Rudi Schreiner

All meals while cruising are prepared by our executive chefs and we offer a choice of Western and Egyptian/Mediterranean cuisine. If you have special dietary requirements (e.g. vegan, diabetic, gluten-free etc.), please advise AmaWaterways at least 30 days prior to your departure. We will make every effort to accommodate your request with the resources available.

Egypt is a unique destination that is incomparable to our Europe itineraries. During the 7-night river cruise along the Nile, guests can enjoy fine dining with a variety of choices, including The Al Fresco Restaurant and are welcome to enjoy a selection of included wine, beer and soft drinks during lunch and dinner services. During the Sip & Sail cocktail hour each night, our skilled bartenders will prepare a specialty cocktail for everyone to sip as they watch the sun set on the Nile River. Since we work closely with the local farmers/markets, we remain mindful of accessible agriculture and local customs. Egypt is a breath-taking destination that everyone should experience once in their lives, I know your upcoming journey along the Nile will be nothing short of wonderful.

We offer solo cabins on a handful of our Europe ships, including the AmaLyra, AmaDolce, AmaDante and the AmaCello, but welcome solo travelers on all our ships. Our best single fare rate is the 25% single supplement and all of our fares include all fine dining on board, including at The Chef’s Table specialty restaurant, unlimited premium hand-selected wines, beer and soft drinks during lunch and dinner, sip & Sail cocktail hour with complimentary wine, beer, spirits and soft drinks, small group excursions with a variety of choices each day, complimentary high-quality Wi-Fi and more. We do continually review our offers and at times will have lower fares available so be sure to stay in touch with your travel advisor or visit our website for more information. Here is our solo traveler offer page for your reference: https://www.amawaterways.com/solo-traveler-2023

All of our Europe, Asia, and Egypt ships offer onboard laundry service and ironing for an affordable fee. Each stateroom is provided with a price list for this service. The AmaMagna is currently the only ship that provides a guest laundry room, complete with complimentary washer, dryer, and ironing board.

Hello Julie, Our unforgettable Seven River Journeys will forever mark their place in history as the longest and most epic river cruises. This year, in 2023, we offer three opportunities to experience this journey – a Spring Edition, a Summer Edition, and a Fall Edition. We do not have plans to sail in the Fall of 2024, however, if you and your husband are thinking of experiencing this journey, we still have availability for our Summer and Fall Seven River Journey’s this year. Or if you are interested in a river cruise experience that is longer than our standard 7/night sailing, perhaps the 14-night river Grand Danube Cruise itinerary would be a great option to enjoy in the Fall of 2024.

We first started cruising with the AmaDahlia during the Covid period, and with certain health and safety protocols in place, all meals needed to be served from a la carte menus rather than buffet style. We have now switched back to buffet style of presenting dishes, which is standard food service practice in Egypt. During the July/August break, we will be redesigning and enlarging the entire buffet area on AmaDahlia, which will open up new possibilities and enhance our guests’ mealtime experience.

Embarking on the Magdalena River in Colombia certainly is a journey of a lifetime. We appreciate the enthusiasm from our guests and travel partners surrounding the unveiling of these new 2024 itineraries on board our two new ships, AmaMagdalena and AmaMelodia. With year-round departures and a mild climate with temperatures that typically fluctuate just 20 degrees, Colombia is the ideal destination to experience at any time of year. On our Wonders of Colombia itinerary, we pause sailing for the month of September and proceed in October. On our Magic of Colombia itinerary, we pause sailing for the month of October and proceed in November. If interested in learning more, guests are encouraged to reach out to their travel advisors, or request a quote from our Reservations Specialists through our website: www.amawaterways.com/colombia

I thank you for your loyalty to AmaWaterways, our Vietnam and Cambodia river cruise itineraries are a wonderful experience. We don’t have a Sip & Sail cocktail hour on the AmaDara, but rather we serve a selection of complimentary alcoholic beverages such as spirits, beer, and cocktails throughout the day. During mealtimes, guests can enjoy our complimentary wine selection.

There are many definitions of “all-inclusive” within the travel industry but for AmaWaterways it has always meant including the best options so our guests can enjoy the freedom of personalizing their river cruise experience. Most important for us was including, at no extra charge, the choice of up to 23 excursions during a 7-night river cruise - all conducted in small groups with knowledgeable guides; all meals on board are included and we never charge extra for our specialty restaurants; we love helping our guests discover regional wines so we offer a choice of hand selected quality wines during lunch and dinner that changes every day; and we love hosting a daily complimentary “Sip & Sail” cocktail hour before dinner to encourage our guests to mingle and share their experiences of the day. We include gourmet coffee and tea stations, Wellness classes, bicycles and helmets and lots of evening entertainment. Additional cost for spa treatments, laundry, drinks at the bar outside of mealtimes and gratuities remain an individual choice.

Our ships in Europe are suitable for guests who need the assistance of a rollator or cane as long as they can manage some stairs with the assistance of their travelling companions. Our ships are small and easy to get around on and with less than 160 passengers onboard, there are no long waits or lineups for embarking and disembarking. Docking facilities, however, can be a challenge for anyone with restricted mobility. Many ports have stairways and ramps of considerable incline (depending on water levels of the river) and river ships often are required to dock in “parallel” formation which means that guests may have to traverse the stairways of another ship when going to and from their AmaWaterways ship. Our ships have elevators between most decks, however on all ships, the top sun decks are accessible only by a staircase. An important part of the AmaWaterways guest experience involves participating in a wide range of discovery tours in each port of call. Whenever possible, we offer small groups divided into gentle, regular and active walking paces. Even at a slower pace, cobblestone streets and uneven terrain in many ports of call can be challenging for those using a rollator or cane. Travelers or their travel advisors should talk directly to our experienced reservations team about their specific limitations. Overall, I would say that our European itineraries are more accessible than our Vietnam & Cambodia, Africa and Egypt cruises as these itineraries do have some tendering involved and a lot of uneven terrain.

We offer three classic Christmas Market cruises on the Rhine and Danube rivers, and you can’t go wrong with any of them. There is so much to experience in the markets themselves, but you will also love being on board our ships at this time of year as our crew love to create the most beautifully decorated ships and plan special events like carol singing and tree trimming which puts everyone into the holiday spirit. Danube highlights: Budapest, Vienna (probably the most impressive markets and Christmas lightings in Central Europe), Salzburg (Hellbrunn Palace Christmas Market), fascinating Thurn and Taxis Christmas Market in Regensburg, and Nuremberg where almost the entire city becomes a Christmas Market. Rhine highlights: Cologne, Rüdesheim and Heidelberg Christmas Markets, Strasbourg and Gengenbach Christmas Markets, medieval charming Riquewihr and beautiful Basel Christmas Markets.

The AmaPura was returned to our partners in Myanmar due to the Rohingya violence, which erupted again in November 2016, and resulted in the subsequent military crackdown. We operated our final Myanmar cruises in March 2017. It was a wonderful itinerary and we hope to eventually return to Myanmar again.

Today, sustainability has become the prime consideration not only when designing a new ship but also when it comes to upgrades and enhancements to all of our 26 ships which are already in operation. Shallow draft has always been an important consideration, but other important considerations are adding new and improved wellness and activity facilities, such as our new pickleball court on board the AmaMagna, to meet the needs of today’s active travelers.

I normally cruise on our ships 5 or 6 times a year and I make sure to experience each and every one of our itineraries at least once every 4 years and my favorite itinerary is always the one I am on at the time! I just recently returned from a cruise on the Zambezi Queen on the Chobe River, and it was again a truly fantastic experience.