Fred Olsen Cruise Lines has released a new river programme of sailings in Europe in 2018.
The programme is to go on sale on May 26 through its first river brochure, European River Cruising by Fred Olsen, and will operate from April to November next year.
The line’s river ship is a 156-guest chartered vessel from Amadeus and will be called Brabant, after Fred Olsen’s passenger ship from the 1920s.
The river programme will travel on the Danube, Rhine and Moselle rivers, with 30 departures in 2018 that range from five to 25 nights.
Justin Stanton, sales and marketing director, said: “We will be offering the same commercial terms for our trade partners on river as we do on ocean, and it will be operated through our current sales team. It will be available to book online and over the phone.
“We plan to host some fam trips once the programme is operating, but in the meantime we will be doing a lot of work with our agents, including having information on our website and visiting trade partners, to explain what our product is about.”
Stanton added that the programme, unlike other river lines’, includes a large amount of scenic cruising in daylight hours.
Clare Ward, product and customer services director, said the product is aimed at existing Fred Olsen customers who have expressed an interest in river cruising, as well as new customers.
There are four room grades on the ship – the Juliette Balcony Suite, the Juliette Balcony Room Mozart, the Juliette Balcony Room Strauss and the Standard Room.
Itineraries include the five‑night Springtime Dutch Discovery fly-cruise via London, which travels from Amsterdam to Dusseldorf, with prices from £999.