Category: River Cruises

A-ROSA River Cruises boosts 2024 excursion programme with over 50 new options

February 28, 2024 baz River Cruises Comments Off on A-ROSA River Cruises boosts 2024 excursion programme with over 50 new options

New offers in all five cruise regions, adding up to a total of over 650 excursions

Over 50 new excursions have been added to A-ROSA River Cruises’ excursion programme for 2024, bringing the total of tours now offered to over 650, across all five cruise regions. From new city sightseeing tours and visits to landmarks, to more unique experiences such as personally prepared lunch by a countess on the Douro, there is more choice than ever before. In addition, a new discount of up to 15% off the excursion price has been introduced, when three or more are pre-booked in advance.             

On the Douro, five new excursions are now available, including two new small group options. There is the chance to visit the Quinta da Pacheca near Regua, one of the most renowned wineries in the region, dating back to the 16th century. The Quinta specialises in both wine and port wine and guests can experience some of these during a special picnic with incredible views.  For those who want something extra special, Her Grace, Maria Manuel Cyrne will welcome small groups to her estate in the Douro Valley and after a tour, the countess will personally prepare a Portuguese lunch for guests to enjoy.

Alongside additional excursions in both new and existing ports of call on the Rhine, the arrival of A-ROSA ALEA and A-ROSA CLEA into the fleet in April has also boosted options. Their smaller length means they can sail directly into the heart of ports such as Trier and Strasbourg, making it easy for guest who wish to explore these destinations at their leisure. Alternatively, there is a new group excursion from Trier to the historic gemstone city of Idar-Oberstein and the possibility to marvel at over 100 historic airplanes from aviation history in a nearby museum after. A-ROSA ALEA will dock in Strasbourg in 2024 and during the festive season, a Christmas Market excursion is now offered.

For the ultimate treat, in the new port of Vlissingen, a once-in-a-lifetime flight experience for two is now available. This trip offers the chance to get a bird’s eye view of the regions rolling hills, windmills, farmland and more.

One of the new options on the Danube is a trip to Gödöllö Castle near Budapest, where guests can walk through the magnificent halls and gardens which were the former summer residence of Empress Elisabeth of Austria and her husband King Franz Joseph I.

For those sailing on the Rhône, a new exclusive tour for up to just six people will explore the Ardeche region and visit a Chateau to meet wine growers and enjoy at tasting. There is also a new bike excursion exploring the landscapes of the Côtes du Rhône region.

On the Seine, history and nature enthusiasts can now enjoy a new excursion to Château de La Roche-Guyon, a castle which towers over the banks of the Seine and boasts three-hectares of gardens and excellent views.

A-ROSA River Cruises gets smart with new smartphone app

September 30, 2022 baz River Cruises Comments Off on A-ROSA River Cruises gets smart with new smartphone app

New application introduced on the A-ROSA SENA

A-ROSA River Cruises has launched the ‘A-ROSA APP’, a new smartphone app which has been designed to provide guests with one, easy to use place to find a wealth of information on their cruise, both prior to departure and once on board. Currently the app is available for all guests sailing on A-ROSA SENA, ahead of a fleet wide roll out for the 2023 season.

The new app will hold all the relevant information from the ship’s onboard programme such as restaurant and bar opening times, details of the evening buffet menu which is updated daily and times that the spa and sauna is open. Guests can book excursions in the ‘My Trip’ section, view the cruise itinerary and find other facts about the ship and life on board.

An integrated bar menu is also a feature of the new app, enabling drinks to be ordered digitally. All tables in the SENA BAR, CAPTAIN’S VIEW and THE A-ROSA MARKET have QR codes that guests can scan using their own smartphone. This will then open up the extensive bar menu in the app, from which drinks can be ordered and brought directly to guests table.

The app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play and is available for both iOS and Android users.

This important development also plays a key role in the river cruise line’s ongoing sustainability journey.

Meredith Vieira, christens the Avalon View

April 15, 2022 quality_baz River Cruises Comments Off on Meredith Vieira, christens the Avalon View

In Bratislava – surrounded by vineyards and the Little Carpathian mountains – Avalon Waterways christened its 14th Suite Ship in Europe. Acting as the ship’s godmother, Meredith Vieira – 15-time Emmy Award-winning host, executive producer and anchor – led the christening ceremony.

Image Credit: Avalon View, Avalon Waterways

After reciting her blessing, Vieira cut a rope tethered to the locally produced sparkling wine – Johann Hubert Exclusive – causing the bottle to smash against the newly named ship’s bow. Managing Director of Avalon Waterways Pam Hoffee, Captain Ambrose Manolache and the ship’s crew of 47 – as well as 75 invited guests that included journalists, travel agents, local dignitaries and tourism boards – cheered the ship’s christening.

The new Avalon View welcomes travellers aboard with a warm mix of light and dark woods, accented by rich taupe, brown and red décor in public spaces and touches of blue throughout the Suite Ship’s Suites and Deluxe Staterooms, inspired by Dutch interior designer Liane van Leeuwen. Original art in common areas is by Dutch artist Eelco Maan and cabin paintings were created by another Dutch artist, Sofie Fisher.

Creating wider openings for wide-eyed wonder, Avalon Waterways’ Open-Air Balconies were designed with views in mind. A Panorama Suite highlight on all of the Suite Ships of Avalon, the wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows open 11-feet wide in Europe and 14-feet wide in Southeast Asia… wider than any other balconies in the industry. They blur the line between outside and in while forming a comfortable and spacious seating area without compromising room space. As a result, Avalon guests can enjoy 100 per cent of their Panorama Suite, 100 per cent of the time.

Throughout the 2022 cruise season, the new 443-foot, 166-passenger Avalon View will sail the Danube River on several itineraries including Taste of the Danube, Danube Symphony, Active & Discovery on the Danube and Gone Girl! (a storyteller series cruise with celebrity host, Gillian Flynn).

Pandaw saved!

December 20, 2021 quality_baz River Cruises Comments Off on Pandaw saved!

Pandaw are delighted to announce that they have now secured funding to see them through to September 2022, when they anticipate restarting operations on Asian waterways.

Following the announcement last month that Pandaw would close due to lack of funds, as a result of Covid-19, the company was inundated with hundreds of goodwill messages from regular passengers. In addition, several would be investors emerged keen to acquire this iconic brand.

The Strachan family, who own Pandaw, have managed to secure further finance to cover the lay-up and vessel refurbishment costs for a restart next Autumn. They plan to keep the business in the family and relaunch marketing activity as soon as all remaining travel restrictions have been lifted.

Bookings for season 2022/23 have been strong and many departures sold out with bookers cancelled by Covid using their credits to rebook. Many new bookers have taken advantage of the USD100 deposit scheme that reassures against the risk of further cancellations.

Meanwhile, Pandaw’s destinations are reopening with India, Thailand and Cambodia are open now to vaccinated travellers. Parts of Laos and Vietnam will be accessible in January 2022 as a first step towards fully reopening later in the year.

Pandaw closes after 26 years of pioneering river cruises.

October 27, 2021 quality_baz River Cruises Comments Off on Pandaw closes after 26 years of pioneering river cruises.

Statement from Pandaw Cruises

Pandaw regrets to announce that due to the continuing Covid 19 impact on international leisure travel, the closure of its destinations in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and India, and the critical political situation in Myanmar, the company has no alternative but to cease its river cruise operations due to the lack of financial liquidity and failure to find additional funding in the wake of the Covid 19 crisis.

Though forward bookings for a restart in 2022 remained strong, with great support from the ever-loyal Pandaw community, the company lacks the funding to continue layup operations of their seventeen ships for another year, and then undergo essential refurbishment to prepare for renewed operations, the timing of which is highly uncertain, even assuming this may occur for the winter 2022/23 season.

The company has worked tirelessly over the past year to find new investors or other forms of finance to carry the company through, but without success.

Founded in 1995, Pandaw pioneered river expeditions in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and India with its iconic boutique ships. Up till the impact of Covid, Pandaw had enjoyed the support of a loyal following of travellers, high occupancy and year on year growing revenues, with positive financial results.

Despite the closure of Pandaw Cruises, the Pandaw Charity, which has done much to support people in Myanmar during the on-going crisis there, will continue its work under the guidance of its trustees.

A-ROSA announces official name and latest images of the E-Motion Ship

August 12, 2021 quality_baz River Cruises Comments Off on A-ROSA announces official name and latest images of the E-Motion Ship

A-ROSA’s ground-breaking, eco-friendly new ship which sets sail in May 2022 is to be named A-ROSA SENA. The name Sena is taken from the Arabic language and means ‘beauty’.

The ship is currently under construction at the Concordia Damen shipyard near Rotterdam. She will start sailing on the Northern Rhine on 21 May 2022, with a seven-night cruise from Cologne visiting Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Dordrecht and Antwerp.

The ship will feature an ‘E-Motion’ concept which is truly innovative and a first on the rivers. Its hybrid propulsion system combines a diesel engine and a separate electric engine, which is powered by batteries. This means that when approaching a port, the ship can switch to battery power, enabling it to arrive almost silently and emission-free.

A-ROSA has also released a video and new images of A-ROSA SENA. The new renders show one of the seating areas on the sundeck where guests can enjoy the river views, the elegant lobby which will welcome guests on board and the panorama lounge which will boast a stage and dance floor for guests to enjoy.  VIDEO

This will be the largest ship in the fleet and will be the first vessel on the Rhine to feature four decks, has a length of 135m, a width of 17.7 metres. It has been built from the outset with families and multi-generational groups in mind and will offer a range of impressive features such as a kids club room, family cabins and a kids pool.

A-ROSA sets sail again

June 18, 2021 quality_baz River Cruises Comments Off on A-ROSA sets sail again

A-ROSA celebrates successful first departure of 2021

Successful restart of A-ROSA cruises in Portugal. Photo: A-ROSA Flussschiff GmbH

A-ROSA successfully welcomed guest back onto its cruises on the river Douro today. After an enjoyable first night on board in Porto, A-ROSA ALVA and her guests departed on a seven-day cruise through the Douro Valley to the Spanish border and back.

Cruises on the Danube will resume in two days’ time on 19 June, on board A-ROSA DONNA, calling at three European capital cities – Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava. By the end of this month cruises on the Rhine will be back in operation and by the middle of the summer, A-ROSA plans to have three quarters of its fleet operating along the Rhine, Main, Moselle, Danube, Douro and Rhone rivers.

Having sailed successfully for over five months in 2020, A-ROSA used the winter months to further fine tune its sophisticated health and hygiene protocols. 2021 will see the return of A-ROSA’s popular gourmet buffets, plus as in 2020, the SPA-ROSA with its sauna, treatments room and gym, the pool/whirlpool and a range of excursions will be available, all in compliance with strict hygiene measures.

Full details of A-ROSA’s health and hygiene measures can be found on its website www.arosa-cruises.com. A seamless COVID-19 testing strategy has also been designed to support the line’s protocols and providing guest with the utmost protection.

Itineraries plan to go ahead as per normal, however due to official regulations or changing local conditions, adjustments may be necessary.

The first guests go on a discovery tour along the Douro. Photo: A-ROSA Flussschiff GmbH.