Brave new world of river boats... 
13.10.2012
Brave new world of river boats...
There is no doubt that billions are currently being invested by river vessel owners to develop and enhance the boats and improve the passenger experience.
Leading the way in terms of innovation for me is the futuristic development from Uniworld, an elegant restaurant also doubling as a nightclub on the boats rooftop with ceilings that can actually be electronically lowered to fit under certain bridges on the rivers. In addition to this incredible feat in river boat engineering and design, Uniworld's Antoinette river boat features top deck suites/staterooms with open-air balconies that, amazingly, have switches to tranform them into glass protected conservatories in colder weather (See video below). Talk about futuristic!
Uniworld is certainly not alone in this new tech race on the rivers; Viking River Cruises has completely redesigned the concept behind certain features and facilities on six of the operators’ new boats. A good example of this is the observation lounge, terraces at the bow with retractable floor-to-ceiling glass doors meaning the public area can also cater for popular alfresco dining in warmer weather.
Cabins and suites are also showcasing this new innovative approach to design, some suites now featuring actual separate living and bedrooms (yes on a river boat!) and some actually having 270-degree views from their incredible wraparound balconies! Putting greens, pool bars...it's going to keep moving forward that's for certain.
Messing about on the river yes, by people with degrees in physics it would seem!
Check out the video below for a view of some tech!
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