The ever increasing popularity of river cruising

[notamermaid]

It's CLIA cruise week! Tomorrow (24th) you can win an Amawaterways river cruise.

https://cruising.org/en-gb/cruise-week

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Thinking of booking a Christmas market cruise at short notice? Hurry, but if you are flexible you can still get some cabins, according to the article: https://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/Insights/Christmas-market-river-cruises-in-Europe-selling-fast

 

notamermaid

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

Here's a question for anyone more knowledgeable than I:

•  when river ships raft up, how do #2 and #3 get shore power?

[gnome12]

7 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Here's a question for anyone more knowledgeable than I:

•  when river ships raft up, how do #2 and #3 get shore power?

I think they run long lines from one across the other(s).

[CPT Trips]

8 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Here's a question for anyone more knowledgeable than I:

•  when river ships raft up, how do #2 and #3 get shore power?

Tesla coils for WPT. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Canal archive]

Exceptionally good question Jazzbeau. On the canals yes we trail cables over each other but then we are tiddly compared with river cruisers. Now usually the breasting up is of short duration and if you’ve noticed the ships will often change position so no problem. If I remember correctly there is potentially a challenge with ships next to each other plugged in as it were. Electric current, water, close proximity etc. Whoops just asked the expert on that one and it’s about another challenge especially with steel narrowboats. He who must be obeyed (he thinks😝) says they do seem to plug in from the after end but not every mooring has a charging point so engine use is usual. 
Maybe in the future the cruise ships will be sprouting solar panels, that takes me back I worked on those in the early days of the space race, it’s not an exact science.

[notamermaid]

I thought it was an easy question to answer, me having read these articles about the new land power connections everywhere on the Rhine and the locals happy about it. But right now I cannot find any articles that talk about the second or third ship being connected. Hmm...

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Ocean cruisers coming to the rivers? I think we have seen and heard that in the last year more than before. Uniworld did a survey - okay, with a pinch of salt as always: https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/cruise/a-third-of-ocean-cruise-passengers-would-opt-for-river-sailing-uniworld-finds

 

Great, but there is this slight unease about overcrowding coming with this trend. Not sure how busy the Nile is but on the Rhine, please, other ports! Explore beyond Rüdesheim and Cologne... Being nearly back to the tourism numbers that we saw in 2019, will 2023 be seeing the numbers top those in 2019? Well, first we need to end this year in peace and style. Who knows what will be.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Uniworld reports a huge increase in interest in river cruising in the UK: https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/travel-agents/uk-river-cruise-market-has-exploded-says-uniworld-chief

The Milestone hotel in London is furbished like a Uniworld river cruise ship? Must have a look at that. If only to find that it is above what my budget is...

 

It would be interesting to find out if the increased interest is also seen with Riviera Travel.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

And we have another happy announcement from the Vahali shipyard. Well, not the shipyard itself, but they may have posted some photos on facebook like with past river cruise ship hulls they have sent on their way. This good news comes from the folks on Binnenschifferforum who have entered the Amadeus Riva in their Kaskotransport thread. She has been spotted in Austria, pushed by the Argo. If you happen to see an odd ship with the blue sign BN 654 displayed at its side you have spotted her on her journey to the Netherlands, too: https://www.binnenschifferforum.de/showthread.php?112666-Amadeus-Riva-KFGS-Kasko&p=449003#post449003

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

I wonder how many different ways river cruisers have been moved from place to place at various times. As in - pushed - pulled - loaded - sea cruised. Any other ways?

[gnome12]

7 minutes ago, Canal archive said:

I wonder how many different ways river cruisers have been moved from place to place at various times. As in - pushed - pulled - loaded - sea cruised. Any other ways?

Tuk tuk, ox cart, rickshaw, and probably others I can't remember.

[notamermaid]

Remember, the original Vikings rolled their ships over land on wood and did it with muscle power. But those fellows were not welcome along the Rhine as they did more than just occupy the seats in the river side restaurants.

 

notamermaid

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, notamermaid said:

Remember, the original Vikings rolled their ships over land on wood and did it with muscle power. But those fellows were not welcome along the Rhine as they did more than just occupy the seats in the river side restaurants.

 

notamermaid

They weren't 'welcome' in most places, but they came, they saw, and they conquered (apologies to Julius Caesar).  The pockets of red hair from Ireland down through the Mediterranean is their 'gift that keeps on giving'!

[notamermaid]

New mystery river cruises: https://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/Uniworld-unveils-new-Mystery-Cruises-for-2023?ct=river

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Another hull is on its way West. "The Gentleman": https://www.binnenschifferforum.de/showthread.php?112335-Gentlemen-FGKS-Kasko/page2

 

The ship had a long stop (weeks) at Linz in Austria but is now in Regensburg, pushed by the trusted Zasavica III, like many ships before.

 

This is the Dutch page of the shipping company, saying they are branching out into building (and operating) a river cruise ship: https://www.vanloonshipping.nl/nieuwe-markt-voor-van-loon-shipping/

On the facebook page you can see The Gentleman leaving the slipway in Romania.

 

This is the brochure where they explain what the new ship is about: https://www.vanloonshipping.nl/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/The-Gentleman-Brochure.pdf

 

notamermaid

 

[gnome12]

4 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Another hull is on its way West. "The Gentleman": https://www.binnenschifferforum.de/showthread.php?112335-Gentlemen-FGKS-Kasko/page2

 

The ship had a long stop (weeks) at Linz in Austria but is now in Regensburg, pushed by the trusted Zasavica III, like many ships before.

 

This is the Dutch page of the shipping company, saying they are branching out into building (and operating) a river cruise ship: https://www.vanloonshipping.nl/nieuwe-markt-voor-van-loon-shipping/

On the facebook page you can see The Gentleman leaving the slipway in Romania.

 

This is the brochure where they explain what the new ship is about: https://www.vanloonshipping.nl/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/The-Gentleman-Brochure.pdf

 

notamermaid

 

I thought ships are always female! 😀

[Canal archive]

Interesting! Their strap line is a bit kitch  ‘you’ll never know until you go’. Although yes gnome12 vessels are usually female I think the company has gone out of its way to emulate a gentleman’s club, I went to one in London once on ladies night as a guest, interesting but wouldn’t bother again. Let’s see how it goes a different line May shake some of the others up.

[notamermaid]

9 hours ago, gnome12 said:

I thought ships are always female! 😀

 

4 hours ago, Canal archive said:

Although yes gnome12 vessels are usually female I think the company has gone out of its way to emulate a gentleman’s club

Gentleman's club, that is what I thought. I think as regards design this is a male ship, whereas Uniworld's S.S.Antoinette is clearly a design female ship, also reflected in the vessel's name.

 

Gnome12, I struggled with saying "The Gentleman" ... she is ... and manged to avoid writing it. Yes, English does that with engines that have drivers or captains and should stick with the gender there and still say she to all ships in my opinion. I guess the name fits into the portfolio of the company as well seeing that the other ships are called something with man (in Dutch).

 

I must say I find the design appealing, actually almost all work for me, apart from swirly design carpets (confuses my brain) and the whites on Viking (too "Northern Swedish doctor's surgery").

 

Will be interesting to follow this ship and its progress. It is not yer clear to me if it will be serving the Dutch river cruising market only.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[notamermaid]

The German company A-Rosa is already on international markets but has recently decided to branch out far - to Australia. Here is an article from Australia showing the efforts. I think they are serious about being a competitor for Emerald, or filling a niche. Scenic I would regards as a level or two above them in luxury: https://www.travelweekly.com.au/article/a-rosa-river-cruises-presents-2023-international-brochure/

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

A bit of insight into how CroisiEurope has been doing lately and what they expect and plan in 2023: https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/people-opinions/2022-promising-year-recovery-croisieurope-gm-christian-schmitter-says

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

A report on river cruising this time not initiated by the industry itself but in response to an inquiry in the Deutsche Bundestag in Berlin. So mainly I am posting this for the perusal of @steamboats. The paper: https://www.bundestag.de/resource/blob/909510/0bd9e6659bea19350e4022b59299fe90/Stellungnahme_IG-RiverCruise-data.pdf

Of course, feel free anyone to translate through a machine or read. I would say that as it is not coming from a government body it is actually readable .

 

One positive thing that I will take out of the report and post for you. It is good to read that planned and ordered ships and outright newly contracted projects have been going ahead this year, so confidence in the tourism sector river cruising is high, they say. Among the members of IG River Cruise 12 ships have entered the market in 2022:

 

notamermaid

 

[steamboats]

Hmm, some of the ships I have listed for 2021 like the Spirit of the Rhine or the Antonia and Annabelle. Some of 2022 are missing like A-Rosa Sena or VIVA One - but maybe they are not a member of IG River Cruise.

 

steamboats

[Canal archive]

I have been told it is extremely bad luck to change the name of any vessel but they seem to do this fairly regularly to river cruise boats. Okay so they are bought and sold regularly but where’s the ‘jumping up and down three times turning around and the bottle of bubbly breaking’?

Story from local yacht club some years ago (husband member of fishing division) Commodore in the lead of a race on his boat ‘The Magic Flute’ he took completely the wrong route and subsequently lost the race so he changed the vessels name to ‘The Magic Decoy’.

[notamermaid]

6 hours ago, steamboats said:

Hmm, some of the ships I have listed for 2021 like the Spirit of the Rhine or the Antonia and Annabelle. Some of 2022 are missing like A-Rosa Sena or VIVA One - but maybe they are not a member of IG River Cruise.

 

steamboats

I was a bit skeptical about the 2022 ships as well. It appears that both those German companies are not members, it could be a company behind a company that is a member but I do not recognize any names that would lead me to A-Rosa or Viva Cruises:

https://www.igrivercruise.com/en/members/

 

notamermaid