River cruise operators are innovating ship design and itineraries to adapt to fluctuating water levels, industry leaders have said.
Speaking at the Clia RiverView Conference, AmaWaterways co-founder and chief brand ambassador Kristin Karst said its newest ship AmaRudi, which is due to launch in 2027, will have the shallowest hull of any ship in the fleet to be able to better accommodate changing water levels.
She said: “Our ships have a shallower draft. That’s the way they are built.
“You also have to watch materials as most river cruise ships are built from steel, but we have started to build with more aluminium which is more expensive, but it’s much lighter.”
Karst added river cruise operators had “many options” to swap furniture materials on board, for example swapping marble in bathrooms for other lighter but similar-looking materials.
She explained: “When you ask your guests [about these changes], they say they don’t need all of this [marble], so it’s truly the balance between being beautiful and practical.”
A-Rosa managing director Lucia Rowe added that the sector was “already exploring” new mooring, new destinations and different schedules to address overcrowding on certain rivers.
“Overtourism and adding more and more ships might be a problem, but we are by far not there yet,” she added.
“We can find different places and days to moor. There is no reason every cruise needs to leave on a Saturday.”