(8 April 2022) River cruise specialist, VIVA Cruises, has welcomed its first new build ship to the family. VIVA ONE was christened in its home port of Düsseldorf (Germany) on Thursday last week, in a ceremony attended by over 160 guests. VIVA ONE will be offering a variety of exciting itineraries on the Rhine and Moselle rivers throughout this year, with more to come in 2023.

VIVA ONE, whose name refers to being the very first ship built by VIVA Cruises, has 88 modern cabins for 176 guests – including double beds and junior suites (most of them equipped with French balconies) and four suites featuring balconies with a table and two chairs. The new ship features VIVA Cruises’ look and feel, including a modern design in blue tones, wooden furniture and a casual atmosphere.

Guests on board VIVA ONE will be able to enjoy, amongst other features, the ship’s spacious sun deck, spa and wellness area and its two restaurants: Riverside and VIVA’s Bistro. Riverside is VIVA ONE’s main restaurant, featuring a wide selection of breakfast, lunch and dinner menus – including vegetarian and vegan meals. On the other hand, VIVA’s Bistro offers a casual atmosphere and a wide selection of snacks and smaller dishes available from early morning until late at night - including salads, sandwiches and burgers.

VIVA ONE is also the first ship in the VIVA Cruises fleet to use state-of-the-art hybrid technology that is kinder to the environment. The ship has 68 solar cells distributed on the sun deck; uses sulphur-free GTL (Gas to Liquid) fuel, which significantly reduces CO² consumption and emissions; and features an improved autopilot function which does not only simplify navigation but also helps to reduce the consumption of fuel. VIVA ONE is also seeing an important reduction of plastic on board with the installation of two water stations in the lobby, so guests can refill their reusable water bottles and cut down the use of cups.

The brand new ship will be offering a variety of five- and seven-night itineraries on the Rhine and Moselle rivers throughout 2022 and 2023 – most of them departing from the port of Düsseldorf, where VIVA Cruises is based. All 2022 and 2023 itineraries are already available on the VIVA Cruises website.

The christening of VIVA ONE last week was attended by a great number of guests, including Andrea Kruse, COO of VIVA Cruises; Arno Reitsma, CEO of Swiss shipping company, Scylla AG, VIVA Cruises’ parent company; Josef Hinkel, mayor of Düsseldorf; and Judith Rakers, a well-known German journalist and TV presenter who is the Godmother of VIVA ONE.

Andrea Kruse, COO of VIVA Cruises, said: “After lots of hard work and a couple of uncertain years, we are thrilled to have launched our first ever new build ship. VIVA ONE has been carefully designed using VIVA Cruises’ ethos and environmentally friendly technology to bring unique moments and exclusive experiences to our guests – without forgetting our VIVA All-Inclusive product. We are truly looking forward to welcoming British people on our new ship – they will have a whole new river cruise experience like never before.”

All VIVA ONE itineraries will feature VIVA Cruises’ signature VIVA All-Inclusive product, which includes snacks, full board, high-quality alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, self-service coffee stations and water stations, minibar, beauty products from luxury cosmetic brand, Rituals, Wi-Fi and all tips and gratuities.

For those who are not familiar with us, VIVA Cruises is a river cruise specialist offering a wide variety of cruises and tours along some of Europe’s most beautiful rivers - including the Danube, Elbe, Moselle, Rhine, Main, Rhône and Seine - and Baltic Sea. We also offer expedition itineraries in Northern and Western Europe as well as Arctic cruises on board SEAVENTURE.

Modern approach to river cruising

We are a very young company – VIVA Cruises launched in 2018 and is part of the renowned Swiss shipping company, Scylla AG. Since the very beginning, we wanted to give a fresh approach to river cruising and to attract a younger clientele. Four years on, the average age of our customers is 60.9 years old, a bit younger than the average within the river cruise industry.

We were born with a clear end goal: to bring unique moments and exclusive experiences to our guests. We are very proud to provide our customers with a cosy atmosphere; unique shore excursions and on-board activities; and an enviable food and drink menu, part of our All-Inclusive product. An example of these differentiated experiences can be our new art, cultural, wellness and crime themed cruises running from January to March this year. With these cruises, we have become the only river cruise line operating every single month of 2022. Why have a winter break when people are willing to travel, especially after the last two tough years?

Exciting new build for 2022 – and more to come

VIVA Cruises has currently a fleet of eight elegant ships, with capacity ranging from 88 to 190 passengers, split over three decks (Diamond, Ruby and Emerald). As well as the new themed cruises for 2022, VIVA Cruises is launching its very first new build ship this year - aptly called VIVA ONE.

VIVA ONE will sail from Düsseldorf in April 2022, offering guests itineraries on the Rhone and Moselle rivers. Carrying 176 passengers, this new ship will be the first one in the VIVA Cruises fleet to use hybrid technology and sulphur-free GTL (fuel to cut down on CO2 emissions), as well as solar panels. Other features of VIVA ONE include a modern design in blue tones, two restaurants, a spacious sun deck, and a spa and wellness area.

The company’s second new build ship, VIVA TWO, will launch next year. Using the same eco-friendly engine, 190-passenger VIVA TWO will make her maiden voyage along the Main and Danube rivers in March 2023, and will be offering a wide variety of cruises throughout next year.

The culinary offering on board VIVA Cruises is worth mentioning, as it is always highly regarded by our customers. All our cruises have two dining options. RIVERSIDE is the main restaurant, featuring a wide selection of breakfast, lunch and dinner menus – including vegetarian and vegan meals. On the other hand, VIVA’s Bistro offers a casual atmosphere and a variety of snacks and smaller dishes available from early morning until late at night - including salads, sandwiches and burgers. VIVA TWO will also have a third restaurant, MOMENTS, the place to go for top-class specialty food, accompanied with light entertainment.

Picking up the 2022 trends

We are aware that travelling by train is one of the resulting trends from the pandemic that is here to stay. This is why most of our 2022 itineraries will be departing from either Dusseldorf or Frankfurt (Germany) – two cities which are easily accessible by train, ideal for eco-conscious travellers.

We have also increased the number of cruises offering seven and more nights (up to 15), so our customers can experience “slow travel” and the truly authentic side of the places our cruises visit.

Finally, those looking for “upgrade travel” after such a long hiatus should consider one of our Arctic expedition cruises on board SEAVENTURE, our first ever expedition ship. Running throughout 2022, the 164-guest vessel will offer exciting ocean itineraries in Northern and Western Europe, as well as Arctic cruises.

All-Inclusive which means All-Inclusive

One of VIVA Cruises’ USPs is its VIVA All-Inclusive product. All its cruises, whatever length, are truly all-inclusive, including full board with snacks, breakfast buffet, lunch and à la carte dinner; high-quality alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, minibar refilled daily and beauty products from luxury cosmetic brand, Rituals. Moreover, unlike most cruises, tips and gratuities are also included, so customers know how much exactly they will be spending on our cruises – no surprises at the end.

VIVA Cruises will offer a total of 252 departures across nine ships throughout 2022.

VIVA Cruises is running new art, cultural and wellness themed cruises from January to March this year on board VIVA TIARA, VIVA MOMENTS and SWISS RUBY.  

 VIVA TIARA, fully renovated in 2020, has 13 scheduled departures of its four-night “Arts, Culture and Culinary Delights” until March, which will be visiting the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp.  

 VIVA MOMENTS is running two different four-night itineraries along the Rhine focused on wellness and relaxation – Wellness trip Middle Rhine and Wellness trip Rhine-Main - all of them starting and ending in Düsseldorf.  

 Finally, SWISS RUBY, with capacity for just 88 guests, is offering a series of 7-night “Crime cruises” to Berlin and Düsseldorf.  

The rest of the VIVA Cruises fleet will be starting the season in March. 

 Andrea Kruse, COO of VIVA Cruises, said: “We are delighted that our new themed cruises are being so well received by both our international customers - bookings are growing day by day. Not taking a big winter break was absolutely the right decision for us. Many guests want to travel from January to March and VIVA Cruises gives them just that option.” 

All VIVA Cruises itineraries include VIVA Cruises’ signature VIVA All-Inclusive product, which includes snacks, full board, high-quality alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, minibar, beauty products from luxury cosmetic brand, Rituals, Wi-Fi and all tips and gratuities. 

SEAVENTURE’s ‘Coastal Magic’ will be a seven-night cruise from/to Dublin, departing on 16 April 2022. The expedition ship will take passengers along the Irish coast to Belfast and across northern Scotland to Edinburgh. This sailing will be followed by further stops in Nordic cities including Spitsbergen, Norway’s northernmost archipelago in the Arctic Ocean.

One of the highlights of SEAVENTURE’s 2022 programme is ‘Eternal Ice of the Arctic’ – a 24-day voyage from/to Bremerhaven (Germany), with two departures in July and August. On this expedition cruise, SEAVENTURE will go through the Shetland Islands - the northern-most tip of Scotland – while making its way to Greenland. Passengers will have the chance to see impressive glaciers and icebergs in Disko Bay as well as spotting humpback, minke and fin whales in the summer months.

The ‘Beauty of Scandinavia’ cruise will set sail in September 2022, visiting some of the region’s most beautiful cities - including Oslo, Gothenburg and Copenhagen – before heading to Western Europe in October. The 22-day cruise will take guests from Bremerhaven (Germany) along the French, Spanish and Portuguese coasts to the Canary Islands, where the cruise ends in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

As a small ship, SEAVENTURE has just 82 cabins and suites for 164 guests. It has been specially designed for its unique itineraries; its size will allow it to enter remote harbours, not to mention its maneuverability, enabling it to change course at short notice to observe animals and nature. A fleet of fourteen sturdy Zodiacs will enable guests to explore smaller ports and uncharted territories.

Prices for 2022 SEAVENTURE expedition cruises start from €2,205 (approximately £1,900) per person in an outside cabin. An early bird discount of 10% will apply to all bookings made by 31 July 2021. UK travel agencies also receive a 10% commission per booking. Agents can request agency contracts and special rates for groups via emailing: sales@viva-cruises.com