DELRAY BEACH, FL, March 26, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
Uniworld
Boutique River Cruise Collection
's newest masterpiece,
the exquisite S.S. Maria
Theresa, was christened today by her
Godmother, Princess Anita von Hohenberg, during an elegant
ceremony in Amsterdam. Princess Anita, a direct descendent of Maria
Theresa, was joined by Guy Young, President and CEO of Uniworld;
the Tollman family, who have owned and operated Uniworld for more
than 10 years; and approximately 120 guests.
Uniworld's most spectacular, unique ship to date, the
S.S. Maria Theresa is fashioned in the spirit of
her great namesake and will cruise the Rhine, Main and Danube
rivers through the heart of Maria Theresa's vast empire.
Her inaugural voyage will depart March 28, with guests experiencing
the best of Belgium and the Netherlands on an exclusive nine-day
"Tulips & Windmills"
itinerary.
Guy Young, President and CEO of Uniworld, began
the proceedings by introducing Beatrice Tollman, President
and Founder of Uniworld's sister company The Red Carnation Hotel
Collection. Tollman also leads Uniworld's design team
and provides input to the cruise line's superb food and service
standards across all its boutique ships.
"Launching this ship has been one of the delights of my life," said
Tollman. "I hope everyone here today, and each and every guest to
come, will be touched by the incredible beauty, attention to detail
and personal service they will experience on board. Creating
wonderful memories for our guests is absolutely at the heart of
everything we do."
Young also introduced the ship's Godmother to the crowd.
"It is my great pleasure to welcome Princess Anita von Hohenberg as
Godmother of the S.S. Maria Theresa," said Young. "As a
direct descendant of the ship's namesake, and as Managing Director
and owner of Artstetten Castle, where she has been welcoming
Uniworld guests for many years, she is the perfect fit to christen
our new masterpiece."
"I'd like to thank the Tollman family for your generosity in
extending this honor and responsibility to me," said Princess
Anita, "and for your ideas and entrepreneurship in creating this
beautiful tribute to Maria Theresa, who left such a strong legacy
across Europe. This new magnificent vessel, with her Captain, staff
and family, is in the very best hands. It is truly a
floating castle."
The S.S. Maria Theresa's décor is inspired by the
Baroque period over which the Archduchess of Austria presided, and
guests can expect an onboard atmosphere seamlessly integrated with
the history and architecture of the places they will visit onshore.
Stunning antique mirrors throughout, royal crown detailing with
real gold leaf, and custom furniture pieces have been painstakingly
collected and built by a team of skilled artisans from around the
world.
In addition to "Tulips &
Windmills," the S.S. Maria Theresa will
also serve the line's popular "European
Jewels," "Danube Holiday
Markets," "Enchanting
Christmas & New Year's Cruise," "European Holiday
Markets," and "Grand
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 using the hashtag #ExploreUniworld.
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)
Image Download:
For up-to-date, high resolution images,
please visit Uniworld's Image Library at
uniworld.com/media-center/image-library.
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