Consumers driving vessels to break with design status quo, says Ellen Bettridge

So said Ellen Bettridge, president and ceo, Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection during ‘Design Disruptors’, presented by Seatrade Cruise Brand Ambassador Ayesha Khan and sponsored by Bath Fitter at Seatrade Cruise Virtual.

‘Nothing is the same’, said Bettridge on the interior design of Uniworld’s river vessels, as she shared photographs of the artwork on display in Catherine and Antoinette and their hand crafted features. 

She went on to add that the vessels are original for having been ‘designed with a woman in mind’, demonstrated by storage spaces in bathrooms. 

‘[We’ve] certainly a few other ideas coming… [for] a luxury experience for the customer. It is the consumer driving this’, she added. 

Creating personality

Ponant’s ceo Americas, Navin Sawhney, said the cruise line’s Explorer Class ships ‘all have their own personality’ and capture lots of light so passengers ‘can enjoy the panorama in its fullest form.’ 

He described the vessels’ Blue Eye Lounge as ‘a feat of engineering’ that comprises 24 layers of glass glued together so passengers can see ‘in the ocean and the ocean floor.’ 

Sawhney concluded, ‘The idea here is to open the eye of the traveller’s mind… how this ocean exists and how we can continue to make it exist.’