TRAVELMARVEL VEGA RIVER CRUISE REVIEW

One of the highlights of the CLIA River Conference in Budapest was, for me, the opportunity to see the brand new  TravelMarvel Vega ; so brand new the plastic had only just been peeled off. APT TravelMarvel are originally from Australia, with an extensive background in touring, as well as river cruising.

I’m always fascinated by seeing new ships, and although TravelMarvel (or, rather, APT TravelMarvel) have been around for a number of years, they’ve taken a back seat in the UK market to their 5* sister brand, APT. Until now.

APT TravelMarvel has unveiled the first of three new river cruise ships, and it was such a privilege to be amongst the first to step onboard one of them, the  Travelmarvel Vega . A few hours after our ship tour, the crew would be welcoming the first guests (all from the UK) for its inaugural cruise.

APT TravelMarvel sits at 4*, but it’s perhaps more accurate to describe it as 4* Premium, especially with the stunning hardware of the sublimely contemporary ship,  Travelmarvel Vega,  the thoughtful and innovative tweaks that its designer – Alex – has made to both the public areas and the accommodation. For Paul Melinis, the UK Managing Director of APT, one of the best innovations were the new curtains that Alex Agathpcleous had designed for the cabins to ensure that, no matter what, there wouldn’t be a crack of sunlight coming through at 5.30 in the morning; ‘I can vouch for it, it’s super dark, and you struggle to get up!’

Alex explained that his brief was simple: design a ship that was contemporary, and that people would feel comfortable. This brief ran through every detail in the ship, from the small (like the curtains in the cabins) to the areas where people could relax, have a coffee, or something stronger.

The area we were sitting in onboard TravelMarvel Vega for our brief introduction was the ‘True North Lounge’, a river ship lounge with a difference, thanks to the soft closing doors which opened out on to the open air at the front of the ship to create an al fresco experience. That area at the front isn’t always utilised by every river ship, as there’s often ship equipment in the way, but Alex had found a way to build that equipment in  under  the floor, to maximise space for some relaxing seating with enviable river views.

Up on the Sun Deck, it was noticeable that the TravelMarvel Vega was a little lower than the surrounding ships. It’s a two-and-a-half deck ship due to its extended itineraries on both the Rhine and the Danube, connected by the Main-Danube Canal, but this enables guests to relax on the sundeck, whether the ship is traversing the Danube with its higher bridges, or under the lower bridges of the Main, to offer some of the best river cruises in Europe. (And, of course, there’s another bar area upstairs on the sun deck and, as perhaps can be expected from the Aussies, a barbecue area).

There’s a third bar area onboard Travelmarvel Vega, and it’s another first for the rivers. Given the brief’s emphasis on a comfortable ambience, there was a desire for an area that would be more informal, more vibrant. Enter, McGeary’s Bar. At the back of the ship, where the engine can perhaps be at its noisiest, but that wouldn’t matter over the hubbub of chatter and laughter, as people enjoy the warmth of an Irish pub experience (or perhaps groaning or cheering, depending on how their team seems to be doing on the Sports TVs).

No doubt, it’s the bar where everyone onboard would know your name, after enjoying some TravelMarvel Marys and pies together. While McGeary’s (named after the owner of APT) offers casual pub-grub style food, and you can enjoy some al fresco bites in the True North Lounge and verandah (or a barbie on deck), the main restaurant is contemporarily styled with fabulous panoramic views, so you’ll have a wide variety of options to eat while onboard.

We also had the opportunity to view several cabins, with their eye-catching giant semi-circle mirrors, modern finishes, clever optimisation of storage space, and Pure Herbs amenities in the bathroom (including shower gel, shampoo, and conditioner, which get replenished).

Given that, until now, TravelMarvel has taken something of a back seat in the UK market in favour of its 5* sister river cruise company, APT, we stepped onboard without any real preconceptions, but we came off board feeling very impressed with the beautiful ship Travelmarvel Vega.

TravelMarvel Vega is sleek and stylish, with clever innovations that will enhance the cruising experience and enable guests to enjoy and relax, and even small details, like the plants dotted around the ship (even in the gym), which add beautiful, live bursts of colour throughout.

TravelMarvel Vega offers river cruises ranging from 8 to 15 days from Amsterdam, Budapest, Basel and Bucharest visiting many ports of call

European Gems river cruise: Amsterdam to Budapest

Insider Experiences include:

Best of the Balkans river cruise: Budapest Return

Insider Experiences Include:

The Rhine and Moselle: Amsterdam to Basel

Includes an Insider Experience in Breisach: Visit the open air Black Forest Museum Vogtsbauernhof. Here you will be treated to a mouth-watering Black Forest cake making demonstration, followed by a tasting of this decadent dessert.

Other Travelmarvel Vega river cruise itineraries include:

TravelMarvel Vega is fitted with environmental water stations and reusable bottles to reduce plastic waste. The “One Tomorrow Charitable Fund” is the not-for-profit initiative of the APT Travel Group, and as part of the APT Travel Group, TravelMarvel aims to make a positive and enduring impact on nature and the communities visited, through ‘immediate and long-term influence in various environmental and humanitarian causes’.

For example, ‘Guest Giving’ allows guests to support worthy projects in different regions around the world, with TravelMarvel matching guests’ donations to double the impact (likewise, donations from staff are also matched). Projects which have benefited from this programme include the Royal Flying Doctor Service, the Wunan Foundation (a community-based initiative for indigenous communities in East Kimberley), over two million trees have found new homes in Victoria (Australia) as part of the community-based TreeProject as part of the Rainforest 4 Foundation, and ‘For the Love of Wildlife’ in Australia has succeeded in ending the importation of lion trophies, and closing Australia’s domestic elephant ivory and rhino horn trade.

As part of the APT Travel Group, TravelMarvel have reduced the amount of paper used company-wide, and where guests opt to go paper-free, the ‘OneTomorrow’ Foundation plants a tree in bushfire-affected communities as part of a plant-a-tree scheme.

Learn more about APT TravelMarvel