Travelling on the World's Most Beautiful Waters
“In the premium segment we offer everything to do with ships,” says Mike Papritz. The Rivage managing director is therefore proud of his new boutique offers: exclusive and in some cases exotic journeys on the most beautiful waters in the world. How about cruising aboard a tall ship through the English Channel and the Irish Sea to Ireland? Or chugging across Sweden on a small, historic vessel on the Göta Canal? Gliding through the fjords of the Adriatic coast on an elegant, luxurious motor yacht? Or even experiencing an entire world voyage from on board and swimming in every ocean? Rivage Boutique makes all these dreams possible.
“With this new offer we want to position ourselves as a specialist in ship voyages around the world,” explains Mike Papritz, managing director of Rivage. “As with our well-known and popular river cruises, we want to offer the best or most exclusive ships. We work with various partners, but we always remain the point of contact for our customers. We also make sure that most trips, even those in the remotest regions of the earth, are accompanied by German-speaking tour guides.” It goes without saying, says Mike Papritz, that Rivage also takes care of all arrival and departure formalities and other transfers: “With a boutique trip you always get a complete package.”
The term “boutique” for a travel offer may be unusual. But for Mike Papritz it fits perfectly: “In a great boutique you don't find mass-produced goods or junk. You discover things you may never have seen before, finds that surprise and fascinate you, offers that enchant you and won't let go. That is exactly how we want to surprise our Rivage customers.” For example with a journey on the Lena. This is one of the mightiest rivers on earth, flowing over 4,265 kilometres through the Republic of Yakutia in north-eastern Siberia to the Arctic Ocean, allowing travellers to experience the transition from taiga to tundra and enjoy the breathtaking nature. Or how about a sailing trip? The imposing Sea Cloud lets the wind drive it through the Aegean for boutique guests… Or perhaps a ship voyage in Senegal with fantastic excursions to wildlife reserves? “On our boutique trips most excursions are already included in the price,” explains Mike Papritz. “You can also book further ones on board.”
A total of 32 trips around the world currently run under the Rivage Boutique label. But there could be more. “We already had the boutique trips in our programme in 2018,” says Mike Papritz. That was our test phase. Because it was so successful, we have now put together a catalogue of its own for the 2019 season and already for 2020. We also want to appeal to younger people who really want to experience something exclusive, perhaps even something adventurous, on their holidays. Or people who avoid the huge ocean liners with thousands of passengers and prefer to travel on smaller ships.” At Rivage Boutique there are many ships that accommodate only 25 to 70 passengers. The largest ship in the current offer is the MS Europa 2 with a maximum of 516 passengers. The MS Europa 2 sails for boutique travellers in the Caribbean and is regarded in expert circles as one of the best cruise ships in the world. The boutique offers are promising – and extremely appealing. Too appealing compared with the luxury trips in Rivage's standard programme? “No,” says Mike Papritz. “With Rivage we have created a brand and a quality that our customers greatly appreciate. We see the boutique trips as an attractive additional offer.” And with a smile he adds: “On a river cruise, many of our guests above all want to relax. And because every year we can arrange the most modern ships for Rivage, we really do offer floating oases of well-being!”
