Excellence River Cruises

Excellence Cruises (aka Excellence River Cruises/Excellence Flussreisen, website excellence.ch) is a prestigious river cruise company established in 2004 and introduced in 2005. Currently, it is positioned as a premium "Swiss quality" river cruise brand.

Excellence was created to bring a Swiss-style hospitality model ("small grand hotel on water") to the European river travel market. Its fleet concept emphasizes boutique-style modern riverboats, high service standards, and curated itineraries across Europe's main rivers (Danube, Rhine, Moselle, and France's Rhone, Saone, and Seine) and the Dutch and Belgian inland waterways.

On the company's logo is written "Reisen auf dem Fluss" (Travel on the River).

Excellence Cruises embodies the mottoes "Kurs auf Qualität und Innovation" (Course for quality and innovation) and "Grandhotels auf dem Fluss" (Grand hotels on the River).

Excellence is best-known in the German-speaking market as a high-quality, mid-to-upper premium alternative to larger river cruise brands, when compared to the major rivals Viking River Cruises (shipowner; premium mass-market; standardised, culturally focused, highly structured cruising), Uniworld Boutique River Cruises (shipowner; highly stylised boutique hotel ships; design-heavy interiors), AmaWaterways (ship-charterer; active, excursion-rich cruising), Scenic Luxury Cruises (shipowner; all-inclusive, high-end, all-suite ships) and Avalon Waterways (shipowner; flexible, relaxed, lighter-frills travel).

Company history and ownership

Excellence Cruises is a private, family-owned (not publicly traded) Swiss operator part of the Twerenbold Reisen AG (Twerenbold Reisen Group), an old, 1895-established Swiss travel company. The river fleet is owned by Twerenbold's subsidiary, Swiss Excellence River Cruise GmbH, while Reiseburo Mittelthurgau AG (operating brand: Excellence Cruises) is the reseller of river cruises (booking agency), the product owner, operator, and distributor of the river fleet.

Being the tour operator + cruise brand owner, Reiseburo Mittelthurgau provides Excellence Cruises with the following services.

1. Product creation and cruise development (core role) being the architect of the entire Excellence cruise product: designs and develops itineraries, creates themed cruise concepts (food-and-wine, culture, nature, seasonal routes), defines shipboard experience standards, controls the overall product model.
2. Ship ownership, chartering and fleet management - owns or long-term charters the boats, commissions newbuilds, oversees shipbuilding projects, sets ship design, capacity, and standards.
3. Full cruise operations (end-to-end control) - Mittelthurgau manages almost the entire operational chain - shipboard operations, crew recruitment (hospitality, kitchen, service), culinary concepts and menus, guest services, entertainment, enrichment programs, Cruise directors, technical and logistical operations, coordination with captains and maritime operations, route/itinerary planning and navigation scheduling, port logistics and docking coordination.
4. Land operations and transport system - the company operates its own coach fleet (Twerenbold buses), provides cruise fare-inclusive or optional bus transfers (from Switzerland), manages embarkation logistics, parking terminals, and guest transfers, coordinates pre-/post-cruise hotels and land extensions.

Twerenbold's business is fully vertically integrated (ships, cruise operations, and often associated land travel operations - bus fleet/transport and logistics), with a strong emphasis on Swiss operational standards and quality control.

Twerenbold's leadership is centralized/family-linked, with Stephan Frei as CEO and Managing Director of Reiseburo Mittelthurgau/Excellence Cruises.

The company focuses on long-term brand positioning rather than rapid expansion. Its modern fleet comprises newbuild "grandhotel" ships featuring larger cabins, spacious public areas, and better energy efficiency. In recent years, Excellence has shifted toward a "Premium Inclusive" fare model, bundling more services into the base cruise price.

Originally, the company was more regional, targeting the German-speaking markets predominantly. With the newbuild projects, it gradually expanded across the wider European river cruise market.

Shipboard experience, amenities, services, cruise inclusions

Excellence Cruises' ships are designed as boutique hotels rather than mass-market vessels. They feature spacious all-outside staterooms (most of which have French balconies; some suites additionally have full step-out balconies), and high-quality interior design (modern aesthetic: wood, textiles, light-filled spaces).

The brand's product is marked by premium full-board dining, multi-course dining service and buffet options, emphasis on regional cuisine, seasonal menus (locally sourced ingredients), and high-quality culinary programs.

The Reception Desk is served by a professional concierge assisting with shore excursions and onboard requests.

Wellness facilities vary by vessel, but typically include a fitness center (modern gym) and a Beauty & Spa (room for massages and treatments, hairdresser-barber services).

Shipboard entertainment and enrichment programming includes guest lectures, themed events, live performances, and Cruise Director's port talks (itinerary-based).

Most itineraries are cruisetours with included guided shore excursions as part of the package. The optional "Experience Plus" or upgraded land tours are usually offered depending on the itinerary/route.

The company's core package (Premium Inclusive) includes accommodations/staterooms, all meals and premium dining (breakfast, lunch, dinner), drinks (coffee/tea/water and selected beverages), shipwide Wi-Fi, daily housekeeping and turndown service, shore excursions (varies by itinerary), selected shipboard services, experience-led slow cruising (lectures, cultural programming, curated ashore experiences, "luxury of slowness" brand positioning). Often, bus transfers from Switzerland or regional departure points are included.

Depending on the itinerary/package (cabin category) level, fares may be inclusive of premium alcoholic beverages and some of the optional land tours ("Mittendrin" or a-la-carte tours). Not included are personal expenses (spa treatments, boutique purchases), travel insurance, and flights (optional). Overall, the brand provides a good balance of high inclusion vs price (premium-inclusive model) and has an excellent reputation in the German-speaking premium market.

The fleet's newest riverboats are Excellence Crown (2025), Excellence Empress (2021), Excellence Countess (2019) and Excellence Princess (2014).

Excellence Cruises Itineraries Overview

The next table shows Excellence's main/core river itineraries.

The next table is a concise summary of the company's regional cruise routes as travel durations and homeports.

Typical Cruise Price Range (Per Person)

Excellence Cruises is positioned in the upper-premium river cruise segment, generally sitting between mainstream premium brands (such as Viking) and luxury brands (such as Scenic or Uniworld).

Excellence Cruises – Typical Pricing by Region

Excellence Cruises – Cabin Category Pricing Guide

Note: Most 8–9-day Rhine and Danube itineraries are typically priced between CHF 3,000 and CHF 4,500 per person. Longer Grand Tours can exceed CHF 8,000 per person depending on departure date, ship, and cabin category.