Disney to get into River Cruising!

Disney is to partner with AmaWaterways to offer family-focused river cruises on the Danube from 2016.

A new AmaWaterways vessel will run the seven-night voyages between Budapest, Hungary and Vilshofen in Germany.

River Cruising has always attracted the more mature customer, and have never catered for families like the ocean cruise lines.

However cabins will be configured for families with the ability to accommodate up to five people. Shore excursions and on-board activities are also being designed to be family-friendly.

Adventure guides will run special entertainment activities for children such as movie nights.

Disney will add interactive games to family competitions on the ship’s top deck, and the company is lining up parks along the route where families can take a break from touring to play sports.

Custom-designed, family-friendly shore excursions will range from family bike rides along the Danube, to learning archery and other medieval activities at a historic castle, to strudel making.

Do you think this is a good idea?

Personally, I would question if there is enough room on-board? River Cruises are small and intimate and visit places of historical interest. Would this interest families?  Also USA today are quoting prices starting from over $4,000 per person, would this be in your price range?

As it happens I am departing next week on a River Cruise with APT. I am really looking forward to it as I have never seen a river ship, let alone sail on one. Perhaps then I will have more of an idea if River Cruises could cater for families, (See my next blog, for my thoughts on this).

Disney executive Ken Potrock told USA Today. “We think the Disney brand will bring families to the river cruising category, and we think that’s a very exciting development for the industry,”

The sailings will be separate from those offered by the 17-year-old Disney Cruise Line, which operates four ocean-going vessels.

The initial cruises will include stops along the Danube in Passau, Germany; Linz, Melk and Vienna, Austria; and Bratislava, Slovakia.

Just five departures are planned initially, on July 7, 14, 21 and 28, and December 22, 2016.

The 158-passenger AmaWaterways vessel AmaViola  will feature several family-friendly cabin configurations.

The boat will have four suites with beds and pull-out sofas that can hold a family of four. An additional 12 cabins will be able to hold up to three family members, thanks to chairs that convert into an extra bed.

There also will be six sets of adjoining cabins that can be connected via a sliding door. The interconnecting cabins will allow for four or five members of a family to share.

Read more, and watch a video HERE