How TUI River Cruises are Different to Traditional River Cruises – (What The Cruise Fare Includes)

Note: This post is sponsored by TUI Cruises. All thoughts and opinions are my own based on my cruises with TUI.

In March 2022, I took my first-ever TUI river cruise.

At that time, TUI was fairly new to the river cruise market, and I had seen some great offers at prices far below those of other major river cruise lines.

I was excited to try this new affordable option.

I had taken river cruises with other river cruise lines and really enjoyed the experience, but the cost had put me off trying anymore.

I have taken more TUI river cruises since, with the most recent being last year.

I took my family on one of the first sailings of the 2022 season. TUI certainly didn’t disappoint! We had a fantastic holiday at a bargain price.

I knew that river ships tend to offer more within their cruise fares, but the prices reflect that.

I also knew that TUI included some drinks within their fares, but I honestly had no idea what was included, or whether I would need to spend a lot of additional money once onboard.

In this post, I will talk about:

• The ships
• The included restaurants
• Included drinks
• What isn’t included and extra costs

TUI includes flights and transfers from the UK in their cruise fares, so it is a very easy option. Everything is taken care of for you.

Do You Have To Pay Tips Or Gratuities On TUI River Cruises?

No! All the tips and gratuities are included in your cruise fare. Gratuities will never be added at restaurants or bars onboard.

There is no pressure to tip any extra at all.

It’s nice never to have to think about gratuities, they are all included in the cruise fare you have paid. You can just relax and enjoy your holiday.

Which drinks are included?

TUI includes drinks with meals as standard. This includes Beer, wine, and soft drinks.

Water is always included, and a coffee/tea machine is available 24 hours a day at no cost. Each cabin also has tea and coffee-making facilities.

There is a red, white, and rosé wine option included with meals.

In theory, the number of beers, wines, or soft drinks you can have with meals is unlimited.

This drinks option is known as “Full Board Plus”.

TUI Isla, TUI Maya and TUI Skyla are Full Board Plus as standard, which means you get tea, coffee, soft drinks, wine or beer with meals. There’s the option of house white, red, or rose wine at lunch and dinner, or you can try the specially selected wine from the region at dinnertime. Any other drinks need to be paid for, or you can upgrade to All Inclusive.

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Is There An “All Drinks Included” Option?

Yes! If you want to have all of your drinks included, you can upgrade at the time of booking or give them a ring and ask them to add it.

Prices of this upgrade vary, but at the time of writing, they were £21/$28 per person per day.

When I compare that to adding a full drinks package on an ocean cruise, it seems incredible value. On some American cruise lines, an alcoholic drinks package can cost over $100 a day!

If you are visiting Egypt on TUI Al Horeya or TUI Bahareya, they are All-Inclusive as standard. All of your food and drink are part of the package.

All Inclusive
TUI Al Horeya and TUI Bahareya are All Inclusive as standard, so all of your food and drink is part of the package. If you’re sailing on any of our other ships, going All Inclusive means you’ll get a wider selection of drinks included on your cruise, like draft beers, branded spirits, cocktails and premium Lavazza coffee. For select cabins, your minibar will be part of the package, too.

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What else is included?

Meals

Your cruise fare covers your onboard accommodation and meals in the onboard restaurants.

TUI River Cruise ships typically have at least two restaurants on board. 

• On TUI Isla, TUI Maya and TUI Skyla, the restaurants are called Verdastro and Bistro. 
  • Both restaurants offer a Full Board Plus experience, including three meals and a selection of drinks at mealtimes. 
• On TUI Al Horeya, there’s the main restaurant, Lazeeza, plus an al fresco dining area on the top deck called Felluca.
  • This is open for light bites at lunchtime and evening meals.
• On TUI Bahareya, the main restaurant, also called Lazeeza, switches from a buffet set-up at breakfast. There is an à la carte menu at dinner, with a focus on local dishes.
  • You can also find daytime snacks available from the bar on the top deck, and in the evenings, al fresco dining is available.
• TUI Aria will have one fore-located Dining Room Restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows.
  • This will offer a complimentary buffet Breakfast and waiter-served Lunch and Dinner. The Restaurant will be open-seating (no fixed or allocated dining).

Entertainment

A variety of entertainment is available while onboard.

TUI have a dedicated entertainment team who provide day time activities from yoga to deck games and a full evening programme including vocal production shows and game shows.

Sometimes entertainers from the places you visit will come onboard to provide local entertainment.

This is a great way of getting a real feel for the places you visit.

Flights and Transfers

The fare also includes return flights from the UK, unless you don’t want this, in which case you can book a cruise only.

If you’ve booked a TUI River Cruise package with TUI Airways flights both ways, you’ll have a 25 kg luggage allowance per person included in the price.

TUI also includes coach transfers and port taxes in their cruise fare.

When I took a Christmas Markets Cruise to Germany, there were very high river levels. TUI actually flew us to a different airport than originally planned, and provided the coach transfers to the ship.

This was great because it took all of the worry out of the situation. If I had booked my own flights and transfers, and the ship wasn’t able to dock in the original place, I would have had real problems getting to the new embarkation point.

Find out more about that wonderful Christmas Markets Cruise here:

TUI River Cruise Ships

Some of TUI’s river ships have previously sailed for other companies (some sailed for other TUI companies), while others are new, purpose-built ships.

TUI Maya, TUI Skyla, and TUI Isla were the first to join the fleet and sail. At that time, they were around ten years old and were refurbished prior to commencing service.

They sail on the Rhine, Main, Moselle, Danube, and Rhine rivers and some Dutch and Belgian waterways.

TUI Bahareya and TUI Al Horeya sail the Nile in Egypt. They are both ships that have previously sailed for other companies before being fully refurbished for TUI.

TUI Al Horeya means “Freedom” in Arabic, and TUI Bahareya (Sailing from winter 2025), which means “belongs to the river”.

TUI Aria was built in 2018. and will begin sailing for TUI in the summer of 2026. She will be the largest ship in TUI River Cruises’ European fleet.

The TUI Aria river ship will primarily sail on the Rhine, Main, and Moselle rivers and the Dutch and Belgian canals. It is scheduled to begin sailing in the summer of 2026

Wi-Fi is Included

Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the ship.

Internet speeds may vary, and coverage can be affected by location, particularly on Nile sailings. 

While Wi-Fi is generally available, some connectivity may be poor on Nile cruises.

On European river cruises, I can often use the mobile data included in my phone’s package at no extra charge. I can often get this while sailing along the rivers or when visiting towns. It is often faster than Wi-Fi.

Are TUI River Cruises for kids?

No, TUI river ships are adult-only. They have no ships that are suitable for children.

What Costs Extra?

Excursions

All excursions cost extra.

I was really impressed with the cost of TUI excursions. I took some walking tours in the cities we visited, and they cost under £20 per person.

We also took a wonderful trip on a salt barge, where we tasted local beers. The tour leader grew up in America but had a German family and now lives in Germany. She was so interesting and knowledgeable.

Find out more about the excursions and walking tours I took in the video below:

Room Service

Room service breakfast is only available to passengers staying in a suite. If you have paid for the ‘Little Extras’ package (£35 per cabin), you can order room service breakfast on one day of the cruise on a day that suits you.

Room service can be ordered for delivery between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. on the hour or half past the hour.

You need to hang your breakfast order form on the door handle by midnight, the night before.

The room service menu has a range of breakfast foods available to order, including:

• Hot drinks
• Fruit juices
• Yoghurt
• Bakery items
• Cereals
• Fruit
• Cold meats
• Cheeses

There is an extra charge for room service onboard.

Mini-bar.

The mini bar isn’t included as standard for the majority of cabin grades.

For select cabin grades, the minibar is included in the package. Check when booking whether your cabin or suite includes this extra perk.

Extra Celebration Packages Available To Purchase

• Celebration package
  • This includes a Continental breakfast in bed, a bottle of Prosecco in your cabin on arrival, and a card from the Cruise Experience Manager. Prices start from £30*.
• Little Extras package
  • This includes Prosecco and chocolates in your cabin on arrival, priority ship check-in, a behind-the-scenes tour with our Cruise Experience Manager, one bag of laundry washed and late check-out. Prices start from £55*.
• Breakfast & Bubbles package
  • This includes a Continental breakfast in bed with a bottle of Prosecco. Prices start from £25*.
• Wine or Prosecco
  •  In your cabin on arrival. Prices start from £20*.
• Flowers 
  • Have flowers in your cabin on arrival. Prices start from £30*.

*All prices shown are meant as a guide only. Prices may change at any time.

It is possible to end your river cruise holiday with a very small onboard bill. When I sail, I sometimes buy an extra drink or two in the evening while watching the onboard entertainment. This is billed to my account.

To get an idea of drink costs onboard, read this article next:

TUI River Cruise – Drinks Prices and Menus

If I want a drink or a snack whilst I am off exploring the cities and towns, I just go to the local supermarket and buy one.

There are no restrictions on taking food or drink back onto the ship, although really, you shouldn’t need to. So much is already included in the price.

Before You Go

TUI often have additional codes you can use online to make your river cruise even cheaper. Check out the article below to make sure you get the best available deal:

How to Find Discounts on Marella and TUI Cruises (Coupon Codes, Always Available)

Find out why river cruises are generally more expensive than ocean cruises here:

Why Are River Cruises EXPENSIVE? – The Truth Behind The Price