When Will River Cruises Return

Updated Wednesday 23rd March 2021

As the cruise industry looks to take guests back out onto the water, river cruises are also waiting to return to the world's most beautiful waterways. Thanks to their smaller size, spacious design and enhanced health and safety protocols, guests will be able to journey along some of the world's most iconic rivers knowing that they are being well looked after. Keep reading to find out which river cruise lines are offering itineraries and when, as well as some of the measures they are introducing to keep guests and crew safe throughout.

For more information on the UK cruise restart, please see here to preregister your interest, browse all available UK Coastal Cruise sailings and see our comprehensive breakdown on the UK's return to cruising.

Expected Return Dates

Here is a list of river cruise lines and when they are expected to return to the rivers:

• Amadeus - returned July 2020
• AmaWaterways - April 2021
• American Queen Steamboat Company - 15th March 2021
• APT River Cruises - April 2021
• Avalon Waterways - May 2021
• CroisiEurope - returned in July 2020 with a cruise on the River Seine
• Crystal - April 2021
• Discover Egypt - April 2021
• Emerald Waterways - May 2021
• Great Rail Journeys - April 2021
• Riviera Travel - April 2021
• Saga - May 2021
• Scenic - May 2021
• TUI River Cruises - June 2021
• Uniworld - January 2021

See here for all our top river cruise deals

River Cruise Health and Safety

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and to ensure that everyone can be welcomed back onboard safely, river cruise lines have been adapting and enhancing their health and safety protocols. While each line is introducing their own measures, there are some common changes that will take place, including:

• Pre-boarding health screening, mandatory health questionnaires and restrictions on travel for guests who have recently been to high risk areas
• Increased cleaning and disinfection throughout the ships with a focus on public areas, frequently touched surfaces and staterooms
• Highly trained crew with procedures to follow in case of guests showing symptoms of respiratory illness
• Self-service buffet meals replaced by table service

If you want to find out more about individual river cruise lines and what they are doing to keep guests and crew safe, be sure to read our information on how you can cruise with confidence. You can also find out which ocean ships have made successful returns to cruising so far.