TUI to join the River Cruise Market

Tui have had an Ocean Cruise line for a good while now. They have had some recent name changes from Thomson to Tui and now Marella but essentially they are the same brand and offer a good value for money cruise product tailored to the British passenger.

River Cruising has been growing in popularity over time and it seems that TUI have now decided it is now time for them to get a piece of the action.

Tui (no not Marella) River Cruises will be going on sale 25th April 2019 and will have 19 itineraries available on the Danube, Rhine, Moselle and Main rivers. They have purchased three ships from two operators, Werner-Tours and Reiseburo Mittelthurgau Fluss. The ships will continue to sail for their former owners until October 2019.

The new fleet of three ships will be adults only feature a selection of balcony suites, a la carte dining, casual dining and social venues on-board.

Direct flights from UK airports, airport transfers to and from the ship, 1GB of Wi-Fi per cabin (I am surprised this is limited this way on a River Cruise) per week, tips and port charges and £120 credit towards shore excursions will be included in the fare.

Passengers will have the option to select their board basis, including full-board plus, including wine, beer and soft drinks with meals, or full board with the add-on of a premium drinks package. Deck barbecues (weather permitting) and nightly entertainment will also feature on the ship’s on-board programme.

I like the sound of this product. I do hope that they are competitively priced. It will be interesting to see how feedback is compared to more established operators as there are quite a few now in the the River Cruise Market.