The UK's biggest tour operator has launched the third and final ship in its fleet of river cruise vessels ahead of the forthcoming summer holiday season. TUI Isla set sail on her first ever itinerary, Rhine Explorer 2, following a Christening event.
The spring sailing set off from Basel, Switzerland, before heading to Strasbourg, France, and then onto some of Germany’s well-known cities such as Rudesheim, Koblenz and Cologne before finishing the voyage in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Christening ceremony took place as part of a special voyage for TUI retail staff, ahead of her first customer sailing.
Ship's godmother Courtney Smith, a TUI retail homeworker, pushed the button for the traditional bottle smash. Courtney has been with TUI for five years and was appointed godmother in 2020, but due to the pandemic, has only now been able to carry out her duties.
She said: "I am honoured to be TUI Isla's Godmother. It’s amazing to finally be able to christen her, and the fact she is the final ship of the fleet makes it really special. TUI River Cruises have been so popular with our customers and having sailed on TUI Isla now I can understand why.
"It’s a really special experience and I feel incredibly lucky to be playing such an important role in the brand.”
The river cruise line has expanded its summer 2022 offering with two new itineraries and one new port of call. The new Treasures of the Main itinerary features the new port of call Aschaffenburg, a town that combines tradition and modernity.
Legends of the Rhine is a new seven-night Frankfurt round trip with calls to Cologne, Bonn and Koblenz. Guests sailing on this itinerary departing on August 12 will also experience Rhine in Flames festival - Germany's oldest and largest fireworks display.
Chris Hackney, TUI UK managing director of cruise, added: "We’re delighted to complete our TUI River Cruises fleet with TUI Isla setting sail. Her addition allows us to visit ports of call and destinations we haven’t been to before.
"We’ve had some incredible feedback from guests sailing onboard TUI Maya and TUI Skyla since they launched last year so we’re thrilled to be able to offer even more itineraries to our guests. TUI Isla is our third ship, completing the TUI River Cruises line up so We’re pleased we can operate fully as a river cruise line, and welcome new and returning customers onboard.”
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