It’s been six months since Trafalgar launched its ambitious Europe river cruise plans, but visiting TTC Touring brands executive Andy Young says sales are meeting targets, thanks in part to Kiwi agents and attractive price points.
The late addition of a river cruise program from 2026 has meant increased Europe river capacity, and the brand’s shorter eight- to 10-night cruises have resonated with Kiwi travellers, he adds. Trafalgar’s river cruises will use two former Uniworld ships, now the Trafalgar Reverie and Trafalgar Verity, and a proven operational IP. And while Trafalgar River is a four-star product, it will be able to use learnings from TTC’s premium Uniworld brand to offer a great value-for-money product, adds Young.
The Amsterdam-Basel cruise has proved popular with Kiwis, as has a two-night post-stay in Amsterdam, he says. It is not operating a 14-day Amsterdam to Budapest itinerary. “We’ve broken that up into two, Rhine and Danube and that’s made it very easy for agents to combine touring options. While around 30% of its Kiwi bookings are combining a Trafalgar land tour and a Trafalgar river cruise Young says, interestingly, it is seeing a high number of new-to-brand Kiwis booking its river cruises. Cruise fares include meals, excursions and drinks with meals and at happy hours
All sailings have a number of immersive excursions including Be My Guest experiences such as lunch on a family-run farm on the Rhine or dinner with the Saahs family at Austria’s oldest winery.
. . . Kiwi tips
From New Zealand, he says its interconnecting rooms for families and self-service laundry are also proving to be selling points. Each ship has a self-service laundry area with washers, dryers, and an ironing station. A third Trafalgar River ship is due to come on line next Aug, and two new-build ships are due to enter service in 2028, and another two in 2029. “So we’ll have seven ships from 2029—and it’s exciting. It’s all new territory for us but we’ll learn a lot from our sisters at Uniworld—so this is a really exciting move for us.”
