- Known for its land tours, Trafalgar has made its river cruise debut with two custom-designed ships, Trafalgar Verity and Trafalgar Reverie.
- Trafalgar River Cruise is expected to launch three Europe-based new-build ships in 2028, with more promised in 2029.
- Trafalgar is planning a bold expansion into waterways including in Vietnam, the US Great Lakes, the Mississippi and Portugal.
Trafalgar River Cruise has officially entered the booming river cruise market, launching two custom-designed ships in Europe, and signalling bold expansion plans.
Less than a year after Trafalgar announced it was expanding to include a cruise arm, Trafalgar Verity set sail on the Rhine on April 10, 26, while Trafalgar Reverie embarked on its first eight-day itinerary on the Danube.
Both ships, repurposed from sister brand Uniworld, were given a “light” refurbishment, including new carpeting in cabins and public areas, new fixtures in the bathrooms and new mattresses. Another Uniworld ship, River Duchess, will join the fleet as the Trafalgar Harmonie in 2027.
By 2028, Trafalgar will launch two 180-passenger newbuilds which Damien O’Connor, vice president of river cruises at Trafalgar, said will “have their own story”.
“We’re currently defining the design intent for the new builds,” he said.
“Touring attracts a lot of solo travellers, and we want to establish a similar programme on board. Our new-build ships will have dedicated solo cabins and there’ll be no supplements.”
O’Connor said Trafalgar would not be forgetting about families though, targetting multi-generational travellers too.
“We don’t need to put a kids’ club onboard because children aren’t travelling year-round,” he shared.
“We’re looking at creating multi-purpose lounges that can turn into child-friendly environments for when families are on board.
“We will also introduce more connecting cabins, because on a river cruise ship you can’t put a rollout bed on the floor. Verity has eight connecting cabins, we’re looking at increasing that for the new builds.”
Trafalgar River Cruises aim to build on the legacy the company has established with their land tours and differentiate itself in the market with its onboard entertainment including interactive game shows.
By 2030, this newcomer to the market plans to have a 10-strong fleet and were scoping waterways throughout the Americas and Asia as potential destinations.
“We’re looking at worldwide rivers, we’re not just looking at Europe,” O’Connor told Cruise Weekly.
“We’ve got on our radar at the moment the Rhone, Douro in Portugal, we’re looking at the Amazon, we’re looking at Vietnam, we’re looking at the Great Lakes in the US, the Mississippi.”
Trafalgar’s entry signals a fresh wave of competition for established names such as Emerald, Avalon, Scenic, and Viking, giving travellers a richer range of choices — from five-star luxury to contemporary, family-friendly adventure.
Great Lakes, and the Mississippi both sound good.