Travelmarvel Sapphire

Former names: Vienna I, Avalon Tapestry, MS TC Sapphire

Travelmarvel Sapphire current position

Travelmarvel Sapphire current location is at Europe Inland (coordinates 50.97171 N / 6.98490 E) cruising en route to KOLN. The AIS position was reported 2 minutes ago.

Current Position

Specifications of Travelmarvel Sapphire

Year of build2006  /  Age: 18
Flag state Switzerland
BuilderNeptun Werft GmbH (Rostock, Germany)
ClassTwinCruiser
Speed12 kn / 22 km/h / 14 mph
Length (LOA)135 m / 443 ft
Beam (width)12 m / 39 ft
Gross Tonnage3600 gt
Passengers170
Crew43
Decks4
Cabins85
Decks with cabins3
Sister-shipsTravelmarvel Diamond, Travelmarvel Jewel, VistaFlamenco
Former namesVienna I, Avalon Tapestry, MS TC Sapphire
OwnerPremicon AG
OperatorAPT (Australian Pacific Touring)

Travelmarvel Sapphire Review

Review of Travelmarvel Sapphire

The 2006-built Travelmarvel Sapphire cruise ship is operated by the APT Travel-owned subsidiary company Travelmarvel (sisterbrand to AmaWaterways). The vessel's sisterships and fleetmates are Travelmarvel Jewel and Travelmarvel Diamond. Travelmarvel Sapphire cruises on the European rivers Rhine, Main and Danube.

The riverboat (ENI number 09948012/hull) is currently Switzerland-flagged (MMSI 269057623, registered in a href="https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports/basel-port-4482">Basel) and Germany-built (by Neptun Werft in Rostock).

Travelmarvel Sapphire cruise ship

Decks and Cabins

The large (135-m long) APT riverboat Travelmarvel Sapphire has a total of 85 staterooms (81 cabins plus 4 suites, on 3 decks) and max passenger capacity 170 (plus 43 crew/staff). Passenger cabins are in 3 categories and 2 types - French Balcony (staterooms and suites) and Porthole Window (cabins). All cabins are equally sized (16 m2 / 170 ft2) while the suites are larger (24 m2 / 260 ft2). Suites can be booked with triple occupancy, with provided single folding beds for a 3rd passenger.

Porthole Window staterooms are on Lower Deck and each has two round-shaped fixed (non-opening) porthole windows positioned at water level (near the ceiling). French Balcony staterooms are located on decks Upper and Middle and each has floor-ceiling sliding doors that open to a railing. Owners Suites are with midship location on Upper Deck and sized 24 m2 (260 ft2). Besides the French Balcony, they have an additional floor-ceiling window (non-opening). Bonus Suite amenities include sofa with chair and low (coffee) table and larger bathroom.

All Travelmarvel Sapphire staterooms as standard amenities (cruise price-inclusive) offer Queen-size bed (convertible to twins), bedside cabinets, wall-mounted reading lamps, mirrored vanity table (writing desk with chair), phone (onboard calls only - Reception Desk, passenger cabins, wake-up service, slide-opening wardrobe, electronic safe box (in the closet), minibar (refrigerator), wall-mounted flat TV (satellite reception, ship info channel, real-time bow camera views, weather forecast), en-suite bathroom (WC-toilet, glass shower, under-sink storage, magnifying mirror, hairdryer, razor socket, single-sink vanity), individually controlled air-conditioning, 220V / 110V power sockets (shaver plug in the bathroom).

Shipboard facilities and amenities

The ship has a single-seating dining room restaurant (Middle Deck, 170-seats including 10 side chairs), Bar Lounge (Upper Deck, 145-seats plus 12 bar stools, dance floor, electronic piano for live performances in the evenings, media equipment / mobile screen projector), Library (Upper Deck / reading corner in the lobby area with books, puzzles, board games), Shop (Main Deck, in the lobby), wellness area (Spa massage rooms, Gym with fitness equipment on Lower Deck), Beauty Parlor (hair salon on Upper Deck / hairdresser-barber services).

Travelmarvel Sapphire cruise ship

A grand staircase connects Midlle and Upper decks. The Atrium is covered by SkyLight (glass roof on Sun Deck). The Foyer / Lobby area is on 2 levels, with the Reception Desk on Middle Deck, while the Cruise Director's Office (Travelmarvel Tour Desk) and the Internet Cafe (with 2 computers and 1 printer) are on Upper Deck. The bow-located Lido Terrace (Upper Deck) is covered, with outdoor seating (15 seats) and stairs connecting directly to Sundeck (above). Lido Terrace is also a smoking allowed area. Sun Deck has shaded seating (windscreens, retractable hard roofs, 4-seat tables) and sunbathing area (with deckchairs (68), and sun loungers (96) and 4-seat tables.

The riverboat has no Lift (passenger elevator) or swimming pool/whirlpool. All decks are interconnected via Stairlift (midship) and stairs (forward, midship and aft), including a grand staircase in the Atrium (2-decks high, covered by SkyLight on Sundeck).

APT-Travelmarvel cruise passengers are mostly from Australia and New Zealand. The company offers good value-for-money vacation packages with plenty of inclusions. Cruisetour fares are inclusive of most shore excursions (sightseeing guided tours), port charges and fees, tipping (onboard gratuities), Internet/W-LAN (wireless), bicycles (carried on the ship). Tea and coffee are available 24 hours, and free of charge. Refillable water tap is also available. Lunches and dinners come with complimentary local beers and house wines (by the glass) and soft drinks.

Itineraries

Travelmarvel Sapphire itinerary program offers European river cruises on Moselle, Rhine, Main and Danube. Departures are from homeports Amsterdam and Budapest ("European Gems" itinerary) and also from Budapest and Prague ("The Delightful Danube" itinerary).

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Travelmarvel Sapphire Wiki

The vessel is owned by Premicon AG (funds and investments company) and operated under charter by the Australian cruise and tour operator Travelmarvel. Between 2006-2012, the Travelmarvel ship Sapphire was operated by the US-based river cruise company Avalon Waterways as "Avalon Tapestry". In 2013-2014, the ship was named "Vienna I" and operating for TransOcean Kreuzfahrten. Sapphire's sisterships are the fleetmates Travelmarvel Diamond (fka Avalon Imagery) and Travelmarvel Jewel (fka Avalon Tranquility).

MS Travelmarvel Sapphire (ENI number 09948012) belongs to the TwinCruiser boat type, in which passenger sections are structurally separated from the drive unit. TwinCruiser-class riverboats have two separate hulls linked to each other by clutches. The advantage of such separating is that the transmission of vibrations and noises can be mostly avoided.

The ship Travelmarvel Sapphire (inaugurated on April 12, 2006, as Avalon Tapestry) is powered by two MTU marine diesel engines (model 12V-4000 M60) with total power output 1,6 MW. The engine builder MTU Friedrichshafen is subsidiary of Rolls-Royce Power Systems and among the world's largest manufacturers of diesel engines and propulsion systems. MTU produces diesel engines for ships (passenger and cargo vessels), heavy vehicles, military vehicles and trains in the power range 20 kW to 10 MW (up to 13410 HP output) and also sells Mercedes-Benz engines for industrial applications and gas turbines.

The boat's propulsion system is based on two 4-wing Veth rudder propellers plus one bow thruster (Jastram Azimuth Jet). Onboard energy supply is provided by three diesel generator sets (310 kVA, model Cummins KT-1150-G).

In 2019, ship's flag-state was changed from Malta (MMSI 256414000, registered in Valletta) to Switzerland (MMSI 269057623, registered in Basel).

Note: You can see the 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.