March 23, 2022
(3:30 p.m. GMT) -- Saga has today announced a significant expansion of its river cruise business with four new ships to be added on four new rivers.
The four new ships will join Saga's two existing river ships -- Spirit of the Danube (pictured above) and Spirit of the Rhine -- both of which were named on Sunday by Dame Jenni Murray in Arnhem, The Netherlands.
The four new ships will be called Spirit of the Moselle, Spirit of the Main, Spirit of the Elbe and Spirit of the Rhône, and will operate across each river after which the ship is named.
The first ship will come into service in May 2023 with the others following each year thereafter.
Nigel Blanks, CEO of Saga Cruise, said: "We are so excited about the opportunity to expand our fleet of river ships to keep up with the ever-growing demand for luxury boutique river cruising.
"Today’s announcement of four new ships is the exciting next step in expanding our wider cruise offer. It builds on the success of Spirit of the Rhine and Spirit of the Danube which were launched this weekend and on our award-winning ocean cruise offer.
"These new ships will enable us to offer an even greater range of boutique experiences to guests looking to travel on the waterways throughout Europe."
The news, which was announced with Saga's annual results, is part of the Group's wider strategic growth plan. The four new ships be operated as part of the wider cruise business -- which includes ocean ships Spirit of Adventure and Spirit of Discovery -- under Blanks.
