I really had no interest in trying a Christmas Markets river cruise in Europe. In my mind, every market would be overrun with aggressive shoppers, cheapskate lookers, sloppy drunks and of course, tourists. But I had to go just to experience it and hopefully prove myself wrong. And I did. How I ended up on […] Read more…
If you haven’t heard of CroisiEurope and Douce France, you’re not alone. CroisiEurope is a family-owned cruise line based in Strasbourg, France. The company started in 1979 as many do by chartering their boats. By 1990, they were building their own ships. Now CroisiEurope owns and operates 49 river ships and one sea ship. My […] Read more…
Crystal River Cruises will officially christen the third of four new identical river ships, Crystal Debussy, during a VIP ceremony on May 28, 2018, at 12:30PM EST. The line will be live streaming the Crystal Debussy event via Facebook Live on their Crystal Cruises Facebook page, allowing interested fans from around the world to welcome the […] Read more…
U by Uniworld, Uniworld River Cruise’s spin-off seemed like an interesting idea. Aimed strictly at guests under 45 years old, their redesigned river ships Named A and B, were launched with a mindset to mimic that of millennial-age passengers. Apparently, that didn’t work too well. So even before the first official cruise on April 14, […] Read more…
River cruises, especially Europe river cruises, continue to build in popularity. Every Europe river cruise line wants to attract younger clientele while still catering to their tried and true seniors. But not everyone, even experienced travelers, know what to expect and how to prepare for a Europe river cruise. Most river cruise passengers have already […] Read more…
AmaWaterways has released a very exciting glimpse into its 2019 offerings. And there’s a lot to offer. “Innovation is at the forefront of our business and we’re always challenging our teams to think about ‘what’s next’ in terms of services, itineraries and ship design,” said Kristin Karst, executive vice president and co-owner of AmaWaterways. “We […] Read more…
30 best photos from my Christmas Markets river cruise on the Rhine. A Christmas Markets river cruise. I’ve heard about them, seen dozens of stunning photos and read all the promo articles. Yet until last December, I had never experienced a Christmas Markets river cruise. An unexpected change of plans and suddenly I found myself on […] Read more…
An interesting partnership began last year when Disney’s Adventures by Disney tour division teamed up with AmaWaterways. The goal was to introduce families to river cruising, a concept not often considered when discussing river cruises. With Disney-quality programming and the beautiful new AmaWaterways AmaKristina, the family departures were a sell-out. Enter new Adults-Only Disney […] Read more…
Here is my first round pick of five of the best river cruises. If a cruise sounds appealing but the idea of spending your vacation with 4,500 other guests isn’t your cup of tea, it might be time to rethink that ocean cruise. You may be ready for a slower-paced river cruise. With so many riverboats and […] Read more…
Whether an ocean ship or river ship, what’s not to love about a brand new vessel. It was with this mindset that I boarded the new AmaWatersways AmaKristina in Basel, Switzerland. This was the new ship’s fourth cruise, and the official inaugural was only two weeks away. Not a traditional “shake-down” cruise as far as I could […] Read more…
AmaWaterways AmaKristina pre-cruise tour in Switzerland was four days; two days in Zurich and two days in Lucerne. Plenty of time to get a feel for two of this country’s most popular (and expensive!) cities. It was several years since I’ve tried a pre-cruise land extension, so I decided to try it. After a smooth 14-day transatlantic crossing aboard Holland […] Read more…
Eau de Cologne, Chocolate, Roman Ruins and Pop Art are just some of the unique museums in Cologne. As river cruises steadily gain more fans, so do certain itineraries. One of my favorite river cruise itineraries is on the Rhine River through Germany. Aside from dozens of spectacular cliff-hugging castles along the Rhine, there are also modern […] Read more…