EXPANDING HORIZONS
What’s new in river cruises
This month has been declared National Plan a Cruise Month, according to Cruise Lines International Association, the umbrella organization for cruising. River cruise lines, many of which are members of CLIA, are way out front when it comes to promoting cruising in 2016.
River cruising is the industry’s hot segment and has been for the last few years. If you were looking for a specific river ship and dates and didn’t book early, that cruise might be showing full.
Earlier this year, many lines were announcing they were 75 per cent sold out for the year. People who didn’t book early were left out, so if that trend continues and you’re interested in 2016, think about booking soon.
The massive buildup of river ships in Europe has slowed for 2016, with some lines focusing their new builds for Asian waters — specifically, the Irrawaddy in Myanmar, Mekong in Vietnam, Ganges in India.
While the industry has Viking Cruises to thank for river cruising’s visibility these last few years, other lines are getting more creative.
Uniworld is launching the Ganges Voyager II in 2016, making it the first of the modern major lines on the Ganges River. AmaWaterways has two ships coming, one in partnership with Adventures by Disney, the first true family river ship in Europe — to accommodate families Ama’s building it with connecting staterooms, and word is all seven cruises are selling well.
Both Ama and Avalon will have theme cruises, such as local wine and beer tastings while cruising through great regions for both. Growth in shorter cruises will continue to attract younger passengers who don’t have time to spend 15 days going from Amsterdam to Budapest, still the big kahuna of river cruises.
Here are two current sales: Scenic is offering fly-for-free deals from selected cities on its 11- and 12-day Bordeaux cruises in 2016.
Avalon is offering sales and waiving single supplements on selected Irrawaddy cruises for 2016. Check with a cruise travel agent to discover more about both.
River lines will continue to build in 2016, but at a slower pace.
Viking, which continues to out build everyone else, will have six new Longships ready come spring, plus another one built specifically for the Douro River.
Avalon will launch a perfect name for a ship — Avalon Passion — along with Avalon Imagery II. Emerald Waterways will add one, the Emerald Belle, to sail the Danube and the Rhine.
Scenic, the all-inclusive line, will christen new ships in two continents.
A new “Space Ship” will join the fleet as will the first Portugal ship, for the Douro.
Thousands of kilometres away, Scenic’s much anticipated Scenic Spirit will be launched on the Mekong River in January. The Irrawaddy also has drawn Scenic’s attention — a new ship will cruise on that river in late 2016.
When you consider that two mega-ocean ships, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, carry close to the entire European river cruise numbers for 2015 (about 500,000), river lines have plenty of expanding on their horizons.