Some major fleet additions are coming for France-based river cruise operator CroisiEurope. The line recently announced it will take delivery of four brand-new river cruise ships for the forthcoming 2016-2017 season. Unlike other ship launches, however, these four won’t merely be carbon-copies of each other: CroisiEurope is launching one brand-new river cruise ship in Europe, another in Asia, and two new custom-built barges that will sail the canals of France.
Next spring, CroisiEurope will take delivery of a new 80-passenger paddlewheeler designed to sail the Elbe and Moldau rivers. Named Elbe Princesse, she will cruise between Berlin and Prague, with stops in Magdeburg, Wittenberg, Meissen, Dresden, and Litomerice. See related article: CroisiEurope To Launch Paddlewheeler On The Elbe In 2016.
Also in Europe, CroisiEurope will add two new custom-designed barges to its fleet. The barge Danielle will be primarily sailing along the Briare Canal between Burgundy and the Loire Valley. With 12 contemporary cabins that can accommodate 24 people, she will continue to build upon the intimate – and successful – style of modern barging that CroisiEurope is quickly becoming acclaimed for. The Danielle will visit Briare, Léré, Ménétréol-sous-Sancerre, La Chapelle-Montlinard, Marseille-Les-Aubigny and Nevers.
The barge Deborah also features 12 staterooms and an overall capacity of just 24 guests. This modern ship will pioneer a brand-new route for CroisiEurope along the Garonne Canal. On her sailings, the Deborah will visit Toulouse, Castelsarrasin, Moissac, Valence-d’Agen, Agen, Serignac-Sur-Garonne and Damazan.
Rounding out the new additions to the CroisiEurope fleet for the 2016-2017 season is the Aspara Princesse, which makes her home along Asia’s magnificent Mekong River. This colonial-style boat will join the four other CroisiEurope vessels already sailing along the Mekong between Vietnam and Cambodia. Designed to carry just 60 passengers in 30 sumptuous, colonially styled staterooms, the Aspara Princesse will sail on the Mekong from Angkor to Ho Chi Minh City. Along the way, her itineraries will call on Siem Reap, Angkor, Tonle Sap, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Tralach, Koh Chen, Phnom Penh, Châu Đốc, Sa Đéc, Cái Bè, Mỹ Tho and Ho Chi Minh City, traditionally known as Saigon.
Additional details will be forthcoming as each ship nears its entry into service date next year. In the past two years, the family-owned CroisiEurope has embarked upon something of a building spree, adding new barges and river cruise vessels to their already-diverse fleet of ships that include barges, paddlwheelers, river cruise ships, and hybrid river and oceangoing vessels.
More information on CroisiEurope and its expanding roster of ships and itineraries can be found by viewing our company overview here on River Cruise Advisor.
