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Friday 22 february 2019

Merlijn has new owners

We are Coen & Cristina, here is a short introduction about us, the proud new owners of Merlijn.

A dream coming true, that is how we felt when we started of in april 2019. After working for years as Captains on big 5-star river-cruiseships (150 pax) we dreamed of something else; something smaller, more personal, specialized cruises, running our own business, the list of superlatives is long! We searched and had several ideas until we coincidently ran into Merlijn. That was it, that was the ship that filled in all the blank spaces! We went a 100% for it, sold our first house, quit our jobs and moved to the Merlijn.

Coen

Captain, Engineer, Guestcontact.

Cristina

2nd Captain, Host, Chef.

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03 october 2025

I cant speak highly enough of the tour my sister and I did in Sept 2025! The ship was perfect, with well appointed staterooms and great public spaces. The meals were truly gourmet, including wine pairings and scrumptious desserts. The company, including the other guests and the staff, was delightful (many of us guests exchanged contact info). What made the tour, however, was the biking. The weather was challenging with lots of rain, but Captain Coen and our guide Thomas worked together to modify the routes, add stops, and make sure that we still got to enjoy ourselves. My calendar is marked for the release of the 2027 tours!