SS Victoria

The 2017-built MS Riverside Bach cruise ship (formerly Crystal Bach, to be named "SS Victoria" during the period 2024–2027) was ordered for Crystal River Cruises and constructed by Lloyd Werft (MV Werften) in Wismar, Germany. Her fleetmates are the sisterships Riverside Debussy, Riverside Mahler, and Riverside Ravel, as well as Riverside Mozart. These riverboats were marketed by Crystal as ultra-luxury “river yachts.”

Since 2022, Crystal’s entire river fleet has been owned by Seaside Hotels and managed by its subsidiary and travel brand Riverside Collection Cruises (also known as Riverside Luxury Cruises).

In mid-October 2023, Uniworld announced a 3-year bareboat charter agreement with the shipowner (Seaside Collection GmbH & Co KG) for two vessels. Riverside Bach began Rhine and Moselle cruises for Uniworld in 2024 as "SS Victoria", while Riverside Mahler is scheduled to operate Rhine cruises in 2025 as "SS Elisabeth".

Uniworld’s designation “SS” stands for “Super Ship.”

History - construction and ownership

Crystal Cruises Inc (founded in 1988, USA-based) was a subsidiary of Japan’s NYK Line (Nippon Yusen Kaisha), one of the world’s largest container shipping companies. In 2015, NYK Line sold the company to Genting Hong Kong (GHK), after which it was renamed Crystal Ltd. The group included several ultra-luxury brands: Crystal Cruises (ocean ships), Crystal River Cruises (European riverboats), Crystal Yacht Cruises (superyachts), Crystal Luxury Air (aircraft), and Crystal AirCruises (fly-cruise tours).

In January 2022, GHK filed for bankruptcy, and all assets were put up for sale. In June 2022, Crystal Ltd was acquired by A&K Travel Group Ltd (Abercrombie & Kent). In October 2022, the liquidator of GHK’s Crystal Cruises sold Crystal Bach (together with her sisterships) to the Hamburg, Germany-based company Seaside Collection GmbH & Co KG. The vessel (renamed "Riverside Bach") is now operated by the UK-based subsidiary Riverside Collection Ltd (founded in October 2018).

Seaside Collection’s core company, Seaside Hotels GmbH, was founded in 1970 (as Gerlach Wohnungsbau GmbH) and is a luxury hotel group owned and operated by the Gerlach family. The group currently owns and manages premium hotels and resorts in Germany, Spain, the Canary Islands, and the Maldives.

Crystal River Cruises was established in 2016 when its parent company GHK purchased and fully refurbished the riverboat MS Mozart (renamed "Crystal Mozart" and launched in July 2016). GHK also ordered four new riverboats from the German shipbuilder Lloyd Werft.

The vessel Riverside Bach (ENI number 4812680) was Malta-flagged (MMSI 248308000) and registered in Valletta. SS Victoria is currently Switzerland-flagged (MMSI 269057865) and registered in Basel.

Decks and Cabins

The riverboat Riverside Bach/SS Victoria has 55 staterooms (capacity for 114 passengers, maximum 169 with triple occupancy), all designed as top-luxury suites (ranging from 20–71 m2 / 220–760 ft2).

All staterooms on the Riverside Collection ships feature industry-first amenities, including king-size beds, walk-in closets, and en-suite marble bathrooms with double-sink vanities.

The riverboat has 4 decks, of which 2 are with passenger cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Onboard dining venues include the Waterside Restaurant (main dining room), Vintage Room (10-seat wine bar/private dining room), Palm Court (show lounge), Cove Bar, Bistro (casual café/patisserie/coffee bar/library), and the top-deck Vista Bar and Vista Grill (alfresco restaurant serving lunch, weather permitting).

All dining venues operate with open seating.

The Bistro (midship on Deck 3) is open throughout the day and also serves late-riser breakfast and dinner. This casual venue offers homemade pastries, waffles, specialty coffee prepared by professional baristas, gourmet ice cream, milkshakes, and wine by the glass. In the evening, the Bistro transforms into a tapas-style restaurant featuring destination-inspired dishes and beverages.

Menus are based on fresh, locally sourced ingredients and include regional specialties—fresh seafood (Holland), seasonal fruits and vegetables (Holland and Germany), meat and poultry (Austrian Alps and Bavarian farms), as well as local draft and craft beers, regional wines, and cheeses. Specialty coffees and teas are provided by Vienna-based Julius Meinl.

Vista Deck (Deck 4) is the ship’s sundeck, equipped with a large outdoor screen/TV, sunbathing areas with padded loungers, and shaded seating areas.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The ship features 3 lounges and bars, 4 restaurants, a panoramic glass elevator, gym, and spa facilities. Unique features include a glass-domed atrium and an indoor infinity (resistance) pool. The main show lounge, Palm Court, has a stage for live performances, including piano recitals and sing-alongs. It also features a dance floor, glass-dome ceiling, floor-to-ceiling windows, indoor greenery, comfortable seating, and a full-service bar. The 24-hour self-service pantry (“The Pantry”) offers complimentary fruit, pastries, cookies, and sparkling water.

The vessel also includes a fitness center and a full-service spa. One deck is dedicated to public spaces, including the spa, gym, library, and Palm Court lounge. Each river yacht carries its own fleet of electric bicycles, tandem kayaks, and jet skis for complimentary use during independent or guided shore excursions.

UNIWORLD Itineraries

For Uniworld, SS Victoria’s itinerary program began in March 2024, offering a range of Rhine and Moselle cruises based on homeports in Amsterdam, Holland, Basel, Switzerland, Frankfurt, Germany, and Brussels, Belgium.

SS Victoria’s Uniworld itineraries include:

• 7-night/8-day “Holland and Belgium at Tulip Time” (Brussels to Amsterdam), starting with an overnight in Brussels, visiting Antwerp (Day 3), Maastricht (Day 4), Heusden-Cuijk/Nuenen (Day 5), Kinderdijk-Schoonhoven (Day 6), and ending with an overnight in Amsterdam.
• 7-night/8-day “Castles Along the Rhine” (Basel to Amsterdam), visiting Breisach (Day 2), Kehl-Strasbourg (Day 3), Speyer-Mannheim (Day 4), Rudesheim-Boppard (Day 5), Boppard-Koblenz (Day 6), Cologne (Day 7), and ending in Amsterdam.
• 9-night/10-day “Magnificent Moselle and Rhine” (roundtrip from Frankfurt), visiting Cochem (Days 2–3, overnight), Bernkastel (Day 5), Boppard (Day 6), Rudesheim (Day 7), Speyer (Day 8), and Rastatt/Baden-Baden (Day 9).
• 7-night/8-day “Belgian Holiday Markets” (roundtrip from Brussels), starting with an overnight in Brussels and visiting Ghent (Day 3), Hasselt (Day 4), Maastricht (Day 5), and Antwerp (Days 6–7, overnight).

Crystal Bach itineraries

Crystal Bach operated Rhine River cruises from homeports Amsterdam and Basel. The itineraries were themed “The Classic Rhine,” “Tulips, Holland and Belgium Discovery,” and “Christmas Markets Along the Rhine.”

The all-inclusive Crystal river cruise packages included the following complimentary amenities and services:

• Gratuities for all ship staff, including housekeeping, bar, dining, and butler services
• All meals featuring gourmet cuisine and regional specialties
• Unlimited soft drinks and premium beverages (champagne, fine wines, spirits, beer, bottled water)
• 24-hour self-service pantry (specialty coffees, teas, wines, non-alcoholic beverages)
• 24-hour room service
• Complimentary Wi-Fi and satellite Internet (up to 60 minutes per person per day)
• Interactive TV system with movies on demand and a music library
• Airport-to-ship transfers (embarkation day) and ship-to-airport transfers (disembarkation day)
• Daily onboard yoga and fitness classes, plus digital international newspapers
• Onboard entertainment and enrichment programs (destination-focused lectures and expert-led sessions)
• Self-service guest laundry
• Twice-daily housekeeping (including evening turndown service)
• In-cabin dining (hors d’oeuvres)
• Butler service for all cabins
• Two complimentary Crystal Adventures shore excursions in every port (additional tours available at extra cost)
• Complimentary culinary tours to renowned local venues

Electric bicycles, Nordic walking poles, and audio headsets were also provided complimentary during all Crystal Adventures shore excursions and land tours.

Crystal Bach riverboat is named after the German composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). Crystal Mahler (yard number 123) and Crystal Bach (yard number 120) had a dual keel-laying ceremony held on August 19, 2016, at MV Werften shipyard (Wismar, Germany). During the event, the first steel plates were flame-cut. The ceremony was attended by Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay (Genting Hong Kong’s Executive Chairman), Edie Rodriguez (Crystal Cruises’ President, CEO, and Chairman), and Erwin Sellering (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s Prime Minister). As part of maritime tradition, “lucky coins” were placed on the keel blocks before the first two hull sections (each weighing 170 tons) were laid.

Crystal Bach belongs to a new yacht-style class of riverboats. Other vessels in this class include Crystal Mahler (same passenger capacity) and the sisterships Debussy and Ravel. Another member of Crystal’s river fleet is Crystal Mozart (formerly MS Mozart).

The riverboat’s inaugural cruise (maiden voyage) was scheduled for June 18, 2017. The 14-night itinerary (on the Rhine and Moselle rivers) included ports such as Amsterdam, Basel, and Antwerp.

MV Werften completed its first newbuild project on August 3, 2017, when the shipyard delivered Crystal Bach. The second vessel (Mahler) was scheduled for delivery a few weeks later. Crystal’s Rhine Class riverboats 3 and 4 (Debussy and Ravel) were also constructed at MV Werften Shipyard in Wismar, starting in January 2017, with delivery scheduled for 2018.

On August 20, 2017, in Rudesheim (during an overnight stay), the ship’s christening ceremony was held, led by godmother Anna-Maria Kaufmann, a renowned German soprano. As part of the naming ceremony, she performed Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Air on the G String” (from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068). The ceremony was presided over by Edie Rodriguez (Crystal Cruises President and CEO).

The table below shows the ship’s inaugural cruise itinerary (August 13–28, 2017). The 14-day Amsterdam to Frankfurt voyage started at approximately USD 7,840 per person (double occupancy).

Note: You can see CruiseMapper’s list of all river cruise ships and riverboats in the "Itinerary" section of our River Cruises hub. All companies and their fleets are listed there.