MS Thomas Hardy

The 2016-built MS Thomas Hardy cruise ship is operated under charter by the UK cruise tour company Riviera Travel on itineraries along Rhine, Danube, and Moselle rivers. Sisterships are Emily Bronte (2017), Oscar Wilde (2017), Robert Burns (2018), William Wordsworth (2019), Geoffrey Chaucer (2020), Lord Tennyson (2021). The riverboat is owned by the Swiss company Scylla Cruises.

Shipboard dining and entertainment options

The riverboat features an elegant Lobby (entrance hall on Diamond / Upper Deck) with Reception Desk (24-hour assistance, information, purser services), Travel Desk (tours and excursions information, onboard cruise booking) and Boutique Shop. From the entrance hall, passengers walk into a stylish Bar Lounge with bow location, floor-ceiling windows, comfortable seating, and full-service Bar.

Aft on Diamond Deck is the Bistro - Lido Restaurant, an alternative to the Dining Room Restaurant. The Bistro is served by its own Bar and also doubles as Library. It has an outdoor terrace and open kitchen. Here are served early Breakfast, light Lunch and Dinner. In good weather, the floor-ceiling window doors are fully opened onto the terrace for al fresco dining. Bistro's dining is complimentary, but dinners require reservations due to the restaurant's small capacity  (10 tables with 2 or 4 seats). Ship's Dining Room Restaurant (on Ruby / Middle Deck) provides single-seating capacity buffet Breakfast and waiter-served Lunch and Dinner.

On Emerald / Lower Deck is the ship's Wellness Centre consisting of Beauty Salon (hairdresser and barber services, nail studio), Fitness (Gym Room) and Spa (treatment room for massages). All cabin decks are fully air-conditioned and accessed via lift (passenger elevator) and wrought-iron staircase.

Sun Deck provides Giant Chess Set, Mini Golf (Putting Green), Retractable Awnings (shaded seating area), aft Pool Deck (Splash Pool, Jacuzzi, sunbathing area with loungers and deckchairs), full bar service. The fore-located Navigation Bridge (called "Wheelhouse" on riverboats) is passenger accessible and telescopic (can be lowered for passing under low bridges).

Cabins

Like the sisterships, Thomas Hardy staterooms (a total of 88) are designed for 169 passengers (regarding single-occupancy cabins, max capacity is 176). Most cabins are with wall-to-wall and floor-ceiling glass doors opening to a railing (French Balcony). Only exceptions are Emerald Deck cabins, which are with one fixed window (non-opening, quarter-height) located close to the ceiling.

• All passenger staterooms as standard amenities offer hotel twin beds (convertible to double), en-suite bathroom (WC, shower, single-sink vanity, towels, bath toiletries, large mirror), 40-inch flat HDTV (satellite reception, infotainment system, bow camera real-time views), mini-bar, tea-coffee making facility, glass-top round table with 2 armchairs, mirrored dressing table with pouf chair, wardrobe, electronic safe box, hairdryer, phone, individual air-conditioning, evening turndown service.
• All cabin bathrooms are with marble tops, glass showers (large rain shower heads) and brand bath cosmetics (by Crabtree and Evelyn).
• Some staterooms are available for single occupancy booking (without a single supplement, subject to availability).
• Deluxe Balcony Suites (on Diamond Deck) additionally offer (as bonus amenities) larger interior space, step-out balcony (furnished with table and 2 chairs, can be used for al fresco dining), premium cotton bathrobes and slippers.

Riviera Travel river cruise deals are inclusive of all onboard meals, stateroom, 24-hour Coffee Station (with light snacks), onboard entertainment and enrichment programming, return train travel (optional flights), luxury bus transfers, walking tours, shipboard Wi-Fi (throughout/in cabins and all public spaces).

The ship is named after Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) - English poet and novelist, well-known for his critics of the Victorian British society and the decline of Britain's rural population. The vessel is powered by two Cat-3508 marine diesel engines (Caterpillar), which are V8, 4-stroke engines with individual weight 4309 kg, lube oil volume 227 L, power output 574 kW (combined/ship total 1,15 MW). The propulsion is based on two fixed pitch propellers (stern) and one bow thruster (azimuthing/azipod).

The vessel's construction (hull and superstructure, ENI number 07002048) was done at the Vahali Shipyard in Zasavica (Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia). The 1923-founded Dutch shipbuilding company (Scheepswerf En Machinefabriek Vahali BV) owns and operates yards in Serbia (Belgrade, and Zasavica) and in Holland (Gendt). Vahali Shipyard Zasavica was officially opened in 2013. Following the construction in Serbia, the cruise ship was towed to Holland for final outfitting at Scheepswerf Vahali (Gendt).

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.