This week two major river cruise lines released updates on their plans for new ships.
American Cruise Lines announced plans to add two newbuild cruise ships to its fleet in 2020 and 2021, bringing its total fleet size to 15 ships. Launching in 2020 will be the newly named American Jazz, the third ship in the line’s Modern Riverboat Series. Plans call for the ship to be slightly larger than the first two Modern Riverboats, although it will maintain a capacity of under 200 passengers. Like its sibling vessels, the ship will have a multi-story glass atrium, outward-facing cabins with full sliding glass doors and private furnished balconies, and a bow with a retractable gangway that opens up to allow the ship to make bow landings.
In Europe, this week A-ROSA commissioned a new river cruise ship from the Concordia Damen shipyard, with delivery slated for early 2021. Plans call for the ship to have 140 cabins, along with a signature restaurant, spa and wellness area, plus a number of energy-saving and environmentally friendly design features. The ship will primarily sail itineraries on the northern Rhine, departing from Cologne and calling at Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Bruges and Antwerp.
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