Disney river cruises to have ‘Beauty and the Beast’ theme

Posted on 21 March, 2017 by Spacejunkie2

Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” river cruise features a tour of Riquewihr, a French village that evokes Belle’s hometown from the movie. Photo Credit: Yoshihiro Takada

Adventures by Disney is amping up its themed river cruise experiences for 2018, adding “Beauty and the Beast” themed sailings along the Rhine River.

On six departures in 2018, Adventures by Disney will pay tribute to the villages and culture that inspired Disney’s Beauty and the Beast films. The sailings will feature a Beauty and the Beast-themed dinner as well as other culinary experiences inspired by the film.

There will be screenings of both the live-action and animated versions of the film on the ship and a tour of Riquewihr, a French village that evokes Belle’s hometown from the movie.

Adventures by Disney is also offering two epicurean Rhine cruises during the fall. Hosted by chefs and sommeliers, these adult-only sailings will highlight food and beverage experiences both on and off the ship. Activities will include winetasting, gourmet food and wine demonstrations and workshops, culinary walking tours in several ports, a French patisserie class, local beer and wine pairings, and craft cocktail seminars.

Adventures by Disney’s eight-day Rhine river cruises will sail on AmaWaterways’ 158-passenger AmaKristina, cruising through France, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands.

For 2018, Adventures by Disney will also offer six Danube sailings aboard AmaWaterways’ 170-passenger AmaViola.

The departures will include a new adults-only Oktoberfest sailing in September 2018, which will visit Germany during the annual Oktoberfest celebration, and will include themed parties and festive culinary offerings both on and off the ship.

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The eight-day Danube cruises sail through Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. They include visiting scenes from the movie “The Sound of Music” in Salzburg, exploring Devin Castle in Bratislava, and taking a traditional Austrian folk dancing lesson in Melk.

Adventures by Disney entered the river cruise market last year when it partnered with AmaWaterways on family-focused river cruise itineraries. AmaWaterways thus has designed its newest vessels to better accommodate families, including providing sets of connecting staterooms and suites.

Adventures by Disney worked closely with AmaWaterways to reimagine shipboard spaces and activities to offer programming for kids, teens and adults.

Bookings for Adventures by Disney’s 2018 river cruise vacations open on March 2.

Crystal Cruises redeploys new river vessels away from France

Posted on 30 July, 2016 by Spacejunkie2

The new river cruise arm of Crystal Cruises is delaying plans to deploy two new vessels on rivers in France.

Instead Crystal River Cruises is to increase its presence on the Danube, Main and Rhine, deploying four of its planned new build ‘river yachts’ in the region in 2017 and 2018.

The shift in focus means redesigning and enlarging the company’s two Paris-class river vessels – Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel – as Rhine-class boats, and redeploying them east in 2018.

Previously, Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel were to travel along the Seine, Rhone and Dordogne rivers in France from June and August 2017 respectively.

No mention was made of recent terrorist incidents in France and the extension of the country’s state of emergency for six months following the deadly truck attack in Nice earlier in July.

The luxury line, which draws a large proportion of passengers from the US, said the change away from France was based on passenger feedback “lauding the itineraries planned in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Amsterdam and Holland”.

As a result, “the company has elected to delay its entrance into the French river cruise market, choosing instead to prioritise its offerings in the German/Austrian region in order to meet travellers’ demand for those experiences”.

Chief executive and president Edie Rodriguez said: “Unlike an ocean-going ship that can accommodate a change in itinerary with short notice, a river ship operates within more confined parameters and is unable to re-route easily.

“We are listening carefully to what travellers are telling us and have concluded that the best way to anticipate, meet and surpass their expectations is by making this move earlier rather than later.”

The line is offering a series of compensation packages to people who have booked 2017 voyages on Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel including on board credits and future cruise credits worth up to $1,000.

No details were given of how many bookings the line has received for the sailings in France.

The new design places the vessels as part of the line’s 106-passenger Rhine-class series currently comprising Crystal Bach and Crystal Mahler, which are due to enter service June 18 and August 29, 2017 respectively.

Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel are now due for maiden voyages in April 2018 and May 2018 respectively with detailed itineraries to be announced shortly, the company said.

They will be increased in size from 110 metres to 135 metres, the maximum size permissible on the Rhine, Main and Danube. The increased length allows for the addition of a swimming pool with a sliding glass roof and more large suites.

The move follows the recent launch of the line’s first luxury river cruiser, Crystal Mozart.

Meyer Werft deploys Dassault’s passenger ship design solutions

Posted on 17 December, 2015 by Spacejunkie2

Naval architects can use the 3D Experience platform to design complex cruise ships

German shipyard Meyer Werft has started using Dassault Systèmes’ 3DExperience design and product lifecycle management (PLM) solutions to engineer and build passenger ships. It is using the On Time to Sea and Designed for Sea industry-specific software to improve the efficiency of designing and building cruise ships and ferries, and to enhance the skills of its workforce.

Meyer Werft has deployed Dassault’s programs in its new technology and development centre in Papenburg, Germany. Here the shipbuilder is pooling most of the design and development work from its 500 designers and engineers. Dassault’s software will also support additional teams in Papenburg and at sites in Rostock, Germany and in Finland that are involved in building cruise ships, river cruise ships, ferries and other vessels. The 3DExperience platform assists the complex task of designing and engineering cruise ships, which could have more than 10 million individual parts and assemblies. The complexity, diversity and large volume of data involved require efficient solutions to design and build these ships.

With the software, Meyer Werft’s design and development teams can use a unified digital environment to monitor the entire lifecycle of a ship, from its construction and operation to its decommissioning. Virtual design, engineering and project management applications help seamlessly address complex needs in product development and process requirements. “Thanks to the 3DExperience platform, we can foster collaborative creativity that fulfils the highest technical demands of passenger ship owners worldwide from hull shape, hydrodynamics and fuel consumption, to capacity and onboard comfort and entertainment,” said Meyer Werft technical director Philip Gennotte. “Today’s shipbuilding is a highly modern industry that requires a combination of ideas, knowledge and technology in order to introduce sophisticated, future-oriented touristic concepts.”