20 CRUISE NEWS
Sixty per cent of cruisers would try inland option
Thirty new river cruise ships launching W
ITH more than 30 new ships launching this year, 2014 is proving to be one of the biggest years to date for the river cruise market. Cruise lines continue to expand their fleets, and interest in river cruising is strong according to recent surveys from Cruise Critic, the world's largest cruise website.
More than 60 per cent of those polled report that they would love to try a river cruise, and a majority say that they're most enticed by the chance to try a new experience and explore the inland itineraries offered.
"With more itineraries and more cabins available, river cruise lines are working hard to appeal to a broad audience – this is a great time for anyone interested in a river cruise," explains Adam Coulter, UK Editor of Cruise Critic. "Passengers are spoilt for choice in terms of the itineraries on offer, the variety of excursions, and the quality of the ships." With over half of this year's new ships already launched, Cruise Critic's editors share the top river trends that have emerged to date: Forty seven per cent of those surveyed said that they tried river cruising because they wanted to try something new; 39 per cent were attracted by inland itineraries and 10 per cent liked the prospect of smaller ships and fewer passengers. Sixty one per cent said they would love to try a river cruise and only 11 per cent said they would never set foot on one.
With over half of this year's new ships already launched, Cruise Critic's editors share the top river trends that have emerged to date: • Cafe Culture Comes Aboard – Increased Alfresco Dining Options: A number of lines are incorporating alfresco dining into new ship designs. Uniworld's S.S. Antoinette offers the industry's first "pop up" restaurant in L'Orangerie; Viking River's Aquavit Terrace features indoor/outdoor dining at all meals; and on Emerald Waterways, the new Emerald Sky offers an outdoor grill. • Live Like the Locals - More Immersive Shore
Off on a cruise - bring your running shoes
CRYSTAL Cruises is inviting active travellers to lace up their running shoes and bring their healthy lifestyles along on their luxury cruise holiday – both onboard and ashore.
The ultra-luxury line, renowned for its finely crafted shore programmes, is debuting brand new Site Running Crystal Adventures with Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity European cruises. An industry first, the new escorted experiences offer intimate and invigorating scenic 5-10k runs that vary from jogs past historical sites to nature runs through magnificent parks. Among the routes are along Dubrovnik’s River Ombla, a path usually only travelled by locals; among St Petersburg’s gilded Baroque architecture, across the Neva River to Vasilievsky Island, past Peter the Great’s lush summer garden, then on to the fabled Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood; beside Amsterdam’s tree-lined canals, through pedestrian-only areas such as the Waterlooplein flea market and past iconic locations such as Anne Frank’s House and museums such as the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum; and from Monte Carlo, on a rolling path along the French Riviera, around St Jean Cap-Ferrat peninsula and through the quaint village of Villefranche-sur-Mer to Beaulieu-sur-Mer, rewarded by an optional swim in the Mediterranean.
Crystal will continue to announce details of more Site Running adventures in destinations around the world as they are confirmed.
Excursions: Typically, river lines include most shore excursions in the cost of the fare, but lines are now adding more unique, optional offerings – usually at an added cost. Cruisers can go truffle hunting on a Uniworld Rhone River cruise, visit a cognac house and blend a personal bottle on a Viking River Bordeaux sailing, or take a hands-on cooking class in a local restaurant with AmaWaterways. • Spotlight on Bordeaux - New Itineraries in
France: France's river cruise itineraries have typically been along the Rhone and Seine, but lines are now expanding their itinerary options into Bordeaux – both Uniworld and Viking River are offering cruises in the region, and Scenic and Avalon will also offer Bordeaux sailings in 2015. • Dwelling Comfort - Spacious Cabins: River ships as a whole are generally much smaller than most ocean-going vessels, but river lines are paying special attention to make cabins as spacious as possible. Avalon's "Suite Ships" offer cabins that are about 15 percent larger than standard river cabins, with angled walls and floor-length windows; Tauck has eliminated its "aquarium class" to build multi- level rooms; and Luftner's Amadeus is planning to reduce capacity to increase cabin size on its new vessel, due out in 2015.
For more insight into recent river cruise trends, visit
http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk For more planning advice, visit Cruise Critic's River Cruise Planning Guide.
* Cruise Critic® is an online cruise guide, offering a comprehensive resource for cruise travellers, from first-time cruisers to avid cruise enthusiasts. The site features more than 100,000 cruise reviews and hosts the world's largest online cruise community where travelers share experiences and opinions with fellow cruisers.
Cruise Critic was the first consumer cruise site on the Internet, launched in October 1995 by The Independent Traveler, Inc., a subsidiary of TripAdvisor, Inc.
ONCE SEINE NEVER FORGOTTEN: The AMA Waterways cruise ship Amalyra on its way past the the Eiffel Tower in Paris - river cruising is on a roll, says a new Cruise Critic survey (see story left)
South America for new season
GUESTS can book a new South America cruise on Norwegian Sun or a Caribbean sailing from Port Canaveral on Norwegian Spirit
Norwegian Cruise Line’s new South America itineraries for 2015/16 are open for booking along with alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral, Florida, and select Eastern and Panama Canal cruises from Miami. Norwegian Sun will return to South America for the first time since 2010, sailing 14-night South American voyages between Valparaiso (Santiago), Chile and Buenos Aires, Argentina from November 4, 2015 to March 26, 2016. Ports of call include Puerto Montt, Chile; Puerto Chacabuco, Chile; Punta Arenas, Chile; Ushuaia, Argentina; Stanley, Falkland Islands; Puerto Madryn, Argentina; and
Montevideo, Uruguay. Guests on-board will also enjoy a scenic cruise through the Chilean Fjords, Strait of Magellan and around Cape Horn. Prices start from £1,059 per person.
Norwegian Sun will also offer several other itineraries from the West Coast in Autumn 2015, including: a four-night Pacific Coastal from Vancouver on September 28, 2015; three 11-night Mexican Riviera cruises from San Diego; a 17-night voyage to South America from San Diego on November 4, 2015, including an overnight in Lima, Peru, with an optional overnight excursion to Machu Picchu; and a 20-night South American Explorer cruise from Santiago (Valparaiso), Chile to San Francisco on April 9, 2016 also offering an optional overnight excursion to Machu Picchu.
Two top RCI ships operating out of Southampton
TWO of Royal Caribbean International’s most activity packed ships Independence of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas, have arrived back into the Port of Southampton (UK) to embark on their 2014 summer seasons for the second year running.
RCI says the return of these modern ships underscores the company’s commitment to the UK and Southampton market, which will grow further with the arrival of the most technologically advanced ship ever, Anthem of the Seas in April 2015.
The newly enhanced Adventure of the Seas arrived into the City Cruise terminal on May 4, 2014 while sister ship Independence of the Seas sails into the port on May 17, 2014.
A host of all new features will be available for the first time from Southampton 2014 sailings with Adventure of the Seas. These include Wifi throughout the ship, a new Concierge Lounge for suite guests, a Diamond Lounge for Crown & Anchor Society loyalty programme members and digital signage throughout the ship. Flat screen TV’s in every stateroom and a giant outdoor cinema screen and the addition of Giovanni’s Table – a family friendly Italian trattoria - are further new features that await guests on Adventure of the Seas.
The 3,114-guest Adventure of the Seas offers a series of seven to 16 night cruises around the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, plus shorter sailings, including a four-night trip to Belgium and France.
The announcement that both Independence and Adventure of the Seas are returning into Southampton comes ahead of Royal Caribbean embarking on a massive step change for the global business by placing some of its newest ships on this side of the Atlantic. In 2015, Anthem of the Seas, the newest and one of the most technologically advanced ships ever will call the Port of Southampton home for its summer season, while sister ship, Allure of the Seas will call Barcelona its home.
The 3,634-guest Independence of the Seas, based in Southampton since 2008, continues to receive rave reviews from UK holidaymakers, most recently in the
2013 Cruise Critic UK Cruisers’ Choice Awards, where it was honoured in the best food, entertainment, families, fitness and service categories.
To kick off its summer season, Independence of the Seas will offer a series of new itineraries including more, shorter sailings such as three-night cruises to Le Havre for Paris and four night cruises to Le Havre for Paris and Zeebrugge for Bruges. The ship will also offer six night cruises to France and Spain, an eight- night cruise to Norway, various 14-night Mediterranean cruises, plus 11 and 12-night Canary Islands cruises as part of its 2014 summer season. Stuart Leven, Managing Director, Royal Caribbean International, commented: “We are thrilled to welcome back two of our most activity-packed ships to the city of Southampton. It is an extremely important port for our ships and the experience for our guests is always excellent. The port is easily reached by road, rail and air and we know our guests love how quickly they can reach the hot spot destinations of Northern Europe and the Mediterranean.”
Leven added: “The incredible consumer response
that these two ships have received these past five years sailing out of Southampton is just one of the many reasons why we’ve been given the confidence to bring some of our newest and best ships to the UK and European markets. There is no doubt that come 2015, UK holidaymakers will embrace Anthem of the Seas with the same vigour and enthusiasm that they have with Independence and Adventure of the Seas, beginning what will hopefully be many more great seasons to come.”
Anthem of the Seas will be Royal Caribbean International’s second Quantum-class ship and is due to feature a number of game-changing “firsts at sea” including a Jamie’s Italian, a skydiving experience called RipCord by iFLY and the North Star, an engineering marvel featuring a jewel like capsule that extends 300 feet above the ocean to deliver 360-degree views for guests. Other cutting-edge transformative venues onboard include SeaPlex, the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea with bumper cars, roller skating and more; and the cruise line’s largest and most advanced staterooms ever.
Independence of the Seas is one of two Royal Caribbean ships that will be operating out of Southampton for summer 2014
June 2014 Travel News
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