks like tea, coffee, at breakfast or soft drinks, juices, beer, and wine with lunch and dinner.
Any other drinks will be charged to your onboard account.
You can upgrade to “All-Inclusive.” If you so wish. The price of this varies, but you will be able to see how much it will be for your sailing at the time of booking.
With tea and coffee readily available onboard, and the option of bringing drinks from land to drink in my cabin, I don’t think I would ever need to upgrade to the all-inclusive drinks package.
This All-Inclusive drinks package price varies, but is from £21+ a day. You can add this at the time of booking or alternatively, you can also book it when you’re on board.
Onboard TUI Ships Sailing the Nile
TUI Nile river cruises include an All-Inclusive drinks package (featuring local draught beers, local wines, local spirits, and select cocktails) as standard in the base fare.
Check the details of your particular cruise when booking to see whether it is fully inclusive.
How Much do Drinks Cost On-board TUI River Cruises?
Drinks on TUI river cruises are similar to that in UK pubs. A soft drink costs approximately £4, a glass of wine £5.30, a beer £5, and a cocktail £7.50.
There are no additional service charges or tips added to your bill.
Prices on board are charged in Euros, so I have given an approximate cost below in UK pounds.
| Price | |
| Soft Drink (20 cl) | £4 |
| House Wine – Red/White/Rose | £5.30 |
| Draft Local Beer (Bitburger 40 cl) | £4.80 |
| Cocktails | £7.50 |
All prices are charged in Euros on European sailings, so prices are approximate.
*Of course, all Prices are subject to change – but this will give you an idea.
Are Excursions Included on TUI River Cruises?
On TUI river cruises, excursions aren’t included, unlike many other river cruise companies. However, when we booked, we were given £120 credit per person to use on excursions.
These were booked online prior to the cruise, and a code to enter at checkout was sent via email.
Excursions could still be booked onboard if there was space available.
To learn more about our excursions, check out this video filmed on the cruise:
Were The Excursions Expensive?
The excursions were very reasonable compared to the price of ocean cruise excursions I have taken previously.
Walking tours led by a local guide started at around £35 and lasted between an hour and two hours.
Is WiFi Included on a TUI River Cruise?
Wi-Fi is included on all TUI river cruises and it was reasonably reliable during our cruise.
Being on a river cruise and always close to land, I was able to use 4G on my phone at no extra cost. This is dependent on your mobile/cell phone plan and may incur extra prices for some people.
It’s worth checking on this before you travel.
Are Gratuities Included in Tui River Cruises?
All gratuities are included on TUI river cruises, no tipping is required and it was never mentioned during our cruises.
In my opinion, a TUI river cruise provides very good value for money, and unlike some ocean cruises, you are unlikely to come away with a large onboard bill to pay at the end of your holiday!
To find out what I didn’t like about my cabin on the TUI Skyla, check out this post next:
TUI River Cruise Cabin Review – (Photos, Deck 1 & 2 Superior Cabins)
The Best Way To Book…
TUI often offers discount codes that you can apply at the checkout that can sometimes save you hundreds of pounds on your booking.
– and the best thing? At my travel agency, we can use these codes to get you the best possible deal on a Marella or TUI river cruise! If you want to find your own codes and share them with us, that’s okay, but we are more than happy to find and apply them for you. Just let us know what cruise you’re interested in, and we will do the rest. It doesn’t cost more to use an agent and often costs less.
Before you consider booking directly with TUI, why not contact us here?
Before You Go
TUI River Cruises and their sister company, Marella Ocean Cruises, often have discount codes you can use to reduce the price. Find out more about that here:
How to Find Discounts on Marella and TUI Cruises (Coupon Codes, Always Available)
Some people think River Cruises are boring. I don’t agree. Find out why here:
Are River Cruises Boring? Some People Say Yes – I Don’t! Here’s Why.
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