AmaWaterways wine cruises add a unique epicurean dimension to a variety of itineraries at no additional cost. Join one of these wine cruises with a special wine host and be treated to a menu of exclusive wine and culinary experiences designed to delve deeper into the wonderful flavors and tastes of Europe.
European cities transform into majestic winter wonderlands for the holiday season – and we invite you to experience all their splendor with us. In addition to our variety of daily excursions, you will also have the opportunity to visit festive Christmas Markets in select destinations and participate in nostalgic traditions.
Maximize your Christmas experience by embarking at the height of the holiday market season with daily or near-daily visits to Christmas Markets.
Get "just a taste" of the holidays in mid-November or late December with visits to one or two Christmas Markets during your river cruise.
We are pleased to offer guests the opportunity to experience Floriade in 2022 while sailing along the Rhine River and Dutch and Belgian Waterways between April 14 and October 9. Right outside Amsterdam, this rare experience calls for its visitors to “explore, touch and change” as part of their journey into Floriade – which is set to feature stunning gardens, innovative sustainable gardening exhibits, live entertainment, talk shows, souvenirs and food stalls.
We invite you to join our incredible cruise on the Rhône with a Latin Touch, featuring bilingual cruise managers, daily tours with Spanish-speaking guides, Latin-inspired music nights and other distinctive elements.
Based on the overwhelmingly positive response received from the announcement of our first-ever “Soulful Experience” on the Rhône River in 2023, we are delighted to announce four new opportunities for guests to celebrate their heritage and discover Black history and culture along the rivers with us in 2024.
Join award-winning television host and travel expert, Samantha Brown, Godmother of AmaMagna, as we cruise through four countries along the Danube River. Special events and Travel Talks are included on this exclusive sailing.
Join Chef Joanne Weir, award-winning cookbook author, restaurant owner and host of PBS television series “Plates & Places” as she hosts a special 7-night Flavors of Burgundy river cruise.
We invite you to join our incredible cruise on the Danube with a Latin Touch, featuring bilingual cruise managers, daily tours with Spanish-speaking guides, Latin-inspired music nights and other distinctive elements.
Explore the rich history of classical music along the Danube River where famous composers lived, worked and performed. Plus, be treated to a variety of live performances on this melodious journey.
Based on the overwhelmingly positive response received from the announcement of our first-ever “Soulful Experience” on the Rhône River in 2023, we are delighted to announce four new opportunities for guests to celebrate their heritage and discover Black history and culture along the rivers with us in 2025
Join award-winning television host and travel expert, Samantha Brown, Godmother of AmaMagna, as we cruise through five countries along the Danube River. Special events and Travel Talks are included on this exclusive sailing.
We invite you to join our incredible cruise on the Douro with a Latin Touch, featuring bilingual cruise managers, daily tours with Spanish-speaking guides, Latin-inspired music nights and other distinctive elements.
We invite our loyal past guests to join us once again on these special Loyalty Cruises, offering unique experiences in multiple ports, commemorative gifts, and many more surprises and delights.
Imagine if there was a way to combine luxury river cruising on the iconic Danube with the opportunity to indulge your passion and play golf. We have created the perfect package to enable you to do just that with our Exclusive Concierge Golf Program. Discover Europe, complete with award winning cuisine, incredible service and a choice of excursions in every port, as well as up to 5 rounds of golf at some of the leading championship courses on the continent.
AmaWaterways’ Exclusive Concierge Golf Program is available on select Magna on the Danube cruises sailing aboard the AmaMagna.
Hello! "I'm Kristin Karst, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of AmaWaterways and I'm passionate about river cruising. Each month, I love to share with you my thoughts, personal stories, travel tips and latest news on the people and places that help turn every mile of our guests' river cruise experience into one of their most cherished memories!"
Sunlight streams in from the windows, reflecting on my laptop screen. The sound of children’s voices echoing from an adjoining room fills my ears. “Can you hear me?”
I am on a virtual call with Thulani Madondo, co-Founder and Executive Director of the Kliptown Youth Program which is located in the neighborhood of Soweto, South Africa and is visited by our guests on select Africa Safaris & Wildlife Cruise itineraries. From more than 7,000 miles away, I can feel Thulani’s pride and joy shine through my small computer screen.
Though he was born with very little in the very town where he now works to break the cycle of poverty, you would never know it. Just one week prior I had felt the force of Thulani’s firm handshake and squinted in the bright glow of his gracious personality as he visited AmaWaterways’ corporate headquarters in Calabasas, California. This was a man who was named one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes from a pool of 45,000 nominees within 100 countries across the globe. I was in the presence of greatness – and still am as I nervously review my questions for him one by one.
Thulani tells me that Kliptown Youth Program is a nonprofit that was founded in 2007 and today provides tutoring, school fee and uniform support, nutritious meals, online learning, a library and even extracurriculars such as performing arts and sports for the youth that live in the neighborhood – many in pieced together shacks. In a town of 44,000 people where three out of four adults are unemployed and live without basic services such as food, electricity and recreational facilities, this program is critical in providing hope for a better life for local children. “We needed to be a part of the solution for this community because we had seen a lot of young people losing hope each day,” says Thulani. “It was very painful to watch. We wanted to be the generation that was going to create change within the community.”
Connecting with AmaWaterways
Nine years after Kliptown Youth Program’s founding and four years after Thulani’s nomination for the CNN Heroes Award, he was fortunate enough to host AmaWaterways’ Product Manager for Africa, Todd Ney, who came to visit the community. “When we showed Todd the challenges in Kliptown and the work that we do here, he was very excited and motivated to bring all of AmaWaterways guests who visit Johannesburg to come and see us,” Thulani recalls.
Since then, guests on select Africa itineraries visiting Johannesburg are taken on a Kliptown community tour that later leads to the youth center, where they meet face to face with staff and learn more about the programs and activities there. “When they see people like us living under such harsh conditions in the 21st century, for many it becomes a shock,” Thulani explains. “However, the success stories of our program are really exciting, and we are so fortunate – many of the guests come here as visitors but leave as friends who support us in continuing our work.”
Success Stories
Since its founding more than 15 years ago, Kliptown Youth Program has helped more than 100 students from the community graduate from colleges and universities. In addition, they have assisted with many young adults obtaining their driver’s licenses. Most importantly, the program has created a haven for approximately 902 children every Monday through Thursday, providing them with two nutritious meals each day, as well as the support and guidance they need to succeed in school and in their lives beyond.
“We have young people that are now economically active, some of whom have helped move their families to better homes where there is water and electricity,” boasts Thulani. He and his staff have also created 22 full-time jobs within the organization, which has benefited their leadership as well.
“When we started, many of us lived in shacks with up to eight people in the same home, but most of us are now in much better living situations. We have created a point of reference for our children that it is possible to succeed,” explains Thulani. “When you come from a community like ours, at times you feel you don’t have control over your life. But when organizations like the Kliptown Youth Program create a platform for our young people to shine, then they take advantage of that – and that’s something that really makes us feel very humbled and proud.”
Love From the Other Side of the World
While Thulani and his staff are grateful to be visited and supported by our guests, they have also had the opportunity to travel around the world, sharing their mission. Without prompting, Thulani offered, “My favorite thing about Ama is your heart. When we had the privilege to come visit you in your US offices, everyone was so welcoming. We were given the 5-star VIP treatment. We are not always treated as special in other places around the world. We shall be forever grateful for that kind of hospitality.”
Meet Thulani and his staff at the Kliptown Youth Program in Soweto, South Africa when you join us on select Africa Safaris & Wildlife Cruises.
Written by Jenny Platt, Brand Manager