Widgety’s Director Damian recently caught up with Michelle Daniels, Country Manager for UK & Ireland and Australia & New Zealand at VIVA Cruises. Michelle shared the unique selling points of VIVA Cruises as they launch their VIVA Boutique brand, creating an ‘experience that goes far beyond the classic cruise’, aiming to ‘break the mould’ of traditional river cruising, with VIVA BEYOND launching in 2026, and VIVA UNIQUE launching in 2027.
🌟 ‘A Premium Boutique Hotel on the River’
As the company expands, they aim to ‘break the mould…on what a traditional river cruise is perceived to be’, aiming to be viewed as a ‘premium boutique hotel on the river’.
To accomplish this, VIVA are launching VIVA Boutique. On these ships, they are removing a significant number of cabins, to create a greater amount of suite and master suite accommodation on board. This will make the ‘experience on board…much more personalised [and] very tailored to the customer’, especially on ships with as few as 100 travellers.
Additionally, on VIVA Boutique ships, they are aiming to ‘embody the destination within the ship’ with the ships being ‘designed very much in keeping with the locations that they’re going to be based in.’ For example, VIVA BEYOND, sailing on the River Seine from 2026, will have a French flair in both her decor and style; and VIVA UNIQUE, sailing on the River Po from 2027, will have an Italian flair and essence.
✈️ Attracting a Wider Market
Michelle concluded by sharing some exciting news for travel agents – VIVA is attracting a slightly younger age group with their three, four and five-night short break cruises. These aren’t your average city breaks – they’re a premium experience with all drinks, gratuities and wifi included, and gourmet dining options. This provides a ‘fantastic opportunity to tap into other markets’ that you may not currently be selling to.
🌊 A Cruise Family
Michelle’s husband Anthony is PONANT EXPLORATIONS UK & Ireland General Manager – Damian was keen to hear about working in a ‘cruise-nerd family’. Michelle shared that the couple share an office which comes with shared advice, a level of understanding of what their respective roles entail and finally the need to juggle meetings and ‘chuck each other out of the office!’
🧑💻 Find VIVA Cruises with Widgety
We’d like to thank Michelle for taking the time to speak with us! VIVA Cruises can be easily viewed using our Widget – view these here. If you would like to add the VIVA Cruises to your Widget, please contact sales@widgety.co.uk. VIVA Cruises ships, brochures, videos and trade resources can all be viewed on the Widgety dashboard – log into the Dashboard here.
