Getting to Know VIVA Cruises with CEO Andrea Kruse

There was a new entrant at this year’s ASTA River Cruise Expo. Though its already spent eight years sailing the rivers of Europe, VIVA Cruises is still not well known among North American travel advisors. That’s something co-founder and CEO Andrea Kruse would like to change. Thus, the brand’s presence at this year’s River Cruise, which Kruse said was very successful and for sure, VIVA will be back next year.

To get to know more about VIVA, TMR caught up with Kruise in Miami at the 2026 Seatrade Cruise Global conference.

Three-Pronged Value Proposition

We started with a bird’s eye overview of the brand. What are VIVA’s biggest differentiators and main selling points, we asked Kruse.

“We are a global river cruise line. We don’t have one core market,” which Kruse told us leads to a “charming” experience on the rivers.

Secondly, VIVA is an all-inclusive cruise line, but with cruise fares that are lower than the other all-inclusive cruise lines. Pretty much everything is included on a VIVA cruise: all dining, beverages, wine pairings, mini-bar, Wi-Fi, gratuities, and excursions.

Included in dining, two to three restaurants (depending on ship), including the main restaurant, which offers a seasonal menu specific to the region the ship sails in, and the Viva Bistro, which Kruse described as having a “surf and turf character.” On the newest ships, a third restaurant called “Moments” offers an all-Italian menu with homemade pizzas and pasta.

“When we started eight years ago with VIVA, it was very important for me to create a product that is easy to understand and easy to sell. It’s very important when you book that you know exactly what you get with us, so we are very transparent with everything.”

“Our pricing, in terms of the competitors, in terms of value and money, what the guests have to pay is a little bit less, and they get so much.”

Third VIVA doesn’t discount – ever.

“We are price stable,” Kruse told TMR, adding this is something that many clients and advisors find reassuring.

When you put the three pieces together Kruse said, “it’s a very easy, clear message and very easy to understand, guest wise and for travel advisors.”

To make it even easier for advisors and cruisers to understand, cabins – with the exception of the eight suites onboard – are all pretty much identical. They’re all 172 square feet and they all have French balconies, except for those on the bottom deck which have smaller fixed windows along the top of the wall.

“It’s very nice to understand because you don’t have tons of different categories. The only difference is which deck you choose,” Kruse said.

(Guests in suites do get some perks, including priority reservations at the two specialty restaurants.)

What might be a little confusing to North American advisors is the unique combination the brand’s all-inclusive nature combined with prices typically well below other all-inclusive brands.

(Just as an example, an Aug. 19, 2026, seven-night RT Vienna Danube River sailing starts at $3,025 for an entry-level stateroom. A similar seven-night Uniworld sailing, departing on Aug. 16, 2026 and going from Budapest to Passau, starts at $4,399 for an entry-level room.)

So, is it a luxury brand (the way other all-inclusive brands are) or is entry-level or premium (because of the pricing)?

According to Kruse, VIVA is a premium four-star-plus product.

(A new brand for the company – VIVA Boutique, which Kruse called her “true heart project” – launches later this year, first on the Seine and then next year on the Po River. That is a more upscale brand. see below)

VIVA Cruises Itineraries

VIVA also differentiates itself from other river cruise line with many of its itineraries, particularly those that are shorter and those that sail in the off-season including January and February. Most river cruise lines don’t sail during those two months.

Interestingly, Kruse told TMR these off-season itineraries tend to bring in lots of first-time cruisers, as well as younger cruisers.

She attributes that to the fact that most of the off-season sailings are shorter or package together more cities into a one-week time period.

“It can be city trips to the Netherlands and Belgium. On the Danube, we cover Budapest, Bratislava, and Vienna, so only main capitals within five days, four nights. You can even combine with Danube with Paris.”

And, of course, she pointed out everything is less crowded at that time of year.

“You can’t get any better guest experience for yourself because you can experience all of that to the maximum,” she added.

VIVA Boutique

We asked Kruse about the differences between the regular VIVA product and the VIVA Boutique Collection that launches this year with VIVA Beyond.

First and foremost, the two VIVA Boutique ships will be much smaller than the rest of the VIVA fleet. VIVA BEYOND will have a capacity of 112 guests, while VIVA UNIQUE will have room for 104 guests. Also, unlike the rest of the VIVA fleet, 50% of the cabins on both ships will be suites, with each measuring just under 388 square feet. VIVA ships have just eight suites.

Like VIVA’s newest river ships, VIVA Boutique’s vessels will also have three restaurants: the main restaurant, a Viva Brasserie, and Moments, which on these ships will only have room for 12 guests. The menu at Moments on VIVA Boutique ships is being created in partnership with a French chef and will have the feel of a Michelin Star restaurant.

While Kruse believes both VIVA brands are an excellent option for North American passengers, she admits they created VIVA Boutique for the U.S. audience.

“In every sense, the suites, the whole program, the whole package, and I know they are crazy about France and Italy. We want to push that product towards the U.S.”

She added, VIVA Boutique will likely launch a third ship, this time on the Douro, for the same reason. North American travelers can’t get enough of the Douro River.

With all that in mind, we asked who has been booking VIVA Boutique so far.

“It’s half and half, 50% are familiar with VIVA Cruises and the VIVA brand, and then we truly have new customers and also new travel advisors,” she said.

In general, the new advisors are those who specialize in selling luxury cruises, though Kruse did no specify whether they are predominantly U.S.-based or not.

U.S. As Source Market

We asked Kruse, how much of VIVA’s passenger base is coming from the U.S. and Canada at this point.

For 2026, U.S. cruisers make up about 8% of VIVA’s guests. Canadians make up no more than 2%.

“We want to make that grow,” Kruse said. “The intention is that by the end of this year to reach something around 15%, and by the end of ’27 to have 20%… I think we are definitely capable of that.”

To help grow the VIVA brand in the U.S., Kruse said the sales team will continue to grow, with relevant news coming shortly.

“Travel advisors will see how much attention we are paying, especially to the U.S. market, in terms of our team, how we are growing, how we push that, and what kind of support they can expect because we will have a whole team that will be based in the U.S.”

She added that that office is going to be important, “due to the fact that next year the Po River is just around the corner and we need to get ready for that.”

What’s Next for VIVA Cruises?

We asked Kruse what she’s most excited about when it comes to VIVA’s growth and future, and what one decision she’s made that she’s most proud of.

The launch of the VIVA Boutique brand and specifically its Po River itinerary that’s coming next year is one piece of the company’s future she’s most excited about.

“Not only because I’m so in love with Italy, but also due to the fact we can do it. We have now the audience for it,” she said.

Kruse also said she’s looking forward to growing both the VIVA and VIVA Boutique fleets, though not to the extent that either brand would ever become a mass market product.

“That is not our intention,” she said, adding the overall guest experience and the value the company provides its guests outranks profit.

She’s also proud of how the VIVA team is growing.

“We are now over 50 team members. We are 18 nationalities. We have four offices and all that within eight years.”

But the one thing she’s most proud of – her so called “most brilliant” decision – was the name of the company.

“It’s so easy to say and remember, and whenever you say ‘viva,’ there’s so much joy,” she explained. “I think it was the most added value that I ever created for VIVA.”