Scenic creates new itineraries for 2016

Posted on 10 July, 2015 by Spacejunkie2

Scenic is introducing several new river cruise itineraries for 2016, including a new route on the Danube, a longer combined France cruise and an extended 21-day Christmas Markets cruise bookended by Paris and Prague.

Starting next year, Scenic will begin sailing an 8-day Iconic Danube river cruise from Passau, Germany to Budapest, Hungary, which will begin with a pre-cruise stay in Munich. The cruise will go from Passau to the Austrian cities of Salzburg and Vienna and will finish in Budapest.

The 21-day Christmas Markets cruise will begin with three nights in Paris at the Marriott Opera Ambassador, and will include guided excursions of the Louvre and Eiffel Tower. Other highlights include the German cities of Wurzburg, Freudenberg and Nuremberg, as well as Vienna. The itinerary concludes with three nights at the Prague Marriott hotel.

Additionally, Scenic has combined its Gems of the Seine and Breathtaking Bordeaux cruises to create a 21-day itinerary that combines Paris and the Seine with France’s Bordeaux region.

With the launch of two new vessels this year, the 169-passenger Scenic Opal and Scenic Jasper, Scenic’s European fleet consists of 12 vessels.

Busy May in Hamburg

Posted on 19 May, 2015 by Spacejunkie2

Hamburg is having a busy May, according to Nadine Palatz, managing director of the Hamburg Cruise Center, including several maiden calls, the 826th anniversary of the port with six cruise ships in town, and a total of 40 calls for the month and more than 100,000 passengers.

In a prepared statement, Palatz summarized the month, starting on May 1 with a call by the
MSC Splendida, the largest passenger ship that will sail from the Hanseatic city this summer. The call was celebrated with the traditional exchange of plaques between the ship’s captain and the port captain.

Hamburg’s Senator for Economics, Frank Horch, and MSC’s Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago were present. The HafenCity Cruise Center also hosted a family-friendly event for visitors and ship enthusiasts with live music and entertainment.

On the following weekend from May 8 to 10, the festivities were focused on the 826th anniversary of the port. The AIDAbella, AIDAsol, Amadea, Artania, Europa 2 and Queen Elizabeth were in town. The highlight was Saturday night, when AIDA fireworks lit up the night sky over Hamburg. According to Palatz, hundreds of thousands of spectators watched the events.

Other maiden calls during the month were the Ocean Diamond on May 12, Poseidon Expeditions’ Sea Spirit on May 16, to be followed by Mein Schiff 4 on May 22.

One maiden call was also celebrated with a sea shanty: On April 30, for the passengers of the Regal Princess, a Hamburg Chamber of Commerce shanty choir performed.

Palatz said that the chamber of commerce offers cruise companies a range of services, such as support for PR activities or welcomes with a fire boat.

“It is important to us that a ship’s maiden call to our Hanseatic city is a special experience,” said Palatz.

Adventures by Disney to offer river cruising

Posted on 14 April, 2015 by Spacejunkie2

Adventures by Disney, Walt Disney Company’s tour operator brand, on Monday said that it is getting into the river cruise game through a partnership with AmaWaterways.

Starting in 2016, Adventures by Disney will offer four sailings along the Danube River during the summer months, and one holiday-themed sailing in December 2016. The itineraries travel through Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary.

Adventures by Disney will charter the 170-passenger AmaViola, a ship that is launching in 2016 and is being custom-built to cater to families. Family-friendly features on the AmaViola will be six sets of connecting staterooms, as well as some rooms and suites that can accommodate families of three or four people. Shipboard spaces are being reimagined to allow for activities geared towards passengers of all ages.

Bookings on the five cruises open Tuesday to past Adventures by Disney guests and members of the Disney Vacation Club. Bookings to the general public open Wednesday.

At an event in New York to introduce the cruises, executives from Adventures by Disney and Ama Waterways said the partnership had been two years in the making.

“We’re constantly on the lookout for … new destinations and new formats,” said Ken Potrock, senior vice president and general manager for Adventures by Disney. Two trends they identified, he said, were multigenerational travel and river cruising.

For Ama’s part, the line has already been accommodating families, particularly on its Christmas markets cruises, Schreiner said.

On the Adventures by Disney sailings there will be wine tastings, fine dining, music, dancing and an onboard fitness center geared toward adults, and movies, karaoke, relay games, chess lessons on an oversized board, video games and themed nights for children and teens.

There will be eight Adventures by Disney guides on each sailing in addition to the existing AmaWaterways crew.

Unlike the oceangoing Disney Cruise Line, however, the river product will not carry a complement of Disney characters, and there will not be character- or movie-themed excursions. “We bring the stories of Europe to life,” but not the stories of Disney, Potrock told the audience.

The Adventures by Disney sailings will take place July 7, 14, 21 and 28, 2016, and will include a nighttime illuminations cruise through Budapest; a horse show at the Lazar Equestrian Park in Hungary; a visit to the Devin Castle in Bratislava, Slovakia; a private marionette performance and strudel making demonstration at the Schonbrunn Palace in Austria; a falconry show at the Hohenwerfen castle in Austria; an Oktoberfest event at a German brewery; and biking in every port.

The holiday-themed sailing, departing Dec. 22, 2016, will include visits to the Christmas markets in Budapest and Vienna, and a boys choir Christmas performance at the Hofburg Palace Chapel in Vienna.

Potrock said the company would gauge interest with the first five cruises but said it was “in a position to very quickly expand.”

Passengers can add a three-day pre- or post-cruise extension in Prague.

Adventures by Disney, which launched in 2005, offers 30 guided vacations on six continents.