The latest ship in Riviera’s fleet departed from Cologne on Friday, July 4. Guests were welcomed aboard MS Riviera Resplendence by Chief Experience Officer James Golding and Operations Director Noeleen Pritchard, with a celebratory drink and light lunch marking the start of the sailing.

Reflecting on the event, Gill Davies, Guest Relations Team Manager at Riviera Travel, said: “As soon as the guests came on board, the whole atmosphere changed. The crew’s smiles were bigger than ever, and there was just a real vibrancy about the place. It was really special.”

Guests gathered later that evening for inaugural remarks from James Golding and Noeleen Pritchard, followed by a celebratory toast to Riviera Resplendence and the teams involved in bringing the new ship into service.

James Golding, Chief Experience Officer, added: “It was super exciting to see the guests come on board and their faces light up. One gentleman was almost in tears because of how beautiful he thought the welcome was, and just seeing everyone on the top deck enjoying themselves really made me smile.”

For Noeleen Pritchard, Operations Director, the launch marked an important milestone for Riviera Travel: “It’s incredible and quite emotional, because there has been so much hard work gone into the planning. Seeing Riviera Resplendence in all its glory and how beautiful it is, is really, really fantastic.”

She continued: “Seeing the guests enjoying themselves and seeing the ship come to life is brilliant. The sense of achievement is high, not just for me, but for everybody at Riviera, especially the operations team who make sure those small little touches are in place.

Having guests come on board for the first time ever was truly spectacular. The evening celebrations were special and having the first guests welcome the ship to our fleet and cut the ribbon was really memorable.”