New River Line Transcend Cruises
By Anne Kalosh.
Transcend Cruises, the fledgling European river operator, toasted a newbuild contract in early August.
You haven’t heard of this line?
Transcend burst on the scene a couple years ago with a concept unlike any other on the rivers.
Instead of selling staterooms to individual travelers — like Viking, AmaWaterways, Avalon, Uniworld, Tauck and a host of others — Transcend focuses entirely on group travel.
Transcend’s vessel will be the European standard 135 meters but the inside will be very different. * Rendering: Transcend Cruises
Affinity And Corporate Groups
The groups could be families and friends holding a reunion or celebrating a milestone birthday or anniversary, or a wedding. Or any other affinity group such as an alumni association, club or folks who share interests like wine, history, romance novels, architecture or fitness.
Or travelers with kosher diets or other lifestyle needs. The list goes on.
Or corporate groups, for company meetings, events, new product presentations or incentive trips to reward star employees or sales teams that meet targets.
John Roberts Did It
Fellow QuirkyCruise contributor John Roberts has such a fan base with his In the Loop Travel, focused on active travel, that he put together a group aboard Transcend for a Christmas markets Rhine cruise in 2023. That was on Riverside Mahler (built as Crystal Mahler), which Transcend has been chartering until it gets its own vessel.
The Riverside Mahler charter ends this year, with the newbuild due in late 2025 in time for the holiday season.
Customizable Charters
With new river line Transcend Cruises, corporate meeting planners or tour operators or travel agencies charter the vessel for a cruise exclusively for their group. They’re able to customize the itinerary, services and even the vessel’s internal configuration to suit their group’s needs.
The 120-passenger luxury newbuild just ordered is the standard 135-meter length for Europe’s rivers. But the interior will be very different, with plenty of flexible elements for groups. For example, there will be a big space where everyone can gather for a banquet, presentation or awards ceremony or wedding. Other rooms will configure into smaller spaces for breakout meetings.
There will be plenty of light-filled spaces, with large windows, and ample spa and wellness facilities.
Light-filled spaces with large windows. * Rendering: Transcend Cruises
Staterooms Convert Into Suites
The 60 identical staterooms convert in pairs into suites, allowing the charterer to flex the offering for between 30 to 120 people. To serve corporate groups, Transcend’s vessel will be outfitted with technologies that enable clients to amplify their brands through digital signage, custom lighting, sound and imagery.
Transcend Cruises inked the contract for its newbuild at Den Breejen Shipyard, a prolific builder of river cruise vessels in Hardinxveld-Giessendam, Netherlands. Tillberg Design of Sweden, one of ocean cruising’s leading designers with blueprints for Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Crystal Cruises, Four Seasons Yachts, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection and many others, created its first river cruise design for Transcend.
Environmental features include stage-five, low-emission engines, an electric thruster system for emissions-free last mile maneuvering, food waste minimization technology and local sourcing.
The vessel is scheduled for delivery in fourth quarter 2025, with a second ship planned in 2026, subject to additional financing.
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