Spirit of Chartwell barge

The 1997-built MV Spirit of Chartwell ship is a top-luxury hotel barge currently owned and operated by the Portuguese company Douro Azul. The former "Queen's Jubilee barge" (also known as the "Royal Barge") was purchased in September 2012 by Mario Ferreira — President of Mystic Invest Group and CEO of Douro Azul. The ship was fully refurbished into a premium riverboat deployed year-round on Portugal's Douro River.

The barge was initially UK-flagged (MMSI 235078225, London-registered), but under Douro Azul ownership the flag state was changed to Portugal (MMSI 263751940).

The vessel was launched under the name "MS Vincent van Gogh" and initially operated barge cruises on the Rhine River (Germany). In 2010, the boat was drydock-refitted and completely refurbished in Dordrecht Holland (at Shipyard Kooiman Hoebee BV, owned by Kooiman Marine Group) to become the luxury Thames River cruise barge Spirit of Chartwell. At that time, the vessel was owned and operated by the Magna Carta Steamship Company in England and deployed year-round on the Thames River.

In late 2011, Spirit of Chartwell was selected to serve as the "royal barge" during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of HM Queen Elizabeth II. On June 3, 2012, the vessel carried Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip (Duke of Edinburgh / 1921–2021), along with a flotilla of more than 1,000 vessels, during the "Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant".

In June 2012, the ship was sold to Mystic Invest and transferred to the Douro Azul fleet.

During her UK service, Spirit of Chartwell was designed in the style of the Cote d'Azur Pullman Express luxury train. The vessel still carries artifacts from historic trains and ocean liners, including SS France, RMS Windsor Castle, and RMS Kenya Castle.

Among the ship’s 5-star hotel amenities are a Lobby area (with Reception Desk), Piano Bar (Somerset Maugham, featuring a Steinway piano), Dining Room (George Bradshaw Restaurant, with full seating capacity), Lounge (with leather sofas and armchairs), spacious Sundeck with a sunbathing area (premium wooden furniture with padded loungers, two-seat tables, deckchairs), and the Charles Dickens Solarium (an outdoor lounge with shaded seating and awnings), Wheelhouse (Navigation Bridge), and Promenade Deck (outdoor walkway encircling the vessel).

Decks and cabins

The unique Douro River hotel barge Spirit of Chartwell has 3 decks and a total of 15 staterooms (14 cabins plus 1 Royal Suite), served by 14 crew members. The vessel can accommodate a maximum of 30 passengers, as all staterooms are designed for double occupancy.

All cabins are fitted with single beds (luxury mattresses, under-bed drawers, plush cushions, wall-mounted reading lamps), premium custom-made wooden furniture and accessories (mirrored vanity table with drawers, wardrobe with drawers, chair, power outlets, USB charging port), en-suite bathrooms (washbasin, shower, WC-toilet), and 32-inch HDTVs.

The Royal Suite features a king-size double bed. All staterooms have non-opening windows covered with plush drapes.

Itineraries

In 2019, Douro Azul (Mystic Cruises) introduced a new 10-day Douro River itinerary roundtrip from homeport Oporto.

Prices start from approximately USD 2000 per person based on double occupancy.

Note: You can see CruiseMapper's list of all river cruise ships and riverboats in the "itinerary" section of our River Cruises hub. All companies and their fleets are listed there.