European Waterways announced that it is expanding its tulip cruise season aboard the Panache luxury hotel barge for Spring 2017 to meet increasing demands for one of its most colorful cruises of the year. It is also offering 10% off per cabin on select tulip cruise departures from March through May 2017 and eliminating the single supplement fee for two of their April departures. Prices on the Panache after the 10% off are from $4,815 per person for cabin bookings, based on double occupancy. The reduced single person price on the April 16 and 30th departures is $6,190. They must be booked by November 30, 2016 and promotions cannot be combined.
“Holland is of course the tulip capital of the world, and Spring is the season when visitors see the tulips at their best, when the landscape comes alive with their brilliant and colorful displays,” said Derek Banks, managing director of European Waterways. “Holland is also a dream destination for culture lovers, packed with world famous icons such as windmills, cheese markets, museums with renowned oil paintings by the Old Masters, and hand-made, painted pottery.”
Banks noted that advance bookings for tulip cruises are already beginning to outpace those of last year, suggesting another successful season for the Panache hotel barge in Holland. The 10% discount for cabins and charters bookings is also available on other European Waterways cruises for the 2017 season, with booking deadlines as late as December 31.
Spring Breaks
In addition to excursions into the rolling fields of colorful tulips, cruise highlights aboard thePanache include a tour of Keukenhof Gardens, one of the largest flower gardens in the world. The garden boasts more than seven million bulbs and 800 varieties of tulips. Guests also enjoy a visit to the Aalsmeer flower auction, the largest trading center for plants and flowers, where some 20 million flowers are graded and sold daily.
As part of its cultural immersion, the itinerary includes a visit to the Alkmaar cheese market and the historic town of Zaanse Schans, which features a collection of original well-preserved wooden windmills, barns and houses, built in the traditional Dutch style. Guests also visit the harbor town of Enkhuizen, renowned for its open-air conservation area and museum that tells the story of maritime history of the Zuiderzee, the largest hydraulic engineering project undertaken by the Netherlands in the 20th century. These tulip cruises also include a visit to a museum of Dutch painter Franz Hals and a tour of the city of Leiden, the birthplace of Rembrandt, one of Europe’s greatest painters.
Prices include all gourmet meals, fine wines, all escorted excursions and admittance fees, and opportunities for independent bicycle exploration and walking tours.
“The Panache tulip cruises are truly one of the most delightful cruises we offer, where guests are immersed in the fascinating culture, traditions and art of Holland,” said Banks.
