by Jim Byers
Last updated: 6:46 PM ET, Wed July 7, 2021
Scenic Group's Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours and Emerald Cruises, have both announced their return to sailing on several of Europe's rivers, beginning in late July 2021 on Portugal's Douro River. In addition to the Douro, both brands will resume sailing on the Rhine River in August. Also, in August, Emerald Cruises will add the Danube while Scenic will resume services on France's Garonne, Gironde and Dordogne rivers in Bordeaux. Scenic will kick off sailings on the Danube in September.
"With Europe opening more widely to international travellers, it's exciting to see Emerald Cruises and Scenic resuming sailing," said Lisa McCaskill, VP of Sales and Marketing for Scenic Group Canada. "Consumer confidence is building with the return to the European rivers this summer and we are pleased to be experiencing a boost in 2022 bookings. We are hopeful that with the great progress made with vaccination programs, Canadian travel restrictions will be lifted within the next few months and Canadian residents will soon be able to join us on the rivers of Europe."
Emerald Cruises' first Douro River sailing will depart Porto on July 31, while the Rhine River cruises will set sail from Basel on August 19 followed by the Danube on August 30. In late November, the brand will resume Christmas Market sailings on both the Rhine and the Danube rivers. Emerald Cruises is expecting to operate no fewer than 38 river cruises in Europe between July and December 2021.
Scenic's departures restart with cruises on Portugal's Douro River on July 30, followed by France's Bordeaux on August 29, the Rhine on August 30, and the Danube on September 27. Scenic will operate six Bordeaux river cruises, eight Rhine River sailings, four Danube departures, as well as three Christmas Market cruises in November and December. A multi-river sailing will also take guests from Amsterdam to Budapest along the Rhine and Danube Rivers with the brand set to operate two departures of the 15-day Jewels of Europe river cruise.
Both brands offer a Flexible Booking Policy, where guests can defer their travel plans or cancel up to 60 days prior to departure with no additional booking fees (third party fees may apply). Parent company, Scenic Group, is working closely with CLIA and local governments to ensure operations adhere to all necessary guidelines. Additional details on booking policies and health and safety protocols can be found on each brand's websites: www.emeraldcruises.ca and www.scenic.ca.
Scenic Group, which includes Emerald Cruises, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, Mayflower Cruises & Tours and Evergreen Tours, has grown over its 35-year history to include award-winning, river and ocean cruises and handcrafted land journeys that take guests to many of the world's most fascinating destinations covering all seven continents. Since 2008, Scenic has set the benchmark for truly all-inclusive, five-star river cruises in Europe and Southeast Asia as well as luxury cruises on Russia's Volga River on board Scenic Tsar and on Egypt's Nile on board a private luxury charter. In 2019, Scenic introduced Scenic Eclipse, The World's First Discovery Yacht™, a 228-guest ultra-luxury ship, and plans to deliver a second yacht of the same category, Scenic Eclipse II, in 2023. Emerald Cruises has nine branded Star-Ships offering river sailings in Europe and on the Mekong, as well as the chartered river ship along the Volga River in Russia (MS Nizhny Novgorod). In January 2022, Emerald Azzurra will be the first yacht to launch under the Emerald Cruises brand - a 100-guest superyacht that will sail the warm waters of the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Black and Red seas.
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