Brabant embarks on a series of 30 voyages on Europe's Danube, Rhine, Main and Moselle rivers
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ first river cruise ship, Brabant, embarked on her maiden cruise from Amsterdam, the Netherlands on 5 April.
Built in 2006, the 110-metre-long Brabant has four decks – Haydn Deck 1, Strauss Deck 2, Mozart Deck 3 and Sun Deck 4 – and is smaller than many river boats. The vessel is staffed by 40 crew members and accommodates 156 guests in fewer than 80 rooms and suites – many of which have Juliette balconies. British tastes will be reflected in the cuisine, customer service and shore tours, while all transactions will be conducted in pound sterling.
Brabant’s five-night ‘Springtime Dutch Discovery’ itinerary will take from Amsterdam to Hoorn, Kampen, Deventer, Arnhem and Nijmegen in the Netherlands, and end in Dűsseldorf, Germany. The maiden cruise is the first of 30 voyages that the ship will sail on the Danube, Rhine, Main and Moselle rivers between April and 3 November 2018. Ranging from 5 to 25 nights, the itineraries will start and/or end in cities such as Düsseldorf and Nuremberg; Germany; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Budapest, Hungary; Hirsova in Bucharest, Romania; and Basel, Switzerland. Each voyage will incorporate varied shore excursions and scenic cruising in daylight hours.
“These are exciting times, as Brabant will be visiting the wonderful rivers of Europe – the Rhine, Danube, Moselle and Main – as well as pretty towns and ‘big name’ cities, such as Vienna and Strasbourg, for shopping, music and culture,” said Peter Deer, commercial director for Fred. Olsen. “Guests can rest assured that Fred. Olsen’s new river cruises will be underpinned by all the usual high standards, award-winning customer service and understated elegance that they have come to expect of our ocean-going offer. Brabant may be small, but we are proud to have developed a great product for our first year, helping to create new memories for our guests across the spectacular waterways of Europe.”
In 2019, Brabant will offer 33 similar departures between April and November.