Leadership debate:
The future of river cruising
River cruising is the fastest area of the cruise industry right now. For many, that also means that it’s the most exciting. With new ships, new rivers and new features coming into the market at an almost constant basis, what does the future of the sector hold?
We asked some of the world’s biggest experts to tell us why river cruising is undergoing such a surge of popularity, describe when it beats ocean cruising and let us in on the future of the industry.
This is crucial reading for anyone who wants to get ahead in river cruising.
Guy Young, president of Uniworld
Why do you think river cruising is enjoying such a renaissance?
There are many reasons why the river cruising industry has been enjoying this boom in popularity. River cruising is truly the best way to discover multiple destinations; the ships are small and intimate, you make friends with the guests and staff, and the entire experience is hassle-free. In most cases, the ship docks right in the heart of beautiful cities and small villages – you simply walk off the ship and begin exploring. A few cruise lines, like Uniworld, offer all-inclusive itineraries covering all meals, beverages, gratuities and shore excursions. This incredible value leads to extreme guest satisfaction (and a high repeat factor), making agents keen to promote them.
Many of the cities and destinations that we access cannot be reached by even the smallest luxury cruise lines
Guy Young
President, Uniworld
What do you perceive to be the major trends in the industry?
There has been a lot of focus on the on-board experience in our sector. This is helping to better distinguish the river lines and I believe we are beginning to see the kind of categorisation that has developed in the ocean cruise industry. Agents and most consumers understand where ocean cruise lines fall: luxury, premium, contemporary and mass market. I believe that river cruise lines will continue to define their position; Uniworld certainly will. In fact the addition of gratuities and all beverages in our 2014 Europe programmes was in part to help agents and guests better understand our position as a luxury river cruise line. This will continue to develop which will provide better clarity in a growing and competitive sector.
Another trend is the emphasis on shore excursions; customer feedback shows that our guests like smaller groups, immersive experiences and more choices. So Uniworld is responding with a variety of included excursion options. These options provide exciting alternate experiences, at no extra cost, making each itinerary more customisable. The options range from “Go Active” excursions, “Gentle Walker” excursions and “Do as the locals Do” excursions. Also, in some key cities we offer our guests the choice of an excursion again aimed at a more personalised service.
Can you tell us of a river you hope Uniworld will debut on within the next five years?
We are looking at a number of exciting developments at the moment and our plan would be to combine the river cruise with a land based program exploring the destination’s key sites. We’ll be able to provide more details in due course.
How does luxury river cruising compare with luxury ocean cruising? Are there elements that are ‘better’ on rivers?
Many of the cities and destinations that we access cannot be reached by even the smallest luxury cruise lines due to lock and bridge clearances. Guests absolutely get closer to each destination on a river cruise, and this is a huge advantage – particularly when considering the daily shore excursions. Smaller ships mean a more intimate atmosphere – Uniworld ships average 130 guests – and you really get to know your fellow passengers. And, while this is of course slightly subjective, I would argue that Uniworld’s service and culinary options rival the best luxury ocean cruise lines.
David Binns, general manager of Avalon Cruises
Why do you think river cruising is enjoying such a renaissance?
Up until relatively recently river cruising has been an unknown product in the UK. Only now are consumers discovering that the most relaxing way to discover not only Europe but the rest of the world, is by river. Many customers are changing their holiday of choice from self-drive holidays and coach tours to river cruising.
Experiencing different countries, cities and iconic sights and unpacking just once is a major selling point. Also customers are moving from ocean cruising on large ships to the smaller more intimate atmosphere of a river cruise. The advent of luxury river cruise companies such as Avalon Waterways means that customers can now explore different destinations in the comfort of a five star hotel with luxurious staterooms, gourmet dining and daily sightseeing included.
What do you perceive to be the major trends in the industry?
The industry will continue to increase the quality of facilities on board ships. The Avalon suite ships offering staterooms sized at 200sq ft continue to lead the industry in terms of size and high standard of interior design. Away from the ships themselves river cruise operators will increasingly allow the customer to tailor make their holidays such as offering a range of hotels to choose from pre- or post-cruise.
The industry will continue to increase the quality of facilities on board ships
David Binns
General Manager, Avalon
Can you tell us of a river you hope Avalon will debut on within the next five years?
New for Avalon for 2015 is the Irrawaddy – the Avalon Myanmar features just 17 luxurious suites
How does Avalon River Cruise compare with an ocean cruise? Are there elements that are ‘better’ on rivers?
Avalon ships in Europe averaging just 150 passengers create an intimate atmosphere on board. Within a few days, most of the customers know each other unlike some of the larger ocean ships that carry many thousands of customers. Rivers offer a constantly changing scenery, no ‘days at sea’ and with an ability to moor close to town centres, the customer is immediately free to explore the destination – no long journeys from the coastal port to see the sights.
Ray Steward, UK & Ireland country manager of Tauck
Why do you think river cruising is enjoying such a renaissance?
I think there are a variety of factors, one being that river cruising really captures the imagination of many travelers; it’s simply the best way to see a variety of destinations, sights and experiences. Couple this with some fantastic quality of product available and the fact that you are ‘taking your hotel with you’ and therefore you are touring without the need to unpack every day and it just makes so much sense. In addition the UK market benefits from the option from European river cruising being a no fly holiday option – taking away the hassle that is involved in going through an international airport to get to your destination.
What do you perceive to be the major trends in the industry?
We’ve already seen one major trend being adopted by part of the river cruise industry and that is the all-inclusive option (Tauck is fully all inclusive on all of its European river cruise itineraries). This provides travellers with the comfort of knowing exactly how much their holiday is going to cost them without any hidden surprises.
I see one major factor in future river cruisers decision making process is what kind of experiences they can enjoy during their cruise, aside from the cruise itself, so it will be about which cruise line offers those marquee events and one off life time experiences.
Can you tell us of a river you hope Tauck will debut on within the next five years?
Tauck is more about refining our current product offering and ensuring that we provide the ultimate river cruise experiences, rather than seeking new destinations. It’s not to say we don’t, and won’t, look at new destination options but we will not launch a new itinerary based purely on the destination – service, ground support, guest expectation and demands all have to be factored in.
I do not believe we will see the same model occurring in river cruising that we have seen in ocean cruising
Ray Steward
Country Manager UK & Ireland, Tauck
How does luxury river cruising compare with a luxury ocean cruise? Are there elements that are ‘better’ on rivers?
One advantage river cruising has over ocean cruising is due to the logistics of cruising on a river, as opposed to the open ocean, a river cruise vessel can only be a certain size. Therefore I do not believe we will see the same model occurring in river cruising that we have seen in ocean cruising – i.e. larger and larger ships, carrying more and more people, which has led to prices and quality being compromised.
Neil Barclay, head of sales at Viking River Cruises
Why do you think river cruising is enjoying such a renaissance?
The river cruise industry has grown increasingly popular over the years as more destinations and river routes are opening up. This provides more opportunities to create unique experiences for river cruise travellers.
We also hope to introduce the Mississippi within the next five years
Neil Barclay
Head of sales, Viking River Cruises
What do you perceive to be the major trends in the industry?
Authentic experience – guests do not want to always sit back and relax on a river cruise. Instead they are looking to be fully immersed in the culture of the destination. Viking offers unparalleled experiences such as the unique chance to get up close and personal with the endangered Giant Pandas at Chongqing Zoo in China or to have tea with a Russian Babusca.
Can you tell us of a river you hope Viking will debut on within the next five years?
We are always looking out for new opportunities to expand our current offering. This year we launched the Heart of Bordeaux itinerary, which takes guests on a beautiful journey through areas of France known for producing the best wines in Europe. We also hope to introduce the Mississippi within the next five years.
How does Viking River Cruise compare with an ocean cruise? Are there elements that are ‘better’ on rivers?
Viking will be applying the same principles behind our award-winning river cruises to the Viking Ocean itineraries too, which are due to launch in 2015, with a focus more time on shore and on board experience then complement each destination.
Viking River Cruises offer walk-right-off-the-ship-into-town access to the history, character and cultures along the banks, taking you into the heart of the destination. The Viking Star will be a smaller ocean ship, which means it can access ports closer to the city, ensuring maximum time at each destination.
We have an unrivalled understanding of our guests’ passion for travelling experiences that are authentic, culturally enriching and destination-focused.
Sven Zika, sales and marketing manager at Pandaw
What do you perceive to be the major trends in the industry?
It will be the classic routes and expeditions into remote areas. That’s why Pandaw is now building smaller and smaller vessel. Our smallest ship is the Kalay Pandaw with only five cabins. These ships can reach remote areas year around. The demand in Burma is very high and cruising is the best way to explore the country because streets are bad and air connections erratic. This is unlikely to change in the near distant future. We just hope that the Irrawaddy and Mekong don’t get as crowded as the Nile.
We reach areas where there is no connection by air or road
Sven Zika
Head of sales and marketing, Pandaw River Expeditions
Can you tell us of a river you hope Pandaw will debut on within the next five years?
Our newest waterways are the Kaladan and Lay Myo Rivers in eastern Burma (from Sittwe). Expeditions will start in September 2015.
We are also planning new rivers, but this is still confidential right now. Pandaw was pioneering the Irrawaddy (1995) and the Mekong between Vietnam and Cambodia (2003). Our founder and owner Paul Strachan is always on the search for new destinations and rivers. In the past we were only able to offer the Chindwin River during the monsoon’s high water level.
Now we build small ships and are able to cruise up to Homalin on the Chindwin and up to Bhamo on the Upper Irrwaddy the whole season on a weekly basis.
How does luxury river cruising compare with a luxury ocean cruise?
The Pandaw ships are definitely smaller and there is much more of a feeling of adventure. We reach areas where there is no connection by air or road, or where there is no accommodation or infrastructure available. The ports of call are villages where time has stood still. You will visit off-the-beaten-track destinations and meet the locals in small groups. There is also no dress code and no captain’s table. It’s more like cruising with friends on a private yacht.