AMSTERDAM -- It was only 11 months ago that Trafalgar announced its entry into Europe river cruising. Now, the tour operator's first two ships, the Trafalgar Verity and Trafalgar Reverie (both chartered from sister brand Uniworld Boutique River Cruises) have debuted, and there's a lot more to come.
Already, Trafalgar has announced plans to sail a third ship (another Uniworld charter) on France's Seine River in 2027. And in 2028, Trafalgar's first two newbuilds are slated to sail the Rhine and Danube. Trafalgar vice president of river cruise Damien O'Connor said the line could have 10 ships in the water by 2030.
What began as a modest debut has turned into a five-year growth plan because demand has been extraordinarily strong since the first cruises went on sale, said Melissa DaSilva, deputy CEO and chief sales officer for TTC Tour Brands, Trafalgar's parent company.
TTC initially expected Trafalgar's brand loyalists to be the main supporters of the inaugural season, but DaSilva said she was shocked to discover that only 35% of first-year cruisers had previously traveled with Trafalgar.
"Not only are we offering a different way to travel to our past guests who love Trafalgar, but we're bringing new customers into the brand, who hopefully will then want to do a guided vacation, perhaps in another year," DaSilva said.
Trafalgar Verity crew members stand on the ship's sun deck with vases of water from an Amsterdam canal. Photo Credit: Brinley Hineman
The new ships coming in 2028 will each accommodate 180 passengers, O'Connor said. And although design plans are still being finalized, he said each ship will have its own distinct personality and interior, similar to Uniworld's vessels.
"We don't want a copy/paste," he said.
Because demand has been so high, O'Connor is already exploring other markets. He mentioned Portugal's Douro River as a possibility for a ship debuting in 2030. Eventually, Trafalgar could cruise outside of Europe. O'Connor said the Amazon and Mekong are under consideration. He also has his eye on the U.S. Great Lakes.
Crossover with Trafalgar tours
Trafalgar is bringing TTC's branded experiences for land tours to its river cruises. Make Travel Matter experiences, which aim to ensure that tours positively impact local communities, are available to Trafalgar river cruise guests, as are Be My Guest tours, which are about meeting with local people.
During a preview sailing on the Verity, the ship cruised to Hoorn, Netherlands, where guests visited a working wind mill as the Make Travel Matter experience. The Be My Guest experience was a three-course lunch at a local restaurant.
The daylong experiences offered a taste of what a weeklong Trafalgar cruise will be.
The crew was pleasant and warm; they're trained by the Uniworld team, so even though the Uniworld and Trafalgar products are different, the crew training standards are the same, DaSilva said.
Upon arrival, I discovered the electricity in my cabin was not working, and the ship's engineer didn't hesitate to spend the better part of an hour tinkering around until he restored power.
A French balcony stateroom on the Trafalgar Verity. Photo Credit: Brinley Hineman
The brand should strengthen as it introduces custom-built ships. The Trafalgar Verity, built in 1999 and previously Uniworld's River Queen, was refreshed but shows its age in some places.
The ship refurbishments were light, O'Connor said, with the addition of new mattresses (the bed was comfortable), fresh paint and new carpets, as the line weighs the future of its brand design. O'Connor expects a more thorough update to come to the Uniworld charters after the newbuilds debut.
What advisors think
Travel advisors are optimistic about Trafalgar's future on the river.
Barbara Rose of See the World Travel in Mulberry, Fla., said she's using Trafalgar's status as a respected brand to pitch river cruises to her clients who already know and love the tour operator. Rose sailed with Trafalgar on the Reverie's inaugural cruise.
"Many of these clients already trust the brand, which makes them very open to trying their river cruise product," she said.
She described the onboard experience as "relaxed but refined."
Tiffany Gravelle of Travel with Tiffany in Eugene, Ore., said she has embarked on numerous inaugural ocean cruises but never had sailed a river cruise until the Trafalgar Reverie.
She traveled with six clients, some of whom are already fans of Trafalgar.
"This is my very first river cruise after 47 ocean cruises, and I honestly didn't know what to expect, but I have to say, I'm genuinely impressed and very moved by the experience," she said, adding that the inaugural sailing went smoothly.