March 04, 2021
(5:10 p.m. EST) -- AmaWaterways has outlined plans for the longest-ever river cruise -- a 46-night journey along seven rivers through 14 countries.
Billed as the river equivalent of an ocean world cruise, the idea has proved so popular with past passengers that the line is already considering organizing up to three of the epic trans-European journeys from France to Bulgaria.
The first sailing will take place in June 2023. Passengers will cruise on different AmaWaterways vessels on the Seine, Rhone, Saone, Rhine, Moselle, Main and Danube.
AmaWaterways president and co-founder Rudi Schreiner said the first river journey of its kind was in response to travelers planning post-pandemic bucket list vacations.
"We came up with the whole idea not so long ago because it seemed like world cruises on the ocean cruise market were selling like hot cakes," he said, at the Cruise Line International Association's Global Virtual River Cruise Showcase. "We put this one cruise together and went to our past guests and without even announcing it yet to the public we already have so many people who have signed up for it that we are possibly looking to do a second or third cruise."
The itinerary he outlined works like this: Seven nights on France's Seine, then take a TGV train from Paris to Lyon. There, guests will board AmaKristina to sail on the Rhone and Saone before transferring to Basel. The Rhine portion of the trip will take three weeks, sailing from Basel to Amsterdam on AmaPrima. The ship will make detours on the Moselle to Luxembourg and on the Main to Nuremberg. Guests will transfer to the Danube at Vilshofen, Germany, and take the river all the way to Romania on the Black Sea.
Schreiner said there would only be three land transfers on the whole cruise to reach different vessels.
Fares for the "Seven River Journey Through Europe" itinerary start from £21,061 per person (approx. $29,015) for a riverview cabin and £27,983 ($38,670) for a balcony stateroom, excluding flights.
