In
a time where cruise lines are always trying to one-up each
other, one thing remains strong — river cruising. While you
may not see a high-endurance rope course, buff gyms, surfing
simulators or a jumbo water park, you will find access to quaint
ports only accessible by small ships. River cruising may
not dominate the passenger counts but the lines do hold a title for
the frequency of new builds.
According
to the Cruise Lines International Association,
river cruising has see a 10 percent growth over the past
five years. Viking
River Cruises is launching 24 ships between
2012-2014. The most talked about new launches are their Viking
Longships.
“River
cruises are not for everyone. One a cost-per-day basis they are
commonly much more expensive than a large ocean cruise
ship and
it would be difficult to compare experiences,” said Chris Owen
fromChrisCruises.net.
AmaWaterways
recently announced that actress Sharon Stone of as the godmother of
their coming 106-passenger AmaVidam being launched March 22 in
Portugal.
North
American small ship company American Cruise Lines recently
launched their 150-guest Queen of the Mississippi to operate on the
Mississippi River and tributaries. CEO Charlie Robertson told us
there has been an overwhelming response with bookings.
American Cruise Lines had record breaking bookings this
past January. American Cruise Lines has one more
paddlewheeler on the way.
Ships
and itineraries are constantly being released and reinvented, and
that keeps passengers interested.
cruiseradio.net
