AmaWaterways 46 Night Europe River Cruise

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

www.dreamdestinations.com

AmaWaterways has done it again—a bold new program that is unmatched in European River Cruising. No wonder their slogan rings true—“Leading the Way in River Cruising”

Taking a note from the popular world ocean cruising offerings, AmaWaterways has created their version of a “world” cruise in Europe on a 46 night adventure using 4 different AmaWaterways riverships.

Please read this whole blog—I have some real new news about a second cruise that were released about 1 hour ago on 18 March 2021—a new opportunity to an added chance for a second added sailing that is slightly different!

The cruise will start on 1 June 2023 and is open for reservations on 15 March 2021.

So, let’s explore together and learn about this unique opportunity to visit 14 countries on 7 different rivers—you won’t be disappointed!

Overview of the Cruise

Map of the entire route. Image from AmaWaterways who gave us permission to use in this blog.

The 7 rivers of this unique sailing are the Seine, the Rhône, the Saône, the Rhine, the Moselle, the Main and the Danube Rivers.

The 14 countries on this trip are: France, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czech Republic (if you take the Cesky Krumlov tour), Slovakia, Austria, Hungry, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania.

The French Part of the Cruise—14 days

The Seine route is a 7 day round trip cruise into Normandy, starting and ending in Paris. The cruise highlights are Monet's village of Giverny; the harbor town of Honfleur; Rouen, the historic capital of Normandy and the spot where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431 (also of special note is the 700 restored half-timber buildings in the old quarter); as well as a chance to visit the medieval towns along this scenic route and visit the D-Day Normandy beaches.

Statue at Normandy Beach in 2014 in France

This is a gentle voyage along farmland and meadows, historic towns and good food such as brie and camembert cheeses, calvados (apple brandy) and Normandy cider. If you like history, such as the 100 Years War between England and France, want to learn more about the largest amphibious landing in history at the D Day beaches, and like impressionist paintings, this portion of the cruise will especially appeal to you.

The first leg of the journey will be on the AmaLyra.

**Our first river cruise was on the AmaLyra in 2009—what a great experience—it got us hooked on river cruising and AmaWaterways**

When you arrive in Paris after completing the Seine portion of the cruise, you will then take the TGV to Lyon for the second leg of the France portion of the cruise. The transfer will be seamless—AmaWaterways will handle all the luggage and you will be escorted to the TGV high speed train. We have experienced a transfer similar to this on a previous AmaWaterways cruise in this region and it is a very easy process—professionally handled as you would expect from AmaWaterways.

The Rhône and Saône cruise goes from Lyon to Tarascon, France (Tarascon is about 14 miles south of Avignon). You will sail on the AmaKristina.

Starting in Lyon, the gastronomical capital of France, the cruise goes through France's legendary wine growing regions of Beaujolais and Cote du Rhone, and allows you observe medieval villages in the Provence region of France.

Truffle Dog during one of our 3 Provence river cruises.

Then on to the Papal town of Avignon.

Wine regions of the Rhone River Valley. Image from AmaWaterways

You will sample great wines, visit Roman ruins, and learn about the cuisine of Provence, among stunning scenery—fields of purple lavender, yellow sunflowers and vineyards.

We have sailed on this route 3 times and each time it was awesome—we are ready to return anytime.

From Tarascon, you will take the TGV to Mulhouse Germany.

The Middle Leg on the Rhine and its Tributaries—17 Days

This is combination of the best voyages on the Rhine, the Moselle, the Main and the uses the Main-Danube Canal to reach the Danube.

You will sail this leg on the AmaPrima.

The first part sails from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam (it is a version of the Enchanting Rhine itinerary). The first part of this cruise is a visit to the Alsace region of France for Strasbourg and Riquewihr or to Freiburg in Germany. At the port of Ludwigshafen, guests can take a trip to either Heidelberg or Speyer.

Strasbourg France canal—you can see the famous cathedral in the background.

Then to the Rhine River Gorge, with its 40 castles guarding the steep banks after a visit to Rüdesheim.

Among the many highlights of this leg is a visit to Lahneck Castle tour (a unique exclusive private tour only available on AmaWaterways). The last two stops are Cologne and Amsterdam. We hope you like our pictures from previous cruises:

Now, back south on the Rhine again, through the Rhine River Gorge again and off to the Moselle. Key port stops are Cochem, Bernkastel, Trier and Luxembourg.

Then back up north on the Moselle, with a chance to visit Berg Eltz, again, unique to my knowledge in the river cruise industry.

Here are some of our favorite pictures from the Moselle:

Now, a chance to explore more of Germany on the Main River, after a visit to Koblenz (the confluence of the Moselle and Rhine) and a third trip past the Rhine River Gorge (trust me it never gets old—most folks consider this the best stretch of sights on any river in Europe).

Port stops on the Main include Miltenberg, Wertheim, Wurzburg, Bamberg and Nuremberg before cruising the Main-Danube Canal with a final stop in Vilshofen. I really like the Main tributary and here are a few of our favorite pictures of this great leg:

The Final Leg on the Danube—14 Days

At Vilshofen, you will make a transfer to the AmaVerde (we haven’t sailed on it so no personal picture of this 135 meter rivership).

The Upper Danube is the other great route on Europe rivers (it is the single most popular river cruise route in all Europe—it has about 30% of all river cruise passengers that take a Europe river cruise every year)—and it goes from Vilshofen to Budapest on the first 7 day leg of this 14 day cruise segment. You will get to visit 4 countries (the four are Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary, but you can up it to 5 countries if you take the Cesky Krumlov excursion in the Czech Republic), 3 capital cities (Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest), castles, Abbeys, wine-sloped terraces and even quaint villages--it is a great voyage.

**Schonbuhel Castle —The Watchman of the Danube**

The lower Danube is the gateway to Eastern Europe. This segment begins in Budapest and ends near the Black Sea. It starts with the rolling hills and vine-clad slopes of the Pecs in Hungary; then moves to the boundary waters that separate Serbia and Croatia; then traverses the narrow gorges of the Iron Gates, a stunning passage that divides the Balkan and Carpathian Mountains and ends near Bucharest, Romania.

What is included in this Epic Journey?

This cruise will have a dedicated cruise manager for the entire 46 night journey. Gratuities are included for the ship crew and for all the 130 included tours. Each ship will have all the standard wonderful offerings of AmaWaterways—great staterooms; awesome dining with included regional wines, beer and other beverages; Sip-n-Sail happy hour; complimentary laundry; free Wi-Fi; seamless transfers between ships; and included chef table at no additional costs.

Costs and Availability

The cruise is limited to 144 guests. Prices begin at $25,999 per person with $1350 port charges (also per person) for a fixed window stateroom. French balconies start at $34,988 per person with port charges of $1350 per person. Balconies start at $48,988 per person with port charges of $1350. There was a pre-cruise waiting list offer and currently AmaWaterways is contacting those on the list to apply their refundable deposit of $4,800 to the cruise.

As of 17 March 2021, according to a webinar I attended from AmaWaterways, there still are openings for this cruise—if you are interested, we suggest you contact us quickly!

Added Epic Cruise in April 2023 (20 April to 4 June) BREAKING NEWS!

This was announced last week (10 March 2021) during a weekly webinar for travel agents only by the AmaWaterways leadership—a slightly different version of the 46 night unique journey. This version will include only the Rhône cruise as the first leg and expand the Rhine leg by adding a Tulip Time route in the Netherlands and Belgium. The rest of this section will use the same route described above. The last segment will be on the Danube but use the double wide AmaMagna.

3 ships only on this route, so only one transfer by TVG from the Rhône to the Rhine. Reservations have not opened up yet and my friends at AmaWaterways gave me some amazing pricing just before I was about to send out the blog.

There is some amazing pricing for this trip. Each person has to pay $1350 port charges.

Cat E (fixed window) $24,999 Total Price with port charges $26,349

Cat D (fixed window $28,398 Total Price with Port Charges $29,748

Because their are different types of riverships on this cruise, balcony prices have a total range as follows:

$33,348 $35,348 $36,348 $40,348 $41,348 $43,348 $44,348 $51, 348

For those of you who want the ultimate suite staterooms, here are the prices (note very limited):

Suite/GS $57.384 total Suite/OS $62.348

Learn more About this Amazing Cruise

Here are some pictures and a map of the Tulip Time route:

My Final Thoughts

What a great adventure—a world cruise on Europe’s Rivers—just another reason we love the Old World of Europe so much!

We have sailed on all these rivers except the Seine and from personal experience can testify this will be a trip of a lifetime, unmatched by any other river cruise company. We hope you enjoyed these pictures as much as we enjoyed seeing them during our travels.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts. We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe. We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you. We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip. You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience. And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process. We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you! We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com. We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 49 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:

AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent

AmaWaterways 46-Night Europe River Cruise

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