VIVA Cruises Debuts New Boutique River Ship in France: VIVA Beyond
VIVA Beyond is VIVA Cruises’ new river ship and the first in the company’s VIVA Boutique collection. The ship was christened in Paris and will offer Seine River cruises for up to 112 passengers. (Photo by John Roberts)
What if I told you there is an all-inclusive boutique river cruise line that offers energetic entertainment, a delightful international passenger mix, and variety of delicious cuisine — all at surprisingly affordable prices?
Let me reintroduce you to VIVA Cruises. I’ve cruised on this line before, sailing on Viva Two on the Danube River a couple of years ago. I had an amazing time and was so pleased with a line about I had very little knowledge before I cruised the first time.
I was eager to get back onboard after being invited to Paris to attend the christening ceremony for line’s new ship VIVA Beyond.
After that, Colleen and I traveled to Dusseldorf, Germany, to hop on one of the line’s first ships VIVA Moments for a Rhine River voyage.
Having experienced three of VIVA’s river ships — all with their own distinctive styles — I rate the line as one of my favorites on Europe’s rivers.
First, let’s take a look at the new VIVA Beyond. The special event in Paris for the first ship in Viva’s new upscale brand called VIVA Boutique was a two-night visit on the ship with the ceremony, meals and familiarization of the vessel but not a cruise.
It was fun to witness the festivities to debut this exciting new river ship. (Photo by John Roberts)
VIVA Beyond features design-forward spaces for a series of cultural cruises. Plus, travelers enjoy VIVA’s signature premium-all-inclusive while experiencing the beauty of the Seine River.
I look forward to cruising on this charming new ship soon, but I learned plenty about VIVA Beyond and the VIVA Boutique concept during my two days in Paris.
Here’s what travelers will love about VIVA Cruises’ new ship.
1. VIVA Beyond Offers Attractive Spaces, Lively Vibe
VIVA Boutique is a new brand, with VIVA Beyond as the first ship in this fleet that focuses on more space, suites and award-winning cuisine during cruise voyages. (Photo by John Roberts)
The ship carries just 112 passengers when it’s full. This means you have no crowds in the dining rooms or when you’re enjoying tours on your Seine River cruises.
VIVA gets most of its cruisers from Germany, but also plenty from countries such as England, Denmark, Amsterdam, Norway and Finland. The U.S. and Canadian market is growing, too, and the line’s fastest-growing age group is 50 to 59.
The design of this new Boutique concept is built around making it more spacious for the discerning cruiser. The ship has more suites than any other in the VIVA fleet, including Junior Suites, Suites and the new Beyond Suites, many with panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows and elevated in-room amenities.
Around the ship, you’ll find open-plan public areas with outstanding river views and an inviting aesthetic that is clean and classy.
Beyond features a spacious and attractive lobby and the Panorama Lounge that connects to Viva’s Bistro, a casual eatery that is a nice space to sit and enjoy a morning coffee or afternoon cocktail while savoring the views through the windows at the front of the ship as you sail.
The lounge is an inviting public space where cruisers relax during afternoons cruising on the Seine and evening with entertainment, such as live music and dancing performances from guest entertainers, as well as piano and DJ music from the resident entertainment director.
Light streams into the ship through the glass in every public spaces, actually, and I’ve noticed this on all four Viva Cruises’ ships that we have reviewed.
Designers have created an elegant and inviting feel for the fleet, and this is taken to the next level with the Boutique concept.
The sun deck also offers plenty of seating, including lounge chairs tables, chairs and canopies to provide shaded spaces. There is a small putting green and a hot tub toward the back of the ship on the top deck, giving the space a bit of a resort feel.
Other amenities include the small fitness center, massage services, a fleet of bikes and a boutique selling jewelry, hats, scarves and souvenirs.
2. Large Suites on the Seine River
VIVA Beyond features 56 staterooms, and half of these are roomy suites. There are three categories for these suites: Junior Suite, Suite and Beyond Suite.
Colleen and I stayed in a Suite and loved the space and amenities during our two nights onboard.
It features a large comfortable bed that faces a floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall French balcony style window for maximum views of the river. Plus, a small seating area with a table and chairs, a coffee bar with mini fridge and a large bathroom with spa-style walk-in shower and premium toiletries.
Check out my full video tour of the new VIVA Beyond ship that shows all the suites and some other cabins.
3. Outstanding Dining Onboard and Ashore
VIVA Beyond offers three restaurants, all included in your cruise fare.
The main Riverside dining room offers breakfast and lunch service with small buffets complemented by menus with a selection of items to order, such as eggs, pancakes and French toast for breakfast, and soups, fish preparation or steak or lamb dish for lunch.
Lunch service also features a station live cooking a pasta of the day.
Dinner is a multi-course plated experience offering a delicious selection of steaks, seafood, soups, salads and desserts highlighting the legendary cuisine of France.
Viva’s Brasserie is a casual restaurant in front of the lounge offering a more relaxed dining experience but still with outstanding French classics. It’s open for lunch and dinner, with items like escargots, onion soup, croquet monsieur and beef bourguignon.
VIVA Bistro is a specialty dining experience for up to 12 cruisers at a time (try to reserve a spot as soon as you board). This is a multi-course wine-pairing meal that was created in partnership with Michelin-starred chef David Görne.
Additionally, cruisers who book in the Beyond Suite staterooms will get an off-ship dining experience at Chef Görne’s Manoir de Rétival restaurant in the picturesque town of Rives-en-Seine or at the Auberge des Raines restaurant in Jumieges.
Plus, nightly hors d’oeuvres at cocktail hour in the lounge, sumptuous afternoon teas and late-night snacks keep cruisers on VIVA Beyond well fed, indeed.
4. Diverse Itineraries Show Off the Best of France
VIVA Beyond offers three signature trips, all carefully curated seven-night cruises, each showing off a distinct slice of French culture.
In the Footsteps of Impressionism
Travelers will learn about the landscapes that inspired Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh, with stops in Giverny, Rouen and Auvers-sur-Oise, plus exclusive access to top art museums and gardens along the Seine.
Savor regional flavors with visits to markets, orchards and farms. These excursions are paired with refined onboard menus and special food-and-wine experiences.
From the architecture of Paris to the historic heart of Normandy, this trip offers a comprehensive look at the past and present of France’s cultural heritage.
Each sailing includes all meals, premium beverages, excursions, gratuities, wifi and exclusive onboard experiences.
Looking Ahead: Boutique Expansion into Italy
VIVA Boutique will expand into Italy in 2027 with the debut of VIVA Unique, a sister ship to VIVA Beyond. This new ship which will offer a similarly elevated and intimate cruise experience while taking cruisers along Italy’s celebrated waterways.
“VIVA Boutique is a key pillar of our long-term growth strategy,” VIVA Cruises CEO and Co-Founder Andrea Kruse said. “We’re excited to bring this refined, culturally rich travel style to even more destinations across Europe. This expansion reflects our commitment to thoughtful growth, exceptional design, and immersive destination-focused travel.”
Cruising the Rhine River on VIVA Moments
VIVA Moments carries up to 176 passengers, but we sailed with just 85 others on our Rhine River voyage in early spring. (Photo by John Roberts)
VIVA Moments is a 176-passenger ship that debuted in 2018 as the Robert Burns with Riviera Travel before coming to the VIVA Cruises fleet in 2021.
We enjoyed a pleasant cruise from Dusseldorf to Nuremberg on the Rhine and Main Rivers in Germany.
The weather was an unseasonably cool 52 to 62 degrees with cloudy days and periods of rain throughout the mid-May voyage, but we enjoyed our time onboard and visiting the ports of Koblenz, Frankfurt, Miltenberg, Werthheim, Wurzburg, Volkach, Bamberg and Nuremberg.
The route is lock intensive with 40 locks along the route, mostly in the meandering Main River.
If you choose this itinerary, you will have slow-paced days with several mornings of scenic sailing before arriving into ports in the afternoon. The top sun deck also was closed for long periods of this cruise as we navigated the Main River and its dozens of locks and bridges.
We had morning arrivals in our first three ports but arrived to Wertheim, Wurzburg and Volkach mid-afternoon, plus a noon arrival time for Bamberg.
VIVA Moments sits docked in Frankfurt, Germany, where Colleen and I got off for a long walk around the city on a Thursday morning. (Photo by John Roberts)
Colleen and I were the lone Americans onboard among the 85 cruisers (so the ship was just half full, which was delightful).
The rest of the travelers were German, save for two people from Denmark.
We’ve now taken two river cruises this year and both were in chilly temps. And having cruised on an “offseason” winter cruise and during a rainy voyage in early spring, we’ve learned of a few tried-and-true ways you can still thoroughly enjoy your European river cruise even when the conditions aren’t ideal.
We boarded in Dusseldorf after arriving by train from a two-night stay in Cologne, where we visited that city on our own ahead of the cruise. We love Cologne, and our time included a stop at Peters Bauhaus, an iconic Kölsch house just steps from Cologne cathedral. We downed about five or six (it can be hard to keep track!) of the cold crisp beers during our visit.
Standing at a hightop and sipping our beers while chatting with the others in the bar is a delightful way to spend a chilly afternoon.
Now, in Dusseldorf, on the morning before the cruise on VIVA Moments, we booked a tour with Tours by Locals. Guide Anja took us around the city to learn about the art, architecture, history and try some beer, have lunch at the market and then tea and dessert at a sweets shop.
This was the perfect way to spend time before boarding and check-in time for our cruise.
This day, like almost all of the days of the weeklong voyage ahead, experienced short periods of rain with mostly cloudy conditions and temps poking just above 50.
Colleen and I used this trip as a chance to relax as much as possible, choosing to dip into and out of the ship activities and tours while also spending a lot of time on our own, taking long walks along the river paths, visiting the parks and town squares around Frankfurt, enjoying a short tour with an excellent guide in the incredibly picturesque town of Miltenberg and going on a hike to see the scenic ruins and castle in Wertheim.
This was our fifth or sixth Rhine River cruise, so we had been to each of the ports before. So, it was nice to not feel the pressure to cram everything in during this trip. This allowed us to simply enjoy a rejuvenating springtime getaway in Europe, sipping beers and trying new foods on VIVA Moments, as well as indulging in spa treatments and mingling with our fellow cruisers during trivia contests, as well as watching the Eurovision finals and live music performances in the lounge.
With all the inclusions, ship amenities, delicious food (I especially liked the Viva Burger, which I had three times for lunch during the week), decadent tea times, and attentive service, it’s no wonder that VIVA Cruises has become one of our go-to lines for an amazing travel experience.