River Cruise Line Tempts Guests With Festive Voyages in Europe

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TUI River Cruises unveiled a series of winter season voyages on the Danube and Rhine rivers, where guests can celebrate the holidays with visits to traditional Christmas markets in several European cities. Four-, five-, and seven-night sailings are offered on three river ships starting in November 2025.

All told, 15 cruises are featured onboard TUI Maya, TUI Isla, and TUI Skyla, each with a capacity for 155 guests. The seasonal voyages, operating through the 2026 New Year holiday, opened for sale on July 18, 2024.

Christmas River Cruise
Christmas River Cruise (Photo Credit: TUI Cruises)

Europeโ€™s Christmas markets are popular for their festive atmosphere, as they generally feature many local vendors selling unique, handcrafted goods at outdoor stalls. The markets are held in cities and small villages, where old-world ambiance, carol singing, and cobblestone streets add to the charm.

Sample cruises on TUI Maya include the five-night โ€œYuletide Delights,โ€ calling at Vienna, Austria; Budapest, Hungary; and Bratislava, Slovakia. The โ€œFestive Danube Delightsโ€ cruise also is five nights and calls in Austria and Slovakia, while the four-night โ€œAustrian Christmas Flavoursโ€ visits the Austrian ports of Vienna, Dรผrnstein, Melk, and Linz.

Other four-night sailings that will offer the festive holiday spirit will be operated onboard TUI Isla, including the โ€œChristmas Carols and Castlesโ€ cruise. The itinerary features visits to the German cities of Dรผsseldorf, Cologne, Rรผdesheim, and Koblenz. 

TUI Skyla will sail four-night holiday cruises, such as โ€œGlรผhwein on the Rhine,โ€ an itinerary that calls at Cologne, Dรผsseldorf, and Koblenz.

We’re excited to be launching new winter sailings down the Danube for our winter 2025 program. We’re giving customers the chance to explore even more cities during the festive period for the very first time,โ€ said Katy Berzins, head of river cruises at TUI River Cruises

โ€œBy introducing the new four-night sailings down the Danube and Rhine, it will offer a chance for new-to-cruise customers to experience our fleet for the first time for a shorter duration,โ€ Berzins added.

Seven-night cruises are offered on both the Danube and the Rhine. TUI Maya will sail โ€œDanube Christmas Treasures,โ€ calling at ports in Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia, while โ€œA Danube New Yearโ€ visits Vienna and Dรผrnstein, Austria; Budapest and Esztergom, Hungary; and Bratislava.

Sailing the Rhine, TUI Isla will feature the seven-night itinerary โ€œNorth Rhine Noel,โ€ which will visit Christmas market cities in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium.

Another seven-night sailing, onboard TUI Skyla, is โ€œFestive Fairy Tale,โ€ visiting the German market towns of Cologne, Rรผdesheim, Speyer, Kehl (for Strasbourg), Mainz, and Koblenz.

Read Also: River Cruise vs. Ocean Cruise: Whatโ€™s the Difference?

River cruises focusing on the new year holiday include TUI Islaโ€™s โ€œA New Year Sail Away,โ€ which will include a festive fireworks display in Koblenz, Germany, and TUI Skylaโ€™s โ€œA New Year on the Rhine,โ€ which begins in Cologne and visits other ports in Germany plus the Netherlands.

Egypt Cruises to Return in Winter 2025

TUI River Cruises announced that the lineโ€™s newest ship, the 145-guest TUI Al Horeya, scheduled to debut in November 2024, will be deployed to Luxor, Egypt, during winter 2025 for a series of Nile River sailings. The cruise line offers air-cruise packages from London Gatwick Airport and Manchester Airport to Luxor.

The seven-night โ€œLegends of the Nileโ€ cruise operates roundtrip from Luxor and calls at the Egyptian ports of Edfu, Kom Ombo, and Aswan.

TUI Group is the parent company of TUI River Cruises and the ocean ship division, TUI Cruises. The company got off to a strong financial start in 2024, posting improvements in revenue, earnings, and occupancy rates. 

TUI Cruises operates two cruise lines, Mein Schiff and Hapag Lloyd. Mein Schiff recently launched a new ocean ship, Mein Schiff 7, in June 2024.

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