Tag Archives: river cruises

AmaWaterways introduces 2014 Myanmar itineraries

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AmaWaterways introduces 2014 Myanmar itineraries

By Michelle Baran
After teasing the news earlier this year that it had plans to enter the Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar (aka Burma), AmaWaterways is now taking bookings on two new Myanmar river cruises that will take place on the 56-passenger AmaPura.

The two new itineraries are a 11-day Golden Treasures of Myanmar trip and a 15-day Hidden Wonders of Myanmar, which are outlined in the company’s “River Cruises through Myanmar (Burma) 2014-2016” brochure as well as on the company’s website.

The cruises will include stops in Bagan, home to more than 2,200 temples, stupas and pagodas; Mandalay, the country’s former imperial capital and its second-largest city; the ancient royal city of Inwa, which was the capital of Burma for more than 400 years; Amarapura, known for having the world’s longest teak bridge; and Yangon, the country’s capital.

Launching on the Irrawaddy River in November 2014, the all-suite AmaPura will feature 28 suites, all with either a French balcony, a step-out full balcony or indoor/outdoor twin balconies. The ship’s public areas include a restaurant, main lounge and bar, gift shop, spa, pool and a sun deck for lounging.

AmaWaterways is also offering an optional four-night post-cruise extension, featuring three nights in Inle Lake and one night in Yangon. A two-night pre- or post-cruise extension in Bangkok is also available.

How to know if your client is a river cruiser

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How to know if your client is a river cruiser

By Michelle Baran

InsightFor a travel seller, I imagine that it’s hard not to see the staggering growth in the river cruise category and wonder: What’s the allure, and would this be something my clients would enjoy?

For agents who haven’t experienced a river cruise themselves, this can be a slightly more challenging question to tackle. Being a relatively new product in the travel marketplace, it seems that a growing number of agents who are new to river cruising are having clients approach them with questions and requests about the product (especially as Viking Cruises continues to invest heavily in advertising). This means that agents not totally familiar with river cruising are having to get educated quickly and on the fly.

MichelleBaranWhich is why an infographic recently created by Abercrombie & Kent, itself a new entrant into the river cruise market, struck me as particularly interesting — it is designed to help travelers navigate whether they should opt for small-ship exploration cruises, river cruises or barge cruises.

The distinctions made between the latter two categories are particularly helpful as travelers who are interested in exploring inland waterways decide whether a river cruise vessel or canal barge is the way to go.

The choose-your-own-adventure quiz asks whether the potential cruiser’s style is more “‘Country Inn’ hospitality” or “‘Country Club’ discreet.” If it’s the first, canal barging might be the way to go. And if it’s the latter, a river cruise might be the better option.

Which cruise is right for you? infographicOther distinctions the infographic makes include that river cruises tend to be well-planned itineraries through many of the major cities and capitals of Europe, while barge itineraries are played a bit more by ear as the barges meander through small villages. (To view the infographic,click here or on the image, left, for a larger view.)

While passengers can travel some 50 miles per day on a river cruise, they might 50 miles in a week on a canal barge, meaning they’re going to cover a lot more ground on a river cruise and delve deeper in a very specific region on a barge.

 

Of course, A&K’s chart is somewhat playful and geared toward A&K’s product offering. But it could be a good way to start the river cruising conversation.

Will CroisiEurope’s pricing, diversity resonate with U.S. passengers?

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By Michelle Baran

InsightFrench river cruise line CroisiEurope is making a run at an already pretty crowded U.S. market with a simple concept: low-cost river cruises with a multicultural mix of passengers.

“The founder of the company had the philosophy to make this product available for the mass market,” said Michel Grimm, international sales director for CroisiEurope, which after 38 years in business recently unveiled a new website and call center devoted to the U.S. source market.

“Our pricing is very aggressive,” Grimm said, adding that an eight-day CroisiEurope river cruise including meals, open bar and excursions won’t run more than $2,400 per person.

“With these kinds of prices, we come with an offer that is very interesting,” he said.

For anyone who knows the river cruising market, that’s actually quite a deal.MichelleBaran
As a European river cruise operator, CroisiEurope hosts a mix of nationalities onboard, but the company’s executives said that for the right customer, that should be seen as an asset, not a drawback.

“This is not for people who want the safety of being with all other English speakers,” said John McGlade, director of CroisiEurope’s U.S. reservation center. “For people who want the international experience, it’s the perfect marriage.”

CroisiEurope, which is still run by the founder’s children, builds all its vessels in the same shipyard in Belgium. Building, owning and operating all its own vessels is how the company claims it can keep its pricing so competitive, a concept it is bringing to the canal barge market, as well.

CroisiEurope is also building up its own fleet of barge vessels that have a capacity of 24 guests, in contrast with many of the existing canal barges that can often only host six to 12 passengers onboard, rendering them an expensive vacation option.

One other differentiator? Building ships of different sizes that can navigate lesser-sailed inland waterways, including the Guadalquivir and Guadiana rivers in Spain, the Tisza River in Hungary and some of the smaller estuaries off of the Danube and Rhine rivers.

CroisiEurope is based in Strasbourg, France, and has a fleet of 30 ships, including several barges and coastal cruisers, which sail in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean, Vietnam and Cambodia.