The next two weeks are going to be full of adventure here on River Cruise Advisor, as we launch two Live Voyage Reports on two very different vessels plying the waterways of two very different regions in Europe.
Beginning tomorrow, July 12, I (Aaron Saunders) will embark Emerald Cruises‘ brand-new Emerald Star in the Hungarian capital of Budapest. If you haven’t heard of Emerald Cruises before, chances are good you’ll be hearing a lot more about them in the future. As the newest river cruise line in Europe in nearly a decade, Emerald Cruises is the brainchild of Scenic Tours founder Glen Moroney. The line formally began operations this past April with the launch of Emerald Sky, a purpose-built river cruise vessel that derives some of its exterior styling from Scenic’s own “Space Ships.”
We’ll be sailing Emerald Star up the Danube, making our way to Nuremberg, Germany. Along the way, we’ll call on Bratislava, Vienna, Melk, Durnstein, Linz, Passau, and Regensburg. We’ll also have a chance to experience some of Emerald Star’s more unique amenities, such as the indoor solarium-style swimming pool that converts to a cinema each evening.
Two days later, River Cruise Advisor‘s own Ralph Grizzle will begin his own unique journey in Portugal aboard AmaWaterways‘ AmaVida. Launched just last year, AmaVida sails the fantastic Douro River roundtrip from Porto, Portugal – the historic epicenter of Port Wine production and gateway to the Douro River Valley, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
What’s more interesting is that Ralph will be road-testing an entirely new kind of Live Voyage Report; one that, if successful, we plan to do a lot more of here on River Cruise Advisor.
Ralph’s daily missives from onboard AmaVida will be posted here between July 22 – 29, 2014 – pending, of course, the dreaded internet signal, which can be fragile at best on many river cruises.
Of course, we’re here to help – which is why you can use the comment form below if you want to ask either of us questions about our respective journeys. It’s easier to find those answers when we’re actually onboard than back at our land-side desks!
Coverage from Emerald Cruises’ Emerald Star begins tomorrow, and coverage from AmaWaterways AmaVida kicks off on Tuesday, July 22, 2014.
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