Throughout the pandemic, river cruises have, in both consumer and travel industry surveys, consistently ranked among the most desired products for future travel.
And as rivers around the world reopen, hopefully, to international travel, cruisers will have a host of new options in 2021, both in ships and itineraries.
With all but a few riverboats sailing with European guests last year, new ship launches were largely put on hold. So, from Europe to the Mississippi, the Nile and the Yangtze, most major operators will be launching at least one new vessel.
Vessels from Tauck and Uniworld Boutique River Cruises will join the growing number of ships on Portugal's Douro in 2021, with ships that were delivered new but won't have sailed with paying passengers until they are a year old.
Tauck's new river ship, the Andorinha, which is set to sail on Portugal's Douro next year.
Dan Mahar, CEO of Tauck, calls the company's new Douro ship, the Andorinha, "the most advanced boat ever designed."
"I know lots of people say that," he said. "But when you look beneath the hood, this is very special. The entire rear of the ship is on a hydraulic lift that rises up and creates a comfortable and stunning ambience for meals and views of the beautiful Douro countryside."
Viking has six new river ships, four on the Seine, one on the Mekong and another on the Nile.
AmaWaterways will have three new ships in 2021, the AmaSiena and AmaLucia on the Rhine and the AmaDahlia in Egypt, which will mark the company's return to the Nile.
Uniworld will also have a new ship on the Nile, the S.S. Sphinx, replacing an older vessel; the new Mekong Jewel, also a replacement; and a top-to-bottom overhaul of its Venice-based ship, now called the S.S. La Venezia.
Amadeus, which launched the Amadeus Imperial for regional travelers in 2020, has a second new ship, the Amadeus Cara, for 2021, and Emerald Waterways has a new Star Ship, the Emerald Luna.
Domestically, American Cruise Lines will launch three new ships, bringing to five its fleet of modern riverboats, while American Queen Steamboat Co. will introduce its fourth paddlewheeler, the American Countess.
In China, both Century Cruises and Victoria Cruises hope to welcome international travelers to new seven-deck, 600-plus passenger vessels that claim to be the largest river ships in the world.
Besides being eager to show off new ships, river companies will be showcasing some new itineraries.
Next year Uniworld, for instance, will launch its first combination river and rail trips in Italy and Switzerland as well as Amazon sailings in partnership with Aqua Expeditions, which launches a second Peruvian riverboat next year, the Aqua Nera.
At Avalon Waterways, which will launch its 16th Panorama Suite ship, the Avalon View, managing director Pam Hoffee said the company has used the downtime in 2020 to add more active and discovery excursion choices across all of its sailings, not just those specifically targeted for more active travelers.
"We found our guests were looking for more of these options, and know that this will be even more of a trend as, in 2021, we come back with the desire to be outside," she said.
AmaWaterways, meanwhile, is expanding its offerings in France, repositioning the AmaKristina and the AmaDante from the Rhine to bring its fleet there to five.
With the extra ships, it has added two new French itineraries, one on the Seine between Paris and Le Havre in northern France and another on the Rhone between Chalon-sur-Saone and Arles in the Burgundy and Provence regions.