| Unstoppable Uniworld adds two ships

Australia is one of the main
target markets for Uniworld’s
new SS Catherine and SS
Alexandra, launching in Europe
in 2014.
UNIWORLD Boutique River Cruises is
planning to double its capacity in France with
the debut of the SS Catherine, to be modelled
after its existing French river vessel, the River
Royale.
Another new ship, the SS Catherine, is set to
sail on the Rhine, Main and Danube.
John Molinaro, Uniworld’s general manager
Australia, told Cruise Weekly that the SS
Catherine will be a sister ship to the line’s
award-winning SS Antoinette, which was
launched last year.
“Catherine will look entirely different.”
“Only the basic ship’s hull and layout are the
same, but we’re not revealing any other details
yet – this is just a sneak peek,” he said.
Both ships will be designed with the same
“Red Carnation touches” used by Uniworld’s
sister hotel company, he confirmed.
According to Molinaro, Australia is expected
to be a major source market for the two newbuilds.
“Absolutely, France is extremely popular as
an itinerary with our clients here, as well as
the Rhine and Danube,” he said.
Uniworld has announced five new ships in
the past two years – also including the River
Saigon and River Orchid on the Mekong and
the Queen Isabel in Portugal – in addition to its
partnerships with Century Legend and Century
Paragon in Asia, and a new route in Italy.
Others in the fleet are currently undergoing
Unstoppable Uniworld adds two ships
million-dollar refurbishments ahead of the
2013 season.
“You can never have enough five-star ships,
destinations and choice of itineraries,”
Molinaro said.
“We have the greatest amount of choice of
itineraries, with five-star ships spread out
across the world offering much more than the
Amsterdam-to-Budapest route.”
He urged travel agents to sell more Uniworld
product and enjoy the high rate of returning
passengers.
“Uniworld is one of the most widely awarded
cruise lines in the world, because we stand by
our motto: no request too large, no detail too
small.”