New ships Capacity surge - Bigger vessels mean new sales opportunities - R
iver cruising continues to blaze a trail through the travel sector with almost 35 river cruise ships, representing an investment of some £138 million, launching in 2015, reports Jane Archer
Most of the new capacity is in Europe but Asia also has its share of new craft next year, and American Cruise Lines (
americancruiselines.com) is even launching a new paddle steamer on the Mississippi. The 150-passenger vessel, American Eagle, launches in March, and it comes less than three years after leisure traffi c returned to the Big Muddy after a break of four years. It will cruise mainly the lower Mississippi, sailing between Memphis and New Orleans or round-trip from New Orleans.
IN ASIA The big news is the Ganges which is making it into the mainstream river cruise brochures in 2015. APT (
aptouring.co.uk) features the river in two Travelmarvel-branded itineraries that use the new 40-passenger Rajmahal and a luxury cruise tour on the Ganges Voyager. Travel Indochina (
travelindochina.co.uk) is also
featuring the Ganges Voyager in 2015, while Uniworld River Cruises (
uniworldrivercruises.co.uk) will have cruises on sister ship Ganges Voyager II as part of a 12-night Golden Triangle tour. The Mekong in Cambodia and Vietnam is back in the news for 2015, with both AmaWaterways (
amawaterways.co.uk) and Avalon Waterways (
avaloncruises.co.uk) launching new craft on the river and bringing design features from their European vessels. The 124-passenger AmaDara, launching
August 2015, will have split inside/outside balconies and a speciality restaurant, while the 36-passenger Avalon Siem Reap, launching January 2015, will have cabins with a wall of glass that opens two-thirds the width of the room to create an ‘inside’ balcony. Pandaw Expeditions (
pandaw.com) also has a new
vessel on the Mekong, sailing the Upper Mekong in Laos. The Laos Panda holds 20 passengers and sails between Vientiane and Chiang Khong in Thailand. In January 2015, Pandaw is launching the 20-passenger Kha Byoo to sail the Irrawaddy between Mandalay and Bhamo, while in July it is moving into new territory with 10-night voyages on the Red River in northern Vietnam that include a night in Halong Bay and two days in Hanoi.
IN EUROPE Not surprisingly, most of next year’s new builds will be in Europe, where demand continues to outstrip capacity. Avalon General Manager David Binns said his company fi lls every new river ship it launches despite the fact the holidays are not cheap. “There has been a tremendous upsurge in demand for river cruising so we just don’t have enough capacity, and it’s the same for most companies. Prices are high but they include a lot.” Perl River Cruises' Director, Stuart Perl, who represents Amadeus River Cruises (
amadeusrivercruises.co.uk) in the UK, attributed the growth to the ‘fantastic job’ agents and operators have done to raise awareness of river cruising.
sellingtravel.co.uk
He added: “As the market matures, there will be a continual need for new ships as river cruisers become more refi ned and look for new destinations and river cruise experiences.” Most of the new vessels will be sailing on the Rhine and Danube, which attract more than 50% of all British river cruise passengers sailing in Europe, according to CLIA UK & Ireland. However, a few of the new builds are destined for other waterways. Avalon is basing the new Avalon Tapestry II on the Seine in France, sailing round-trip from Paris. The vessel launches in March 2015 and will feature Avalon’s ‘inside’ balconies. A second Avalon new-build, Avalon Tranquility II, will sail the Rhine between Amsterdam and Basel from next March. CroisiEurope, meanwhile, has designed a shallow-draft vessel to operate new overnight river cruises on the Loire in France. The 96-passenger Loire Princesse, launching April 2015, will be propelled by a side-mounted paddlewheel and sail fi ve- and eight-night cruises round-trip from Nantes. Highlights include tours of the STX
shipyard in St Nazaire, where the vessel is being built, the medieval city of Guérande and towns of Saumur and Angers, as well as visits to some of the Loire’s famed chateaux including Azay-le-Rideau, Villandry and Ussé. Prices start from £1,001pp cruise-only. CroisiEurope is also launching the Gil Eanes, named after a 15th-century Portuguese explorer, on the Douro in Portugal and the 108-passenger Camargue on the Rhône and Saône in France. Scenic Tours (
scenictours.co.uk) is expanding in
France by moving the 2008-built Scenic Diamond to Aquitaine, to sail 11-day cruises on the
river cruising
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Top photo: Riviera Travel' s Jane Austen enters service next May Left: A luxury suite on Sanctuary Retreat's Sanctuary Ananda Above: Scenic Tours' new 'space ships' feature a fun, cafe-style sundeck
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