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A-ROSA

A-ROSA Unveils Innovative New Ship

A-ROSA Flussschiff GmbH has commissioned a new ship from the Concordia Damen shipyard in the Netherlands, to be delivered in early 2021. The new vessel will be used mainly on the northern Rhine, leaving from Cologne and calling at Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Bruges and Antwerp. A-ROSA has been setting new standards in its industry for many years. ‘The new A-ROSA ship features a wealth of innovations, making it a world-first in the river cruise industry. It will be perfectly tailored to fit our city-trip concept for the whole family. This means we’re paving the way for a new era of cruises, offering guests the perfect combination of discovery and relaxation. At 135 metres long and 17.7 metres wide – and with a fourth deck – the new ship will provide more space for us to not only meet our guests’ expectations, but to exceed them,’ said Jörg Eichler, managing director of A-ROSA Flussschiff GmbH. ‘The Concordia Damen shipyard is the best partner for this project – the company is both rich in tradition and innovative, and it stands for quality and reliability,’ continued Eichler.

The perfect holiday for the whole family

City breaks by ship are the ideal kind of holiday for young and old, since they can meet all the different needs of children, parents and grandparents. That’s why A-ROSA specialises in family cruises. Children aged 15 and under travel free, and during the school holidays there is a ship in each of A-ROSA’s regions of operation that provides childcare from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Kids’ Club. ‘Our new ship will offer even more outstanding facilities for families. We will have a dedicated Family Area housing spacious family cabins (28 m2) and the Kids’ Club, where youngsters can run around and play, do craft activities and read,’ explained Eichler. A further planned highlight is the sun deck, which will feature a large swimming pool and a separate children’s pool with shallow water. A-ROSA has also designed the onboard restaurant with its younger guests in mind: they’ll be able to dine with their friends in the dedicated children’s area if they want to. 

Plenty of space for even more relaxation

The extra room on the new ship won’t simply be used for more passengers – A-ROSA has put a great deal of effort into ensuring the best possible utilisation of the space. The 140 cabins set new standards for spaciousness. The double cabins cover an area of 21 square metres, which is unprecedented in the industry. As well as a larger bathroom, they each have a dedicated sleeping area and a living area. In addition, the cabins outside the Family Area each have a large balcony with seating for two people. ‘Our decision to have balconies attached to almost all of the cabins is based on a trend that we’ve noticed among our guests. There’s huge demand for our balcony suites. It’s another way for us to fulfil our guests’ desire for holidays with more individuality,’ explained Eichler. 

A-ROSA is passionate about giving its guests wonderful culinary experiences. The company places great emphasis on giving guests the opportunity to sample specialities from the respective region – not just on the popular gourmet cruises, but on every cruise of five nights or longer. The new ship will have its own restaurant for serving five-course meals. Guests will also be able to recharge their batteries in the extra-large spa and wellness area, which will feature a sauna, whirlpool, ice room, heated loungers and treatment areas.
A-ROSA has also considered the ship’s crew, of course: all crew members on board will be accommodated in spacious one- or two-person cabins. There will also be an extra-large mess room with its own kitchen so that the crew can eat together. For the first time, the crew will also have their own dedicated space to relax.

E-Motion ship for cleaner cities and rivers

Environmental protection is a priority for A-ROSA. ‘We want to protect the natural areas that we travel through – and the urban areas, of course. That’s why we brought Matthias Lutter on board to oversee the new ship project – he’s an expert on alternative drives. Together with the shipyard, he developed an E-Motion ship that switches to battery power when approaching a city, so that it doesn’t produce any emissions on the approach,’ said Eichler. Like all the other ships in the fleet, the new vessel will also be equipped with a shore power connection. This allows for battery charging overnight, so the ship will also be able to leave the city without producing any emissions. In addition to A-ROSA’s usual energy-saving and environmental protection features, the new ship will also have an optimised hull design and employ ‘DACS’ air-bubble technology – patented by the Damen shipyard – to reduce fuel consumption. By the time the second ship – planned for 2023 – joins the fleet, it is expected that the prototype’s innovations will have been further optimised. Concordia Damen Managing Director Simon Provoost says, “Concordia Damen has invested time and energy into the river cruise market since the beginning of our joint venture and we are delighted that this has led to a contract with A-ROSA. Our work on innovations such as zero emissions battery propulsion, hull optimisation and air lubrication finds a natural resonance with such a forward thinking client. We fully understand A-ROSA’s philosophy in building this new type of river cruise vessel with increased passenger entertainment and we are looking forward to applying our knowledge and skills to the challenges presented. I’d like to extend my gratitude to AROSA for placing their trust in Concordia Damen to build this vessel and to assure them we will be putting every effort into realising a successful project for them.”

Innovations on the new A-ROSA ship

1.    E-Motion ship with battery drive 
2.    ‘DACS’ air-bubble technology
3.    a permanent Kids’ Club
4.    large family cabins (28 m2)
5.    a separate children’s pool next to the adults’ pool on the sun deck
6.    generously sized standard cabins (21 m2) with separate sleeping and living areas 
7.    a balcony with seating for two people for each cabin outside the Family Area
8.    a separate suite area
9.    great facilities for the crew: one- and two-person cabins, plus a dedicated kitchen, dining room and relaxation area
10.    four decks and a breadth of 17.7 metres – a first for a Rhine passenger ship

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