Amadeus Waterways Update

AMA Waterways will be building two new ships per year until 2010, and is adding several new cruises throughout Europe to its offerings. Among the new destinations this year was a train-and-cruise package from Paris to Lyon and down to Barcelona. Introduced for next year is the “Romantic Danube” cruise, which offers three days in Prague and a cruise from Vilshofen to Budapest. “We give our clients more time in the Wachau Valley in Austria, which is the most beautiful wine country in Austria,” says Kristin Karst, vice president and co-owner of AMA Waterways. This package is in addition to AMA’s two existing Danube cruises, the “Legendary Danube” and the “Blue Danube Discovery.” Both cruises travel between Budapest and Nuremberg and offer extended stays in Prague at the beginning or end of the trip, depending on direction.

Also on the agenda for AMA is a second Christmas cruise. The “Winter Wonderland” package takes travelers on both the Rhine and Moselle Rivers, going from Amsterdam to Trier (the oldest city in Germany) and finally to Paris. “We really, truly believe that France and Paris are coming back strongly,” Karst says, adding that this package is ideal for clients “who have maybe done the Danube during Christmas [and] would like to do a different itinerary.” In 2010, AMA will offer Rhine cruises from Amsterdam to Basel. “The Danube is still, for us, at least, the most popular, but we get a lot of requests for the Rhine,” Karst says.

Karst believes that the ships contribute just as much to river cruising’s appeal as the itineraries do. “It’s an almost all-inclusive product,” she says. “We believe that everything that you have at home to be comfortable, that’s what you should have free of charge when you cruise with us.” AMA is, she adds, the only line that offers free Internet access onboard, making the trips ideal for people who want to get away from it all—but not too much.

For Extra Discounts on all Amawaterways sailings 800-640-4899