The panoramic scenery of Portugal’s Douro – the so-called River of Gold – is one of the key influences behind the design of TUI Alma, TUI River Cruises’ first-ever newbuild river ship
Managing director, specialist business, Chris Logan tells Passenger Ship Interior and Refurbishment Review, “When designing a ship for the Douro you need to consider the difference in the river itself. The Douro is a very scenic river and most of the sailing takes place in the daytime which means that views are paramount in all venues. When designing multiple spaces, we wanted to make sure this was a fundamental pillar in our planning. For example, in our main entertainment lounge we have planned the seating layouts so that customers can get a great view of the surrounding scenery both in port and while sailing.”
Launched in 2021, TUI River Cruises caters to the UK adult market and is the river cruise division of the well-known tour operator. The line currently operates three refurbished vessels – TUI Isla, TUI Skyla and TUI Maya – sailing in Europe and TUI Al Horeya, another renovated ship, launches on the Nile this winter.
123-passenger TUI Alma, meaning soul in Portuguese, will join the fleet Q2 2025. Measuring 80 m by 11m, with three passenger decks, the vessel will sail on seven-night round-trip Porto itineraries.
Mr Logan says it marks a “huge moment” in the growth of the young river line and adds, “It’s a testament to the response of our customers that we’re able to deliver a newbuild ship. We’re so excited to create something amazing for our guests.”
TUI has partnered with London-based brand experience agency 20.20 Limited to create the interiors on TUI Alma.
“We chose to use them as we have a history of working with them on our other river cruise ships and on other TUI projects,” explains Mr Logan. “We also know the quality they offer which is important to us and of course our guests. As 20.20 do a lot of land-based projects, we believe they can bring a fresh new perspective to the look and feel of a river cruise ship.”
This vision encompasses a flexible use of venues by making spaces different from day to night and providing passengers with more choice than they might normally expect on a river vessel.
Mr Logan says “We know that on a river cruise ship, space can limit the number of venues we have, and we know our customers love to have choice and flexibility around how they spend their day. So, to appeal to all customer types and ensure we have the perfect venue for everyone to enjoy, we wanted to make sure that our onboard venues were fit for multiple purposes.
“Wellness is a trend that is here to stay, so taking that area as an example, this space will change in size and offering from day to night to allow the venue to be used for multiple activities. In the daytime, the space will be one big room which includes a workout space and a comfy juice bar but by evening, that space is divided into two to allow private relax/workout classes in one section, while other guests can have a cocktail and a chilled evening in the other half of the space which becomes the secondary lounge. This isn’t an easy task as we are working alongside our valued partners to challenge the norm and stretch imaginations.”
As TUI Alma is being built specifically for the Douro, Mr Logan says TUI made a decision to ensure the look and feel reflects the destination. For this reason the company is not bringing over interior design elements from its other vessels.
“But we will ensure that from an operational perspective we capture what works well,” he adds. “We know that our customers love having the choice and flexibility to cruise their way, so our restaurant tables are mainly split into twos, however they have the flexibility to be moved into tables of four and bigger so we can accommodate all guests, whether they want to dine as a couple or in a group. Over 80% of our bookings are couples so it makes sense.”
Onboard amenities will also be geared towards TUI River Cruises’ core UK market.
Mr Logan says, “As an experienced UK operator, we’ve taken learnings not only from our existing fleet, but also from our other established brands to create a specification that covers our guests’ needs. This includes key hardware like kettles in the cabins and sockets next to the beds but also feeds into things like menu design and recruitment of crew who are experienced with the British market.”
Elsewhere, Portuguese culture has provided the inspiration for an al fresco restaurant serving regional cuisine and wine that will bring an authentic flavour of the Douro onto the ship.
“TUI Alma’s top deck will be an incredible space and one we’re sure will be popular,” says Mr Logan. “The top deck will house a shallow pool area with comfy sun beds in addition to a bar with signature cocktails and Cinder Al fresco restaurant; perfect for taking in those stunning views while enjoying lunch.”
Summing up he says, “We built TUI Alma as we wanted to show our continued investment in the River Cruise market. TUI river cruises have a history of refurbishing ships but have never had a newbuild ship so when the opportunity arose to build one, we took this exciting opportunity to continue growing our business and offering our customers even more choice and flexibility around destinations and product. Creating a newbuild ship gives us the opportunity to take feedback we’ve received alongside the most up-to-date trends and market research to ensure every element of the proposition is right for our guests and we are continually innovating.”
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