Tag Archives: Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection

Pandaw river ship sinks

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By Michelle Baran

Pandaw River Expeditions’ Saigon Pandaw sank last week while being towed, a representative of Pandaw confirmed.

The 60-passenger Saigon Pandaw launched in 2012 and was sailing the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia. It was being repositioned to Myanmar when it sank.

Pandaw said that the company is still investigating the cause, but that early reports indicate that strong winds were to blame. There were no deaths or injuries, as the vessel was being towed as cargo without any crew onboard.

For the remainder of the season, Pandaw is going to deploy the 10-passenger Kalay Pandaw in Myanmar, a vessel that launched in 2013.

Pandaw has two additional 40-passenger river cruise vessels launching in Myanmar in July, the Kindat Pandaw and the Kalaw Pandaw, on which the company plans to accommodate passengers affected by the loss of the Saigon Pandaw.

“Our reservation and sales team is working to shift all bookings and if necessary to offer alternatives,” the company said.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection had previously chartered the Saigon Pandaw as the River Saigon, but the company now exclusively sells the 60-passenger River Orchid for Mekong cruises. The River Orchid launched last January.

A look ahead at 2014 launches and christenings

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By Michelle Baran

InsightOK, I’ll be honest: This end-of-year insight in which I summarize the christenings and launches for the following year has become an invaluable tool for me in planning my year ahead, and that’s largely why I’ve maintained this tradition over the past few years.

But my hope, of course, is that it can and does serve as a useful tool for all you travel planners out there, as well. Happy 2014!

March 17: Viking Cruises will hold a christening ceremony in Avignon, France, for the 14 Viking Longships that are launching next year. Viking has not said which or how many of the Longships will be in Avignon for the ceremony, but the three 2014 Viking Longships that are slated to sail in that region are the Viking Buri, Viking Heimdal and Viking Hermod.

March 26: Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection will inaugurate the 159-passenger S.S. Catherine in Lyon, France, marking Uniworld’s first expansion of its European fleet since 2011, when the vessel’s sister ship the S.S. Antoinette set sail.MichelleBaran

April 5: The 223-passenger American Empress (formerly the Empress of the North) will be rechristened in Portland, Ore., and will sail on the Columbia and Snake rivers, after having been refurbished by the American Queen Steamboat Co.

April 15: Emerald Waterways, the first new river cruise line to launch since Scenic Cruises came onto the scene in 2008, will kick off with the launch of two newbuilds in Europe, the 182-passenger Emerald Star and the 182-passenger Emerald Sky. Emerald Waterways is aiming to be a more value-oriented alternative to existing river cruise lines.

July: Pandaw River Expeditions is launching two new 40-passenger vessels in Myanmar, the Kindat Pandaw and the Kalaw Pandaw.

September: Haimark Ltd. is introducing the 56-passenger Irrawaddy Explorer in Myanmar; as well as the 68-passenger Mekong Navigator that will sail in Vietnam and Cambodia.

November: AmaWaterways is introducing the all-suite AmaPura on Myanmar’s Irrawaddy River.

Late 2014: Sanctuary Retreats, a division of Abercrombie & Kent, is launching the 48-passenger, all-suite Sanctuary Ananda in Myanmar.

Also in 2014:

• Tauck is launching two newbuilds in Europe, the 130-passenger Inspire and Savor, that will each have 57% more suites than the company’s existing vessels.

• AmaWaterways will introduce two more ships in Europe in 2014, the 164-passenger AmaSonata and AmaReina. The vessels will be sister ships to the 164-passenger AmaCerto, which launched in 2012.

• Avalon Waterways is introducing three new river cruise vessels in Europe in 2014 — the 128-passenger Avalon Poetry II; the 166-passenger Avalon Illumination; and the 166-passenger Avalon Impression.

Behind the scenes, creating a new river cruise

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Behind the scenes, creating a new river cruise

By Michelle Baran

InsightI’m not on your traditional river cruise. And I don’t just say that because I’m sailing along India’s Ganges River, a waterway that generally conjures up images of people bathing in its brown waters and of spiritual ceremonies along its banks, not a of luxury river cruiser gliding past its shores.

The cruise I’m on is unusual because it is an inspection cruise for Haimark Ltd.’s 56-passenger Ganges Voyager, slated to set sail here in 2015. A group of representatives from various river cruise and tour companies are scouting the experience using the slightly older 56-passenger Bengal Ganga, operated by Indian company Heritage Cruises.MichelleBaran

Consequently, I’m getting a rare glimpse into the world of river cruise product development. Representatives from Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, Scenic Cruises and Travel Indochina are here to see what Haimark could offer their clients in terms of land experiences and food and beverage, Since the hardware is still being built, they can’t experience the new ship, but Haimark has brought its culinary director onboard to produce the exact menus that would be served on the Ganges Voyager, and the itinerary we are sailing is the exact itinerary the Ganges Voyager will sail in 2015.

The result is an evolving dialogue about what Western visitors might want and expect from a cruise in India. The hope is that a river cruise vessel with upscale accommodations and a first-class culinary experience (minimizing the risk of severe stomach issues India is notorious for), coupled with the rich culture and history of West Bengal will appeal to river-cruise veterans who are looking to extend their experience in Europe or Asia to another destination.

What is interesting is the nonstop discussions on the passenger experience: Is there a better way to see Kolkata than through the windows of a tour bus? Is it better to visit Delhi at the end of the trip when travelers are more rested? Are there different interactive experiences or onboard lectures and classes that could enhance the learning opportunities?

Some of it is guesswork, and some of the ideas are developed from experience and feedback gathered from river cruises and tours elsewhere in the world.

Do people want to see poverty in India? Well, that’s part of the India experience, right? How much Indian food versus Western food should be on the menu? Well, there should be a bit of both on offer, right?
It’s an evolving process, but getting a behind-the-scenes look at the amount of thought and effort that goes into the product development offers, at the very least, a certain degree of confidence that planning and executing an itinerary is not something that is taken lightly. It’s an intense and difficult task, and I’ve gained additional respect for it now that I’ve gotten to witness it firsthand.