River Duchess

The 2003-built (as River Duchess) cruise ship Trafalgar Dreamer is owned by Uniworld (officially "Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection"), which is an asset of The Travel Corporation (TravCorp). Since 2027, the riverboat has been chartered to the sister brand Trafalgar.

For Uniworld, River Duchess was deployed on the Rhine, Danube, and Main rivers, departing from homeports Antwerp, Amsterdam, Vienna, and Istanbul. In 2027, the refurbished ship starts operations for Trafalgar under the name "Trafalgar Dreamer". The boat is deployed in France, on the Seine River, debuting in April 2027 from homeport Paris.

The vessel (ENI number 07001805) is currently Switzerland-flagged (MMSI 269057168) and registered in Basel.

Trafalgar's fleet currently includes three (full-ship chartered from Uniworld) vessels Reverie (River Princess), Verity (River Queen), and Dreamer (River Duchess/added in 2027). As part of its longer-term strategy, Trafalgar plans to introduce a new class of ships (beginning in 2028), which would be Trafalgar-owned (not chartered).

Ships with similar design features and amenities include Ambassador (1993, now THE A), Baroness (1994, now THE B), Countess (2003, now SS La Venezia), Empress (2001), Princess (2001, now Trafalgar Reverie), Queen (1999, now Trafalgar Verity), and Royale (2006, now SS Bon Voyage).

Decks and Cabins

MS River Duchess features exclusively outside cabins (67 total, including 22 with French balconies, 4 Suites, across 6 categories). All are serviced daily and equipped with individually controlled air conditioning, direct-dial phone, ample storage, LCD TV, digital safe box, hairdryer, and a compact bathroom with L'Occitane products.

Lower Deck staterooms have a wide window, while Middle Deck cabins feature large panoramic windows.

All Rhine Deck cabins have French balconies.

All suites and standard staterooms have handcrafted UK-made Savoir beds and top-luxury bedding sets.

An elevator connects the three cabin decks.

Shipboard facilities and amenities

The River Duchess Palace Restaurant (main dining room), located on the Lower Deck, offers fine dining. Breakfast and lunch are served buffet-style with a selection of hot and cold dishes, along with made-to-order items. Menus include both American and Continental cuisine, as well as regional specialties. Dinner is a four-course, open-seating experience accompanied by a selection of fine wines, beers, and soft drinks.

Additional amenities include the Blue Danube Lounge (with dance floor and full-service bar), Captain’s Lounge & Library (full-service bar), Patio Lounge, La Motte Sky Lounge, and Sun Deck (with chessboard and shuffleboard). The ship also features a Serenity Spa, Fitness Center, sauna, 24-hour specialty tea and coffee station, laundry and ironing facilities, elevator, 24-hour reception, complimentary Internet and Wi-Fi, and free use of Nordic walking sticks and bicycles during Uniworld’s shore excursions.

River Duchess cruise fares are per person, based on double occupancy, and are indicative of standard Uniworld rates. Final pricing may vary depending on whether you book a cruise-only or cruise-tour package, as well as travel agency promotions, special offers, discounts, group bookings, or last-minute deals. Uniworld also offers air-inclusive packages and pre- and post-cruise hotel extensions at additional cost.

Trafalgar cruise deals

Trafalgar River Cruises' fares cover the stateroom (a riverview cabin), all shipboard meals (buffet-style breakfast and lunch, and a la carte dinner), beverages (drinks with lunch and dinner, including wine by the glass, local beers, soft drinks/non-alcoholic, tea/coffee, water), complimentary access to shipboard facilities and amenities (bars/lounges/social spaces, sun deck, wellness/gym/fitness centre), current itinerary-based guided shore excursions/land tours and curated experiences). The cruise price also includes signature experiences branded as "BE MY GUEST" (dinners at local wineries or family-run farms) and "MAKE TRAVEL MATTER" (community- or sustainability-themed local visits).

For the land portion of the voyage, passengers are provided with audio headsets (for guided tours), bicycles (during local visits/excursions) and staff support (Experience Director, Experience Manager, ship crew).

Ship crew gratuities are included; tipping for the Experience Director/Manager is not mandatory (discretionary).

Trafalgar river cruise prices are per person and based on double occupancy. These are only indicative rates. They might be different when you book your Trafalgar cruise-only or cruisetour deals, influenced by travel agency promotions, special offers and discounts, group travel booking or last-minute deals rates.

Trafalgar offers air-inclusive cruise deals and pre-/post-cruise hotel packages as extensions (at additional cost).

Seine River (France) cruise itinerary

MS Trafalgar Dreamer sails an 8-day/7-night "Best of the Seine with Paris & Normandy" itinerary leaving roundtrip from Paris. The cruisetour is themed on northern France's art history, chateaux (manor house or castle), and wartime landmarks.

Trafalgar itinerary's day-by-day stops and main highlights include: Paris (DAY1/embarkation, boarding the ship, a welcome dinner), Vernon (DAY2, visit Claude Monet's house and gardens in Giverny, or the medieval ruins of Chateau Gaillard overlooking Les Andelys), Caudebec-en-Caux (DAY3, a full day excursion to the Normandy Beaches/historic wartime landmarks, including the WWII D-Day landing beaches and memorials), Rouen (DAY4, walking tour of of Normandy's capital, with highlights including the Gothic cathedral and a "Be My Guest" lunch and local cider tasting at a family-run Normandy orchard), La Roche (DAY5, visit to Chateau de La Roche-Guyon), scenic cruising (DAY6, exploring Chateau de Malmaison, Josephine Bonaparte's private residence), and Paris (DAY7-8/overnight and debarkation).