River Monsters!

The popularity of river cruising across Europe is on the up, with more British Cruisers than ever taking to the continent’s waterways, according to new figures.

2017 saw UK bookings increase by 27% from 2016 with European rivers taking up 90% of that market carrying over 188,000 passengers.

New ships have helped greatly with the grow in this market with 11 new ships launched back in 2017, 10 more planned this year and another 8 for 2019.

Outside of Europe the 3 best selling River itineraries are the Nile, Mekong and the Irrawaddy but the Asia markets seems set to see a large increase based on the 27% growth from 2016 to 2017.

One River Cruise giant- Viking Cruises are aiming to meet their customers needs by introducing themselves into the US market in particular the Mississippi following demand from their loyal customers.

They are hoping to introduce 6 new ships that will potentially carry 100,000 passengers for them in this ever popular area.

Traditionally, River ships are 3 – 4 decks high. These Ships will be 5 decks high and have been described as ‘Long ships on Steroids’

Im not too sure that will go down well with many of my customers!

All staterooms will offer balcony accommodations. The aft of the vessel will feature an infinity pool while the bow of the ship will have ramps to allow guests easy access on land.

Lets hope they wow us in a good way and not drown out all the nice views you encounter by choosing to sail on the Rivers. We certainly don’t want huge intrusive ships blocking the views!

What do you think?