The Adventures by Disney tour company and AmaWaterways are bringing pixie dust to European river cruises. Family-oriented, luxury river cruises have Disney-trained Adventure Guides, engaging activities for a variety of ages, behind-the-scenes tours and after-hours cultural experiences at Europe’s most popular ports.
The trips are all-inclusive, too, so there are no surprises when it comes to paying for a truly immersive and hassle free experience. Let’s look at this partnership.
Adventures by Disney Guided Tours
For nearly 15 years, Adventures by Disney (ABD) has provided guided tours with a Disney flair to destinations in Europe, China, North America, South America, South Africa, Peru and Australia. Billed as the “ultimate in escorted family tours,” these upscale trips are designed to thrill anyone who appreciates the company’s skills at storytelling, customer service and yes, making magic.
For Disney fans, “family” is a very broad term, and we’ve heard an average one-third of participants are taking these trips without children.
Their ABD formula has been a winning one, with new destinations such as Iceland and Switzerland — and new activities like horseback riding — added all the time. In fact, Adventures by Disney was honored with awards from both Cruise Critic in 2018 and a Reader’s Choice Award from the travel agents of Travel Weekly in 2017.
AmaWaterways is a European Cruise Leader with a Global Reach
AmaWaterways is an equally decorated river cruise company, snagging Travel + Leisure World’s Best Award, Cruise Critics Editors’ Pick Award, and an overall 4-Star Plus rating in the inaugural “Berlitz: River Cruising in Europe” guide.
AmaWaterways has been running luxury cruises around the world, including Europe, Southeast Asia and Africa, since 2006.
It turns out that river cruising is a very popular vacation option for Disney fans and, since launching in 2016, ABD AmaWaterways river itineraries have expanded — a sure sign of success.
River Itineraries Designed with Families in Mind
AmaWaterways and Disney executives talk about the Danube as “the starter cruise” most likely to appeal to first-time travelers. Most trips make a total of eight ports of call in Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary, with pre- and post-cruise stays available in Prague. The minimum suggested age for sailors is 8 but the ABD team says families with children age 4 and up are welcomed.
Combining the service and luxury of AmaWaterways with the family travel expertise of Adventures by Disney, the river cruises explore Europe from the inside out. Planned activities range from visiting Salzburg filming locations from “The Sound of Music,” riverfront bike tours, and goulash cooking classes in Hungary, to exploring Devin Castle in Bratislava and taking a traditional Austrian folk dancing lessons in Melk.
In keeping with AmaWaterways tradition of customizing each guest’s experience, there are eight Adventures by Disney Adventure Guides on board each sailing. Their job is to help families decide among a choice of planned activities, whether to join organized shore excursions, or whether to explore on their own during days and nights in port.
Fun River Cruise Itineraries in 2019
Adventures by Disney family sailings typically depart during the summer and winter school holidays. The special holiday themed sailings also include special visits to the renowned Christmas markets in Budapest and Vienna, and / or a Vienna Boys Choir Christmas performance in the Hofburg Palace Chapel and a special holiday menu lunch.
There are no costumed characters on board, yet there is time to show movies, play games, and share Disney storytelling with kids while adults enjoy special Chef’s Table meals and the wine bar. At shore, active play areas for younger children are incorporated into excursions which are led by local experts at each port.
Depending on the season, all river cruises have active excursion options for the whole family which may include including biking, canoeing, horseback riding or hiking.
In 2019, Adventures by Disney guests will launch a brand-new itinerary along the Seine River in France. The 10-day, nine-night Seine river cruise vacation combines two days exploring Paris on land (guided tours of Paris icons including Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre) with eight days of cruising to picturesque French destinations such as Conflans, Vernon and more.
Plus, Adventures by Disney guests can add on an extension package at Disneyland Paris Resort.
The Future is Looking Fun in 2019 and 2020
In 2020, Disney and AmaWaterways European river cruises sail more often than ever before, including 27 departures along the Danube, Rhine, Seine and Rhone rivers. To complement the increased selection of family vacations in 2020, 10 river cruise departures are reserved exclusively for adults.
Also new in 2020, Adventures by Disney guests can add guided three-day, two-night short escapes in Paris, Amsterdam and Budapest, Hungary, which can be booked as pre- or post-cruise stays or as standalone trips.
For more details and to book reservations, visit AdventuresByDisney.com, call 800/543-0865 or contact a travel agent to learn more.
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Dubai is a glorious city in the world but the desert safari is most thrilling tour in Dubai since 1980 . This is a great post and great team work .
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Good address for ski. My daughter loves skiing very much. It will be a good option for us for the next winter holiday.
Good to know as I have a daughter at 10 YOD and she loves skiing very much.
Seems there are lots of fun for kids in Las Vegas. I have never though about a such thing there. It will be a good option to consider for our next family holiday. Thank you.
What’s a wonderful & luxury holiday. I am dreaming about it.
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Thanks for sharing.
I love reading your blogs, there are many useful information for travelers. Thank you very much for sharing.
Good advices when traveling with kids. Thank you very much.
What’s an amazing trip. Thank you for sharing.
Very nice day. We don’t have it in Vietnam 🙁
Amazing hotels. I love eco-resort with nature style instead of modern hotels.
Good to read this before I prepare my family trip in the summer.
Good to know this. Thank you for sharing. I will consider this for my children.
Thank you for these tips on how to plan a family safari! I’d like to be able to take my whole family and show them the beauty of Africa. But it always seemed so daunting to plan a whole trip that everyone would enjoy. I mean there’s always the age differences, and differences in interest as well to think about. Just thinking of ensuring that everything goes well planned is stressing me out. That’s why I turned to the internet in search of tips! Definitely will use your tips on how to choose a safari.
Very good tips. We all should follow these tips for a safe road trip. Thanks for the great help.
Thankyou Mr Ralph S for giving precise information on the overland.
i will be travelling for the 1st time from adelaide to melbourne this month end. it will be of grt help.
Soon I’ll be planning a trip to Dubai. Thanks for the information about what’s worth visiting.
Hello Lansdell family! This is a great place for a long weekend of outdoors exploration and a beautiful park. In late May, a new business is opening = https://www.floattheriver.net/ = which will run float trips on inner tubes on portions of the river. I asked some locals and they suggested that after biking and hiking and riding the train, your kids might enjoy day trips to nearby Canton, Akron or Cleveland. Each has lots of Metroparks (the public system of urban parks) and museums, etc to do and see. With some planning, all your days can be as full of variety as you would like. We hope you have a wonderful trip.
How did you get around the Darien Gap?
Very good
Thank you for sharing these warm and touching thoughts of yours! I’ve only been the Belarus once, but I wish I read it before going, something in my experience would definitely be different then. I did use some advise – from the telegram channel for foreigners https://t.me/Belanews but I guess your opinion would be great to consider and embrace too.
Thanks for all the info. We are planning on going in August, and are trying to find a nature-centered vacation for our family of 4, kids ages 7 and 4. We are from Southern Ontario, Canada and we came across this national park. Would you recommend this place for 3-4 days? Is there enough to do (hiking, train rides, exploring etc)? Somewhere else? We also looked at the Smoky Mountains but its about a 11-12 hours vs the 5-6 hours to Cuyohoga. Any advice would be helpful.
That place is really amazing. I want to spend my vacations on this beautiful place. Thanks for sharing this nice information.
I've been there last year. If someone is looking for a nice hotel I can highly recommend to take a look at the Hotel Rappen Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
Such a good information.Nice work.Very useful for us.
The gardens of Suzhou are absolutely beautiful and something that you don’t want to miss while you are there.
Traveling with your children in s Suzhou is super easy and safe. My family had a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed there time there. One thing they really loved was going down all of the canals. Here is some great information on all the beautiful canals that you can explore.
It looks like a beautiful experience. Turkey is a wonderful country -and the fact that it’s not that expensive compared to other countries makes a visit there even more tempting. Thanks for sharing.
good tips, safety comes first so that our trip may be remembered as a happy memoir when we went to see and explore new places and have fun. and not as a terrifying night in the ER. god bless you all , be safe
Thanks for your insight for your fantastic posting. I’m glad I have taken the time to see this.
Great tips for road trips!
Thanks for posting, very valuable information .
Being visiting is one of the best experiences of my life. Being there and enjoying every bit of time is wonderful. Personally, my best experience is an underground aquarium and desert safari. One visited Dubai must go for these two activities.
Would love this for our family!
We’ve always wanted to go and now they are old enough to enjoy it.
Thanks so much for doing this!
The beaches, the weather, the food, the attractions and the activities- everything was perfect.
I think parents should focus more on preparing or educating their children about the proper etiquette and behaviors before the flight to avoid being a nuisance to others. I don’t know much about kids but as a first-time mom, that’s what I will do.
Hi,
You have explained the timeshare information for Spain country very well.Share more blogs which will we helpful for people like us in future.
Thanks
Seeking for your positive reply.
Hi,
I would like to travel out of the US with my son. I understand that I would need his father to sign and notarize a letter. He had not been a stand up dad to take care of his responsibilities so he left and I can’t find him. What can I do in a situation like that to travel with my son?
happy you enjoyed the story. This park is in Ohio where the climate can be capricious! It’s hottest between late April and November, however even April has the danger of some snow. In case you’re enjoying the great outdoors with children, the most secure wager is June to August, since it’s hotter and there’s little downpour. Make the most of your trek.
Wonderfully informative article!
I want to go travel with kids but I was not decided where we go. Your post is helpful for me. Thanks for sharing.
Tenerife is SO stunning! I love this volcanic landscape, sometimes you feel like you traveled to the Moon. This place has it all – great views, pleasant weather, awesome food, wine and laid-back people. Thanks for sharing ideas, I’ll use some of them on my next trip 🙂
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I automatically think the word “gumbling” when I heard Las Vegas. I never knew that Las Vegas has something to offer for youngsters. Will bring my children here soon.
Nice Article, it is very helpful to me.
There is no Doubt, Dubai is most popular destination among tourists from across the world and have gained high popularity in last decade. If you are in Dubai and dhow go for dhow cruise, there is some thing missing on your list. There are Dubai dhow cruise, Musandam Dibba dhow cruise and Khasab Musandam dhow cruise. Try some of them and you will love.
Istanbul layover tour is a great service to use the best of your time in Istanbul Airport. However if you like to have a private attention and flexibility, you can check private tour services of ISTANBUL LAYOVER TOURS. They are offering the layover tours from Istanbul International Airport.
Great article! Wanted for Christmas again. Do you know anything about this place ? It is very interesting to know the opinions. How much advance it is necessary to book a hotel and various entertainment before the holidays?