Schlagwort: Spirit of the Danube

Saga’s two new river cruise ships named at ceremony this weekend, before cruising begins from today

Pressemitteilung

Saga’s newest river ship, Spirit of the Danube heads off on her inaugural cruise seven-day Dutch and Belgian Waterways this evening, following her joint naming ceremony with sister ship, Spirit of the Rhine on Saturday (19 March).

The ceremony was attended by more than 100 people who have been involved in the ship’s design and build. The event included speeches from Peter Wright, Saga Cruise’s Commercial Director, Otto Groen, CEO of Rijfers Nautical Management, which owns the ship and Vincent Bekker, owner of Vahali shipyard, which constructed the ship. The two ships’ Godmother, Dame Jenni Murray, an eminent British broadcaster and journalist, with a popular monthly column in Saga Magazine, then blessed the two ships with a short speech and traditional bottle smashing.

Taufpatin der beiden Flussschiffe: Dame Jenni Murray, Foto: via Saga

Spirit of the Danube’s week-long inaugural cruise will navigate the intricate Dutch waterways to the windmills of Kinderdijk and the fortified town of Willemstad before crossing the border into Belgium for included tours of Ghent, medieval Bruges and Antwerp, where the 16th-century Grote Markt is home to the famous Brabo fountain and Belgium’s largest Gothic cathedral. On return to the Netherlands, guests have the option to admire work by Dutch masters such as Aelbert Cuyp and Ferdinand Bol at the Dordrechts Museum before exploring Amsterdam, where the cruise concludes.

Spirit of the Rhine left Arnhem after the naming ceremony en-route to Amsterdam for its first post-naming cruise, which departs on 23 March. The seven-night solo travellers cruise starts with a full-day excursion to Keukenhof Gardens – one of the largest and most revered botanical gardens on the planet. There is also an included trip to The Hague, home to a wealth of important and historic buildings, and cruise to windmills of Kinderdijk plus a stop in Arnhem with an optional tour to learn about Operation Market Garden, a key moment in World War II. From there the cruise visits pretty Enkhuizen and Hoorn as it makes its way back to Amsterdam.

Foto: via Saga

The two ships build on Saga’s boutique design philosophy of its ocean-going vessels, Spirit of Adventure and Spirit of Discovery, and will offer a luxury cruise experience for customers on Europe’s famous riverways.

Spirit of the Danube’s planned introduction to the Saga fleet was announced in February 2021 and she has since been under construction at the Vahali shipyards in Serbia and the Netherlands.  

Video: Youtube/Saga

With designs inspired by the nature and culture found along the iconic waterways, both ships have been built with guests central to their design. Each vessel has four passenger decks and 91 guest cabins, hosting up to 182 customers and up to 50 crew. Each ship also features the first-class Saga facilities that guests have come to expect, complete with an en-suite bathroom and walk-in shower. There are two different types of cabin available on both ships. All have a clean, sophisticated design with Spirit of the Rhine reminiscent of Saga’s larger ocean ships and Spirit of the Danube based on an Art Nouveau and Danube Delta theme, with elements such as migratory birds used throughout the ship.

Last week, Spirit of the Danube was among one of the first ships be presented with its Green Award ‚Gold‘ rating thanks to in-built technology that will significantly reduce emissions.

Text: PM Saga

Saga bolsters river cruise offer as new ship Spirit of the Danube is unveiled

Pressemitteilung (Englisch)

Saga, the leading provider of products and services for customers over the age of 50, is continuing to strengthen its river cruise range, adding the Spirit of the Danube to its fleet from 2022.

With a design inspired by the culture and nature found along the Danube, guests will have access to a range of first-class facilities onboard the ship including a lounge, library, bar and two restaurants. One of the restaurants will serve a signature dish from celebrity chef Mark Sargeant, who will also join the ship on a number of cruises once it enters service. The new ship will host a range of other celebrities on future cruises including TV presenter and natural historian Miranda Krestovnikoff, antiques expert and regular on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, Eric Knowles as well as the renowned horticulturalist, Sir Roddy Llewellyn

A keel laying ceremony is taking place today in Vahali’s shipyard in Serbia, which marks the official start of the construction of the ship.  As per tradition, a lucky penny will be laid and will become embedded into the first piece of hull marking the start of construction.

Commenting on news, Saga Holidays CEO Chris Simmonds said: “Over the past few years, we’ve been focused on redefining river cruise range to provide a Saga designed experience for our guests. Spirit of the Danube joining the fleet marks an exciting milestone in this journey and we cannot wait until she joins her sister ship Spirit of the Rhine next year.  Guests will be able to enjoy a range of first-class facilities and we cannot wait to show everything our latest ship has to offer.”

The ship will have capacity for 190 guests on board when it departs on its inaugural cruise from Amsterdam. Future destinations guests will be able to explore from the ship include Budapest, Vienna, Rousse and Tulcea. Once launched, Spirit of the Danube will join Saga’s first river cruise ship, the Spirit of the Rhine, which is currently preparing for its inaugural cruise in May this year.

Saga has a wide range of river cruise and tours designed for people aged over 50 with some exciting new programmes to be launched on Spirit of the Danube later this month. Guests interested in receiving the new programme when it’s released can register their interest here.

The addition of the new ship comes as Saga announced that it would be mandatory for all guests to be fully vaccinated before travelling with the company. This decision was taken with the health and safety of customers as the number one priority. The new vaccination policy will be in addition to the detailed arrangements we have already put in place for when operations can restart.

Text: PM Saga Cruises