Some interesting news for river cruisers and ocean cruisers alike: Celebrity Cruises is getting into the river cruise market by offering combination ocean cruise and river cruise vacations in Europe as part of its Celebrity Explorations brand. The line has partnered with Amras Cruises to provide river cruise vacations to Celebrity’s guests. Amras is the North American-branded arm of Austrian-based Luftner Cruises, which operates a fleet of 12 ships within Europe, almost all of which begin with the prefix, Amadeus.
“Our guests want to continue seeing more of the world with Celebrity, and we are dedicated to providing them with the most destination-rich vacations,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Celebrity Cruises. “By introducing these river-and-ocean cruise packages, travelers can immerse themselves in Europe more so than ever before, with the ease of choosing a vacation package exclusively created by Celebrity.”
All told, Celebrity is offering 11 different river-and-ocean cruise packages for the 2015 season. These explore the Danube, Rhine, Rhone, and Seine River and are then paired with a Celebrity cruise through the Mediterranean, Scandinavia, Russia, Turkey, and other destinations only accessible by sea.
These new combination voyages will range in length from 16 to 24 nights, and will include:
- Seven-night Amras Cruises river cruise, including gourmet dining; select beverages, featuring regional wine and beer; fully guided tours and excursions; Wi-Fi and more.
- Dedicated Celebrity Cruises Destination Concierge to ensure a seamless and personalized river cruise experience.
- Flights to a major European city near the ocean cruise port – Rome, Italy; London, England; Barcelona, Spain; Athens, Greece; or Istanbul, Turkey.
- One- to two-night luxury hotel accommodations before embarking on the ocean cruise
- Convenient transfers from the airport to the hotel and the ocean cruise port.
- Celebrity Cruises Classic Beverage Package, including wine and spirits.
With Viking River Cruises expanding into ocean cruising for the first time in 2015 with the new Viking Star, it’s likely that more lines may follow suit with other special crossover offers.
