TUI River Cruise Ships Compared: What Each One Offers

This is a sponsored post for TUI River Cruises.

When planning a TUI River Cruise, much of the excitement comes from exploring incredible cities right in the heart of Europe and Africa. You’ll have plenty of time to discover new places, sample local food, and soak up the culture along the way.

But the time you spend on board is just as important. Each TUI river ship offers stylish cabins, delicious dining, and the friendly service TUI is famous for – but they’re not all the same.

In this guide, we’ll compare the full fleet of TUI River Cruise ships and highlight the key differences to help you choose the perfect one for your next adventure.

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The Current TUI River Cruise Fleet

The TUI River Cruises fleet currently includes six adults-only ships sailing across Europe and Africa. In Europe, TUI Isla, TUI Maya, and TUI Skyla cruise the continent’s rivers, while in Africa, TUI Al Horeya sails the Nile and TUI Bahareya will join in November 2025 following a full refurbishment. TUI Aria is also set to launch in Europe in summer 2026 and already appears on TUI’s official website. This total will rise to seven ships once TUI Luzia joins in summer 2027.

The ships are:

TUI Isla – Europe
TUI Maya – Europe
TUI Skyla – Europe
TUI Al Horeya – Africa
TUI Bahareya – Africa from November 2025, following full refurbishment
TUI Aria – Europe, joining in Summer 2026
TUI Luzia – Europe, joining in Summer 2027

Most of TUI’s river ships started life elsewhere before being given a full TUI makeover, complete with stylish interiors and modern features.

The line had originally planned to launch TUI Alma as its first brand-new build, but that project was dropped. Instead, TUI Aria will join the fleet in 2026 after a major refurbishment, while TUI Luzia – launching in 2027 – will now be the first ship built entirely for TUI River Cruises.

TUI River Cruise Ships Accommodation

There are several different cabin options available across the TUI fleet, including standard cabins, cabins with a French Balcony, some with a full balcony, and some suite options.

Here’s a breakdown of all the different accommodation types by ship:

Cabin Type	Type	TUI Aria	TUI Isla	TUI Maya	TUI Skyla	TUI Al Horeya	TUI Bahareya
Balcony Suite Cabin	Suite	No	No	No	No	YES	No
French Balcony Suite Cabin	Suite	No	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Balcony Cabin	Balcony	No	No	No	No	No	No
Superior French Balcony Cabin	French Balcony	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
French Balcony Single Cabin	French Balcony	No	YES	YES	YES	No	No
French Balcony Cabin	French Balcony	No	YES	YES	YES	No	No
Superior Cabin	Outside View	YES	YES	YES	YES	No	No
Single Cabin	Outside View	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	No
Standard Cabin	Outside View	YES	YES	YES	YES	No	No

There are no cabins on any of the TUI ships that are Insides – you will always have at least a view from a large window – Superior Cabins have two windows for even more light.

Most of the rooms on the ships have a French Balcony, so you don’t actually get an outdoor space you can step out onto, but you do get to have an open-air view and soak in the sights and smells of your destinations.

There are a handful of cabins with a Balcony, including the option of a Balcony Suite if you cruise on TUI Al Horeya.

TUI River Cruise Ships Dining

While river cruise ships don’t have the space to have the same number of restaurants as ocean-faring vessels, you aren’t stuck with just one choice, regardless of the ship you choose. Each has at least two dining options to enjoy, and most have three.

Restaurant	Type	TUI Isla	TUI Maya	TUI Aria	TUI Skyla	TUI Al Horeya	TUI Bahareya
Main Restaurant*	Buffet/table service	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Al Fresco	BBQ/snacks (weather dependent)	YES	YES	No	YES	YES	No
Bistro	Buffet/table service	YES	YES	No	YES	No	No
Reflections	Table service	No	No	YES	No	No	No
Sofra	Table service	No	No	No	No	No	YES

Each ship has a main restaurant. On Al Horeya, it’s called Lazeeza, which means ‘delicious’ in Arabic. The Arabic theme continues on TUI Bahareya, where the main restaurant is called Belhama, whilst the four remaining ships have Verdastro.

All the main dining rooms offer a range of meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including a mix of buffet and a la carte options.

Al Fresco is an outdoor bar area on the top deck that, when the weather permits, will serve BBQ food and snacks.

The Bistro is an alternative dining venue and offers a more relaxed environment. It’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and again offers a range of buffet and a la carte options.

Reflections is a standout feature exclusive to TUI Aria. By day, it’s a relaxing pool area with a retractable roof, comfy seating, and a sauna. Come evening, the pool floor closes over to transform the space into an elegant restaurant serving Italian-inspired dishes, with light breakfasts and lunches also available. You can even enjoy the occasional movie night or live music performance here.

Sofra is unique to TUI Bahareya. Sitting on the top deck, with decor that continues the modern Arabic theme, it offers light snacks at lunch and à la carte dishes at dinnertime, all celebrating the local cuisine.

TUI River Cruise Ships Entertainment

The leisure facilities and entertainment across the ships are relatively similar, though there are a couple of key differences to watch out for.

Facility	TUI Isla	TUI Maya	TUI Aria	TUI Skyla	TUI Al Horeya	TUI Bahareya
Lounge	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Cocktail Bar	YES	YES	No	YES	No	YES
Top Deck With Activities	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Top Deck Pool	No	No	No	No	YES	YES
Indoor Pool	No	No	YES	No	No	No
Wellness Area	YES	YES	No	YES	YES	YES
Sauna	YES	YES	No	YES	No	YES
Massages	No	No	No	No	YES	YES

Each of the river cruise ships has a main lounge, called the Observatory. Here, you’ll be able to grab a relaxed drink during the day, while in the evening you can enjoy the varied entertainment provided by the ship, including live music, quizzes and more.

Prefer a quieter cocktail or coffee? TUI Isla, TUI Maya and TUI Skyla all have the Club Lounge, perfect for pre- or post-dinner drinks in a more peaceful spot, with a roaring digital fireplace setting the mood.

TUI Bahareya has the Felucca bar, located on the top deck. It’s open all day and serves a variety of cocktails, wines, beers and soft drinks on the menu, plus tea and coffee, all with a beautiful backdrop.

The majority of ships have a Wellness Centre too, with a sauna available on TUI Isla, TUI Maya, TUI Skyla and TUI Bahareya. TUI Al Horeya and TUI Bahareya offer spa treatments, including massages, as well.

All ships also have a top deck where you can relax and enjoy a range of activities, including cornhole and even mini golf. Only TUI Bahareya and TUI Al Horeya have a pool, though.

TUI Aria is the only ship to feature an indoor pool area with a retractable roof.

TUI River Cruise Ships Destinations

The main differences between the TUI River Cruises ships are the destinations where they sail – so if you’re planning your cruise based on your itinerary, that’s more likely to be the deciding factor on which ship you book.

River	TUI Isla	TUI Maya	TUI Aria	TUI Skyla	TUI Al Horeya	TUI Bahareya
Danube	YES	YES	No	YES	No	No
Douro	No	No	No	No	No	No
Dutch & Belgian Waterways	YES	No	YES	No	No	No
Main	YES	YES	No	No	No	No
Moselle	YES	No	YES	No	No	No
Nile	No	No	No	No	YES	YES
Rhine	YES	YES	YES	YES	No	No

Final Word

Honestly, the onboard experience doesn’t vary too much between the TUI ships, so you’re going to have an amazing time regardless. There are subtle differences in the accommodation options and some of the onboard dining and entertainment, but it’s mainly the destination choices that separate these ships.

Remember that all your dining is included, along with drinks during meals and the tips – not a penny extra to pay across the fleet. So whichever ship you sail on, you’ll enjoy fantastic value.

Check out TUI River Cruises’ amazing deals now

All deals include flights, tips, drinks with meals and more!