For 2017, Abercrombie & Kent has added three new river cruise itineraries and has redesigned its European river cruise offerings so that each departure will be limited to a group of 24 A&K passengers with access to exclusive extras.
Abercrombie & Kent first introduced European river cruises via its lower-priced Connections by Abercrombie & Kent brand in 2013. The program kicked off with three departures on the 152-passenger Amadeus Brilliant, a vessel built in 2011 and owned by Austrian shipping company Luftner Cruises.
For 2017, Connections by Abercrombie & Kent is offering 32 departures on 11 different itineraries,including three new itineraries for next season. The brand has added a nine-day New Year’s Along the Danube cruise, starting from $4,995 per person; a 10-day Along the Rhine river cruise through Holland, Germany, France and Switzerland, from $6,195 per person; and a 13-day London, Paris & a Seine river cruise, including stays at boutique hotels in London and Paris, from $10,495.
A suite on the Amadeus Silver II, one of the vessels Connections by A&K charters for its European river cruise program.
Each departure will have a cap of 24 guests. A&K charters space on Luftner’s Amadeus fleet of river cruise vessels and will be setting aside room for a group of 24 on each of the sailing dates it offers. Those guests will have a dedicated tour director throughout the duration of the trip and will be offered exclusive off-ship sightseeing and dining experiences, such as lunch at a villa in Budapest and a meal and wine tasting at a sommelier’s home in Beaune, France.
When dining on board, the A&K group sits at reserved tables, and local wine and beer are always included with lunch and dinner, whether on or off the ship. Each Connections by A&K river cruise will also include one specially arranged chef’s tasting menu dinner aboard the ship.
A&K reserves preferred cabins and suites on Amadeus vessels for its river cruise guests, including those with walk-out or French balconies. Some of the vessels A&K blocks space on are the Amadeus Silver, Amadeus Silver II, Amadeus Silver III and Amadeus Provence, which launches in 2017.
There are pre- and post-cruise tours included and A&K selected smaller boutique properties for these stays, such as the Kensington in London, the Ring in Vienna or Munich’s Platzl Hotel.