River cruise ship classes
Each major operator runs one or more standard hull designs — the Viking Longship, the Scenic Space-Ship, the AmaWaterways Super Ship, the Pandaw Heritage, and many more. 44 classes in the current fleet, each with the full list of ships built to its specification.
Longship
Viking's signature European hull. Hybrid solar-and-diesel propulsion, 190 passengers across 95 cabins on three guest decks, with a two-tier glass atrium and…
European
Avalon's flagship Suite Ship class. The cabins are arranged so the bed faces the floor-to-ceiling Panorama Window, and the ship offers an…
Classic
CroisiEurope's traditional European hull. Smaller cabins than the German fleets, a French-language onboard culture, French wines and meals, and the lowest mainstream…
Suite Ship
Uniworld's all-suite formula. Hand-painted murals, antique furniture in the public spaces, butler service in the higher categories, and one of the highest…
Pandaw Heritage
Pandaw's signature all-teak two-deck colonial-style vessel, modelled on the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company steamers of the 1940s. Operates on the Mekong, Irrawaddy and…
Space-Ship
Scenic's all-inclusive flagship class. Butler service in every cabin, the patented Sun Lounge balcony (the wall slides into the ceiling rather than…
Super Ship
AmaWaterways' principal European class. Twin-balcony cabins (an outside French balcony plus an inside step-out balcony), a heated sun-deck pool with a swim-up…
Riviera Standard
Riviera Travel's mainstream European hull. Sold mainly to UK guests, with included excursions, Riviera's signature solo-cabin block on the lowest deck and…
Modern Riverboat
American Cruise Lines' recent contemporary class. All-American vessels (built and crewed in the United States), with private balconies on every cabin and…
Nile
Generic naming for the new Western-branded Nile hulls — Viking's Egyptian fleet, AmaWaterways' Egyptian fleet, and Avalon Farah. Smaller passenger counts than…
Star-Ship
Emerald's signature European hull, distinguished by the indoor pool that converts to a cinema each evening, panoramic balcony suites, and two restaurants…
A-ROSA Premium
A-ROSA's flagship E-Motion class introduces hybrid electric propulsion to the European fleet alongside the line's signature spa, indoor pool and casual buffet-style…
Amadeus Premium
Lüftner Cruises' top European class, distinguished by panorama balconies, a Strauss restaurant for à-la-carte dinners and the line's Austrian-Swiss onboard culture.
River Concerto
Grand Circle's principal European class. Fixed-window cabins, a smaller passenger count than the comparable Viking ships, and inclusion of all gratuities and…
Premier
Tauck's principal European class. All-inclusive luxury, butler service throughout, fewer guests than the comparable Viking or AmaWaterways vessels, and gratuities and excursions…
Volga Classic
Vodohod's earlier Russian hulls. Original Soviet-era construction, now serving Western tour operators with refurbished cabins on the Moscow-St-Petersburg and Volga itineraries.
Inspiration
Tauck's smaller-cabin European class — the line's earlier ships, retained in service alongside the newer Premier vessels.
Amadeus Classic
Lüftner's earlier European hulls. Smaller cabins than the Premium class but the same Austrian-Swiss onboard service, and a strong concert programme on…
Coastal Cat
American Cruise Lines' small coastal catamarans, used for shoulder-season cruises along the Atlantic seaboard rather than the inland river routes.
Douro Class
Viking's purpose-built Douro fleet — a scaled-down Longship hull adapted for the Portuguese river's lock and beam constraints.
Mekong
Generic naming for the Western-branded Mekong vessels: AmaDara, Avalon Saigon, Avalon Siem Reap, Scenic Spirit. Adapted from the European Suite-Ship template with…
A-ROSA Classic
A-ROSA's earlier European hulls. German-language casual cruising, family-friendly cabins with a child-bed-pull-down system, and an open-seating buffet restaurant rather than the traditional…
Heritage Paddle-Wheeler
American Queen Voyages' larger Victorian-styled paddle wheelers — the American Queen herself, plus the American Empress on the Columbia-Snake.
Riverside Suite
Riverside Luxury Cruises' all-suite European class. Marble-bath suites averaging 280 square feet, butler service throughout, and inclusion of premium spirits and shore…
Douro
Generic naming for purpose-built Portuguese Douro hulls. Maximum length 80 metres to fit the river's locks, three guest decks, and shallow draft…
Riviera Douro
Riviera's purpose-built Douro vessels — Douro Splendour, Douro Elegance, Douro Serenity — sized for the river's locks but retaining the line's signature…
Aqua Design
Aqua Expeditions' design-forward small-ship category. Floor-to-ceiling glass cabins, a Peruvian or Asian partner-chef tasting menu, and the highest published per-night rates in…
Sanctuary Nile
Sanctuary Retreats' Nile flagship class — the Sun Boat IV and the Nile Adventurer — with butler service throughout and itineraries that…
Paddle-Wheeler
Authentic stern-wheel paddle-driven vessels operated by American Cruise Lines and American Queen Voyages on the Mississippi system. The paddle wheel is functional,…
Paddle Wheel
Older stern-wheel paddle vessels in the American river fleets, retained alongside the newer Heritage Paddle-Wheeler and Modern Riverboat classes.
Jewel
Tauck's premium category, with larger suites than the Inspiration class and the line's full butler programme included.
US Modern
Catch-all name for newer US-built river vessels that don't fit the Modern Riverboat, Paddle-Wheeler or Coastal Cat templates.
AmaMagna Class
AmaWaterways' wide-beam Danube vessel — twice the beam of a standard Longship, half the passenger count, with full-width Owner's Suites and a…
Yacht
Boutique 'river yacht' positioning, used by a small number of operators for vessels with a deliberately low passenger count and a club-like…
E-Motion
A-ROSA's hybrid-electric class — the first electric-propulsion river-cruise ship in the European fleet, paired with rooftop solar and the line's casual onboard…
A-ROSA Douro
A-ROSA's purpose-built Douro vessel, scaled down to fit the river's locks while keeping the line's signature spa and pool.
Amadeus Provence
Lüftner's purpose-built Rhône-Saône vessel — a Premium-class hull adapted for the lock dimensions of the French rivers.
Amadeus Elbe
Lüftner's purpose-built Elbe vessel, with the shallow draft required for the German river's varying water levels.
Heritage Steamer
Heritage Line's recreated French-colonial paddle steamer style — rich timber interiors, brass fittings, and a deliberate 1930s aesthetic across small-passenger vessels.
Heritage Khmer
Heritage Line's Mekong vessel, styled as a turn-of-the-century Khmer royal barge with hand-carved teak interiors.
Heritage Royal
Heritage Line's Irrawaddy flagship, modelled on a colonial-era royal yacht with butler service throughout the small cabin count.
Heritage Colonial
Heritage Line's small-ship colonial-styled offering, used for tributary itineraries on the Irrawaddy and the Chindwin.
Sanctuary Irrawaddy
Sanctuary's purpose-built Burmese vessel — the Sanctuary Ananda — with a small cabin count and a strong cultural-immersion programme.
Volga Premium
Vodohod's flagship Russian class. Refurbished Soviet-era hulls upgraded with Western-standard balcony cabins for the Moscow-St-Petersburg waterway.