Great Rail Journeys has chartered three Amadeus river cruise ships which it will have exclusively for itineraries in 2019.
This year’s GRJ Europe, UK and Cruising by Rail 2019 Early Preview Edition brochure features 129 itineraries, 22 of which are cruise holidays.
Three Amadeus ships will be chartered by GRJ: Amadeus Queen, Amadeus Silver II and Amadeus Silver III.
GRJ says by chartering the ships, it can hand-pick excursions and ensure “adventurous spirit”, “relaxation” and “good food”. On board the charters, guests will be given five-course dinners and can watch one-off events and performances.
Seven pages of the 25-page cruise section are focussed on the operator’s ‘five-star collection’, of which the charters are a part.
The inaugural Five-Star Tulips Cruise departure will set sail on April 12, 2019 and will visit Dutch and Belgian waterways and include a tour of the battlefield of Ypres.
Guests will also be able to hear an onboard talk from former Ground Force presenter Charlie Dimmock, and visit the Keukenhof Gardens in the Netherlands, known as the garden of Europe.
Agents can book guests on to the cruise in four ways: a rail and cruise option, including train travel from or via St Pancras; a fly and cruise; cruise-only; or as part of a larger itinerary with rail journeys either side of the river cruise.
An early booking incentive offering savings of up to £100pp on 64 of the brochure’s tours runs until August 14.