What’s a cruise line executive to do when sales are soaring, ships are full, and there’s just not much capacity left on existing itineraries? Well, if you’re Rudi Schreiner, AmaWaterways’ co-founder and godfather of river cruising, you just draw on your 50 years of experience and create new destinations and make your seasons longer.
Indeed, river cruising is hotter than ever—even in colder weather, the AmaWaterways co-owner believes. To keep up with the demand, AmaWaterways is extending a number of itineraries into new dates and new seasons—beginning on the Danube and Rhine rivers in February, 2024.
Sailing down the Danube on a press junket earlier this month, AmaSonata’s godmother (and also Ama VP of Strategic Alliances) Brenda Kyllo told TRO, “Rudi loves to innovate and wants to try having two ships starting to cruise February 11 – the AmaMagna on the Danube and the AmaLucia on the Rhine.”
Even as she hinted at another big announcement to come in the next week or two (stay tuned right here!), she talked about extending the seasons in Portugal and Egypt as well.
But first, Europe. Spring starts early on the Continent, Kyllo noted, and “it’s Rudi’s vision that there are lots of people who want to avoid the crowds and the heat,” and who want to visit museums and other indoor places. Some river cruise companies catering primarily to European guests sail all winter, though it’s not usual in the North American market, she acknowledges.
AmaWaterways has begun the education process about the new Europe dates with its travel advisor partners, through whom 97% of its bookings are made. “We’ll probably do some fams to get these new dates top of mind with our travel advisors,” she says.
For 2024, “Rudi said he’s happy whatever the occupancy is; knowing every year the occupancy will build just like it did when we introduced the first Christmas Market cruises,” Kyllo says. “It’s really a new season and once travel advisors get it on their radar and start presenting it to their clients, he’s sure it will be a successful program.”
(Indeed, Rudi is always looking at new destinations, she acknowledged, though she declined to cite exact directions. She did tell me the story of his honeymoon in Africa with AmaWaterways co-owner Kristin Karst, when Kristin had just one rule: No river cruising on their honeymoon! Rudi couldn’t resist trying out the Zambezi Queen on the Chobe River and Kristin loved it so much that AmaWaterways now runs Africa itineraries with five different options that combine river cruise and land packages, centered around the unique “water safaris” that follow the animals along the Chobe River for five days.)
Strong bookings in Portugal also have led AmaWaterways to extend the season for its two ships there. Where these sailings used to end the first week in November, they now will run until the end of December. And while Portugal does not have the traditional Christmas market of other cities like Cologne, Strasbourg, or Vienna, there are nativity scenes and Christmas trees and a wonderful festive atmosphere. “We’re very happy with how that’s going, though it takes a while for new opportunities to catch on,” Kyllo says.
Egypt also is seeing record bookings, and AmaWaterways is extending that season until the end of June. And what about the heat? “You do most of the tours starting in the early morning and often cruise in the afternoon,” she says. “We advise our travel partners and rely on them to ensure that their clients understand, and are prepared, for the higher temperatures at this time of year ..”
The Overall Picture
Indeed, 2023 has been an excellent year at AmaWaterways, Kyllo says. While things started to get a little quiet in the summer months as airfares rose, a lot of last-minute bookings then clicked in, thanks in part to AirPlus, AmaWaterways’ fixed price air program on certain European departures, “that helped people get over their reaction to high airfares and really stimulated business.”
The only snag has been in Colombia, where the launch of the AmaWaterways’ newest destination has been delayed from April until November 2024.
Still, delays are not unexpected on any new itinerary.
“Everything is new in Colombia,” Kyllo says. “It was really important to us to work with the local authorities, and all the guides and activities have to be built around our program. It’s better to do everything carefully. The government [of Colombia] wants this program to be successful, it means a great deal to them that we are opening up parts of the country to tourism, it’s not just Cartagena. So there’s no rush. The interest is great; it’s going to be a wonderful program. And you know Rudi, he’s always conservative and careful in his planning. If he senses there might be a little bit of a delay, he’d rather push it out than disappoint guests.”
For travel advisors looking to grow their group business, AmaWaterways is a great choice with a specialized department dedicated to groups, Kyllo says. Starting at just five staterooms/10 guests, groups qualify for a minimum $250 per person discount and travel advisors earn a tour conductor credit for every 10 guests with a fully refundable “goodwill” deposit of $25 per person. Travel partners looking to grow their group business often start with adding a group to one of AmaWaterways’ popular hosted wine cruises, and AmaWaterways will help with flyers and virtual or in-person cruise nights. Whether it’s wine or another kind of affinity group, the best advice for travel advisors is to “find your passion, try something that resonates with you and get five couples to travel with you.”
Cheryl’s 40-year career in journalism is bookended by roles in the travel industry, including Executive Editor of Business Travel News in the 1990s, and recently, Editor in Chief of Travel Market Report and admin of Cheryl Rosen’s Group for Travel Professionals, a news and support group on Facebook. As an independent contractor since retiring from the 9-to-5 to travel more, she has written regular articles about the life and business of travel agents for Luxury Travel Advisor, Travel Agent, and Insider Travel Report. She also writes and edits for professional publications in the financial services, business, and technology sectors.
