Trafalgar River Cruise has officially completed its inaugural sailings on the Rhine and Danube rivers, and while the company is upfront that it is still fine tuning its offering—the product is set to be a solid competitor in the premium river sector.
The new entrant has released highly competitive deals in the market to stimulate demand, and to date has seen a far higher percentage of new to brand clients than expected.
TTC Tour Brands’ deputy ceo & chief sales officer Melissa DaSilva told media on Verity’s christening cruise that only 35% of the guests who booked Trafalgar River in its inaugural year were past Trafalgar travellers—much lower than expectations.
“We were shocked to find out that 65% were absolutely new to brand,” she said. “So the beauty of this is because not only are we offering a different way to travel to our guests who know and love Trafalgar, but we’re bringing new customers into the brand.”
This, she added, is an opportunity for travel agents who continue to account for close to 80% of Trafalgar bookings.
. . . What’s It Like?
It’s been a quick turnaround to launch the river cruise line, and Trafalgar has clearly gained insights from its sister luxury cruise brand Uniworld, in terms of operation.
The level of food and service, too was a common highlight for those on board—no surprise given the number of former Uniworld staff aboard the Verity.
The distinctive ship itself is more than 25 years old, but she was operating in the luxury space less than a year ago.
This is complemented by Trafalgar’s 80-years plus of land touring experience, and the addition of a two-string experience director and manager team coordinating the shore logistics.
The Trafalgar hallmark Be My Guest and Make Travel Matters excursions are also another unique selling point in the river cruise space. At 151m2 the mid-range cabins are not the largest on offer but are well-appointed and functional.
The Verity has undergone a soft refurb, and more changes are planned in due course.
The two new-build ships will be designed with a distinctly Trafalgar look and feel, say the cruise line executives.
As reported earlier, Trafalgar River also plans to place a focus on the family and solo market sectors.
“We want to stay super competitive and accessible,” says DaSilva.
“I think that’s really important that the Trafalgar brand is accessible. We’re not trying to be a lot of people. We want to have an absolutely brilliant experience on board with stellar service, but for us, it’s important that it’s accessible and that they have a really immersive experience on board.”
