Dinogo Readers' Top 10 River Cruise Lines for 2024

Travel is all about taking a moment to relax and recharge. While any vacation can provide this, a leisurely river cruise makes it even easier. You can find this deep sense of relaxation on riverways worldwide, especially with a top-rated cruise line from this year's World's Best Awards. Our readers' favorites navigate the rivers of Europe, South America, Asia, and beyond.

Voting Process Explained

In our annual World's Best Awards survey, T+L invites readers to share their travel experiences globally, including their views on the best hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. In 2024, over 186,000 T+L readers participated, casting more than 700,000 votes across 8,700 properties (including hotels, cities, cruise lines, etc.).

For the cruise segment, participants rated individual ships, and the results were aggregated to produce scores for cruise lines across various categories based on cabin count.

Ships were evaluated based on the following criteria:

Cabins and amenities
Cuisine
Service quality
Itineraries and destinations
Excursions and activities
Overall value

Respondents rated each aspect as excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor. The final scores represent the average of these ratings.

What Our Readers Adored

Indeed, the trend of slow travel has surged, with Dinogo readers opting for river cruises to thoroughly discover their destinations at a relaxed pace of 8.6 knots per hour.

"Our inaugural river cruise on Avalon Vista ignited our passion for more river adventures," shared one reader about Avalon Waterways, this year's No. 2 river cruise line. "The experience was delightful right from the moment we arrived at our suite, greeted with a bottle of Champagne and a box of chocolates to celebrate my birthday. Such a thoughtful gesture!"

The reader praised the outstanding staff, delectable food, and luxurious amenities on board, but particularly highlighted the incredible excursion options available, including wine tastings in France, kayaking through Amsterdam's canals, and engaging in a cooking class in Austria, all offered by Avalon.

However, one river cruise line captured readers' hearts even more — their top choice, Aqua Expeditions. Read on to discover what T+L travelers adored most about this line and others that made this year's World's Best list.

The Champion

Aqua Expeditions

Image courtesy of Aqua Expeditions

Service is the standout feature that T+L readers applauded about their journey with Aqua Expeditions. "Outstanding service and staff, with unique excursions and experiences unavailable anywhere else," one reader remarked. Another added, "It's difficult to convey the essence of casual luxury, the attentive staff, the roomy cabins, and the overall sense of tranquility that Aqua Mekong provides. The warmth and readiness to assist from the entire team is truly remarkable." For the second consecutive year, the cruise line secured the No. 1 ranking, thanks to these qualities and more, including its distinctive staterooms on the Aqua Mekong ship, adorned with rich wood accents and vibrant emerald touches, as well as its exceptional dining options on Aqua Nera, which showcases local Peruvian dishes crafted from the freshest ingredients. "It was incredible," one reader shared about their experience. "Gorgeous spaces, superb service!"