Ms Amacello - Photo by AMA Waterways

Having introduced the Aria Class River Boats between 2006 and 2009, APT has now launched its Concerto Class River Ships with the first of two vessels commissioned in May 2010.  APT’s newly inaugurated 162-passenger Ms Amabella is already a hit with the cruising community. At the Australian Cruise Passenger Readers Choice Awards in December 2010, Ms Amabella took the Best River Cruise Ship award.

The Concerto Class river boats build on the popular features of the Aria Class. These ships are slightly larger and introduce the concept of Twin Balcony Suites, i.e. an outside balcony as well as a conservatory-style inside balcony.

APT’s claim to fame is that all of their river boats provide the following benefits:

Staterooms

• Up to 25% more space per guest than others
• A huge choice of suite and balcony types
• The largest entry-level suites on Europe’s waterways
• A personal computer in each suite and included high-speed wireless Internet access – this facility is important to those of us who work during trips
• Flatscreen TVs
• Butler service or $150 Ship Credit, a fruit and wine platter and room service for guests in several suites on APT Exclusive Sailings

Dining

There are three specialty restaurants providing seven dining choices. The intimate Erlebnis Chef’s Table, in which 24 guests can enjoy a degustation menu prepared by a private chef, is a highlight of APT’s dining experience.

Other Facilities

• A fully-stocked bar that’s always open
• A Fitness Centre and bicycles stored on board
• A wine room and open fireplace in the library

Other Ship Features

• An elevator – this is important to passengers with mobility problems
• Whisper-quiet engines for peaceful cruising – if you’ve cruised on earlier river boats, you’ll appreciate this improvement.

The Ms Amabella cruises the rivers of Austria, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Slovakia and Switzerland.  APT is partnered with AMA Waterways and the Ms Amabella has been chartered by APT during its first year for the Australian cruise market. It will be marketed exclusively to Australians.

Note: Picture above is of the sistership Ms Amacello.

"River Victoria" Courtesy Uniworld

River boats operating on the Russian rivers are generally not as grand as those plying the Rhine or the Danube.  As we understand from the tour manager of a company we travelled with, river cruise operators are somewhat restricted on what boats they can employ on Russia’s rivers. Whatever the politics, this hasn’t stopped Uniworld from rolling out a refurbished boat for the 2011 river cruising season.

In May 2011, the “River Victoria” will cruise the Imperial Waterways of Russia from Moscow to St. Petersburg or vice versa. Passengers can expect beautifully appointed staterooms and suites with hotel-style beds and linens. There are four decks and the suites and staterooms on the Neva and Volga decks have full private balconies. This is really worthwhile having on any river cruise.

Facts about the River Victoria:

• The River Victoria has 103 cabins and can carry up to 206 passengers
• There are 93 Staterooms, 2 Presidential Suites, 6 Deluxe Suites and 2 Junior Suites
• There is an elevator which is good news for passengers with mobility problems
• Usual amenities include a library and gymnasium

Uniworld says that the River Victoria (leased) may not have all the same amenities as a Uniworld company-owned ship, but it is is one of the best ships to sail the Volga River. Uniworld’s river boats are floating hotels and if you have a look at some of their boats, you’ll get an idea of the standard of accommodation you can expect.

River Antoinette - Courtesy Uniworld

In March 2011, another stunning riverboat joins the fleet of Uniworld’s European river cruises. The River Antoinette is the sister ship to the majestic River Beatrice and will cruise the Rhine River on Uniworld’s popular “Castles Along the Rhine” and “Rhine Holiday Markets” cruises.

The River Antoinette will be Uniworld’s largest ship and according to Uniworld, it will have the largest staterooms of any of the contemporary river cruise ships operating in Europe. The River Antoinette is 443 ft. length-wise and 37.5 ft. wide and the additional space is being used to create extra spacious staterooms and suites for the guests rather than increase passenger capacity. Most of the 73 staterooms will measure at 196 sq. ft with 20 staterooms being 163 sq. ft. There will be eight junior suites measuring 294 sq. ft. and one Owner’s Suite at 391 sq. ft.

With the design of the River Antoinette, Uniworld will also set a new standard in river cruising innovation by offering top deck suites and staterooms with full open-air private balconies which, with a touch of a switch, will raise the glass to create a completely enclosed conservatory during cooler weather – it would be interesting to see images of this when they are available. Other design features that will add to the comfort of Uniworld’s guests include a heated swimming pool and a sky lounge on the sun deck.

Some Features of the River Antoinette

• Lavishly appointed riverview staterooms with made-to-order English Savoir™ beds in fine linens, a vanity, built-in closets, safe, individual thermostat for air conditioning and heat, direct-dial telephone, flat-screen TV with satellite
• Sun deck with chess and shuffleboard, Leopard Bar, and Sky Lounge
• Princess deck (top deck) staterooms have full balconies and the pool is on this deck
• Duchess deck (middle deck) staterooms have French balconies and the fitness room is on this deck
• The floor to ceiling window in the staterooms on the Duchess Deck will be able to be lowered automatically with the touch of a button. This will replace the traditional sliding doors (French balconies) that can be found on most of the newer river cruise ships today
• There is a boutique on theCountess deck (lower deck)
• Wireless Internet access in public areas

Uniworld riverboats are really 5-star floating hotels and many of their ships and cruises have won numerous prestigious travel industry awards. No doubt the River Antoinette will collect some awards as well.

River Queen Restaurant - Courtesy Uniworld

On the European river cruises that I’ve been on, I found our  river boats’ interior design and our staterooms to be sufficiently comfortable, but I wouldn’t described them as  plush.

Of course river boat designs are continually being enhanced and what caught my attention is Uniworld’s latest remodeled cruise ships.  I must say that I’ve not seen any small cruise ship interior as luxurious as the River Queen and River Empress.

Both of these cruise ships sail the extremely popular Rhine River and were refurbished for the 2010 cruise season.

Uniworld’s Secret to Classy Ships

Uniworld classifies itself as a “boutique” hotel-style cruise company. As such, all their ships are built to have a totally different look and feel, but at the same time what binds them together is the ’boutique feel’ of each of their ships, and their warm and intimate atmosphere. Uniworld’s philosophy is to  design ships that stand out from the ordinary and in their fleet you won’t find the prefabricated look.

It helps that Uniworld has a sister company, the Red Carnation Hotels Group, who is able to apply all their boutique hotel decorating concepts to the river boats.  The team at Red Carnation Hotels oversees the building of all Uniworld’s new ships as well as the  remodelling of the fleet.

Some Features of the River Queen

River Queen Stateroom - Courtesy Uniworld

• The River Queen is the only river boat in the entire river cruising world to have a working fireplace.
• River Queen’s plush interior decoration and furnishing give a 5-star home away from home feel.
• The different category staterooms each have their own designs and colour schemes.
• The suites have coffee machines – very civilized!
• All staterooms have custom-made furniture and marble bathrooms
• Amenities include quality L’Occitane bath products and cozy bathrobes!  This I like very much.
• Wireless internet access in public areas
• Free laundry services and daily newspaper

Uniworld’s ships are really 5-star floating hotels and it’s no wonder that many of their ships and cruises have won numerous prestigious travel industry awards.

With ships like the River Queen and River Empress offering luxurious European river cruising, it’s hard to contemplate anything less.

Europe River Cruises - River boat

From the queries we see and from our own personal experience, it’s clear that finding information on European river cruises that cater to travellers with mobility problems was not an easy task in the past.  In 2005 when we took my 89 year-old mother-in-law (Barbara) on the Amsterdam to Budapest river cruise, none of the river boats (including the fairly new ones at that time) had elevators and the only access from deck to deck was via the stairs.

Whilst Barbara was not wheelchair-bound, she could only walk slowly and climbing steps was difficult for her. We overcame the problem as best we could by booking her a stateroom that was on the same level as the restaurant and which had French windows so that she was able to enjoy all the views and the sunshine from the comfort of her room. To get up to the sundeck or down to the reception, we helped her along, taking things quite slowly so she felt comfortable making those trips.

Many ocean cruisers have cabins that are equipped with facilities for wheelchair-bound travellers, but river boats generally didn’t have them. Understandably, river boats are much smaller vessels than the ocean-going ships and space is an issue.

That was in 2005, and it’s good to see that many of the modern river boats now have elevators, however this still dosen’t solve the problem for travellers who are wheelchair-bound as the cabins are not “wheelchair-accessible”.

One river cruise operator, I checked with (Scenic Tours) confirmed that all of their ships feature elevators and have wheelchair-accessible cabins. Note that Scenic Tours have one of the most advanced fleet of river boats which they call “space-ships”.  The MS Scenic Ruby, Scenic Diamond, Scenic Emerald and Scenic all feature outside balconies, whereas many of the other river boats would only have French windows, if at all.

Scenic River Boat - Outside Balconies

Scenic Tours say that they will “strive to the extent feasible, to accommodate guests with disabilities and mobility challenges”.  This is the advice I received from a representative of Scenic Tours:

• Scenic has a beautiful Junior Suite (302) with a balcony which has wheelchair facilities for wheelchair- bound passengers. This suite is close to the reception and near the lift.
• The doors have been widened to allow access by a standard size wheelchair. The space in the room allows for easy manoeuvring of a wheelchair and there is a power point next to the bed. You can enjoy the view from your private balcony although there is a small lip onto the balcony level.
• There is a wheel-in shower and a stool provided for showering as well as a rail on the wall for further assistance.
• Lifts – Unlike a lot of river cruising ships the lifts on Scenic’s ships have access to the two main decks and this provides full access on these two decks which have reception, restaurants, shop, bar and lounge. Only the top outside deck, the Moselle deck and the Wellness Centre (including the hairdresser) are not accessible by the lift.
• Wheelchairs – Passengers confined to their wheelchairs must provide their own collapsible chair. It should be noted that only standard size wheelchairs can be accommodated on board.

Apart from the specific wheelchair-accessible cabins, all other cabins cannot be accessed by a wheelchair.

Other River Cruise Operators

Relaxing on the Sundeck

Uniworld does not have handicapped or wheelchair-accessible cabins. There are elevators on the River Princess, River Queen, River Empress, River Duchess and River Countess. On the River Queen, the elevator does not reach all decks.

AMA Waterways do not have wheelchair-accessible cabins. There are elevators on the MS Amacello, MS Amadagio, MS Amadante, MS Amadolce, MS Amadouro, MS Amalegro, MS Amalyra

Avalon/Globus do not have wheelchair-accessible cabins. There are elevators on the Avalon Affinity, Creativity and Scenery only.

Viking does not have wheelchair-accessible cabins. Of their huge fleet, only the Viking Danube and Viking Sky have elevators.

So if you’re looking for a European river boat with wheelchair-accessible cabins, Scenic Tours are the best equipped to cater for passengers with disabilities and mobility challenges. At least there is now one European river cruise operator who provides for travellers who use wheelchairs.

But before you rush off to make your booking, be aware that river cruising involves a fair amount of shore excursions and walking on cobblestone streets.  To make sure that there are no issues with your travel, you should discuss with the river cruise operator your personal needs and the the feasibility of doing some shore excursions, if that’s a requirement for you.  The good thing about cruising down the Rhine, Danube or any of the European rivers is that the scenery is spectacular and you actually see a lot from the river boat.  So even if you can’t do many shore excursions, river cruising in Europe is still very enjoyable and worthwhile doing.

Read more about European river cruising

Scenic Tour's Scenic Sapphire

In his recent update on riverboats, Tony’s assessment was that Scenic Tours had taken the lead over other river cruise operators with regard to the size and features of their new riverboat staterooms.

Until recent times, a stateroom with a French balcony was the best you could get as far as a balcony was concerned.  Scenic Tours now  offer 3.85 metre long outside balconies on four of their vessels: the Scenic Emerald, Sapphire, Ruby, and Diamond, while maintaining the size of their staterooms.

What’s New

Scenic Tours call their new river boats “Space-Ships”.  As the width of the river boats is limited due to the locks, what Scenic Tours have done is increase the length of their vessels from the average of around 110 metres to 135 metres. So, the room space taken up by the external balconies is compensated by longer staterooms.  More than 80% of cabins in their new river boats feature exclusive private balconies, so you can sit outside and literally “watch Europe glide by”.  As Tony indicated, this is a definite plus and other operators will have to match this in their new river boats.

Not only are Scenic Tours’ cabins larger, the company say that their public areas are on average larger than other river cruisers.  And there’s more – you now have a choice of having your meals at two restaurants.

Scenic Emerald and Scenic Sapphire were launched in July 2008. In February and March 2009 Scenic Diamond and Scenic Ruby were delivered to Scenic Tours who now have a fleet of four luxurious “Space-Ships” cruising the waterways of Europe. 

They say that every aspect of the ships from the interiors to the service has been created to provide clients with the best river cruising experience possible.  So, if you’re planning a river cruise, you may like to check out these new river boats.

See our list of riverboats that operators use.