Peter Deilmann River Boat Cruises Going Bankrupt

Luxury Rhine, Danube, Elbe, and Rhone Cruise Liner Shut Down in 2010

German luxury riverboat cruise liner Peter Deilmann Riverboat Cruises is going out of business and shutting down all Rhine, Danube, Elbe, Seine, and Rhone boats from the 2010 season.

Pfalzgrafenstein Castle

As has been suspected for some time, luxury German riverboat cruise liner Peter Deilmann Riverboat Cruises (Peter Deilmann FluĂźkreuzfahrten) is going out of business at the end of the 2009 European river cruise season. Peter Deilmann has already sold some boats and suspended cruises on less popular rivers including the Elbe but from 2010 Peter Deilmann will not operate any riverboat cruises at all in Europe.

Peter Deilmann continue as a very up-market luxury ocean cruise liner. All Peter Deilmann riverboat cruises will continue until the end of 2009. (Nicko Tours took over many of Peter Deilmann’s river boats and European cruise routes from 2010.)

Peter Deilmann Cruise Lines Suspend Riverboat Cruises from 2010

Peter Deilmann Riverboat Cruise Lines have announced their exit from the European riverboat cruise market from the end of 2009. Peter Deilmann has already sold the Dresden and Königstein that mostly cruised on the Elbe River but will now suspend all further riverboat cruises from the end of 2009.

Peter Deilmann’s river boats will continue to cruise on the Rhine, Danube, Seine, and Rhone until the end of the 2009. Passengers already booked on cruises until the end of the year have therefore no reason to cancel cruises and generally will not be able to use the company’s financial troubles as a special cancellation right.

The End for the MS Mozart, Cezanne, Casanova, and Princesse de Provence

Peter Deilmann operates at the upper end of the luxury market for Rhine, Danube, Seine, and Rhone river cruises and has been hit hard by the economic downturn. Although a German company, Peter Deilmann cruises have been promoted heavily in international markets with the aim of having a mixed international passenger list on all cruises. It seems that this strategy was part of Deilmann’s current problems as the international market has been heavily hit. Deilmann seems to have suffered especially from the lack of travel by US and British passengers.

Peter Deilmann has consistently won awards for its cruises, service, and food and will be missed by regular passengers who appreciated its up market style and atmosphere. However, Peter Deilmann’s demise may strengthen other luxury riverboat cruise liners in the European cruise market such as Viking River Cruises, Arosa, and AMA Amadeus Waterways.

Most of Peter Deilmann’s boats and routes have been taken over by Nicko Tours, a German cruise company with extensive experience in the European river cruise market. The boats and routes seem to be more or less similar to what Peter Deilmann previously offered although it seems the medical doctors have been kicked off the boats though.

Henk Bekker in armor

About the author:

Henk Bekker

Henk Bekker is a freelance travel writer with over 20 years of experience writing online. He is particularly interested in history, art, and culture. He has lived most of his adult life in Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark. In addition to European-Traveler.com, he also owns a travel website on the Lake Geneva region of Switzerland and maintains statistical websites on car sales and classic car auction prices. Henk holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and an MSc in Development Finance from the University of London.

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