When you collaborate with the renowned AmaWaterways for organizing a group river cruise, you’ll find a team of experts ready to assist you at every stage!
Contributed By: AmaWaterways
Creating a group sailing reservation can lead to lucrative commissions for you as well as incredible benefits for both you and your clients, but for those who are stepping into group travel for the first time, this may sound like a daunting prospect. Fortunately, when you partner with award-winning AmaWaterways to create a group river cruise through Europe, Asia, Africa, or South America, you have several helping hands offering support and tools every step of the way.
Who is AmaWaterways, the Heart of the River™?
For those unfamiliar, AmaWaterways is a river cruise line with extraordinary Cruise Managers, crew and shoreside teams who put love into everything they do. On an AmaWaterways’ river cruise journey, your clients will be treated to luxury experiences highlighted by truly amazing locally sourced cuisine, a variety of included excursions in every port, and unparalleled service.
The river cruise line also puts that same level of careful consideration into supporting their esteemed travel advisor community, who represent over 95% of their sales. With helpful resources such as detailed marketing toolkits, informative weekly webinars, promotional flyers, insider tips, and more all available on their Travel Advisor Portal, as well as exceptional assistance from their committed team members, they make sure you have plenty of support as you cultivate connections with your clients and grow your travel business.
Why Create a Group Sailing?
Starting at a minimum of just five staterooms (10 guests) on AmaWaterways’ river cruises through Europe, Asia, and Colombia, group sailings are a virtually risk-free avenue for reserving staterooms for a variety of your clients. All you need is a “good faith” deposit of just $50 per stateroom in most destinations – and best of all, it is fully refundable.
When advertising your group sailing, you can offer your clients a group discount of $500 per stateroom for a 7-night river cruise – and these savings remain applicable for your group members even if you fall short of the five-stateroom minimum. For every nine full-fare clients in your group reservation, you will earn one cruise Tour Conductor credit (TCC), a repayment of the average river cruise fare among your group, when you reserve your 10th guest. Your TCC can be used in a variety of ways, allowing you to give your group an extra discount, join your clients on their river journey, or even as an extra increase in your earnings in addition to your commission.
Group sailings are perfect for so many occasions that cater to your clients. Guests can celebrate family reunions or milestone events in the incredibly capable hands of this family-owned and operated river cruise line as they immerse themselves in the enriching culture and distinct heritage of the regions they sail through. Group reservations are also excellent for clients who share a special interest such as classical music, fine wine, culinary delights, and more – allowing you to add custom excursions to enhance your clients’ experiences.
With our 2025 river cruise departures in Colombia, Africa, and Egypt now open for reservations, now is the perfect time to get a head start on planning your future group sailing. The rest of our 2025 itineraries throughout Europe and along the Mekong River will be available in the next few months, so keep an eye out for ideal river cruise journeys for your next group sailing!
Where Do You Begin?
If the idea of a group river cruise appeals to you and you want to begin creating your own, look no further than your local Business Development Manager (or BDM). The BDM in your region has helped countless other esteemed travel advisors through this process, so they have the knowledge to guide you. The perfect sounding board, they will help to refine your group sailing idea. Are you looking to create a themed group? Will the group center around a special person, such as a Wine Host, you intend to invite? How many people are you aiming to include in your group? Do you already have an idea of who will be joining your group, or will you be widely marketing to a wider base of potential clients? What itinerary will your group be exploring?
Once you have your vision for your group more solidified, your BDM will direct you to AmaWaterways’ Group Department, where you will meet with a designated Group Coordinator. Your Group Coordinator will work with you to make sure that your group’s experience will match your ideal concept, from helping you plan the best available flights for your clients to setting up custom excursions along your planned journey. Along with this, your Group Coordinator will help provide you with customized marketing materials such as flyers and emails to help you raise awareness within your client base and beyond, extending your travel business’s reach. Your BDM can also aid you in planning a Cruise Night, either in-person or online, to generate excitement and awareness for your group journey.
Enjoy a Limited-Time Group Offer
If you reserve your group sailing by September 30, 2023, on select 2023 and 2024 river cruise departures, you can save your clients up to $2,500 per stateroom! With this great value comes an incredible incentive for your clients to join you on an immersive river journey throughout Europe or along the Mekong River.
For full details on Cruise groups with AmaWaterways policies, offers, and more, visit your Travel Advisor Portal at www.AmaWaterways.com/agent-home.