|
MORE
SHIPS FOR RIVER CRUISE FLEETS IN 2015
August 20, 2014
River cruise lines are expanding their fleets in
response to consumer demand
With demand for river cruises still growing (to the
degree that travelers are advised to book far ahead if
their hearts are set on a particular date, destination
or ship), many river lines are adding more ships to
their fleets.
Thousands of new berths are under construction and
scheduled to launch in 2015, when they will sail on a
host of different rivers from Mississippi to Europe and
Asia.
The new builds will give travel agents many more options
to offer both repeat river cruisers and first timers.
Here is an overview of the new river cruise ships that
will start sailing worldwide in 2015.
American Cruise Lines will launch a new
150-passenger riverboat, whose name has not yet been
announced, on the Mississippi River in the spring.
Avalon Waterways will debut four new ships next
year including: the 36-passenger Avalon Myanmar on the
Irrawaddy River; the 36-passenger Avalon Siem Reap on
the Mekong River in Cambodia and Vietnam; and two
128-passenger ships, Avalon Tranquility II on the Rhine
River and Rhone River, and Avalon Tapestry II in France.
Both of the latter two ships will have 12 staterooms and
52 suites.
AmaWaterways’ 124-guest AmaDara will join
AmaLotus for sailings along the Mekong River, and the
new 164-passenger sister vessels AmaSerena and AmaVista
will sail the Danube, Main and Rhine rivers.
CroisiEurope, currently in the midst of an
ambitious newbuild program, will have a fleet of 41
river cruise vessels by the end of 2015. On the Rhone
River next year, the company will launch the
100-passenger Rhone Princesse; and the 96-passenger,
shallow-drafted paddle wheeler Loire Princesse will
launch on the Loire. The 132-passenger Gil Eanes, built
entirely by CroisiEurope without the usual partnership
with Douro Azul, will set sail in Portugal on the Douro
River.
Currently only one year old, Emerald
Waterways will double its fleet next April when
two 182-passenger ships, Emerald Sun and Emerald Dawn,
begin cruising the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers and
their tributaries.
The new Haimark
Luxury Cruises will introduce early next year
the 56-passenger Ganges Voyager, the 44-guest Amazon
Discovery and the 24-passenger Mekong Princess.
Scenic Cruises will launch its 10th and 11th
ships in April, the 169-passenger Jasper and the Opal,
sailing on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers and their
tributaries.
Tauck will launch Esprit, a new 130-passenger
Jewel Class ship, in the spring. Esprit will sail on the
Rhine, Danube and Main rivers.
Uniworld Boutique River Cruises will inaugurate
the 155-passenger Maria Theresa to sail on rivers
through regions of Hungary and Bohemia on set and
seasonal holiday itineraries.
Viking River Cruises has 12 vessels on order
for 2015 including 10 of its 190-passenger Viking
Longships. Spring launches include Viking Eir and Viking
Mani, sailing the Rhine River; Viking Skirnir, which
will cruise Holland’s waterways and the
Rhine/Main/Danube rivers network; and Viking Lofn and
Viking Modi sailing the Rhine/Main/Danube rivers
network. Summer launches include Viking Gefjon and
Viking Vidar in May; Viking Ve and Viking Mimir in June;
and Viking Vili in July; all dedicated to sailing the
network of Rhine, Main and Danube rivers.
The other two new Viking vessels are the specially
designed 98-passenger ships Viking Astrild and Viking
Beyla, to sail the Elbe River. The newbuilds join the
recently refurbished Viking Schumann and Viking Fontane
to double the company’s capacity on the Elbe River.
Special
excursions and incentives
for trips on America's only hotel
barge
 The
only hotel barge traveling America's inland
waterways. Built in
1998, the 198-guest R/B River Explorer was
conceived by barging expert Edward G. Conrad, Jr.,
who wanted to share America's stories while
offering travelers a complete vacation experience.
He believed that exploring the heritage and culture
of the country's waterways and nearby towns aboard
a spacious, relaxing vessel would let travelers
experience America in a whole new light. He was
right! Today, the R/B River Explorer offers four to
ten-day excursions to seven regions of America's
rivers, including the lower and upper Mississippi
River, the Cumberland River Valley, the Ohio River
Valley and Missouri River and along the inland
Texas-Louisiana Gulf Intracoastal
Waterway.
The R/B River Explorer is
made up of three separate vessels - the DeSoto, the
LaSalle and the Miss Nari, a 3,000 horsepower
towboat, the only one of its kind in the U.S. On
board, guest can enjoy homestyle family cooking,
including the "Blue Plate" specials, the Perpetual
Cookie Jar (it's bottomless!) The Guest Pilot House
and regional entertainers. Every excursion's
pricing is fully inclusive of specially planned
shore activities, meals and tips.
Lou Hammond &
Associates
Phone 616-552-9194, fax 616 552 9218
e-mail: ginag@hammond.com
www.riverbarge.com
|
