Cunard's Queen Victoria to sail the Amazon

As the lines continue to blur between river and ocean cruises, Cunard announced a unique itinerary for 2017. As part of a global cruise, the Queen Victoria will cruise down the Amazon River. It will become the largest ship to ever transit the river.

As interesting as this might sound, it probably won't spark a rush of ocean ships heading down the Amazon. The remoteness of the river is one challenge. And the size of other companies' ships is another. But for those lucky few that will be on the Victoria, this represents a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Cruise Industry News's update on American Cruise Lines

While river cruising is well established outside the United States, it continues to grow in this country. One of the leaders in the space American Cruise Lines just launched their newest boat. Cruise Industry News updated the progress of paddlewheller America. The finishing touches are almost ready and the boat will be the third active ship for the line.

Breaking down the best River Cruises

The Wall Street Journal provided a good breakdown of some of the most popular river cruise companies and what each has to offer. All the well-known lines have similar routes and stops, but the WSJ, with the help of Wendy Perrin, highlights the right river cruise for foodies, photographers and those who want a luxury experience.

The river cruise experience is still very different from the large ocean liners, but as the industry grows the river cruises will become more diverse in their offerings and experiences. It is a great time to sail.

Disney moving into River Cruising

Monday, Disney announced a new partnership with AmaWaterways to create a Disney-branded river cruise experience. Sold through the company's Adventures by Disney's arm, the first steps will be small -- only five sailing in 2016. Given the millions of Disney devotees and their very loyal cruise customers, selling out those first five cruises will not be an issue. They could double their capacity in the first few years and still not scratch the surface of Disney-river cruising demand. The unknown is Disney's long-term plans in the space.

The partnership is a great way to test demand. But are there enough young families that want the River Cruise experience to support a full-time Disney River Cruise ship? Even those customers who enjoy the Adventures by Disney tours might find the smaller, river cruise ships limiting. Will it ever make sense for Disney to build its own ship?

Like Viking expanding from river cruises to ocean cruises, this is good news for the industry and cruise fans. It is also only a matter of time before ocean cruise company announces an expansion into river cruising.