A-Rosa river cruises is to build a new ship to sail the river Douro in Portugal for the first time.
The river cruise line will introduce the new 126-passenger, 80-metre long ship for 2019, and expects to christen it in May.
It is the line’s first new build since A-Rosa Flora in 2014 and will feature four decks, a swimming pool, spa and fitness area with sauna.
A-Rosa’s new ship will sail the Douro from May to November 2019 with a seven-night itinerary from Porto and calling at Pinhao, Vega Terron, Bacca d’Alva (Salamanca), Regua, Entre-os-Rios and back to Porto.
For the first year, the UK market will be sailing selected international departure dates and A-Rosa is currently in discussions with several tour operators partners about featuring it. More details are to follow.
Lucia Rowe, head of A-Rosa UK and Ireland said: “This is really exciting for us and the first big development since our new owners took over in January. The Douro is a beautiful river and one that our tour operator partners have been asking us to feature for several years. I am delighted that we can now deliver it. Our focus going forward is growth, both in terms of our fleet and our destinations and the introduction of the Douro is our first step towards achieving this.”