Some Outstanding River Cruise Trips on AmaWaterways in 2022 and 2023
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist
It’s been a while since I wrote an in-depth blog about AmaWaterways.
They always seem to be refining and upgrading their offerings, so I thought I’d report on this for you. So, our challenge is to give you great information about 18 different AmaWaterways cruises from our perspective after taking 20 different AmaWaterways cruises.
The route maps are all courtesy of AmaWaterways and used by their permission. As always, about 90%+ of the photos are ours and almost all taken by Anne, who is amazing capturing the essence of the places we have visited on these trips.
Yes, we have been on the whole route or parts of the route of all the cruises we are writing about in this blog!
So, let’s explore together and learn about AmaWaterways in 2022 and 2023.
I will start with a quick overview of the features of a cruise with AmaWaterways in Europe; tell you about a special promotion; and then dive into the routes in this long blog.
Overview
Before I start with specific cruises, I thought it would be a good thing to review what to expect on an AmaWaterways cruise trip with its onboard inclusions:
Fabulous food and wine in the main dining room & Chef’s Table Dining Experience—the awesome meals feature locally sourced fresh ingredients and recipes, and local wines.
Included “Sip & Sail” cocktail hour.
Elegantly Appointed Accommodations with never-ending scenic views on either their signature twin balconies, French balconies, or the fixed windows on the first deck
Complimentary Excursions in each port—including walking tours of historic areas, guided biking or hiking options (called active adventures) and cultural tours often featuring local great food and wine
Unlimited complimentary Wi-Fi access
An included Wellness program that is the best in Europe River Cruising—led by certified hosts who conduct fitness classes for you that range from Yoga to heart-pumping fitness cardio, and they help lead the bike and hiking tours.
A crew who always are exceptional—they provide the best service and safety for guests on Europe’s Rivers and your whole cruise is executed to perfection by a professional Cruise Manager to help you get the best experiences for your vacation.
Here is a blog I wrote about why you should sail on AmaWaterways a while back:
AmaWaterways New “More to Love” Special Offer
This is a special offer that is a complete “all-inclusive trip”. It is available on select 2022 Europe River Cruises that are reserved and deposited by April 30, 2022.
The offer includes:
7-Night Luxury River Cruise, Roundtrip Airfare, Land Package, Transfers, Port Charges and Travel Waiver Plus From $5,499* Per Person!
The offer is for a French Balcony cabin, can be upgraded to other balcony cabins, and can be customized to include all features of the package or delete features.
This is a great offer—it can save as much as $3,000 off a trip on AmaWaterways—AMAZING!
Rhine River Cruises
The Rhine is the busiest commercial river in Europe, yet it is also famous for castles, and vineyards. Let’s learn about some Rhine River cruises together.
Tulip Time and The Best of Holland and Belgium
The Tulip Time cruise was our 4th cruise on AmaWaterways in 2013. At first, AmaWaterways only sailed the Tulip Time route on the lower Rhine and canals in the Netherlands and Belgium in the spring. It is a round trip loop that starts and ends in Amsterdam.
Do you love flowers? Then visit the Netherlands in the springtime, when spectacular carpets of colorful tulips are in full bloom on a Tulip Time River Cruise. Throw in lush green countryside adorned with picturesque windmills and add delicious cheeses and already the trip sounds awesome. Also, this route can include the Belgium towns of Ghent, Arnhem, Antwerp, and our personal favorite Brugge.
Here is a blog I wrote about Tulip Time Cruises in 2019 on all major River Cruise Companies:
While once only sailed in the spring, AmaWaterways now sails this route during the summer and autumn and call it the Best of Holland & Belgium.
Enchanting Rhine and Captivating Rhine
We first did the Enchanting Rhine in 2016 and 2021 the Captivating Rhine in 2019. The second route on the Rhine is usually from Amsterdam to Basel Switzerland on the Rhine, (or from Basel to Amsterdam on the next 7-day cruise), using both the lower Rhine and the upper Rhine (the upper Rhine is defined from Koblenz to its source in Lake Constance).
This is the second most popular cruise route in Europe.
This cruise begins with legendary canals and the colorful surroundings of Amsterdam, past the majestic Cologne Cathedral and on to the Black Forest region of Germany and the Alsace region of France. The best stretch is the Rhine River Gorge with its’ 40 castles dotting the hillsides—unmatched anywhere in the world!
Here are 2 blogs I wrote about this route—the first is the Enchanting Rhine route; the second is Captivating Rhine Route during Christmas:
Rhine Castles & Swiss Alps
The difference in this cruise is the addition of Lake Como as a land extension and it only goes on the Captivating Rhine route but offers a trip to Lucerne at the Basel port. Lucerne is an awesome stop and perhaps our favorite Swiss city.
Rhine & Moselle Fairytales; Rhine and Moselle Delights and the Rivers & Castles Routes
First, the Rivers & Castle route—it was our first sailing in 2009 with AmaWaterways. We were instantly hooked—so much vacation in a 7-day trip. It sails from Trier, Germany to Nuremberg, Germany, or the reverse route (our sailing was the reverse route) on portions of the Rhine and the Main tributary and part of the Main Canal. It includes the best portions of the Rhine River dotted with picturesque castles from the Rhine River Gorge.
The Rhine & Moselle Fairytales and Rhine & Moselle Delights is a combination of both the Rhine and Moselle and is a longer cruise (11 nights). The Mosel also has some stunning castles nestled near vineyards and the steep riverbank slopes. This route includes visits to two great wine regions of Germany—the Mosel region famous for Riesling wines and the Franconia wine region is less well-known producer of dry white wines made from Sylvaner grapes.
Some consider the Mosel the most beautiful river in Europe—this river has been one of my personal favorites since 1989 on my first visit.
Danube Cruises
Legendary Danube and Blue Danube Discovery
The Legendary Danube was our second cruise in 2011 and we have taken the Blue Danube Discovery route in 2012 and 2018. 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 typically goes from Nuremberg or Vilshofen to Budapest.
You will get to visit 4 countries, 2 or 3 capital cities (Vienna, usually Bratislava and Budapest), castles, Abbeys, wine-sloped terraces, and even quaint villages--it is a great voyage.
This route sometimes uses the Main-Danube Canal if it goes all the way Nuremberg (106 miles long with 16 locks)—a marvel of engineering and completion of a dream started by Charlemagne in 793 that was finally completed in 1992—about 1200 years later.
Magna on the Danube
The AmaMagna sails the whole Danube on the Vilshofen to Budapest route and the Black Sea Voyage route. It can be a seven-night cruise, or a fourteen-night Grand Danube cruise described below.
The difference here is the best river ship in all of Europe—the Double Wide AmaMagna. We have never sailed her but looking forward to it! Since we have not yet sailed on the AmaMagna, the photos of this wonderful ship are courtesy of AmaWaterways.
Grand Danube Cruise
The Grand Danube is a combination of the upper Danube Route (described in the Legendary and Blue Danube routes) and the Black Sea Voyage on the lower Danube we did in 2014.
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 either ends in Bucharest, Romania or at the Black Sea.
Here are 2 blogs I wrote about sailing on the Danube:
French Cruises
Colors of Provence
We have done this route three times —in 2013, 2014 and 2016, leading a group. This Rhône and Saône cruise goes from Lyon to Arles or Avignon.
Starting in Lyon, the gastronomical capital of France, the cruise goes through France's legendary wine growing regions of Beaujolais and Cote du Rhône, and allows you observe medieval villages in the Provence region of France.
Then on to the Papal town of Avignon and finish in Arles, where Vincent Van Gogh spent much of his time. The cruise then changes direction from Arles to Lyon for the next 7-day cruise. 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.
Here is a blog I wrote about the Colors of Provence River Cruise on AmaWaterways:
Essence of Burgundy & Provence
We are leading a group on this cruise in October 2022—come join us! There is more emphasis here on the Saône River.
A Taste of Bordeaux
In 2017, we sailed on the Taste of Bordeaux route. This cruise is in the Bordeaux region of France on the Garonne, Dordogne, and Gironde Rivers. It is a round trip cruise out of Bordeaux and features wine tastings, impressive chateaux’s, and abundant vineyards along the Garonne and its tributaries.
There are over 8,500 wine producing estates in this region—it is often considered the wine capital of the world. Usual port cities of Cadillac, Pauillac, Bourg and Libourne are included in most sailings of this region. This is an important wine region of France, and you will experience tastings of some of the most distinguished wines in the world including Sauternes, Medoc, and Bordeaux wines (my personal favorites).
If you like wine, cognac, oysters, truffles, chateaux, and the grand buildings of Bordeaux, this is the cruise for you.
Here is a blog I wrote about this cruise:
Special Cruises
Seven Rivers Journeys
This unique journey requires a completely different blog and we have sailed most of this route. It sails through 14 different countries on 7 different portions of Europe’s best rivers.
Secrets of Egypt & the Nile
Queen Nefertari’s Tomb. in December 2021. Photo Anne Schrader
In December 2021, we sailed this new addition to the AmaWaterways offerings for a 10-day land and cruise package that will fascinate you. The adventure starts in Cairo, staying at the 5-star Four Seasons Hotel with views of the Nile, the world’s longest river.
In Cairo, highlights of the 3-day stay were visits to 3 Pyramids of Giza (the only remain intact structures of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) and the Sphinx; touring the Egyptian Museum; a visit to Memphis (the old capital of Ancient Egypt); and the burial grounds of the Saqqara, with the wonderful step pyramid of Djoser.
Next, aboard the AmaDahlia, a newly designed Nile River cruise ship, we got to sail the Nile for 7 days. Among the highlights were visits to Hall of Karnak (my personal favorite due its size and grandeur), the beguiling Temple of Luxor, the burial tombs of Valley of the Kings (we saw 3 tombs including King Tut’s tomb) and in the Valley of the Queens, where we had exclusive access to the Tomb of Queen Nefertari (a stunning tomb that was Anne’s favorite).
We took optional tour to Abu Simbel, and it was amazing. I also liked the Temple of Kom Ombo (a temple dedicated to 2 gods—the Falcon god and the Crocodile god), and the Temple of Edfu (dedicated to the Falcon god).
This tour is not for everyone but an amazing experience and a fascinating look into Ancient Egypt. Here are 3 great blogs about this trip:
Our Final Thoughts
I’ll bet by now you realize few travel advisors have the depth of knowledge we have about AmaWaterways cruises. If you want first-hand perspective with folks who really know the Europe River Cruise scene, we are the right choice!
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 50 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
