Uniworld has revealed the delivery dates and names of three new ships due in 2020.
Satet will sail on the Nile from January 6; São Gabriel will launch on the Douro on March 26, and Mekong Jewel will debut on January 3 on the Mekong.
Dubbed ‘floating boutique hotels’, the new ships will have more suites, more dining venues and a higher crew-to-guest ratio than Uniworld’s existing ships.
Satet is named after the goddess of the Nile and will have three gourmet dining venues, including a private dining room and an al fresco dining experience on the upper deck, a swimming pool, massage room and 42 suites. Its 12-day sailings will start and end in Cairo.
São Gabriel will sail Portugal’s Douro river and wine region. Its entire top deck will offer “lavishly appointed suites” with butler service.
Mekong Jewel will sail through Vietnam and Cambodia and be 10 metres longer than Uniworld’s Mekong Navigator ship. It will have two dining venues and cater for 64 passengers.
Its 13-day itineraries will sail from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap, including visits to Phnom Penh and Angkor Wat.
Uniworld claims the ships is being constructed with sustainable and eco-friendly materials, such as special paint for the hull, specially-designed propellers that increase efficiency, and other energy-efficient fixtures and fittings.
Separately, River Countess will undergo a revamp and enter service again as La Venezia on March 27, 2020.
Its ten-day itineraries will sail northern Italy, including a two-day land stay in Milan and an eight-day cruise through and around Venice, the Po River and three outer-lying Venetian islands: Burano, Mazzorbo and Torcello.
Passengers can also sail just the eight-day section of the itinerary.
Uniworld has been transforming its fleet for five years. In 2017, it introduced Joie de Vivre, and a year later it relaunched two ships – Beatrice and Bon Voyage – after renovations.
By 2020, more than half of the ships in Uniworld’s fleet will be what the line calls a ‘Super Ship’, including the addition of the three new vessels.
“We are consistently and relentlessly pursuing excellence,” Uniworld chief executive Ellen Bettridge said. “But expansion for expansion’s sake has never been our business model.
“We boldly commit to the projects that will continuously elevate Uniworld to the leading position within the river cruise industry. Our ships are absolutely unique and, like a boutique hotel, reflect the destinations they serve from décor and artwork to food, beverage and programming. We look forward to making our high calibre of service and personalisation in these remarkable destinations even better.”