DELRAY BEACH, FL, Jan. 2, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
Uniworld
Boutique River Cruise Collection
proudly announces a
royal godmother for their third Super Ship,
S.S. Maria Theresa,
debuting spring 2015. A direct descendent of the great Maria
Theresa of the powerful Habsburg-Lothringen dynasty,
Princess Anita von Hohenberg-- great-granddaughter
of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Duchess Sophie von Hohenberg --
will christen her ancestor's namesake ship on March 26,
2015 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Princess Anita comes from a long line of Habsburgs, one of
Europe's oldest sovereign families, dating back to the
15th century. The much beloved Maria Theresa, the
Archduchess of Austria and Empress of the Holy Roman
Empire, reigned from 1740 to 1780 as the only
female ruler of the Habsburg Empire, as well as one of its
most successful.
For the past three decades, Princess Anita has served as the
Managing Director and owner of the centuries-old Artstetten
Castle and Estate in Lower Austria. The former summer
residence of the Imperial family, the castle today is open
to the public and serves as the final resting place of the
Heir to the Throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este and
his wife, Duchess Sophie von Hohenberg, whose assassination in 1914
set off a chain of events that led to World War I. Visitors from
around the world come to see the castle each year, including many
Uniworld guests, who are invited to tour
the castle and crypt and share a glass of Champagne with Princess
Anita at an exclusive private reception.
"It's a great honor for me to represent the Habsburg family in
Amsterdam and to christen Uniworld's new Super Ship, S.S. Maria
Theresa, in honor of the great Maria Theresa," states Princess
Anita von Hohenberg. "My family and I are also very thankful to
welcome so many people from all over the world to the Artstetten
Castle. We have had so many amicable encounters with
Uniworld guests during our hosted receptions. It's a great
pleasure to get to know them and share more about Austria and
European history and life in the European Union today. We find many
of the guests' ancestry rooted in Central Europe, so they are
fascinated by the history of the Habsburgs."
Princess Anita oversees a number of important exhibitions at the
castle, including "To Rule All & To Lose All:
Kaiser Karl - the Challenge of Peace," which marked
the 100-year anniversary of her great-grandparents' tragic and
historic deaths. Fluent in four languages, the princess shares her
passion for nature, art, history, literature, and education with
her husband and four grown children.
"We are absolutely ecstatic to have Princess Anita von Hohenberg as
the godmother of our newest Super Ship, S.S. Maria
Theresa," said Guy Young, President of
Uniworld. "There is no one more deserving of this honor
than the direct descendent of Maria Theresa
herself, who ruled for 40 years over an extraordinary and
far-reaching empire."
The S.S. Maria Theresa will cruise the Danube River
through the heart of Maria Theresa's vast former empire on
Uniworld's "European Jewels" voyage
from Budapest to Amsterdam. She will also serve the line's popular
"Tulips &
Windmills," "Danube Holiday
Markets," and "Enchanting
Christmas & New Year's Cruise"
itineraries.
For more details, please visit uniworld.com. Join Uniworld's social media community at facebook.com/uniworldrivercruises or twitter.com/uniworldcruises.
About Uniworld Boutique River Cruise
Collection
Uniworld Boutique River
Cruise Collection--the world's only authentic boutique cruise
line™--features luxurious ships with an average capacity of 130
guests, exclusive excursions, gourmet cuisine, and the highest
staff-to-guest ratio in the river cruise industry. Based in Los
Angeles, California, Uniworld offers truly all-inclusive itineraries in
Europe, as well as voyages in Russia, China, Vietnam and Cambodia,
India, and Egypt--a total of 22 rivers in 29 countries worldwide.
Uniworld is a member of CLIA and is highly regarded by discerning
travelers, media, and cruise industry experts:
- Listed among the "World's Best River Cruises" by Travel + Leisure, and recognized for "World's Best Service" in the River Cruise category
- Seven ships listed among Travel + Leisure's "Top 20 River Ships," with River Countess rated highest of all cruise ships (river & ocean)
- Included on Condé Nast Traveler's Gold List for seven years (2008 - 2014)
- Top 3 ranking on Condé Nast Traveler's "Top Ten Cruise Lines" (river & ocean)
- Top 4 ranking on Condé Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards for 'Top Cruise Lines" (2014)
- Named "Best Luxury River Cruise Line" by Cruise International (2012 - 2014)
- Named "Best Culinary Cruise Line" by readers of SAVEUR (2014)
About The TreadRight Foundation
At Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection and parent company The Travel Corporation, we understand that travel matters; it allows us to explore the world and gain a deeper understanding of each destination, its history and culture, through enriching experiences. We also recognize that it is our responsibility to help protect the places we visit and take care of the world around us.
Created as a joint initiative between The Travel Corporation's
family of brands, The TreadRight Foundation is a not-for-profit
that works to help ensure the environment and communities we visit
remain vibrant and preserved for generations to come. To date,
TreadRight has donated more than USD 2.5 million to sustainable
tourism projects worldwide. Uniworld Boutique River Cruise
Collection is proud to be active founder and supporter of
TreadRight's projects and work. Go to www.uniworld.com/giving-back to
learn more.
TreadRight's guiding principle is to encourage sustainable
tourism development through conservation, leadership and support
for communities. We encourage each of our partners to use this
principle to guide all of their actions, whether at our regional
offices or when taking guests around the world. By providing grants
to organizations that encourage sustainability in different
destinations, we hope to maintain the natural attractions across
the world that defines each unique region. Foundation priorities
are set by the Steering Committee, which includes sustainability
leaders like Céline Cousteau and Costas Christ.
To learn more about our past and current work at TreadRight, please visit us at TreadRight.org.