The incoming Cruise Operator is the Australian based Company "Scenic Tours" who recently announced plans for a new subsidiary operation in Europe called "Emerald Waterways" which will operate on Europe's most popular rivers such as the Danube and the Rhine, targeted at English-speaking travelers
This will actually be the first new River Cruise Line to operate in Europe for more than 6 years. We understand the plan is to debut in early 2014 with 2 x 180+ passenger ships called the "Emerald Star" and "Emerald Sky" respectively. The Emerald Waterways vessels will operate 7 and 14 night Cruises with a starting price at $2,230 per person (double occupancy). Itineraries include trips between Nuremberg and Budapest and Basel and the canal city of Amsterdam.
Emerald Waterways plans to operate a lower Budget alternative to Scenic Cruises which is an upscale, 7 ship River Cruise Line. The goal is to compete against the fast growing lines as Viking River Cruises and Avalon Waterways.
Amenities and cabins on the Emerald Waterways ships will feature:
- A heated swimming pool with retractable roof (rare for river vessels).
- In the evening, the space will transform into a movie theater.
- More than 70 of 92 cabins on each of the new ships will be suites
- All cabins will feature innovative new balcony design.
- An interior deck area will transform into an open-air balcony where passengers push a button that makes the upper half of floor-to-ceiling panoramic window drop down.
- In top suites, the balcony will be separated from the cabin with sliding doors.
