AmaWaterways is a

Calabasas, California Calabasas (from Spanish language, Spanish ''calabazas'' "gourds") is a city in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, between the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Monica and Santa Susana Mountains, Santa Susanna mounta ...

based

river cruise A river cruise is a voyage along inland waterways, often stopping at multiple ports along the way. Since cities and towns often grew up around rivers, river cruise ships frequently dock in the center of cities and towns. Descriptions River da ...

company that offers cruises in Europe, Southern Africa, Southeast Asia, South America, and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. Its price range is considered "mid-tier" among river cruises. It had a fleet of 26 ships as of 2022.

History

AmaWaterways was co-founded in 2002 by Rudi Schreiner, Jimmy Murphy, and Kristin Karst. Schreiner had been one of the pioneers of the river cruise industry after the

Rhine–Main–Danube Canal The Rhine–Main–Danube Canal (German: ''Rhein-Main-Donau-Kanal''; also called Main-Danube Canal, RMD Canal or Europa Canal), is a canal in Bavaria, Germany. Connecting the Main and the Danube rive ...

opened in 1992. Schreiner was still the president and co-owner of the company as of 2018.

Present day

AmaWaterways cruise ships ply a number of rivers in Europe, including the Danube,

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...

Douro The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part of ...

Moselle The Moselle ( , ; german: Mosel ; lb, Musel ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it jo ...

Main Main may refer to: Geography * Main River (disambiguation) **Most commonly the Main (river) in Germany * Main, Iran, a village in Fars Province *"Spanish Main", the Caribbean coasts of mainland Spanish territories in the 16th and 17th centuries ...

Garonne The Garonne (, also , ; Occitan, Catalan, Basque, and es, Garona, ; la, Garumna or ) is a river of southwest France and northern Spain. It flows from the central Spanish Pyrenees to the Gironde estuary at the French port of Bordeaux – a ...

, and

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

. Outside Europe, their ships cruise the

Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River is a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , ...

and Chobe rivers. At each port of call, there are guided excursions that are graded according to the difficulty level of the walking. The company also caters to bicyclists, golfers, and other active passengers. Starting in 2016, it offered "cruise and bike trips on the Rhine, Seine and Douro". Cruises are full-board and include wine and beer with meals as well as a cocktail hour. AmaWaterways is reportedly the only river cruise line to belong to the gourmet chain La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs. Unusually for river cruises, there are hair salons on AmaWaterways ships, as well as spas, gyms, and libraries.

Special interest cruises

To attract families with younger children, AmaWaterways partnered with

Adventures by Disney Adventures by Disney (ABD) provides group guided family vacations to various domestic and international destinations. The company is a subsidiary of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products's Signature Experiences division. Disney Parks is a subsidi ...

to create Disney-themed cruises that feature the

Christmas market A Christmas market, also known as ''Christkindlmarkt'' (literally: ''Christ Child Market'', but the term "Christkind" usually refers to an angel-like "spirit of Christmas" rather than literally the Christ Child), ''Christkindlesmarkt'', ''Chris ...

s in cities on the Danube and Rhine rivers, among others. The company has also offered promotions for solo travellers. On four ships (the ''AmaDolce'', ''AmaLyra'', ''AmaCello'', and ''AmaDante''), single cabins are available without a supplemental fee.

Fleet

As of 2022, AmaWaterways had a fleet of 26 ships. One of these, the ''AmaMagna'', is the largest cruise ship on the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

. Roughly twice as wide as other cruise ships on the Danube, the ''AmaMagna'' is meant to offer passengers more roomy accommodations and more dining options than would be possible on a narrower river cruise ship.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Amawaterways American companies established in 2002 Companies based in Calabasas, California Cruise lines River cruise companies River cruise ships Transport companies established in 2002