|
Unique Cruise Solutions The news you need to know |
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||||
|
Cruise News for the Corporate Travel Professional |
June 2011 Edition |
||||||||||||||||
|
European River Cruising continues to be a Favorite |
||||||||||||||||
|
Boston-based Vantage Deluxe World Travel is the latest player on
the European river cruise scene to unveil an ambitious newbuild plan: four
vessels over the next three years. "The last handful of years, the model has really shifted to more of an 'owning the experience' model," said Scott Weiler, senior vice president of marketing for Vantage, which owns and charters river cruise vessels in Europe. Vantage currently owns three ships in Europe, operating predominantly on the Rhine, Main, Moselle and Danube rivers: the 140-passenger River Navigator, the 170-passenger River Explorer and the 170-passenger River Odyssey. The ships were all built about a decade ago but have all been refurbished within the last year. The company also charters five ships in Europe and one in Russia. Starting next year, however, the company will launch the 176-passenger River Discovery II, followed by the 176-passenger River Explorer II and 138-passenger River Navigator II in 2013. The 176-passenger River Odyssey II will come online in 2014. As the four newbuilds are launched, the three older, company-owned ships will be retired from the fleet. Vantage caters predominantly to the U.S. market, with a focus on longer river cruise itineraries, averaging about 14 days. On the River Explorer II, which is launching in March, 78% of the cabins will have French balconies. Cabin sizes will range from single cabins on the lower deck at 125 square feet each to standard staterooms at 165 square feet. The ship will also feature six suites at 250 square feet each and one owner's suite at 330 square feet. The common areas will include a dining room, aft lounge, a bar and lounge area, library, fitness room and Internet area. There will be an elevator between the second and third decks and a hydraulic chair lift to the sun deck. The company also plans to offer WiFi access throughout the ship, complimentary coffee and tea service and nightly entertainment. The new vessels are being built in Lobith, Netherlands. Vantage has commissioned Hoop Lobith to design the fleet and Wilhelmine van Aarssen to oversee the interior design of the cabins. |
 |
||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||
| Up | |||||||||||||||||
| Up | |||||||||||||||||
|
Worldwide Travel & Cruise Assoc., Inc. 150 S. University Dr. Ste E, Plantation, FL 33324 - USA Tel: +1 954 452 8800 Fax: +1 954 252 3945 EMail: sales@cruiseco.com |
|||||||||||||||||
|
Designed & Published by: Worldwide Media. |
|||||||||||||||||
