October 15, 2026 — Riverside Luxury Cruises has opened bookings for 2028 and announced a new river ship, Riverside Mahler, which debuts in May 2028 on the Rhine, Main and Danube.
Riverside Mahler
- Debuts May 2028, joining sister ship Riverside Debussy.
- Summer: sailings linking the Danube and Rhine (Germany, Austria and Hungary with Amsterdam and Basel). September: Lower Danube. October: back to the Rhine. Season ends with Danube Christmas sailings.
- Main-Danube Canal departures rise to 12 in 2028, from four in 2026 and two in 2027. The extra ship also gives the line room to swap ships during high or low water.
2028 season
- Sailings from early spring to late December, from three to 23 nights.
- New: 10 Budapest–Regensburg and 10 Regensburg–Budapest sailings, two Dutch Waterways itineraries and three Lower Danube departures.
- Riverside Mozart adds a seven-night Vienna–Budapest trip with the Wachau Valley and a new Hungarian port, Győr; Riverside Debussy adds 9- and 10-night Amsterdam–Basel itineraries via the Moselle; Riverside Ravel stays on the Rhône and Saône.
- Early booking: 18% off the sailing price for any 2028 sailing booked before June 30, 2027.
What it means for airline travelers
- Most of these cruises are one-way (for example Budapest–Regensburg or Amsterdam–Basel), so you will need open-jaw flights. Regensburg has no major airport; Munich is the usual gateway.
- River sailings can change with water levels. Leave a buffer day at each end, especially if you are flying standby.
- The 18% discount is a public early-booking offer; no travel-industry or interline rates were mentioned.
Sources
- Seatrade Cruise News: Riverside opens 2028 bookings, debuts Mahler river ship
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