Take a sneak peek at our new river ship, Spirit of Lorelei

Our new ship is designed to capture the famous Grand Tours of old – and give you a chance to experience your very own version.

by Lesley Bellew

An artist impression of Spirit of the Lorelei

For centuries the name Lorelei has conjured up the beauty and allure of the legendary maiden of the Upper Middle Rhine. Fast forward to July 2027 and our new river ship, Spirit of Lorelei, will welcome guests on a sailing along the UNESCO-listed stretch of river which seems to have a castle on every bend.

The beautifully designed 172-guest river ship will embrace the heritage of travel with a nod to the Grand Tour, when young aristocrats rounded off their classical education by sailing Germany's Rhine River. Travel-inspired fixtures like the suitcase-style tables in the cabins aim to make guests feel inspired as they set off on a Grand Tour of their own.

The Grand Tour theme gives Spirit of Lorelei a bespoke story, in line with the rest of the contemporary fleet: Spirit of the Rhine's artwork features butterflies, Spirit of the Danube focuses on wildlife from the Danube Delta, and Spirit of the Moselle's design is inspired by JMW Turner's artwork.

One inspiration for the décor of this ship has been the renowned 19th-century botanical artist Marianne North. During her own Grand Tour travels, North challenged the tradition of Victorian flower painting – she painted exotic plants in their natural setting and used oil paints, rather than water colours, to give her work more vibrancy. Her work is on permanent display at Kew Gardens, in London, a powerful record of plant life and landscapes, but our guests can appreciate her ground-breaking style in harmony with Spirit of Lorelei's warm orange and earthy green furnishings and fabrics.

In particular, accents of the artist's pioneering work have been used to add a botanical twist to decor in the Library and North Lounge, named in her honour.

Social hub of the ship

An artist impression of The North Lounge on Spirit of the Lorelei

The elegant North Lounge includes a bar and panoramic windows. It will be the social hub of the ship, a place to socialise as she glides through cities, towns and villages.

Spirit of Lorelei will also feature a Dutch-inspired café, the perfect place to meet friends for coffee while admiring sweeping river views through the floor-to-ceiling windows – or simply grab an early morning drink before going ashore.

Fine dining and first-class service is always a focus on our river ships and the Panorama Restaurant will focus on chef-prepared, well-balanced menus with a tempting buffet at breakfast and lunch plus waiter-served dinner every evening.

Guests can also make a reservation to dine in speciality restaurant The Laurel which seats 34 diners. If you are celebrating a special occasion this is the place for a more intimate experience – and there's no extra charge.

Horst Pint, Hotel Operations Director, Saga Cruises says:

We're thrilled to welcome our newest ship Spirit of the Lorelei to the Saga fleet – a milestone that reflects our continued commitment to European river cruising and memorable guest experiences. This new addition represents the next chapter in our journey and it's incredibly exciting to see our fleet grow in such a meaningful way.

Spirit of Lorelei also mirrors her sister ships with a sundeck and on warm days the splash pool is a lovely spot to cool off before reclining on a sun lounger, perhaps with a good book and a glass of local wine.

A lift services the middle and upper decks (there are 14 steps to the sundeck and 13 steps to the lower deck).

Spacious cabins

An artist impression of a French Balcony Cabin on Spirit of the Lorelei

Cabins, at 17 square metres, are more spacious than many river ships, and light pours in through the French balconies or floor-to-ceiling windows on the Middle and Upper decks. Lower deck cabins are 14 square metres and feature a picture window to give plenty of natural light.

Each stylish cabin has further design touches linking to the Grand Tour including suitcase-style sides alongside a hotel-style bed; en-suite bathroom with walk-in shower; bathrobes and slippers; Bluetooth speaker with USB; a safe; flat-screen television; and a small fridge, plus tea and coffee-making facilities.

Join the maiden sailing from the Netherlands

Enjoy an included cruise along the canals of Amsterdam

Spirit of Lorelei will launch in the Netherlands for a seven-night sailing on July 1, 2027. The Inaugural Cruise: Spirit of the Lorelei maiden itinerary features a mix of vibrant cities and medieval towns while sailing past pretty villages and regions of wine production.

Guests can make their cruise as leisurely or as active as they wish, making the most of the ship or joining walks or tours ashore. The cruise director and enrichment host can help with recommendations – whether it's independent exploration or joining an included excursion they will know all the best places to go.

An overnight stay in Rotterdam is an exciting opportunity to explore the city, from the historic Delfshaven district with its gabled buildings to the mind-boggling architecture of the Cube Houses, designed by Piet Blom in the 1970s. Nearby, the impressive Markthal is a fantastic indoor food market where the waffles should be on the top of your snack list.

A mooring in Zaandam for Amsterdam offers a dizzying choice of world-class museums and galleries to admire the genius of Dutch Masters. There is also a cruise along the canals in the included excursion – not to be missed.

Next stop, Arnhem, which was almost destroyed during World War Two, with its many beautiful parks and gardens. And when the ship moors in the city of Cologne chocoholics, can learn about the history of chocolate at The Lindt Chocolate Museum or head straight to the plentiful gift shop. For beer lovers there is a beer house (brauhaus) on almost every corner.

Back onboard savour the views while sailing through the Middle Rhine Gorge, passing the Lorelei Rock itself, before Spirit of Lorelei glides south to the wine town of Rüdesheim where the scenery softens, passing green hillsides clad by vines in a region known for its fruity white wines and pinot noir.

Once in Rüdesheim, stop for a wine tasting and visit Siegfried's Mechanical Music Museum, home to a wonderfully quirky collection of self-playing instruments.

In medieval Mainz, it's good to stretch your legs on a tour into the Old Town to see the 1,000-year-old Romanesque Mainz Cathedral. And between Cologne and Rüdesheim you can look out for fairytale castles including Schloss Marksburg, Rheinstein Castle and Schloss Stolzenfels.

Like all river cruises aboard our Spirit ships, the inaugural cruise includes all on-board dining, return flights, an included excursion in every port, all on-board gratuities, a return nationwide shared chauffeur service and much more.

River cruise with us in 2027

Discover Spirit of the Lorelei's entire first season.