Viva Cruises has a rather charming and simple motto: “Enjoy the moment”.
On meeting Andrea Kruse, the CEO of the cruise line, as she paid a visit to Johannesburg last week, it became clear that the message comes straight from the heart.
Kruse says Viva Cruises offers river cruising with a fresh and modern approach, giving clients a luxury experience with a more relaxed feel. The cruise line’s wish is that all Viva’s passengers just “enjoy the moment”, and it sounds as though there is every possibility of that coming true.
Kruse outlined to Travel News the many features that set this young, go-ahead river-cruise company apart.
“We offer all-inclusive fares – everything onboard, except excursions, is included. All alcoholic and non- alcoholic drinks are included, and this is a high quality selection. The cabins all have a mini-bar, replenished daily, and also a tea-making station. All restaurants onboard are included, as are port taxes and gratuities, and a good wifi connection too. The nature of our all-inclusive removes barriers to enjoyment.”
This is welcome news for the South African market, where the unstable exchange rate means many travellers want a fully all-inclusive experience when travelling abroad.
Viva’s cruises are a natural fit with the incentive market. Kruse suggested that a Christmas Market cruise would be well suited for this purpose. For example, the four-night Rhine Time Out Cruise departs from Frankfurt and takes in the idyllic towns of Mannheim, Speyer and Strasbourg (known as the Christmas Capital of Europe) before returning to Frankfurt via Mainz and Wiesbaden.
Viva is busy expanding its season and will, in 2026, cruise the rivers of Europe for 11,5 months of the year, from January to November. Guests can enjoy a much less-crowded Europe if they choose shoulder-season cruises.
While they are not included, Viva’s shore excursions are rather special, Kruse said. “On the Moselle, for example, our guests really enjoy the wine tours - they travel to the various vineyards in a number of Volkswagen Bullis (these are 60s-style VW Kombis). The company offers all sorts of shore excursions, with a leaning towards food experiences including wine and cheese tastings.” Plus there is a host of other shore experiences centred around topics like history, art, music, local sights, chocolate and many more.
The ships carry a certain number of bicycles onboard for guests’ use – many pax love taking a cycle along the river, or into town to explore.
“Our average age of pax onboard is 60,4 years – younger than the industry average” says Kruse, and the company is aiming at a younger, more active market. Solo travellers are welcome – Viva does not have any solo cabins, but it offers solos a very reasonable single supplement.
“A good way to look at these cruises is to sell them as a relaxing add-on to a Europe trip,” said Kruse. Some combining of itineraries will allow the guests to see four major European cities in six days. Passengers can embark at Vienna, see Budapest and Bratislava, take a short flight to Paris and then spend three days on the Seine in Paris.”
Another important aspect pointed out by Kruse, is that Viva’s rates are never discounted, the price remains the same on every channel. So agents will not have to compete with cheaper deals appearing in direct channels. And of course, the company does pay commissions to travel agents.
Viva Boutique
The latest development is Viva Boutique, a new premium product. Under the Viva Boutique brand, in the Spring of 2026, a newly-renovated, 110m-long Viva Beyond will take to the rivers of Europe, followed by a second vessel in 2027. The Boutique ships will have more than 50% of the accommodation taken up by Suites (22sqm) and Master Suites (30sqm). These ships will have three dining options onboard, and Suite guests will have special dining and other privileges.
Sustainability is something the company takes seriously. “We are a virtually paperless environment onboard. We have removed all plastics. Sustainable, reusable water bottles are given to each guest as a gift and there are water stations around the ship for refilling. Because the majority of food is served, rather than buffet, we save 20% on food that would be wasted. We have removed tablecloths from the dining tables in order to save on washing them.”
“In 2026, our ships will all be using 85-90% carbon emission-free biofuel, Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), a second-generation biofuel made from renewable sources like waste vegetable oils.”
Viva has 10 ships currently, carrying 80-190 passengers each, and is in an expansion phase. “We are growing but we don’t plan to become a mass-market product,” says Kruse.
Viva Cruises is represented in the South African market by Whitestar Cruises.
