AMSTERDAM – Trafalgar christened its first river cruise ship Friday as the tour operator expands from land tours to a river venture.
Trafalgar, a TTC Tour Brands company, christened the Trafalgar Verity before its inaugural cruise begins Sunday. Journalists and travel advisors joined for the celebration and a short sailing to Hoorn to experience a Trafalgar sailing.
The Trafalgar Verity, chartered from sister brand Uniworld Boutique River Cruises and previously called the River Queen, will cruise the Rhine. The Trafalgar Reverie, previously the River Princess, will begin cruising the Danube on Saturday after a christening ceremony in Passau, Germany.
Underneath a cerulean sky, Trafalgar Verity godmother Cassie Estrella-Roca shared a blessing and read a poem to mark the occasion. Estrella-Roca, a Southern California resident, is a frequent Trafalgar guest who was selected to be godmother because she "made a splash with her story of braving the chill of the Nile River for a swim, with a fellow traveler and a water buffalo for company in the water."
She won a Trafalgar Unlocked Award in 2023, "bringing her optimism and zest for life to the winner's trip to the Balkans," Trafalgar said.
"Travel has always been about more than the places we visit," Estrella-Roca said at the christening ceremony. "It is about the people we meet, the friendships we form and the moments that stay with us long after the journey ends."
The Trafalgar Verity's lounge. Photo Credit: Brinley Hineman
The Trafalgar Reverie's godmother is Australian Kate McIntosh. Trafalgar said when Kate's youngest daughter went to Canada on a school exchange trip, she decided to also travel to Canada, signing up to share a room with a stranger and becoming best friends with her roommate, Sharene. The story won Kate a 2024 Trafalgar Unlocked Award.
Trafalgar chose guests to be godmothers of its first two ships because they have "experienced the magic of a Trafalgar tour" and it wanted to "put real guests front and center, just like we always have -- because they're royalty to us."
A shout-out to travel advisors
Melissa DaSilva, deputy CEO and chief sales officer of TTC Tour Brands, credited Trafalgar's success to travel advisors and said the river product was developed with advisors and their clients in mind.
"We've always believed at Trafalgar that how you travel is as important as where you go," she said. "We didn't see river cruising as a departure from what it is that we already did. We saw it as a natural extension. The demand was clear, and we knew that it aligned with what our guests were looking for."
A French balcony stateroom on the Trafalgar Verity. Photo Credit: Brinley Hineman
Trafalgar will differ in cost and inclusions from sister brand Uniworld, which executives have repeatedly stressed when pitching the Trafalgar river product.
The 128-passenger Verity, built in 1999 and last refurbished in 2010, will sail Amsterdam itineraries starting at $3,299.
The ship features four stateroom categories, including four suites.
The vessel has a large working fireplace in the lounge and a decor and interior described as classic.