CALABASAS, CA – (December 15, 2022) – AmaWaterways announced the addition of two new 2023 river cruise dates for guests to experience Heritage on the River; Your Personalized Ancestry® Experience. These special itineraries, conducted in collaboration with AmaWaterways’ partner Ancestry®, will provide guests exclusive opportunities to explore their heritage with tailored experiences that educate and immerse them in the destinations their ancestors once called home. Both seven-night cruises – theLegendary Danube cruise embarking June 17, 2023 traveling from Nuremberg, Germany to Budapest, Hungary, and the Captivating Rhine cruise embarking November 2, 2023 traveling from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Basel, Switzerland – will welcome guests onboard for dedicated Heritage on the River experiences, uncovering their family’s history while sailing along two of Europe’s most renowned rivers.
“Following the success of our first Heritage on the River cruise in 2022, we are thrilled to expand our partnership with Ancestry® andAncestryProGenealogists® as the desire for immersive and enriching travel experiences continues to grow,” said Kristin Karst, executive vice president and co-founder of AmaWaterways. “These very special sailings combine our companies’ shared passions for family, heritage and travel, and we look forward to helping our guests forge a deeply personal connection to their European roots while creating new memories that will truly last a lifetime!”
Guests signing up for AmaWaterways’ exclusive heritage-focused program start their experience with a pre-journey welcome call with an expert genealogist, an AncestryDNA® Kit and a five-hour Ancestry® research and consultation package. Once their river cruise begins, guests will be accompanied by a genealogist throughout their entire journey, providing two historical and genealogical presentations, a private consultation, a hosted lunch or dinner plus a curated excursion delving further into the heritage of the region.
During the Captivating Rhine cruise, guests will gain a deeper understanding of their ancestors’ challenging journey to the new world through an exclusive excursion to the historic Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp, Belgium. On the Legendary Danube sailing, the expert genealogist offers guests a unique perspective on the Jewish and Hungarian migration experiences with exclusive enhancements to Budapest and Vienna city tours. Guests on either cruise can choose to expand their Heritage on the River journey with private ancestral home visits to the spots their families once lived, worked, attended school or worshipped. One such life-changing visit was captured in a short video filmed during the 2022 Heritage on the River cruise.
To further enhance the European immersion, optional pre- and post-cruise land packages are also available and fully escorted by AmaWaterways Cruise Managers:
- Legendary Danube – June 17, 2023
o Pre-cruise: 3 nights in Prague, Czech Republic
o New for 2023 post-cruise: 3 nights in Kraków, Poland
- Captivating Rhine – November 2, 2023
o Pre-cruise: 2 nights in Amsterdam, Netherlands
o Post-cruise: 2 nights in Lucerne, Switzerland and 2 nights in Zurich, Switzerland
Heritage on the River; Your Personalized Ancestry® Experience is now available for booking on the two additional sailings in 2023. Travel advisors can access AmaWaterways’ new Ancestry Marketing Toolkit on the TA Portal, featuring information about the experiences that guests will have throughout the sailing, how guests can further personalize their Heritage on the River experience and collateral including images, a guest testimonial video, flyers and blogs.
For more information, or to book an AmaWaterways river cruise for a client, call 1.800.626.0126 or visit the Travel Advisor Portal at AmaWaterways.com. Follow AmaWaterways on Facebook at Facebook.com/AmaWaterways, Instagram@AmaWaterways, Twitter @AmaWaterways and YouTube at YouTube.com/AmaWaterways.
About AmaWaterways
Family-owned and operated for 20 years, AmaWaterways offers unparalleled river cruise experiences with 26 custom-designed ships sailing Europe’s Danube, Douro, Rhine, Moselle, Main, Rhône, Saône, Seine, Garonne and Dordogne Rivers, and Dutch and Belgian Waterways; Southeast Asia’s Mekong River; Africa’s Chobe River; Egypt’s Nile River and Colombia’s Magdalena River (2024). Co-founded and led by pioneering river cruise executives Rudi Schreiner and Kristin Karst, the company is renowned for its warm and welcoming crew; innovative and sustainable ship design; wellness activities (including a wide choice of included small group shore excursions featuring biking and hiking options); and award-winning, locally sourced cuisine paired with complimentary fine wine. Modern, spacious and tastefully decorated, most AmaWaterways ships welcome an average of just 150 guests and feature onboard amenities such as a stunning Main Lounge, specialty Chef’s Table restaurant, hair and massage salons, Sun Deck walking track, and heated outdoor swimming pools with swim-up bars. AmaWaterways leads the river cruise industry in innovation, highlighted by the launch of the revolutionary AmaMagna, and the introduction of the history-making Seven River Journey itineraries. The company also offers a variety of themed sailings and brand relationships, with sailings geared towards active travelers and families, as well as group and charter options.
With the highest-rated ships in Europe according to Insight Guide: River Cruising in Europe & the USA, AmaWaterways has received countless honors and accolades including Virtuoso’s 2022 Luminaries, Legends and Leaders Award for “Best River Cruise Line” and the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) 2022 “River Cruise Line Partner of the Year” (seven years running). In addition, 20 ships in AmaWaterways’ European fleet have received the prestigious Green Award certification for industry-leading safety, quality and environmental performance.
About AncestryProGenealogists®
AncestryProGenealogists is a division of Ancestry and serves as Ancestry’s professional research arm, bringing together a team of expert researchers and professional genealogists to conduct research around the world, trace family trees, and help clients connect with their past. For more information visit progenealogists.com.
About Ancestry®
Ancestry®, the global leader in family history and consumer genomics, empowers journeys of personal discovery to enrich lives. With our unparalleled collection of over 30 billion records and over 22 million people in our growing DNA network, customers can discover their family story and gain actionable insights about their health and wellness. For over 30 years, we’ve built trusted relationships with millions of people who have chosen us as the platform for discovering, preserving and sharing the most important information about themselves and their families.