Better Than an AmaWaterways Brochure
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist
Perhaps you would wonder why we think we have a resource better than an AmaWaterways brochure or even their route descriptions online. The reason is really very simple—we have decided to provide you a comprehensive day-to-day itinerary of every route offered by AmaWaterways in Europe with our pictures of the port stops.
To say the least, this has been a huge undertaking but it really is necessary to provide you the best possible, current information on the routes offer by our favorite river cruise company. While it is not totally complete, we have finished 24 of the routes and all the rest are in draft form, so in a couple of weeks or so, this will be completely finished.
These guides are a report of our 23 Europe River Cruises with AmaWaterways and experiences of traveling to Europe for 51+ years. By my count, there are 31 different routes offered in 2023 in Europe by AmaWaterways. We have sailed on all rivers with AmaWaterways except the Seine and Douro (most multiple times). And even though we have not sailed these two rivers, we have experience in both Normandy (ok, we led two tours the 70th and 75th Anniversary of D Day) and Portugal, we have visited the sites of the pre-trip land package.
Overview
There are at least 20 to 45 or so pictures in each presentation—almost all ours—as you know, Anne, our company president, and my boss, is an amazing photographer and she is responsible for most of these photographs!
Our last cruise was on the Danube in 2022 for the start of the Christmas Markets—it was very cool to experience these markets again, after they were cancelled during most of 2020 and 2021. We are going this month to a river cruise expo in Budapest and will have the chance to sail on the AmaMagna—more chances for us to excel with new presentations.
So, let’s explore together and learn about our newest resource to better help you decide if this is the right company for your trip and the details of each route.
How We Organized this New Material
You will find 4 new pages on our website. Each new page is organized around a major Europe River system, which makes it a little easier to find a route or cruise that may be the perfect fit for your next vacation. It will also let you dream of a new trip that is possible with a cruise line that never disappoints.
To help you learn a little about this great new resource, I will feature one route of each section, so you can get an idea of the quality of these presentations.
AmaWaterways Danube Cruises (page link AmaWaterways Danube Cruises )
AmaWaterways offers 11 different routes on the Danube. 9 are completed, one is in draft form and the Grand Danube is a combination of two routes already completed, so I chose to create this one last.
I have chosen this route as a good representation of this section.
The Watchman of the Wachau—this is one of my favorite pictures taken by Anne but it is hard to chose from the more than 5,000 she has taken and we get to share with you.
AmaWaterways French Cruises (page link AmaWaterways French Cruises )
There are 5 routes in this page. 2 are completed, one will be posted shortly and 2 are in draft form. I have chosen this route as a good representation of this section.
This is the AmaKristina that sails the Colors of Provence Route
AmaWaterways Main Moselle and Rhine Cruises (page link AmaWaterways Main, Moselle and Rhine River Cruises )
There are 7 routes on this page. All 7 routes are completed. I have chosen this route as a good representation of this section.
Lahneck Castle Tour—an AmaWaterways exclusive!
AmaWaterways Rhine Cruises (page link AmaWaterways Rhine Cruises )
There are 6 routes on this page. All 6 are completed. I have chosen this route as a good representation of this section.
Lucerne—it is our 2nd favorite town in Europe!
AmaWaterways Douro Cruises
This page is not live yet but will feature the 2 routes offered.
Our Final Thoughts
This has been a true labor of love—that’s what Ama means--love. It was very important to update older presentations and create new ones, so you have an easy way to learn more about the routes offered and to help you really understand the value AmaWaterways brings to their guests.
We hope you enjoyed this report.
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!
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 51+ 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
