A first look at Trafalgar river cruises + new purpose-built ships announced

Ahead of the official naming ceremony for Trafalgar Verity later today, TravelPress Today got a firsthand look at the ship docked in Amsterdam for its inaugural sailing. 

“Our legacy is taking land onto the river – taking what we already do really well on land, which is providing great service, great tours and experiences, and putting it onto the river,” shared Damien O’Connor, Vice President, Trafalgar river cruises. “We’re going to be known for the best hospitality in river cruising for our category, which is premium. We’re going to define ourselves for our activities and entertainment on board, through live music, through interactive game shows.”

Travel advisors from key market destinations around the world, including representatives from CAA Travel, AMA Travel, Marlin Travel and Maritime Travel, are onboard for the festivities, along with global TTC Tour Brands representatives. This week Trafalgar Reverie will also be sailing from Passau for the first time for a revenue sailing.  

Although the ships underwent light refurbishments, including new carpets, soft furnishings, tile updates and shower heads in the bathroom and new mattresses, they will likely get a new look following the launch of two newly announced purpose built ships designed for the Trafalgar brand, slated to debut in 2028. The current Trafalgar ships, which includes Trafalgar Harmonie on the Seine in April 2027, were previously Uniworld ships: the Queen, the Princess and the Duchess respectively.

Damien O’Connor, Vice President, Trafalgar river cruises will jump ship from Trafalgar Verity to join guests on Trafalgar Reverie this week

“They are obviously very different from the Uniworld product,” noted O’Connor. “We changed uniforms, it’s less formal, you’ll see as you walk around with our bar staff, restaurant and front of house staff that it’s much more casual. It’s definitely not the butler white gloves service that Uniworld is. It certainly is a premium service… This ship was impeccably maintained, really in great condition both technically and within the public areas. About 50 per cent of our crew come from Uniworld. The other half are a mix of brand new to our industry or brand new to our brand.”

As for what’s part of the experience, packages include most shore excursions, shipboard crew tips, wifi, as well as complimentary beer and wine during lunch and dinner are included. Breakfast and lunch are buffet style and dinner is a three course a la carte meal. 

Laundry is available for guests, which O’Connor says is one of the top questions fielded about the river cruise line

One of the entertainment options is a destination based version of the Liar’s Club.

“It’s a kind of Liar’s Club but it’s around destinations so you’re going to have people lying about experiences and one person telling the truth so it’s definitely going to be interactive,” added O’Connor. “We’re going to have more of the captains, we have wonderful captains that should be on stage instead of driving because they’re all very personable. They’re going to be an integral part of the river cruise experience as well.” 

Room categories include suites, staterooms with floor-to-ceiling river views that open downwards, as well as staterooms with large window river views or waterline river-views, which he dubbed “swan windows because you can see birds on the water outside.”

Notably, the ship’s godmother Cassie Estrella-Roca is a longtime repeat Trafalgar guest who has been on over 20 land tours. 

Stay tuned for more coverage from the inaugural sailing, from the naming ceremony to more news about the upcoming ships and much more in Monday’s edition.