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Ship comparison

River Duchess vs S.S. Sao Gabriel

The verdict

Which should you choose?

River Duchess is an intimate Uniworld River Cruises ship carrying 134 passengers, in service since 2003. S.S. Sao Gabriel is an intimate Uniworld River Cruises ship carrying 100 passengers, in service since 2021.

Choose River Duchess if you want better-rated staterooms: it outscores S.S. Sao Gabriel for staterooms (8.0 vs 5.0) in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores.

Choose S.S. Sao Gabriel if you want more space per passenger, a more family-friendly ship or a newer ship: it outscores River Duchess for family friendly (5.0 vs 2.0) in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores, it has 50.0 gross tons per passenger (vs 26.1) and its maiden voyage was in 2021 (vs 2003).

Side by side

Specifications

marks the better figure where more, or less, is plainly better.

River DuchessS.S. Sao Gabriel
Cruise line Uniworld River Cruises Uniworld River Cruises
Ship size Intimate Intimate
Maiden voyagenewer highlighted 2003 2021 (better)
Last refurbishedmore recent highlighted 2012
Gross tonnage 3,500 5,000
Passengers 134 100
Crew 34 37
Passengers per crew memberfewer is better 3.9 2.7 (better)
Space per passengergross tons per passenger; more is roomier 26.1 50.0 (better)
Decks 3 4
Length 361 ft 262 ft
Beam 38 ft 37 ft
Cruiseable ratingout of 10 10 / 10
Cruises on sale 4 5
Upcoming sailings 7 167
Cruise lengths 7–14 nights 7–19 nights
Fares fromlower highlighted $3,999 $3,299 (better)

Bliss scores

How they rate, out of 10

Cruiseable rates ships out of 10 on ten parts of a cruise holiday. River Duchess leads on 1 of the ten, S.S. Sao Gabriel on 5, with 4 level.

  • Active River Duchess: 7.0 S.S. Sao Gabriel: 7.0
  • Adventure & nature River Duchess: 5.0 S.S. Sao Gabriel: 5.0
  • Cultural River Duchess: 8.0 S.S. Sao Gabriel: 9.0
  • Dining River Duchess: 7.0 S.S. Sao Gabriel: 9.0
  • Entertainment River Duchess: 4.0 S.S. Sao Gabriel: 5.0
  • Family friendly River Duchess: 2.0 S.S. Sao Gabriel: 5.0
  • Party River Duchess: 5.0 S.S. Sao Gabriel: 5.0
  • Romantic River Duchess: 8.0 S.S. Sao Gabriel: 10.0
  • Spa & fitness River Duchess: 5.0 S.S. Sao Gabriel: 5.0
  • Staterooms River Duchess: 8.0 S.S. Sao Gabriel: 5.0

Uniworld River Cruises

River Duchess

River Duchess, part of the Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, carries 134 guests in luxurious style. River ships (for the Rhine, Main and Danube) must navigate hundreds of locks that are only 12 meters wide.

Highlights

  • Visit the picturesque Bulgarian towns of Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanassi.
  • Have an al fresco meal in the Sky Lounge.
  • Enjoy the piano player during tea, cocktails and after dinner for dancing.

Sailing now

4 cruises on sale, from $3,999.

Uniworld River Cruises

S.S. Sao Gabriel

S.S. São Gabriel from Uniworld offers guests the chance to explore the irrigated hills of the beautiful Douro River Valley of Portugal and Spain as well as some of the region's UNESCO World Heritage sites — all on an all-inclusive luxury river ship.

Sailing now

5 cruises on sale, from $3,299.

Questions

River Duchess or S.S. Sao Gabriel?

Which is bigger, River Duchess or S.S. Sao Gabriel?

S.S. Sao Gabriel is bigger at 5,000 gross tons, against 3,500 gross tons for River Duchess. River Duchess carries 134 passengers and S.S. Sao Gabriel carries 100.

Which ship is newer, River Duchess or S.S. Sao Gabriel?

S.S. Sao Gabriel is newer, with a maiden voyage in 2021 against 2003 for River Duchess.

Which has more space per passenger?

S.S. Sao Gabriel, with 50.0 gross tons per passenger against 26.1 on River Duchess. The higher the figure, the more ship there is for each guest.

Which has more crew per passenger?

S.S. Sao Gabriel, with one crew member for every 2.7 passengers against one for every 3.9 on River Duchess.

Which is better for families?

S.S. Sao Gabriel scores higher for family friendliness in Cruiseable’s Bliss scores: 5.0 out of 10, against 2.0 for River Duchess.

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