48 | CRUISE NEWS


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a NOSTALGIC ROWBACK TO NIGEL’S FIRST EVER CRUISELINER EXPERIENCE


April/May 2026


Uniworld Boutique River Cruises Unveils First Look at New Super Ships for 2027


UNIWORLD Boutique river cruises reveals its first renderings of its two newest Super Ships that will debut in 2027. The sister ships S.S. Audrey and


S.S. Marlene, will draw their distinct designs from well-known celebrated actresses Audrey Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich. Ellen Bettridge, President and CEO


of Uniworld, said: “One-of-a-kind design has


BY NIGEL HEATH


THIS simply had to be the mother of all passenger cruise liner upgrades, and it came completely out of the blue and was set in motion after just three telephone calls. The first call to my news PR office in the small North Somerset village of Wrington late on an October afternoon back in 2002 was from a long-time travelling companion. She had seen this amazing offer namely a six-night pre- Christmas cruise from Southampton to New York on the world’s then most famous passenger liner the QE2, two nights in Lower Manhattan and British Airways flights home and all for £1100 per person! “But you’ve got to come because this offer is only available


as a package for two,” she insisted. Just the day before I had booked to go on a small group


tour following in the footsteps of the Spanish Conquistadors along the old King’s Highway through the jungles of Panama in early January. I wavered but no this was too good an opportunity


to miss so I called up Eric, Cunard’s Head of PR at the time, and explained that I had just booked this offer but would happily write a one-thousand-word feature with pictures in exchange for an upgrade. The truth was that I would have


written a piece anyway because once I set off on a travel trip, I simply can’t resist writing about it! Eric said he would make enquiries


but would not be calling me back until a few days before the cruise because Cunard would wait to see how many cabins were left unoccupied. Again, it was a late afternoon this time at the end of November when Eric called me back: “Hi Nigel you’ve been upgraded to Q so have a good trip” and with no further explanation he rang off. I had previously ordered a brochure which I thumbed open immediately to discover to my great surprise that Q was the Queen’s Grill deck with the services of a butler and two female colleagues and that the total cost of our cruise would have been circa £15,000! So, a wet early December morning found us being dropped


off at the terminal in my companion's son's car which had seen better days and suitcases in hand. We joined the end of a long check-in queue. When we eventually reached one of a line of desks, we


presented our tickets and explained that we had been given an upgrade. The woman quickly looked up our details. “That’s a nice upgrade,” she replied, signalling to a


colleague and moments later we found ourselves following him along a red carpet as he carried our suitcases past all our fellow passengers now queuing to board. Once onboard we were whisked into a lift which opened a


couple of minutes later onto a wide and plush corridor with staterooms on either side and followed him half way along to a door on the left. I will pause here to admit that this was to be my very first


experience of ocean cruising because all my previous trans- Atlantic voyages had been on passenger carrying container ships or during my shipping correspondent days as a supernumerary on giant car carriers or short sea container vessels. So, talking about going from the sublime to the ridiculous, this was certainly it! Our guide opened the heavy wooden door, which was surprisingly unlocked, and we stepped into our huge and beautifully furnished state room where our attention was


immediately drawn to a black-suited butler caught in the act of replenishing our drinks cabin. “Ah just in time so what spirits shall I include?” he enquired


not turning a hair. The question caught us off guard because neither of us ever went anywhere near spirits and what we replied has long since been forgotten. “I will leave you to get settled in and my colleagues will call


by to introduce themselves later,” he said quietly closing the door behind him. We stood there in a stunned silence slowly taking in our


luxury surroundings starting with the two huge double beds separated by a table and lamp casting a subtle glow and beyond to open curtains leading out onto our sundeck which seeing it was bitterly cold outside was unlikely to have more than a cursory use. On further inspection we discovered a sparkling bathroom


with his and her separate sinks and of course a large bath together with a walk-in dressing room just across the way. Having unpacked we were rudely taken back into the grips


of reality with a broadcast instructing us to locate and don our bright orange life jackets and proceed to our appointed muster station, an order I had obeyed on many previous occasions while joining officers and mainly Filipino crew on the open deck of a container ship already way out at sea. That evening we thoroughly enjoyed


our Queen’s Grill dining experience on a table for two having consciously decided not to opt for a shared table with far more wealthier guests! But one surprise highlight of our voyage arrived early the following morning when the day’s packed activities programme slipped under our door because having never ‘cruised’ before I had no idea that this would include


a whole series of lectures. Imagined my surprise on discovering that first person to


appear in the lecture theatre that morning was to be writer Celia Sandys talking about the early life of her grandfather Winston Churchill and this was to be followed by Captain Fred Mclaren talking about the first manned dives on The German battleship Bismark. Our most memorable six-day voyage sailed past in a flash


and before we knew it we were standing on the open deck at six am as we sailed slowly up The Hudson River with the whole of Manhattan ablaze of lights towering ahead of us. We and a crowd of fellow passengers gazed up at QE2s


funnel with baited- breath as it cleared the famous Verrazano Bridge with just a few feet to spare!


always been central to the Uniworld experience, with the S.S. Audrey and S.S. Marlene, we’re celebrating two women whose style defined an era. These ships bring their spirit to life through thoughtful details and spaces created to deepen our guests’ connection to the destinations along the journey, and we’re excited to share a sneak peek inside.” Continuing their tradition the cruise


line will create design driven ships that reflect the regions that they sail. The S.S. Audrey draws inspiration


from Audrey Hepburn’s timeless style and mid-20th-century Europe. It will feature an intimate aft bar lounge, a bookable private dining room for exclusive culinary moments, and the ability to combine adjacent suites to create spacious two-bedroom accommodations for families or groups travelling together. The S.S. Audrey will begin sailing on 16 April 2027. The S.S. Marlene pays tribute to the


striking presence and timeless beauty of German-born actress and singer Marlene Dietrich. Accommodating up to 154 guests, the ship will feature signature Uniworld amenities, including a restaurant, lounge, private dining room, spa, and fitness centre. The S.S. Marlene will begin sailing on 27 March 2027


You Better Believe It! New Disney Cruise Line Ship Announced


NEW details about the next Disney Cruise Line ship, including the vessel’s name and design theme, were announced at the 2026 Walt Disney Company Annual Shareholders Meeting by Chief Executive Officer Josh D’Amaro during his historic first day at the helm of the company. The next ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet will be named the Disney Believe. The Disney Believe is the fourth instalment


in Disney Cruise Line’s Wish class. Like its sister ships – the enchantment-themed Disney Wish, adventure-themed Disney Treasure and heroes and villains-themed Disney Destiny – the Dis- ney Believe has its own unique story. Filled with stories of Disney characters who


believe in themselves, in their dreams, and in the promise and possibility of a better tomor- row, the Disney Believe will bring to life the worlds of “Encanto” and “Frozen,” the wishing wells of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” and the depths of the sea with “Moana” and “The Little Mermaid”. The ongoing expansion will grow the fleet


to 13 ships by 2031, including the Disney Adventure, which sailed its maiden voyage from Singapore on March 10; the Disney Be- lieve, expected in late 2027; the introduction of a brand-new class of ships in 2029; and an agreement with Disney and Oriental Land Co., Ltd. (OLC) to introduce Disney cruise vacations


to Japan in 2029.


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