AmaWaterways European River Cruise Bingo

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

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

As the new year starts, I thought it might be fun to play Bingo with AmaWaterways. They have created a Bingo Card list of experiences, and it is a great reminder of how many unique things you can expect from taking AmaWaterways river cruises.

Instead of calling out numbers, you get a square for each experience. This is a challenging list, and I will play based upon either an experience or if a client has achieved the square on the Bingo Card. To show and get credit, we will post a picture of the experience on the square and a brief explanation of why we should get credit for the square. We will go from the top left by row to the bottom right.

So, let’s Play Bingo.

Here is the Bingo Card

# 1 Glide Past Fairytale Castles Along the Rhine

We crushed this one—5+ trips along the Rhine during all seasons. Here is my favorite photos of the castles (we actually have all twenty-eight (28) of the 40 castles you can see from the Rhine River in the middle Rhine Gorge in a blog)

**Some of the 28 Castles visable in the Rhine River Gorge**

**The toll station in the middle of the Rhine River**

#2 Taste Local Wines in a Charming Vineyard

This hard part for this one was to select the best example of these unique experience (we like wine and visits to wineries). Here is our selection:

**Rhone River Wine Tasting with Cruise Manager Kris**

**Domaine des Averlys Vineyards in France**

**Our Wine host and owner of the Domaine des AverlysVineyards**

# 3 Capture a Photo with New Friends on Board

Lots of choices but we have to go with our travel chums Denise and Mark who we meet in 2013 and now sail with regularly:

**Mark and Denise in Vienne, France. They are our travel chums. We met in 2013.**

#4 Explore the Historic Canals of Amsterdam

At least twice for me—here are some cool pictures:

**The distinctive Gabled roofs of Amsterdam**

# 5 Celebrate a Special Milestone on Board

Several, but best ones are members of groups we had led.

**One of our many Groups we have hosted celebrating the finish of our D Day Trip in 2019**

**Part of the 71 River Cruise Reunion Group**

Denise celebrates her birthday on the Secrets of Egypt and the Nile—Ok a little cheating here but this was such a cool picture I couldn’t resist and we have posted others of her birthday on other blogs!

#6 Visit Monet’s Gardens in Giverny

No square for us—sadly, we have never been. Several of our clients have gone, but we won’t claim credit here. We are planning a group cruise in 2026 to get this Bingo Square Block—maybe you like to join us?

#7 Learn how to say Good Morning in Another language

**We always try to say good morning to all the waiters in their native language. From Serbia Dobro Jutrol and of course Dobar dan—Good Morning**

#8 Experience a Traditional Dance Performance

**Classical Dance Performance during a Provence AmaWaterways Cruise Photo Anne Schrader**

#9 Cruise Through the Stunning Iron Gates

The Iron Gates are a gorge on the lower Danube that forms part of the boundry between Serbia and Romania

**Mraconia Monastery in the Iron Gates**

#10 Sample Gourmet Cheeses in France

**Cheese and Wine in Vienne, France prior to taking an AmaWaterways Cruise**

#11 Take a Bike Ride in Durnstein

We have not done this—no Bingo Block for us!

#12 Visit a French Chateau on an Excursion

Several French Chateau count here (we add a few others to my pick) but on a Bordeaux cruise this castle stands out for me as both a fort and a spectacular interior:

**Roquetaillade Castle near Cadillac France—it had a nice interior but no pictures allowed**

**Chateau Cormatin and grounds. Photo Anne Schrader**

**Interior of Chateau Cormatin** Photo Hank Schrader

**The Grandest Chateau of all time Versailles, France**

# 13 Enjoy an Evening of Classical Music on Board

Always a treat—maybe 4 times or so. Most famous are the Gypsy Kings group.who we have enjoyed. But I think this picture is a perfect classic concert—maybe not in the traditional sense, but our all time favorite entertainment on board

**Classic Concerts are fun but our favorite was the Black Cat Kids who came to sing to us in Zell Germany in honor of the famous German Black Cat Wine prior to our excursion there!**

# 14 Share This Bingo Card with a Travel Partner

Fairly sure a blog counts here—what do you think?

#15 Explore the Medieval Town of Regensburg

Visited at least 6 times—great all seasons long but especially for the Christmas Markets!

**Watch Tower guarding the Old Stone Bridge, Regensburg, Germany**

**The Old Stone Bridge Regensburg, Germany**

#16 Participate in a Guided Art Tour in Paris

We can’t get credit for this Bingo square but have visited 3 art museums in Paris. Here are some photos>

**Entrance to the Orsey Art Gallery Paris, France**

**Monet Painting in the Orsay Art Museum**

Gates of Hell Scupture, Rodin Gallery Paris, France

#17 Attend at Least 3 Wellness Classes on Board

Our clients helped get this square—since I taught at West Point in the Phys. Ed Department, and have observed and participated in the classes, we get double credit here but never 3 sessions in one cruise! Just think--where else could you get Champagne Yoga?

**AmaWaterways Bike Tour in the Wachau Velley**

#18 Join a Local Market Tour in Provence

Seasonal eating in Provence is legendary.

**Truffle Dog, Provence Cruise—we then got to sample some truffles**

**A little stretching here—Lyon Market is on the border of Provence**

# 19 Taste Fresh Waffles in Belgium

Nothing quite like it—enjoy this picture in Antwerp, Belgium

**This were the waffles they served—awesome Belgium Waffles**

#20 Experience the Magic of Christmas Markets

We have been on 6 Christmas Markets cruises and leading a sold out group on the AmaMagna in November 2025.

**Heidelburg** Christmas Booth—in the background are the castle ruins,

**Making Kasespatzle in Stasbourg, France during the Chroistmas Markets**

**Huge Candle Latern in Basel Switzerland**

**Christmas Markets Schornbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria**

# 21 Enjoy Sunset Views from the Sun Deck

Probably everyone who sails on AmaWaterways gets this square!

# 22 Take a Photo at Keukenhof Gardens

We had a great visit there in 2012. Best garden in Europe!

**Kuekenhof Gardens Pavilion Display. Photo Anne Schrader**

# 23 Enjoy a Spa Treatment on Board

We have never taken a Spa Treatment—no square for us!

Nothing like a message to brighten your day!

# 24 Extend Your Journey with a Land Package

We often add these to our clients’ trips.

**Covered Bridge Lucerne, Switzerland. This is part of a 4-day visit to both Lucerne and Zurich and avilable on many cruises that start and end in Basel Switzerland**

St. Peter Church, Old Town Zurich, Switzerland. The clock is the second largest clock tower in Europe.

Chillon Castle on Lake Geneva—Part of the Land Extension on the Essence of Burgundy and Provence AmaWaterways Cruise.

**Prague Castle Tour on the Land Extension on several Danube Cruise routes.**

Our Final Thoughts

What a fun way to learn about the many experiences you could have during a sailing. By my count, we get 20 of 24–maybe you can get more! Try the list yourself and if you want to get closer to a full card (Coverall in Bingo lingo), reach out to us for help.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts. We have first-hand knowledge of 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 with high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@visitdd.com . We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry. Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA. Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations. She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors. An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 52 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

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