Riviera Travel officially named MS Riviera Radiance on Thursday, 26th November 2025, on the Banks of the Danube in beautiful Budapest. Carrie Day (Country Manager for Ireland) hosted over a dozen from the Irish travel trade and media at the event. There was even more reason to celebrate as during the festivities, the Riviera Team learnt they had earned a hat trick at the Wave Awards, which celebrate excellence in the UK Cruise Industry:
- Riviera Travel – Best for Solo Travellers 2025
- Riviera Travel – Best Initiative for Attracting New-to-Cruise 2025
- Riviera Travel – Best Trade Sales Team 2025
Far more importantly, and just a day later, Riviera Travel won the Best Premium River Cruise at ITTN’s Irish Travel Trade Awards 2025.
Rivier Cruise & Escorted Tour Specialist – Riviera Travel
Godmother of MS Riviera Radiance is Sarah Roberts, CEO of Practical Action, Riviera Travel’s official charity for tackling poverty and climate change, officially christened the vessel with a novel and far more environmentally friendly way of christening the ship, to a traditional champagne smash. Instead, champagne was poured over a beautiful ice sculpture of the ship.
Sarah Roberts shared, “It’s a privilege to work alongside Riviera Travel on a partnership that truly reflects shared values. Their commitment to responsible travel and long-term support has already made a meaningful difference to communities in Kisumu, and it’s inspiring to see how deeply they care about creating positive impact. Together, we’re demonstrating what’s possible when purposeful travel and practical, people-centred solutions come together – improving lives, protecting the environment, and empowering communities to shape their own futures.”
Phil Hullah, CEO of Riviera Travel, shared that although they planned to do a naming ceremony earlier in the season, this date allowed the fam trip extravaganza to align with the not-to-be-missed festive Christmas markets in the city.
Riviera Travel
After honing their craft for over 40 years, Riviera Travel has brought 1.75 million passengers on trips and now journeys to 66 places around the globe, offering cruises, European touring & long-haul touring. Phil shared the mantra according to the founder of the brand, Michael Wright (for more on the origin – click here):
“We’re here to provide an exceptional holiday experience to the world’s most interesting destinations that is as educational as it is entertaining. And all for the very best value, you can get anywhere.”
Phil explained their target market is relatively mature, kid-free, reasonably well-off travellers with a degree of curiosity.
Fundamentally, Phil shares, there are three core pillars:
- Deliver Brilliant Holidays – Phil elaborates, this is “the right kind of itinerary, the right pace and the right balance of education, excitement and adventure, but also some relaxation”.
- Deliver Outstanding Value for Money – “What we do want to know is that what our guests get in terms of quality, in terms of inclusions – that our guests can’t get that anywhere else… [to] make sure we overdeliver on the quality for the money,” says Phil.
- Genuine obsession for Guest Experience – “to go the extra mile and look after our customers… to deliver that consistently”, he added.
Rounding Off a Very Successful Year
Phil shared with guests that Riviera is going from strength to strength, “We had a record year by a long margin in 2024, which is great”. The year-end is expected to be c. 20% year-on-year (YOY) in terms of revenue, another record. 2026 is very strong with double-digit growth compared with the prior year. Riviera Travel also revealed that Ireland had a fantastic year, with booked revenue up over 100% YOY.
This allows Riviera Travel to invest in the brand, team and technology for a stronger future.
Riviera detailed its expansion plans. Firstly, the Riviera Rose launched in April 2025, which is sailing the Doro in Portugal. Riviera Radiance launched this year and is the first in a new class of ship. Coming next year is Riviera Resplendence, the second in the Riviera Radiance series. Finally, the MS George Elliot, the world’s first river cruise ship dedicated entirely to solo travellers, is scheduled for 2027.
These launches showcase Riviera Travel’s ambition to accelerate growth and continue investment in elevating guest experience across European waterways.
Phil Hullah, CEO of Riviera Travel, said: “We could not be prouder of MS Riviera Radiance. She reflects everything we stand for – innovation, exceptional quality, understated luxury and the kind of experience that keeps our guests travelling with us time and time again. With our most spacious suites to date and the introduction of a third dining venue, Riviera Radiance sets a new standard on Europe’s waterways. We are already receiving glowing feedback from guests who have travelled on the ship so far. Her naming ceremony, alongside the confirmation of two further ships for 2027 and 2028, marks an exciting new chapter for Riviera and our future.”
Always Included with Riviera Travel
Riviera Travel’s Swiss-built and operated cruise ships are some of the youngest in Europe – and the most advanced. In fact, they are rated by the ‘Berlitz Guide to River Cruising’ as some of the finest river cruise ships to grace Europe’s waterways.
Always Included Onboard a Riviera Travel Cruise
- Direct flights & transfers
- Five-star ships with impeccable on-board service
- Itinerary curated by Riviera experts with insightful excursions & visits every day with local guides
- Expert Riviera Cruise Director & Concierge
- Evening entertainment from quizzes to impressive performers
- Onboard spa & wellness facilities
- Onboard lounge, bar & restaurant
- Delicious full board dining, plus Chef’s Dinner
- Free Wi-Fi
- 20kg+ checked luggage
- 24/7 support from a UK-based team
- And, of course, the very impressive Carrie Day, Country Manager for Ireland
Itinerary Inspiration
For itinerary inspiration, find links to Riviera Cruises along the Danube below:
- Budapest to the Black Sea
- Christmas on the Danube
- New Year on the Danube
- The Blue Danube
- The Danube’s Imperial Cities & Yuletide Markets
- The Blue Danube River Cruise
- The Blue Danube River Cruise with Budapest Extension
- The Blue Danube River Cruise with Vienna Extension Budapest, Bratislava & Vienna: A Danube Discovery
For More Onboard MS Riviera Radiance
For more onboard MS Riviera Radiance, check out:
