DEILMANN INTRODUCES ESCORTED EUROPEAN RIVER CRUISE PROGRAMS


“Rembrandt and His World”, “Vineyards of Burgundy & Delights of Provence” Are Two of the New Offerings

NEW YORK, March 15, 2006 -- "Rembrandt and his World" and "Vineyards of Burgundy & Delights of Provence" are two of the escorted cruise tours Peter Deilmann Cruises is introducing this year on it European river ships that sail the Danube, Rhine, Moselle, Rhône, Saône, Seine, Elbe, Vltava and other rivers. Other new fully escorted cruise tour programs are "Berlin to Bohemia", Folk Traditions of Eastern Europe" and the "Coast of Normandy" with departures between May and October.

"Rembrandt and his World", a 12-day cruise tour that marks the 400th anniversary of the artist's death, has four departures between May 1 and Sept. 11 and includes a seven-night cruise on the 96-passenger Casanova or 106-passenger Heidelberg, two five-star Deilmann river vessels. The itinerary begins with two nights in Bruges and two in Amsterdam with an excursion to Leiden, Rembrandt's birthplace, for a walking tour with a Leiden University professor who will talk about the artist's life and work.

In Amsterdam, participants have a private guided tour of the Rijksmuseum to view the special "Rembrandt 400" exhibit and the extensive collection of 17th century Dutch masters. The cruise sails from Amsterdam on the Rhine to Cologne, then to Bernkastel and Cochem, picturesque wine old wine towns on the Moselle. The ship continues to Koblenz where the two rivers meet, and the following day there is a tour of the old university town of Heidelberg on the Neckar River.

Prices of the 11-night package range between $4,492 and $4,949 per person, double occupancy, and include four nights at superior first class hotels, seven nights and all meals on board the ship and the services of an experienced tour manager, cruise director, local hosts and guides. Airfare and $90 per person port charges are additional.

Burgundy, Bohemia

"Vineyards of Burgundy & Delights of Provence" is a 10-day program that features two nights at the deluxe Château de Gilly with touring to Château du Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy's oldest vineyard on France's Côte d’Or, to Dijon for wine tasting and to the famous old wine market town of Beaune. It continues with a seven-night sailing aboard the 140-passenger Princesse de Provence on the Saône and Rhône rivers.

Enroute, participants visit the towns of Chalon sur Saône and Macon, the 10th century Roman Abbey at Cluny and view the spectacular gorges of the Ardeche region reached by vintage steam train. There is a full day in Arles and the Provencal countryside where Van Gogh painted; other days are spent in Avignon, visiting the Palace of the Popes and the Pont du Gard, and in Lyon where the ship stays overnight. The four departures on this nine-night escorted tour are between May 17 and Oct. 25 and rates starts at $4,249 per person in a twin cabin.

The two-week “Berlin to Bohemia” cruise tour begins with three nights in Berlin, then cruises from Potsdam to Prague, tours the countryside of South Bohemia visiting castles and medieval villages and staying two nights in Ceske Budejovice. The 13-night itinerary has four departures between May 2 and Oct. 3 with sailings on the Elbe and Vlatava rivers on the Frederic Chopin or the Katarina von Bora, both 79-passenger ships.

The 18-day Eastern European folklore cruise tour begins in Romania with two nights at the Hotel Intercontinental in Bucharest and three in Transylvania visiting Bran and Peles castles, land of Vlad the Impaler on which the character of Dracula was based, other historic towns in the region and Brasvo. From the Danube Delta, participants depart for the Black Sea and an 11-night cruise on the Danube to Belgrade, Budapest and Vienna. The Danube cruise is aboard a choice of three vessels with departures May 23, June 21 and July 11.

Independent Cruise Tours

The escorted "Coast of Normandy", 11 days, spends three nights in Deauville with visits to Mont St. Michel, Bayeaux and D-Day sites and then cruises on the Seine aboard the five-star Cezanne round-trip from Paris to Rouen. Departures are June 6, July 18 and Aug. 22.

Along with these escorted programs, Deilmann offers a wide choice of independent cruise tours that includes a “Cézanne Centenary” that celebrates the 100th anniversary of the artist’s birth, “European Capitals” with extensions to Prague and Munich aboard the five-star Mozart, the “Romance of France” that highlights the south of France and the “Elbe Explorer”, with longer stays in Prague and Berlin on Elbe River cruises.

Seven of the nine river vessels in the Deilmann fleet are five-star with the Mozart offering the largest cabins - 203 sq. ft. - of any river ship in the world. The four-deck Heidelberg, built in 2004, has 55 double and twin-bedded cabins that measure 190 square feet. Every cabin on the two upper decks of the ship has full-length French doors that open. Like all Deilmann ships, the décor of the cabins, restaurant, lounge and bar features elegant furnishings and original works of art. Dining is single seating and the multi-course luncheon and dinner menus offer continental cuisine and a wide selection of wines. The ships’ English-speaking staffs assure a high level of service with one crew member for every 2.5 passengers.

Together with cruises and cruise tours, Deilmann arranges air transportation, add-on packages, shore excursions, meet-and-greet services and transfers between airports and ships. For more information on the escorted and independent cruise tours and copies of Great Rivers of Europe 2006, contact a travel agency or Peter Deilmann Cruises at 1-800-348-8287 or e-mail pdcmail@deilmann-cruises.com. The 120-page brochure, photos, maps, itineraries and shore excursions are online at www.deilmann-cruises.com