Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection is bringing the reality of its luxurious ships to life with the launch of its very first virtual reality app.

The S.S. Maria Theresa, Uniworld’s flagship masterpiece, is showcased in marvellous 360-degree views via the revolutionary app technology.

Uniworld is one of the only river and ocean cruise lines to offer this type of virtual reality technology to agents and prospective guests.

Viewers can completely immerse themselves in the beauty and luxury of the S.S. Maria Theresa; from the striking lobby to the unique furnishings of the Royal Suite, the cuisine of the Baroque Restaurant, the plush Lipizzan Cinema and the stunning Bar du Leopard and it indoor swimming pool with mosaic detail.

The app also introduces guests to some of the characters on board, from the in-suite butlers to the barmen and even the captain in his state-of-the-art wheelhouse.

This revolutionary technology provides agents with the tools to showcase Uniworld’s unique offering to prospective customers while also improving their understanding of Uniworld’s luxury on board experience for themselves.

The footage on-board the S.S. Maria Theresa was shot using state-of-the-art spherical camera technology ensuring every detail of the ship was captured.

Six Ladybug cameras were mounted on a rig to capture a 360-degree view of the ship’s interior and then the video from each camera was stitched together to create the seamless VR experience.

Kathryn Beadle, managing director of Uniworld UK, commented: “We are very proud to be at the forefront of marketing technology with the launch our first virtual reality app.

“This is an exceptionally powerful application which arms agents with the tools to showcase the levels of luxury available on our ships.

“The experience on board the S.S. Maria Theresa is the embodiment of all that Uniworld represents: unparalleled luxury, comfort and sophistication; fine dining and the highest levels of service.

“Uniworld can now build deeper interactions with customers through the power of virtual reality technology.”

The app has been developed to function with Oculus Rift, a virtual reality head-mounted display that can be worn by the user and completely immerses you inside the virtual world.

The Rift will be released to the public early in 2016.