Cruise Specialists Blog

Making Your Travel Easier

  • Cruise Lines
  • Cruise Destinations
  • Cruise News
  • River Cruises
  • Ship Reviews
Blog Home / River Cruises

River Cruise Beverage Policies – Revisited

Ralph Grizzle

Two years ago, we wrote about the myriad of beverage policies that are present in the river cruise industry. Some lines offer complimentary beverages across all ships and destinations, while others include free beer and wine with lunch and dinner.

Reflecting on A-ROSA Stella over an Aperol Spritz. © 2013 Ralph Grizzle
Depending on your river cruise line, this Aperol Spritz could be free. © 2013 Ralph Grizzle

But fast forward two years, and things have changed substantially. Some lines, like CroisiEurope, Tauck and Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection now offer inclusive onboard beverage policies that allow for all but premium wines and spirits to be enjoyed freely throughout the cruise. Others, like A-ROSA, have been all-inclusive from the start.

To help readers make sense of the many policies offered by each line, we’ve updated our handy chart of who-offers-what:

Screenshot 2014 01 30 18 21 24

Should you chose a river cruise operator solely based on its beverage policies? Probably not, but if all things were created equal, the advantage of having most if not all beverages provided on a complimentary basis could be enough to tip the scales in favor of that particular line.

River cruise lines can have different beverage policies for cruises sailing to different regions of the world. Shown here is AmaWaterways' AmaLotus. Photo © 2013 Aaron Saunders
River cruise lines can have different beverage policies for cruises sailing to different regions of the world. Photo © 2013 Aaron Saunders

It’s also critically important that river cruisers do their homework; even if you’ve sailed with a particularly line before, don’t assume its offerings in, say, Russia will be identical to those on its European river vessels. Ships operating in areas like Russia, Portugal, Asia and South America are often owned and or operated by other companies and may have entirely different policies toward onboard beverages.

The good news, though, is that river cruise lines seem to be getting even more competitive where beverages are concerned. River cruising has always been more inclusive than many mainstream ocean-cruising products, and that trend looks like it will continue.

Bottoms up!

More from my site

  • A-ROSA Stella & River Cruising In France: Slideshow TourA-ROSA Stella & River Cruising In France: Slideshow Tour
  • Cruising Germany’s Scenic Main RiverCruising Germany’s Scenic Main River
  • Tauck Unveils New Loft StateroomsTauck Unveils New Loft Staterooms
  • Ready For Christmas? Ours Starts Tuesday. Come Cruising With Us On Two Christmas Markets’ River CruisesReady For Christmas? Ours Starts Tuesday. Come Cruising With Us On Two Christmas Markets’ River Cruises

River Cruises

SEARCH ARTICLES

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Maggie Blehert

Her ideal travel day: venturing to a new place, learning something interesting and sharing a smile.
View My Blog Posts

Steve and Wendy Bodenheimer
Cruise Specialists Voyage Hosts reporting on their round the world journeys.
View My Blog Posts

Ralph Grizzle

The Avid Cruiser. Well-traveled and insightful. Helping you make informed cruise decisions.
View My Blog Posts

Article Categories

  • Amusement Parks
  • Cruise Destinations
    • Africa Cruise Reviews
    • Alaska Cruise Reviews
    • Amazon Cruise Reviews
    • Antarctica Cruise Reviews
    • Arctic Cruise Reviews
    • Asia Cruise Reviews
    • Australia/New Zealand
    • Baltic Cruise Reviews
    • California
    • Canada/New England Cruise Reviews
    • Caribbean Cruise Reviews
    • Cuba Cruise Reviews
    • Europe Cruise Reviews
    • Galapagos Cruise Reviews
    • Grand Voyages
    • Hawaii Cruise Reviews
    • Iceland/Greenland
    • Mediterranean Cruise Reviews
    • Mexico Cruise Reviews
    • Panama Canal Cruise Reviews
    • Scandinavia and Northern Europe Cruise Reviews
    • South America Cruise Reviews
    • South Pacific Cruise Reviews
    • Transatlantic Cruise Reviews
    • World Cruise Reviews
  • Cruise FAQs
  • Cruise Lines
    • Abercrombie & Kent
    • AmaWaterways Cruise Reviews
    • American Cruise Line Reviews
    • American Queen Steamboat Company Reviews
    • Aqua Expeditions
    • Atlas Ocean Voyages Reviews
    • Avalon Cruise Reviews
    • Azamara Cruise Reviews
    • Celebrity Cruise Reviews
    • Celebrity Galapagos Cruise Reviews
    • Crystal Cruise Reviews
    • Crystal Expedition Cruise Reviews
    • Crystal World Cruise Reviews
    • Cunard Cruise Reviews
    • Cunard World Cruise Reviews
    • Disney Cruise Reviews
    • Holland America Line Cruise Reviews
    • Holland America World Cruise Reviews
    • Hurtigruten
    • Lindblad/National Geographic
    • Norwegian Cruise Reviews
    • Oceania
    • Oceania Cruise Reviews
    • Oceania World Cruise Reviews
    • Paul Gauguin Cruise Reviews
    • Ponant Cruise Reviews
    • Princess Cruise Reviews
    • Quark Expeditions Reviews
    • Regent Cruise Reviews
    • Regent Seven Seas Cruise
    • Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
    • Royal Caribbean Cruise Reviews
    • Scenic Eclipse Discovery Yacht Reviews
    • Scenic River Cruise Reviews
    • Seabourn Cruise Reviews
    • Seabourn Expedition Cruise Reviews
    • Silversea Cruise Reviews
    • Silversea Expedition Cruise Reviews
    • Silversea World Cruise Reviews
    • Star Clippers Cruise Reviews
    • Tauck Cruise and Tauck Land Tour Reviews
    • UnCruise Adventures
    • Uniworld Cruise Reviews
    • Viking Cruise Reviews
    • Viking Expedition Cruise Reviews
    • Viking Ocean Cruise Reviews
    • Virgin Voyages
    • Windstar Cruise Reviews
    • Zegrahm Expeditions
  • Cruise News
  • Cruise Ports
  • Cruise Specialists Benefits
  • Crystal Cruises
  • Group Travel
  • Hosted Cruises
  • Hotel and Land Travel
    • Luxury Hotels
    • Palace Resorts Reviews
    • Shore Excursions
    • Tour Review
    • Trains
  • Ralph Grizzle
  • River Cruises
  • Ship Reviews
  • Solo Cruising
  • Specialty Cruises
  • Theme Cruises
  • Tom Mullen
Visit Vacation.com Insider's profile on Pinterest.

FOLLOW US ON

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter