The River Cruise Line has unveiled its first brochure for 2018 following the purchase of the brand by Arena Travel earlier in the year. 

The brochure is a preview of the full 2018 programme and focuses on the four-star ms Serenity, including sailings on the Dutch Waterways, Rhine and Danube, as well as a selection of festive cruises for 2017.

The ms Serenity is one of two ships chartered exclusively by The River Cruise Line in the UK and has recently undergone a £700,000 refurbishment of its lounge and bar areas.

New, exclusive and updated for 2018:

To commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War, The River Cruise Line will offer two departures of a seven day Battlefields & Stories of the Great War cruise through Holland and Belgium, taking in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent and with excursions to First World War battlefields at Mons and Ypres. Departure on 27 April. Priced from £879 per person.

Celebrity gardener Charlie Dimmock returns to the company for a second year to join the 3 May departure of the seven day Springtime in the Gardens of Holland & Belgium cruise. Priced from £929 per person.

Romantic Rhine & Swiss Delights : This popular itinerary has been extended for 2018 to depart from Amsterdam, following the Rhine from its tributaries in the Dutch Waterways to the mountains of Switzerland. Nine days from £995 per person, departing on 9, 23 and 30 May.

In addition to new and updated itineraries, the programme includes increased flexibility of travel to join each cruise, with options by coach from 100 joining points nationwide; rail from St Pancras International; and air from London Gatwick and Heathrow as well as five regional airports.

Also new for 2018 will be the option to join at the embarkation port, which is expected to be a popular addition for agents keen to dynamically package the cruises with other product and provide greater flexibility for their clients.

The latest brochure features details of 2017 festive cruises aboard the ms Serenity. A new tour is the German Christmas Markets, priced from £399 per person, departing on 29 November and 2 December.