In late May, I received an invitation to personally experience the river cruise „Treasures of the Main & Rhine“ with AmaWaterways traveling from Nuremberg to Amsterdam. As I’ve never been on or even considered a river cruise before I was very curious and excited to find out what was in store for me.
So I “packed in” my 10-year-old daughter Lily and invited my 77-year-old dad Heinrich to join us for a vacation on board of the AmaViola, one of the twin-balcony ships of the AmaWaterways fleet. From the moment we set foot on that ship all three of us were blown away by the service, the food, the accommodations and the well-thoughtout program.
Although the guests on board were mostly retirees, we were soon to discover that a river cruise is also great for a multi-generational trip.
With my daughter being the youngest traveler on board and my dad the only “authentic” German, both were soon well-known among the other guests and I was mostly referred to as Lily’s Mom or “Henry’s daughter” (a rather new experience for me).
River cruising is a very different experience than spending time on one of those massive ocean liners. The first major difference is the size of the ship and the number of fellow travelers. Instead of fighting with 2,000 people for 200 pool chairs and feeling overwhelmed by an over-abundance of activities and dining choices, AmaWaterways river cruises only host around 150 guests on board. This allows for excellent personal service and the chance to connect with everyone on board, if you so choose. Admittedly, large cruise ships are fun, too, but there is a lot to be said about sailing on a river cruise where you can explore new towns and villages every day while enjoying first-class service by an attentive staff on every booking level.
All in all, it was a great bonding experience for a family living thousands of miles apart. Although being German natives, it was exciting for my Dad and me to discover what Germany has to offer in terms of history, culture, natural beauty, and regional differences. My daughter Lily had great fun no matter whether she assisted the local glass blower who came on board one evening, roamed through the narrow streets of Wertheim on the Main or enjoyed time at the pool on the upper deck.
For more info visit → www.amawaterways.com
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