Cruising Toward Intimate Incentives: Top Six River Cruises

While cruises have been popular incentive options for many years, river cruises are now gaining in popularity in the incentive world. The product has come such a long way since the days when these cruises were only thought about for individual incentive travel for those of a “certain age group.” 

Now with several options, even in the 5-star market, it’s proving to be a viable and unique contender for high-end group incentive travel. River cruises offer the opportunity for guests to experience a variety of historic, quaint, and beautiful cities or landmarks; all in one journey; through several countries and cultures.  

There are so many benefits to these smaller, more intimate excursions for travelers of all ages. As a floating all-inclusive hotel, river cruises are great for organizations that want to get the most bang for their buck.  Since the average size ship is about 70-80 cabins, river cruises are perfect for those groups of about 100 travelers.  

For larger groups, there are options for tandem cruising—where two private ships sail and dock together, allowing guests to mingle at different ports every day for activities and evening events in various cities. The most popular destination for tandem cruises includes the Danube and Rhine rivers where the customization options are endless.  

While the Danube and the Rhine rivers are very popular for first-timers, additional destinations are emerging with great itineraries and products. Enjoy our picture gallery below for many popular river cruise destinations: 

Danube River Cruise, Budapest

Rhine River, Germany 

Burgundy and Provence, France

Belgium Pavilion of the Venice Biennale

The Douro Valley in Portugal

Mekong River, Vietnam and Cambodia 

For a consultation on sourcing river cruises and other incentive opportunities, visit our Incentive Design Strategy page or call 262-835-3553 to speak to an M&IW Incentive expert.