Lueftner Cruises is expanding yet again thanks to its successful performance and steady booking levels over the past few years. Austria's long-established Lueftner shipping line has commissioned its tenth river cruiser from the famous "De Hoop" shipyard located in Lobith, the Netherlands, where work on the steel framework has already started. The premium class river cruiser is scheduled to come into service in May 2011 and will be called m/s AMADEUS Brilliant. It will supplement the AMADEUS fleet operated by Lueftner Cruises along the Danube and Rhine.
"It has become completely clear from the exceptionally strong demand for bookings in recent months that we will need additional capacity in the coming years, especially for the premium market segment. This latest addition to the AMADEUS fleet is therefore not only important for our company but also very good news for our business partners", explains Dr. Martina Lüftner, co-founder and CEO of Lueftner Cruises. The plan is to deploy the new addition to meet, above all, the growing demand from the markets in Europe for cruises aboard Lueftner's AMADEUS vessels.
The m/s AMADEUS Brilliant will have the same classic look as its two sister ships - the AMADEUS Elegant (2010) and AMADEUS Diamond (2009) - with a pointed bow and will, with its 110-m length, fit perfectly into the elegant AMADEUS fleet. Passengers will find the same high standards of service and interior fixtures and fittings as they have become accustomed to aboard the other AMADEUS vessels when they are greeted on the AMADEUS Brilliant by the atmosphere of a modern hotel room with TV, minibar and designer bath in the stylishly furnished 15-m² standard cabins. Most of the 67 cabins have magnificent panoramic windows and French balconies, which turn this mode of travel into a truly memorable experience. The same applies to the 9 elegant suites on the Mozart deck, whose 22-m² of space and equipment offer passengers pure luxury.
The AMADEUS club with its library and Internet access is again a particular highlight for passengers, quite apart from the impressive sun deck with its comfortable deck chairs, the golf putting green and giant chessboard. A lift between each deck now makes this relaxed way of travelling even more convenient.
The AMADEUS Brilliant will have one really striking new feature, in that all its lighting systems have been completely redesigned by a specially commissioned, and internationally renowned, lighting designer.
Maiden voyage on the Rhine
The AMADEUS Brilliant's maiden voyage will start in Strasbourg on 1 May 2011 and take in the impressive scenery all the way down the Rhine to Amsterdam. The new river cruiser will ply up and down Europe's waterways for the rest of the 2011 season, including 14-day voyages from Amsterdam to Vienna, 7-day voyages from Budapest to the Black Sea, and 7-day cruises along the Danube over Advent, Christmas and the New Year.
