Excellence Crown

The 2025-built Excellence Crown cruise ship is the newest vessel in the Excellence River Cruises' fleet. This modern, 170-passenger ship was delivered on April 22nd and christened/inaugurated on May 2nd, 2025. The boat's godmother is Tanja Grandits - a Swiss chef and owner of Restaurant Stucki (Basel).

The vessel (ENI number 02339215) is currently Switzerland-flagged (MMSI 269057079) and registered in Basel.

History - construction and ownership

The corporate shipowner behind Excelence River Cruises is Twerenbold Reisen AG (Twerenbold Travel Group), a Swiss, family-owned travel and passenger shipping company established in 1895. The Excellence fleet is managed by Twerenbold's subsidiary, Swiss Excellence River Cruise GmbH.

The ship design (CDS River Cruise 135) was developed by the shipbuilder Concordia Damen Shipbuilding (Werkendam, Netherlands). It allows for a maximum of 210 passengers and 52 crew/staff. Concordia Damen entered the cruise ship building segment in 2022 with Arosa Sena.

By design, Excellence Crown is a sister ship to the Concordia Damen-built Century Star (2026, owned by China's Century River Cruises).

Studio-L, led by Liane Broekman, developed the boat's interior design. The Dutch firm specializes in river cruise ship interiors and has been previously contracted to design the interiors of other Excellence ships.

Concordia Damen river cruise ship technology

The vessel features a hybrid propulsion (diesel-electric) system and a low draft, enhancing maneuverability and accessibility across Europe's main inland waterways.

The propulsion is integrated with smart peak-shaving technology, significantly reducing fuel consumption and emissions. The system also incorporates advanced battery technology.

The Smart Peak Shaving technology allows the boat's diesel generators to run at optimal efficiency, with the surplus power/electricity stored in batteries. The high-capacity battery pack covers peak power demands, reducing overall fuel use. The battery-stored electricity also allows silent in-port operations (mooring and maneuvering) and fully-electric navigation in protected zones, like Wachau Valley.

Solar and Shore Power - the boat is fitted with electrical charging technology (via shore power connections at river ports) and with solar panels (integrated directly into the railings).

The low-draft hull design (max ballast draft 2,1 m/6,6 ft; air draft 6 m/20 ft) enables safe navigation during low-water seasons. The hull itself was produced with recycled steel.

Decks and Cabins

Most (73%) of the Excellence Crown staterooms (85 total) are French Balcony, including cabins (55) and suites (12). Only the Main Deck's cabins (18) lack balconies and instead have fixed/non-opening windows positioned near the ceiling.

All French Balcony accommodations feature drop-down windows that convert the seating area into an indoor balcony lounge.

All staterooms include as standard amenities Queen bed (convertible to twin beds), headboard with reading lights, bedside tables, mirrored panels, a seating area (a coffee table with two chairs), en-suite bathroom (WC, single-sink vanity, shower cubicle, mirrored cupboards, clothesline, luxury bath products, bathrobes), mirrored wardrobe, digital safe (iin the closet), direct-dial phone, HDTV (satellite channels, infotainment system, movies on demand, "View From the Bridge" webcam views), minibar (extra charge, Nespresso machine), individual climate control, 220V outlets, umbrella, shoe cleaner, and two sets of earplugs.

The boat has 4 decks, of which 3 have cabins.

All crew cabins (29 total) are on the Main Deck and include 13 single and 16 double, accommodating a total of 45 crew and staff.

Shipboard facilities and amenities

The ship's facilities include the SLY Lounge & Bar with an adjacent outdoor RIVERANDA Restaurant/Bow Terrace (alfresco dining venue on Deck 3 forward), RIVE Restaurant/Aft Lounge & Bar (Deck 3 aft, functions as Library/Bar/Steakhouse), EXCELENCE Restaurant (full-capacity Dining Room on Deck 2 forward) with an adjacent Galley (kitchen and storage rooms for provisions), wellness facilities (Gym, Sauna, Beauty & Spa/massage room for treatments), Lobby Hall (Reception, Board Shop, two ship entrances/portside and starboard).

On Deck 3 are the boat's two specialty restaurants - RIVE (indoor, aft-facing) and RIVERANDA (outdoor, bow-facing).

RIVERANDA occupies the Bow Terrace and was made possible by the ship's new hull shape. The venue was designed by Nazly Twerenbold El Etreby, an Egypt-born Swiss interior designer and co-owner of Twerenbold Reisen. She is the chief interior designer for the Excellence's ships. The restaurant is at an extra cost/a-la-carte priced, serves Japanese cuisine and Asian specialties and offers unobstructed forward-facing views of the passing river scenery. It has limited seating and is open depending on weather conditions.

RIVE is the ship's upscale alternative dining venue offering seasonally inspired cuisine. RIVE's menus are created by Hugo Miranda (a Michelin-starred chef, owner, and executive chef of The Butcher's Block LA). RIVE is located aft, and its interior is in a petrol-blue color scheme. The restaurant is complimentary (cruise fare-inclusive) and serves contemporary European cuisine based on seasonal ingredients.

At the Atrium's upper level (Deck 3 midship), there are two small step-out balconies (portside and starboard).

The Sun Deck (4th floor) houses the Wheelhouse (Navigation Bridge), a games area (Giant Chess Board, Mini-Golf Putting Green), a Walking Track (surrounding the sundeck area with deckchairs and shaded seating with awnings), and a Whirlpool/splash pool surrounded by a sunbathing area with loungers and showers. A SkyLight over the Atrium allows natural light into the interior. The forward Sundeck Lounge provides shaded seating and is served by the Riveranda's/Sky Lounge's staff.

All Sun Deck structures - Wheelhouse (hydraulic), awnings, and railings - are collapsible. This allows them to be lowered when the ship passes under low bridges.

In the Atrium, one lift/passenger elevator and a grand staircase interconnect the cabin decks (1-2-3/Main-Middle-Upper). A stairlift connects the 3rd (Upper) and 4th (Sun) floors.

The SKY Lounge also hosts the company's enrichment program (daily lectures, media presentations, pre-dinner Cruise Director's port talks, evening trivia games, dancing, and movie screenings) and doubles as a casual lunch venue with direct access to the Bow Terrace/Riveranda.

The SKY Lounge has a 24-hour beverage station (with a coffee machine, hot water, tea selection, and drinking water) and provides Afternoon Tea and Coffee service.

There is a Bakery/Patisserie integrated into the Dining Room.

The cruise company provides complimentary WiFi throughout (shipwide coverage).

Itineraries

MS Excellence Crown cruises exclusively on the Rhine River and the Benelux (Belgium and the Netherlands) waterways.

Unlike most newbuild riverboats that rotate between the Rhine, Main, Moselle, and Danube, Excellence Crown's routes are based on homeporting in Basel (principal homeport/roundtrip departures), focusing on longer, destination-rich voyages.

The 9-day core route/flagship itinerary "Basel - Amsterdam - Basel" (Basel roundtrip) visits Cologne, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and Rudesheim am Rhein. It combines Dutch cities, the Rhine Gorge region, and Swiss embarkation convenience.

The 12-day "Grand Tour: The Rhine & Flanders" itinerary (Basel roundtrip) visits Amsterdam, Brussels, Antwerp, Duisburg, and Koblenz. It blends the Dutch culture, Flemish cities, EU institutions, and industrial heritage.

The 9-day "Rhine and Moselle ... in Adagio" itinerary (Basel roundtrip) visits Speyer, Trier, and Koblenz. It emphasizes wine regions, Ancient Roman heritage, and stronger scenery with slower cruising on the Moselle.

The 9-day "Sagenhaft! Staunen am Mittelrhein" (Legendary! Wonder on the Middle Rhine") itinerary (Basel roundtrip) visits Cologne, Dusseldorf, Boppard, Karlsruhe, and Strasbourg. It focuses on the UNESCO-listed Middle Rhine (the scenic gorge region) and historic German river towns.