Brinley Hineman
Tour operator Trafalgar will begin operating river cruises in just a few months: The Trafalgar Verity will launch first, in April on the Rhine.
Though the itineraries will be operated on ships chartered to Trafalgar from sister brand Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, Trafalgar has made it clear that the brands will be distinct, with Uniworld remaining the luxury line of the Travel Corporation business.
One point of differentiation for Trafalgar is its plan to make river cruising more attractive to families and the multigenerational market.
Family travel is certainly an untapped niche in river cruises. Viking, for instance, won't allow anyone under 18 on board. Though you'll occasionally see a family or two on other river cruise brands - perhaps the most visible is AmaWaterways, with its Adventures by Disney partnership -- they mostly opt for other forms of travel.
While I don't have kids, and my editor does have kids but has only sailed on Viking, we can both see how river cruising could be a great family-market offering, particularly for slightly older children who have the stamina to explore a European city and soak in some of its amazing heritage and history.
But, as my editor pointed out, don't count out the little ones: She took her 2-year-old on a small, luxury ship and everyone had an amazing time.
Our former copy editor Hector Fadraga experienced this firsthand on an AmaWaterways/Adventures by Disney cruise: Kids participated in age-appropriate activities, even going for a spin on an Alpine meadow a la "The Sound of Music" and trying new foods at a Chef's Table dinner.
The multigen angle, in particular, has legs for river cruises. It's already known for attracting an older, mature clientele, and it makes a lot of sense as an offering that would suit multiple generations of a family due to the slower pace on the river, prime docking locations and included excursions.
And I've heard from my friends about the herculean effort that goes into domestic travel with young ones. I can only imagine how difficult country hopping in Europe would be; river cruising would alleviate much of that stress.
At Trafalgar, river cruise vice president Damien O'Connor will oversee the operation, building on his extensive experience in ocean cruising. He was lured away from the ocean due to his personal love of the Trafalgar brand, giving him the confidence that the fledgling river venture will be a success.
"We are looking for a multigenerational clientele," he said in an interview published in November. "Unlike many other river cruises, we are welcoming families onboard. That's part of the target. We really want them to have experiences that are meaningful to every generation: grandparents, parents and children."
O'Connor will oversee the development of new builds for the brand, which are expected to launch in 2028. Though details haven't been released yet on those ships, O'Connor promised they would "maximize the space," even incorporating customer feedback into the design.
Though a river cruise is a different beast than a land tour, the excursions themselves are land based. For those, Trafalgar is already well-positioned and well-practiced in executing such tours.
O'Connor expects Trafalgar's growth from land tours to river cruises to be seamless; the brand already has millions of customers in its database, which O'Connor says will transition well to the rivers due to already knowing and loving the brand.