From left: AmaWaterways’ Kristin Karst and Rudi Schreiner; Cruise Planners’ Michelle Fee; Vilshofen Mayor Florian Gams; and 2nd County Commissioner Rainmund Kneidinger.
Michelle Fee, co-founder and CEO of Cruise Planners, served as the godmother for the christening of AmaWaterways’ newest 164-passenger vessel AmaSerena, which took place this week in Vilshofen, Germany.
Fee was joined by Ama co-founders Rudi Schreiner and Kristin Karst.
The launch of AmaSerena brings the company’s 2015 fleet size to 16 vessels, with two additional launches planned for next year — the 158-passenger sister ships AmaViola and AmaStella.
The AmaSerena features the line’s first-ever connecting staterooms, designed to better accommodate families and groups traveling together. The majority of the staterooms on the vessel’s upper two decks have been outfitted with Ama’s signature twin balcony concept (an adjoining indoor and outdoor balcony). The AmaSerena also features salon and spa services; a sun deck; multiple dining venues, including The Chef’s Table restaurant; an intimate wine room; a fitness room; and a heated swimming pool with swim-up bar on the sun deck.
Future itineraries for the AmaSerena include the Enchanting Rhine, Magnificent Europe and the Romantic Danube.
Baron Peter von Wethelm, a Salzburg tour guide and relative of the Von Trapp family on which “The Sound of Music” was based, points out a fountain featured in the “Do-Re-Mi” scene.
SALZBURG, Austria — In one of its most ambitious product launches since Adventures by Disney was founded 10 years ago, the tour brand earlier this year announced that it would introduce river cruises in 2016 in partnership with AmaWaterways. And not more than a month after unveiling the river cruises, Disney was adding departures to meet what has clearly been a strong response to its new offering.
The travel industry won’t know until next year, when the first Adventures by Disney river cruises set sail, exactly how the operator’s family-friendly take on river cruising will look, feel and fare compared with existing river cruises.
But to get a sneak peek at some of the land experiences Disney will offer along its Danube itineraries, I joined an Adventures by Disney Central Europe tour last week, which includes several of the same stops in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic that will either be visited on upcoming river cruises or offered as pre- or post-cruise extensions.
One of the main Disney differentiators quickly became apparent in the first city on the tour, Prague, which will be offered as an extension on Disney cruises: youthful fun.
It’s not that river cruising isn’t infused with plenty of adult-style fun, often in the form of wine and cheese and dancing in the lounge after dinner. But as a global leader in family travel, Disney has a knack for finding experiences that truly engage children. In Prague, that meant not just attending one of the popular marionette shows (that would come later in Vienna), but actually making our own marionette dolls, bringing to life an old Czech tradition for kids on the tour.
Many of us adults also had a blast making marionette dolls. Likewise, I thoroughly enjoyed the trick fountains at the Hellbrunn Castle in Salzburg and making pretzels. In fact, I took delight in all the activities that were geared to the younger tour participants. There’s something really refreshing about having permission to be a kid again.
Adventures by Disney tour participants make marionette dolls in Prague.
Take the “The Sound of Music” tour in the Austrian town of Salzburg. When else can you get a pass on singing your heart out to the movie’s iconic sound track while riding a motorcoach to visit sites from the film?
If Adventures by Disney runs its river cruises in a fashion similar to how it executed the Central Europe tour (and I was assured there will be a fair amount of overlap) participants can expect plenty of fun activities for kids and for any adult’s inner child, as well:
• Active experiences, such as our rigorous hike to and through the ice caves of Eisriesenwelt Werfen in the Austrian Alps.
• Relevant movies and music.
• Well-trained Adventures by Disney guides who ensure that the program caters to both adults and children.
• Accessible information about the culture and history of the destinations provided by local guides.
Clients on the river cruises also will have a high-class, floating hotel to return to at the end of each adventure-filled day.
Adventures by Disney will be chartering AmaWaterway’s 170-passenger AmaViola, a custom-built river cruise ship launching in 2016. There will be five Adventures by Disney sailings along the Danube in summer 2016 and two holiday-themed sailings in December 2016 through Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary.
Adventures by Disney river cruises will be operated by AmaWaterways.
After announcing last month that it is launching river cruises through a partnership with AmaWaterways, Adventures by Disney has already added two more departures “due to popularity and mass interest in the program.”
Originally, Disney’s tour operator arm said it would offer four sailings along the Danube River during summer 2016, and one holiday-themed sailing in December 2016. There will now be five sailings in the summer, as well as two sailings in December of 2016. The itineraries will travel through Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary.
Adventures by Disney will charter the 170-passenger AmaViola, a ship that is launching in 2016 and is being custom-built to cater to families. Family-friendly features on the AmaViola will be six sets of connecting staterooms, as well as some rooms and suites that can accommodate families of three or four people.
There will be wine tastings, fine dining, music, dancing and an onboard fitness center geared toward adults, and movies, karaoke, relay games, chess lessons on an oversized board, video games and themed nights for young children and teens.
There will be eight Adventures by Disney guides on each sailing in addition to the AmaWaterways crew.
The Adventures by Disney sailings will take place July 7, 14, 21, 28, Aug. 4, Dec. 15 and 22.
Adventures by Disney, which launched in 2005, offers 30 guided vacations on six continents.
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