tui cruise ship reviews

TUI River Cruise Review – Ship, Cabins, Food, Entertainment & More

I’ve just disembarked a European river cruise on a cruise line that cost around 1/3rd of most other river cruise lines, it was a very eventful cruise in lots of ways and a few very odd things did happen.

Normally if you want to take a European river cruise you’re looking at £300, £400 per night.

Some cost £1000 per night but I paid less than that for an entire week, including flights, cruising on the Danube with TUI staying in a superior balcony cabin. 

Why Did I Book a TUI River Cruise?

I’ve taken river cruises in the past on the more luxurious lines but when TUI announced that they were starting river cruising I hoped that TUI would be the answer to river cruising on a budget. 

For that price though, I didn’t know what to expect and I was wondering what they’d have to cut compared to other lines.

I figured there must be a reason why the other cruise lines charge so much.  

We did have quite a few issues on the cruise, more than on most other cruises I’ve taken, but we were on the first sailing of the season, so didn’t expect everything to go perfectly, the main thing for me was would I get what I paid for, this is the cheapest I’ve ever seen a river cruise so I didn’t expect much.

My Pre-Cruise Expectations

Lots of people had told me pre-cruise that I’d be bored on a river cruise, I’d been told quite often that I should expect to be the youngest person on board and I’d heard that TUI’s food wasn’t the best.

For under £1000 for a week though, I wanted to give it a go for myself.  

What Did Our Cruise Include?

Our cruise included flights from London and we set sail from Budapest.

When we arrived, we were met by a TUI rep and taken on a TUI transfer to our ship the TUI Skyla. It is possible to book a TUI river cruise alone but most people onboard booked as a package with flights and transfers.

TUI river cruises also include excursion credit and drinks with meals, so I was hoping not to spend much extra during the cruise. 

Check-in Was Easy

When we arrived and boarded the TUI Skyla, I was amazed not only by how amazing the little atrium was but also by how easy the check-in process was.

We showed the person at reception our passports, were given our cruise cards and that was it!

Our room was already ready and we could start enjoying the ship straight away.

We were meant to be boarding the ship earlier but our flight was delayed by a couple of hours which meant that we didn’t get there until almost 5pm. 

The TUI Skyla, although she is new to TUI, isn’t actually a new river ship, she’s about 10 years old.

Looking at her, she looked very modern and I didn’t realise at that time that she was as old as she was, a few things did happen later on the cruise that reminded me of the ship’s age but the design of the ship was very modern and I liked it.

What is Onboard The TUI Skyla?

Like most river ships, the TUI Skyla is made up of 4 main decks, a top deck with lots of seating, deck 3 with the main restaurant and lounges on it and decks 2 and 1 which are mostly cabins.

The little atrium area in the middle spans decks 2 and 3.

There wasn’t a swimming pool on board but there was a little wellness area that could be booked. There was a sauna, a hot tub and a few little chairs here. 

Quite a few people had told me that I’d be bored on the river cruise ,so I was looking forward to seeing what would happen in the lounges.

There were actually two lounges onboard which I’d not seen on a river ship before. 

What is in The Atrium?

In the atrium, there is the reception desk, the cruise director’s desk and also a coffee machine that was available to use 24 hours a day.

By the coffee machine, there were a couple of cookie jars that were constantly refilled with different types of little cookies which were good, they did often trick me though when I thought they’d be chocolate chip and turn out to be raisins, but still, a good effort.

From here you could also go up to the top deck or down to the cabins on deck 1. 

Are TUI River Cruises Wheelchair Accessible?

TUI river cruises aren’t wheelchair accessible. There wasn’t any elevator or lifts on board their ships and on TUI’s website, it says that TUI river cruises aren’t wheelchair friendly.

Most river cruise ships won’t have a lift to the top deck but they’ll still have one within the ship but the TUI Skyla doesn’t have any lift at all. 

River Cruise Ships Dock Side by Side

Interestedly sometimes river cruise ships will dock side by side so you might find guests from other ships walking through your ship’s atrium to get to the next ship over.

It is really odd to have the cabin of another ship directly facing yours if you’re not expecting it, and I did see a lady completely naked at one point but it is fun to get to have a sneaky peak into other ships as you walk over or through them.

We Had Booked a Superior Deck 2 Cabin

As soon as we got on board we headed to our cabins. I was taking this cruise with my brother and parents and between us, we had one cabin on deck 1 and one on deck 2. Usually, me and my brother are in the cheapest cabin on the ship but the tables had turned on this cruise, we were actually the ones on deck 2! 

I wouldn’t normally pay more than I have to for a cabin but pre-cruise I had found out that the cabin that I had booked, a standard cabin, had a fixed double bed and cruising with my brother that was not going to work. 

I had to phone TUI pre-cruise to upgrade my cabin.

I paid £59 to upgrade my cabin so that I didn’t have to share a bed with my brother and that was well worth it. 

We ended up in a superior deck 2 cabin while my parents were downstairs in a superior deck 1.

I do wish this had popped up at the time of originally booking but the lady I spoke to at TUI was very helpful and it didn’t take long to fix. I might have missed it because I was too busy trying to get cash back and use discount codes.

I found a £400 discount code and got 10% cashback though so I wasn’t going to miss that. 

To learn how to find cashback and discounts when you cruise, check out my How to Cruise For Less cruise course.

Some Cabins Are Below The Waterline

I’ve been on river cruises before but haven’t ever stayed in a cabin below the waterline.

We didn’t know at this point just how little time my parents would spend in the room before getting an upgrade due to a rather strange problem but it was long enough for us to experience what it was like overnight and while sailing. 

The cabin was the same size as the superior cabins on other decks and our initial impressions were good. The cabin was a good size and seeing the water rush by the windows was really cool.

I wouldn’t recommend a cabin like this to somebody that gets claustrophobic, because you are under the water but overall, we thought that it was a nice cabin.

The bed was big and comfy, there was plenty of storage and it all felt very new. 

The Bathroom Doors Were Made of Glass…

I didn’t really pay much attention to the glass bathroom doors at this point but this would start to become a problem quite soon and it was one of my least favourite things about the ship, it’s just a terrible design.

Another thing to note here is that there were only two plug sockets in the cabin, both European sockets.

It was okay, but more would have been appreciated as one socket was used to charge our excursion packs (an audio device that lets you listen to your guide) and also to boil the kettle, which we did quite a lot during the cruise. 

Dining Times on River Cruises Can be Quite Fixed – But we Were Hungry!

By this point we were very hungry, we’d been travelling since early morning and apart from a sandwich in the airport for breakfast and a rice crispy bar on the plane, we hadn’t had anything to eat.

I knew though that usually river cruise lines are quite regimented when it comes to mealtimes, due to the smaller kitchens and kitchen teams usually if you miss a meal that’s it until the next meal.

We had missed lunch but I really hoped that we wouldn’t have to wait until 7pm for dinner. 

TUI Provided a Light Lunch, Phew!

Luckily we found that TUI had put on a light lunch of sandwiches and cake in the main lounge which was much appreciated. We never saw any light lunch or snack options like this again on the cruise though, which was a shame.

The dining times did feel quite fixed compared to other river cruise lines but I liked the fact that when it was meal times, we could just go and sit down in the restaurant.

On some cruise lines, you’ll have a fixed table and a fixed time, but that wasn’t the case with TUI. We could eat dinner anytime between 7-9 and usually lunch between 12-2. 

Most days breakfast finished at 9am which was an issue for me, on a cruise I don’t like to get up that early unless, of course, I have a reason to get up early, some of our excursions met before 9am which is pretty common on river cruises. 

Our bags arrived in our cabins shortly after we did, we unpacked and it was time to go to a welcome talk in the main lounge.

The Crew Are Always Available

One of the best things about river cruising is that you really get to know the crew, they do have time off but it doesn’t feel like they ever do.

If you need somebody or something you can always find them. 

The captain was lovely and said that if we had any questions at any time we could just pop by the wheelhouse and ask him.

He showed us what he was doing and how the equipment worked. I can’t imagine being able to do that on an ocean cruise. 

Most people who work on river cruise ships have multiple jobs, our cruise director team Suzy and Sonia would not only do the normal cruise director duties like hosting the welcome talk but they were also both brilliant singers who would sing for us in the evenings and would do things like making sure we all went on the right excursions.

They literally picked us up from the airport and would wave us goodbye as we went on the excursions and were both really friendly and lovely. 

It felt like if we ever had any issues they were there to help and if you are somebody who is nervous travelling, I think that’s very important. 

I Would Get Static Shocks CONSTANTLY!

It was around this point that I got the first static shock from the ship, I’m pretty used to getting static shocks on cruises but this was something different entirely, the ship was supercharged with electric.

I later found out that the carpets were made of recycled fishing nets and being nylon, is why it happened.

It wasn’t even just when I’d touch things that I’d get a shock, I’d be walking down the corridor and it would jump onto me and electric shock my elbow or whatever was closest.

It wasn’t a problem and was actually quite funny. 

Our Danube Itinerary

The cruise that we had booked was a 7-night cruise visiting Germany, Austria and Slovakia on the river Danube.

Check out TUI river cruises on the Danube on their website here: TUI River (affiliate link).

There was £120 per person of excursion credit included in what we paid and some of the tours like the walking tours only cost £15 per person so we were able to book an excursion almost every day with our credit.

Below is a photo of us on a Bavarian beer and boat tour.

We did buy a couple of more expensive excursions but nothing compared to the prices of the excursions on the big US ocean cruise lines.

Drinks Were Included With Meals

Dinner was served from 7-9 pm and we were very hungry by this point.

We went to the main restaurant and sat at a table for 4 at exactly 7pm.

There were tables for 2, 4 and 6 and each were just first come first sit.

As with most river cruises, drinks were included with meals. Wine was offered to us but I don’t really drink wine so I asked for a soft drink, I knew that it was a coke ship so I asked for a Coke Zero and my dad had a beer as he prefers beer to wine. 

Wine refills were continually offered throughout meal times but we almost always had to ask if we wanted another refill of anything else.

The Coke was served in tiny glasses so I usually made sure that I got at least one refill. I am addicted to every type of diet cola though. 

To learn more about what is included on a TUI river cruise, check out this post next: Are TUI River Cruises All-Inclusive?  Your Guide to What is Included.

This Was The First Sailing of The Season

It was quite interesting to see how the dining played out as the cruise progressed.

At the start, I think that the crew had to walk all the way to the bar to get any drinks that weren’t wine but by the end of the cruise, they had bottles of Coke Zero lined up on the side ready for us.

The crew were all very friendly and helpful but we did feel that they were busy and were running around working very hard.

This was the first sailing of the season so everybody was kind of learning how things worked and the best way to do things. Turns out the best way to serve lunch is with some form of diet cola on tap for me. 

We Sailed Away From Budapest at Night

After dinner we sailed away from Budapest, most of the guests headed to the top deck and we set sail down The Blue Danube, which really wasn’t very blue, sorry to burst that bubble.

It was amazing to see all of the sparkly lights and bridges, Budapest’s parliament building was lit up and it was beautiful.

We didn’t get to spend as much time on the top deck on this cruise as we would have liked, due to the weather but this was an experience that I won’t forget. 

Our Glass Bathroom Door Did Become a Problem

After dinner, we were tired from our long day travelling so we had another drink in the lounge and then decided to call it a night. It was at this point that we discovered the problem with having a glass shower door.

I don’t know about you but if I was designing the walls of a bathroom the last material on my list would be glass. Looking at it, it looked as though it was frosted and so we assumed this meant that we wouldn’t be able to see through it. 

As soon as we used the bathroom in the evening though we realise that this wasn’t the case. The below is a photo of me pretending to sit on the toilet, taken from the main cabin.

If we used the bathroom with the lights on at night you could see EVERYTHING that the person was doing.

During the day if the lights weren’t on it wasn’t too bad, you could see if somebody was sat on the toilet or standing but you couldn’t see every single movement in the same way that you could at night.

The actual bathroom was nicely designed, the shower was big and powerful and there were Molton Brown toiletries which were nice.

It’s just a shame that there really was no privacy. 

I shared a photo when I was onboard and had quite a few comments that said:

“Just make your brother leave the room when you want to use the bathroom”.

Now I don’t know about you but I usually like to shower in the evening or morning, it seems very mean to wake up, make my brother get fully dressed to go and sit down the corridor while I shower, if he wanted to shower too he’d have to come back and then I’d switch places I suppose? Not ideal. 

It wasn’t a huge problem we just showered in the dark and told each other when we were showering so we could look the other way but I’d still like to sign a petition to ban the use of glass in bathroom doors.

There wasn’t a lock on the door either and the toilet was within a metre of my brother’s sleeping head.

Thankfully it was just my brother and if I woke him up by going to the toilet in the night, well that’s just tough but I wouldn’t have liked to share this room with friends. 

Our First Stop Was Bratislava in Slovakia

Our first stop on our cruise was Bratislava and we didn’t dock until the afternoon.

The weather was actually quite warm at the start of our cruise, I made the mistake of only looking at the start of the week when I was packing and that meant I wasn’t really prepared for how the week would end up, that was totally my mistake.

I wish I packed a hat and gloves. 

Our Air Conditioning Didn’t Work

Our cabin was really really warm at the start of our cruise, the type of heavy warmth where the sun had been coming into the ship and our air conditioning didn’t seem to do anything.

It made the right noises but honestly was like an old man blowing warm air into the room. 

I went to reception and the lady working there was very happy to help, she came straight to our cabin to have a look and called maintenance for us.

They said that the air conditioning was working as well as it could and that they couldn’t do anymore. 

The weather got colder and colder as our cruise went on so it didn’t affect us but I’m glad we reported it to the reception, because if I was cruising in warmer weather without working air conditioning I’d not have been happy, I spoke to quite a few other guests onboard who said the same thing.

This was the first sailing of the season though, so this is the type of thing I expect they’ll fix as the season progresses, it’s probably just because the air conditioning hadn’t been used for so long. 

The lady who was working at the reception desk said that I was good at feedback, I’m taking that as a compliment! 

River Ships Usually Dock in The Middle of a Town or City

Bratislava was the only port where we didn’t have an excursion booked, so we just wandered up the hill and took in the amazing views.

On river cruises, you dock right in the middle of the town or city and it’s unbelievably easy to just wander off. There’s no queueing or security like you’d find on a big ocean ship you just come and go as you please.

Towards the end of the cruise, we wandered off to go to Aldi to buy a chocolate bunny just because we felt like we wanted a snack. 

Disembarking Was so Easy

When getting off of the ship we had to hand in our room keys, which were just these white reprogrammable cards and we would be given a shore card with our room number on it.

This is how they knew who was on the ship and who was on land. I’ve also taken river cruises with other lines that have had a similar method but some do have a process more similar to ocean cruises where you scan your own cruise card. 

The good thing about river cruises is that because there are so few guests they’re able to be more accommodating, if there’s a tour that goes out early or gets back late they can move events or things like dinner so that people don’t miss out.

They did move afternoon tea to a time when I was on an excursion though, so I missed out on that sadly. I love afternoon tea! 

We Would Often Arrive in The Afternoon and Stay Late

On a river cruise, you’ll sometimes arrive into port early in the morning, sometimes you’ll arrive in the afternoon.

You might leave in the afternoon or not until late at night, it just depends on how far the ship has to go. We were docked in Bratislava until the evening but came back onboard for dinner.

Dinner was served from 7-9 pm and after this, there wasn’t any more food on the ship, apart from the cookies of course. 

Do TUI River Cruises Have Dress Codes?

The only dress code in place on TUI River Cruises is that guests cannot wear beachwear in the main lounge or restaurant. Guests are encouraged to wear trousers, a dress or ‘smart’ shorts. TUI do have one gala night per week but the dress code is entirely optional.

I had got changed into a dress for dinner but as the cruise went on I did this less and less, mostly because it was so cold on the cruise but also because there really aren’t any dress codes onboard.

Most of the time I just was wearing leggings and a jumper/hoodie. 

Our Cabin on Deck 1 Had a Very Strange Problem…

It was around now that mum and dad started to have issues with their cabin on deck 1.

You really could feel the vibrations in the cabin when the ship was sailing and you could hear the water going by which wasn’t something that I had really understood before this cruise. That wasn’t the problem though and is to be expected when cruising on deck 1.

What wasn’t expected was that the door of the cabin kept randomly opening. It happened once when I was taking photos for my cabin review.

For more details about the cabins check out this post: TUI River Cruise Cabin Review – (Photos, Deck 1 & 2 Superior Cabins)

I thought maybe my parents had come back, or that housekeeping were coming into the room but there was nobody there. 

This would happen quite often so my mum went to reception to report it.

They sent a maintenance man to look at the door but the next night it kept happening again. Mum and dad had to literally barricade their door with all the spare furniture that they had because their door just wouldn’t stay closed even if it was locked. I’m sure something electrical had broken but either way, it wasn’t fixed.

The next day my parents were upgraded to a cabin on deck 2.

Luckily the ship wasn’t at full capacity so they were able to do that.

The TUI Skyla has a capacity of 150 and we only had 94 guests onboard. Typically, there are 40 crew onboard.

The Scenery When Sailing Was Incredible

Sailing from Bratislava in Slovakia, to Krems in Austria was the first time on the trip that we really experienced the traditional river cruising scenery that you see on the river cruise adverts.

You know the ones, people sunbathing on the top deck with a glass of champagne.

It wasn’t quite like that for us but I did have a cup of tea and managed to take my jumper off briefly which was amazing.

We passed under multiple bridges and for one bridge we were told that we had to sit down and couldn’t stand up.

The wheelhouse where the captain sails the ship dropped down to half height and even the crew ducked as we went under.

When you’re going under a bridge like that you know that it’ll fit, you trust the captain completely but it still doesn’t stop you from flinching as the bridge zooms closer!

On some river cruises, they’ll close the top deck completely when going under bridges.

We Enjoyed Our Walking Tours – and They Were Cheap!

In our port stops of Krems and Linz, we had a walking tour with a local guide.

Each walking tour only cost £15 and lasted around an hour and a half.

These tours gave us a great overview of the area and we were able to explore more afterwards if we wanted to. We learnt a lot about the history of the places that we visited and it was great to visit places that I’d never considered before.

That’s one of the great things about river cruising, you find all kinds of new places to visit. 

When going on excursions we had to use these VOX boxes.

They allowed us to tune into a channel which our guide was on so we could hear them in our ear. This meant that we could wander off slightly to look at things without being left behind.

This usually worked well but when we were in Linz our group got split into two and I was in the second group who couldn’t get in through a door.

We could all hear our guide in our ears who was stuck further ahead saying ‘where are they? Oh no we’ve lost half the group’.

Thankfully she came back to get us. 

We Had 4G Most of The Time and Free WiFi!

Another massive pro of river cruising is that because you’re so close to land at all times you almost always have phone signal and I used 4G for most of my cruise.

It was even good enough to do my normal weekly live stream so thank you to everybody who came to that one.

I propped up my laptop on a bin on my bed and I think it worked quite well until we sailed away without me noticing and I lost signal.

That just shows how smooth river cruise ships are though, I didn’t even notice. 

Make sure you don’t miss out on my live streams by subscribing to my YouTube channel here: Emma Cruises .

Your comments and questions really help me to form these videos, I had questions about the ages of the other passengers, the evening entertainment and at this point, I said that we hadn’t docked side by side with another ship, but that was to change soon, hence me seeing a random lady naked. 

The TUI Navigate App Was Great

Most river cruise lines do also include WiFi but I usually found that my 4G was faster.

The one thing that the WiFi was really good for though was using the TUI navigate app.

It isn’t actually an app it’s a web page you load when on the cruise but it had lots of useful information in it.

To access it visit Navigate.Tui when connected to the ship’s WiFi.

Here was the daily schedule and this could be updated at last minute if it needed to be.

There weren’t any paper versions of the daily schedule available so if you are taking a TUI river cruise, it’s important that somebody has a tablet or phone or laptop.

I don’t doubt that they’d print you one if you asked for it, but the app was good. 

As well as the daily schedule, there was also information about our itinerary and our ship.

We would use this to check our onboard spend although it didn’t always correlate with what we actually had bought. At the end of the cruise, our bill on paper was more than it had been on the app but we knew that a few drinks were missing from the app so it was okay.

What Was on The Daily Schedule?

Before taking this river cruise I had a LOT of people tell me that I would be bored.

The impression that a lot of people have is that there’s nothing happening actually on the ship but that really wasn’t the case.

Sure it’s not like ocean cruises where there are 5 things going on at once but there was usually something happening somewhere and definitely in the evenings.

During the day they might have yoga or a light stretch on the top deck, they did a few games here too but it really was too cold most of the time. We also had port talks most days and even had a very interesting lecture about the history of the Danube. 

In the evenings we had live music from Suzie and Sonia, a guest singer, a couple of quizzes, a comedian and we even had a German band who had really got the audience involved. 

They handed out instruments for some people to play and even made a couple of people dance including my friend Steve. Well done Steve!

If you wanted it there was entertainment most evenings until around midnight. I have to admit I was rarely awake that late as we had to get up early most days. 

In Passau, We Took a Beer and Boat Excursion

When we visited Passau in Germany we went on what I think was my favourite excursion, it was a Bavarian beer and boat excursion and we tried lots of different types of beer on this amazing boat.

We sailed from Germany across the border into Austria and back.

We also had a walking tour and a tour on the bus.

Our guide Eva was the best, she was so enthusiastic and happy and always laughing to herself, her laugh was infectious and we all came away from that tour very happy, possibly partly because of the beer.

During the walking part of the tour, we saw lots of very colourful houses and flood markers marked on the side of a house.

We Passed Through 22 Locks!

During our journey toward Vienna, we went through multiple locks.

The captain said that on our cruise we would pass through 22 locks in total. I’ve been through locks on river ships before but never as many as 22! 

It was really creepy but cool to be inside our cabin when we went through a lock. It would get darker and darker until the view would just be of a dripping wet concrete wall.

It was like being in a cave.

We did go through locks at night and sometimes you would feel the ship bump a little, but it never woke me up. 

In some locks we would be able to go out to the top deck when passing through the lock, the water level would either be dropped down or raised up. We would often have another ship in the lock with us too, so we would wave at each other and check out each other’s ships.

This would normally be a Viking ship, before this I knew that Viking were the most popular river cruise company but I had no idea just how many river cruise ships they have.

They have 76!

The Viking ships were everywhere and it definitely made me curious as to what a Viking river cruise would be like.

Everywhere we went we would see the Viking river cruisers with their Viking umbrellas. I did use one of these umbrellas in Norway during 2018 and can confirm it’s a great umbrella.

I did look up how much it would have cost me to pick Viking instead of TUI and it was around 3x the price. 

What is The Food Like on a TUI River Cruise?

The food was always well cooked and I think that the kitchen team did a great job with what they were given but it was obvious that they were on a budget.

The sizes of the meals were really inconsistent and sometimes I’d end up with a main course like the below which were absolutely tiny, I felt like I was being put on a diet.

Of course you can ask for more food and I’m sure this is something that they’ll work out as time goes on.

We did try a couple of local dishes onboard like Austrian pancakes which were nice and they always had multiple vegetarian options. I did find the labelling of the menu to be strange though.

The below symbol, which usually means vegetarian or vegan actually meant ‘vegetarian or can be made vegetarian’.

I’m vegetarian so I always had to check when ordering one of these dishes that it didn’t include meat and if it did, I had to ask for it without. 

On what is called ‘Gala night’ we had a 7-course meal but the menu was fixed. I explained along with lots of other people, that I was vegetarian and they were able to provide vegetarian options with no problem. 

My main was some sort of cheesy eggplant dish which was tasty. Eggplant is what we would call an Aubergine in the UK.

If you are vegan or have some sort of food intolerance or requirements, you will meet with the maitre d’ and they’ll work with you to plan your meals ahead of time.

There weren’t any food labels on the foods when it was a buffet, so sometimes I did just take a lucky guess. 

Some of the dishes that we had were really tasty and nothing was ever wrong with it but it definitely isn’t the type of gourmet food that you’d get on other cruise lines. If you’re a real foodie, I’d suggest another river cruise line.

If you’re like me though and just happy to have somebody else cook your dinner and do the washing up, you’ll be happy. 

There is a ‘Bistro’ Area Beyond The Main Dining Room

TUI advertised the fact that they had two restaurants onboard but in reality it wasn’t really two restaurants.

There was the main restaurant and then slightly down a level was an area called The Bistro, this was a more relaxed area where you could grab a couple of things to eat, but it really was just grabbing a couple of things. 

You couldn’t get to the bistro area without going through the main dining room, so I don’t think I’d class it as a separate restaurant and it wasn’t always open.

That might be to do with the reduced capacity though.

The area down here was really nice with glass on three sides but we never had a reason to sit down here during our cruise as we always ate from the main dining room. 

Who Was on The Cruise?

Another thing that I was told pre-cruise is that I should expect to be the youngest person onboard.

River cruising has this reputation of being for older people, even more than ocean cruising is.

I do understand where that stereotype comes from as on my last two river cruises I was definitely the youngest person on there by a long way.

On our cruise, there were a few other people my kind of age but the majority was older. This cruise was an adult only cruise so there were never going to be families onboard.

When the passengers for the cruise after ours came on though, there were a couple who I think might have been younger than me.

There were people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and probably 90s on this cruise. 

The average age was probably somewhere around 50. I don’t know I’m really not good at guessing peoples ages just by looking at them, but I never felt out of place on the cruise. Nobody assumed that I worked there or anything like that. 

We Were Docked Overnight in Budapest

We were able to see the next guests coming on because we actually spent two days in Budapest at the end of the cruise and our flight wasn’t until quite late the second day.

For a while there was pretty much double the amount of people on the ship which was pretty hectic. Budapest is lovely though and I’d definitely recommend a visit, there is so much to see and do and it’s very walkable. 

We Had a Half Day Tour in Vienna

Another place that we visited on our cruise was Vienna.

We had a city tour which lasted around half a day and it was so cold, I think I’ve just about got back the feeling in my hands and face now.

We didn’t have to wear face masks on the ship but I wore them most of the time when outside just to keep my nose from falling off. I’d definitely like to come back to Vienna. 

I Talked to Lots of Other Guests About Their Experiences

On a river cruise you do get to know your fellow guests much better than on ocean cruises. I chatted to many people about their experience and heard the same kind of feedback from most. 

Most said that they enjoyed the cruise and for the money that they paid they felt that it was good value.

I didn’t meet anybody who said that they hadn’t enjoyed the cruise even if some had things go wrong like lost luggage, broken toilets or doors opening themselves, most of us agreed that we could tell that the staff were working very hard and we hoped that a few of the teething issues that our ship experienced would be fixed as time went on. 

Be Careful if You’re Docked Next to Another Ship!

I knew that I’d get to know my fellow guests on this cruise but I didn’t expect to get to know a guest on the ship nextdoor in quite so much detail.

When we came back from a walk around Budapest I saw that we were still docked next to another ship so I decided ‘oh this will be a cool thing to show on my YouTube channel’ I’ll film as I walk into the cabin. Luckily I didn’t pick up my camera for some reason and I saw across and into the next cabin somebody in their bathroom.

I couldn’t really make out who or what it was, so I went for a closer look and that’s when a lady walked out of the bathroom and into her cabin completely naked!

Bear in mind that this was only a couple of meters ahead of me and the only thing separating us was two glass balcony doors. She never saw me, or if she did she wasn’t bothered at all.

My brother was saying:

“ Emma, close the curtains, close the curtains! “

which I did and I don’t think I opened them again until that ship was gone. 

Would I recommend a TUI River Cruise?

If you’re somebody who’s never taken a river cruise I think TUI are a great place to start.

You’ll definitely know if river cruising is for you after a week or so onboard without paying the normal river cruise prices. If you’ve cruised before with another river cruise line like Amawaterways or Viking you’ll definitely notice the difference. 

Check out TUI river cruises on their website here: TUI River (affiliate link).

To find out how my first ever river cruise went, including the onboard swimming pool that turns into a cinema, check out this video which now has over a million views.

This is my most watched video on the channel so make sure you check it out:

TUI have a £300 discount running at the moment for next year and theres no minimum spend, check them out:  TUI Discount . (Affiliate link).

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TUI River Cruise Ship Review

We took our first river cruise on TUI Isla Cruise Ship. We cruised the Delights of the Danube itinerary and spent a week exploring some fabulous destinations and experiencing life on board a river cruise ship.

TUI Isla River Cruise Ship joined the fleet in 2020, is an adult only ship, and has a maximum of 158 guests in 79 cabins. The other two TUI river cruise ships are identical and are called Skyla and Maya with a new ship called TUI Alma coming in 2025 . Each ship has a Cruise Director and onboard team that are on board for the duration of your cruise.

River Cruising can be notoriously expensive but TUI are currently doing some fabulous prices. We could of booked this cruise for under £800 including flights, transfers and 23kgs of luggage, if we wanted the cheapest standard balcony and just full board. However, we upgraded to an all inclusive fare and a French Balcony Suite and still only paid £1212 each! This also included £120 per person that we can spend on excursions.

You can find out their offers  TUI river cruise prices and itineraries here (affiliate link)

In this TUI Isla River Cruise Ship Review post we cover the facilities throughout the 4 decks of this ship. We include bars, restaurants, lounges, leisure facilities, cabins, dress codes and technology onboard. We hope you find it useful so you can see if a TUI River Cruise Ship would be for you!

Relevant Reading – Find out all about TUI River Cruise Drink prices and Drinks Packages here.

Dining on TUI River Cruise Ships

Just like her sister ships, TUI Isla offers a full board plus package as standard. This means that you get three meals per day and drinks at mealtimes are included in the price.

Times of meals on our cruise were Breakfast 7-9am, Lunch 12-2pm and Dinner 7-9pm. There was also one Gala 6 course Dinner and one afternoon tea during our cruise.

Full board plus also means you can enjoy complimentary tea and coffee anytime, juices with breakfast, followed by soft drinks, beer, and wine with lunch and dinner.

There is also an option to upgrade to a premium drinks package to enjoy your favourite draught beers, branded spirits, cocktails, and premium coffees. You can find out all about drinks prices and the drinks packages here .

Verdastro Restaurant

There are two restaurants onboard, the Verdastro and the bistro, the Verdastro is the more formal of the two which is very tastefully decorated in green and gold. There are tables available for up to six people but if there are less in your party you will be easily accommodated.

As you may have seen in our vlog series dining times are quite fixed with slight leway depending on ports and excursions but are usually breakfast 7am to 9am, lunch 12pm to 2pm and dinner 7pm to 9pm.

Breakfast is essentially a buffet of cereals, cakes and pastries, cold meats and cheeses, fish, plus the usual british fare such as bacon, beans, tomatoes and sausages, there is also the option of cooked to order eggs however you want them and omelettes.

Lunch comes as part buffet part waiter service depending on your given choices with the starters and desserts  laid out in a buffet style and your main courses served to your table, there is usually only two or three different mains on offer with a least one being vegetarian.

Dinner is full waiter service but again there will usually be two starters and two soups, four mains two of which are vegetarian two desserts and a cheese plate.

Even though the menus are limited the standard of the food is very good indeed and there will usually be at least one local to the area you are in dish available every day.

Here are some menu examples and meals we enjoyed on board. To see all the food available on board do watch our vlog series here .

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The Bistro can be found next to the Verdastro down a short flight of stairs and is basically just has a slightly less formal feel to it but it serves exactly the same food.

We had lunch in the Bistro and we have to say there is quite a bit of vibration coming from the engines when sailing so do bare this in mind when choosing.

There is also a version of afternoon tea served once per sailing, the reason I say version is that there is no savoury items, sandwiches sausage rolls etc only cakes and pastries with as much tea as you can drink.

Bars on TUI River Cruise Ships

Observatory lounge.

There are two lounges onboard the Observatory lounge and the Club lounge, the Observatory is the main lounge and is the hub of the ship with lots of comfortable seating large windows for unobstructed views and a very well stocked bar.

By day if you are not off exploring you can sit and read, play cards, have a chat with fellow guests or just do nothing.

Early evening is when you will get your talk on the next days port and then at 6-30 its happy hour with reduce price drinks and complementary canapes which sets you up perfectly for dinner.

Once dinner has finished the evenings entertainment will begin which can be anything from interactive quizzes, local artists giving you a flavour of the region you are visiting, or sing along to the resident entertainment team, on our sailing there was even a guest comedian who was extremely funny.

The Club Lounge

The Club Lounge is a smaller more cosy lounge with plush seating,  brass fittings and a roaring digital fire. This is also the home of speciality coffees but this may come at an extra cost depending on your drinks package.

The Club lounge is situated next to the Verdastro restaurant making it the perfect venue for a pre dinner cocktail.

The Atrium is set over two decks 2 and 3, on deck 2 you will find the reception area some glass cabinets displaying handbags and jewellery which are available for purchase, a second reception type desk which is where you will usually find the cruise director and a gentlemen’s toilet.

On deck 3 you will find the complementary tea and coffee station and which in the afternoon also has a small selection of biscuits, a small seating area with tables a games cupboard and a small library.

Outside Space on TUI River Cruise Ships

The views from the top deck are almost worth the cruise fare on its own (especially the evening sail away from Budapest) there is also ample seats and sunbeds. There is also an area reserved for daytime activities including mini golf, shuffleboard, coits, yoga and stretching exercises.

Everything on the top deck is designed to fold down flat allowing you to travel under bridges should the river levels rise even the captains bridge is on a concertina allowing it to retract if required.

On deck 3 at the front of the Observatory lounge is also a small outside area that gives you lovely views over the bow of the ship but unfortunately this is also one of the smoking areas (sorry smokers) but if there isn’t anyone smoking it’s a really nice place to enjoy a morning cup of tea or a afternoon beer, there are even some overhead heaters to take the chill off if the weather is not so good.

Technology on board

Free wifi is available throughout the ship though the speed is a little slow, there is also the Navigate app which tells you the daily programme, port information, excursion details, the local weather forecast and details of all the areas on board the ship. This was very easy to use once it was installed. Any issues go and speak to reception and they will help you access and show you how to use it.

You can also use your cabin television to access everything on the navigate app, plus there is a limited amount of programmes available but for some reason most were in German.

Wellness Area

The wellness area consists of a a sauna and a whirlpool bath and can be found on deck 2 along the corridor from reception towards the front of the ship. Booking early for the wellness area is essential as it is very small and extremely popular.

The dress code throughout the ship is very casual, on gala night people did dress up more than the rest of the week but it was still nowhere near as formal as we have experienced on ocean cruise gala nights.

The Staff and Crew on the TUI Isla Cruise Ship

There were 38 crew members on board TUI Isla during our cruise, and we must say that we had excellent service throughout.

So many to mention, Simon the Cruise Director, Bar Manager Ionut, Hotel Manager Christian and Alina who was so helpful and great fun at reception. We also wanted to mention Kateryna, Julia, Adrian, Leon, Octav, Anastacia and Yar zat!

We also wanted to say a big thank you to Assistant Manager Mercea who took the time to show us around the category of cabins so we could put together the video about the cabins available on board below.

Cabins and Suites on TUI River Cruise Ships

There are cabins to suit all budgets on TUI River Cruise Ship, we have put this video together so you can see each category and book the one that suits your budget and needs best.

View more video blogs on YouTube > > >

Verdict on our TUI River Cruise

Our TUI River Cruise experience was excellent from start to finish. It is really good to see that TUI has opened up river cruising to suit those on a smaller budget, and have a new ship TUI Alma joining their fleet in 2025. We would definitely book another river cruise with TUI and recommend you do too!

We have a full video tour of the TUI Isla Cruise Ship below and so much more TUI and Marella information on our website so go to this page next ⬇️

Book your TUI River Cruise Here  (Affiliate Link)

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• Atrium Bar - Atrium Bar
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Tui Marella explorer 2

Went on Tui cruise, the Maurella Explorer 2 for two weeks 12Dec -26Dec 2023 my experience was not a good one. First thing is once you enter that ship you are cut off from the world because you’re blocked from making calls or receiving calls it was never made clear that this would be the case in any of Tui communication/literature, so people would have a choice. If they want to enter a cruise for two weeks can’t contact their family or friends and have to pay through the nose for Wi-Fi. This is criminal and I don’t think it’s legal for tui to block passengers from receiving any Wi-Fi communication from outside while you’re on ship, to received Wi-Fi you have to pay astronomical price for £95 for 50 MB and 50 MB is nothing. Your complaint is frowned upon the staff at the customer service desk was very rude, gaslighting people when they complain about not able to contact their loved ones food was atrocious decks were always wet and dirty Staff very friendly. Very helpful. If you wanted anything really good to eat you have to pay at one of the three restaurants that was not included in the cruise price so you are paying between £75-£35 per head if you want to eat or drinks anything palatable The booze was water down unless you’re on premium which we were on I would never recommend anyone to go on this cruise. I’ve been on several cruise none with the experience that I experience I think tui should be ashamed of themselves for treating people like this on a cruise that they said is a Caribbean cruise where there is no Caribbean theme the food is not Caribbean. For people who have food allergies, the choices was minimal, especially if you’re gluten-free, I could go on and on, but the most common thing that i know majorly of the passengers was upset about, is the Wi-Fi and communication that they block us from contacting our friends or loved ones and force people to pay through the nose for Wi-Fi we end up paying over 3 1/2 thousand pounds as extra when we left the Cruise all the island that they stop were great we did a lot of things on the excursion so that was the good part the island that we visited, but being on the ship wasn’t a good experience for me and my husband would never recommend this cruise to my families Friend or enemy

Date of experience : December 12, 2023

Reply from meinschiff.com | TUI Cruises

Dear Sandra, thank you for your comment. Please contact our colleagues from TUI Great Britain, they are in charge for the Marella Explorer. All the best from Germany, das Mein Schiff Social Media Team 💙

Attempted to change the date/ type of a…

Attempted to change the date/ type of a cruise, due to family bereavement. This involved forfeiting the cost of the holiday as an admission charge, did next to nothing to assist us at this difficult time, and thus cancelled it as organizing the funeral was the priority. Holiday Cost pocketed by Tui. Cost of trips were supposed to be refunded, but this they failed to do over nearly a month and a half later. Contact via phone has been problematic, if you can get through at all, and with that generally unhelpful. Note to self: Don’t touch this 2nd rate travel company in future with a barge pole.

Date of experience : October 07, 2023

The international crew is amazing but

The international crew is amazing, professional and incredible nice, but when you have to face someone from the "leitung/manager/check in" you're lost, i never experienced so unfriendly personal in my life and on vacation!, they almost pushed inside the boat a poor grandma because she was too slow to get in, never again

Date of experience : December 09, 2023

No breath of fresh air…

Just phoned Tui shop today about my damaged mobility scooter when we arrived at Palma. Three months ago this happened and all they could say was that I should submit the claim myself. They have all the details and said they would send it off, so if I hadn't phoned nothing would be happening. Anyway that's nothing compared to what they let me go through on a cruise I had with them last July. I need oxygen from the moment I stand up. I'm ok sat down and don't need it whilst sleeping. Due to some mix up there was no oxygen available for me. They never explained clearly. The oxygen I took with me was for the flights and I know they thought it was for the cruise. Luckily I had bought a mobility scooter for when getting off at the ports. Good job I did because I spent the whole cruise sat on it. They knew they had a passenger with a disability and they just didn't care. Never offered to help me get oxygen. Could not even take a shower because no oxygen. Asked medical centre if they could help with this which was a No. Wrote to CEO, no reply. "Juliette" rang me to say it wasn't their fault no oxygen arranged and asked did I enjoy the cruise anyway?

Date of experience : July 18, 2023

Be careful booking excursions-

Be careful booking excursions- We booked an excursion in Panama that was described completely different to the experience. Interestingly 14 other people on coach complained and others agreed it wasn’t what they thought they booked. Destination services basically wanted us to prove the information at booking was incorrect ( which is impossible to do when it disappears on the excursion day from App). No form of compensation given even though we all spent £100’s on an unwanted boring excursion to some castle inside of the city! I wouldn’t go on a Tui cruise again.

Date of experience : December 13, 2022

Just returned from a 2 week vacation on…

Just returned from a 2 week vacation on Tui Marella Discovery 2 around the Caribbean. I would advise anyone to avoid booking with this vile company. My daughter was racially abused by a passenger and the staff would not do anything. I witnessed several incidents of racism and discrimination towards passengers who boarded from Jamaica. I am disgusted with Tui

Date of experience : February 14, 2023

Nothing changes - Tui Customer Service Still Utterly Abysmal

I can't review the Cruise itself - as we are (or should I say, were), not scheduled to sail until 2024. HOWEVER, even at this distance, major service issues have already arisen over something so prosaic as upgrading flight seating to extra leg-room. Web-site was non functional, simply repeatedly looping me around to a "manage your booking" option which just does not exist. Call centre staff totally inept and repeatedly cutting calls off, and on-line chat staff staff equally unwilling to address the issues but - politician like - happy to answer the questions they would prefer to be asked rather than those actually posed ! It has been approaching 1o years since I last exposed myself to this Company, and I had hoped that Tui might have used this time to make changes to their customer service. They have ! It is now even more disgraceful than it ever was. I have now had 2 bites of the Tui cherry - there will be no more. I am sure that all Tui directors and shareholders will be delighted to learn that they have lost a very considerable sum of money solely due to the indolence and incompetence of their public facing staff.

Date of experience : September 27, 2022

Marella explorer

Marella explorer in August around the greek Islands. First time cruising was a bit apprehensive about doing covid test day before. All went well. Staff were all hard working to create a fantastic experience for customers. Shows we thought were professional and varied. We loved our 1st cruise with Tui and would definitely book with them again. Corfu airport was a bit of a disaster with queuing outside terminal, really busy not enough staff to cope. So that was only negative thing about this fantastic holiday

Date of experience : August 14, 2022

Appalling Tui Cruise - don't waste your hard earned money

We booked and had a 2 week Christmas cruise with Tui. It was our first time of going with Tui. Staff where lovely but the standard of cabins, the smell of sewage on our deck and the quality was poor. We have kind of worked out from friends that Tui Cruises are like the lowest entry level for a cruise experience. Compensation was paid as a voucher the amount was so low that I asked if I could gift it to anyone and we were told we have to use it. We would never waste our money again with Tui. Staff are solid gold but the experience is incredibly poor.

Date of experience : March 23, 2022

Great food wonderful selection of…

Great food wonderful selection of drinks First class entertainment Great friendly crew Good hygiene Downside to low seating in public areas most passengers elderly difficulties getting up spilling drinks farting etc Poor Shuttle bus coordination lack of information surly staff All in all great ship minor issues

Date of experience : May 16, 2023

Marcella Discovery 2

Just returned from a 7day cruise on Marella Discovery 2. My first cruise and it was fabulous- a particular shout out to Tri the cabin boy and Niki at bar Eleven, superb service. Excellent choice of food at the many restaurants. All TUI staff are very professional, Dec was great fun.

Date of experience : April 18, 2023

We have just returned from a Marella…

We have just returned from a Marella Explorer cruise, Adriatic & Aegean. Everything was first class. Immaculately clean, fantastic staff & shows that rival the west end. Food was fabulous. I would particularly like to mention Regan, Vikki & Iman from The Lounge and Magna from the Latitude. They were super friendly & engaging. I don't know who cleaned our room between 20th May & 3rd June (8196) but they did a fantastic job 👏. We absolutely loved it.

Date of experience : June 09, 2022

The worst holiday ever!!

Me and my husband have just got back from a week's cruise on Marcella Discovery, the Magic of Spain cruise. It was a disaster from start to finish! We flew from Doncaster Sheffield airport and due to a power cut we had to stand in the check in queue for 5 hours. The staff were totally unprepared for this incident and updates were poor. Not a good start! When we arrived on the ship we were surprised at the number of obviously covid infected customers, coughing and sneezing. With no regard to other passengers. As a consequence me and my husband have contracted covid and have been very unwell at home. The onboard comedian guest act was exactly the same show. Same jokes and planted audience participators, as we saw on out last cruise. It wasn't funny the first time and definitely not the second!! All around people were coughing! Obviously covid infected but the ship did not take any action or offer advice. The crew were all wearing masks. On our return flight the check in was hectic and our luggage along with many others on our flight was left in Majorca. We still do not have it. Overall a terrible experience on this holiday. The worst holiday ever and our last with TUI!! They have your money and are not bothered that you contract covid as you are leaving at the end of the cruise and they have got rid of you!!

Date of experience : July 07, 2022

Just excellent throughout

Just excellent throughout. We went to the Canaries and North Africa in January and previously did the Adriatic last September both were on the Explorer. The value for money is incredible and service was impeccable. A wide choice of restaurants and all Tui cruises are all inclusive - I can only say it was superb.

Date of experience : January 10, 2023

We love cruising 🛳️

We did the explorer cruise around the we did the western med cruise , Venice, Dubrovnik, split, Montenegro and Slovenia , don’t book an excursion to see Dubrovnik you can get a bus at the port for 2 euros, absolutely fantastic from day 1 , food, staff , excursions, second to none, wouldn’t use their Wi-Fi package again not worth it. But try not to pay too much attention to some of the negatives and try for yourself , we love cruising and about to book another🛳️

Date of experience : May 19, 2023

Dear Linda, thank you for your warm words and for your positive approach to life. 💙 Hope to see you back on board soon! All the best, the Mein Schiff-Team

Booked with TUI Woking on Dec 2022 for…

Booked with TUI Woking on Dec 2022 for TUI ISLA river cruise to the Moselle River and valley 💯💯👍TUI itself brilliant TUI Woking absolutely 💯👍👍 that’s why we went back today to book another.

Date of experience : September 03, 2023

Great holiday, don't use wireless internet service

PRO's TUI flight to Barbados - on time, well looked after throughout flight. Arrival in Barbados - well organized Discovery Cabin - lovely, clean and well equipped Food - what we had was very nice, all be it small potions (fine for us). Drinks - good selection of all inclusive. (didn't need premium) Service - amazing Entertainment - amazing CON's Food - needed more than 2 small al carte restaurants. Couldn't book whilst away. All fully booked. Pool - never enough sun beds or seating Wireless Internet Service - RIP OFF. NEEDED TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH HOME. THIS SERVICE WAS NOT EXPLAINED TO ME PROPERLY AND I GOT CHARGED £150. MY ADVICE......WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE OFF THE SHIP AND FIND FREE WIFI TO MAKE YOUR CONTACT WITH HOME. Other than that ......we had a fab time. Thank you TUI

Date of experience : January 12, 2023

Marella 2 explorer-standards slipped

Adriatic cruise 16/6/22 1 week Experienced cruisers with various companies including marella 3 years ago. Good points; Balcony cabin satisfactory and kept immaculate by cabin steward, who also did towel animals etc. Generally good service at bars/ restaurants. Reasonable entertainment/ music. Good ports of call, ease of access getting to ports. Coffee port excellent coffee and service( well worth the premium drinks package, just for the speciality coffee) Snack shack, the only freshly cooked food on the ship albeit unhealthy fish and chips/ burgers! The ice cream place ( scoops) really nice ice cream- extra payment! The canned sugar free drinks( on drinks package)Fanta /coke/sprite were excellent, as husband is diabetic 1 bottle of water in room each night on drinks package The cocktails were variable and martini glasses had shrunk! People were asking for doubles, as measures were smaller! We had port one evening and if we got 10ml we were lucky! The bad points; The FOOD- ‘CHEAP’ almost everywhere you didn’t have to pay extra for!! The Market Place ( buffet) we used mainly for breakfast. No fresh egg station anymore just omelettes. Everything kept lukewarm. Cheap baked beans. Bread cheap sliced, dinner rolls hard. Choice 4 cereals. Thin tasteless runny yoghurt, choice of2/3 fruits thinly sliced-bland melon Cheese/ham cut into one inch squares to save people taking too much I think! Coffee from here luke warm and horrible. Started collecting a takeaway latte from the coffee port! Walked around the buffet at lunchtimes on occasion, again choice limited to how it was 3 years ago. No roast joint being carved, all appeared to be casseroles. One hot pudding choice. Even salad bar was limited. The Vista( Italian) first night and never again! Ordered an aperol spritz, made with 10ml aperol and lemonade ( not Prosecco) 4 rings calamari for starters, husband had melon and ham. Just need to say they are experts at spreading a tiny amount of melon on a spiral with a slivered roll of ham! Mains, I would describe lamb as boil in the bag with thick sauce. Lasagna ok. I decided to have a rasperetto cocktail described as raspberries blended with cream and amaretto. What I got was a red slush puppy with a squirty cream topping!! Complained to Maitre de, in Vista who apologised and said he would make my comments known- we heard nothing! Latitude restaurant variable; One good meal of lamb shoulder with a lamb cutlet. Again masters of trying to make starters look bigger, ie tiny shrimp cocktail with a mandolined sliver of prawn on top! A minute pear and Stilton salad with no cheese on it! Had steak one night, medium rare. Unable to cut through it with a steak knife, sent it back! Second one exactly the same! Decided to go for sea day lunch( usually good on cruises!) we had soggy flounder and fries that had been kept warm. Offered a burger instead, to which I replied we could have gone to the snack shack for that! Very disappointing! Tapas restaurant - very good freshly cooked food! We had the mixed shared platter for starters The waiter was recommending 3 tapas per person. The portion size was small , 2 prawns in a pot, 4 x 1inch square cubes of Potato bravas, a few mushrooms . We had to order more. The desert I ordered was raspberry cheesecake, no bigger than my teaspoon!! Paid extra for restaurants very good! We went to the ‘Dining Room’ for our anniversary, excellent food and service Also as surf and turf wasn’t available on the latter nights of our holiday, we went to Kora La, the Asian restaurant. Again excellent food and service We certainly didn’t starve but the food that you didn’t pay extra for tended to be cheap and bland! Not what we expect from a cruise! We paid £3700 for a cruise and 7 night stay near Dubrovnik, not exactly cheap, but what we got food wise was cheap! Will not be coming back in a rush TUI !! We also questioned wearing of masks on the shuttle bus back from Ravenna( allegedly necessary), very few people wearing masks! My husband queried this with TUI, seen as the were 2 cabins in covid isolation on our floor. No reply from TUI. Noticeably more coughing as cruise went on. Despite wearing masks on transfers/ flights/trips & regular use of hand gel, we both contracted covid and are now isolating at home. TUI seem to want to keep anything covid related very quiet?!

Date of experience : July 05, 2022

Great staff /ship but tui as a company not to good

It started once we payed no help from tui. we had to do everything are selves. couldent book in online till 48 hours before we went. covid test was £25 pound each the day before which was very distressing waiting for results.we had to print are own tags for suitcase are own boarding passes are seats £44 pound a couple so we could sit together mine was in 34H my husband 32J got to ship and we booked as 3 couples and we were on different decks miles away from each other one couple was in there 80s and had a pace maker. they said we can move you for an extra £50 are room was 4123 directly above the loading bay it was so noisy we didn't get much sleep.we went to dubrovnik airport my husbands suitcase was sent to Munich he had nothing no socks underwear clothes etc. reception said we will offer good will £100 pound on board in a half price sale was a shirt it was 75 pound. we were on the day when it was sea day and night no stops so couldn't go shopping it was so upsetting but we were travelling with two good friends he had to wear are friends underwear socks and there shirt and shorts when we docked he got £77 as we got 10 charge for bingo and two £1 pound charges for tui foundation fund and two £5 bus passes for the day so we had to spend about £200 of are own money. dubrovnik airport terrible queues massive delays for an hour got on plane it sat there for 2 hours. But the ship was lovely great food great entertainment great staff all very hard working very happy polite and welcoming all the shows dancers singers were very talented chefs cleaners stewards bar staff servers crew were lovely coffee port excellent as a vapor user we could go behind squid and anchor and on deck 6 and deck 7 in a certain area I kept getting lost would not book with tui ever again this was are second one last one was on the marella dream in 2019 it was perfect tui did it all for us in the store i hope this helps anyone if you go pack your suitcase half and half which I usually do but I didn't do it this time

Date of experience : September 08, 2022

Holiday from hell.

Just returned from 14 days on the tui maya river cruise on the rhine and danube what a waste of £6800 food was dreadful same stuff every day cheap ingredients management staff very rude ,cruise director not fit for purpose at least twice she over booked excursions we had one port of call cancelled so spent 2 days onboard not being able to get ashore at another stop the ship sailedpast the port by over2 miles and had to go full astern back up the river to Dock when I asked the cruise director about this she just laughed and said did we .we were never told in the brochure that the sun deck would be out of bounds for 7 days ,there was no entertainment as such some poor girl tried to sing but was that bad she cleared the bar area in 15seconds so please do not waste your hard earned money on this bunch of amatures wish I had read reviews before I went and booked and so did at least 10 other couples that were onboard .

Date of experience : September 23, 2022

I've been on 2 ultra-luxury cruise ships — endless caviar and free flights make the $685 per day worth it

• The cruise industry's  new ultra-luxury ships  could be worth the expensive fares.
• Wealthy cruisers get high-end amenities like complimentary flights, caviar, and wine.
• Luxury small-ship cruising has becoming increasingly popular. 

Say goodbye to questionable lunch buffets and tiny, windowless cabins. On ultra-luxury cruises , travelers get mountains of caviar, roundtrip business-class flights, and floating Rolex stores.

When you think of a cruise, you might picture the giant ships run by companies like Royal Caribbean and Norwegian. On these family-friendly floating resorts, activities like go-kart tracks, waterparks, and virtual reality arcades are commonplace.

On smaller, more expensive cruises, these large and loud amenities are replaced with peace, quiet, and foie gras.

Cruises are generally considered an affordable vacation option, with necessities like food and a cabin included in the base fare.

However, many mass-market cruise companies are increasingly following the budget airline model : Charge a cheap fare and pile up plenty of irresistible pay-to-play amenities.

Travelers could easily accidentally blow past their budget by the end of the vacation.

But guests luxuriate on high-end cruises, many of which are all-inclusive and don't have this problem.

Sure, luxury cruises have a higher base fare. But you'll never have to reach for your wallet once on board.

That's about as stress-free as you can get with a vacation.

"I'd rather have a few empty beds and get the right guests at the right price," Michael Ungerer, CEO of MSC Group's new luxury cruise line , Explora Journeys, told Business Insider in 2023. "Most of [the amenities] are already included, so we don't have to upsell."

After going on two luxury cruise ships, I now understand why so many wealthy travelers are splurging on these vacations at sea.

In 2023, I spent one night on Explora Journeys' Explora I while it was docked in New York and three nights on Regent Seven Seas Cruises' Grandeur while it sailed roundtrip from Miami. Both were complimentary non-revenue events for travel agents and media.

Seven Seas Grandeur's least expensive 2024 cruise is a seven-night roundtrip Miami voyage in December, starting at $4,800 per person — about $685 per day. (Travelers can book their own flights and pre-cruise hotels for a discounted fare.)

Meanwhile, Explora I's most affordable itinerary is a $3,030-per-person, 10-night November sailing from Barcelona to Bridgetown, Barbados.

Expensive? Yes. But on a cruise, money buys happiness.

On both ships, the fare includes complimentary bottles of Champagne, WiFi, endless alcoholic beverages, and access to the spa.

With Regent Seven Seas, pre-cruise hotels, every on board restaurant, flights to and from the ship (business class if international), and most excursions are also included.

Ironically, a higher price means a smaller ship.

The 922-guest Explora I stands at 813 feet and 63,900 gross-tons. The 746-guest Seven Seas Grandeur is smaller at 735 feet-long and 55,000 gross-tons.

To compare, Royal Caribbean's most popular and the world's largest cruise ship, the 7,600-guest Icon of the Seas , is a casual 1,196 feet long and 248,663 gross tons.

We’ll likely never see Icon of the Seas’ waterslides and theme park amenities across Regent Seven Seas' or Explora’s fleet.

But small ships have two big benefits: exclusivity and the ability to fit in more desirable ports.

The Grandeur is scheduled to sail to destinations like Oranjestad, Aruba, and Castries, Saint Lucia, while Explora I is planned for Hawaii and Casablanca, Morocco.

Icon of the Seas is exclusively sailing in the Caribbean this year.

Luxury ships still have some traditional amenities like pools, restaurants, and bars — just with an upscale flair, of course.

Instead of arcades, Explora I and Seven Seas Grandeur have cigar lounges.

Instead of a kid's playground, the latter has a quiet library.

Even the drinking water is better: No need to travel to Erewhon to sip on crystal-infused water. Just head to Explora I's spa instead.

The devil (quiet references to quiet luxury) is in the ships’ details.

Explora I has the first Rolex store at sea. The Cartier boutique is right next door.

Up a few decks, travelers can workout at the Technogym Artis Line-supplied gym, where a treadmill costs $20,250 and an elliptical $15,500.

Meanwhile, Seven Seas Grandeur is decorated with 503 chandeliers and a $6 million art collection that includes several original Pablo Picasso pieces and a custom Fabergé egg.

As expected, the food on these luxury ships are comparable to Michelin-starred restaurants.

Both floating five-star resorts have lunch buffets of raw seafood, lobster tails, and crab legs.

For dinner on the Explora I, travelers can dine on the six restaurants' wagyu tataki, grilled octopus, and aged prime rib with potatoes and caviar.

The Seven Seas Grandeur's five restaurants all serve some form of black truffle, sturgeon caviar, or foie gras.

For a 10-night cruise, Regent Seven Seas says its new ship carries 1,200 pounds of lobster, 20 pounds of caviar, and 5,000 bottles of wine — the most pricey at $2,500.

Expensive food means expensive service: Like many high-end on-land restaurants, the hostess always offered me a black napkin when I wore dark pants.

Dinners of steak tartare, lobster, and wine were as commonplace as the scrambled eggs at the breakfast buffet.

And, they're free, according to the laws of " girl math ."

By the end of my second night on the Regent Seven Seas ship, "I'm tired of eating caviar" went from being a joke to a serious statement.

If we're stereotyping, cruise ship bars can be less-than-luxe.

But don't call Explora I's Lobby Bar, which looks like it came out of an actual hotel bar, "trashy." After all, its background music comes from the overhead Steinway piano.

Starbucks outposts are becoming increasingly popular on mass-market ships.

But wealthy cruisers don't get to wake up with green siren-decorated cups of caffeine.

Instead, Explora I and Seven Seas Grandeur have their own coffee shops serving delectable espresso-based drinks and a separate afternoon tea service.

Like the lack of mediocre coffee, travelers on these fine ships will never be stuck in a tiny windowless interior cabin.

The smallest stateroom on the 461-cabin Explora I starts at 377 square-feet and flexes high-end amenities like a Dyson hairdryer.

The 373 cabins on the Seven Seas Grandeur start a bit smaller at 307 square-feet. At least it comes with L'Occitane en Provence products.

Both options have walk-in closets, floor-to-ceiling windows, and balconies. That's unheard of in the cheapest cabin on most mega-ships.

But one of the most pleasant differences between ultra-luxury and mid-tier cruises isn't in the amenities or dining.

It's the general ambiance.

Ultra-luxury ships aren't designed for cruising families with young children . The two ships didn't have cartoonish decor, loud lounges, or an unbearable number of children that could've kicked my fight-or-flight response.

Instead, the high-end vessels' common spaces were modern, mature, and relaxing.

If it seems like everyone you know has recently booked a cruise, you’d be correct.

Popular cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Carnival have recently seen off-the-charts bookings.

The same applies to the industry's more niche and expensive peers — especially as travelers have increasingly splurged on luxurious vacations like small-ship cruising.

In February, Harry Sommer, president and CEO of Regent's parent company, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings , said demand for its luxury brands has been "very high."

After eating caviar and black truffles for every dinner on the Grandeur, I now understand why.

• Main content

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• TUI Cruises

Former names: TUI Allegra (2011), Excellence Allegra

Cruise line TUI River Cruises (TUI Cruises)

TUI Isla last position

TUI Isla last location was at Europe Inland (coordinates 49.97658 N / 7.94106 E) cruising en route to AMSTERDAM. The AIS position was reported 10 hours ago.

Specifications of TUI Isla

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•   Wiki

TUI Isla Review

Review of tui isla.

The 2020-built/2022-inaugurated TUI Isla cruise ship, like the sisterships Maya and Skyla , is a riverboat owned by TUI AG and operated by its subsidiary company "TUI UK and Ireland". The new brand "TUI River Cruises" (tui.co.uk/river-cruises) was established in 2019 and targets predominantly the UK's passenger sourcing. The 3 TUI boats were officially launched in 2020 following extensive drydock refit (and complete refurbishment) projects. However, due to the Coronavirus crisis, the brand's inauguration was postponed for ~1,5 years (August 2021 instead of the planned March 2020).

The vessel (ENI number 4809190) was launched in 2011 (originally named "TUI Allegra") being built by P+S WERFTEN GmbH (shipyard in Stralsund Germany ) and with original passenger capacity 188. Its initial owner was Premicon Flussreisen GmbH ( Limassol Cyprus -based river shipowner). When chartered by Excellence River Cruises, the ship was named "Excellence Allegra". TUI Allegra's sisterships were TUI Sonata (now TUI SKYLA) and TUI Melodia (fka Excellence Melodia, now TUI MAYA).

The boat TUI Isla is currently Malta- flagged (MMSI 215441000) and registered in Valletta .

TUI River Cruises (company/brand history and ownership)

TUI River Cruises ( fleet ) is a separate company part (fully-owned subsidiary) of TUI AG (British-German travel and tourism corporation). Part of TUI Group is also TUI Cruises - a UK-based joint venture cruise company (50-50) of TUI AG and RCCL-Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (USA-based passenger shipping company). TUI started cruise shipping operations in 2009, targeting predominantly the German-speaking market with a premium travel vacation product. German and English are the main onboard languages on all TUI Schiffs (ships). TUI's sister-brands are Marella Cruises UK and Hapag-Lloyd-Cruises .

TUI's newest travel brand offers adults-only riverboat travel experiences with the ultimate flexibility to create luxury sailing vacations with a choice of optional packages. TUI UK's customers are able to add to the shipboard basis shore excursions (land tours), beverages (beer, wine, soft drinks with all meals) or premium drinks package. TUI's new cruise company also provides some of the industry's most spacious staterooms (including Suites with step-out balconies) and the most extravagant Sundeck areas currently available on the European market.

The German corporation TUI AG (shipowner) announced in April 2019 that it had acquired 3 riverboats for its new UK-focused brand "TUI River Cruises". The new company was due to start operations in 2020-Q2 (summer), complementing TUI's UK brand Marella.

Bookings on TUI's riverboats were opened on April 25, 2019.

In December 2019, TUI signed an exclusive partnership with Live Business UK (one of Europe's largest entertainment program developers and suppliers) for TUI River Cruises. By this deal, Live Business UK prepared the onboard entertainment programming for the boats and is also responsible for recruiting cruise directors, hosts, ship musicians, guest performers, local tour guides and other experts.

TUI Isla ship was officially christened on March 28, 2022, by godmother Courtney Smith (retail homeworker, with TUI Cruises since 2017).

Decks and Cabins

TUI Isla staterooms (79 total, on 3 decks out of 4 ) are in 2 types and 9 categories, contemporary decorated, with King-size double beds (convertible to two twins / lower single beds), mirrored vanity tables (writing desks) armchairs, low tables with lounge chairs, modern large slide-opening wardrobes, electronic safe box (in the closet), smart HDTV (satellite reception, ship info channel with daily scheduled activities, real-time camera views), 220 V power sockets, en-suite bathroom (single-sink vanity, WC-toilet, glass shower, hairdryer, slippers, bathrobes), individually controlled air-conditioning.

Most staterooms are double-occupancy. Suites are triple-occupancy (fitted with corner sofabeds) and additionally have mini-bar (fridge) and two French Balconies. All Lower Deck cabins are with porthole windows (two non-opening, round-shaped windows per cabin) located near the ceiling (riverside, at water level). All staterooms on Main-Middle and Upper decks are French Balcony cabins with floor-ceiling (wall-to-wall) windows slide-opening to a railing (false balcony).

• French Balcony Suite (Decks 2-3) are sized 24 m2 (260 ft2) and feature King-size bed (convertible), bigger bathroom, sofabed, separate dressing area.
• Superior French Balcony Cabin (Decks 2-3) are sized 15 m2 (160 ft2) and each fitted with King-size bed (convertible to twins).
• French Balcony Cabin (Decks 2-3) are sized 12 m2 (130 ft2) and have a fixed double bed (non-convertible).
• Superior Cabin (Deck 1) is sized 15 m2 (160 ft2) and has King-size bed (convertible to 2 single beds).
• Standard Cabin (Deck 2) is sized 12 m2 (130 ft2) and has a full-sized window (non-opening) and fixed double bed (non-convertible).
• Standard Cabin (Deck 1) is sized 12 m2 (130 ft2) and has a fixed double bed and two Porthole windows.
• Single Cabin (Deck 1) and French Balcony Single Cabin (Deck 2) are sized 12 m2 (130 ft2) and fitted with a single bed, desk and lounge chair.

Shipboard facilities

Isla Atrium is the ship's main hub. The Lobby area houses the Reception (24-hour Guest Services Desk/assistance, luggage, cashier) and the Cruise Manager's/Director's Office (itinerary information, excursion bookings, future cruise booking). At the Library Lounge can be played popular board games. The Boutique Shop sells TUI-logoed merchandise, handmade souvenirs and premium brand gifts.

Ship's Sun Deck (top deck) is zoned, with dedicated areas for activities, sunbathing and relaxation. This large-sized open-air deck features BBQ (space for barbecues), Herb Garden, premium garden sofas, sunbathing area (with deckchairs, sunbeds and daybeds). The activities' area is dedicated to outdoor group classes, including stretching, pilates, yoga. Also on Sun Deck are ship's Navigation Bridge (called "Wheelhouse" on riverboats and smaller ships) and awnings. All structures are retractable and lowered when passing under low bridges.

TUI Isla boat's deckplan as facilities shows:

• Lower Deck 1: Cruise Cabins, staff and crew cabins
• Main Deck 2: Cruise Cabins, Lobby (Reception), Health and Wellbeing Zone (fore-located, with large whirlpool, Sauna, Gym, treatment rooms for massages)
• Upper Deck 3: Bistro, Verdastro, Club Lounge, Observatory, Terrace
• Sun Deck 4: BBQ, Lounge, Relax, Herb Garden

The Isla ship has two main restaurants - Verdastro (for seasonal dishes and with daily changing menu) and Bistro (casual dining venue) both located aft on Upper Deck.

• Verdastro (Main Dining Room/MDR) has a stylish green-and-gold color scheme. The venue offers buffet-style breakfast and lunch, while dinner is an a la carte, waiter-served affair. All meals are prepared with fresh, seasonal ingredients sourced from local suppliers. Tables are available for two, four or six guests.
• The Bistro (adjacent to Verdastro) is more casual and provides an alternative dining option. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Passengers can choose from a la carte menu or sample the daily buffet food offerings.
• Alfresco dining is available on Sun Deck's BBQ area. Weather permitting, there the crew organizes outdoor dining events, such as light lunches and barbecues. Passengers can get drinks up there, too.

Full Board Plus is standard which means that 3 meals and drinks at mealtimes are part of the cruise package. Premium coffee and cocktails are not included as part of the line's standard dining package. Passengers have to upgrade to a premium drinks package or pay extra.

The Club Lounge is specialized in coffee by day, cocktails by night, and boasts with its digital fireplace, brass fittings, plush navy chairs, and mirrored tables. Alternatively, the Observatory offers a pretty terrace to the table and nightly entertainment ranging from musicians to guest acts, such as comedians. The Observatory lounge features widescreen windows, an outdoor terrace, comfy sofas and heaters.

Itineraries

TUI Isla operates on river cruisetour itineraries in Germany, Holland and also cruises on the Dutch and Belgian waterways. Year-round departures are offered from homeports in Germany ( Passau and Frankfurt ) and The Netherlands ( Amsterdam) .

TUI River Cruises itineraries are themed as:

• 7-day "Bavarian Discovery" cruise (March-June 2020), from Passau to Frankfurt, visiting Regensburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Marktbreit, Wurzburg, Miltenberg, Wertheim. Prices started from GBP 1240 per person.
• 7-day "Bavarian Discovery 2" cruise (March-May 2020) from Frankfurt to Passau visits Wertheim, Wurzburg, Marktbreit, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Regensburg. Prices started from GBP 1640 per person.
• 7-day "Rhine Gems" cruise (April-May 2020) roundtrip from Frankfurt visits Koblenz, Mainz, Mannheim, Kehl, Rastatt, Rudesheim. Prices started from GBP 1340 per person.
• 7-day "The Moselle Valley: Vines and Views" cruise (April-May 2020) roundtrip from Frankfurt visits Koblenz, Bernkastel-Kues, Trier, Piesport, Traben-Trarbach, Cochem, Boppard, Oberwesel. Prices started from GBP 1440 per person.
• 7-day "Marvels of the Main" cruise (April 2020) roundtrip from Frankfurt visits Miltenberg, Wurzburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Marktbreit, Wertheim. Prices started from GBP 1390 per person.

Shore excursions range from active tours for adventurers, sightseeing city tours (led by local expert guides) to bicycle tours (with complimentary premium bikes carried on the ship). TUI offers GBP 120 OBC (credit) to any tour bookings, allowing customers the opportunity to tailor their holidays to dates/times and their personal preferences. All gratuities (onboard and ashore tips) and service charges are included in the river cruise fares.

TUI Isla - user reviews and comments

Photos of tui isla.

TUI Isla ship related cruise news

TUI River Cruises UK celebrates the maiden voyage of TUI Isla ship

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TUI River Cruises restart on March 28 aboard the newly-launched TUI Skyla

TUI River Cruises' sailings will restart at the end of March 2022 after winter trips were suspended during the emergence of the COVID Omicron variant...

TUI River Cruises launches first of 3 adult-only river ships, TUI Maya

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TUI extends suspension of sailings and delays launch of new river ships

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TUI River Cruises announces Christmas Markets and New Year itineraries

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TUI River Cruises launch suspended until November

As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to block the cruise industry, TUI Cruises UK announced further program changes. In March, the...

Live Business to Become TUI River Cruises' Exclusive Entertainment Supplier

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TUI Buys Three River Cruise Ships

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Other TUI River Cruises cruise ships

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TUI Isla Wiki

TUI Isla (ENI number 4809190) belongs to the TwinCruiser boat type, in which passenger sections are structurally separated from the drive unit. TwinCruiser-class riverboats have two separate hulls linked to each other by clutches. The advantage of such separation is that the transmission of vibrations and noises can be mostly avoided.

The vessel TUI Isla is powered by two MTU marine diesel engines (model 12V-4000 M60) with total power output 1,6 MW. The engine builder MTU Friedrichshafen is a subsidiary of Rolls-Royce Power Systems and among the world's largest manufacturers of diesel engines and propulsion systems. MTU produces diesel engines for ships (passenger and cargo vessels), heavy vehicles, military vehicles and trains in the power range 20 kW to 10 MW (up to 13410 HP output) and also sells Mercedes-Benz engines for industrial applications and gas turbines.

The riverboat's propulsion system is based on two 4-wing Veth rudder propellers plus one bow thruster (Jastram Azimuth Jet). Onboard energy supply is provided by three diesel generator sets (310 kVA, model Cummins KT-1150-G).

Note: You can see the CruiseMapper's list of all river cruise ships and riverboats in the "itinerary" section of our River Cruises hub. All companies and their fleets are listed there.