What's New On The Rivers

PHOTO: Adventures by Disney is teaming with AmaWaterways for family river cruise trips.

River cruising promises to continue its dramatic growth in 2016. Here’s a summary of new ships and itineraries from major river lines as we enter the 2016 high season.

AMAWATERWAYS

NEW SHIPS: 158-passenger sister ships AmaStella and AmaViola enter service in April.

FEATURES: Connecting staterooms, larger suites, accommodations with twin balconies.

NEW PARTNERSHIP: Adventures by Disney will operate seven family-friendly departures on the Ama-Viola in 2016.

NEW DESTINATIONS: Twenty-two “Taste of Bordeaux” sailings aboard AmaDolce on the Garonne and Dordogne rivers in France’s wine region; eight departures are wine-themed. 

CONTACT: www.AmaWaterways.com  

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AMERICAN CRUISE LINES

NEW SHIP: The 185-passenger America debuts in May on the Mississippi River.

FEATURES: Staterooms measuring 300-square-feet.

NEW DESTINATIONS: The Queen of the Mississippi moved to the Pacific Northwest in March to operate on the Columbia and Snake rivers under the new name American Pride.

NEW NAME: American Eagle, which entered service in 2015, has assumed the name Queen of the Mississippi.

CONTACT: www.americancruiselines.com   

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AMERICAN QUEEN STEAMBOAT COMPANY

NEW FEATURE: Butler service for guests in Luxury Suites on the American Queen on the Mississippi and the American Empress in the Pacific Northwest.

CONTACT: www.aqsc.com  

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A-ROSA CRUISES

PROMOTION: “Kids Sail Free” on all 2016 sailings. One adult can take up to three kids ages 2-15 for free. The A-Rosa Flora has two family staterooms that sleep four. Passengers get shore excursion credit of €200 (about US$216 at press time).

CONTACT: www.arosacruises.com  

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AVALON WATERWAYS

NEW SHIPS: The 166-passenger Avalon Passion and the 128-guest Avalon Imagery II. 

FEATURES: Wall-to-wall windows in Panorama Suites transform into open-air balconies.

NEW ITINERARIES: The seven-night “Enchanting Belgium” and the seven-night “Essential Holland and Belgium.” Also, Avalon returns to the Nile and Amazon rivers.

CONTACT: www.avalonwaterways.com  

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CROISIEUROPE

NEW SHIPS: The 80-passenger paddlewheeler Elbe Princesse and two 24-passenger barges Deborah and Daniele enter service in 2016.

NEW ITINERARIES: Elbe Princesse will sail on the Elbe and the Moldau rivers between Berlin and Prague, Deborah will sail on the Garonne Canal and Daniele on the Briare Canal.

CONTACT: www.croisieurope rivercruises.com  

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EMERALD WATERWAYS

NEW SHIPS: The 182-passenger Emerald Belle was scheduled to join the fleet in June, but was delayed after damage in a shipyard fire. Its debut was uncertain at press time.

FEATURES: Heated pool, cinema; suite guests can lower the upper half of floor-to-ceiling window at push of a button.

NEW DESTINATIONS: New cruises in Myanmar, and on Europe’s Moselle, Rhine, Main and Danube rivers.

CONTACT: www.emeraldwater ways.com  

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EUROPEAN WATERWAYS

NEW SHIPS: An eight-passenger hotel barge, Finesse, will debut in May on the River Saône and Canal du Centre in Southern Burgundy, France.    

NOTABLE FEATURES: Four 265-square-foot suites, a demonstration galley, alfresco dining and a spa pool.

CONTACT: www.gobarging.com  

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G ADVENTURES

NEW PRODUCT: The tour operator enters the river cruise market this year with nine eight- to 13-day itineraries in Cambodia, Vietnam, India, France and Peru, on ships accommodating 22 to 30 passengers per trip.

FOCUS: G Adventures targets a younger demographic and features active and cultural elements in its river cruise itineraries.

CONTACT: www.gadventures.com  

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SCENIC

NEW SHIPS: The 68-passenger Scenic Spirit entered service in January on the Mekong River. The 96-guest Scenic Azure will debut a Douro River itinerary in Portugal and the 44-passenger Scenic Aura will sail on Myanmar’s Irrawaddy River in September. 

NOTABLE FEATURES: Scenic Aura has just 22 one-bedroom suites, each with private balcony and butler service.

CONTACT: www.scenicusa.com  

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TAUCK

NEW SHIPS: Two 130-passenger Inspiration-class riverboats will join the fleet – the MS Grace on the Rhine in April and the MS Joy on the Danube in June.

NEW FEATURE: Onshore dinner venues at Germany’s Ehreshoven Castle and Schloss Johannisberg, and France’s Chateau Bizy.

NEW ITINERARY: A 10-day “The Rhine, Swiss Alps & Amsterdam” program combines two nights in Bern with a seven-night Rhine River cruise.

CONTACT: www.tauck.com  

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UNIWORLD BOUTIQUE RIVER CRUISE COLLECTION

NEW SHIPS: The 56-guest Ganges Voyager II entered service in India in January. 

FEATURES: Accommodations range from a roomy 261 to 400 square feet. All have French balconies, sitting areas, rain showers and hand-painted murals.

NEW DESTINATIONS: The 13-day India packages include a seven-night Ganges River cruise and a five-night land tour with stays in Oberoi properties properties in New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.

NEW EXTRA: In Europe, Uniworld expands butler service to all suites on European fleet this year, except in Russia and Portugal.

CONTACT: www.uniworld.com  

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VIKING RIVER CRUISES

NEW SHIPS: Six new 190-passenger Longships entered service in March on Europe itineraries; the 106-passenger Viking Osfrid, specially designed for the Douro River in Portugal, is due out later this spring.

NEW ITINERARIES: Nine new cruise and cruise-tours itineraries include a 12-day trip from Munich to Budapest and a 16-day itinerary from Berlin to Warsaw.

CONTACT: www.vikingrivercruises.com