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River Rouge Cruise Line

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River Rouge Cruise Line - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

River Rouge Cruise Line

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April 8, 2021

All Aboard! Tourism on the Rivers

As the weather begins to warm, and the ice on the Red and Assiniboine rivers melt away, a familiar sight will grace our waterways once again. The water taxis will start running, boat tours will begin again, and pleasure crafts will take to the water. All of this excitement pales in comparison to the boats that once traversed Manitoba’s waterways!

For centuries the only boats used on Manitoba rivers were canoes, made of birch bark and used by Indigenous communities for trade and travel. These canoes would eventually be adopted by the fur traders and voyageurs who came through Manitoba on behalf of the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) and North West Company.

With the voyageurs came settlers, and by the early 1800s a number of trading posts had been established by the HBC with European communities cropping up alongside them. Larger communities necessitated larger boats, to bring people and supplies, and the first riverboat arrived in Winnipeg in 1859.

The Ansom Northup , owned and operated by an American businessman of the same name, sailed in from Minnesota on June 10th, 1859, landing at the site of the present day Kildonan Park . Further boats would follow the same path, bringing with them building materials and workers, and all the many things needed to build a growing settlement. Access to specific types of wood and stone would not have been possible without the use of the steamship and even after the railroad started to reach Winnipeg, many still relied on commercial steamboats to bring in materials. Steamboat service was more reliable than the trains, and often faster, though the freight cost was more expensive. Over the next fifteen years, more and more boats could be spotted travelling up and down the Red River.

The Anson Northup sailing along the river. Source: Province of Manitoba Archives

Steamships also became an invaluable part of the Manitoba economy. The HBC had added a steamboat warehouse to their building collection in 1872, and in 1876 it was the S.S. Minnesota that hauled away 5,000 bushels of grain near Lombard Avenue, that kicked off the Manitoba grain trade.

Some of these boats, such as the Ripple (whose engines failed twice across less than a decade of service), were built in Winnipeg while others arrived from further shores. Along the banks of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, docks were built to accommodate the river traffic. The Rover Docks opened in 1915, located parallel to Rover Avenue between Annabelle and Syndicate Streets. The docks were jointly managed by the City of Winnipeg and the St. Boniface Harbour Commission, and measured 400 feet in length and 30 feet in width. The total cost of construction was $25,000. For the next several years, the Rover Docks were mostly used to unload cut timber.  As private docks opened at industrial sites, they found themselves out of use by 1929.

The city then built the Alexander Docks (70 Alexander Avenue) in 1929 to replace the Rover Docks. Built along Alexander Avenue in the present-day Exchange District , the Alexander Docks were closer to Winnipeg’s industrial hubs – namely, the warehouse district and the nearby CPR Station. As well, the area we know as Waterfront Drive was used to connect the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Canadian National Railway Lines. In other words, it was the ideal place to construct a new dock. The river was dredged 13 feet to accommodate the space needed, and construction was completed in the late spring of 1929.  Many different types of vessels stopped here, from government boats, cargo steamers, tug-towed barges, and even passenger ships.

As Winnipeg grew, some captains and company owners steered away from commercial freighting and set their sights on a new business model: recreation and tourism. By the 1900s, there were many picturesque riverside parks and equally as many people looking to pay them a visit. Perhaps this is why there were upwards of 1,000 people in attendance at the christening of the Winnitoba in 1909.

The Winnitoba was launched in the City of St. Boniface, near where the Seine River meets the Red River. Among the considerably-sized crowd was then-premier Rodmond P. Roblin , St. Boniface Mayor Joseph Alfred Fereol Bleau , and City Controller Richard Waugh (on behalf of Winnipeg Mayor William Sanford Evans ). There was also a representative from Minnesota and MP Alexander Haggart.

Premier Roblin speaking at the launch of the Winnitoba. Source: Archives of Manitoba, Transportation – Boat – Winnitoba – #8

The boat’s owner was John Leonard Hyland , who owned Hyland Navigation & Trading Company, a private amusement park ( Hyland Park ), as well as another ship, named The Bonnitoba . It was Hyland’s three year old daughter Lenore, who christened the boat by pouring a bottle of clear water atop the ships bow. The Winnitoba was one the largest boats yet to sail Winnipeg’s rivers, and featured a number of exciting amenities including modern electrical lighting, sleeping accommodations for 225 passengers, and an on-board kitchen.

The Winnitoba was used primarily to transport people to either Selkirk, or Hyland Park. Largely forgotten now, Hyland Park was an interesting example of early recreation in Winnipeg. Built along the Red River in the RM of East St. Paul, Hyland Park had multiple pavilions, a dance hall, and notably a floating pavilion. John Hyland purchased a barge from the Arctic Ice Company, and renovated this into a floating dance hall – complete with an orchestra. It was moored near Hyland Park’s private dock.

Ill-fortune befell Hyland when both his ships were destroyed, the Bonnitoba by an ice flow in 1913, and the Winnitoba by a fire while at the Hyland Dock in 1912. By 1915, Hyland Park had closed and the Winnitoba was considered lost until remains of the ship were discovered in 1987. Some of the remains have been salvaged and are kept at the Manitoba Maritime Museum. Hyland Park still exists in the RM of East St. Paul, with its public boat launch continuing to invite people to recreate on the Red River over a century later.

Disasters were not uncommon on the Manitoba rivers. Spring ice flows could damage ships, or the boats could simply crash into the shore. Interestingly, one of the biggest stories about a Winnipeg steamship disaster turned out to be untrue. At the turn of the 20th century, there was a thin line separating gossip and news that was made thinner depending on the reporter covering the story. Winnipeg was a strange space, both a rough and tumble frontier town and a growing metropolis, and this made it ripe for strange tales. Journalist Reginald Robinson took advantage of this fact; Robinson worked, at various times for the Winnipeg Tribune, and as a correspondent for American newspapers. He made up tall tales about Winnipeg running rampant with coyotes, or about a prairie homestead so covered in snow that its residents were creating snow tunnels to move around. It’s interesting then, that his most infamous tall tale was the result of an honest accident. According to a later recollection in the Winnipeg Free Press, Robinson was meant to be writing a story on the death of four hunters somewhere near Lake Winnipeg. The employee sending the telegraph however, made a mistake and wrote four hundred dead instead of four hunters. When other newspapers wrote back in a panic asking for further details, Robinson rolled with it and responded with a story of a steamship outing gone wrong. In Robinson’s tale, four hundred Icelandic picnickers had taken a steamer out onto the lake for a day only to perish when the boat sank. Fortunately it was completely untrue.

Most real shipwrecks in Manitoba tended to be less dramatic, and more importantly, less deadly. There are only a handful of accounts of truly disastrous shipwrecks, including that of the SS Princess which operated on Lake Winnipeg until it’s sinking in 1906. Sadly six people died in the accident.

Not all ships have such a sordid history. The S.S. Keenora , built in 1897, enjoyed many years as a freight and passenger ship in Lake Winnipeg and Lake of the Woods. In 1917, the SS Keenora was purchased by a syndicate of Winnipeg lawyers who used her as a floating dance hall. As well the SS Keenora is now at the Manitoba Marine Museum.

The SS Keenora sometime in the 1920s. Source: Winnipeg in Focus

The more-remembered era of Winnipeg boating comes in the 1960s, as hauling freight by train and ship was on a steep decline. Winnipegger Ray Senft vacationed in Mexico in the early 1960s, where he saw Mississippi-style sternwheelers and was inspired to bring it home to Manitoba.

It took Senft and a team of workers just 80 days to build the M.S. Paddlewheel Queen in 1965. The total project cost $200,000. Similar passenger ships were built not long afterwards; Senft built a second ship, the Princess , in 1966, and in 1967 Dan Ritchie built the M.S. River Rouge . From the 1960s until 1993, Ritchie’s River Rouge and the Seft’s Paddlewheel were staunch rivals. There was at one point, five cruise ships travelling around Winnipeg and taking tourists to Lower Fort Garry and Selkirk. The companies merged in 1993 as interest in river tourism dwindled. Still, a number of celebrities took trips on these boats in their heyday. Among the well-known passengers were Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Kentucky Fried Chicken’s founder Colonel Sanders, and Guess Who front man Burton Cummings.

One by one, the cruise ships were sold, dismantled, or both across the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2013, the Paddlewheel Queen made its last voyage on the Red River and was then docked in Selkirk until it was heavily damaged by a fire in 2017.

You are unlikely to see steamboats or cruise ships traversing Winnipeg’s rivers these days, but if you visit the Forks in the summer you are likely to see canoes once again. Today, canoes are largely used for recreation and the majority of canoes are commercially manufactured, but there are new people out rediscovering the old art of birch bark canoe making. You may also see the water taxis running tours and ferrying passengers along the Red and Assiniboine Rivers.

Regardless of the means of travel, one thing remains true: Winnipeggers, past, present and future, will find ways to be out on the water.

THANK YOU TO THE SPONSOR OF THIS BLOG POST:

Written by Sabrina Janke on behalf of Heritage Winnipeg.

Katie Dangerfield and Talia Ricci, The Sinking Tourism on Winnipeg's Rivers (Global News)

Paddlewheel Princess being cut up and sold for scrap (CBC News)

Ripple Steamboat, Manitoba Historical Society

Adrian Ames, Remembering the Riverboats (Manitoba Historical Society)

Bill Redekop, Paddlewheel Queens: Passenger ships once ruled the Red River (Winnipeg Free Press)

Martha McCarthy, Steamboats on the Rivers and Lakes of Manitoba 1859-96 (Province of Manitoba Historic Resources Branch).

Bruce Cherney, The Winnipeg Liar — true story of local reporter who fabricated fantastic tall tales for American newspapers (Winnipeg Real Estate News)

Rover Docks, Manitoba Historical Society

Alexander Docks, Manitoba Historical Society

Manitoba Prairie Steamboats: Ripple

Manitoba Prairie Steamboats: Bonnitoba

Hyland Park, Manitoba Historical Society

The Sinking of the SS Princess, Manitoba Historical Society

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Take an interesting and informative 45 minute tour of downtown Winnipeg as seen from the Assiniboine and Red Rivers. You will be entertained by our Transport Canada certified Boat Tour Captains as they describe the many historically significant sites along the way. Tour leave hourly from 1pm to 8 pm, weather permitting. Life jackets are provided. Children, pets, food and non-alcoholic beverages are welcome.

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Journey into the heart of Europe, Asia, Egypt, the Upper and Lower Mississippi, and beyond on a culturally immersive scenic cruise. Whether you yearn to see the castle-lined Rhine, romantic Danube, historic Seine or vineyard-laced Douro, your river cruise with Viking begins here.

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Traveling by river, beyond the reach of roadways, you will discover the true nature of fascinating lands and the people who call them home.You will travel with ease, unpacking just once and enjoying the ever-changing scenery along the banks as you are gently carried on board an elegant, intimate ship to your next destination.Here is just a small sample of where a Viking river cruise will take you:

• Vienna’s elegant boulevards and Hapsburg treasures
• Budapest’s historic Castle District
• The lush vineyards of France
• Storybook villages and hilltop castles of Germany
• The charming windmills of The Netherlands
• Germany’s spectacular Saxon Switzerland region
• Portugal’s rolling vineyards of the Douro Valley
• Ancient temples along Egypt’s timeless Nile River
• Cambodia’s sprawling Angkor Wat complex
• Vietnam’s lush and fertile Mekong Delta
• The American South’s historic cities—from New Orleans to Memphis
• America’s heartland—from bustling St. Louis to distinctive St. Paul

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Micro-cabin experience.

Rent one of our cozy 4-person floating micro-cabins to spend a few nights reconnecting with the wild on the waters of the Winnipeg River. Handcrafted by a Canadian artisan woodworker, our houseboats truly are one-of-a-kind. Every detail has been designed to allow you and your family to immerse yourselves in one of Manitoba's natural wonders like never before. ​

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What to expect from your stay:

A hassle-free boating experience: You will meet your captain at the Pinawa Marina. He will explain all the amenities and safety features of your houseboat and help you board your supplies.

The journey into the park:   Your captain will then take you and your group on a 30 minute journey into beautiful Whiteshell Provincial Park, up to one of our four mooring locations. No boating license is required. Once anchored, the captain will return to the marina and let you enjoy your stay on your own.

Reconnect with the wild:   Our houseboats are designed from the ground up to have as little impact as possible on the environment. Make sure to bring binoculars for the fantastic bird-watching opportunities.

Paddle the old voyageur canoe routes :  Kayaks or Stand-Up Paddleboards are provided for everyone aboard as well as a historical map of the region to explore the river's rich history on your own.

Sleep under the stars, with a roof over your head:  As far away as you can be from the city's lights, the star-gazing opportunities are second to none. The views from your houseboat's windows are sure to be stellar.

Choose your own kind of vacation : Whether you simply want to relax and recharge in peace, or fill your days with fun activities in and around Pinawa like tubing, golfing, biking, etc. Find out more about our activities right here .

No hidden fees:  Our night rates include propane, gas usage, and potable water. All you need to bring are groceries and supplies for the trip.

Our 2024 s easo n runs from May 15th to October 1st

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Pl an your next adventure this summer, or offer the nature lover in your life a gift they won't soon forget.

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River Rouge Cruise Line

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RIVER ROUGE CRUISE LINE (Winnipeg) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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See inside a new ultra-luxury river cruise line that's charging up to $59,520 per person

• Newcomer Riverside Luxury Cruises wants to break into the growing river cruise market.
• The ultra-luxury cruise line  operates former Crystal ships in popular European rivers like the Danube.
• Riverside's 2024 cruises start at $1,055 per person for four days.

A new ultra-luxury cruise line wants to be the swankiest travel-by-river vacation option.

To do so, it's enticing cruisers with truffle-infused butter, $320-per-person dinners, and butlers that can be beckoned with a simple WhatsApp message.

Affluent travelers , meet Riverside Luxury Cruises.

The budding company first set sail in March 2023. With a year of service under its belt, its three ships are now sailing some of Europe's most popular rivers — starting at more than $260 per person per day.

Riverside is operated by Seaside Collection, a European hotelier.

The firm had its sights set on a river cruise venture since 2018, Jen Halboth, CEO of Riverside Luxury Cruises, told Business Insider.

Ironically, COVID-19 was the reason it got into the business.

Crystal Cruises declared bankruptcy in early 2022 amid the pandemic. Shortly after, Seaside purchased and updated five of the then-defunct cruise line's ships.

Three of these vessels now make up Riverside's fleet. The other two are being leased to competitor Uniworld River Cruises.

River cruising has become increasingly popular as wealthy travelers gravitate to ultra-luxury small-ship vacations.

River cruise ships are much smaller than their behemoth ocean-based counterparts, allowing Riverside to sail in waterways like Europe's Rhine, Rhone, Danube, Main, Moselle, and Saône rivers.

Along the way, guests can explore destinations many giant ships can't easily access — like Budapest, Hungary; Frankfurt, Germany; and Amsterdam — sometimes visiting more than one port in a day.

One of Riverside's shortest and cheapest 2024 voyages starts at $1,055 per person for a four-day Danube River cruise from Passau, Germany, to Vienna.

Alcohol and excursion packages can tack on an extra $75 to $175 per person per night.

Looking to ball out? The most expensive and longest itinerary is $59,521 per person for a three-river, 22-day cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest, Hungary, in the most expensive suite with the most inclusive package.

To compare, the cheapest 2024 voyage with all-inclusive luxury competitor Uniworld River Cruises starts at $2,000 per person for an eight-day Danube River sailing.

River cruisers tend to be over the age of 55.

But the new company is targeting guests 45 years old and older, specifically those who frequent luxury vacations but have yet to try a river cruise.

"New luxury travelers want to be pampered, get off and have an adventure, and come back and be taken care of," the cruise line's CEO said.

"Pampering” they will get.

Of Riverside's three ships, the 394-foot-long, 74-foot-wide Mozart can accommodate the most guests — up to 162, not including the 82 crew.

Yes, it's larger than Uniworld's ships, which range from 32 to 159 guests. But it's also significantly smaller than Royal Caribbean's new 9,950-person Icon of the Seas ocean vessel.

Like most cruise liners, Riverside's three ships have spas, buffets, and plush lounges and bars.

During the day, travelers can enjoy lunch at the open-air grill and relax to live music courtesy of Steinway and Bösendorfer pianos, no less.

At night, they can dine on a seven-course meal at the 295 euros ($320) per-person Vintage Room.

Riverside’s ships have up to 5 restaurants. Vintage Room is the only specialty option.

The cost to dine includes a wine pairing and plates like veal with truffle and chanterelle mushrooms and "surf and turf" with beef sirloin and scallops.

But don't expect a lackluster, rushed meal at the other complimentary options: "This is not a churn-and-burn," the company's CEO said of the ships' Waterside restaurants. "You come in for fine dining."

Infused, whipped butter is apparently one of Riverside's hottest commodities.

Sometimes, it has chiles. Other times, it's infused with citrus. If you're lucky, you'll get one with truffles.

"People were raving about our butter," Halboth said. "Everyone's waiting to see what butter they'll get at dinner each night."

Need to sleep off all that dairy? You're in luck. Every cabin has a king bed.

Riverside's suites range from 194 to 883 square-feet. These high-end cabins include butler service, stocked mini-bars, and espresso machines.

Some suites also have double-sink vanities and walk-in closets, a hallmark of an ultra-luxury cruise vessel .

Does Riverside’s more than $260 per person, per day fare seem reasonable now?

If yes, book soon. It'll only get more expensive from here.

These fares don't offset the amount Riverside is spending on amenities like the upscale food, according to Halboth. To make up for these expenditures, the cruise line plans to raise its prices gradually over the next two years.

The company's CEO said bookings have been 'a little lighter' since the start of 2024.

But the back half of the year is "filling up" thanks to Americans: About 70 to 80% of its guests are from North America, the company said.

Riverside will operate its Mozart, Ravel, and Debussy ships for three years as it 'hones the brand,' Halboth said.

The cruise line's two additional vessels would join its fleet in the next few years.

Given the growing popularity of river cruises , it's a good time for companies like Riverside to start expanding.

However, it could face plenty of incoming competition.

Jamie Loizou, the UK managing director of luxury river cruise line AmaWaterways, is forecasting 2024 as a "pivotal" year for the river cruise industry, noting that 15 new river-based vessels are expected to launch this year, Cruise Critic reported .

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Man arrested for allegedly taking a decommissioned NYC fireboat for an overnight cruise

FILE - The fireboat John J. Harvey passes the Statue of Liberty, Oct. 28, 2011, in New York Harbor. A man was arrested Thursday, April 11, 2024, for allegedly taking the decommissioned New York City fire boat for an overnight cruise on the Hudson River, before becoming stuck and jumping ship. He then boarded a second stolen vessel, police said, which he sailed roughly one nautical mile (1.8 kilometers) south until he was taken into custody on its deck. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

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NEW YORK (AP) — A man was arrested Thursday for allegedly taking a decommissioned New York City fireboat for an overnight cruise on the Hudson River, before becoming stuck, jumping ship and stealing another vessel, police said.

He was charged with two counts of grand larceny, officials said. He had not been arraigned as of Thursday afternoon and it was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer.

The man commandeered the fireboat, known as the John J. Harvey, by untying it from its mooring at Pier 66 off the west side of Manhattan, according to authorities. The 130 foot (40 meter) long vessel, which now serves as a museum, earned local acclaim after it was used to evacuate survivors of 9/11.

Once aboard the fireboat, the man was able to drift a short distance into the Hudson River, police said, but quickly got stuck. He leapt overboard, plunging into the frigid waters and later emerging on a second stolen vessel, according to police.

He navigated that sailboat toward Pier 51, roughly 15 blocks south of the original location, police said. The department’s Harbor Unit responded to a 2:30 a.m. call about a stolen boat and arrested the man on the sailboat’s deck.

A spokesperson for the Hudson River Park Trust, which oversees Pier 66, said the fireboat is secure and being assessed for damage.

Built in 1931, the Harvey assisted in several dramatic marine rescues, helping to put out a potentially catastrophic fire aboard the El Estero, a munitions ship docked in the New York Harbor during World War II.

It was retired in 1994, but was called back into service on the morning of 9/11 to help pick up survivors and to pump water onto the site.

The boat’s caretakers offer occasional free public cruises along the Hudson River.