Delray Beach, Fla., Dec. 3, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection brings the reality of its luxurious ship, S.S. Maria Theresa, to life with the launch of its very first virtual reality app. The S.S. Maria Theresa, Uniworld's flagship masterpiece, is showcased in marvelous 360-degree views through evolutionary app technology.
Uniworld is one of the only river and ocean cruise lines to offer this type of virtual reality technology to agents and prospective guests. Viewers can completely immerse themselves in the beauty and luxury of the S.S. Maria Theresa, including the striking lobby with an original 10-foot high painting of the Archduchess Maria Theresa herself; the Royal Suite, featuring in-suite butler service from butlers trained to the same level of expertise found in Buckingham Palace; the Baroque Restaurant, highlighting farm-to-table cuisine; the plush Lipizzan Cinema--the only movie theatre on the rivers; and the stunning Bar du Leopard and its indoor heated swimming pool. The app also introduces guests to some of Uniworld's highly-trained staff, from the captain to the barmen. This innovative technology provides agents with the tools to showcase Uniworld's unique offerings to prospective clients while improving their own understanding of Uniworld's luxury onboard experiences.
The footage onboard the S.S. Maria Theresa was shot using state-of-the-art spherical camera technology, ensuring every detail of the ship was captured. Six Ladybug cameras were mounted on a rig to capture a 360-degree view of the ship's interior and then the video from each camera was stitched together to create the seamless VR experience.
"We are very proud to be at the forefront of marketing technology with the launch our first virtual reality app," said Uniworld's President Guy Young. "This brilliant new platform will allow agents to really showcase the levels of luxury available on our ships. By affording a more immersive and tangible element of the fabulous onboard experiences of the S.S. Maria Theresa, we aim to harness this powerful new tool to engage prospective clients and educate them about our product on a far deeper level."
The app has been developed to function with Oculus Rift, a virtual reality head-mounted display that can be worn by the user and completely immerses you inside the virtual world. The Rift will be released to the public early in 2016.
To download the complimentary app, visit:
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.uniworld.ssmariatheresa
Apple Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/s.s.-maria-theresa/id1049343799?mt=8
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 26 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 - 2015)
- Named "Best New River Cruise Ship" for the S.S. Maria Theresa by Cruise International (2015)
- Named "Best Culinary Cruise Line" by readers of SAVEUR (2014 - 2015)
- Named "River Cruise Line of the Year" and "Best River Cruise Line" by readers of Food & Travel (2015)
- Awarded "Best Overall River Line," "Best New River Ship" for the S.S. Maria Theresa and "Best Shore Excursions" (river) by the editors at Cruise Critic (2015)
Image Download:
For up-to-date, high resolution images, please visit Uniworld's Image Library at uniworld.com/why-uniworld/marketing-library.
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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 supported more than 35 sustainable tourism projects worldwide. The foundation's guiding principle is to encourage sustainable tourism development through conservation, leadership and support for communities.
TreadRight's past project partners include WWF, Conservation International and The National Trust in the UK. Current initiatives include sponsoring the National Geographic Society's inaugural "World Legacy Awards," helping to combat wildlife crime with WildAid, and empowering individuals with the Alliance for Artisan Enterprise.
To learn more about our past and current work at TreadRight, please visit us at TreadRight.org.
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