This week in cruise, the world’s rivers have seen a number of new ship updates and the launch of an entirely new brand.
In terms of new ship updates, the American Queen Steamboat Company (AQSC) has pushed back the launch of its newest ship, the American Duchess. Originally scheduled to launch on July 1, 2017, the inaugural sailing of the 166-guest vessel will now begin on August 13, 2017.
Guests who booked on cruises cancelled or delayed due to this change are being contacted by the American Queen Steamboat Company or their respective travel agents, the cruise line said. The new sailing schedule with affected sailing dates is available at www.aqsc.com/contact-us/alerts. Beginning with the September 17, 2017, sailing, the American Duchess will sail the previously published scheduled itineraries.
In renovation news, Tauck's MS Sapphire has rejoined its fleet in Paris, France, following an extensive renovation of the ship's interior spaces. The Sapphire is the first Tauck ship to return to service after undergoing this series of renovations.
The company's MS Emerald was also reconfigured over this past winter and will return to service later this week. The MS Sapphire sails on Tauck's Seine River cruises, while the MS Emerald sails on the Rhone. The two remaining ships, the MS Treasures and MS Espirt, will undergo identical enhancements next winter and return to service prior to Tauck's 2018 season.
The overhaul reduced the Sapphire's overall cabin count, particularly on the Ruby Deck, replacing 30 cabins with 20 larger cabins. Overall the ship's cabin count went down from 59 to 49, and its passenger count fell from 118 to 98.
Finally, this week saw the official launch of Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection's new U by Uniworld brand, which is aimed at Millennial travelers.
The new brand opened for bookings this week, with sailings available on nine different itineraries in Europe starting in spring 2018.
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