Ferry refurbs, revolutionary river interiors and new innovations

The newbuilding orderbook for river cruises is healthy, and includes a pack of 10 from Viking River Cruises for Neptun Werft to build. There are also milestone river cruise projects currently underway, including TUI Alma, an important ship as it is TUI River Cruises’ first-ever newbuild river ship. Such a move will have an impact on interior design, with managing director, specialist business, Chris Logan saying, "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.”

We have recently examined the boost in refurbishments in the ferry market, too, and these kinds of projects are continuing to gather pace. DFDS’ Cote d’Albatre and Seven Sisters have undergone stylish refurbishments that repeat a major rebrand for the ships following the extension of the DFDS contract to operate the cross-Channel route until at least 2027. The new designs highlight customer experience and exclusivity.

Stene Line has also carried out a major refurbishment of two ships. As well as highlighting the customer experience, these show the growing role of sustainability within the interiors, with changes including replacing lights with energy-saving LED lights and removing single-use plastic and cardboard, while the restaurant has switched from a buffet to plate service to minimise food waste.

And elsewhere, our newsletter highlights an exciting new innovation. Award-winning product designer Stephan Pavlou has created a stylish and practical solution to stabilise glasses for private and commercial boat operators. He is now marketing the Glass Anchor – a weighted faux leather bean bag to hold down glasses – through his company Glugg Innovations. 

Speaking of news within the interiors industry, I am looking forward to attending Seatrade Cruise Global next week which I am sure will unveil more exciting innovations.