WHOLE BOAT SINGLES

FALL COLORS CRUISE ON THE RHINE, MOSSELLE AND NECKAR RIVERS

OCTOBER 31-NOV. 7, 2023

With HALLOWEEN PARTY ON THE FIRST NIGHT OF YOUR CRUISE

No Single Supplement for Anyone on this
Singles Only Cruise

STUNNING FALL COLORS AND CASTLES ALONG THE RIVER

Cruise Overview

A spectacularly scenic cruise of wonderful contrasts, from refined and historic Heidelberg to delightfully quaint Boppard and the old world charm of medieval Strasbourg plus the enduring allure of the glorious Rhine Gorge. Stepping aboard you will appreciate the superb surroundings of your floating luxury hotel for the next seven nights with spacious and well-appointed cabins or suites, private bathrooms and meticulously prepared fine cuisine.

From Cologne, we slip our moorings and head on our journey south to Koblenz spending a morning exploring this historic town sitting at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers then continuing to the beautiful old town of Boppard for the evening. Continuing our journey we navigate through the outstanding natural beauty of the world-famous Rhine Gorge onto Mainz famous for the ‘Gutenberg’ Bibles. Next we enjoy a guided tour of stunning Heidelberg, on the route of Europe’s ‘Grand Tour’, nestling by the picturesque River Neckar.

By day five, we arrive in Strasbourg, a delightful city with its center largely unchanged since the 14th century, a mosaic of winding alleys and lanes lined with quirkily crooked, half-timbered houses. During periods of its history Strasbourg has been both German and French, and today you can see this influence in its language, cuisine and appearance, creating a truly individual city. Then to Colmar, almost embarrassingly perfect - a typically quaint medieval Alsatian town.

The following day we return journey downstream, stopping in Rudesheim one of the liveliest towns on the river, before continuing through the Rhine Gorge to Cologne. Here we enjoy a guided walking tour of the city with time to explore the stunning cathedral, an excellent finale to this most wonderful cruise.

We are cruising on the same river boat, the Oscar Wilde, that everyone loved on our July of 2022 Rhine River cruise.  The boat has a capacity of only 160 passengers, but on this special SOLO TRAVELERS ONLY CRUISE, ALL CABINS WILL BE SINGLE OCCUPANCY AND THAT MEANS ONLY 80 TOTAL PASSENGERS ONBOARD AND MUCH MORE SPACE FOR EVERYONE TO ENJOY ON THE OUTSIDE DECKS TO SEE THE BEAUTIFUL FALL COLORS AND IN THE LOUNGES AND DINING ROOMS.

ENJOY BEAUTIFUL FALL COLORS ALONG THE BANKS OF THE RHINE, MOSSELLE AND NECKLAR RIVERS, AS WELL AS IN THE PORT TOWNS AND VILLAGES WE WILL VISIT ON OUR DAILY INCLUDED SHORE EXCURSIONS.

DAY ONE – OCTOBER 31, 2023

ARRIVE INTO COLOGNE GERMANY ON YOUR OWN ARRANGMENT.  (OR YOU MAY ALSO FLY INTO THE NEARBY CITY OF DUSSELDORF WHICH IS APPROX. 30-45 MINUTES BY TAXI FROM COLOGNE).

MAKE YOUR WAY TO OUR RIVERBOAT DOCKED IN COLOGNE ALONG THE SCENIC RHINE RIVER.

EMBARK IN COLOGNE

Arrive in Cologne, where your five-star floating hotel is moored. The dedicated English-speaking crew welcomes you on board and helps you to your cabin. After settling into your spacious and tastefully furnished accommodation, there’s time to familiarize yourself with this splendid ship before welcome drinks and dinner in the stylish restaurant. 

We will have a welcome orientation onboard the boat this evening.  Then after dinner, we will enjoy a
HALLOWEEN PARTY ONBOARD!  COSTUMES ARE OF COURSE OPTIONAL, BUT WE WILL GIVE A SMALL PRIZE TO THE MOST CREATIVE AND THE SCARIEST HALLOWEEN COSTUMES.

DAY 2 – NOVEMBER 1ST, 2023

When you peek out from your cabin this morning, you’ll realize the ship has slipped quietly away from Cologne; the view that greets you is of vine-covered valleys sides aglow in the morning light, bidding you a warm welcome to the charms of the Rhine. There’s nothing quite like that feeling of anticipation when gliding alongside the promenade of a river port, snatching tantalizing glimpses of what lies ashore, and Koblenz – beautifully located at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers – doesn’t disappoint.

The city is immersed in two millennia of history: founded by the Romans, it was successively occupied by the Franks, chosen as a residence of the German prince electors, conquered by the French and fortified by the Prussians! All have left their marks in the city’s rich array of castles, churches, and historic buildings. Koblenz is a romantic’s dream – forest-covered hillsides dominate the skyline, while the lower slopes are strewn with pretty, half-timbered buildings so typical of the Rhineland. After a satisfying breakfast, we disembark to enjoy an insightful guided tour through ‘Old Koblenz’, a patchwork of narrow streets and squares, many lined with exquisitely restored traditional houses and cozy cafés. 

Koblenz Germany

There’s time to explore on your own, maybe taking in a little shopping, before ambling back to the cruise ship. We continue upstream as we enjoy our first relaxing lunch on board and before long we arrive in Boppard, a gorgeous town on a dramatic, almost U-shaped river bend. Known as the ‘Pearl of the Rhine’, Boppard is renowned for its storybook medieval atmosphere of cobbled streets and ancient houses. Here we’ll enjoy a guided tour lead by one of our local experts, with highlights including the beautiful white stone St. Severus and Carmelite churches, the marketplace with the ruins of the fortress and the old town with its charming winding alleys and half-timbered houses. The early evening is an ideal time to wander along the town’s attractive riverside Rheinallee promenade before thoughts turn to tonight’s menu, prepared by the ship’s chef and served to your delight in the restaurant.

The quaint town of Boppard

DAY 3 – NOVEMBER 2ND, 2023

Slipping our mooring in Boppard we cruise through the Rhine Gorge, where the waters narrow to one-fifth their normal width and flow more swiftly. Sheer valley walls soar 600 feet and magnificent birds of prey glide above. Teutonic knights built the numerous redoubtable castles as symbols of their power and to extract tolls from ships, but the fortresses now stand as silent ruins on forested hillsides as reminders of how fortunes change with the passage of history. This really is the magical Rhine of our imagination, so find a comfortable spot on the Sun Deck or in the forward observation lounge and enjoy the experience of cruising this famous stretch of water. 

THE STUNNING RHINE GORGE WHICH WE WILL SAIL THROUGH FOR INCREDIBLE PHOTO OPPS AND MEMORIES OF A LIFETIME
   with its dramatic cliffs, steep vineyards and other scenic wonders

Your next port of call is historic Mainz for an unmissable guided tour. The city is renowned today as Germany’s wine capital but whose most famous son was Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the movable type printing press. The excellent city museum houses a reconstruction of his workshop and, outstandingly, two original 1455 Gutenberg Bibles. The museum is in a beautifully restored 17th-century building in the heart of Mainz’s Old Town, opposite the impressive Romanesque cathedral.

DAY 4 – NOVEMBER 3RD, 2023

Overnight we cruise further downstream and, after breakfast, we take a short drive to Heidelberg, undoubtedly one of Germany’s most perfect architectural treasures and all the more remarkable because it escaped bombing during the Second World War. Set in an almost idealized German landscape, this jewel sits on the banks of the River Neckar, surrounded by forests and with an imposing castle dominating the church spires and terracotta gabled roofs of the compact Aldstadt – the romantic Old Town. Its 14th-century university, one of the most prestigious in Europe, lends Heidelberg a genteel atmosphere rather similar to its ‘twin’ town – Cambridge.

During the 19th century, it was the center of Germany’s Romantic Movement, on the route of the ‘Grand Tour’ and visited by many artists including JMW Turner, who captured its splendors for eternity. There are few more delightful places to explore, as you’ll discover on our guided walking tour, which reveals its principal attractions – including the magical stone bridge with its twin white towers – and local secrets. Afterward, you’ll have time to explore on your own before returning to the ship to enjoy the gorgeous views as the sun sets.

Stunning Heidelberg Germany along the Rhine River

DAY 5 - - NOVEMBER 4TH, 2023

By breakfast, we’ve arrived in France and the charming city of Strasbourg, capital of the Alsace region. The city is a complete delight – its center a mosaic of winding alleys and lanes lined with quirkily crooked, half-timbered houses largely unchanged since the 14th century. During its history Strasbourg has been both German and French, and you see influences of both in its language, cuisine and appearance, creating a truly individual ambiance. This morning, we explore this delightful city on a walking tour with a local guide leading us to its enchanting center – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – taking in the Petite France quarter of pretty canals lined with classic pastel-colored houses crisscrossed with timbers and with flower-filled window boxes, the famous multi-towered Ponts Couverts, or covered bridges, and, of course, the stunning Gothic Notre-Dame Cathedral, which Victor Hugo memorably described as a ‘veritable tiara of stone’.]

Just south of Strasbourg lies a picturesque wine route, virtually an open-air museum of romantic medieval villages, cobbled streets and Renaissance chateaux strung like pearls on a necklace against a sweeping backdrop of rolling hills. We enjoy all this on a splendidly scenic drive, soon arriving in the medieval town of Colmar, the best-preserved in Alsace. Little known outside the area, it’s a magical concoction of canals, former merchants’ houses, ancient religious buildings, and antique shops. The cathedral quarter is surrounded by pastel-colored half-timbered houses displaying the intricate wrought-iron hanging signs so typical of this area of Europe. We’ve plenty of time here to sit, enjoy a coffee and watch the world go by or just wander. We return to the ship in Strasbourg for dinner.

Enjoy a guided walking tour and then free time for shopping and exploring in Beautiful Strasbourg France, along the Rhine River.

DAY 6 – NOVEMBER 5TH, 2023

After a relaxing morning cruise, we arrive in Rüdesheim by late afternoon for a wonderful walking tour – if you imagine a typical Rhine town, then this would be it! Narrow crooked streets lead down to the sweeping river with a backdrop of wooded and vine-covered slopes. Riesling is the specialty grape here and Rüdesheim has many atmospheric Weinstuben where you can sample local wines produced from the surrounding vineyards. On board tonight, we enjoy a culinary spectacular – the Captain’s Dinner – featuring a range of irresistible specialties from the countries and regions we visit during our cruise. This special occasion is hosted, of course, by the Captain himself.

Scenic Rudesheim along the Rhine River

DAY 7 – NOVEMBER 6TH, 2023

This morning, early risers can enjoy phenomenal views as once again we pass through the Rhine Gorge where, in Wagner’s Ring Cycle, the Rhine Maidens guard lost treasure, the ‘Rheingold’. What better way to spend the morning than relaxing on the Sun Deck beneath dramatic rocky, vineyard-topped valley sides dotted with romantic ruined castles.

The valley sides dissolve and hills give way to plains as we progress majestically to Cologne. This afternoon you can discover this fascinating city on our tour led by a local guide who’ll help you get the most out of your visit, which of course takes in the twin-spired cathedral, the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe, miraculous survivor of Second World War bombing and a UNESCO World

The towering twin spires of the Cologne Cathedral and the bridge over the Rhine River.

DAY 8 – NOVEMBER 7TH, 2023 – DISEMBARK CRUISE AND FLY HOME FROM COLOGNE OR DUSSELDORF GERMANY.

INCLUDED IN YOUR CRUISE

• 7 NIGHTS RHINE RIVER CRUISE ON THE OSCAR WILDE OF RIVIERA RIVER CRUISES
• All meals onboard, from dinner on your day of arrival until breakfast on your final day;
•  Morning/afternoon tea and coffee
• All visits and daily shore excursions as described in the cruise itinerary, operated by Riviera River Cruises
• The services of a Riviera River Cruises cruise director and concierge throughout your cruise with a dedicated service desk across from the main guest services desk
• Wi-Fi
• Complimentary Wi-Fi is available throughout the ship for the duration of your cruise.

ABOUT OUR RIVER BOAT

After years of painstaking research to create the most perfect vessels afloat, a new era in river cruising dawns as we introduce our state of the art, ‘all suite’ ships. Swiss operated and truly world-class, we are absolutely delighted to present the five-star MS Oscar Wilde.

It is extremely difficult to convey just how extraordinary this outstanding river going ship really is and exactly what distinguishes it from similar vessels. It would be very easy to just say ‘luxurious’ but it’s much more than that; we have deliberately avoided the current trend for a minimalist style where you could be anywhere in the world, creating instead a unique yet exquisite blend of understated taste, style and elegance at the highest level. Immediately striking is just how exceptionally spacious this new vessel is as you enter a gleaming, richly colored marble-floored lobby flooded with natural light from a stunning atrium above. Moving inside, exceptional creativity from Europe’s finest design studio has produced a superbly balanced masterpiece of onboard style, utilizing sustainable rich hardwoods, gleaming brass and polished copper, sparkling glass and intricate wrought iron. The ship is beautifully illuminated throughout – including the exterior and imaginatively furnished with harmonious color schemes, all designed to create the serene atmosphere reflective of the golden age of cruising which time after time you tell us you adore.

The restaurant rivals the finest on shore establishments taking fine dining to another level complemented by delicate European porcelain, gleaming glassware and the intuitive service in which the Swiss excel. This superb vessel carries 44 in-house trained crew members serving just 169 guests (similar size vessels may carry well over 190 passengers) giving the ratio which our experience proves is concurrent with our first class service levels.

Furthermore your suite will easily exceed your expectations for not only will you enjoy the most discerning décor, so too the ship’s dimensions afford the ultimate in space and comfort - a minimum 17 square meters (183 square feet).

CRUISE COST: 

DELUXE CABINS WITH RIVER VIEW WINDOWS ON THE EMERALD DECK: ONLY $2909 SINGLE OCCUPANCY - WITH NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT (CABIN SIZE IS 172 SQ. FT.)

DELUXE CABINS WITH RIVER VIEW PRIVATE FRENCH BALCONY ON THE RUBY DECK: ONLY $3619 SINGLE OCCUPANCY – WITH NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT (CABIN SIZE 182 SQ. FEET)

Reserving a cabin on this cruise: 

You can either phone our office at 800-717-3231 during business hours M-F 9AM-5PM ET to reserve your desired cabin and then you will have 7 days to call back with your card for the cruise line to charge the small deposit.

THE CRUISE LINE REQUIRES A $600 DEPOSIT WITHIN 7 DAYS OF RESERVING YOUR SPACE. 

Or you can fill out the reservation form on our website, indicating your full name, date of birth, cabin category desired and contact information.
We will then email you a confirmation and you will then have the same seven days option on that cabin, to phone our office with your card to be charged by the cruise line for its $600 deposit.

THE BALANCE PAYMENT IS DUE JUNE 15TH, 2023

CANCELATIONS: 

IF YOU CANCEL BEFORE THE FINAL PAYMENT DUE DATE, THE CRUISE LINE WILL KEEP YOUR $600 DEPOSIT, (unless we - or you - can find a replacement for your space, before the balance payment is due, then your deposit will be refunded)

CANCELATIONS MADE AFTER YOU HAVE MADE YOUR BALANCE PAYMENT WILL BE NON REFUNDABLE IN FULL.

BOOK ME A SPACE ON THIS TRIP