Earlier this year, Strasbourg-based CroisiEurope announced it was constructing a paddlewheel-driven cruise ship to sail the Loire, marking the first time that a river cruise ship has provided multi-night voyages in the region. Now, the company is expanding the paddlewheel concept to another river: the Elbe.

Beginning in the spring of 2016, CroisiEurope will begin offering river cruise voyages year-round from Berlin to the heart of Prague aboard the MS Elbe Princesse, a 321-foot-long river cruise ship driven by two stern-mounted paddlewheels.

The paddlewheel technology allows CroisiEurope to reduce the overall draft of the Elbe Princesse, which is important along the notoriously shallow Elbe. CroisiEurope has designed the new vessel to operate successfully even during low-water season, which will allow the line to cruise year-round out of Berlin.

Constructed in Saint-Nazaire, France (where cruise ships like the legendary Queen Mary 2 were built), the Elbe Princesse will feature 40 staterooms, all of which feature ocean views, spread across two decks. She will be able to accommodate up to 80 guests and will feature shipwide Wi-Fi, flat-panel television screens in all staterooms, and public rooms that include a panoramic restaurant capable of seating the entire passenger complement in a single setting.

Also featured onboard will be a Main Lounge with a dance floor and a Sun Deck that has large deck chairs and offers expansive views. The entire ship will be furnished with fabrics from MissoniHome, an Italian fabrics company headquartered in Rome.

When she enters service in April 2016, the Elbe Princesse will sail her namesake river between Berlin and Prague, calling on ports that include Potsdam, Wittenberg, Meissen, Dresden (known as the Florence of the Elbe), the famous Elbe Sandstone Mountains (Elbsandsteingebirge in German), and Litomerice in the Czech Republic.

The launch of the Elbe Princesse will add yet another unique river cruise offering to the family owned CroisiEurope, which has been sailing the waterways of Europe since being founded in 1976 by Gerard Schmitter.

More details on the Elbe Princesse and CroisiEurope’s sailings along the Elbe will be provided here as they become available. For a look at CroisiEurope, have a peek at our company and fleet overviews here on River Cruise Advisor.